Missouri Supreme Court Takes Second Amendment Case

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The question of whether felons should be allowed to own firearms is being addressed in a case on the Missouri Supreme Court docket.

It plans to take up the case Monday.

Cases involving not just constitutional rights, but the right to bear arms, always carry a lot of weight.

This particular case also involves rights or the limited rights of convicted felons.

Starting Monday the Missouri Supreme Court will begin hearing the case State of Missouri v. Marcus Merritt, out of St. Louis.

Merritt was convicted in 1986 of illegal distribution of PCP.

January last year the state charged Merritt with three counts of illegal possession of a firearm.

Merritt wants those charges dismissed.

He believes the statute that states it is illegal for felons to have firearms violates his inalienable constitutional right to bear arms.

That case will be heard by the Missouri Supreme Court next week.

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Missouri Supreme Court Takes Second Amendment Case

Parliament passes two bills on shipping industry, ship workers

Parliament Tuesday passed two bills to improve the working condition of ship workers and the shipping industry.

The Merchant Shipping (Amendment) Bill, 2013 and the Merchant Shipping (Second) Amendment, Bill 2013, which were passed by the Rajya Sabha on Monday, were cleared by the Lok Sabha Tuesday.

Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari, speaking on the bills, said they were in the interest of the country, workers and the shipping industry and their provisions were in line with the recommendations of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

The Merchant Shipping (Amendment) Bill seeks to add new provisions to the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 to comply with the International Convention for the Control of Harmful Anti-Fouling Systems on Ships, 2001.

Anti-fouling paints are applied to the bottom of the ships to protect them from erosion from sea water and rusting.

The Merchant Shipping (Second Amendment) Bill proposes to amend the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958, to bring it in conformity with the ILO's Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, which lays down the standards for the living and working conditions of seafarers, including their food, accommodation, medical care, social security, and recruitment.

(Posted on 02-12-2014)

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Parliament passes two bills on shipping industry, ship workers

We Need to Talk about Sandy Hook Full Video in Higher Quality – Video


We Need to Talk about Sandy Hook Full Video in Higher Quality
SandyHook was a hoax to weakened the second amendment. A capstone event perpetrated by the president and the attorney general. Also see Sandy Hook creating reality redux on the tube. Stand...

By: Etgwetr Rsfrqewf

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We Need to Talk about Sandy Hook Full Video in Higher Quality - Video

Arguments To Be Heard In Homeless Womans Stun Gun Case

BOSTON (AP) Jaime Caetano was beaten so badly by her ex-boyfriend that she ended up in the hospital. So when a friend offered her a stun gun to protect herself, she took it.

Caetano, who is homeless, never had to use it but now finds herself at the center of a contentious Second Amendment case headed to the highest court in Massachusetts.

The Supreme Judicial Court is being asked to decide whether a state law that prohibits private citizens from possessing stun guns infringes on their right to keep and bear arms. In an unusual twist, the court is also being asked to examine whether the Second Amendment right to defend yourself in your own home applies in the case of a homeless person.

Arguments before the court are scheduled Tuesday.

Police found Caetanos stun gun in her purse during a shoplifting investigation at a supermarket in 2011. She told police she needed it to defend herself against her violent ex-boyfriend, against whom she had obtained multiple restraining orders.

During her trial, Caetano, 32, testified that her ex-boyfriend repeatedly came to her workplace and threatened her. One night, she showed him the stun gun and he got scared and left me alone, she said.

She was found guilty of violating the state law that bans private possession of stun guns, devices that deliver an electric shock when pressed against an attacker.

In her appeal, her lawyer, Benjamin Keehn, argues that a stun gun falls within the meaning of arms under the Second Amendment. Keehn wrote in a legal brief that the states ban cannot be squared with the fundamental right to keep and bear arms. He also argues that self-defense outside the home is part of the core right provided by the Second Amendment.

Massachusetts is among only five states that ban stun guns and Tasers for private citizens, said Eugene Volokh, a constitutional law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, who has written extensively about Second Amendment issues. The devices are used by law enforcement agencies around the country.

A ban in Michigan was overturned in 2012 after the state appeals court ruled that a total prohibition was unconstitutional under the Second Amendment and the Michigan Constitution.

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Arguments To Be Heard In Homeless Womans Stun Gun Case

Bearing arms-on Black Friday! Gun sales boom

Apparel and electronics are far from being the only things consumers seek out on Black Fridaymany really like firearm deals as well.

Second amendment enthusiasts sent gun sales surging on Friday, according to a report from CNN.com. The federal government was on track to process more than 144,000 background checks for the purposes of gun ownership, a new record and the equivalent of 3 investigations per second, the report added.

A Federal Bureau of Investigation spokesman told the news organization that approximately 600 FBI and contract call center employees sift through thousands of requests within a 3 day span. Traditionally, Black Friday is a peak day for volume, but Friday likely topped last year's requests of 144,758.

Gun sales have been on the rise since at least late 2012, when the Sandy Hook massacre stoked new fears that the federal government could tighten access to firearms. Those concerns proved unfounded, however, as efforts to pass new restrictions have repeatedly failed to pass stiff Congressional opposition.

Of the number of Black Friday requests, approximately 3,000 of them will not be completed because of the need for more information, the spokesman told CNN.com. The agency usually denies around 500 background checks per day due to incomplete applications.

The full report can be found at CNN.com

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Bearing arms-on Black Friday! Gun sales boom

2nd Amendment lovers boost Black Friday: Report

Apparel and electronics are far from being the only things consumers seek out on Black Fridaymany really like firearm deals as well.

Second amendment enthusiasts sent gun sales surging on Friday, according to a report from CNN.com. The federal government was on track to process more than 144,000 background checks for the purposes of gun ownership, a new record and the equivalent of 3 investigations per second, the report added.

A Federal Bureau of Investigation spokesman told the news organization that approximately 600 FBI and contract call center employees sift through thousands of requests within a 3 day span. Traditionally, Black Friday is a peak day for volume, but Friday likely topped last year's requests of 144,758.

Gun sales have been on the rise since at least late 2012, when the Sandy Hook massacre stoked new fears that the federal government could tighten access to firearms. Those concerns proved unfounded, however, as efforts to pass new restrictions have repeatedly failed to pass stiff Congressional opposition.

Of the number of Black Friday requests, approximately 3,000 of them will not be completed because of the need for more information, the spokesman told CNN.com. The agency usually denies around 500 background checks per day due to incomplete applications.

The full report can be found at CNN.com

Continued here:

2nd Amendment lovers boost Black Friday: Report

Homeless woman's stun gun spurs 2nd Amendment case – Quincy Herald-Whig | Illinois & Missouri News, Sports

By DENISE LAVOIE AP Legal Affairs Writer

BOSTON (AP) - Jaime Caetano was beaten so badly by her ex-boyfriend that she ended up in the hospital. So when a friend offered her a stun gun to protect herself, she took it.

Caetano, who is homeless, never had to use it but now finds herself at the center of a contentious Second Amendment case headed to the highest court in Massachusetts.

The Supreme Judicial Court is being asked to decide whether a state law that prohibits private citizens from possessing stun guns infringes on their right to keep and bear arms. In an unusual twist, the court is also being asked to examine whether the Second Amendment right to defend yourself in your own home applies in the case of a homeless person.

Arguments before the court are scheduled Tuesday.

Police found Caetano's stun gun in her purse during a shoplifting investigation at a supermarket in 2011. She told police she needed it to defend herself against her violent ex-boyfriend, against whom she had obtained multiple restraining orders.

During her trial, Caetano, 32, testified that her ex-boyfriend repeatedly came to her workplace and threatened her. One night, she showed him the stun gun and he "got scared and left me alone," she said.

She was found guilty of violating the state law that bans private possession of stun guns, devices that deliver an electric shock when pressed against an attacker.

In her appeal, her lawyer, Benjamin Keehn, argues that a stun gun falls within the meaning of "arms" under the Second Amendment. Keehn wrote in a legal brief that the state's ban "cannot be squared with the fundamental right to keep and bear arms." He also argues that self-defense outside the home is part of the core right provided by the Second Amendment.

Massachusetts is among only five states that ban stun guns and Tasers for private citizens, said Eugene Volokh, a constitutional law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, who has written extensively about Second Amendment issues. The devices are used by law enforcement agencies around the country.

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Homeless woman's stun gun spurs 2nd Amendment case - Quincy Herald-Whig | Illinois & Missouri News, Sports

Stun gun spurs Second Amendment case

BOSTON - Jaime Caetano was beaten so badly by her ex-boyfriend that she ended up in the hospital. So when a friend offered her a stun gun to protect herself, she took it.

Caetano, who is homeless, never had to use it but now finds herself at the center of a contentious Second Amendment case headed to the highest court in Massachusetts.

The Supreme Judicial Court is being asked to decide whether a state law that prohibits private citizens from possessing stun guns infringes on their right to keep and bear arms. In an unusual twist, the court is also being asked to examine whether the Second Amendment right to defend yourself in your own home applies in the case of a homeless person.

Arguments before the court are scheduled Tuesday.

Police found Caetano's stun gun in her purse during a shoplifting investigation at a supermarket in 2011. She told police she needed it to defend herself against her violent ex-boyfriend, against whom she had obtained multiple restraining orders.

During her trial, Caetano, 32, testified that her ex-boyfriend repeatedly came to her workplace and threatened her. One night, she showed him the stun gun and he "got scared and left me alone," she said.

She was found guilty of violating the state law that bans private possession of stun guns, devices that deliver an electric shock when pressed against an attacker.

In her appeal, her lawyer, Benjamin Keehn, argues that a stun gun falls within the meaning of "arms" under the Second Amendment. Keehn wrote in a legal brief that the state's ban "cannot be squared with the fundamental right to keep and bear arms." He also argues that self-defense outside the home is part of the core right provided by the Second Amendment.

Massachusetts is among only five states that ban stun guns and Tasers for private citizens, said Eugene Volokh, a constitutional law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, who has written extensively about Second Amendment issues. The devices are used by law enforcement agencies around the country.

A ban in Michigan was overturned in 2012 after the state appeals court ruled that a total prohibition was unconstitutional under the Second Amendment and the Michigan Constitution.

Read this article:

Stun gun spurs Second Amendment case

Massachusetts homeless woman's stun gun spurs Second Amendment case

BOSTON >> Jaime Caetano was beaten so badly by her ex-boyfriend that she ended up in the hospital. So when a friend offered her a stun gun to protect herself, she took it.

Caetano, who is homeless, never had to use it but now finds herself at the center of a contentious Second Amendment case headed to the highest court in Massachusetts.

The Supreme Judicial Court is being asked to decide whether a state law that prohibits private citizens from possessing stun guns infringes on their right to keep and bear arms. In an unusual twist, the court is also being asked to examine whether the Second Amendment right to defend yourself in your own home applies in the case of a homeless person.

Arguments before the court are scheduled Tuesday.

Police found Caetano's stun gun in her purse during a shoplifting investigation at a supermarket in 2011. She told police she needed it to defend herself against her violent ex-boyfriend, against whom she had obtained multiple restraining orders.

During her trial, Caetano, 32, testified that her ex-boyfriend repeatedly came to her workplace and threatened her. One night, she showed him the stun gun and he "got scared and left me alone," she said.

She was found guilty of violating the state law that bans private possession of stun guns, devices that deliver an electric shock when pressed against an attacker.

In her appeal, her lawyer, Benjamin Keehn, argues that a stun gun falls within the meaning of "arms" under the Second Amendment. Keehn wrote in a legal brief that the state's ban "cannot be squared with the fundamental right to keep and bear arms." He also argues that self-defense outside the home is part of the core right provided by the Second Amendment.

Massachusetts is among only five states that ban stun guns and Tasers for private citizens, said Eugene Volokh, a constitutional law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, who has written extensively about Second Amendment issues. The devices are used by law enforcement agencies around the country.

A ban in Michigan was overturned in 2012 after the state appeals court ruled that a total prohibition was unconstitutional under the Second Amendment and the Michigan Constitution.

Read this article:

Massachusetts homeless woman's stun gun spurs Second Amendment case

Homeless woman's stun gun heads to Mass. high court

Jaime Caetano was beaten so badly by her ex-boyfriend that she ended up in the hospital. So when a friend offered her a stun gun to protect herself, she took it.

Caetano, who is homeless, never had to use it but now finds herself at the center of a contentious Second Amendment case headed to the highest court in Massachusetts.

The Supreme Judicial Court is being asked to decide whether a state law that prohibits private citizens from possessing stun guns infringes on their right to keep and bear arms. In an unusual twist, the court is also being asked to examine whether the Second Amendment right to defend yourself in your own home applies in the case of a homeless person.

Arguments before the court are scheduled Tuesday.

Police found Caetano's stun gun in her purse during a shoplifting investigation at a supermarket in 2011. She told police she needed it to defend herself against her violent ex-boyfriend, against whom she had obtained multiple restraining orders.

During her trial, Caetano, 32, testified that her ex-boyfriend repeatedly came to her workplace and threatened her. One night, she showed him the stun gun and he "got scared and left me alone," she said.

She was found guilty of violating the state law that bans private possession of stun guns, devices that deliver an electric shock when pressed against an attacker.

In her appeal, her lawyer, Benjamin Keehn, argues that a stun gun falls within the meaning of "arms" under the Second Amendment. Keehn wrote in a legal brief that the state's ban "cannot be squared with the fundamental right to keep and bear arms." He also argues that self-defense outside the home is part of the core right provided by the Second Amendment.

Massachusetts is among only five states that ban stun guns and Tasers for private citizens, said Eugene Volokh, a constitutional law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, who has written extensively about Second Amendment issues. The devices are used by law enforcement agencies around the country.

A ban in Michigan was overturned in 2012 after the state appeals court ruled that a total prohibition was unconstitutional under the Second Amendment and the Michigan Constitution.

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Homeless woman's stun gun heads to Mass. high court

11.25.14 | The Second Scoop: Ferguson Riots, The Curve, Good Gal w/ a Gun, Belt-fed M16 upper – Video


11.25.14 | The Second Scoop: Ferguson Riots, The Curve, Good Gal w/ a Gun, Belt-fed M16 upper
The Second Scoop: Chris Cheng provides humor, insight, and commentary on the top gun stories you should know about. Come back every Tuesday night for a delicious serving of Second Amendment.

By: Top Shot Chris Cheng

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11.25.14 | The Second Scoop: Ferguson Riots, The Curve, Good Gal w/ a Gun, Belt-fed M16 upper - Video

Court to Decide if Second Amendment Covers Stun Guns

The highest court in Massachusetts is being asked to decide whether a state law that prohibits private citizens from possessing stun guns infringes on their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. In an unusual twist, the Supreme Judicial Court is also being asked to examine whether the Second Amendment right to defend yourself in your own home applies in the case of a homeless person. Jaime Caetano, a homeless woman, was convicted of violating the state ban after police found a stun gun in her purse during a supermarket shoplifting investigation. She appealed, arguing that a stun gun falls within the meaning of "arms" under the Second Amendment and that self-defense outside the home is also protected. Prosecutors argue that the Second Amendment does not establish a constitutional right to own a stun gun. Oral arguments are scheduled Tuesday.

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Court to Decide if Second Amendment Covers Stun Guns

Grantham seeking second term in Colo. Senate

By Carie Canterbury

canterburyc@canoncitydailyrecord.com

Kevin Grantham

Kevin Grantham is hoping voters will re-elect him to his second and final term in the Colorado State Senate, representing District 2.

When the Republican ran for office the first time, he said there was a change in direction in the state and in the country that many people in conservative areas didn't agree with. A number of people asked Grantham to run for office so he could take their values to Denver, and he said that's exactly what he's done.

"There is unfinished business that needs to be taken care of when it comes to things like energy policy and Second Amendment rights," he said. "We are still heading in the wrong direction, and the conservative values of this community are not being reflected right now in total up in Denver."

He said he wants to make sure the people and their values continue to be represented.

"I think they saw that being done with me, and I hope they will put their trust in me just one more time, and we'll continue to fight for those things" he said.

During his last four years, Grantham said many of the issues he fought for are items that didn't pass, and some of the things he fought against did pass.

"The gun control legislation and the way our Second Amendment advocates up there fought for Constitutional rights was outstanding, but ultimately, we didn't have enough votes," he said. "Certainly, I am proud of the fight that we waged. Even then, at the same time, there is still legislation that needs to happen other than that."

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Grantham seeking second term in Colo. Senate

Homeless womans stun gun a right-to-bear-arms case

Originally published November 28, 2014 at 6:04 PM | Page modified November 28, 2014 at 6:56 PM

BOSTON Jaime Caetano was beaten so seriously by her former boyfriend that she ended up in the hospital. So when a friend offered her a stun gun to protect herself, she took it.

Caetano, who is homeless, never had to use it but she now finds herself at the center of a Second Amendment case headed to the highest court in Massachusetts.

The Supreme Judicial Court is being asked to decide whether a state law that prohibits private citizens from possessing stun guns infringes on their right to keep and bear arms. In an unusual twist, the court is also being asked to examine whether the Second Amendment right to defend yourself in your own home applies in the case of a homeless person.

Arguments before the court are scheduled Tuesday.

Police found Caetanos stun gun in her purse during a shoplifting investigation at a supermarket in 2011. She told police she needed it to defend herself against her ex-boyfriend, against whom she had obtained multiple restraining orders.

During her trial, Caetano, 32, testified that her ex-boyfriend repeatedly came to her workplace and threatened her. One night, she showed him the stun gun and he got scared and left me alone, she said.

She was found guilty of violating the state law that bans private possession of stun guns, devices that deliver an electric shock when pressed against an attacker.

In her appeal, her lawyer, Benjamin Keehn, argues that a stun gun falls within the meaning of arms under the Second Amendment. Keehn wrote in a legal brief that the states ban cannot be squared with the fundamental right to keep and bear arms. He also argues that self-defense outside the home is part of the core right provided by the Second Amendment.

Massachusetts is one of five states that ban stun guns and Tasers for private citizens, said Eugene Volokh, a constitutional-law professor at UCLA who has written extensively about Second Amendment issues. The devices are used by law-enforcement agencies around the country.

More:

Homeless womans stun gun a right-to-bear-arms case

Marshall J. Brown, reporter and Second Amendment advocate

Feb. 28, 1936 Oct. 10, 2014

Marshall J. Brown, a former Buffalo Courier-Express reporter and advocate of the right to bear arms, died Friday at his 63-acre gentlemans farm in Colden after an extended battle with multiple system atrophy, a neurological disease. He was 78.

The native of the Bronx came from a newspaper family, with his father, Max, and two uncles, all editors at United Press International.

Marsh was a feisty, hard-nosed old-time newsman, like one of the characters youd see in an old movie like The Front Page, said Buffalo News reporter Dan Herbeck, who worked with Mr. Brown at Buffalo Police Headquarters in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He carried a gun when he was on the job, sometimes beat the police to crime scenes. On more than one occasion, he conducted his own investigations and helped the police solve crimes.

Herbeck said he will never forget the time he and Mr. Brown in 1982 both police reporters for Buffalos two competing newspapers decided to go out and have lunch together. They were walking toward a small diner when a waitress came running outside, spattered with blood and screaming, Help, he killed Ellie!

Marsh grabbed his gun out of the holster and we went running inside. This poor waitress was on the floor, bleeding to death, Herbeck recalled. A mental patient who had recently been released from a psychiatric center had jumped over the counter, grabbed a knife and began stabbing this poor woman. Then he ran out of the place. Marsh and I ran outside, looking for the guy, but he was long gone. The police came and we told them what happened.

Mr. Browns first newspaper job was at age 17 as a copyboy at the New York Herald Tribune. After earning a journalism degree at New York University, he joined the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal where he worked as a reporter, photographer and darkroom technician.

An avid outdoorsman, he also wrote a column called Bait n Bullets in Lockport.

In 1961 he joined the staff of the Courier-Express and covered a number of sensational cases, including the .22 caliber killer case and many organized crime murders. Mr. Brown won a number of awards from the Associated Press, but was most proud of his James Madison Award from the Second Amendment Foundation.

When the Courier folded in 1982, he went to South Africa for a month where he hunted big game. He also hunted in Mexico, Greece, Denmark and Canada. He held an Open Water Scuba Diver rating and dove in the Caribbean and the Red Sea. He was an ardent sailor and fisherman.,

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Marshall J. Brown, reporter and Second Amendment advocate