Supreme Court nixes disarmament for convictions abroad : "People convicted of crimes overseas still can own guns in the United States, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. In a 5-3 decision, the court ruled in favor of Gary Sherwood Small of Pennsylvania. The court reasoned that U.S. law, which prohibits felons who have been convicted in 'any court' from owning guns, applies only to domestic crimes. Justice Stephen G. Breyer, writing for the majority, said interpreting the law broadly to apply to foreign convictions would be unfair to defendants because procedural protections are often less applied in international courts. If Congress intended foreign convictions to apply, they can rewrite the law to say so specifically, he wrote."


Minnesota to circumvent the judges: "A tweaked version of a handgun-permitting law that was invalidated by Minnesota's courts picked up momentum in the Legislature on Wednesday, and could be back on the books by the time lawmakers adjourn in May. Critics of the bill said they'd have a hard time stopping it, and Senate DFL Majority Leader Dean Johnson of Willmar said he doesn't plan to block a vote.... The House Civil Law and Elections Committee voted 7-5 to reinstate the 2003 law, with all the committee Republicans in favor and the DFLers against. The 2003 law revised a system that had given sheriffs and police chiefs wide power to deny permits, requiring them instead to issue the permits to most law-abiding applicants. The change led to a large increase in the number of people who got permits. The gun bill is one stop away from a House floor vote, where even opponents concede it easily will pass. Johnson said he intends to hold an up-or-down Senate vote on the bill if it clears the House and not bury it in committee..... The rekindled debate comes two weeks after the Minnesota Court of Appeals upheld a ruling that threw out the 2003 law. Two courts agreed it was improperly enacted because it was tacked onto an unrelated bill to force a Senate vote. The state attorney general's office intends to appeal the rulings to the state Supreme Court, possibly this week. More than 25,000 people obtained permits under the new rules until the law was struck down, about twice the number of permits issued under the old law. The 2003 law allowed people at least 21 years old with a clean record, no mental illness and proper training to get a permit."



Connecticut: Lawmakers drop rifle registration plan: "State lawmakers have dropped language from a firearms safety bill that would have required the buyers of rifles, not just handguns, to get permits for their purchases. The safety bill would mandate that people report any stolen or missing guns, in order to better track firearms in Connecticut."