CRPA Effort Helps Bring Big Wins in Court of Appeal

The Court ruled that a San Francisco ordinance that would have banned city residents from possessing handguns and would have outlawed the sale of all guns and all ammunition was preempted by state law. "When it comes to regulating firearms, local governments are well advised to tread lightly," the Court ruled.

 The ruling invalidating the ordinance followed a legal challenge to the ordinance brought by attorneys for the National Rifle Association (NRA).

 "The Court's ruling is a big win for the law-abiding gun owners in San Francisco and California," said civil rights lawyer Chuck Michel, CRPA's Counsel for litigation and Local Affairs, who represented the NRA in the lawsuit.

 In 2005 NRA joined with a consortium of local residents and groups and successfully sought an injunction against the gun ban in the trial court. The CRPA and San Francisco Police Officers Association filed "friend of the court" briefs in support of the NRA's position. The City appealed, and the Mayor and Board of Supervisors, hoping to reinstate the ban through the appellate court, approved a set of harsh penalties under the ordinance, including a $1,000 fine and a jail term of between 90 days and six months for city residents, including those who chose to own a handgun to defend their families in their own homes.

 "Law abiding gun owners are not part of the violent crime problem facing San Francisco. In fact, as the Court of Appeal decision and California law acknowledges, they are part of the solution," Michel said.

 CRPA thanks its members and supporters for their continued commitment and support of CRPA's efforts to protect our cherished rights and freedoms.

[Editors note: This article reprinted from a CRPA press release - support your right to keep and bear arms! Join the CRPA! Or come into the shop here and we'll give you a FREE 3 Month Subscription and trial Membership]