Weapons laws and regulations

FILE - In this March 14, 2018 file photo, Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School walkout to the football field for 17 minutes of silence in honor of the 17 victims killed at the school. The Florida Supreme Court is blocking an assault weapons ban from going to voters in 2022, saying in a Thursday, June 4 2020 ruling that the ballot summary is deceptive because it doesn't clearly state that a grandfathering clause applies to the owner, not the gun itself.(Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, File)

Florida Supreme Court blocks assault weapon ban from ballot

Jun. 4, 2020 3:24 PM EDT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Supreme Court is blocking an assault weapons ban from going to voters in 2022, saying in a Thursday ruling that the ballot summary is deceptive because it doesn't clearly state that a grandfathering clause applies to the owner, not the gun itself. A group called Ban...

FILE - In this April 15, 2020 file photo, protesters carry guns outside the Capitol Building in Lansing, Mich. A commission that oversees the Michigan Capitol has formed a committee to study whether to ban or restrict guns inside the building. The State Capitol Commission voted Monday, May 11, 2020 to seek input from the Legislature and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya File)

Commission delays decision on gun ban at Michigan Capitol

May. 11, 2020 9:15 PM EDT

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A commission that oversees Michigan's Capitol delayed a decision Monday on banning guns from the building before a planned protest against the governor's coronavirus restrictions, in a meeting that later ended abruptly due to racist and threatening messages posted in Zoom. The State...

FILE - In this June 20, 2019, file photo, the Supreme Court in Washington. The Supreme Court is sidestepping a major decision on gun rights in a dispute over New York City’s former ban on transporting guns. The justices ruled Monday that there’s nothing left for them to decide now that the city has eased restrictions on taking licensed, locked and unloaded guns outside the city limits and a new state law prevents New York from reviving the ban. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Court tosses NY case that could have expanded gun rights

Apr. 27, 2020 4:42 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court sidestepped a major decision on gun rights Monday in a dispute over New York City’s former ban on transporting guns. The justices threw out a challenge from gun rights groups, including the National Rifle Association's New York affiliate. The court ruled that the...

FILE - In this June 11, 2019, file photo, Chris Puehse, owner of Foothill Ammo, displays .45-caliber ammunition for sale at his store in Shingle Springs, Calif. A federal judge on Thursday, April 23, 2020, blocked a California law requiring background checks for people buying ammunition, ruling the restrictions violate the constitutional right to bear arms. U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez of San Diego ruled in favor of the California Rifle & Pistol Association, which asked him to stop the checks and related restrictions on ammo sales. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

Judge tosses California ammunition purchase law

Apr. 23, 2020 9:08 PM EDT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday blocked a California law requiring background checks for people buying ammunition, issuing a sharply worded rebuke of “onerous and convoluted” regulations that violate the constitutional right to bear arms. U.S. District Judge Roger...

Cones mark the parking lot of the USTA Indoor Training center, Tuesday, April 21, 2020, in the Queens borough of New York. The tennis center has been transformed into a makeshift hospital to help battle the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Navy ship sent to NYC for outbreak no longer needed: Cuomo

Apr. 21, 2020 8:21 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — A Navy hospital ship deployed to New York City to help fight the coronavirus outbreak is no longer needed, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday, expressing confidence that stresses on the hospital system are easing. Cuomo said after meeting with President Donald Trump that the USNS Comfort was...

FILE - In this April 8, 2020 file photo, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam gestures during a news conference at the Capitol in Richmond, Va. Gov. Northam announced Friday, April 10 that he'd signed bills that include requiring universal background checks on gun purchases, a red flag bill to allow authorities to temporarily take guns away from people deemed to be dangerous to themselves or others, and legislation giving local governments more authority to ban guns in public places. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

Northam signs gun-control bills into law

Apr. 10, 2020 12:47 PM EDT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has signed several new gun restrictions he championed during this year's legislative session, cementing gains by gun control advocates they hope will serve as a “blueprint” for states around the country. The Old Dominion has been the epicenter...

In this March 16, 2020 photo, people walk outside the Supreme Court in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

No halt to culture wars during coronavirus outbreak

Apr. 9, 2020 7:41 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A partisan fight over voting in Wisconsin was the first issue linked to the coronavirus to make it to the Supreme Court. Efforts to limit abortion during the pandemic could eventually land in the justices' hands. Disputes over guns and religious freedom also are popping up around the...