News stories and press releases on the oral arguments before the Supreme Court in the McDonald v. City of Chicago case.

On Wednesday, March 10, the Virginia State Senate passed the four pro-gun bills (HB109, HB505, HB885, and HB1191) which will now head to Governor Bob McDonnell (R) for his consideration.

On Wednesday, March 10, thanks to pro-gun State Representative Jeff Duncan (R-15), House Bill 4220 was recalled from the House Ways and Means Committee, and placed on the calendar for a floor vote tomorrow, March 11. This bill, introduced by State Representative Mike Pitts (R-14), would permanently establish the tax holiday on firearms sales on the weekend following Thanksgiving, which is known as the Second Amendment Weekend. Please contact your State Representative and urge him or her to support H. 4220. Contact information can be found by clicking here. The South Carolina State House cancelled most post-adjournment committee meetings, including the House Judiciary General Laws Sub-Committee. After being previously removed from the calendar, House Bill 3994 is still in search of a hearing date and needs your help.

On Wednesday, March 10 the House Judiciary Criminal Practice Sub-Committee passed House Bill 3125 by a vote of 4-2. This legislation will now be heard by the House Judiciary Committee.

As session continues in Phoenix, numerous NRA-supported bills continue to move forward. Legislation that has seen recent action, at various stages, include Arizona’s Right to Hunt and Fish constitutional amendment (HCR 2008), advances in concealed carry reform (HB 2347, SB 1102), and preemption reform (HB 2543).

Yesterday, Tuesday, March 9, the Alabama Senate passed House Bill 330 by a vote of 34-0. HB330 now heads to the desk of Governor Bob Riley (R) for his consideration.

For years, legislators fought gun owners over funding a statewide licensing program that would provide uniformity and fairness to gun owners. Legislators didn't want taxpayers to fund a gun program. Gun owners are taxpayers, too, and wanted to use tax dollars.

For the second time in a week, a House panel dominated by downstate lawmakers signaled its approval of a law allowing Illinoisans to carry concealed weapons. The House Agriculture Committee voted 11-2 to endorse the proposed law, which is sponsored by state Rep. Brandon Phelps, D Harrisburg.

A new Georgia law could allow people with Right-to-Carry permits to take firearms onto college campuses and in churches and bars.

New Jersey's black bear population has soared to nearly 3,500, a level that can no longer be controlled solely by non lethal methods, a wildlife biologist said today as the state Fish and Game Council adopted a management policy recommending a six day hunt in December.

Apparently using reconciliation wasn't enough for the Democrats.

With Democrats lacking a filibuster-proof majority, Sen. Chuck Schumer plans to begin holding hearings to reform the potent stalling tactic, an issue that has picked up steam among liberal and junior Democratic senators.

The hard-charging New Yorker, who chairs the Rules and Administration Committee, plans to move forward with a hearing on March 24 after discussing the issue with Sens. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Carl Levin (D-Mich.), two men who have grown concerned with the increased use of filibuster threats to derail legislative business, an aide said Tuesday.

The first hearing is expected to examine the history of the filibuster, with Senate historians testifying before the committee. The following hearings will likely focus on specific filibuster reform proposals that have been offered by Udall, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), and other senators. The aide said there will be at least three hearings on the issue.

With their agenda stalled and Democrats one vote shy of the 60 needed to break filibusters, Democrats have grown increasingly frustrated that Republicans have demanded that many pieces of legislation require a supermajority of senators to advance. Democrats acknowledge they lack the votes to reform the filibuster, but are eager to argue that the procedural tool has been abused to an unprecedented level in recent years.

Schumer's move comes after his potential rival for the majority leader spot, Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), has recently signed onto Harkin's bill to reform the filibuster and has advocated more aggressive tactics to put a spotlight on the GOP's dilatory acts. Some may view the senators' latest efforts as ways to score points with Senate Democrats frustrated by seeing bills die in the upper chamber and eager for more aggressive leadership. . . .

From the Washington Times:

Federal investigators have received more than 730 allegations of waste or fraud in stimulus act funding so far, have canceled the contracts of some bad actors and have sent a couple of dozen cases to the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service and prosecutors.

As the pace of spending peaks, continuing to police the $862 billion will take a huge portion of investigators' resources over the next year - as much as 60 percent of some inspector generals' budgets, according to a report released Tuesday by Sen. Mark Pryor, Arkansas Democrat, who has taken a keen interest in weeding out fraud from stimulus spending.

One auditor warned that reports of fraud are expected to increase as the money continues to flow.

"HUD reports that they have obligated 98 percent of [stimulus] funds. However, the majority of these funds have not yet been received by grantees," Kenneth M. Donohue, inspector general at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, said in a letter to Mr. Pryor. "While it is early in the process, we anticipate seeing trends of waste, fraud and abuse once the grants are received, especially in light of the results of our capacity reviews." . . . .

Given the recent searches upheld by courts in other states, this was nice to see:

Police may not search a vehicle merely because its driver has been issued a valid concealed carry permit, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday. A three-judge appellate panel weighed the actions of Indianapolis Police Officer Danny Reynolds who pulled over Melvin Washington for driving with a burned-out headlight on September 17, 2008 at 12:30am.

On that morning, Reynolds first asked Washington whether he had a gun, and Washington said he had one under his seat. Washington also carried a valid concealed carry permit. At this point, Reynolds ordered Washington out of the car and handcuffed him so that he could conduct a search under the seat of Washington's vehicle. Reynolds spotted a small bag of marijuana and issued Washington a court summons and a ticket for the defective headlight. Washington was then released with his handgun placed in the trunk of his vehicle, unloaded.

Washington moved to have the evidence against him suppressed because the warrantless search, he argued, violated the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches. A lower court disagreed, insisting that "officer safety" justified the search. The court of appeals did not buy the safety argument. . . .

A copy of the court's decision is here.

The interview on KCUR's "Up to Date" can be heard here.

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) says that the House isn't sticking with the March 18th deadline given to them by the White House.

"None of us has mentioned the 18th, other than Mr. Gibbs," Hoyer said in response to a question about whether Congress can pass a health care package by March 18, the date laid out last week by White House press secretary Robert Gibbs. "We are trying to do this as soon as possible. That continues to be our objective."

In the meantime, Hoyer said an internal fight over abortion restrictions "has to be resolved."

The majority leader didn't offer any ideas for a possible compromise between abortion opponents and their equally enraged adversaries in the abortion-rights camp, nor would he comment directly on whether Democrats could pass the bill without changing the Senate's current restrictions, which require insurance companies to set up separate accounts for anyone who wants coverage of elective abortions.

"I think it will be resolved one way or the other, and I think the bill will pass," Hoyer said after acknowledging that he wouldn't answer a question directly. "It's got to be resolved." . . .

The Hill has the position of some congressmen here. I wish that they had more information on the congressmen who initially voted "no" last fall, but they do have the positions (or lack of positions) for those who originally voted "yes." If you live in the district of any of the congressmen who are at all undecided, please consider contacting them.