West Hollywood Mayor Sued for Standing up to Gun Manufacturers and Sellers.WEST HOLLYWOOD--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 9, 1999-- The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF SAF Safety SAF Society of American Foresters SAF Society of American Florists SAF Secretary of the Air Force SAF Second Amendment Foundation SAF Singapore Armed Forces SAF Students for Academic Freedom SAF Store And Forward ), a national firearms advocacy group, has filed a lawsuit against the United States Conference of Mayors The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) is a nonpartisan organization founded in 1932. Its membership consists of cities in the United States with populations of 30,000 or more. In 2006, it counted 1,139 such cities. Each city is represented in the Conference by its mayor. , West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman, and twenty-three Mayors from cities across the United States alleging conspiracy and violation of the constitutional rights of its members. The lawsuit, which was filed on Monday, December 6, 1999 in the U. S. District Court for the District of Columbia District of Columbia, federal district (2000 pop. 572,059, a 5.7% decrease in population since the 1990 census), 69 sq mi (179 sq km), on the east bank of the Potomac River, coextensive with the city of Washington, D.C. (the capital of the United States). , alleges that the Mayors have conspired together to bring civil actions against federally-licensed firearms manufacturers, distributors, and retailers in violation of the First Amendment, Second Amendment, Ninth Amendment and the Interstate Commerce interstate commerce In the U.S., any commercial transaction or traffic that crosses state boundaries or that involves more than one state. Government regulation of interstate commerce is founded on the commerce clause of the Constitution (Article I, section 8), which Clause. "The gun industry shouldn't be suing Mayors and cities and wasting valuable public resources; their efforts should be spent taking responsibility for the deaths and injuries they've caused," said West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman. "The City of West Hollywood will not be intimidated by this frivolous lawsuit. We will continue to work with other cities across the country to fight the proliferation of gun violence," he continued. Shooters Committee on Political Education, Inc. and two retail gun store owners have joined the SAF in the lawsuit. The SAF is a nonprofit educational and legal defense foundation, which advocates on the right to bear arms The right to bear arms refers to the right that individuals have to weapons. This right is often presented in the context of military service and the broader right of self defense. . Since 1996, the City of West Hollywood has been a leader in the fight against gun manufacturers with the enactment of its ordinance banning the sale of "Saturday Night Specials Saturday Night Special A slang term used to refer to a surprise takeover attempt. Notes: The term alludes to the fact that many takeover bids are announced over the weekend in order to avoid too much publicity. ." The Second Appellate District of the California Court of Appeal upheld the pioneering West Hollywood ordinance which banned the sale of poorly made, easily concealable handguns. The law makes it a misdemeanor to sell the handguns in West Hollywood. Violation of the law is punishable by a fine of up to $1000 and/or by imprisonment Imprisonment See also Isolation. Alcatraz Island former federal maximum security penitentiary, near San Francisco; “escapeproof.” [Am. Hist.: Flexner, 218] Altmark, the German prison ship in World War II. [Br. Hist. of up to six months. The City of West Hollywood law was used as the model for similar laws which were enacted in numerous cities throughout California. West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman, a law professor at Whittier Law School Whittier Law School is the law school of Whittier College, located on a satellite campus in Orange County in the city of Costa Mesa, CA, USA. Academics Whittier has nationally recognized centers in Children’s Rights, Intellectual Property Law, and International & in Costa Mesa, has been a leading advocate in the fight against gun violence in cities across the countries. Mayor Heilman is Chair of the National League of Cities' Human Development Committee. Other defendants in the lawsuit include Los Angeles Mayor Riordan, Compton Mayor Oman Bradley, Inglewood Mayor Roosevelt Dorn, San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, Jr., Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and Alanta Mayor Bill Campbell to name a few. |
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