The PC Plod strikes again:
Gun Owners Sue Over Restrictions
BOSTON (AP) -- Gun club patrons have gone to court for the right to shoot at images of Adolf Hitler and other people during target practice, which is banned at some clubs by a new state law.
"It is the first time in United States history that there has been an attempt to censor images printed on targets," said Stephen Halbrook, a lawyer for the Gun Owners Action League.
The law applies only to gun clubs that allow unlicensed gun enthusiasts to practice with semiautomatic and assault weapons without supervision.
On Wednesday, GOAL asked U.S. District Judge George O'Toole Jr. to stop the implementation of the law approved in October. Halbrook argued that telling target shooters what they can and cannot aim at violates their right to free expression.
Shooting at an image of Hitler "is a political message protected by the First Amendment," Halbrook said, comparing it to burning draft cards.
But Assistant Attorney General Edward DeAngelo defended the law. "We're talking about targets shaped like human bodies," he said. "By shooting at them, they're practicing to shoot at people."
DeAngelo also argued that the gun owners did not show that shooting at targets such as those depicting Hitler constitutes speech.
O'Toole did not immediately issue a ruling.
AP-NY-04-08-99 0858EDT
Gun Owners Sue Over Restrictions
BOSTON (AP) -- Gun club patrons have gone to court for the right to shoot at images of Adolf Hitler and other people during target practice, which is banned at some clubs by a new state law.
"It is the first time in United States history that there has been an attempt to censor images printed on targets," said Stephen Halbrook, a lawyer for the Gun Owners Action League.
The law applies only to gun clubs that allow unlicensed gun enthusiasts to practice with semiautomatic and assault weapons without supervision.
On Wednesday, GOAL asked U.S. District Judge George O'Toole Jr. to stop the implementation of the law approved in October. Halbrook argued that telling target shooters what they can and cannot aim at violates their right to free expression.
Shooting at an image of Hitler "is a political message protected by the First Amendment," Halbrook said, comparing it to burning draft cards.
But Assistant Attorney General Edward DeAngelo defended the law. "We're talking about targets shaped like human bodies," he said. "By shooting at them, they're practicing to shoot at people."
DeAngelo also argued that the gun owners did not show that shooting at targets such as those depicting Hitler constitutes speech.
O'Toole did not immediately issue a ruling.
AP-NY-04-08-99 0858EDT
