Laboratories Of Democracy

Maryland County Eyes Drone Ban: ‘This Is Not The Soviet Union’

"Commissioner Robin Frazier intends to draft a resolution about drone usage in Carroll County following a drone discussion by the Board of County Commissioners in open session Thursday. Frazier said she was concerned about drone use as it relates to citizens’ 4th Amendment protections against unwarranted search and seizures. Specifically she referred to the use of drones to enforce environmental regulations on farmers. Sara Love, Public Policy Director for the Maryland ACLU, said the ACLU is concerned about the FAA being allowed to change airspace rules to make it easier for police agencies to use drones for surveillance." Continue reading →

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Missouri gov. signs gun-safety course for first-graders

"Missouri schools will be encouraged to teach first-graders a gun safety course sponsored by the National Rifle Association as a result of legislation signed Friday by Gov. Jay Nixon. The legislation also requires school personnel to participate in an 'active shooter and intruder' drill led by law enforcement officers. The legislation also transfers the responsibility for issuing identification cards for concealed gun permits from driver’s license clerks to local sheriffs. That change was prompted by concerns that the state licensing agency’s procedures had infringed on people’s privacy rights." Continue reading →

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Why marijuana taxes are such a burning question

"In November, Colorado voters will decide on a proposed 15% excise tax, plus a 10% state sales tax, on all retail cannabis sales. In addition, Denver might levy its own 5% tax on pot sales made within the city. City officials say that 5% tax, along with other fees and state revenue, could add over $9 million annually to Denver's coffers. But advocates for legal marijuana say excessive taxes will drive people away from state-controlled cannabis and back to the black market. 'When you start thinking about it, in terms of what that's going to do to the cost to the consumer for cannabis, it's pretty ridiculous,' says Westword, Denver's weekly alternative paper." Continue reading →

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Nullification: Not a Temper Tantrum

"When the Supreme Court ruled the feds have the authority to make medicinal marijuana illegal across the U.S., more than 15 states said, 'No,' and created medical cannabis programs anyway. And when the Bush administration pushed through the Real ID Act in 2005, seeking to create a national system of identification, states said, 'No,' and refused to take steps to implement the program. In fact, state governments have utilized nullification to fight a wide range of overreaching federal actions, from military conscription during the War of 1812 to the Fugitive Slave Acts in the 1850s. From overreaching FDA regulations to groping TSA searches today." Continue reading →

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City of Berkeley fights U.S. civil action against marijuana dispensary

"In the latest strategy against federal attempts to shut down marijuana shops, the city contends the U.S. civil action would harm the city by depriving it of hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes, paid over a period of years, according to Drug Policy Alliance, a nonprofit group whose attorneys are representing the city. In May, the U.S. government filed a complaint for forfeiture against a property leased by the retail marijuana store Berkeley Patients Group at 2366 San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley, according to court papers filed by U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag." Continue reading →

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Obama Throwing Medical Marijuana Patients Into Federal Prison At Unprecedented Rate

"Fallout from the Obama Administration’s aggressive federal enforcement in medical marijuana states has reached a fever pitch this month with three people being sentenced, two others due to surrender to federal authorities to serve out sentences of up to five years in prison, and one federal trial in Montana currently scheduled for January 14th. Two of the three people being sentenced in the coming month face five and ten years to life, respectively. Far surpassing his predecessor George W. Bush, President Obama has conducted more than 200 SWAT-style raids on state-compliant medical marijuana businesses and has indicted more than 80 people since he took office." Continue reading →

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Missouri governor vetoes bill to nullify federal gun laws

"The legislation would have made it a misdemeanor crime for federal agents to attempt to enforce any federal gun regulations that 'infringe on the people's right to keep and bear arms.' It also sought to invalidate some specific federal laws, including a 1934 law that imposed on tax on transferring machine guns or silencers. The measure would have made it a misdemeanor to publish the names of gun owners. Missouri's age to obtain a conceal-carry permit would have been lowered to 19 instead of the current 21, and the bill would have allowed people with concealed gun permits to openly carry firearms up to 16 inches long." Continue reading →

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Utah launches new federalism commission to push back Washington

"For too long Utah and other states have not exercised their sovereign powers in the face of the federal government’s growing reach into new arenas, according to leading members of a new state commission assembled to study and push back against federal authority. 'History has shown that if you concentrate power it was a fundamental threat to the rights of people and it was corrupting,' Senate Majority Leader Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, told the inaugural meeting of the Commission on Federalism. 'We have watched that happen for the last 50 years as the federal government has broadened its jurisdiction in a number of issues.'" Continue reading →

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With Montana’s Lead, States May Demand Warrants for Cellphone Data

"The Montana Legislature this spring passed a location information privacy bill, which requires a search warrant for location information recorded by an 'electronic device.' There are exceptions to the warrant requirement, including when the cellphone is reported stolen or to respond to a cellphone user’s emergency call. Steve Bullock, the governor of Montana, signed it into law on May 6. The American Civil Liberties Union, which tracks cellphone tracking laws across the country, called it the first such state legislation. Over a dozen other states have eyed similar measures just this year." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWith Montana’s Lead, States May Demand Warrants for Cellphone Data

New York Gun Manufacturer Moves to Pennsylvania. “Catch Us if You Can.”

"New York passed the SAFE law on gun manufacturers in January, after debating for one day. That sent a message to one gun manufacturer. It bought 600 acres — almost a square mile — of land in Pennsylvania. It’s moving out. The Kahr company’s vice president of sales explained: 'One of our big concerns was, OK, the SAFE Act was passed in the middle of the night. You wake up the next morning and boom, that was it. We just felt like, gee, if they can do this, what can they do next?' This used to be called 'voting with your feet.' If you get tired of living under a government’s taxes and regulations, you move." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew York Gun Manufacturer Moves to Pennsylvania. “Catch Us if You Can.”