Refueling shipment to nuke plant exceeded radiation limit

International News Briefs

<b>First Posted:</b> 6/27/2008<br><br>By Tom Venesky tvenesky@www.timesleader.comSports Reporter 
Gun owner Jerry Schutz was thrilled with Thursday&amp;rsquo;s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld the right to own firearms under the Second Amendment. 

But he wasn&amp;rsquo;t surprised. 
After all, Schutz reasoned, the amendment is worded so conclusively that it can&amp;rsquo;t be misinterpreted. 
&amp;ldquo;There was never a doubt in my mind that this is the ruling they would hand down,&amp;rdquo; he said. 
Schutz is president of the Luzerne Federation of Sportsmen&amp;rsquo;s Clubs and a lifetime National Rifle Association member. He said the ruling &amp;ndash; the first time the court had conclusively interpreted the Second Amendment -- sends a simple but important message to gun owners. 
The high court&amp;rsquo;s 5-4 ruling struck down a handgun ban in Washington, D.C., reaffirming Americans&amp;rsquo; right to keep guns at home for self-defense.
&amp;ldquo;It tells them they have the right to own a gun for self-defense,&amp;rdquo; Schutz said. &amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s stated in the amendment in plain English. It&amp;rsquo;s an individual right, and we&amp;rsquo;ve been advocating that all along.&amp;rdquo;
Carl Mozeleski, chairman of the Northeast PA Friends of NRA, had a similar reaction. 
He said the ruling will clear up questions pertaining to how the amendment should be interpreted and put the onus on areas with restrictive gun laws. 
&amp;ldquo;What&amp;rsquo;s going to happen now is every state and municipality is going to have to look at their gun laws,&amp;rdquo; Mozeleski said. 
Mountain Top resident Don Pry, who said he has owned guns most of his life, said he was relieved by the ruling because it will make it nearly impossible to challenge the amendment in the future. 
Locally, Pry said, the issue is important to gun owners and hunters who should all benefit from the interpretation. 
&amp;ldquo;The Supreme Court is as high as you can go, so it&amp;rsquo;s going to be very tough to challenge now,&amp;rdquo; Pry said. &amp;ldquo;The amendment is written very plain and simple, so I don&amp;rsquo;t see how anybody can interpret any other way.&amp;rdquo;
Mozeleski agreed with Pry and added the only surprise for him was that four Supreme Court justices went against the ruling.
&amp;ldquo;It was a little scary that only one vote decided this,&amp;rdquo; he said. 
Candidates agree
All four candidates for the two congressional seats in the region favored Thursday&amp;rsquo;s Second Amendment ruling. 

U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke - &amp;ldquo;For the first time in history, the Supreme Court has finally acknowledged a freedom which many of us have always known &amp;ndash; that our Constitution protects the right for Americans to bear arms. I joined many of my colleagues in expressing this opinion to the Court. Protecting one&amp;rsquo;s individual liberty is a fundamental American right, as the Supreme Court today recognized.&amp;rdquo;

Republican congressional candidate Lou Barletta &amp;ndash; &amp;ldquo;It is a great day for the Second Amendment. It is a great day for Americans. I believe this decision was proper.&amp;rdquo;

U.S. Rep. Chris Carney, D-Dimock Township - &amp;ldquo;Today&amp;rsquo;s Supreme Court ruling is a victory for responsible gun owners everywhere. The Second Amendment applies equally to us all. The right to bear arms is paramount, and no local, state or federal government should be able to compromise that right.&amp;rdquo;

Republican congressional candidate Chris Hackett &amp;ndash; &amp;ldquo;This ruling protects the individual freedoms guaranteed in the Second Amendment, which for 32 years has been denied to Washington, D.C., residents. The Court has kept laws intact that are meant to protect citizens from unnecessary gun violence, but also guaranteed the individual rights that are explicitly written in our Constitution.&amp;quot;

Local gun owners cheer court ruling