San Francisco Sightseeing Articles

SAN FRANCISCO - A state trial judge on Monday over-turned a voter-approved city ordinance that banned pistol possession and also firearm sales in San Francisco, siding with gun owners who said the city did not have the power to prohibit the weapons.

Measure H was located on the November ballot by the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors, who were aggravated by a increasing number of gun-related homicides in the city of 740,000. San Francisco recorded at least 95 murders last year, a 10-year high.

The National Rifle Association sued a day after 57 percent of voters approved the law.

In siding with the gun owners, San Francisco County Superior Court Judge James Warren said a local government cannot ban weapons because the California Legislature permits their sale and possession.

"My clients are thrilled that the court recognized that law-abiding firearms owners who choose to own a gun to defend themselves or their families are part of the solution and not part of the problem," NRA attorney Chuck Michel said. "Hopefully, the city will recognize that gun owners can contribute to the effort to fight the criminal misuse of firearms, a goal that we all share."