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US appeals court strikes down California’s open-carry ban in major Second Amendment ruling

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US appeals court strikes down California’s open-carry ban in major Second Amendment ruling

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A federal appeals court on Friday struck down California’s ban on openly carrying guns across most of the state.

In a 2–1 decision, the San Francisco-based Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled California’s ban on open carry in counties with more than 200,000 people — covering roughly 95% of the state’s population — violates the Second Amendment, according to Reuters.

U.S. Circuit Judge Lawrence VanDyke, writing for the majority, said the ban conflicts with the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which requires gun regulations to be consistent with the nation’s “historical tradition of firearm regulation,” Reuters reported.

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U.S. Circuit Judge Lawrence VanDyke appears in a video released by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals March 20, 2025.  (9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals/Handout via Reuters)

“The historical record makes unmistakably plain that open carry is part of this Nation’s history and tradition,” VanDyke wrote. “It was clearly protected at the time of the founding and at the time of the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment.”

VanDyke also noted that California previously allowed residents to openly carry holstered handguns for self-defense without penalty until 2012.

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A pistol is concealed in a belt. (iStock)

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“That changed only when California enacted its urban open-carry ban barely over a decade ago in 2012,” he said. “In doing so, California joined a tiny minority of states to have adopted such severe restrictions on open carry.”

The decision overturned part of a 2023 ruling by a lower court that had dismissed a lawsuit filed in 2019 by gun owner Mark Baird, while rejecting his challenge to open-carry licensing in smaller counties, according to Reuters.

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A retail store in San Ramon, Calif., July 21, 2019.  (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

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In October, the National Rifle Association (NRA) and other gun groups said they were suing California over the state’s ban on Glock-style guns with features known as switches that allow them to be converted to fully automatic weapons.

The NRA was joined by the Firearms Policy Coalition, Second Amendment Foundation, Poway Weapons & Gear, and two NRA members in challenging the state’s ban.

Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report.

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San Francisco, CA

Flight of fancy: San Francisco moves to build private luxury airport terminal

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Flight of fancy: San Francisco moves to build private luxury airport terminal


Sick of the TSA lines? Tired of playing musical chairs at the gate? Rather sit as far from your fellow airplane passengers for as long as possible, in the comfort of your own private, luxury airport terminal?

Soon you may get your wish. And San Francisco international airport wants to be your genie – for a fee.

The airport is hoping to build a brand-new terminal exclusively for passengers who pay a premium, gaining access to a luxurious airport experience complete with private security lines and valet service from terminal to tarmac. It will service commercial flights, not business or corporate jets, and the terminal will have its own Transportation Security Administration (TSA) lines as well as Customs and Border Protection (CBP) lines for international travel.

SFO is seeking bidders to take on the development, construction and operation of the private terminal, which is planned for a 75,000-sq-ft site located across the runway from all current public terminals. The airport will accept proposals between late September and early October, and is looking to award a contract by early December with hopes of opening the terminal in late 2028.

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SFO’s interest in a luxury development comes from what airport spokesperson Doug Yakel called a “high level of demand” for “premium experiences” in travel, citing the popularity of existing credit card and premium lounges. A private terminal is essentially the next step up in exclusivity from those lounges – and the best chance at avoiding airport crowds entirely.

“Somebody that uses this product really wouldn’t see the other passengers they’re traveling with until they’re taken up the stairs of the jet bridge and onto the aircraft,” Yakel said.

Spending on “pay-to-play” luxury experiences at large is on the rise, according to a new report by Bain & Company and Altagamma. The airline industry has bought in, revamping lounge and onboard experiences with chef-designed menus and expanded premium seating for the highest-paying passengers.

Many see a market in San Francisco, where an AI-driven wealth boom is already agitating the local housing market, with homes sold at the fastest pace in five years and the single-family median home price clocking in at $2.2m.

Yakel said SFO felt now was the right time to enter the market of luxury travel.

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“We see the level of interest that’s being invested onboard aircraft, inside terminals, around airports, and clearly this is something that other airports are rolling out,” Yakel said.

The price to pay for a private airport experience will be decided by whoever wins the bid for operations, and will be offered on a membership or per-use basis. The traffic experienced at public terminals likely won’t change, Yakel said.

Private terminals have become popular worldwide. London Heathrow and Paris-Charles de Gaulle airports in Europe have long operated luxury terminals, and São Paulo/Guarulhos international airport recently opened the first private terminal in Latin America.

If SFO is successful, it would become the next major American airport to open a luxury terminal. Los Angeles, Dallas Fort Worth, Miami and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta international airports all offer a private terminal through PS (formerly known as the Private Suite), a company owned by security firm Gavin de Becker and Associates. Multiple representatives from PS and Gavin de Becker and Associates attended a June conference hosted by SFO about the private terminal, and PS has said it hopes to open a private terminal at every major US airport by 2030.

Access to existing PS private terminals can cost passengers $1,295 for a one-time experience, or up to $4,850 for a yearly membership. Heathrow’s private terminal costs thousands of pounds per person.

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Denver, CO

Santa Fe Drive in Denver closed this weekend for pedestrian bridge construction

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Santa Fe Drive in Denver closed this weekend for pedestrian bridge construction



If you use Santa Fe Drive as a part of your daily commute, you will notice full closures this weekend on a popular section, from Florida Avenue to Evans Avenue, for the installation of a pedestrian bridge.

Once the 370-foot pedestrian bridge is completed, it will connect the east and west portions of Denver’s Overland neighborhood. This bridge will be used by pedestrians and bicyclists. 

Once the 370-foot pedestrian bridge is completed over Santa Fe, it will connect the east and west portions of Denver’s Overland neighborhood.

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Denver Department of Transportation


The Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure says this closure is needed to keep the traveling public safe. Large cranes will be used to set the two spans in place. Each one weighs about 215,000 pounds and is 180 feet long.

Once the bridge is completed in 2027, it will create a safer connection for pedestrians and bicyclists. It will link neighborhoods to trails, transit, parks, and local businesses without requiring residents to cross heavy traffic.

“Our neighborhood is quartered by transportation routes, so having a safe pedestrian bridge that can take people from one side to the other is an amazing development that neighbors have been asking for for years,” Jenn Greiving, President, Overland Park Neighborhood Association, said. 

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Denver Department of Transportation


The Santa Fe Drive closure will begin at midnight on Saturday, July 11, and end on Monday, July 13, at 5 a.m. There will be detours in place. This includes:

  • Southbound Santa Fe Drive Detour: Traffic will be routed to Platte River Drive to reenter southbound Santa Fe Drive at the West Evans Avenue on-ramp.
  • Northbound Santa Fe Drive Detour: Access to northbound Santa Fe Drive will be at Mississippi Avenue via South Broadway Street.
  • On-Ramp Closure: The West Evans Avenue on-ramp to northbound Santa Fe Drive will close at noon on Friday, July 10, to prepare for the full weekend closure and will remain closed until 5 a.m. on Monday, July 13. Traffic will be detoured to South Broadway Street to re-enter northbound Santa Fe Drive via Mississippi Avenue.
  • Off-Ramp Closure: The southbound Santa Fe Drive off-ramp to West Evans Avenue will close for the full weekend period and remain closed until Friday, Sept. 11, while crews build new sidewalks and perform other concrete work at the southwest corner of the project. Detours will be posted to West Florida Avenue, West Dartmouth Avenue or West Hampden Avenue to bypass the ramp closure 

During this closure, DOTI will reopen the underpass on Iowa Avenue. This is a new ADA accessible pathway that will be available between Santa Fe Drive and Acoma Street.



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Seattle, WA

Police video shows West Seattle Bridge copper wire theft suspect’s arrest

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Police video shows West Seattle Bridge copper wire theft suspect’s arrest


A man accused of stealing copper wire from the West Seattle Bridge is wanted after prosecutors say he failed to show up in court this week, prompting a warrant for his arrest.

New police body camera video shows an officer arresting the man, who had bundles of copper wire in his arms.

Seattle police arrested Gregory Wayne Galitzeck after prosecutors say he was caught stealing copper wire from the bridge in the middle of the night.

Court documents say Galitzeck had four 100-foot coils of stolen copper wire, causing about $100,000 in damage that Seattle City Light customers will have to pay to repair.

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Prosecutors say that when he was caught, Galitzeck claimed to be a Seattle City Light employee.

People in West Seattle called the alleged theft shocking, but not surprising.

“I feel like we live in an alternate timeline now anyway, so nothings really surprising to me,” said Lisa Coronado, who lives in West Seattle.

The case comes amid a string of similar crimes. This was the second copper wire theft along the West Seattle Bridge in just weeks. Similar thefts have also hit agencies such as Sound Transit, with thieves selling copper wire for cash.

Galitzeck is charged with theft and impersonating a City Light worker. He was supposed to come to court this week to answer the charges but did not appear. A $5,000 warrant has been issued for his arrest.

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King County prosecutors are again pushing for a new law that would require recyclers to upload photos of purchased copper to a database, a step intended to help investigators track stolen metal.



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