Guns

As you stroll through the Broad Contemporary Art Museum, images of guns confront you, including Andy Warhol's hip-swiveling, gun-slinging "Elvis," Chris Burden's Los Angeles policemen and the gun-brandishing fascist thugs of Leon Golub. And there are other armed men at BCAM. On a recent day, at least three security officers with holstered guns and batons guarded the new Los Angeles County Museum of Art addition. One carries a 9-millimeter pistol. Another, armed with a .

Just beyond the reach of the North Coast fog, this little community of 1,150 basked until recently under the protection of a police force of just four officers. Four officers packing 31 submachine guns. The Blue Lake police force was armed on a par with a big-city SWAT team. And no Blue Lakers knew until Police Chief David Gundersen's life began to very publicly unravel. In February, Humboldt County sheriff's deputies arrested Gundersen on suspicion of crimes in his own bedroom.

Re "Have gun, will show it," Column One, June 7 I'd like to comment favorably on The Times' article. The Times portrayed a woefully underrepresented group of law-abiding people who choose to arm themselves for protection and to keep the tradition of personal arms alive in this country. As pointed out in the article, these people are no more likely to harm anyone with their guns on than without, and they are exercising their rights -- something more of us should do. Nathan Plant Santa Clara In the article, Utah's Travis Deveraux says, "What we're trying to say is, 'Hey, we're normal people who carry guns.

Newly appointed Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said Tuesday that she intends to review all the concealed-weapons permits that her indicted predecessor issued and revoke those of gun owners who can't prove a legal need to carry the weapons. When former Sheriff Michael S. Carona resigned in January to focus on his upcoming federal corruption trial, he had issued more than 1,100 active carry permits -- among the most issued by any sheriff or police chief in the state.

Sports became a surprise topic Sunday during a routine news briefing by the U.S. and Iraqi armed forces on the battle against the insurgency. With Iraq's beloved national soccer team poised to qualify for the World Cup in its game against Qatar on Sunday night, Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta, spokesman for the Iraqi government's "Imposing the Law" campaign, delivered a stern warning to gun owners -- essentially every adult male in Iraq. It was a concept every American knows. Use a gun, go to jail.

Ben Cromeens has 17 guns at home, 13 that he bought and another four he inherited from his dad. He keeps two stashed in a secret compartment near his bed, just in case anyone thinks of messing with his family. To the 32-year-old son of Central Texas cattle ranchers, Thursday's Supreme Court ruling that individuals have a constitutional right to carry firearms for self-defense seemed about as obvious as the sun. But, Cromeens said, he travels and knows that not all Americans agree.

The National Rifle Assn. sued the San Francisco Housing Authority on Friday to overturn a ban on guns in city-administered public housing -- one day after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that people have a right to have handguns in their homes. The lawsuit filed in federal court here said the city's ban on guns violates residents' 2nd Amendment right to keep a handgun at home for self-protection. An NRA lawyer said the group hopes the suit will lead to a ruling that clarifies whether cities and states can be sued under the 2nd Amendment.

The Supreme Court's historic ruling this week that clarified Americans' right to own a gun for self-defense left a crucial question unanswered, one that will be resolved only after many years and a torrent of litigation, legal experts said Friday. Is gun ownership a "fundamental right" under the Constitution, or something less? Put simply, is a gun akin to an automobile, a legal but dangerous product that can be strictly regulated by the government?

Richard HOOPER makes a living as an arms dealer. So to speak. For more than 30 years, the British gunsmith has provided firearms and the training necessary to use them so that films such as "Children of Men" and "Casino Royale" could be executed with a proper bang. Hooper, 53, has long had a fascination with weapons, even studying military history while attending college in the Cotswolds. "I was interested in firearms not necessarily because of shooting them particularly, but just because of the mechanics and the way that they've been built over the centuries," he says.

The District of Columbia Council approved new firearms legislation that will allow residents to begin applying for handgun permits this week. The council is trying to comply with last month's Supreme Court ruling striking down the city's 32-year ban on handguns. The emergency legislation will allow the guns to be kept at home if they are used only for self-defense and carry fewer than 12 rounds of ammunition.