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Sen. Jim Webb’s recent embarrassing encounter with the law when an aide was arrested
for attempting to carry the senator’s gun into a Capitol Hill office building exposed another embarrassing fact for lawmakers: while congressmen are allowed to carry firearms in government buildings to protect themselves, they break the District of Columbia’s strict gun control laws by even driving a firearm to work.

Key provisions of the D.C. gun ban were struck down 2-1 in March by a conservative panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, a decision that would likely be affirmed if the case is appealed to the Supreme Court, said Law School professor Stephen Smith during a Federalist Society lunch talk April 5. Smith called the case an “ideal vehicle”kj for the Bush administration to get a Second Amendment case to the Supreme Court. “These laws [in D.C.] are just so unyielding,”kj he said. “The facts are just very, very strong in favor of recognizing at least a basic individual right to keep and bear arms.”kj

A report on Monticello’s efforts to restore and reinterpet the areas around and under the main house where Jefferson’s slaves lived and worked.

This weeks episode music editor Matt Benson and Dan catch up with Polyvinyl recording artists, Headlights at The Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar in Charlottesville, Virginia. Download the episode to check out how break dance fighting is still being utilized by the band. We thought this was a great way to lead off the SXSW week of fun down in Austin. Headlights will be playing with indie darlings Page France 3 times at SXSW this week, it’s a brief stopping point on their massive spring tour. Check out the rest of the available dates at the site headlightsmusic.com

Mercury is one of the most powerful neurotoxins on the planet, and many vaccines have contained the element in the form of thimerosal. Many parents of autistic children maintain their kids have the disease because of mercury poisoning, pointing to a tripling of the vaccine schedules in the 1990’s. Coy Barefoot speaks with Amy Carson of Moms Against Mercury on WINA’s Charlottesville–Right Now to discuss the connection.

In this episode, Ken White interviews SY students Eric Fair and Trevor Winn, co-directors of the Darden Follies. They discuss the organization and planning of the program, with hints of the hilarity to ensue the evening of April 27.

On the eve of University of Virginia’s Founder’s Day, University President John Casteen III and Frank Batten Sr. announced today that Batten is giving $100 million to create the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. The primary goal of the school will be to supply the nation with visionary leaders who can drive the policy innovation process, energize organizations, build inclusive coalitions and translate good ideas into action.

Bob McDonnell is the attorney general of the Commonwealth of Virginia. He joins Coy Barefoot each month on WINA’s Charlottesville–Right Now to discuss what his office is up to. McDonnell is holding a conference of his counterparts across the south to find out how authorities can fight meth labs in the region. Such conferences are common to find new ways to fight crime.

Coy also asks the AG what he thinks about this year’s General Assembly session. McDonnell calls its a “productive” session.

A look from mid-term revealed that the Supreme Court docket was full of key environmental and business cases, U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement observed at a Federalist Society talk in Caplin Pavilion. Clement is the nation’s 43rd solicitor general.