When the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments last week about the Washington, D.C., ban on handgun ownership, U.S. Rep. Mark Udall of Colorado issued a news release saying he hoped the court would affirm the right of citizens to "keep and bear arms," reports Karen Crummy [1].

But on four occasions when Udall, a Democrat running for an open U.S. Senate seat, could have voted in Congress to repeal all or sections of the gun ban, he did not. Udall campaign spokesman Taylor West said the congressman did not support the 32-year-old ban but also didn't think Congress was justified in overriding the district while the issue was before the courts.

The D.C. gun ban may also take center stage on April 16, the anniversary of the Virginia Tech shootings and the date when Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are to debate in Philadelphia, reports the National Journal [2]. Pennsylvania has "the highest per capita NRA membership in the country" while "Philadelphia has experienced an epidemic of gun killings," the publication reports.