In response to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned its handgun ban, Washington has approved a new set of regulations on the registration and storage of firearms in the city. The new law continues the ban on handguns in most places, except for in the home, and requires the police department to perform ballistics tests on all registered handguns.

Louisiana law guards mental health

A set of five new Louisiana laws comprise the state's comprehensive mental health care reform package. The bills, signed into law on July 7, provide criteria for crisis receiving centers, expand Human Service Districts, provide for assistive outpatient treatment (“Nicola's Law”), and allow mental health exams using telemedicine.

Nicola's Law is named after New Orleans Police Officer Nicola Cotton, who was killed with her own gun by a mentally ill man in January.