Nation IN BRIEF : MAINE : Gun Ban Is Upheld in Housing Projects

A judge upheld an 18-year ban on guns in housing projects in Portland, Me., rejecting a challenge brought by the National Rifle Assn. State Justice Sidney W. Wernick concluded that the Portland Housing Authority ban on the possession and display of firearms was a reasonable measure to promote the health, welfare and safety of tenants. The ruling was a setback for the NRA, which sued on behalf of an unidentified couple that owns guns and lives in one of the city’s 10 housing projects. During a two-day trial in Cumberland County Superior Court, officials said the ban is a way to hold down violence in areas where people live in crowded conditions.