United States
Challenge to Minnesota Guns-in-Church Law Succeeds
Pioneer Press (Minnesota)
14 Sep 2005
Provisions in Minnesota's concealed-carry law that govern the wording and location of signs banning guns in churches may infringe on "rights to religious freedom" and can't be legally enforced, a Hennepin County judge has ruled. District Judge LaJune Thomas issued a temporary restraining order late Friday that also allows churches to ban guns in their parking lots and rental properties. Two churches in St. Paul and Minneapolis filed a lawsuit challenging the gun law in August. The ruling was a second victory for the churches, which have balked at a rule requiring establishments that ban guns to place prominent signs at their entrances informing patrons... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Family of Red Sox Fan Sues Gun Maker FN Herstal
Associated Press
14 Sep 2005
BOSTON, Massachusetts -- The family of a Red Sox fan killed outside Fenway Park when a police officer fired a pepper-spray pellet into her eye sued the gun maker for $10 million. The lawsuit by the family of Emerson College student Victoria Snelgrove, 21, charges that FN Herstal USA falsely claimed its pellets don't break the skin. The hardness and shape of the pellets "almost guarantee a serious or fatal injury if a vital area, such as the eye, is hit," the suit charged. The suit, filed Monday, contended that the pepper-pellet gun "actually increased the likelihood of injury to innocent bystanders." It also claimed that FN Herstal... ( gunpolicy.org )
South Africa
'Gunfree Schools a Must, Soon' Agrees Parliamentary Firearms Debate
News24 (South Africa)
14 Sep 2005
CAPE TOWN -- A parliamentary committee called on the ministers of safety and security and of education on Wednesday to make schools gun-free places soon. "We must hurry up the process of firearm-free zones, especially when it comes to schools," said safety and security committee chairwoman Maggie Sotyu. She was speaking during a report to parliament by the Central Firearms Registry on the issuing of new firearm licences. She said there were a number of schools where policemen had to be stationed permanently to combat crime. The creation of gun-free schools was a priority in a broader move to establish gun-free zones in other state buildings,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Palestine, Israel
Gunrunners Smuggle Weapons Into Gaza
Associated Press
14 Sep 2005
RAFAH, Gaza Strip -- Palestinian gunrunners smuggled hundreds of assault rifles and pistols across the Egyptian frontier into Gaza, dealers and border officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The influx confirmed Israeli fears about giving up border control and could further destabilize Gaza. Black market prices for weapons dropped sharply, with AK-47 assault rifles nearly cut in half to $1,300 and even steeper reductions for handguns. News of the smuggling came as Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas tried to impose order following the Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza this week. Militant groups scoffed at a new Palestinian Authority demand that... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
Gun Smuggling to the UK is 'Easy'
Sun (UK)
14 Sep 2005
As Britain struggled to understand yet another brutal gun murder in the wake of the Harvey Nichols horror, a former armed response officer told us of the ease at which guns were being smuggled into the country. Roger Gray, who worked with SO19, the armed response unit of the Metropolitan Police, revealed guns were coming in to the country through sea ports, in luggage and lorries. The smuggling of the weapons, some of which he said were manufactured in India and China, others sold in Eastern Europe, was made easier due to easier communications and international travel connections. Mr Gray, who has written the book Armed Response about his experiences... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
Man Shoots Woman, Self at Exclusive London Perfume Counter
Agence France Presse
14 Sep 2005
A woman and a man died following a burst of gun fire in the unlikely surroundings of the perfume department in an exclusive London department store, Harvey Nichols, police and witnesses said. Witnesses described how the man, aged in his 30s, had shot the woman, who was in her 20s, and then turned the gun on himself. Police at Scotland Yard said they were not seeking anyone else in connection with the incident, which took place at about 7:45pm (1845 GMT) on the ground floor of the Knightsbridge store in west London. "It appears the female sustained a gunshot wound or wounds first followed by the male," a spokeswoman told AFP, adding that both... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Minnesota 'is Trouble Again' Over Guns in Churches, Parking Lots
Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St Paul), Editorial
14 Sep 2005
Twice the Minnesota Legislature has passed, and Gov. Tim Pawlenty has signed, laws requiring that law-abiding, safety-trained adult Minnesotans be licensed to carry concealed weapons if they choose. Twice, advocates of this law have overreached in trying to force the law's power where it doesn't belong. Twice, they've lost in court. In a temporary injunction issued Monday, Hennepin County District Judge LaJune Thomas Lange ruled that two churches have the right to prohibit guns from all their property, and to communicate that ban in their own way. The injunction will remain in effect until a trial is held in the lawsuit by the churches seeking to get the law... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New Attempt to Weaken Ohio's Concealed Gun Law
Middletown Journal (Ohio), Editorial
14 Sep 2005
When Ohio's concealed gun law went on the books in April 2004, it was widely believed that the law -- considered flawed by both sides of the gun control debate -- was merely the persistent gun lobby's last-ditch effort to get some law on the book, after several failed attempts in the previous decade. As restrictive as the law was portrayed, gun lobbyists and sponsoring state lawmakers were winking at one another, knowing that the law could be made less restrictive in gradual increments. Next week the sponsor of the original bill will begin that incremental weakening of the state law. Rep. Jim Aslanides, R-Coshocton, plans to introduce a bill that will remove... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New Bill to Further Weaken Ohio's Concealed Carry Restrictions
Cleveland Plain Dealer (Ohio)
14 Sep 2005
COLUMBUS -- A sweeping proposal debuted in the Ohio House Tuesday that would further liberalize Ohio's rules for carrying concealed handguns. The bill, sponsored by Cincinnati Republican Rep. Tom Brinkman, would allow carrying with no permit, lift carefully negotiated restrictions on hidden guns in public places, and cut off public access to permit-holder information. Brinkman's aide, Kara Joseph, called it "the real right-to-carry bill." Twenty-four of 99 House members are co-sponsors. Brinkman said support has grown for loosening gun restrictions because Ohio's 17-month-old permitting process has been so successful. "We have issued... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Ohio Bill Would Hide Lists of Gun Permit-Holders: Governor Opposed
Associated Press
14 Sep 2005
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The media would lose access to lists of concealed-weapons permit-holders and could only check with sheriffs for specific names under a bill to be introduced in the Ohio House next week, its sponsor said Wednesday. The bill also would allow permit-holders to carry hidden guns in their cars, removing a requirement that the weapon be in plain sight or locked up, said Rep. Jim Aslanides, a Coshocton Republican who sponsored the original concealed-carry bill that Gov. Bob Taft signed last year. Taft had threatened to veto that bill if it had contained those provisions. Although he hasn't discussed the new bill with Aslanides, the governor... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Police: Man Uses Machine Gun to Rob Bank
NBC4-TV News (Ohio)
14 Sep 2005
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Police are looking for a man they said used what appeared to be a machine gun to rob a local bank. The man Wednesday entered the Key Bank located at 2855 East Main St. at about 10:13 a.m. He waited in the lobby to speak to a manager of the bank. Police said the robber had been inside the bank Tuesday inquiring about opening an account. When the manager was free, she escorted the man into her office to talk. Police said the man opened a gym bag and pulled out what appeared to be a machine gun. He told the employee that he would kill everyone inside the bank unless she gave him money. The employee... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Proposed Cook County, Illinois Assault Weapon Ban 'DOA'
Illinois Leader
14 Sep 2005
COOK COUNTY -- It is not particularly surprising that Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin (D-Evanston), a virulent anti-gun advocate, has advanced a proposed ordinance to ban so-called assault weapons in Cook County. It is the chilly reception the proposal is receiving from a County Board comprised of 12 Democrats and 5 Republicans that is the surprise. Suffredin's proposal was referred to the Board's Health and Hospitals Committee for review. IllinoisLeader.com has learned that the Suffredin's ban, thought to be an agenda item at the Cook County Board's September 20 meeting, will not be called in committee. According to a source in county... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
San Francisco Gun Ban a Losing Proposition
San Francisco Chronicle, Opinion
14 Sep 2005
If there's anything Americans have learned from the tragic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it's that there are times when the government is simply unable to protect its citizens. The looting of nonessential items, robberies, carjackings, murders and rapes that overtook New Orleans as chaos gripped the city demonstrated what can happen when the government loses control. Countless stories were told about unarmed citizens who were defenseless against the criminals who preyed upon them. Only those who were armed were able to fend off the encroaching violence. In such cases, self-defense is all that's left, which is perhaps why gun sales rose exponentially in Louisiana... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Survey Shows Civilian Disarmament Overwhelmingly Approved
Agência Brasil
14 Sep 2005
BRASILIA -- As Brazil prepares for a national referendum on disarmament next month, the National Transportation Confederation (CNT) has run a poll asking the same question that will appear on the October 23 ballot: "The sale of firearms and ammunition should be prohibited in Brazil?" The answer was: 72.7% said yes; 24% said no; and 3.3% said they had no opinion or did not respond. However, the survey found that opinion was divided with regard to the effect disarmament would have on violence. Of those interviewed, 50.6% said a halt in the sale of firearms and ammunition would reduce violence; 44.8% said it would not reduce violence; 4.6% did not respond or did... ( gunpolicy.org )
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