United States
White House Rule Change Lifts Ban on Loaded Guns in US Parks
Associated Press
5 Dec 2008
WASHINGTON -- People will soon be able to carry concealed, loaded guns in most national parks and wildlife refuges. The Bush administration said Friday it is overturning a 25-year-old federal rule that severely restricts loaded guns in national parks. Under a rule to take effect in January, visitors will be able to carry a loaded gun into a park or wildlife refuge -- but only if the person has a permit for a concealed weapon and if the state where the park or refuge is located also allows concealed firearms. The new rule goes further than a draft proposal issued last spring and would allow concealed weapons even in parks located in states that... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Medical Authority Mulls Pistol as Prescription Device for Old, Disabled
New Scientist
5 Dec 2008
A US company claims to have received federal approval to market a 9-mm handgun as a medical device and hopes the US government will reimburse seniors who buy the $300 firearm. But the US Food and Drug Administration says there are currently no formal designations of the gun as a medical device. Called the Palm Pistol, the weapon is designed for people who have trouble firing a normal handgun due to arthritis and other debilitating conditions. "It's something that they need to assist them in daily living," says Matthew Carmel, president of Constitution Arms in Maplewood, New Jersey, which hopes to manufacture the Palm Pistol -- now just a patent and specifications.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Police Chief, Gun Club Charged in Connecticut Boy's Machine Gun Death
Hartford Courant (Connecticut)
5 Dec 2008
A Massachusetts grand jury has indicted a police chief, two Connecticut men and a gun club in the Oct. 26 death of an 8-year-old Ashford boy who shot himself in the head at a machine gun event in Westfield, Mass. Christopher K. Bizilj lost control of a 9mm Micro Uzi at the Machine Gun Shoot and Firearms Expo at the Westfield Sportsman's Club. The two-day event was sponsored by the club and COP Firearms & Training, a business owned by Edward B. Fleury, a firearms instructor and dealer and the chief of police in Pelham, Mass. As Christopher fired at a pumpkin, the Uzi's rapid rate of fire -- 1,700 rounds per minute -- caused the gun's barrel to climb and... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
More Gun Deaths, Trafficking, Cop Shootings in US States with Lax Law
Washington Post
5 Dec 2008
States with lax gun laws had higher rates of handgun killings, fatal shootings of police officers, and sales of weapons that were used in crimes in other states, according to a study underwritten by a group of more than 300 U.S. mayors. The report, which was obtained by The Washington Post, found that 10 states, including Virginia, supplied 57 percent of the guns that were recovered in crimes in other states in 2007. The 38-page report is based on an analysis of annual crime-gun data compiled by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The analysis tracks guns used in crimes back to the retailers that first sold them. Virginia ranked... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Biggest Providers of US Crime Guns: Southern States with Lax Gun Laws
Associated Press
5 Dec 2008
COLUMBIA, South Carolina -- Ten U.S. states are responsible for the bulk of illegal guns shipped across state lines for use in crimes, said a report released Friday by a coalition of mayors. About 30 per cent of guns traced by U.S. government agents in 2006 and 2007 during crime investigations were bought in a state other than where the crime occurred, said the report by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which largely blamed the transport of illegal guns on states with lax gun laws. For 2007, the top sources for guns used in crimes elsewhere were Georgia, Florida, Texas, Virginia, California, Ohio, North Carolina, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Alabama. However,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
American Pro Athletes in Grip of Fear: 'Like Gated Communities on Legs'
Nation (USA)
5 Dec 2008
Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week: all Plaxico, all the time. There's nothing like an NFL player shooting a hole in his own leg in a packed nightclub to become our latest walking, talking weapon of mass distraction. Why ponder the global economic meltdown, two wars, and rising unemployment, when millionaire black athletes like Plaxico Burress walk among us... with guns? Don't think that this is a defense of the New York Giants star wide receiver. Having a loaded gun in your pants, with no safety, in a crowded club, is about as smart as using a toaster as a bathtub toy. In fact, shooting yourself in the leg is really one of more preferable outcomes. Now... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
8yr-old Dies at Gun Club: Massachusetts May Ban Machine Guns for Kids
Republican (Massachusetts)
5 Dec 2008
BOSTON -- State legislators called for tightening laws on gun clubs and the use of weapons by minors, following the criminal charges issued on Thursday in the death of an 8-year-old Connecticut boy who accidentally shot himself with a submachine gun at the Westfield Sportsman's Club. State Rep. Michael A. Costello, co-chairman of the Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, said he would hold an oversight hearing and take testimony to determine what laws could be improved. Costello, a Newburyport Democrat, said new rules are needed to rein in events for shooting automatic weapons such as machine guns at clubs. "I want to make sure that ultimately... ( gunpolicy.org )
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