United States
Why It's Been Years Since US Politicians Supported Any Real Gun Control
US News & World Report
6 Mar 2008
The scenario is all too familiar: A disturbed gunman opens fire in a school, an office, or a shopping center and, before horrified spectators, slaughters innocent men, women, and even children. After the massacres at Columbine High School, Virginia Tech University, and Omaha's Westroads Mall, the question is always the same: How could this tragedy have been prevented? Inevitably, there are calls for tougher gun control, and routinely they are followed by arguments about Second Amendment rights, along with protestations that "guns don't kill people; people do." In the end, the reactions to these tragedies serve only to remind how deeply divided Americans are when it comes... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Thailand, Colombia, World
Viktor Bout Arrested in Thailand, Russia May Lift Him to Safety - Doug Farah
douglasfarah.com, Web Page
6 Mar 2008
Viktor Bout, the subject of my book with Steve Braun has been arrested in Thailand on charges of supplying weapons to the FARC in Colombia. It is a stunning blow to the world's "Merchant of Death," who has been responsible for fanning wars across Africa, as well as aiding and abetting the Taliban, and thus, indirectly, al Qaeda. Of course, this may finally stop the U.S. from carrying on dealing with him, despite his being the subject of an Interpol red notice, an Executive Order signed by President Bush, and numerous Treasury Department sanctions. Despite all that, Bout aircraft flew hundreds of flights, as a sub-contractor, for the U.S military and... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Supreme Court Ruling for Individual Rights Could Tighten Gun Controls
US News & World Report
6 Mar 2008
Dick Heller, a longtime resident of the District of Columbia, carries a handgun for his job as a private security guard. But at the end of his shift, he packs up the .38 revolver and stashes it in a vault. He would like to keep a gun for protection at his Capitol Hill home, where he has endured the sound of gunfire for years. But he can't, because D.C. law forbids it. "They give me a gun to protect them," he says of the government, "but I'm a second-class citizen when I finish work." One of the most restrictive gun laws in the country, the D.C. statute is the focus of a March 18 U.S. Supreme Court hearing that marks the most significant case on gun control in... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Federal Gun Control Laws, 1791-2007 - Chronology, Description
US News & World Report
6 Mar 2008
1791 The Second Amendment is ratified. 1934 The National Firearms Act imposes a tax on the sale and transfer of machine guns and short-barrel firearms, including sawed-off shotguns. Passed just after Prohibition's repeal, it follows widespread outrage over gangsters like John Dillinger and Al Capone. 1938 The Federal Firearms Act requires federal licensing of gun dealers. 1968 The Gun Control Act, following the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr., expands licensing and record-keeping requirements. It prohibits felons and the mentally ill from buying guns and bans the sale of mail-order... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Thailand, World, Colombia
US Charges Arms Dealer Viktor Bout with Gun Running to Terrorists - DOJ
US Department of Justice, Media release
6 Mar 2008
Michael J. Garcia, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Michele M. Leonhart, the Acting Administrator of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration ("DEA"), announced today the unsealing of charges against Viktor Bout, a/k/a "Boris," a/k/a "Victor Anatoliyevich Bout," a/k/a "Victor But," a/k/a "Viktor Budd," a/k/a "Viktor Butt," a/k/a "Viktor Bulakin," a/k/a "Vadim Markovich Aminov," an international arms dealer, and his associate Andrew Smulian for conspiring to sell millions of dollars worth of weapons to the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (the "FARC") -- a designated foreign terrorist organization based in Colombia.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Russia, Thailand, Colombia, World
Thais Arrest 'Merchant of Death' Russian Gun Runner, US Feds Lay Charges
Reuters
6 Mar 2008
BANGKOK/NEW YORK -- Viktor Bout, an international arms dealer dubbed the "Merchant of Death," was arrested in Thailand and charged in New York on Thursday with trying to sell weapons to Colombian rebels, officials said. Bout, the target of U.S. sanctions, was charged with conspiring to sell millions of dollars worth of weapons to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said in New York. The United States, which has given billions of dollars in military aid to Colombia to fight the Marxist rebels and drug cartels, plans to pursue Bout's extradition from Thailand, officials said. Bout and an associate,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Thailand, United States, Colombia, World
Russia, US May Compete to Extradite 'Merchant of Death' Viktor Bout
Los Angeles Times
6 Mar 2008
WASHINGTON -- The long hunt for the world's most notorious arms dealer climaxed today in Bangkok, where Thai authorities arrested Russian businessman Viktor Bout on charges of supplying Colombian rebels with weapons and explosives, federal officials confirmed. Bout, whose global air transport empire armed rebels in Africa and the Taliban in Afghanistan and later aided U.S. military supply efforts in Iraq, was captured as part of an eight-month U.S.-led sting operation. Officials said Bout was in the final stages of a deal with a group of men he believed were working for the agents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, a leftist paramilitary... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Russia, Thailand, Colombia, World
Russian Gun Runner Dubbed 'Merchant of Death' Arrested in Bangkok Sting
Associated Press
6 Mar 2008
BANGKOK, Thailand -- A suspected Russian arms dealer dubbed the "Merchant of Death" was arrested Thursday in Bangkok on allegations that he conspired to supply Colombian rebels with arms and explosives, Thai police said. Police Lt. Gen. Pongpat Chayapan said Viktor Bout was arrested in a hotel on a warrant from a Thai court following a monthlong manhunt. The warrant came out of an earlier one issued by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. A U.S. Embassy spokesman congratulated Thai police for the arrest but could not provide details about the role Americans played. Bout has long been accused of breaking U.N. embargoes by supplying weapons... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Rampant Gun Violence in Philadelphia Pits City Against Pro-gun Rural Rump
US News & World Report
6 Mar 2008
Homicides were rising twice as fast as in other large cities -- an average of one gunshot murder a day. If those statistics from Philadelphia in 2006 were terrifying, the numbers in City Council member Darrell Clarke's district were even worse. On some blocks, the chance of getting shot was roughly 1 in 50. The problem seemed clear: The city needed tools to keep guns away from violent criminals. But Clarke has since learned that in Philadelphia, as elsewhere, tightening gun laws is no simple task. Pennsylvania, whose Constitution explicitly gives citizens a right to defend themselves, is among a majority of states that forbid cities to pass gun laws stricter... ( gunpolicy.org )
Israel, Palestine
Palestinian Shooter Surprises Armed Israeli Student Soldiers, Shoots 8 Dead
Associated Press
6 Mar 2008
JERUSALEM, Israel -- A gunman entered the library of a rabbinical seminary and opened fire on a crowded nighttime study session Thursday, killing eight people and wounding nine before he was slain, police and rescue workers said. It was the first major militant attack in Jerusalem in more than four years. Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip praised the operation in a statement, and thousands of Palestinians took to the streets of Gaza to celebrate. The day's violence, which also included a deadly ambush of an army patrol near Israel's border with Gaza, was likely to complicate attempts by Egypt to arrange a truce between Israel and Palestinian militants.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Russia, Thailand, Colombia, World
'Most-wanted' Global Gun Runner Arrested in Thailand: US Wants Viktor Bout
CNN
6 Mar 2008
NEW YORK -- For years, Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout made millions of dollars delivering weapons and ammunition to warlords and militants, officials say. On Thursday, Bout and his associate, Andrew Smulian, were arrested in Thailand after a series of events that officials said could have come straight out of a spy novel. The men's capture involved law enforcement agencies from at least five countries, including two undercover agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration posing as Colombian rebels. Bout and Smulian are accused of conspiracy to provide surface-to-air missiles and other weapons to Colombian rebels, said Michael Garcia,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
'Matter of Time' Before British Bobby Must Shoot Child Holding Imitation Gun
Telegraph (UK)
6 Mar 2008
The spiralling use of guns among children means it is only a matter of time before an armed officer is faced with shooting a child, the head of a Home Office task force has warned. The number of young people prosecuted for firearms offences has risen by more than 20 per cent in the past five years -- and children as young as eight have been found carrying weapons. Jon Murphy, the head of the gun crime task force at the Home Office, said the youths involved in gun crime are volatile and unable to see the consequences of their actions -- which will "inevitably" lead to a tragedy. "It is only a matter of time before some poor firearms officer is... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Thailand, Colombia, World
'Lord of War' Gun Runner Viktor Bout Arrested in Thailand on US Charges
Times (UK) / Reuters
6 Mar 2008
A Russian arms dealer thought to have inspired the lead character in the blockbuster film Lord of War was arrested in Bangkok today. Viktor Bout, 41, was detained while allegedly attempting to buy weapons for Colombian rebels. Dubbed "the merchant of death", he has been accused of breaking UN embargoes since the early 1990s by selling arms to conflict-torn regions in Africa and around the world. Thai police said today that Mr Bout had been arrested in a Bangkok hotel. "He was attempting to procure weapons for Colombia's FARC rebels", the arrest report said. According to the United Nations and the US Treasury Department, Mr Bout has... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Florida Wendy's Shooting Highlights the Problem: This Killer Had a Gun
Palm Beach Post (Florida)
6 Mar 2008
When bad things happen, out there, in places where we all could have been, the unnerving images tend to linger. And they linger, I think, because we know it could have been us. This happened, of course, after the shooting Monday at a Wendy's restaurant on Military Trail in suburban West Palm Beach. In the minutes and hours and, now, days since gunman Alburn Blake shot through a lunchtime crowd, killing a fire-rescue lieutenant, injuring four others and then killing himself, these scenes have flickered through our minds, if not our souls. One minute I'm remembering the still photograph, taken through the restaurant window, a snapshot of the madness... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Florida Wendy's Killer Bought Glock in Private Sale, No Background Check
South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale)
6 Mar 2008
The shooter in this week's Wendy's attack got his gun from a Riviera Beach man who purchased it at a Lake Worth gun shop, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said. Alburn Blake purchased the Glock 17 from the unidentified man on Jan. 7 for $600, sheriff's spokesman Paul Miller said. The man bought the gun in December from Palm Beach Shooting Center. There was nothing criminal about the man selling the gun to Blake, Miller said. Blake, 60, of West Palm Beach, used the gun to kill a Palm Beach County fire lieutenant and shoot four others before killing himself on Monday. The motive is unknown. ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Despondent Wisconsin Man Shot Up His Apartment Block with an AK-47
Racine Journal-Times (Wisconsin)
6 Mar 2008
RACINE -- A man despondent over personal issues allegedly used an assault rifle to vent his frustration Wednesday night, according to Racine Police. Joe C. Cobb, 35, of 508 12th St., was arrested after he fired more than 20 rounds out of an AK-47 into his apartment. He is charged with reckless endangerment of safety, and was being held in the Racine County Jail Thursday morning on a $12,500 bond. Reports said Racine police dispatch received a transfer call from the Racine County sheriff's dispatch at 7:14 p.m. Wednesday, but the call was dropped. Dispatch called back the phone number that the emergency had originally been called in on and spoke to a... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Charges Say Oklahoma Cop Stole, Sold Handguns from Police Firing Range
Tulsa World (Oklahoma)
6 Mar 2008
Federal charges filed Wednesday accuse a Tulsa police officer of stealing Tulsa Police Department guns and selling them on the Internet. Officer Buddy Visser, an instructor at the department's firing range, was charged with possessing and selling stolen firearms and ammunition and with fraud. Visser, a Tulsa police officer for 17 years, had been suspended with pay in early December as the department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the allegations, the nature of which was not disclosed then. With the filing of the charges, Visser's suspension became without pay pending adjudication of the case,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola, Central Africa
Angola, UNDP Discuss Disarmament of Citizens Illegally Owning Firearms
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
6 Mar 2008
LUANDA -- The co-ordinator of UNDP's Small Arms Control Programme in Central America, Miguel Barreiro Laredo Thursday considered positive the International Workshop on the Disarmament of Citizens Illegally Owning Firearms, held from March 04 to 05 in Luanda. Speaking to ANGOP at Luanda's "04 de Fevereiro" International Airport, on his way to Spain, Miguel Laredo said that during the event an important political desire was showed by the Angolan government. To Miguel Laredo, "the grounds for the control of small arms have been established" and according to him, the work was successfully accomplished and the strategic policies will have to be applied and,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola
Angolan Govt Will Disarm Civilians, Then Destroy or Recirculate Their Guns
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
6 Mar 2008
LUANDA -- The programme of disarming of civilians in illegal possession of weapons will take four phases, which will help outline consistent plans for a successful operation. This was said Wednesday in Luanda by the Home minister, Roberto Leal Monteiro "Ngongo", while addressing the closing of the two-day workshop on disarming of civilians in unlawful possession of firearms. According to the minister, the first phase will consist in the organisation and awareness and will take place from March to June this year. This will include actions of organisation, mobilisation and awareness about the process of disarming. Roberto Leal Monteiro explained... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola
Angolan Government, NGOs Warn Civilians to Surrender Their Illegal Guns
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
6 Mar 2008
LUANDA -- Every country, after going through an armed conflict, must proceed with the collection of weapons and ammunitions that are illegally under the possession of its citizens, as a means of guaranteeing stability and security of the population, as well as a reduction in crimes. The conclusion came from the International Workshop on the Disarmament of Citizens Illegally Owning Firearms, promoted from Tuesday to Wednesday by the Home Affairs Ministry, at the Palace of Congresses, in the Angolan capital, Luanda. At the final statement, the participants concluded that higher engagement from civil society be done, especially on sensitization of population.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Israel, Palestine
8 Killed in Shooting at Jerusalem Seminary Before Gunman Shot Dead
Los Angeles Times
6 Mar 2008
JERUSALEM -- A man concealing an automatic weapon in a cardboard box slipped into a Jewish seminary here and opened fire in the library Thursday night, killing at least eight people in Israel's worst terrorist attack in nearly two years. Jerusalem Police Chief Aharon Franco said the attack lasted more than 10 minutes before an Israeli army officer killed the assailant. Rescue workers said at least 10 people were wounded. Most of the victims were men in their 20s. The bodies of the dead and wounded were strewn around the library and an adjacent stairwell. In the Gaza Strip, the ruling Hamas movement praised the attack but stopped short of claiming... ( gunpolicy.org )
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