United States
3yr-old Son of California Sheriff's Deputy Finds Dad's Service Gun, Dies
Sacramento Bee (California)
7 Apr 2008
A 3-year-old boy -- the son of a Sutter County sheriff's deputy -- died at his Yuba County home Sunday night when he accidentally shot himself with his father's service handgun, according to police. The boy, Tyler Whiteaker, is the child of Sgt. David Whiteaker, 33, an 11-year veteran of the Sutter County Sheriff's Department and himself the son of a retired deputy. Emergency personnel arrived at the home at 9:14 p.m. Sunday, where they found that the child had suffered a fatal injury. An autopsy Monday determined that the boy died of a single gunshot wound to the head, according to Sutter County Sheriff J. Paul Parker. Parker said the investigation... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Americans Gunning for the Right to Bear Arms in Supreme Court Test Case
Scotsman (Edinburgh)
7 Apr 2008
On the steps of the Supreme Court in Washington DC last month, demonstrators gathered with banners declaring: "When seconds count, the police are only minutes away" and "Forget 911 Dial .357" -- a reference to both the United States' emergency telephone number and a popular Magnum handgun. Americans, as we have learned over the years, love their guns. According to the FBI, there are more than 200 million privately owned guns in the US, population 300 million. When the number of illegal guns in circulation is added to those of the military, law-enforcement agencies and museums, it has been estimated there are 12 guns for every man, woman and child. Charlton... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Armed Candidate Prompts Iowa Council to Consider Gun Ban at Hearings
Globe Gazette (Iowa)
7 Apr 2008
MASON CITY, Iowa -- All five City Council members said Sunday they would support a city ordinance banning concealed weapons from public buildings. And the sooner the better. Their concern is reaction to reports that Second Ward candidate Gary Horn had a concealed weapon at recent public meetings in Mason City. Horn, a retired California game warden, has a permit for a concealed weapon and was in attendance at three public meetings in the Mason City Room of the public library last week. Councilman Max Weaver said Sunday night, "I want to make it clear that I believe in the people's right to bear arms. I just don't know whether it's necessary... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Man Killed by Stray Bullet, Playing with Young Sons in Front Yard
Associated Press
7 Apr 2008
SANTA ANA, California -- A 39-year-old man is dead after being hit by a stray bullet while his young sons played in their home's yard. Santa Ana police Cpl. Jose Gonzalez says Mario Jimenez was in front of his house late Sunday morning when a pedestrian down West Pine Street started arguing with people inside a car. The man pulled out a handgun and shot at them, continuing to fire as the car took off in Jimenez's direction. A bullet struck Jimenez in the head as his two sons, ages 11 and 1, played nearby. Jimenez died later at an area hospital. Gonzalez says the shooting might be gang-related. ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya, East Africa, Central Africa
Central, East African Nations Begin to Mark, Register and Trace Legal Guns
Nation (Nairobi)
7 Apr 2008
Twelve African countries Sunday reaffirmed their commitment to the marking of all state-owned small arms and light weapons by end of this year. The Regional Centre on Small Arms (Recsa) deputy executive secretary ambassador Tharcisse Midonzi said the 12 countries from the Great Lakes region, East Africa and Horn of Africa had also agreed to maintain data bases to ease the tracing of small arms and light weapons. Mr Midonzi made the remarks at Leopard Beach Hotel during the closure of a Recsa workshop focusing on the marking of small arms and creation of weapon data bases. Participants were drawn from Kenya Uganda, Tanzania, Eritrea, Ethiopia,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Charlton Heston: From Civil Rights Supporter to Gun Lover, NRA Leader
Daily Record (Scotland)
7 Apr 2008
Charlton Heston once waved a colonial musket over his head at a rally and warned gun control supporters they'd have to take it "from my cold, dead hands". In his later years, the star was a passionate right winger and figurehead of the controversial NRA -- the National Rifle Association. But when he first shot to prominence, Heston was a Democrat and a vocal supporter of the Kennedys and Martin Luther King, describing the African American leader as "a 20th century Moses for his people". The actor joined civil rights marches and picket lines. And after the assassinations of Bobby Kennedy and King in 1968, Heston -- then president of... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Families of Gun Violence Victims Rally in Toronto for Canadian Handgun Ban
CITY-TV News (Toronto)
7 Apr 2008
The families of gun violence victims came together Monday in mourning and action at City Hall to share their stories, hoping an organized effort at the municipal level will compel the federal government to adopt a ban on handguns. The friends of relatives of John O'Keefe, an innocent bystander who was shot to death on Yonge Street on Jan. 12 after leaving a pub, planned to deliver deputations to City Council Monday and councillors will later vote on a motion calling for a handgun ban. A statement written by O'Keefe's ex-wife and the mother of his nine-year-old son Ian will be read at the hearing. The 42-year-old's friend Jennifer Allen read out the statement... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Heston's Stand for Freedom Had its Roots in the Racism of US Gun Control
Guardian (UK) / Comment is Free, Blog
7 Apr 2008
There was a time when Charlton Heston was known as the tall, rugged, old-style American who played great historical figures in great Hollywood movies: Moses, Ben-Hur, Michelangelo. He was also known as a warrior for civil rights and racial equality. Some of today's newspapers carry a snapshot of a young, dashing Heston picketing a whites-only restaurant in Oklahoma City in 1959, carrying a placard that said: "All men are created equal." Towards the end of his life, however, he became better known as a cranky spokesman for the National Rifle Association, a wrinkled and possibly mad Marlboro Man who said the authorities would have to prize his beloved rifle from... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Obama Aims for Pro-gun Vote, Courts Firearm Owners in US Heartland
Politico (Washington, DC) / Capitol News
7 Apr 2008
Barack Obama did not hunt or fish as a child. He lives in a big city. And as an Illinois state legislator and a U.S. senator, he consistently backed gun control legislation. But he is nevertheless making a play for pro-gun voters in rural Pennsylvania. By highlighting his background in constitutional law and downplaying his voting record, Obama is engaging in a quiet but targeted drive to win over an important constituency that on the surface might seem hostile to his views. The need to craft a strategy aimed at pro-gun voters underscores the potency of the issue in Pennsylvania, which claims one of the nation's highest per capita membership... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Obama, Once-Radical Lawmaker, Now Does the Democrat Gun Dance
Washington Post, Column
7 Apr 2008
Barack Obama, who informs campaign audiences that he taught constitutional law for 10 years, might be expected to weigh in on the historic Second Amendment case before the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices are pondering whether the 1976 District of Columbia law effectively prohibiting personal gun ownership in the nation's capital is constitutional. But Obama has not stated his position. Obama, disagreeing with the D.C. government and gun control advocates, declares that the Second Amendment's "right of the people to keep and bear arms" applies to individuals, not just the "well regulated militia" in the amendment. In the next breath, he asserts that this constitutional... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Pennsylvania Gun Lobby Rally Celebrates Defeat of Theft Bill 'Conspirators'
Philadelphia Inquirer (Pennsylvania)
7 Apr 2008
HARRISBURG -- Pro-gun activists, gathered in the Capitol today to celebrate victory over a gun-control bill in the state House last week, pledged to block any future attempts at "gun grabbing" legislation. Dressed in NRA caps, camouflage jackets and Revolutionary War uniforms, about 200 sportsmen and firearms owners cheered such speakers as Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R., Butler), who assailed Gov. Rendell and his "gun-confiscating conspirators." Metcalfe urged participants to fire lawmakers who supported gun-control measures. Former presidential candidate Alan Keyes, the featured speaker, took aim at gun-control advocates for saying they "defend life." ... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Pennsylvania House Approves Bill to Curb Gun Trafficking, Straw Buyers
Philadelphia Inquirer (Pennsylvania)
7 Apr 2008
HARRISBURG -- Nearly a week after a controversial gun-control bill was defeated in the state House, the chamber unanimously approved legislation that supporters say will help achieve the same goal: curbing the illegal sale of weapons. The bill (HB 1845), which now goes to the Senate, contains a number of amendments targeted at so-called straw buyers, who purchase guns for felons. One amendment would increase the statute of limitations for prosecuting straw purchasers and for gun dealers charged with being complicit in the crime. Another would create a registry of lost and stolen weapons. The penalties for falsely reporting a weapon lost or stolen would also be... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Toronto Police Board Joins Campaign to Ban Handguns in Canada
Toronto Star (Ontario)
7 Apr 2008
The Toronto Police Services Board, which oversees the police, made a presentation to the city's executive committee today in support of a motion to seek a ban on handguns across the country. Altough Chair Alok Mukherjee said shooting occurrences show a downward trend since 2006, the number of deaths "remains unacceptably high." He says the board is prepared to be a partner in the effort to campaign for a ban. He said the board supports Mayor David Miller's efforts to build a broad base of support across the country. The Conservative government has already rejected the idea of a handgun ban, arguing that possession of an unregistered handgun... ( gunpolicy.org )
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