Australia
Boy Shot Friend: Licensed Gun Owner Father Arrested on Gun Charges
Sydney Morning Herald
9 Dec 2008
The father of a boy charged with the murder of his best friend has been arrested over a number of alleged firearms offences. The 40-year-old Orangeville man, who cannot be named, was arrested after the shooting death of Josef Cruickshank, 14, about 2pm when he presented himself at Camden police station. He was charged with four firearms matters including possessing loaded firearm, possessing unregistered firearm, possessing unauthorised firearm and not keeping firearms safe. The charges relate to the shotgun which allegedly was used when Josef was fatally shot during a sleepover. It is understood the gun was unregistered and kept in... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Campaign for More Guns in American Schools 'A Dismal Failure'
AlterNet (USA), Web Page
9 Dec 2008
First the bad news: Despite its election day smackdown, the NRA and its pals soldier on in their mission to arm god-fearing Americans in ludicrous places. A flurry of news stories earlier this year reported a pioneering solution proposed to the rash of recent campus shootings: instead of redoubling efforts to enforce the whole "gun-free school zone" thing -- a quaint little notion from, like the 1980s -- why not change the rules to let students bring more guns onto college campuses? A few answers leapt to mind -- binge drinking, drug use, close living quarters in a high-pressure environment -- but for awhile, it seemed like the idea was catching on. In the wake... ( gunpolicy.org )
Germany
Germany Doubles Assault Rifle Exports, Many to Conflict Areas (Deutsch)
Die Tageszeitung (Berlin)
9 Dec 2008
[Translated summary: Germany has doubled its exports of assault rifles, many to countries in conflict, according to a combined Church report critical of lax government export controls.] Der deutsche Rüstungsexport ist im vergangenen Jahr erneut stark angewachsen. Die Ausfuhrgenehmigungen durch die Bundesregierung beliefen sich 2007 auf 8,7 Milliarden Euro, das sind eine Milliarde Euro oder 13 Prozent mehr als im Jahr 2006. Diese Zahlen hat die Gemeinsame Konferenz Kirche und Entwicklung (GKKE) für ihren diesjährigen zwölften Rüstungsexportbericht erhoben. Die GKKE-Fachgruppe Rüstungsexporte musste sich dafür auf Angaben der Bundesregierung gegenüber... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
LA Controls Guns, Ammo Sales, Bans .50cal: 'Sick' Gun Industry Protests
Los Angeles Times
9 Dec 2008
The Public Safety Committee of the Los Angeles City Council approved a package of gun control measures Monday that would make it easier for landlords to evict tenants with illegal firearms and ammunition, place new requirements on ammunition vendors and allow the city to permanently seize cars from some gang members. The measures were introduced by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and several council members, including Jack Weiss, a candidate for city attorney, in May as part of the mayor's antigang initiative. Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton threw his support behind the proposed ordinances at that time. Under the eviction measure proposed by Weiss... ( gunpolicy.org )
Netherlands Antilles, Central America, South America
Legislators Vote to Tighten Gun Control in 20 Latin American Nations
Daily Herald (St Maarten)
9 Dec 2008
WILLEMSTAD -- Firearms law amendments to bring about stricter control and regulation of small arms and ammunition in the Netherlands Antilles is on the agenda of Parliament's Justice Committee for January. The Latin American Parliament (Parlatino) approved the General Law on Small Arms and Ammunition during its 24th General Assembly in Panama City on Friday. This law now has to be merged with the existing firearms laws in each of the 20-plus member countries, of which the Netherlands Antilles is one. Antillean Parliament President Pedro Atacho told The Daily Herald the general law was an integral approach to taking small arms off the countries' streets.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New Jersey Tries to Limit Gun Sales to 13 Per Year, Per Person
Press (Atlantic City)
9 Dec 2008
TRENTON, New Jersey -- A consequence of lax gun laws is the proliferation of violence and funerals, Atlantic City Councilman Bruce Ward said as he advocated Monday for a bill that would limit most New Jersey gun owners to buying 13 or fewer firearms per year. Others said the proposal would do little to stem the flow of firearms to criminals from illicit sources. The state Senate Law and Public Safety and Veterans' Affairs Committee approved the bill by a 3-2 vote. It now goes the full Senate. The Assembly approved a companion measure June 23 by a 47-28 vote with four abstentions. Current state law does not limit firearm purchases. State... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
NY Hunters' Stray Bullets Kill One Child, Pierce Another Baby's Mattress
News 10 Now (New York)
9 Dec 2008
MARSHALL, New York -- Nine-month-old Josh Knapp is all smiles as he walks across what is now his old mattress. Saturday morning his parents heard what sounded like drawers slamming. What they discovered in his room nothing to smile about. "We went upstairs and we noticed a hole in our son's mattress, right through his crib. We still didn't know what happened and we kept looking around we see some debris on the floor and we looked in the wall and noticed a hole in the wall. When we saw a hole in the wall that's when we realized it was a bullet," said Josh's mother Rachel Knapp. Luckily, Josh wasn't in the room when that bullet came through. "Josh... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Tennessee: 100s of Hidden Handgun Owners Under Restraining Orders
Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tennessee)
9 Dec 2008
Two hundred Tennesseans who have permits to carry loaded weapons may have their privileges revoked or suspended because they have active restraining orders against them, officials say. That's after Department of Safety officials learned they had not revoked permits, as required by federal law, from some people served with an order of protection -- commonly referred to as a restraining order, said Mike Browning, Tennessee Department of Safety spokesman. "Some counties had not been informing us of orders of protection," Mr. Browning said. "It came to our attention that some people who had orders of protection (against them) still had carry permits, and... ( gunpolicy.org )
India, United States
To Prevent More Mumbais, Many More Indians Should Carry Guns
Wall Street Journal Asia, Opinion
9 Dec 2008
For three bloody days, just 10 determined killers held a city of 18 million hostage. The sheer ignominy of this fact has jolted Mumbaikars -- and Indians -- out of their fabled chalta hai (anything goes) attitude, and into a burst of citizen activism. Even Mumbai's business community has shed its habitual political timidity and filed an extraordinary public-interest lawsuit demanding that the government fulfill its constitutional obligation to protect its citizens. But Indians shouldn't just stop there. They should also demand reform of the country's draconian gun laws -- a holdover from British times -- that prevent them from defending themselves. That would... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US 'Gun Show Loophole,' Still Open in Minnesota, Must Be Closed
Duluth News Tribune (Minnesota), Opinion
9 Dec 2008
This month marks the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Brady Bill, named for James Brady, President Reagan's press secretary, who was shot during an attempt on the president's life. The law has stopped 1.6 million gun sales to felons, fugitives, domestic abusers, terrorists, dangerously mentally ill people and other prohibited purchasers. The Brady Law has proven effective -- but has a loophole, one that allows anyone to purchase weapons from unlicensed sellers at gun shows and other venues. Some states have closed the so-called "gun show loophole," but Minnesota is among the states that hasn't. "Loopholes in the Brady Law mean about 40 percent... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Virginia Gun Show Dealers Sell Assault Rifles 'No Questions Asked'
Washington Post
9 Dec 2008
RICHMOND, Virginia -- One year after his sister was gunned down during the Virginia Tech massacre, 25-year-old Omar Samaha walked into a Richmond area gun show and was immediately greeted with offers from unlicensed gun dealers hawking their wares. Samaha, who graduated from Virginia Tech in 2005, approached one of the dealers and asked to purchase an assault rifle. Within minutes, he said, the sale was complete. "I wanted to see how easy it was, and it was by far one of the easiest things I have done," he told the Virginia State Crime Commission on Tuesday. "They never asked me my age. They never asked me if I had a criminal record or was a terrorist."... ( gunpolicy.org )
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