United States
10yr-old Ohio Boy Found Parents' Handgun, Killed 11yr-old Sister, Say Police
Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio) / AP
10 Apr 2008
CLEVELAND -- An 11-year-old girl died Wednesday after being shot in the head by her 10-year-old brother, who found a handgun while searching for school clothes in a closet, police said. Andrea Williams was shot Tuesday night at home, said police Lt. Thomas Stacho. She died Wednesday morning at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland. Stacho said the boy pulled the .22-caliber revolver from the closet and asked his 14-year-old brother about it. The firearm discharged, and the girl was shot. Stacho said the shooting was apparently accidental. ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Australian Capital Territory Pledges 5-20 Years' Jail for Illegal Gun Owners
ABC News (Australia)
10 Apr 2008
Gun laws in the ACT are to be strengthened to crackdown on the flow of guns to criminals. The ACT Government has tabled a bill in the Legislative Assembly to increase penalties for firearms offences and to make it harder to obtain a gun licence. Police Minister Simon Corbell says the Territory will fall into line with a national agreement on gun laws. "Making sure that firearms dealers aren't able to employ people who may be associated with organised crime, because we know one of the big challenges is the diversion of legal guns into the black market," he said. Mr Corbell says the tougher penalties for illegal possession will range... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Australian Soldier Shot Four Relatives Dead, Got 15yrs in Secure Hospital
Sydney Morning Herald / Reuters
10 Apr 2008
A former soldier who shot dead four members of his family before walking into a police station with a bag of weapons and a homemade bomb was detained on Wednesday for a minimum of 15 years, police said. David Bradley, 41, will serve his sentence in a secure hospital after admitting manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility at Newcastle Crown Court. He shot his uncle, aunt and two cousins through the head at their three-bed semi-detached home in Newcastle in July 2006. Police said Bradley had developed mental health problems after serving in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and the 1991 Gulf War. He told police after the shootings... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
Calcutta Police 'Stunned' to Catch Gun Runner With US Pistols, Ammunition
Telegraph (Calcutta)
10 Apr 2008
Police spotlight on Wednesday was fixed on central Calcutta, where a gun-runner was arrested and an armed gang robbed jewellery from a shop. Rafique Mistry, the arms dealer, had been on the wanted list for months and finally fell into the sleuths' trap on Bentinck Street on Wednesday evening. Nine pistols and six rounds of ammunition, all said to have been made in the US, were seized from him. The pistols -- seven 7.62 bore and two .9 mm bore -- were kept in a nylon bag along with the cartridges. "We were stunned to see the US-made ammunition. The gun-runners arrested earlier used to trade in India-made ammunition," said an officer... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Charlton Heston Would Be Proud: Pennsylvania Backs Down to NRA Again
Philadelphia Inquirer (Pennsylvania), Editorial
10 Apr 2008
With several hundred pro-gun activists converging on the Harrisburg Capitol Monday -- many wearing Second Amendment T-shirts -- it was not the day for Pennsylvania lawmakers to tackle any tough gun measures. Instead, state House members approved several initiatives that bore no resemblance to an actual crackdown on handgun trafficking. In turn, the gun-rights supporters celebrated the defeat last week of a tough anti-trafficking measure. Charlton Heston would be proud. Meanwhile, back on the mean streets of Philadelphia and other cities, the shootings continue. The city averages 2,000 shootings a year. Many of the bullets come from... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
City Council Vows to Defy Capitol, Enforce Local Gun Laws in 'Killadelphia'
Philadelphia Inquirer (Pennsylvania) / AP
10 Apr 2008
PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia City Council has passed five gun control laws without state approval. The vote Thursday was unanimous, and Mayor Michael Nutter has signed the measures and ordered their immediate enforcement. One of the bills would require reporting lost or stolen guns. Another would impose a limit of one handgun purchase per month, an attempt to slow the proliferation of straw purchases in Philadelphia. State lawmakers were given the sole power to regulate Pennsylvania gun sales in a 1974 law. But City Council members asked Commonwealth Court in March to let them adopt local gun control measures. They say loose state firearms... ( gunpolicy.org )
China
Debt, Domestic Stress Could See Chinese Police Stripped of Handguns
Reuters
10 Apr 2008
BEIJING -- Police facing emotional strains due to financial or romantic problems could be stripped of their department-issued handguns in China's Jiangxi province, a newspaper reported on Thursday. The public security bureau in the province will begin inspections this month to make sure officers who have received administrative punishments, or are under investigation, will not be able to carry firearms, the Southern Metropolis Daily said. Guns would also be retrieved from "officers who are suffering from serious illnesses or face psychological and emotional instability resulting from love or marriage frustrations and heavy debt," the newspaper reported,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Firearm Violence Debate, Gun Control Draw Crowd to Pittsburgh Campus
Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh)
10 Apr 2008
Two weeks before he was killed in the Columbine High School shootings, Daniel Mauser asked his father a question that Tom Mauser now considers fundamental to the debate on guns and handgun violence in America: "Dad, did you know there are loopholes in the Brady [Handgun Violence Prevention] Act?" Mr. Mauser repeated that question yesterday at the National Symposium on Handgun Violence at Duquesne University's Power Center. At the time, Mr. Mauser said, he didn't know much about handgun access laws, much less the Brady Bill, which was enacted in 1993 to create a background check system on gun purchases. But since the April 1999 shootings... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Firearm Zealots Put Floridians at Risk with 'Outrageous' Guns-at-work Bill
St Petersburg Times (Florida), Editorial
10 Apr 2008
The National Rifle Association owns the Florida Republican Party lock, stock and barrel. That is the only way to explain the Legislature's party-line votes to allow gun owners to secretly take their weapons to work and shopping. It is an outrageous infringement on private property rights and further puts Floridians at risk in an already dangerous world. The third time was the charm for the NRA, which uncharacteristically failed to get its way the past two years. This time, the legislation passed with two significant changes. It specifically applies to gun owners with concealed weapons permits, and it shields employers from liability in civil lawsuits. That may... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Florida Passes Bill Allowing Employees to Take Loaded Guns to Work
International Herald Tribune / AP
10 Apr 2008
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida residents would be able to keep guns in their cars while at work or at other businesses under a bill that is likely to be signed by the governor. The bill passed the Senate on Wednesday and an identical version passed the House two weeks ago. Gov. Charlie Crist said after the vote that the bill has a good chance of getting his signature. "I'm probably going to sign it," he said. "I understand there are competing interests. There always are in this process, but people being protected is most important to me." Supporters of the bill say people have a constitutional right to carry firearms and should be able to keep... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Florida's 'Take Your Guns to Work' Law a Win for 'Politics Over Good Policy'
Reuters
10 Apr 2008
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Most Florida residents would be allowed to take guns to work under a measure passed by Florida lawmakers on Wednesday. The bill, allowing workers to keep guns in their cars for self-protection, was approved by the Florida Senate by a vote of 26-13. It now goes to Republican Gov. Charlie Crist to sign into law. Backed by the National Rifle Association and some labor unions, the so-called "take-your-guns-to-work" measure would prohibit business owners from banning guns kept locked in motor vehicles on their private property. The measure applies to employees, customers and those invited to the business establishment as long... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Hit by Stray Bullet While Sleeping at Home, 21yr-old California Woman Dies
Bay Area News Group
10 Apr 2008
OAKLAND -- Shock and sadness hovered over the family of Shaneice Davis, a 21-year-old woman who was struck by a bullet while she slept in her bed Monday night when she was pronounced dead Wednesday afternoon. "I'm just so sad. It hurts so much," said her father, John Davis, who described his daughter as a sensitive, sweet child who never bothered anyone -- which makes her death seem even more random and unfair. Davis, the mother of a 1-year-old daughter Kamari Garcia, appears to be the unintended victim of bullets fired at a group standing at an outdoor memorial for another shooting victim. A stray bullet traveled through the wall of an apartment... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
In 'Major Victory for Gun Lobby,' NRA Law Steamrolls Big Business in Florida
Tampa Tribune (Florida)
10 Apr 2008
TALLAHASSEE -- In a major victory for the gun lobby, lawmakers have approved legislation that would allow Floridians to bring a gun to work as long as the owners have a permit and the gun is locked inside their car. The Senate's vote Wednesday follows last month's House's approval, sending the guns-at-work bill to Gov. Charlie Crist, who is expected to sign the bill into law. Like the House, the Senate's Republican majority was forced to choose between the right to bear arms and private property rights, each supported by powerful special interests. The bill was approved in a 26-13 vote along party lines. Crist on Wednesday said, "I understand... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
McCain No Longer Supports Closing US Gun Show Loophole - Democrats
Baltimore Sun (Maryland)
10 Apr 2008
In polling swing voters about Sen. John McCain, the Democratic National Committee gave them information that seems decidedly at odds with the facts. During a briefing this afternoon, Democratic pollster Allan Rivlin said that swing voters in 17 states reacted negatively when they learned that McCain no longer supported closing the gun show loophole and opposed any new gun control laws. In fact, McCain continues to support closing the gun show loophole, which he successfully co-sponsored with Sen. Joseph Lieberman. DNC officials insisted that McCain no longer supports closing the loophole, arguing that he was quoted saying that he does not support new... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New Law: 500,000 Florida Gun Owners Can Now Park Their Guns at Work
South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale)
10 Apr 2008
TALLAHASSEE -- The Republican-led state Senate handed a major election-year victory Wednesday to the National Rifle Association by approving a measure allowing about 500,000 Floridians with concealed-weapons permits to carry their guns to work. In South Florida the reaction was mixed, with business owners expressing concern and gun owners declaring victory. The measure bars employers from banning guns on their premises, provided workers hold concealed-weapons permits and leave the guns locked in their cars. Republican Gov. Charlie Crist said he will have no problem signing the measure into law. "The Second Amendment is very important," Crist... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Ontario Police Seize 28 Weapons from 61yr-old Man Caught Carrying Gun
Owen Sound Sun-Times (Ontario)
10 Apr 2008
A 61-year-old Tiverton man is facing weapons and drug charges after Ontario Provincial Police officers seized firearms from a home in the village. Const. Shaun Bougie of the South Bruce OPP detachment said local officers, members of the OPP provincial weapon enforcement unit and a firearm-detecting canine unit, armed with a search warrant, entered the home at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. Bougie said seven handguns -- including semi-automatics and revolvers -- and 21 unregistered long guns -- rifles and shotguns -- were seized. Police also discovered during the search that the man was armed. Replica firearms and pellet pistols and rifles were... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
San Francisco's Voter-led Handgun Ban Finally Shot Down by High Court
San Francisco Chronicle
10 Apr 2008
SAN FRANCISCO -- The state Supreme Court dealt a final blow Wednesday to San Francisco's voter-approved ban on handguns, rejecting the city's appeal of a lower-court ruling that sharply limited the ability of localities to regulate firearms. The court's unanimous order was a victory for the National Rifle Association, which sued on behalf of gun owners, advocates and dealers a day after the measure passed with 58 percent of the vote in November 2005. The initiative has never taken effect. The ordinance, Proposition H, would have forbidden San Francisco residents to possess handguns, exempting only law enforcement officers and others who needed guns for... ( gunpolicy.org )
South Africa
South Africa's Gun Owner Licensing Renewal Process 'In Shambles'
Business Day (Johannesburg)
10 Apr 2008
CAPE TOWN -- The government is facing huge noncompliance and backlogs as legal gun owners fail to apply for their licences to be renewed and the Central Firearms Registry struggles to cope with the numbers that are lodged. While the Firearms Control Act was being processed by Parliament and again when an amendment went through both houses, the police were advised that re-licensing all legal firearms in four years was impractical. The police were urged to allow a simple audit of legal firearms rather than the extended process of relicensing. At present, licences are granted for two, five or 10 years depending on their category, and must be reapplied for... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Maker Sturm Ruger Recalls SR9 Pistol, Cites Trigger Safety Worry
Outdoor Wire, Media release
10 Apr 2008
Sturm Ruger & Company, Inc. has issued a recall notice for their SR9 pistols manufactured between October 2007 and April 2008. The recall notice was issued yesterday, citing concerns that the SR9 can, under certain conditions, fire if dropped with their manual safeties in the 'off' or 'fire' position and a round in the chamber. The pistols will not fire if the manual safety is in the 'on' or 'safe' position." Ruger says it is finalizing the design of a new trigger group which addresses the problem and prevents firing when dropped. The company also says the new part must be installed at their factory in Prescott, Arizona. There, workers will... ( gunpolicy.org )
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