United States
A Year After Virginia Tech Campus Massacre, US Guns Easy to Get as Ever
Agence France Presse
12 Apr 2008
WASHINGTON -- One year after the deadliest school shooting in US history, guns are as easy to find here as ever and Americans seem to like it that way. Gun control advocates say the failure of lawmakers to pass tough legislation in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech massacre is a sign of the American gun lobby's power in shaping laws and public opinion. But gun rights groups say their actions simply mirror public sentiment that tighter gun laws do not prevent mass shootings like last April's, when mentally disturbed student Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people at the university before turning his gun on himself. In fact, a Gallup poll in October 2007... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Colorado College Students Want Law to Allow Hidden Handguns at School
Associated Press
12 Apr 2008
COLORADO SPRINGS -- College students who say they're powerless against campus attacks by gunmen want to push legislators and school administrators to let them arm themselves. In the wake of recent campus shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University, a nationwide student group called Students for Concealed Carry on Campus says they've recruited 25,000 members in the last year. John Davis, a 30-year-old University of Colorado at Colorado Springs senior, is one of about a dozen students at the campus who joined the group and is organizing a local effort to protest not being able to bring concealed guns to school. He said students... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Growing Numbers Seeking Permits for Concealed Handguns in Virginia
Virginian-Pilot (Virginia)
12 Apr 2008
SUFFOLK -- Christopher Corbett exercised one of his new rights soon after turning 21: He applied for a concealed-handgun permit. He said his father, a police officer who has "seen the worst of the worst," was adamant. "People should be able to protect themselves without worrying if the police are going to get here in time," Corbett said. The number of applications for concealed-handgun permits is soaring across Virginia, including in Hampton Roads. People don't have to state a reason when they apply, so no one can say with certainty what's driving the trend. But theories abound. Some in the firearms industry say it's a response... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Handgun Ban an Imperfect Solution for Canada, But a Necessary One
Toronto Star (Ontario), Column
12 Apr 2008
Gun lovers were conspicuously absent when Mayor David Miller launched his campaign at city hall this week to ban the handgun. Since then, they've been sniping from all corners of the country. The consistent, if not orchestrated, message is this: gun lovers are largely responsible, law-abiding citizens who should not be subjected to such a rights-crushing edict that will do little or nothing to stem criminal violence committed with a gun. While the majority who addressed the mayor's executive committee Monday focused on the human tragedy of their loved ones innocently caught in the shootouts, the gun lobby bolsters its dissenting view with cold statistics.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Hillary Clinton Portrays Herself as a Church-going, Pro-Gun Former Shooter
New York Times / The Caucus, Blog
12 Apr 2008
VALPARAISO, Indiana -- Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton managed to co-opt Mr. Obama's message of hope and optimism, beginning a speech in Valparaiso, Ind., by talking about how positive and "fundamentally optimistic" Americans are. "We don't get bogged down and looking back -- we're always looking forward," she said, as heavy applause nearly drowned out her words. "Whatever obstacle we see, we get over it. Whatever challenge we have, we meet it. We're the problem-solvers, we're the innovators, we're the people who make the better future." For the third time since Mr. Obama's remarks were made public Friday night, Mrs. Clinton criticized him at length,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
More Georgia Gun Dealers Fold, Agree to New York Mayor's Monitoring Deal
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia)
12 Apr 2008
Two Georgia gun dealers have agreed to monitoring in settling a lawsuit brought against them in 2006 by New York City. That leaves only Smyrna-based Adventure Outdoors in an unusual case set for trial next month. The attorney for Adventure Outdoors said the shop will not settle with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who took the novel approach of suing 27 gun shops -- eight in Georgia -- because he said they were the sources of illegal guns recovered at crimes in that city. "[Adventure Outdoors co-owner] Jay Wallace will go as far as to hock his car and his shop and all the guns in to see this case through," attorney John Renzulli in an interview Friday... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Republicans Want McCain, So Florida Suffers 'Take Your Gun to Work' Bill
Palm Beach Post (Florida), Editorial
12 Apr 2008
Florida will have Take Your Gun To Work Day because Republicans want John McCain to be president. Twice before, the National Rifle Association demanded that the Legislature prevent private businesses from making their property firearms-free. Both times, the NRA failed. But this election year, with most NRA members likely McCain voters, the bill whizzed through. Gov. Crist, who for weeks has paid more attention to Sen. McCain than to Florida, will sign it because "people being protected is most important to me." By "protected," he must mean the idea that Floridians need a gun in their car at all times. The governor's protection, however, does not extend... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Since Campus Mass Shooting, Virginia Grants 60% More Permits for Guns
Washington Post
12 Apr 2008
The number of Virginians who obtained a permit to carry a concealed weapon jumped 60 percent last year over 2006, an increase that many gun experts say was a reaction to the fatal shootings of 32 students and professors at Virginia Tech. In Northern Virginia, the numbers were much the same. In Fairfax County, there were 2,471 concealed-carry permits issued in 2007, a 64 percent increase. In Prince William County, the number rose to 1,636, a nearly 59 percent gain. In Loudoun, the number of permits issued was 962, a 52 percent increase. People applying for a concealed-weapon permit do not have to explain why they want one. But most experts think the Virginia... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
'Strict Gun Laws, Fewer People Shot,' Says Toronto Mayor. Is It That Clear?
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
12 Apr 2008
The way Judith Ross describes her favourite hobby, you'd swear she was talking about hatha yoga or a Buddhist pursuit. "It's almost like a meditation," she says, "an experience of focus and concentration. You have to be relaxed and calm." Dr. Ross, a 69-year-old retired psychologist who worked for 30 years at the University of Toronto, is a sport shooter, regularly heading off to her gun club to pursue her passion. When she started about 25 years ago, she used static bull's-eye targets, but graduated to "action pistol," where shooters walk through a course of fire with their handgun, not knowing where the targets will be. She also designs these courses,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Suicidal RCMP Gun Expert Gets 9mths For Illegal Submachine Gun, 'AK-47'
Ottawa Sun (Ontario)
12 Apr 2008
An RCMP civilian firearms expert who dumped a semi-automatic rifle and a submachine-gun off Hwy. 417 was sentenced to nine months of house arrest this week after the judge concluded the troubled man is no threat to the public. Stacey D. Cherwonak, 41, pleaded guilty to a string of gun-related charges, including having prohibited weapons and knowingly having guns obtained by an offence. His crimes could have had terrible consequences, Justice Ann Alder said. Yet up until his arrest two years ago, Cherwonak had an "exceptional" career. "It was only because of your personal circumstances that you find yourself before the court," Alder said. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
|
|
