United States
250 US Mayors Band Together to Battle US Congress, Curb Gun Trafficking
Reuters
14 Mar 2008
NEW YORK -- Interstate 95, which runs up the U.S. East Coast, is known to cops as the "Iron Pipeline" -- the conduit of choice for gun smugglers to move their hardware from the southern United States to New York city. With formidable opponents in the gun manufacturers and gun owners, national politicians do little to stop this traffic, leaving gun control largely in the hands of local leaders. "Where is the outrage in this country? Well, mayors see it," said New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "We're the ones who have to go to the funerals. We're the ones that have to look somebody in the eye and say your spouse or your parent or your child is not going... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
90 Percent of Guns Seized in Mexico Come from US: .50cal Used to Kill Cop
Arizona Republic
14 Mar 2008
Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard says a new pact among top U.S. and Mexican prosecutors ushers in "a new era" of clamping down on international smuggling and points to a Phoenix murder case as proof. Investigators on both sides of the border are teaming up to find a Phoenix drophouse killer who is involved in a Mexican human-smuggling ring, Goddard said. He declined to provide any more details, but said it's the first time a joint investigation has been conducted in the two countries before an arrest. The case reflects agreements between U.S. and Mexican prosecutors that were cemented at a three-day conference in Phoenix earlier this week. Officials... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Bill to Allow Oklahomans to Carry Hidden Handguns on College Campuses
Associated Press
14 Mar 2008
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Legislation that would allow concealed weapons on college campuses in Oklahoma was approved by the state House Thursday despite opponents who said putting more guns on campus makes no sense following recent massacres at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University. "This has to be the craziest thing I have ever seen," said Rep. Ray McCarter, D-Marlow, one of several lawmakers who said the measure is opposed by college administrators and most Oklahomans but is supported by the National Rifle Association. "How silly can we be to represent 10 percent of our constituency, the fringe out there," McCarter said. "Represent your constituency.... ( gunpolicy.org )
China, Sudan
China Denies Dramatic Increase in Assault Weapon sales to Sudan, Darfur
Associated Press
14 Mar 2008
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- A U.S.-based human rights group said China dramatically boosted small-arms sales to Sudan as violence escalated in Darfur. Beijing denied the group's report on Friday. The report released Thursday by Human Rights First said China is the biggest supplier of small arms to Sudan. It provided 90 percent of all the African nation's small arms acquisitions between 2004 and 2006, totaling more than $50 million. China ramped up its small-arms supply to Sudan almost fivefold in 2004 as others cut back to comply with a U.N. arms embargo, according to data Sudan provided to the United Nations. Small arms such as assault rifles... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Every US Church Should Have Armed Guards, Says Parish with Experience
Colorado Springs Gazette (Colorado), Editorial
14 Mar 2008
New Life Church of Colorado Springs hosted a gathering of representatives from 118 Front Range religious institutions Thursday to share with them their experience of coming under attack. After a psychotic showed up with plans to shoot up the congregation in December, the church began working quickly to ramp up its security measures. Because it had armed people in the congregation the day of the attack, the killer didn't carry out his full plan. He killed two teenagers in the parking lot, so the church still needed improvements to its security measures. Ideally, any future mass murderers will be spotted in time to save all lives. At the meeting, Pastor Brady Boyd... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Has Washington, DC's Handgun Ban Prevented Shootings, Gun Violence?
Associated Press
14 Mar 2008
WASHINGTON -- On Sept. 24, 1976, one of the toughest gun laws in the nation took effect in the District of Columbia, essentially outlawing the private ownership of new handguns in a city struggling with violence. Over the next few weeks, a man with a .32-caliber pistol held up workers at a downtown federal office at midday, a cab driver was shot in the head, and a senator was mugged by three youths, one carrying a revolver, near the U.S. Capitol. Since the ban was passed, more than 8,400 people have been murdered in the district, many killed by handguns. Nearly 80 percent of the 181 murders in 2007 were committed with guns. On Tuesday, the Supreme... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Illinois Campus Killer Shot Himself in Mouth After Killing 5, Wounding 18
Associated Press
14 Mar 2008
DEKALB, Illinois -- A former Northern Illinois University graduate student who opened fire inside a lecture hall died when he put a gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger, according to partial autopsy results released Friday by the university. Steven Kazmierczak, 27, also had trace amounts of cold medicine, nicotine and alprazolam -- the generic name for the anti-anxiety drug Xanax -- in his bloodstream when he fatally wounded five students before committing suicide on Valentine's Day, the school said. Eighteen other people were wounded. NIU officials said the DeKalb County coroner found that four of Kazmierczak's five victims died from gunshot wounds.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom, Scotland
Scots Police Destroy 'Huge Cache' of Confiscated Firearms, Imitation Guns
BBC News
14 Mar 2008
Firearms surrendered to the police are being destroyed in an operation taking place in Edinburgh. About 800 weapons have been handed over to Lothian and Borders Police over the past six months. The cache includes shotguns, air weapons, replica guns and other imitation weapons. Friday's operation will see the guns destroyed using specialist cutting equipment before being taken away for disposal. Assistant Chief Constable Bill Skelly, of Lothian and Borders Police, said the operation, which would take all day, was being conducted in an undisclosed place for "security reasons". He said: "This operation is a welcome part of the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Vice President Breaks with Bush Justice Dept, Lines Up With Gun Lobby
Pioneer Press (Minnesota) / McClatchy Newspapers
14 Mar 2008
WASHINGTON -- President Bush may not be nearly the gunslinger that some of his conservative allies thought. On Tuesday, Bush and his political base will enter a three-sided showdown when the Supreme Court considers the District of Columbia's strict ban on handguns. Surprisingly, Vice President Dick Cheney has broken with the administration. An avid hunter, Cheney is aligned with those who take a more zealous view of Second Amendment rights than Bush's Justice Department does. The district has banned residents from keeping handguns in their homes since 1976, except for those owned by retired D.C. police officers. Other firearms must be kept disassembled... ( gunpolicy.org )
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