United Kingdom
British Police Arrest Gun Collector, Seize 400 Weapons from His Home
BBC News
15 Oct 2008
More than 400 shotguns and rifles have been seized from a house in Oxfordshire days after a former firearms dealer had his licence revoked. Police removed the guns from the property in Headington following a tip-off that the owner had more guns than he was allowed to own. Officers also had concerns he was not storing the weapons safely and he and was "no longer a fit to hold firearms". A 63-year-old man has been arrested and released on police bail. He was held on suspicion of possession of a prohibited weapon. Police said the dealer's licence was officially revoked on Friday and officers seized all firearms from the house... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
FBI Figures Show 'Shoot First Philosophy' as US Gun Lobby Erodes Law
USA Today
15 Oct 2008
The number of justifiable homicides committed by police and private citizens has been rising in the past two years to their highest levels in more than a decade, reflecting a shoot-first philosophy in dealing with crime, say law enforcement analysts. The 391 killings by police that were ruled justifiable in 2007 were the most since 1994, FBI statistics show. The 254 killings by private individuals found to be self-defense were the most since 1997. The FBI says a homicide committed by a private citizen is justified when a person is slain during the commission of a felony, such as a burglary or robbery. Police are justified, the FBI says, when felons are... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
Firearms Flow In, But New Delhi Police Say Gun Crime Down in Capital
Times of India
15 Oct 2008
NEW DELHI -- The rampant use of unlicensed firearms has turned into a nightmare for the NCR police. On Tuesday, a chartered accountant was shot dead in north-east Delhi over a property dispute while another person was killed in Gurgaon over a petty issue. A day before, a gym owner was shot near his residence in Pitampura. On September 30, Soumya Viswanathan, a producer with a news channel, was shot while returning home to Vasant Kunj from work. Delhi Police has no estimate of the number of unlicensed guns in the Capital. However, a study by the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International Studies this year has stated that India is the second most heavily... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Firearm Theft Reporting Puts Pittsburgh in Front Line of US Gun Debate
Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh)
15 Oct 2008
Pittsburgh became a front line in the debate over firearms laws yesterday, as three city council members proposed legislation requiring that owners report lost or stolen handguns to police, and gun rights advocates cried that they were overstepping their bounds. "Any law-abiding person has nothing to fear here," said City Council President Doug Shields, who along with colleagues William Peduto and Bruce Kraus unveiled the legislation aimed at shutting down "straw purchasers" who sell handguns to criminals. They argued that their measure deals only with reporting handguns that have gone missing, not regulating their sale or possession, and therefore doesn't... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Rights an Election Issue for Number of Alaskans
Daily News-Miner (Alaska)
15 Oct 2008
WASHINGTON -- With the Nov. 4 election fast approaching, Alaskans are taking a close look at where the major-party presidential contenders stand on gun control and Second Amendment rights. The right to bear arms has been front and center in the presidential race, thanks in no small part to the presence of Gov. Sarah Palin on the Republican ticket. Palin has played up her hunting credentials and been an outspoken supporter of the Second Amendment, which reads "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." The National Rifle Association has long... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Gun Violence Falls Again in Australia, But Handguns Take Bigger Share
Age (Melbourne)
15 Oct 2008
Illegal handguns are becoming the "weapon of choice" for firearm-related crime in Australia, according to a leading research body. The Australian Institute of Criminology said in a study released today that the overall use of firearms in violent crime had declined, but the proportion of handgun use had increased. General manager of research at the AIC, Judy Putt, said handguns were often used as a means of protection, particularly among those involved in gangs and the drugs market. "Their concealable nature, high firepower and large calibre are often cited as features prompting their acquisition by the criminal community," Dr Putt said. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
McCain: 'No Gun Control.' Obama: 'I Will Not Take Your Guns Away'
Associated Press
15 Oct 2008
BOSTON -- John McCain supports background checks for buyers at gun shows and has his name on a law restricting special-interest group advertising, two positions strongly opposed by the National Rifle Association. So how'd he end up with the group's presidential endorsement? By running against Barack Obama, whom NRA leaders accuse of wanting to put the firearms industry out of business. "Hillary was right: You can't trust Obama with your guns," the association's Political Victory Fund said in a recent mailing. The endorsement reflects the complicated role that gun control is playing in the 2008 campaign. For voters who care about the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Taking Loaded Handgun Into Many Busiest US Airports 'Is Perfectly Legal'
Associated Press
15 Oct 2008
ATLANTA -- Flying in the U.S. has been transformed since Sept. 11, with passengers forced to remove their shoes, take out their laptop computers and put liquids and gels in clear plastic bags. Yet it's perfectly legal to take a loaded gun right up to the security checkpoint at some of the nation's biggest airports. An Associated Press survey of the 20 busiest U.S. airports found that seven of them -- Philadelphia, Detroit, Phoenix, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles and San Francisco -- let people with gun permits carry firearms in the general public areas of the terminal. Some anti-terrorism experts say that is a glaring security loophole... ( gunpolicy.org )
|
|
