Australia
Australian Gun Control Laws Did, Did Not Reduce Firearm Homicide, Suicide
ABC Radio (Australia) / PM, Transcript
21 Apr 2008
LISA MILLAR: The former prime minister, John Howard, recently told an American audience that one of his proudest achievements in office was introducing tougher gun laws after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. But a new study by researchers from the University of Sydney claims the previous federal government's gun control laws have done nothing to reduce firearm deaths in Australia. Gun control advocates though, disagree. Michael Edwards has this report. MICHAEL EDWARDS: In Tasmania in 1996, Martin Bryant murdered 35 people in what's become known as the Port Arthur massacre. The killings prompted a tightening of gun laws with the Federal... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, South Africa, China
Campaign Against Zimbabwe Ammunition, Gun Shipment Gains Momentum
Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg) / SAPA
21 Apr 2008
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- A campaign to prevent arms currently aboard a Chinese ship from reaching Zimbabwe gained momentum on Monday with trade unions calling on their counterparts not to allow the vessel to dock at any African port. The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) called for an international boycott of the vessel. "Cosatu is doing everything possible to alert the international trade-union movement to the danger to the workers of Zimbabwe if the cargo is allowed to be unloaded and delivered to [Zimbabwe President Robert] Mugabe's forces. "The federation is writing to its comrades in other federations, including those... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Close US Gun Show Loophole, Crack Down on Gun Traffickers - Third Way
Dallas Morning News (Texas), Opinion
21 Apr 2008
In recent election cycles, the greatest feat of liberal tight-rope walking has occurred not over abortion, but gun safety. Candidates talk about renewing the assault weapons ban, then mumble something about the rights of hunters. But there is a better way to take on this issue -- one that would yield real reductions in violence without having an adverse impact on law-abiding gun owners. There are 280 million firearms in private hands in America, and last year there were about 300,000 gun crimes. That means that at least 279.7 million guns did nothing wrong. We also know that in 89 percent of crimes, the person using the gun was not the person who originally bought... ( gunpolicy.org )
Europe
European Commission Mandates Gun Marking, Registration, 18yr Age Limit
China View / Xinhua
21 Apr 2008
BRUSSELS -- The European Commission Monday welcomed new measures to strengthen control of the acquisition and possession of weapons in the European Union (EU). "Citizens will be better protected against uncontrolled circulation of firearms, by beefing up our tracing systems and requirements, notably as regards minors," said European Commission Vice President Gunter Verheugen, who is responsible for enterprise and industry policy. The new measures were adopted by EU justice and home affairs ministers at a meeting in Luxembourg Friday. Under the new measures, firearms must be marked at the time of manufacture, or when transferred from government... ( gunpolicy.org )
Europe
Gun Control Strengthened After EU Ministers Approve Commission Proposal
FOCUS News Agency (Bulagaria)
21 Apr 2008
BRUSSELS -- With the adoption of the European Commission's proposal for compulsory and complete marking of firearms, the EU Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs have given the green light to reinforce the fight against organized crime and firearms trafficking, the press service of the European Commission informs. The new measures will extend the duration for record-keeping for data on firearms and ban the purchase of firearms by persons under the age of eighteen. This directive will ensure that traceability for all firearms is strengthened and rules for the acquisition and possession of them will be more rigorous. These requirements will also apply to converted... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Negative Publicity Pushes Canadian Gun Clubs Into Realm of Secret Society
CITY-TV News (Toronto)
21 Apr 2008
TORONTO, Ontario -- The first rule of gun club is, you don't talk about gun club. Ranges that cater to sport shooters are increasingly secretive and an outsider's attempts to gain access to a gun club, such as the one hidden in the rafters at Union Station, are difficult, if not impossible without an invitation from a long-standing member. Media attempts are even more vehemently thwarted, and Tony Bernardo, Executive Director of the Canadian Sports Shooting Association, understands why. "Nobody will talk to you, because when the media picks this up it's all about sensationalism, it's got nothing to do with reality," he told CityNews.ca in an exclusive... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New Law Allows Machine Guns, Sawn-off Shotguns, Silencers in Kansas
Topeka Capital-Journal (Kansas) / AP
21 Apr 2008
Starting July 1, Kansans will be able to own machine guns, other fully automatic weapons, sawed-off shotguns and silencers. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius signed a bill today legalizing their possession. Supporters say collectors are likely to be the main beneficiaries. They note that machine guns typically cost at least $20,000. Purchasers still must comply with federal restrictions, which include two background checks and approval by the local sheriff. In December, the attorney general's office issued a legal opinion saying part of the state's current ban is so restrictive that only law enforcement agencies can possess silencers. That means... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Restricting Illegal Guns is Law Enforcement, Not US 2nd Amendment Issue
Hartford Courant (Connecticut), Editorial
21 Apr 2008
Hartford police officers recovered about 400 illegally acquired firearms last year. Those weapons didn't pop up out of thin air. People who owned or had access to legal firearms either lost them or sold them to convicted criminals, the mentally ill and other people who were unauthorized to own guns. Many violent urban crimes and college campus shootings could be prevented if Congress would pass laws to impose foolproof methods of stopping legal guns from getting into the wrong hands. Unfortunately, efforts to pass such laws are often thwarted by the powerful National Rifle Association gun lobby on grounds that they would violate the Second Amendment... ( gunpolicy.org )
Russia, United States
Russia Jails US Pastor for Smuggling, Boarding Planes With Ammunition
CNN / AP
21 Apr 2008
MOSCOW, Russia -- A Moscow court on Monday sentenced a U.S. pastor to more than three years in prison for smuggling hunting ammunition into Russia. Phillip Miles, from South Carolina, has been in custody since his arrest on Feb. 3. He was arrested several days after customs agents at a Moscow airport found a box of 20 rifle shells in his luggage. The court sentenced him to serve three years and two months in prison, with the sentence calculated from his detention date. Miles has said he brought the .300 caliber cartridges for a friend who had recently bought a Winchester rifle. He said he did not know bringing such ammunition into Russia was... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
South Australian Police to Get 2000 New Semi-auto Smith & Wesson Pistols
Advertiser (Adelaide)
21 Apr 2008
South Australia's 2000 frontline police officers will be armed with semi-automatic handguns from June. The state-of-the-art Smith & Wesson M&P (military and police) 40 calibre pistols will be issued to selected officers before being introduced to all patrol and operation police. The trial is not expected to exceed three months, then the semi-automatic pistol will replace the ageing .357 Smith & Wesson revolver as the standard issue police weapon. STAR Group officers already use semi-automatic weapons because of their specialist role. The trial involves 350 officers and will start in June. The trial will later be extended to officers... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Owners, Bowlers Back Clinton: Beer Drinkers Back Obama - Poll
Editor & Publisher (USA)
21 Apr 2008
NEW YORK -- Apparently, the presidential race -- at least in Pennsylvania -- is no longer just about who leads among men, women, church-goers or union members. In a poll released this past weekend by McClatchy Newspapers, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and MSNBC, gun owners, bowlers and even beer drinkers are playing a part. The Mason-Dixon poll, which questioned 625 "likely Pennsylvania voters" on April 17-18, found Hillary Clinton favored by more hunters, bowlers and gun-owners than Barack Obama. "The one group where she does not have a solid lead is among beer drinkers; they split evenly between her and Obama," a McClatchy story on the poll stated. "Overall,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Why Not Bullet Control? New York Mulls Microstamping Handgun Ammunition
Albany Times-Union (New York), Editorial
21 Apr 2008
Some years ago, whenever the debate over gun control would heat up in Congress, the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York would change the subject. Why gun control and all the Second Amendment implications that go with it? he wondered. Why not bullet control? Regrettably, very few of his colleagues ever took him seriously. But now times are changing, and Senator Moynihan is proving as prescient on gun control as he was on major social issues of his day, including his famous essay on defining deviancy down. As it happens, New York, the state that sent Mr. Moynihan to Washington for all those years, may be taking the lead in following through on his forward-looking... ( gunpolicy.org )
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