United States
California Judges Decide to Take Guns Away from Spousal Batterers
San Francisco Chronicle
23 Feb 2008
State judicial leaders approved plans Friday to get guns out of the hands of spousal batterers, a task that now is largely left up to the batterers themselves. Under proposals endorsed by the state Judicial Council, judges and police would enforce a provision contained in every domestic violence restraining order that prohibits the target of the order from possessing firearms or ammunition. Judges issue the restraining orders to require the abusers to stay away from their victims. The measures were among numerous recommendations in a report by a task force appointed by Ronald George, chief justice of the state Supreme Court and chairman of the Judicial... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
First in Line at California Gun Buyback Were Dealers 'Selling' for a Nice Profit
Oakland Tribune (California), Opinion
23 Feb 2008
On Feb. 9, Oakland police, led by state Sen. Don Perata, D-Oakland, offered to buy handguns and assault weapons for $250 each, "no questions asked, no ID required." The "One Less Gun" buyback program attracted so many eager sellers that the money quickly ran out, but instead of closing up shop, the police handed out IOUs good for a future buyback. The Oakland police are now stuck with a bill for $170,000. The buyback has been criticized as a poorly organized fiasco, but even the critics say it was "the right idea" and "a step in the right direction." On the contrary, the buyback was a bad idea from the beginning. Gun buybacks have been tried before,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya
In Bid to Curb Vendettas, Kenyan Police Swap Handguns for Assault Rifles
Kenya Broadcasting Corporation
23 Feb 2008
Junior police officers in Nyanza have been ordered to surrender all small arms assigned to them. The directive comes amid fears of misuse of the weapons to settle vendettas in the police force. Local Provincial Police Officer (PPO), Mr. Anthony Kibuchi, confirmed that he had issued the order that pistols issued to junior officers be returned to respective armories adding that even under cover officers would be given assault rifles and not pistols. The junior officers criticized the move by their seniors to disarm them claiming there was tension and suspicion among law enforcers from certain communities in the wake of post election violence.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
In Victory for Gun Lobby, US Plans to Relax Gun Ban in National Parks
Los Angeles Times
23 Feb 2008
WASHINGTON -- In a victory for gun-rights advocates, the federal government is preparing to relax a decades-old ban on bringing loaded firearms into national parks. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said Friday that his department would suggest new regulations by the end of April that could bring federal rules into line with state laws concerning guns in parks and public lands. His announcement came in a letter to Sen. Michael D. Crapo (R-Idaho), one of 50 senators who have written to him about the issue. Senators from both parties have backed a drive to repeal the ban, which has been in place in some parks for at least 100 years. The proposed rule... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
On Guns, US Vice Pres Cheney Goes It Alone Against Bush White House
Washington Post, Editorial
23 Feb 2008
The Bush administration has long taken the position that if you're not with it, you're against it. This holds true, it seems, for everyone except Vice President Cheney, who gets to have it both ways. This month Mr. Cheney joined a brief filed by 305 lawmakers in the Supreme Court case over the constitutionality of the District's gun control laws. A federal appeals court struck down the gun ban -- the most far-reaching in the nation -- as unconstitutional under the Second Amendment. The District appealed the case, which is scheduled to be argued on March 18; Mr. Cheney and the lawmakers urged the justices to uphold the lower court ruling, which concludes that... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
To Appease Pro-gun Voters, US Presidential Hopefuls Brag of Killing Critters
New York Times, Opinion
23 Feb 2008
"I shot a banded duck," said Hillary Clinton. Who says we have heard everything there conceivably could be to say from the presidential candidates? There is something about an election year that makes politicians start bragging about how many furry or feathered critters they've killed. Otherwise, God forbid, voters might think they were interested in doing something about gun control. So far, the most memorable gun comments during this campaign have been: "I'm pretty sure there will be duck hunting in heaven, and I can't wait." -- Mike Huckabee "I've been a hunter pretty much all my life." -- Mitt Romney "I've always... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Man Hangs Loaded AK-47 on Wall, Visitor Bumps Wall, 17yr-old Dies
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (Georgia)
23 Feb 2008
Results of an investigation into the shooting death of a 17-year-old high school student, apparently by an AK-47 hanging on a wall Tuesday night, will be turned over soon to Troup County District Attorney Pete Skandalakis for review and presentation to a grand jury. Natorrin Deauntres Brown of LaGrange was pronounced dead by a Troup County deputy coroner at the scene of the shooting at 86 Thornton Road. He had gone with three friends to look at accessories for a firearm, said Lt. Rick Massie with the Troup County Sheriff's Department. Homeowner Brennan Joseph Keeth, 27, took the group upstairs to a room in the attic to show the accessories and other... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Politicians Creeping Around a Debate That Has Citizens Up in Arms
Sydney Morning Herald
23 Feb 2008
On the third day at his new school in Montgomery County, Maryland, my nine-year-old son came home and excitedly told me they had spent the morning practising code red and code blue. Code blue, he told me, was when there was a threat outside the school. The school would be locked down, the blinds closed but lessons would continue. "And code red?" I asked, horrified. "That's when the threat is inside the school, Mum. That's when we have to be really quiet, the teacher locks the classroom door, covers up the little glass window, turns out the lights and we hide behind the brick wall that divides the storeroom from the classroom." My 11-year-old... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
West Virginia Rethinks Hiding Handgun Holders, Cites Public Right to Know
Wheeling News-Register (West Virginia), Editorial
23 Feb 2008
To their credit, many members of the West Virginia Legislature are willing to change their minds about important issues. Having heard arguments that persuade them to support a bill one day, they display the character and leadership to alter their stances when presented with more thoughtful points of view. That appears to be what happened with a bill in the House of Delegates, to make it virtually impossible for the public to obtain information about those in our communities who obtain permits to carry concealed firearms. At one point it appeared that the bill would pass. But late this week, House leaders placed it on the "inactive" calendar. What... ( gunpolicy.org )
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