United States
Chicago Mayor Calls Urgent Summit to Tackle Spate of Gun Crime
Chicago Sun-Times
24 Apr 2008
Determined to stop the bloodbath on Chicago streets, Mayor Daley has summoned police, school, religious and community leaders to his City Hall office on Friday to search for solutions to gun violence. In less than a week, 40 people have been shot in Chicago and 12 have been killed, five of them in a Chatham home. Daley has tried rolling back curfew by 30 minutes -- to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. on weekends -- and pressuring parents to take responsibility for their kids. He has also asked University of Chicago researchers to interview victims, offenders and parents -- with a particular emphasis on single moms -- to get to the heart of youth... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, Zambia, United Kingdom, Canada, China, World
Chinese Gun Shipment to Zimbabwe Shines Spotlight on Global Gun Trade
Toronto Star (Ontario)
24 Apr 2008
When the Chinese freighter An Yue Jiang pulled into the South African port of Durban last week loaded with weapons bound for crisis-ridden Zimbabwe, it seemed to be just one more day in the lucrative arms trade that has engulfed the continent with deadly results. Instead the ship ran into a storm of protest -- with dock workers joining union leaders, church officials and the High Court to block the shipment -- until the vessel left the port. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said yesterday he would push for an embargo on shipment of all weapons to Zimbabwe, where President Robert Mugabe has refused to release election results that appeared to show... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
End of Canadian Long-gun Amnesty Could Mean Fines, Jail for Violators
Times & Transcript (New Brunswick)
24 Apr 2008
OTTAWA -- RCMP say if the government allows an amnesty on rifle and shotgun ownership to expire, police will have no choice but to fine or jail unregistered long-gun owners. The temporary reprieve ends May 16. "We follow the rule of law," said Sgt. Derek Strong. "If there's an amnesty, we follow that. With the lack of an amnesty, it's business as usual." A summary conviction for a first-time offender who fails to register and license a long gun ranges from a fine of up to $2,000 to six months in prison. All firearms in Canada must be licensed and registered under one of two classifications: A possession-only licence for gun owners who... ( gunpolicy.org )
Lebanon
Fear, Male Identity Cause Price of Assault Weapons to Soar in Lebanon
Washington Post
24 Apr 2008
BEIRUT -- Abu Omar, a money changer and father of 11 who lives in Beirut, has bought at least 10 firearms since the beginning of last year. "Everything I can put my hands on and I can afford, I buy. I never sell," he said. "Now is a time for buying arms." Many Lebanese, increasingly worried about the country's political paralysis devolving into violence, are preparing themselves in the same way. One measure of their anxiety is the price of small arms: An AK-47 that went for $75 to $100 a year ago now costs $600 to $1,000. Even larger, outdated arms are gaining value, including rocket-propelled grenade launchers that were once considered the "garbage... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, China
Praise 3 African Nations for Barring 'Ship of Shame' Gun Cargo to Zimbabwe
Los Angeles Times, Editorial
24 Apr 2008
It's a rare moment when three African nations, in an effort to forestall violence, block a shipment of weapons to a neighboring country in political turmoil. It's perhaps even a historic development when those weapons were sold by a great power and were bound for a government that is not under United Nations sanctions and has every legal right to buy arms -- though no moral right to do so. So let us praise the courageous peoples of South Africa, Mozambique and Zambia for refusing to allow the Chinese freighter An Yue Jiang to unload its deadly cargo: 77 tons of rockets, mortars and ammunition, manufactured by a Chinese state-owned enterprise, purchased by the government... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations
UN Chief Urges Countries to Enhance Data Sharing on Guns, Ammunition
Associated Press of Pakistan
24 Apr 2008
UNITED NATIONS -- UN Member States need to increase their collection, maintenance and sharing of data on small arms as part of measures to encourage disarmament, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says. These weapons are "cheap, light and easy to handle, transport and conceal," Ban wrote in his first-ever report on the topic. "While a build-up of small arms alone may not create the conflicts in which they are used, their excessive accumulation and universal availability tends to aggravate conflicts by increasing the lethality and duration of violence and by increasing the sense of insecurity which leads to a greater demand for weapons." The Secretary-General... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Dealer Sold to Campus Killers, Touts Cheap Guns at Virginia Tech
CNN
24 Apr 2008
The owner of a company that sold firearm merchandise to both the Virginia Tech University and Northern Illinois University shooters said he will sell his guns at cost for the next two weeks in hopes that "law-abiding" citizens will buy them to prevent similar tragedies. A gunman killed 32 people in April 2007 at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg. "I want to help people save lives," Eric Thompson said Thursday. He was to speak Thursday evening at Virginia Tech University at an event sponsored by Students for Concealed Carry on Campus. Thompson made the announcement Wednesday. "I feel like I have a special responsibility to show people what... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Lobby Suspected of Inflating its 'Four Million' Membership
Huffington Post (USA), Blog
24 Apr 2008
When talking to the news media and policymakers, the National Rifle Association never misses a chance to boast of its membership of four million. From news releases to statements by its leadership, this number, virtually by its very utterance, is offered as validation of the organization's mission. And it's so much larger than the 30,000 Americans who die from guns each year. When asked for proof of these claims, the NRA cites the sanctity of its membership list and falls into its default mode of 'trust, but don't expect us to verify.' This week I received in the mail a letter from the NRA promoting one of the various specialized insurance plans... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Virginia Tech Gun Dealer Offers Student Discount, Touts Pistols on Campus
ABC News (USA)
24 Apr 2008
The owner of an Internet-based firearms store that sold a gun to Virginia Tech shooter Seung-Hui Cho says he is now offering a discount for students who want to carry guns on campus to protect themselves. The company, TGSCOM Inc., also sold two 9mm Glock magazines to Steven Kazmierczak, who killed five people at Northern Illinois University earlier this year. The owner of TGSCOM, Eric Thompson, announced today that for the next two weeks he will sell firearms at cost in the hopes of targeting students who may be on a tight budget. Customers will have over 5,400 different kinds of firearms from which to choose. "This offer allows students and people who... ( gunpolicy.org )
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