United States
Dealers Say Fear of Obama, Hope for Profit Spur Tennessee Gun Sales
WVLT-TV News (Tennessee)
29 Oct 2008
BLOUNT COUNTY -- Gun shops have noticed a jump in over the last several weeks leading up to the November 4th election. The managers at Gunny's Indoor Shooting Range in Maryville said they've noticed an increase in customers and many are citing the upcoming election as the reason for their interest in a new firearm. "We are hearing it everyday now, 'well I've got to go ahead and get my gun before Obama gets in office,'" said David Perry of Gunny's. "A lot of people are very familiar with Obama's gun policy and past record, which makes them very nervous." Barack Obama's record on gun control varies. While a member of the Illinois State Senate, he cast... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Guns Reduce Crime: Experts Make Strong Case, New Yorkers Disagree
PRNewswire via COMTEX / Intelligence Squared U.S., Media release
29 Oct 2008
NEW YORK -- Intelligence Squared U.S., the Oxford style debate series sponsored by The Rosenkranz Foundation, announced the results of its third debate of the Fall 2008 season, "Guns reduce crime." A sold out audience at Rockefeller University's Caspary Auditorium, New York City voted 27% for the motion and 63% against at the conclusion of the debate. 10% were undecided. Speaking for the motion were Stephen Halbrook, attorney for the National Rifle Association and author of the book "The Founders' Second Amendment", Gary Kleck, a professor in the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University and author of "Targeting Guns: Firearms and... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Idaho Election Swings on Size, Purpose of Candidates' Gun Collections
Associated Press
29 Oct 2008
BOISE, Idaho -- Democratic candidate Walt Minnick leads Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Sali by a seven-to-five margin in one of the most telling polls of Idaho's 1st Congressional District race: a tally of the two rivals' personal firearms. In Idaho, gun ownership -- especially in tight elections - can be a way for candidates to communicate shared values with residents, many of whom hunted before they could watch PG-13 movies. Minnick owns seven guns: three pistols, a .22-caliber rifle, two Remington shotguns and a pellet gun he's used to teach his children to shoot. Sali, who in 2006 helped fight off an Army National Guard effort to restrict shooting in... ( gunpolicy.org )
South Africa
Pretoria ANC Boss Killed 3yr-old in Creche with Stray Bullet, Say Police
Star (Johannesburg)
29 Oct 2008
The father of a 3-year-old boy who was shot and killed at a creche on Tuesday afternoon has condemned the shooter as irresponsible. Gwadico Balang junior, 3, was hit by a stray bullet while playing in the Sunbeam Playground creche in Westdene. Speaking on Talk Radio 702 on Wednesday morning, the Pretoria-based police captain, also named Gwadico Balang, said the shooter was familiar with the area and should have been more careful with the use of a firearm. The boy was playing outside the creche buildings in a paved area surrounded by green metal palisade fencing when he was shot in front of other children. The Star understands that the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya, Africa
Proliferation of Guns in Rift Valley Threatens Development in East Africa
Indiana University Press, Book review
29 Oct 2008
The small arms threat to peace, security, and sustainable development. "A path-breaking examination of a highly important and hitherto largely neglected topic." -- Mark Leopold, University of Sussex. "A systematic overview of the effect of small arms on pastoralism and governance in Karamoja and Samburu/Laikipia/Turkana." -- Philip Winter, Rift Valley Institute Recent estimates indicate that more than 640 million small arms and 16 billion rounds of ammunition circulate the globe yearly. In North East Africa and the Rift Valley, the flow of arms has been particularly heavy and has led to the escalation of banditry, cattle rustling, raiding, and... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Authorities Hunt for Charges to Lay in Shooting Death of 8yr-old Boy
Boston Globe
29 Oct 2008
Two days after an 8-year-old boy fatally shot himself with a machine gun at a weapons exposition in Westfield, the Hampden district attorney launched a criminal investigation yesterday into the incident. In a press release, District Attorney William M. Bennett said he has found "no lawful authority" or law that would allow an 8-year-old to possess or fire a machine gun. The investigation is expected to focus on whether any state laws that govern the use of firearms were violated and whether those who allowed the child to handle the fully-loaded automatic 9mm Micro Uzi weapon were "reckless or wanton" in doing so. The investigation is being conducted... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Control Advocates Ask Why Dead 8yr-old Was Allowed to Fire Uzi
Hartford Courant (Connecticut)
29 Oct 2008
A Massachusetts county prosecutor overseeing the criminal investigation into the shooting death Sunday of an Ashford third-grader at a machine gun shoot said he could find "no lawful authority" for the boy, 8, to possess or fire a machine gun. Hampden County District Attorney William M. Bennett said Tuesday that the criminal investigation is focused on two questions: whether there was a violation of Massachusetts gun laws at the "Machine Gun Shoot and Firearms Expo" at the Westfield Sportsman's Club, and whether it was "a reckless or wanton act to allow an 8-year-old to use a fully loaded automatic weapon." The criminal investigation is being conducted... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Maker Sacks CEO for Donating to Obama Election Campaign
Los Angeles Times
29 Oct 2008
Here's a juicy little story about guns, hunting and politics: USA Today ran an article Tuesday stating that Dan Cooper, chief executive of Cooper Arms in Montana, donated $3,300 to Barack Obama's presidential campaign and had donated to his 2004 Senate campaign after being "dazzled by Obama's speech at that year's Democratic National Convention." Cooper Arms makes hunting rifles, and hunting gun owners -- who largely support Republican John McCain and do not appreciate Obama's stance on gun control -- went ballistic over the news in various Internet chat rooms. Then came the first volley of damage control on the Cooper Arms website: "Regarding... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Tax Evaders, Supporters Jailed up to 30 Years for Guns, Explosives
Associated Press
29 Oct 2008
CONCORD, New Hampshire -- The New Hampshire home where a tax-evading couple staved off arrest for nine months was defended by concrete walls, homemade bombs, 60,000 rounds of ammunition and the zealousness of a few fellow believers, testimony and prosecution documents show. Four supporters of Ed and Elaine Brown have been sent to prison for helping the couple resist efforts to arrest them since their convictions on tax-related felonies in January 2007. The Browns threatened violence if federal agents came onto their Plainfield property to arrest them, and authorities said the four supporters made similar threats, as well. On Tuesday, one of those supporters,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Trend: 'Panicked Population' Pushes Up Gun Sales in Fear of Obama
Guardian (UK) / Comment is Free, Blog
29 Oct 2008
A new presidential administration comes with quite a long to-do list. You have to write lots of new jokes for late-night TV shows, you have to immediately start printing bumper stickers abdicating responsibility for the new president-elect (ie: "Don't blame me, I voted for ______!"), and of course, you have to stock up on your guns. Wait. What? Apparently, it's true. In this wondrously bad economy, one industry is experiencing a surge in business. Gun sales are up 8% to 10% this year and according to the gun buyers themselves, this is due to one of two fear-laden factors. First, neither presidential candidate instills total confidence in the... ( gunpolicy.org )
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