United States
Gun Used to Shoot Missouri Cops Traced to Iowa Man with 700 Firearms
Missourian
31 Oct 2008
COLUMBIA -- The gun that was used to shoot and kill Columbia Police officer Molly Bowden in 2005 has been traced to an unlicensed firearms dealer in Iowa, Columbia police said Friday. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives traced the Smith & Wesson .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol to Bela Hummel in Eldon, Iowa. The 73-year-old had been selling weapons without a license since 1990, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney's office for the Southern District of Iowa, and had over 700 weapons in his business inventory. On Oct. 24, Hummel was ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Longstaff to turn over the weapons in what... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations, United States
Landslide UN Vote Kicks Off Treaty to Set Global Gun Trade Standards
Xinhua
31 Oct 2008
UNITED NATIONS -- The first committee of the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on Friday to try to establish agreed standards on arms trade, British Ambassador John Sawers said. The resolution, which was initiated by Britain, received an overwhelming support at the Committee on Disarmament and International Security, with 145 member states voting in favor. Only the United States and Zimbabwe voted against, Sawers said. He expressed hope that "the next U.S. administration will look again at their approach on the arms treaty and recognize this has benefits for all responsible arms manufacturers and traders." "The only impact... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations, United States
Lopsided UN Vote Kicks Off Negotiations for Global Gun Trade Treaty
Agence France Presse
31 Oct 2008
UNITED NATIONS -- A UN General Assembly panel on Friday overwhelmingly backed steps to draft a treaty establishing international standards for the arms trade. It endorsed a resolution urging UN member states to consider how to implement "the highest possible standards to prevent the diversion of conventional arms from the legal to the illicit market, where they can be used for terrorist acts, organized crime and other criminal activities." Some 147 countries in the Assembly's disarmament committee supported the text, 18 abstained while only the United States and Zimbabwe voted against. The British-drafted resolution decided to set up an open-ended... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Not First Shooting Mishap for US Cop Who Ran Fatal Machine Gun Shoot
Amherst Bulletin (Massachesetts)
31 Oct 2008
SPRINGFIELD -- The Hampden County district attorney has undertaken a criminal investigation of a Westfield firearms fair at which an 8-year-old boy died Sunday after accidentally shooting himself in the head with a machine gun. Meanwhile, Pelham Police Chief Edward Fleury, whose organization co-sponsored the event, continues to decline to answer questions about his involvement in the Machine Gun Shoot and Firearms Expo. He did, however, issue a statement Wednesday evening through his attorneys, David Kuzmeski, of Easthampton, and Charles F. Ksieniewicz, of Northampton. The statement reads: "Chief Edward Fleury of the Pelham Police Department... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Traffic Stop Nabs US-Mexico Gun Runners, 'Numerous' Assault Rifles
Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas)
31 Oct 2008
Two North Texas men arrested last week while passing through Denton County with a cache of guns may be involved in a larger ring smuggling weapons into Mexico, authorities said Wednesday. Victor Manuel Villalpando of Burleson and Norberto Estrada of Fort Worth remain in the Denton County Jail on federal holds. "Gun smuggling, in particular, is a high priority for the ATF right now," said special agent Tom Crowley of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. "Drugs are being smuggled up here north from Mexico, and guns are going back down there in return. It's a big problem." The men were arrested Oct. 23 after David Farrell, a... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations, United States
United States, Zimbabwe Alone in Opposing UN Global Gun Trade Treaty
Reuters
31 Oct 2008
UNITED NATIONS -- The United States and Zimbabwe may not be on the best of terms, but they had a rare moment of unity on Friday when their U.N. envoys joined forces to vote against establishing global arms trade standards. Nearly 150 nations voted in favor of drafting a legally binding arms trade treaty that would tighten regulation of, and set international standards for, the import, export and transfer of conventional weapons. The resolution presented to the First Committee of the U.N. General Assembly, which focuses on disarmament and international security, passed with an overwhelming majority of 147 votes. The United States and Zimbabwe... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations, United States, Zimbabwe
UN Votes for Global Gun Trade Treaty: 147 in Favour, 2 Against
Associated Press
31 Oct 2008
UNITED NATIONS -- The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly endorsed the idea of an unprecedented treaty regulating the global arms trade Friday, despite opposition from the United States. Of the U.N.'s 192 member nations, 147 voted in favor of drafting the treaty. Only the U.S. and Zimbabwe voted against it, with the other nations absent or abstaining. Proponents say they hope to adopt a treaty within five years imposing controls on an international arms trade that contributes to the death of over a 1,000 people every day. It would apply only to arms sales among nations, not commercial sales to individuals. Britain, a $3-billion annual arms... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Violence by the Numbers: Uniform National Gun Laws Needed
Huffington Post (USA), Blog
31 Oct 2008
In the wake of the recent senseless death of an 8 year old with an Uzi automatic weapon at a gun club in Massachusetts, it's critical that we as a nation recognize that this child's gun death was just one of the 5 kids under 10 years old and 83 Americans total that died that day and every day from gun violence. Clearly 8 year old Christopher Bizilj's gun death was entirely preventable and a result of adult negligence and irresponsibility. On the other hand it's hard to legislate common sense and we shouldn't need a law that prevents 8 year olds from using machine guns. That said this tragic death highlights a failed US gun policy that allows kids, criminals... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Rifle Maker CEO Labelled 'Traitor,' Sacked for Supporting Obama
Associated Press
31 Oct 2008
HELENA, Montana -- The board of directors for a small Montana gun manufacturer asked the company's president to resign after word that he supports Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama led to calls on pro-gun Web sites to boycott the company's products. Dan Cooper, who co-founded Cooper Firearms of Montana, Inc., could not be reached for comment Friday. But he told USA Today on Thursday that he had resigned his post to protect the company's employees. "When the Internet anger turned on these innocent people, I felt it was important to distance myself from the company so as not to cause any further harm," he said in a statement to the newspaper.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Town Abandons Police Chief Who Ran Fatal Machine Gun Shoot
Springfield Republican (Massachusetts)
31 Oct 2008
PELHAM -- Caught in the glare of the media spotlight over the accidental death of an 8-year-old boy at a gun show in Westfield on Sunday, selectmen distanced the town Thursday from Police Chief Edward B. Fleury and his company that sponsored the event. Christopher K. Bizilj, of Ashford, Conn., died after losing control of the 9 mm Micro UZI machine gun he was shooting Sunday during a firearms expo at the Westfield Sportsman's Club. COP Firearms & Training, a private company owned by Fleury, co-sponsored the gun show. While the public response over the accident intensified this week, Fleury dropped out of sight. He has declined to speak with the media,... ( gunpolicy.org )
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