United Kingdom
Overall UK Gun Crime Falling, Violence Has 'Direct Correlation' to Poverty
BBC News
29 June 2008
Policies on gun crime are flawed because ministers overlook its root causes -- poverty and inequality, a report by criminologists claims. There is "no compelling evidence" that enforcement strategies would cut firearms-related offending, the King's College London researchers warned. The study authors said much gun crime was probably unreported because people were scared of calling the police. The Home Office said... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Louisiana Sheriff Says 'Fanatic' Gun Collector Caught by Own 'Perversion'
St. Tammany News (Louisiana)
27 June 2008
Sheriff's Office deputies seized $150,000 in guns from a Slidell area gun collector whose "perversion" with weapons led to picture taking of his 1-year-old son, in diapers, clutching an AK-47 machine gun, Sheriff Jack Strain said Thursday. Fai Yui "Frank" Kwan, 42, 101 Foxcraft Drive, was arrested and charged with several felonies, including two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, when the cache was discovered... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Licensed US Gun Collector Aimed At Neighbours, Machine Guns Seized
WHNS - TV News (South Carolina)
25 June 2008
GREER, South Carolina -- Police said they found an arsenal of weapons inside a Greer man's home after he pointed a gun at his neighbors. Police arrested William Delamar after they received a call about him pointing a .45 caliber handgun at his neighbors because they blocked his driveway. Police said when they went inside Delamar's home they found several weapons including M-16s and a .50 caliber gun, all of which were military... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Virginia Firearm Enthusiast Loses, Finds Stolen .50cal Machine Gun
Roanoke Times (Virginia)
19 June 2008
PEARISBURG -- No one was supposed to know John Billos had a Browning M2 .50-caliber semi-automatic stored in his workshop, so when the 85-pound, $9,000 weapon and 11 boxes of its bullets went missing, he panicked. But after more than three months of worrying and searching, the Giles County Sheriff's Office recovered the gun June 5 in Princeton, W.Va. They have warrants charging a Narrows man with stealing it. Now they have... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Almost All Guns in Mexico's Drug Wars Are From US Dealers, Gun Shows
Portfolio (USA), July Issue
16 June 2008
The U.S. has pledged more than $1 billion to help Mexico win its war on drugs. But even as the body count rises above 10,000, most of the guns that do the killing -- Colt .38 Supers and big-bore Barrett rifles among them -- keep pouring in from the U.S. Alfredo Beltrán Leyva was arrested on January 21 in Culiacán, capital of the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The circumstances of his arrest lived up to his high standing in Mexico's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
US-to-Mexico 'Iron River' Provides 90% of Guns Used in Drug Gang Wars
El Paso Times (Texas)
15 June 2008
The rise in cartel violence in Juárez has made U.S. law enforcement officials all too aware that many of the weapons used for crimes in Mexico come from the United States. Insiders have come to describe illegal gun trafficking from the U.S. to Mexico as the Iron River, a trade route that extends well beyond the border as illegal gun dealers are pulling weapons from U.S. cities "The flow of weapons are going from the United... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
US Fuels, Fights Gun-led Insurrection in Mexico, Fosters Chaos at Home
Huffington Post (USA), Blog
10 June 2008
In towns along the United States-Mexico border, a battle is raging between drug cartels and the Mexican government that has left thousands of innocent civilians and Mexican police officials dead. A galvanizing moment occurred on May 8, when assassins shot and killed Edgar Gomez, Mexico's top cop and an anti-cartel crusader, as he exited his home north of Mexico City. Gomez is just one of 6,000 Mexican government officials and police officers... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Where Illegal Guns Can Do No More Harm: New York Destroys Them All
New York Times
2 June 2008
In New York City, where taking illegal handguns off the streets is high on the mayor's agenda, thousands of firearms make it into the hands of law enforcement officers each year. Once they've been seized in crimes, whether after long and ignominious careers or short but violent ones, and once their owners have been prosecuted, the guns must be destroyed, never to be used again. The New York field office of the federal Bureau... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Texas Gun Dealers Fuel Mexican Drug Wars with Pistols, Assault Weapons
El Paso Times (Texas)
22 May 2008
High-powered rifles and handguns used by drug cartel hit men waging a bloody war in Mexico have been traced to suspected gun smugglers in El Paso, an ATF agent testified Wednesday at a federal detention hearing in El Paso. Money and weapons flowing from the United States fuel drug trafficking and organized crime in Mexico, to the tune of about $10 billion a year, Jose Luis Santiago Vasconcelos, Mexico's deputy federal attorney general... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Millionaire Chicago 'Collector' Had 80 Firearms, Machine Guns, No Licence
Chicago Sun-Times
10 May 2008
Benjamin Stevens kept a .50-caliber machine gun -- along with more than 80 other firearms and 50,000 rounds of ammunition -- in his Lake Forest mansion because he collects historic weaponry, his attorney said Friday. The millionaire businessman, who was arrested a day earlier when police raided his north suburban home, had acquired all the firearms legally and kept most in his basement, defense attorney Douglas Zeit said as Stevens... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Porous US-Mexico Border Lets Slip Guns, Gun Runners, Money Every Day
Arizona Republic
23 April 2008
GREEN VALLEY -- Thousands of border agents, dozens of checkpoints and hundreds of miles of barriers are set up to stop contraband and illegal immigrants getting into the United States. But little more than a chance roadside inspection stops smugglers going the other way. That imbalance shows no sign of changing soon, but it has given rise to a novel experiment under way in Pima County. There, the Sheriff's Department has... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Shops, Gun Shows Knowingly Fuel Mexican Drug, Gang Wars - ATF
ABC News (USA)
22 April 2008
U.S. gun stores and gun shows are the source of more than 90 percent of the weapons being used by Mexico's ruthless drug cartels, according to U.S. and Mexican law enforcement officials. "It's a war going on in Mexico, and these types of firearms are the weapons of war for them," said Bill Newell, the special agent in charge of the Phoenix field division of the ATF, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Sheriffs Mull Armoured Cars to Shield Against .50cal Sniper Rifle Bullets
Glenwood Springs Post Independent (Colorado)
9 April 2008
GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colorado -- The Garfield County Sheriff's Office is looking to purchase an armored vehicle for high-risk, dangerous situations such as pulling an injured person out of a line of fire. Sheriff Lou Vallario and Undersheriff Colt Cornelius spoke before the Garfield County commissioners on Monday to explain their planned purchase of a new Lenco Industries BearCat, which is the only law enforcement rescue vehicle that... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Feds Seize 200 Assault Weapons, .50cal Sniper Rifles on US/Mexico Border
Sierra Vista Herald (Arizona)
1 April 2008
TUCSON -- A multi-agency task force led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement seized 10 weapons here over the weekend, including a Serbu .50 caliber sniper rifle, as part of Operation "Armas Cruzadas," an ongoing ICE initiative targeting cross-border weapons trafficking. The sniper rifle was seized by ICE agents during a traffic stop Saturday in East Tucson. Intelligence gathered during the ongoing investigation indicates... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Religious Charity CEO 'Smuggled' .50cal, Assault Rifles from US to Mexico
El Paso Times (Texas)
26 March 2008
One of the men caught in El Paso trying to smuggle a .50-caliber semiautomatic rifle and other weapons into Mexico last week is the CEO of a religious charity, officials with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms confirmed Tuesday. Jonathan Lopez Gutierrez, 32, is the CEO of Emmanuel Ministries, a 40-year-old shelter for about 100 children in Juárez, a medical and dental clinic and a ballet program, according to the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
US Gun Shows, Dealers Supply Military-style Guns for Mexican Drug Wars
CNN Special Investigations Unit
26 March 2008
JUAREZ, Mexico -- A deadly trade is occurring along the U.S. Border with Mexico, federal officials say -- a flood of guns, heading south, used by drug thugs to kill Mexican cops. In Mexico, guns are difficult to purchase legally. So, officials say, weapons easily purchased in the United States are turning up there. "The same routes that are being used to traffic drugs north -- and the same organizations that have control... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Caribbean, Central America, South America
Guns and Gun Running: Small Arms Trade in Latin America - NACLA Report
NACLA Report on the Americas Vol. 41, No. 2
19 March 2008
Small arms and gun violence present the most dramatic threat to public safety in Latin America and the Caribbean. After decades of uncontrolled proliferation, at least 45 million to 80 million small arms and light weapons -- that is, weapons operated by an individual or small group, including handguns, assault rifles, grenades, grenade launchers, and even man portable surface to air missiles -- are circulating throughout the region. (1)... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Supreme Court Ruling 'Could Set Back Gun Control Efforts Decades'
Philadelphia Inquirer (Pennsylvania), Editorial
18 March 2008
The 10 busloads of Philadelphians who rode to Harrisburg yesterday to prod the Pennsylvania House into voting on a modest gun-control measure could have kept their road trip going for one more day -- by heading to Washington. That's where the real action takes place this week in the fight to stem gun violence. At center stage today is the U.S. Supreme Court, which is scheduled to hear its first Second Amendment case in... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
90 Percent of Guns Seized in Mexico Come from US: .50cal Used to Kill Cop
Arizona Republic
14 March 2008
Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard says a new pact among top U.S. and Mexican prosecutors ushers in "a new era" of clamping down on international smuggling and points to a Phoenix murder case as proof. Investigators on both sides of the border are teaming up to find a Phoenix drophouse killer who is involved in a Mexican human-smuggling ring, Goddard said. He declined to provide any more details, but said it's the first time... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
To Reduce Firearm Violence in Illinois, We Must Take Aim at Guns
Chicago Tribune, Editorial
12 March 2008
You can trace the end of gun control as a winning political issue to the 1994 midterm election, when Democrats lost control of the U.S. House and blamed that, in large part, on their support for a ban on semiautomatic assault weapons. You start with that election. And you follow the line to the killings at Columbine High School in 1999 -- Congress did nothing in response, and paid no political price. Congress allowed the assault... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Dealer Sold to Campus Killers, Wants More Guns in Classrooms
Los Angeles Times
4 March 2008
GREEN BAY, Wisconsin -- Online gun dealer Eric Thompson can't recall exactly what he was doing when he learned that one of his customers had just killed five students in a college geology class. He knows what flashed through his mind, though: Not again. Ten months earlier, another customer had murdered 32 students and faculty at Virginia Tech. The coincidence stuns Thompson. He calls it upsetting. Beyond... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
150,000 Guns Sold Each Year in Virginia Without Any Background Checks
Virginian-Pilot (Virginia)
3 March 2008
An AK-47 with five 30-round clips ($375). A Bushmaster, like the one the Beltway snipers used, complete with bipod ($1,300). A Barrett .50-caliber rifle with scope, accurate at one mile ($3,200). What do these guns have in common? They've been banned in a number of states and cities. And they were recently for sale in Hampton Roads, offered up to anyone -- no questions asked. Advertisements for these guns... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Bill to Ban .50-Calibre Sniper Rifles, Machine Gun Ammo Fails in Hawaii
Honolulu Advertiser (Hawaii)
29 February 2008
Gun enthusiasts were relieved yesterday when the state House Judiciary Committee fell short of a quorum to move a bill that would have banned .50-caliber Browning machine gun rifles and cartridges. Earlier this month, the committee deferred the bill. But committee leaders agreed to try to round up votes after the Honolulu Police Department said it was a priority on its agenda. A committee hearing yesterday did not attract enough... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Illinois House Committee Clears Assault Weapon Ban, 1-gun-a-month Bills
Daily American (Illinois) / GateHouse News Service
28 February 2008
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois -- Proposals that would ban semi-automatic assault weapons and outlaw the purchase of more than one handgun a month cleared an Illinois House committee today. But both measures have won committee approval in the past, only to stall later in the legislative process. It isn't clear how the bills will fare in the current session of the General Assembly. House Bill 4393, sponsored by Chicago Democratic... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
High Cost of US Gun Violence: For Each Death, 4 Survivors, Many Paralysed
Associated Press
26 February 2008
PHILADELPHIA -- Antoine Rosenbaum, shot in the back by a stranger and paralyzed from the chest down, carries a heavy load for someone just 25. So does Sophorina Wright as she gets him out of bed, cradles him in her arms and carries his 6-foot frame into their living room. There, the 21-year-old woman seats her husband gently on the sofa, arranges his legs, straightens his feet and settles down next to him to watch TV. "She... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Honolulu Police, Hawaiian National Guard Want Ban on .50-cal Sniper Rifles
KITV-News (Hawaii)
22 February 2008
HONOLULU -- A battle is brewing between the Honolulu Police Department and the Hawaii Rifle Association over a proposed ban of a high-powered sniper rifle. KITV's Catherine Cruz reported that the 50-caliber rifle is dubbed the most powerful rifle on the market today, and the HPD said it is their worst nightmare. That is why they said they want it out of civilian hands. It's a weapon that's long been used by the military... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US: Incremental Gun Control 'Strikes at the Very Heart of American Liberty'
Register-Guard (Oregon), Editorial
22 February 2008
The National Rifle Association's new buzz phrase is "incremental gun control." The NRA's supporters and the members of Congress in the gun lobby's thrall somehow have come to believe that "incremental gun control" strikes at the very heart of American liberty and must be resisted at all costs. Opposition to all sensible gun regulation, incremental or otherwise, has fueled the NRA's largely successful efforts to make sure that nothing... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Lobby's Opposition Helps Terrorists, Criminals, Children Get Guns
Christian Science Monitor, Opinion
20 February 2008
BOSTON -- Let's get this out of the way. I am a gun owner and a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment. What I do not support is extending the rights embedded in the Second Amendment to terrorists, criminals, and children. In the wake of a horrific campus shooting at Northern Illinois University, where 21 students were shot, we're reminded again that national gun laws must be strengthened. Sadly, gun laws have only been... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago's Annual Attempt to Enact Gun Controls in Face of Firearm Lobby
Chicago Tribune
19 February 2008
Mayor Richard Daley and other elected officials announced their annual push for new gun-control legislation Tuesday, this time using the fatal shootings at Northern Illinois University and the Lane Bryant store in Tinley Park as stark illustrations of the need for action. The package of proposals includes several bills that have been introduced repeatedly in Springfield, before meeting heavy opposition from gun-rights advocates.... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
School Teacher, Buffalo Killed by Stray Bullets from Indian Street Mob
Times of India / TNN
15 February 2008
KANADAR (VIJAYNAGAR TALUKA): It was a routine day for 28-year-old Shailesh Rathod, a primary school teacher at Ajaypur Government School, who left his home in Antarsubha village around 9.15 am on Wednesday. Rathod had stopped by a local photocopying centre opposite the forest range office at Antarsubha ashram crossroads to get an income-tax form 16 and saw the commotion and firing outside the forest office. Afraid, he began... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Gun Smuggling from United States Is 'No. 1 Crime Problem' Facing Mexico
US House of Representatives, Speech
7 February 2008
Chairman Engel, Ranking Member Burton, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee: I am William Hoover, Assistant Director for Field Operations of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). I have been an agent with ATF since 1987, and in my current position I oversee the operations of all of the Bureau's field offices, including those along the Southwest Border. It is an honor to appear before you today to discuss... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
US Gun Dealers Supply .50 Rifles, Assault Weapons in Mexican Drug Wars
Dallas Morning News (Texas)
16 January 2008
Faced with spiraling drug violence along the border, senior U.S. officials met with their Mexican counterparts Wednesday and announced steps to stem the flow of illegal weapons into Mexico. Officials said that many of the weapons -- including powerful handguns and semiautomatic assault rifles -- are purchased legally at shops and gun shows, and that Houston and Dallas are two of the top sources. The guns are typically carried south... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New Jersey Enacts Raft of Gun Controls for Crime-busting and Public Safety
Star-Ledger (New Jersey)
13 January 2008
In the hurly-burly of the last day and night of New Jersey's latest legislative 'lame duck' session, the bulk of attention was focused on education funding. Little media attention was paid last week to passage by both houses of four important bills to improve public safety by putting up barriers to the illegal trafficking of handguns, the easy acquisition of handgun ammunition by criminal gangs and the carrying of illegal handguns by thugs... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New York Man Caught with Assault Weapons, Machine Gun, Illegal 'Arsenal'
Newsday (New York)
3 January 2008
Police radios, body armor, combat knives and an arsenal of firearms -- including an assault rifle and a machine gun -- were found along with 20,000 rounds of ammunition in a police search Wednesday after NYPD officers arrested a Flushing man, city police said. Police officers first approached Suwei Chuang, 36, of 135-11 40th Rd., Apt. 7A, after someone reported at 8:45 p.m. Wednesday that he was carrying a weapon. Then... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Assault Weapons, .50 Calibre 'Military' Guns Smuggled from US to Mexico
Las Cruces Sun-News (New Mexico) / AP
27 December 2007
PHOENIX -- Spread across a conference table at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Phoenix are enough weapons to equip several car loads of drug runners. Agents said Thursday they found the 42 weapons in a storage locker about 10 days ago. The guns were worth $250,000 in all: Belgian-made "FN" handguns, semiautomatic AK rifles and other pistols. They also found four olive boxes loaded with 50-caliber bullets... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Vancouver Gang, Drug Sweep Nets Licensed Gun Owner With .50cal Rifle
Vancouver Sun (British Columbia)
22 November 2007
Gang members appear to be lying low since a regional anti-gang squad hit the streets a week ago to suppress gang violence, the commander of the new police team said Wednesday. Vancouver police Insp. Dean Robinson said the new Violence Suppression Team has checked almost 300 people in its first week and observed a noticeable absence of gang members in their normal haunts. "They aren't as thick as they usually are in the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Vancouver Gang Member Caught With .50cal Sniper Rifle, Assault Weapons
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
22 November 2007
VANCOUVER -- The Steyr Mannlicher .50-calibre rifle that Inspector Dean Robinson hefted yesterday looked like it was built for just one thing -- to kill people at long distance. So why would a Surrey man have sitting in his broom closet a sniper rifle that is so powerful it can penetrate a Humvee troop carrier from more than one kilometre away? That's exactly what Vancouver Police Department's Insp. Robinson and members... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom, World
Brief Layman's Glossary of Firearm and Ammunition Terminology - BBC
BBC News
12 November 2007
Most people in the UK will have never come across a real gun and the terms used, while they are readily recognisable, need some explanation. BALLISTICS Ballistics is the science concerned with the functioning of firearms and the dynamics of projectiles, from bullets through artillery and right up to rockets. Forensic ballistics experts are able to determine various characteristics which can link bullets and guns with... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Crime Control, Condor Bills Earn Schwarzenegger 'Anti-gun' Label
Sacramento Bee (California)
12 November 2007
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a quick-trigger, guns-a-blazing action hero in Hollywood, is being blasted by firearms groups as a Second Amendment wimp in the Capitol. Schwarzenegger's signing of bills to require microstamping of semiautomatic pistols and to ban lead bullets in condor country has prompted gun groups to paint him as one of the state's most anti-gun Republican governors. "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger might as... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
'Revolution. Smash Everything'. Then Eight Were Killed by Finnish Gunman
Guardian (UK)
8 November 2007
Seven teenagers were killed when an 18-year-old student went on a rampage at his school in southern Finland after announcing the bloodbath with a posting on the internet site YouTube. The murderer, named by police as Pekka-Eric Auvinen, then shot himself in the head and died in hospital last night. He killed eight people, including his headteacher, after moving from classroom to classroom and spraying them with gunfire at the secondary... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Hidden Handguns in Colorado: Comprehensive Picture of One US State
Daily Camera (Boulder)
21 October 2007
Whether tucked inside waistbands, slipped in jacket pockets or holstered around ankles, chances are most handguns being carried around Boulder County go unnoticed. "You wouldn't know I'm carrying," said 46-year-old Longmont resident Rod Brandenburg, who occasionally packs a fully loaded .45-caliber Heckler & Koch pistol. Brandenburg owns Grandpa's Pawn & Gun on Longmont's Main Street -- the fourth-highest-volume gun dealer... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Law Drives High Price, Rarity of Legitimate Collectors' Machine Guns
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia)
20 October 2007
Randy Powell has a .50-caliber machine gun he would like to sell you -- but he can't afford to. The monster, sitting in a cage in back of his gun store and shooting range in Lawrenceville, can cut down a tree -- and could easily fetch $30,000 in a perfectly legal sale. But for Powell, the sale would be the equivalent of hawking a Picasso or vintage wine. The gun increases in value exponentially each year. "I bought... ( gunpolicy.org )
Palestine
Soaring Gun, Ammunition Prices Chart Rising Insecurity on West Bank
New York Times / Reuters
16 October 2007
HEBRON, West Bank -- Two years ago, an M16 automatic rifle could fetch $5,400 or more in the Palestinian West Bank. Now buyers at Hebron's clandestine gun market are asked to pay more than double. Four months after Islamist Hamas routed secular Fatah in the Gaza Strip, fears that clashes between the Palestinian rivals could erupt in the West Bank and uncertainty ahead of a U.S.-led peace conference are fuelling a scramble for guns.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Mandates Handgun Microstamping as Crime-busting Forensic Tool
New York Times / Reuters
14 October 2007
SAN FRANCISCO -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill whose backers say will better help police use shells from hand guns as evidence in criminal investigations, a spokeswoman said on Sunday. The legislation marks a victory for gun-control activists and the second time Schwarzenegger signed one of their priority bills. In 2004 he approved a ban on private citizens owning .50 caliber rifles. Activists... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Mandates Handgun Microstamping, Bans Condor-killer Ammo
San Diego Union-Tribune (California) / Copley News Service
14 October 2007
SACRAMENTO -- Delivering a top priority of the gun-control movement, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation yesterday requiring that new models of semiautomatic handguns sold in California be able to stamp identifying serial numbers on shell casings. In a surprise move, he also signed a bill banning lead ammunition in the sprawling range of the endangered California condor. The handgun-ID law will enable police to link... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Iraq
Pentagon Plans to Sell 135,579 Guns, 169 Million Rounds of Ammo to Iraq
US Department of Defense, Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), Media release
25 September 2007
WASHINGTON -- The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Iraq of various vehicles, small arms ammunition, explosives, and communications equipment as well as associated equipment and services. The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as $2.257 billion. The Government of Iraq has requested a possible sale of the following: MDE includes: (980)... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Washington State: Illegal Steroid Traffickers Armed with .50 Sniper Rifle
Grays Harbor Daily World (Washington) / AP
25 September 2007
Four Harborites, including an Aberdeen husband and wife, were among 124 people arrested in a global crackdown of illegal steroid trafficking rings. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration's 18-month investigation, "Operation Raw Deal," also shut down 56 labs that manufactured anabolic steroids and human growth hormone, including one allegedly operated by Ray Arthur Ross out of the garage of his Aberdeen Avenue home. Ross,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Enthusiast Fires .50cal Incendiary Into Oregon Forest, Burns 425 Acres
Statesman Journal (Oregon), Column
19 September 2007
A semi- or fully-loaded automatic long-range .50-caliber rifle is among the most destructive and powerful weapons legally available in the United States today. The multi-thousand-dollar retail-priced weapon is widely described by its manufacturers in their advertising as "heavy firepower for light infantry." It is routinely used by the military to wreck aircraft and penetrate armor-plated vehicles, ignite other weapons and fuel... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Presidential Candidate Courts Pro-Gun Advocates at Florida Gun Show
Associated Press
15 September 2007
LAKELAND, Florida -- Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson walked through rows of assault rifles, pistols and other firearms, signing autographs and greeting people at a gun show Saturday. Despite his pitch for support, some of the gun advocates were not convinced that the former Tennessee senator was completely on their side. "I was all for him until I started reading the votes," said gun dealer Ken Strevels,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Man Tried to Provide .50 Sniper Gun for US Tax Protestors' Siege, Say Feds
New Hampshire Union Leader (Manchester)
14 September 2007
CONCORD -- One of four men accused of helping convicted tax evaders Edward and Elaine Brown avoid arrest allegedly had a "gun in every room" when agents arrested him in Vermont Wednesday, and another recently enlisted in the U.S. Army and had a pipe bomb and other weapons in his New York home when authorities searched it yesterday, officials said. Two of the men pleaded not guilty in federal court yesterday to charges they provided... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
NRA, Brady Locked in Antagonistic Embrace, Creating Gun Gridlock in USA
Christian Science Monitor
5 September 2007
ORLANDO, Florida -- Two years ago, Florida enacted a law that allows anyone who feels threatened anywhere to use deadly force. Today the National Rifle Association (NRA) is shepherding similar laws through legislatures across the country. The so-called Castle Doctrine extended the notion of a man's home being his castle to public streets being his castle. When the law first went into effect in October 2005, the nation's most prominent... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
The Mirror Collects One Week's UK Gun Crime from 35/52 Police Forces
Mirror (UK)
3 September 2007
Rhys Jones, 11, shot dead in Liverpool as he enjoys a kick-about. Three gunned down in front of a three-year-old girl in a gangland hit in Hertfordshire. In recent days, we've been horrified by these murders. But do they really indicate that gun crime has become commonplace? The Mirror asked each police force in the UK to reveal every reported firearm incident in one week. Thirty-five of the 52 constabularies responded.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Australian Police Seize 600 Guns, .50cal Sniper Rifle from Licensed Dealer
Advertiser (Adelaide)
2 September 2007
A cache of more than 600 guns has been seized from the premises of an Adelaide gunsmith. The weapons include an array of hangduns, shotguns and rifles -- including a rare .50 calibre military sniper rifle which has a range of about 6km. They were seized last month after the police Firearms Branch audited Custom Gunsmiths at Ridleyton. The business is owned by Larry Chiera, who is known to police and the SA firearms... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Culture a 'Prescription for Mayhem' - Who Needs Assault Rifles?
Oakland Tribune (California), Opinion
2 September 2007
There is no other way to say it, our current gun culture is leading the country down a path to mayhem. According to the Small Arms Survey 2007 by the Graduate Institute of International Studies, U.S. citizens own 270 million of the world's 875 million known firearms -- that translates to roughly 90 guns for every 100 Americans. Moreover, the survey estimates that 4.5 million of the 8 million new guns manufactured worldwide each... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
UK Crime Agency: 'Too Few Genuine Firearms to Satisfy Criminal Demand'
Telegraph (UK)
25 August 2007
Handguns are the weapon of choice for criminals on the street and they are relatively easy to obtain, even for teenage gangs -- the challenge for many is to get the ammunition. A system has grown up of "armourers" who source and adapt guns before selling them on to gang members. Once in the possession of the gang they are usually stored for later use, rather than carried around, and are shared among several members. Many... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Photographer's Book Captures Americans, Their Guns, Attitudes to Guns
Sunday Times (UK)
5 August 2007
Despite the massacres at Virginia Tech and Columbine, gun ownership in the US remains as popular as Mom's apple pie. To prove it, the photographer Kyle Cassidy persuaded the God-fearing citizens of middle America to pose with their firearms. The deaths of 32 students and teachers at Virginia Tech in April placed gun control back at the top of the political agenda in the United States. The university campus became the scene... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
'Unstoppable' Flood of Illegal Guns from America Fuels Drug Wars in Mexico
San Francisco Chronicle
15 July 2007
MEXICO CITY -- For more than a decade, Mexico has had military checkpoints on all northbound highways leading to the United States. It's part of the campaign to crack down on the flow of drugs to the United States. This summer, things have changed, and Mexico's military is inspecting vehicles traveling on the southbound lanes, checking for shipments of weapons. This reversal is testament to the dangers Mexico faces, bordering the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago Confiscates, Destroys Tens of Thousands of Guns Every Year
Chicago Sun-Times, Opinion
1 July 2007
In Chicago, we're doing our part to improve our schools, better manage city government and public transportation and protect our children from gun violence. To keep our progress going, state government must now do its part. It's time to fundamentally reform the way the state funds education and public transit; enact balanced gun legislation, and extend the 7 percent cap on the taxable value of homes. With the Legislature... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Fred the Huge Dead Hog Speaks for Wallowing Alabama Gun Culture
Los Angeles Times, Opinion
17 June 2007
There once was a pig named Fred who came to a very bad end in Alabama, as I suppose all pigs in Alabama do. Fred was 6 weeks old when he was purchased by farmer Phil Blissitt in 2004 and given as a Christmas gift to his wife, Rhonda. This brings us to the first of this story's many truisms: Christmas sucks in Alabama. For 2½ years, Fred was a happy pig. He would play with the Blissitts' grandchildren and the family Chihuahua. Fred... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
As Gun Wars Grow, Mexico Slams Slack US Gun Laws as 'Cynical, Absurd'
Kansas City Star (Missouri) / AP
14 June 2007
Mexican Attorney General Eduardo Medina called U.S. policies on drugs and firearms "cynical" and "absurd," some of the toughest language used by Mexican officials prodding Washington to cut U.S. drug demand and stem the flow of guns they say fuel violence here. "American law to me is absurd because people can easily acquire firearms," the newspaper El Universal newspaper quoted Medina as saying at a conference on Wednesday. Medina's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
A Day in the Death of America: Feature on Gun Violence in New York
Guardian (UK)
9 June 2007
At 11.31pm on Saturday November 25 2006, Gerardo Parraga withdrew $120 from a cashpoint machine in Throggs Neck, the Bronx, and walked the last 10 minutes home. Ordinarily, it's an uneventful jaunt through suburbia. Gerardo, 19, had just finished a 12-hour shift as a security guard at New York Law School and this was the final leg of his 90-minute commute. It was the end of a long day, at the end of a long week. Within minutes, it would... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Washington Promises to 'Take Steps' to Curb US-Mexico Gun Running
Dallas Morning News (Texas) / AP
8 June 2007
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Friday that Washington is taking steps to address Mexican concerns the U.S. is not doing enough to stop illegal weapons from being smuggled across the border and into the hands of brutal drug gangs. A meeting here of attorneys general from the U.S., Mexico and six other Latin American countries focused on Mexican complaints weapons from the United States are fueling a wave of cartel-related... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Cruel Hoax in Ohio: 11yr-old 'Hero Handgun Hunter' Shot Huge Trapped Hog
Toledo Blade (Ohio), Column
5 June 2007
Fred is dead. Long live Fred. Fred was a Monster Pig, a gargantuan among porkers -- 1,051 pounds and 9 feet, 4 inches long. Hellacious. Humongous, even. He made the news a couple weeks ago because an 11-year-old boy -- using his daddy's ponderous, equally humongous .50 magnum revolver -- shot Fred eight times over three hours, converting him into one heavily laden truckload of potential sausage and no-foolin' tire-sized... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Wyoming Machine Gun, Cannon Shoot Weekend Attracts Gun Enthusiasts
Casper Star Tribune (Wyoming)
3 June 2007
The Wyoming sun has just begun to set when Stuart Ruben opens up on the mini gun. In 15 seconds the powerful weapon spews out 1,000 rounds of tracers, incendiary bullets and starburst ammunition. It's not exactly a subtle gun. Onlookers standing nearby feel, rather than hear, it fire. Moments later, hundreds of shells casings lie at Ruben's shoes and an old sedan several hundred feet away bursts into flames. The... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
The .50-Caliber Sniper Rifle - Outlawing an American Weapon of War
Philadelphia Inquirer (Pennsylvania), Editorial
31 May 2007
It would be a misnomer to call proposed New Jersey legislation to outlaw certain .50-caliber firearms a gun-control measure. The bill places them in the category of "destructive devices," along with explosives, incendiary bombs, mines and grenades, which is exactly where these weapons belong. The measure, which unfortunately has been detoured, takes aim mainly at what gun-control advocates call the .50-caliber sniper rifle. Gun-rights... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Most American Gun Owners Favour Moderate Controls - Scholar Gary Kleck
Tallahassee Democrat (Florida), Opinion
21 May 2007
My father is a gun nut. He collects them, new ones and old ones, and he derives unfathomable glee from shooting, cleaning and studying them. Thanks to him, I can field-strip an M-16, shoot a Winchester '86 and tell the difference between a matchlock and a flintlock. But when I turned 21 and applied for a Florida carry permit like Dad's, he didn't do cartwheels or take me window shopping for a double-action hand cannon. His only... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New Colorado Law Invalidates Out-of-state Hidden Handgun Permits
Vail Daily (Colorado) / AP
17 May 2007
DENVER -- Gov. Bill Ritter signed 16 bills on Thursday, including one barring Colorado residents from obtaining concealed weapons permits from other states. Out-of-state visitors will be allowed to use permits issued by their home states, and not a third state, under the law (Senate Bill 34). House Majority Leader Alice Madden, D-Boulder, said she sponsored the bill because she was concerned people denied permits in Colorado... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Armoured Vehicle Used to Arrest Licensed US Gun Owner With .50cal Rifle
Hartford Courant (Connecticut)
16 May 2007
COLCHESTER -- A local man was charged today in connection with a lengthy police standoff Tuesday, after which they seized numerous firearms from his house, including a .50 caliber rifle with ammunition capable of traveling more than a mile and piercing armor. James E. Gasser, 47, of 348 Shailor Hill Road, was charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm, use of a firearm during the commission of a felony, first-degree reckless endangerment,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New Jersey Moves on .50 Calibre Gun Ban Following US 'Terrorist' Arrests
Associated Press
10 May 2007
TRENTON, New Jersey -- New Jersey moved Thursday toward becoming the second state to outlaw the powerful .50 caliber rifle that critics contend could potentially be used in terrorist attacks. The guns, which resemble large hunting rifles, are accurate up to 1½ miles and critics contend they could be used to penetrate an airliner or ignite chemical plants, rail tanks cars and refineries. California is the only state with... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Virginia Tech Gunman Bought Handgun Ammo Clips on EBay
Associated Press
21 April 2007
BLACKSBURG, Virginia -- The Internet activities of the Virginia Tech gunman provided more insight Saturday into how he may have plotted for the rampage, with revelations that he bought two ammunition clips on eBay. Seung-Hui Cho purchased two empty clips about three weeks before the attack in which Cho killed 32 people and himself. The clips were designed for one of the two types of handguns he used. Cho, 23, also used... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Control Debate Sparked Anew by Virginia Tech Shootings
Chicago Tribune
19 April 2007
BLACKSBURG, Virginia -- In the wake of the massacre at Virginia Tech, gun rights advocates and proponents of tougher weapons laws are wading into the debate about American gun culture. But what seems uncertain is whether there is the will to make a significant push to change gun laws-a hot button issue that has proven to be politically treacherous. Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards of North Carolina called... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Australia
America, a Society Armed and Dangerous, With No Change Expected
Sydney Morning Herald, Editorial
18 April 2007
With the Virginia Tech massacre setting a sickeningly high American record for gun rampages, will anything be changed in that country's debate on gun control? Not immediately: its politicians are dodging the issue, running scared at the influence of a particular voice over a sizeable tranche of voters as a presidential election looms. The voice is that of the National Rifle Association, which bills its 3 million members as the "front-line... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
The Virginia Gun Dealer and How He Sold a Glock to the Campus Killer
Independent (UK)
18 April 2007
If Cho Seung-Hui wanted to start a war, he could not have gone to a better place than Roanoke Firearms. Five weeks ago, the 23-year-old foreign student entered the shop and paid $570 (£284) with a credit card for a Glock 9mm semi-automatic pistol and a box of 50 cartridges. He provided three different forms of identification and passed an additional security check carried out by the state police. The checks threw up no red flags.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Annual NRA Convention Draws a Big Crowd in St Louis
St Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)
14 April 2007
ST. LOUIS -- As Doris Hasler pushed her toddler's stroller through the convention hall, she eyed a glistening .50-caliber rifle on the counter and couldn't resist. It's just like the one her older son uses, mounted to his Army tank in Fort Hood, Texas. She hoisted the $8,000 weapon -- all 30 pounds of it -- while her husband snapped a photo. "Think I can take it home?" joked Hasler, of Highland, Ind. The... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Ban .50 Calibre Military Weapons from New Jersey Gun Shops
Courier Post (New Jersey), Editorial
13 April 2007
High-powered military-grade weapons shouldn't be available in New Jersey gun shops. They've been called "Godzilla guns," massive rifles used by armies around the world that can easily blast through the protective body armor police officers wear. They're .50 caliber weapons, primarily a heavy-duty assault rifle invented two decades ago that's become a favorite of militaries around the world and has been purchased by terror... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Criminals and Terrorists Love .50cal Rifles. America Should Ban Them
Chicago Tribune, Editorial
29 March 2007
If Godzilla were a sportsman, the .50-caliber sniper rifle would be his instrument. This is a weapon that can shoot down airplanes or helicopters from more than a mile away. Its bullets can penetrate armored vehicles and exterior walls. One such rifle was found in the ashes of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas. Criminals and terrorists worldwide love this weapon. You could love it too.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Six New Laws in the Works to Curb Gun Violence in Illinois
Catholic Explorer (Illinois)
23 March 2007
NAPERVILLE -- The results of a survey recently conducted by a bi-partisan polling agency illustrate substantial statewide voter support for six proposed laws aimed at curbing gun violence in Illinois. Members of the newly established Illinois Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence were expected to release these findings March 21 at a press conference in Chicago, according to Stephen Young, a member of the organization and parishioner... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Illinois Gun Control Coalition Pushes Ban on Assault Weapons, .50cal Rifles
Lake County News-Sun, Column
22 March 2007
The national wild Turkey Federation put out an alert recently on new gun laws being proposed for Illinois. And this week, the initiative went public. Called the Illinois Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, it is a project of Legal Community Against Violence that started in California. It is a coalition of law enforcement (Gurnee Police Chief Robert Jones and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart), the medical and public health... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Voters, Police Say Common Sense, Common Good Elude Illinois Gun Lobby
Daily Herald (Chicago), Opinion
22 March 2007
Standing next to a combat rifle that is 5 feet long, weighs 35 pounds and can blow holes through armor a mile-and-a-half away, Gurnee Police Chief Robert Jones wonders why civilians still can legally buy this weapon in Illinois. "What do we need to wait for?" Jones says. "Do we need to wait for someone to shoot down a plane or a helicopter?" A former president of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, Jones is a... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Makers, Gun Owners Protest Illinois Plan to Ban Assault Weapons
Rock Island Argus (Illinois)
15 March 2007
SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois gun owners are up in arms over legislation that would ban high-velocity .50-caliber rifles and some other guns identified as "assault weapons." About 1,100 people protested against the bill Wednesday at the Capitol Building. Illinois Rifle Association Executive Director Richard Pearson, who led the Springfield rally, said it would turn law-abiding citizens into criminals. Chicago Democrats... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Time for New Jersey to Ban .50-cal Armour Piercing 'Terrorist' Rifles
Home News Tribune (New Jersey), Editorial
9 March 2007
State and federal gun-control laws have overlooked a weapon with a killing potential that goes far beyond what is safe or sane: the .50-caliber rifle, a powerful tool of battlefield snipers designed to puncture armor and destroy targets from a distance of more than 20 football fields away. Incredibly, the .50-caliber rifle is easier to purchase than a handgun, and newer models can be had for as little as $1,000. New Jersey... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New Jersey Democrats Aim to Join California in Banning .50 'Terrorist' Rifles
Associated Press
5 March 2007
TRENTON -- New Jersey is looking to become the second state to outlaw a powerful gun that critics say can be used by terrorists to shoot down an airliner. Democratic lawmakers and Ceasefire NJ, an antigun group, unveiled a plan on Monday to make it illegal to sell .50 caliber weapons in New Jersey. California is the only state with a similar law. Maryland strictly regulates the rifle by requiring enhanced background checks... ( gunpolicy.org )
Vietnam
A Sampling from 6 Months' Worth of Small-Arms Mishaps in Vietnam [1967]
New York Times
18 February 2007
The following excerpts are from an Army report on small-arms mishaps in Vietnam from Jan. 1 to June 20, 1967, as reported by the adjutant's office of the United States Army Vietnam to the commander in chief of the United States Army Pacific. Key WIA Wounded in action KIA Killed in action M16 M-16 rifle vM60 M-60 machine gun M79 M-79 grenade launcher .50 .50-caliber machine gun .45 .45-caliber semi-automatic... ( gunpolicy.org )
Austria, Iran, Iraq
Austria 'Not Responsible' for Sniper Rifles Exported to Iran, Used in Iraq
Telegraph (UK)
14 February 2007
Austria yesterday washed its hands of any responsibility after it was revealed that powerful sniper rifles it sold to Iran had been acquired by insurgents in Iraq. The Daily Telegraph revealed yesterday that American troops had recovered more than 100 Steyr HS50 Mannlicher rifles, part of a consignment of 800 sold to Iran by Austria last year, during a series of raids in Iraq. Astrid Harz, a spokesman for the Austrian foreign... ( gunpolicy.org )
Austria, Iran, Iraq
US Claims Austrian Armour-piercing Sniper Rifles Sold to Iran, Found in Iraq
Spiegel (Germany)
14 February 2007
VIENNA -- More than 800 high-powered weapons were shipped to Iran from Austria in 2004 over US and British objections. Now, the rifles may have turned up in the hands of Iraq insurgents. It is considered one of the world's most modern and precise weapons -- the Steyr HS .50, made by Austrian weapons manufacturer Steyr-Mannlicher. The easily disassembled gun goes for about 4,000 in the Internet. And the buyer gets a deadly weapon... ( gunpolicy.org )
Iraq, Iran, Austria
As Predicted, Austrian Sniper Rifles Sold to Iran Now With Iraqi Insurgents
Telegraph (UK)
13 February 2007
Austrian sniper rifles that were exported to Iran have been discovered in the hands of Iraqi terrorists, The Daily Telegraph has learned. More than 100 of the.50 calibre weapons, capable of penetrating body armour, have been discovered by American troops during raids. The guns were part of a shipment of 800 rifles that the Austrian company, Steyr-Mannlicher, exported legally to Iran last year.The Steyr HS50 is a long range,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Maine Gun Maker Going Full Bore, Producing Weapons for America's War
Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram (Maine)
4 February 2007
SACO -- The local General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products operation hit a low point in terms of work force in 2004, when a sparse 179 people populated the massive 450,000-square-foot facility. Whole warehouse-sized sections of the plant had literally gone dark -- the company didn't bother turning on the lights in those unused areas. Two of the company's bread-and-butter lines, the M2HB .50-caliber machine gun, and the MK19... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
'Middle Eastern' Man Attempts to Enter US .50cal 'Terror Gun' Factory
Associated Press
27 January 2007
Police are on the lookout for a man described as being of Middle Eastern descent who tried to gain access to a firearms plant in Murfreesboro, TN. Rutherford County sheriff's deputies were called to the Barrett Firearms Manufacturing plant Thursday, January 24. A plant employee reported that a Middle Eastern-looking man had tried get inside the building Barrett Firearms makes 50-caliber rifles for the military, which has used them... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago Mayor Renews Long Running Battle for Effective Gun Control
Chicago Tribune
3 January 2007
Buoyed by the General Assembly's passage of a gun-control measure amid a long string of rejections, Mayor Richard Daley on Wednesday unveiled the city's 2007 legislative agenda with a renewed emphasis on handgun violence. Daley called for passage of half a dozen bills, to be introduced by local state lawmakers, that would restrict sales and the types and numbers of weapons that Illinoisans could buy. Noting that guns were... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
NZ Police Seize Heavy Machine Guns, 500 Weapons from Licensed Dealers
New Zealand Press Association
21 December 2006
Police have used Interpol to approach their counterparts in at least two other countries over the 500 firearms seized in nationwide raids yesterday on gun dealers and collectors. Some of the illegal weapons gathered in raids from North Auckland to Christchurch included.50 calibre heavy machine-guns, military style semi-automatics, sub-machine guns and semi-automatic pistols. Some were 9mm Glock pistols, the same issued... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Smith & Wesson Takes Shot at Hunting Market, Buys Long-Gun Maker
Boston Herald / AP
18 December 2006
SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts -- Long associated with the likes of Dirty Harry and real-life police officers, Smith & Wesson is now taking aim at a new market: hunters. In a $100 million deal announced Monday, the Springfield gun maker said it is buying Thompson/Center Arms, a privately held Rochester, N.H.-based company that specializes in muzzleloaders and rimfire rifles. The move lets Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. target... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Sting Busts a Dozen Middle Aged, Middle American Gun Runners
San Diego Union-Tribune (California)
5 December 2006
SAN DIEGO -- Federal and local agents announced more than a dozen arrests and the seizure of a large and varied cache of illegal guns, ammunitions and drugs Tuesday in a sting operation in Santee. Most of the guns were offered for sale by middle-aged people from throughout the county, most with no connection to gangs or other criminal rings. "Our surprise is the lack of clear-cut, large-scale coordinated sales of firearms,"... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Ceasefire May Be Answer to Real Gun Terror Stalking New Jersey's Streets
Star-Ledger (New Jersey), Column
9 November 2006
Maybe, now, we get a genuine war against terror. The terror that, every few weeks, flashes soon-forgotten pictures of mourning mothers and other relatives, frequently poor and black or Hispanic, across television screens or newspaper pages. Happens so often, the stories blur in our minds. A 15-year-old from girl Elizabeth. A 17-year-old from Newark's Ironbound. Five little Amish girls in Nickel Mines,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Seattle Group Plants Living Memorial to Victims of Gun Violence
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Washington)
23 October 2006
Washington CeaseFire can't plant flowers fast enough to keep up. The organization, dedicated to reducing gun violence, has planted flowers at Green Lake Park every year as lasting memorials to people who have been shot to death. But Ralph Fascitelli, president of the organization, lamented how 600 people -- three times as many as the number of daffodil and tulip bulbs buried Sunday -- have died in gun violence in Washington... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Politicians Back Gun Control, Constituents Load Up on Firearms
Marin Independent Journal (California)
1 October 2006
Mill Valley mom Joan Rodriguez decided she needed an outlet to release the frustrations that come with running a real estate business with her husband and guiding a teenage son through middle school. So she went back to school. Pistol school. Rodriguez, 47, didn't tell anyone -- not even her husband -- when she signed up for the entry pistol-shooting class at Bullseye Shooting Range in San Rafael. The stigma attached to guns in... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Outback Canadian Submachine Gun Factory Supplied STENs to Gangs
Globe & Mail (Toronto) / CP
28 August 2006
KOMARNO, Manitoba -- Fifty Second-World-War-era submachine guns seized since January were allegedly rebuilt in a clandestine gun shop in Komarno, Man. and then sold to gangs connected to the Hells Angels, police said Friday. Sten submachine guns were decommissioned by the Canadian Forces in the 1970s, but are being reconditioned and sold to drug gangs, police said. "They were actually trafficking in them," said Sergeant... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
General Dynamic Lands $188million US Govt Small Arms Ammunition Deal
Reuters
15 August 2006
WASHINGTON -- General Dynamics Corp. has won a $188 million contract for production of a variety of small arms ammunitions, the U.S. Army said on Tuesday. The delivery order for 5.56 mm, 7.62 mm, and .50 caliber ammunitions was part of $213 million fixed-price contract, the Army said. It said work on the order would be completed in August 2007. ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Eleven Gun Runners Indicted for Buying in Virginia, Selling in New York
Richmond Times-Dispatch (Virginia) / AP
23 July 2006
NORFOLK -- People were paid with cash or cocaine to legally buy firearms in Virginia that were peddled illegally on the streets of New York City, according to an indictment. The indictment named 11 suspects in the alleged gunrunning scheme. The ring purchased dozens of firearms at Norfolk and Portsmouth gun shops and dumped them on the streets of New York between 2004 and 2005, according to an indictment unsealed in U.S. District... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Getting a Concealed Handgun Licence, Training to Avoid Killing in Texas
New York Times, Travel section
14 July 2006
The snap-snap-snap of small-arms fire was echoing around the Hot Wells Shooting Range in Cypress, Tex., as Jim Pruett set up a wall of humanoid targets against an earthen berm. "Is the line ready?" shouted Mr. Pruett, an affable guns and ammo dealer, pausing to marvel at the golden glow from the dust of expended brass cartridges ashimmer in the setting sun. "Anyone forget which end the bullet comes out?" Moments later we... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New York Legislature Chisels Away at Right to Bear Arms
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (New York), Opinion
6 July 2006
As the current state legislative session passes, it's comforting to learn that our state legislators were busy protecting us from the essentially nonexistent "assault weapon" threat and, as usual, sponsored basketfuls of restrictive bills aimed at ending firearm ownership in New York. Much of this self-righteous activity is motivated by genuine concern for re-election, not public safety, but with an electorate increasingly dominated... ( gunpolicy.org )
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