Canada, United States, Mexico
US Guns Fuel Both Mexican Drug Wars and Canadian Gang Violence
Canadian Press
4 July 2008
VANCOUVER -- Illicit guns that make their way across the U.S. border into Canada are a serious problem but a relative nuisance compared with the desperate battle being fought on the U.S.-Mexico border, say officials. More than 4,000 people -- including hundreds of police officers -- have died in the last 18 months as the Mexican government battles the country's powerful drug cartels. Border cities such as Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez... ( 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
Assault Weapons in Florida: What's a Few Dead Cops to the Gun Lobby?
Miami Herald (Florida), Opinion
5 June 2008
The shock was in the weight of the thing. Less than six pounds. It was a cop's weapon, a semiautomatic assault rifle of dull anodized black steel, stripped down to an unadorned functionality. How light it felt in my hands. Like a toy gun. I thought how easy it would be for some kid, some 110-pound wild-dog street punk, to heft an AR-6520 and wield it to hellish effect. No wonder Fort Lauderdale is spending... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Washington, DC Police to Carry Converted Military Assault Rifles on Patrol
Washington Post
17 May 2008
The D.C. police department's decision to arm patrol officers with semiautomatic rifles is promoted by commanders as a way to stay ahead of criminals. But it is raising concerns among civil rights groups and others, who question whether the weapons are necessary. Hundreds of officers will be issued AR-15 rifles starting this summer, and police say the guns will be a better match for criminals. Although Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United States
Machine Guns, Assault Rifles, Uzis Bought in US, Found in Nova Scotia
Halifax Chronicle-Herald (Nova Scotia)
16 May 2008
Police and customs officers seized machine-guns and assault rifles from at least two Halifax addresses Wednesday. The weapons, including Uzi and MAC-10 submachine-guns and AR-15 assault rifles, were allegedly smuggled into Canada from the United States since March 2006, court records show. A 21-year-old man was arrested Wednesday and arraigned in Halifax provincial court Thursday on four charges under the Customs Act and... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Car Full of 'Accidental' Guns, Ammunition Lands US Soldier in Mexican Jail
Associated Press
9 May 2008
EL PASO, Texas -- When he crossed the U.S.-Mexico border, Spc. Richard Torres was carrying a small arsenal in his car: an AR-15 assault rifle, a .45-caliber handgun, 171 rounds of ammunition, several cartridges and three knives. At a checkpoint, Torres didn't try to hide the weapons. But he insisted he hadn't meant to cross the border with the guns, which in Mexico are restricted for use only by the military. While searching for... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Ohio Man Took Assault Rifle to Work, Fired Out Window, Shot 14yr-old Girl
Cincinnati Enquirer (Ohio)
4 April 2008
A Morrow man who accidentally shot a 14 year-old girl Thursday will answer to a Hamilton County judge at 9 a.m. this morning. Cameron Barrett, 23, is held at the Hamilton County jail this morning on charges of assault, records show. He took an AR-15 assault rifle to work and fired one round into the street, Sharonville police said. The bullet hit a black Dodge Durango through the passenger side door while the vehicle was... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Thousands of US Firearm Collectors See Guns as a Hobby Like Any Other
Reuters
11 March 2008
DOUGLAS, Arizona -- An odd contraption in retired firefighter Alex Black's cluttered garage looks a bit like the hand winch at the top of a well. In fact, it is a machinegun. Turning the shiny brass handle spat out a withering hail of bullets that transformed modern warfare. "You march in to battle in straight lines against this, and nobody comes back," said Black, standing beside the hefty, carriage-mounted Colt Gatling... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Feds Tackle 'Unprecedented Surge' of Gun Smuggling from US to Mexico
Washington Times
5 March 2008
A flood of high-powered weapons purchased by Mexican drug smugglers from sellers in the United States has been targeted by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as part of a law-enforcement initiative aimed at stemming rising border violence. During the past two years, more than 125 ATF agents and investigators have been deployed along the southwest border in Project Gunrunner to increase "strategic... ( 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
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
Florida Police Fear Being Outgunned by Criminals With Assault Weapons
Gainesville Sun (Florida)
15 December 2007
The Gainesville Police Department could be joining the list of law enforcement agencies around the country allowing more officers to carry semiautomatic rifles as police say they're increasingly being outgunned by criminals. Continue to 2nd paragraph The proposal comes as law enforcement agencies encounter more cases in which weapons such as AK-47s are being used. After hearing of a recent case in South Florida where officers... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
San Francisco Gun Buyback Reaps Plaudits, Assault Weapons for Furnace
Associated Press
2 December 2007
Armed citizens packing everything from an AK-47 assault rifle to a couple of sawed-off shotguns and enough antique pistols to set a collector's heart racing massed across the street from San Francisco's City Hall on Saturday -- but pulling triggers was the furthest thing from anybody's mind. They came to dump the weapons so these firearms could be forever kept from falling into the hands of criminals. Or from killing someone during... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Hunters Say 'Black Rifle,' or 'Assault Weapon' is Really Just a Gun
Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St Paul), Column
25 November 2007
CUMBERLAND, Wisconsin -- Sitting in a deer stand near this northwest Wisconsin town the other day, the sun yet only hinting of its morning arrival, I wondered whether I could fire the rifle I held in my hands twice quickly in succession, before a standing whitetail could move. It was a fair question, and the answer, I thought, was, "Probably." And, soon enough, a deer did appear, a doe, followed by her fawn. About 40 yards from... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Licensed Connecticut Gun Dealer 'Illegally Sold Hundreds of Guns to Gangs'
Statford Bard (Connecticut)
23 November 2007
A national gun control group most famous for getting an assault weapons bill passed is using the case of a local gun dealer to attack the National Rifle Association. The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence Friday released a 33-page report titled "Guns for Gangs," detailing the case of Stratford gun dealer Frank D'Andrea, who is headed to prison for 3½ years for an assault weapon conviction. Federal prosecutors have alleged... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Lobby, Industry Urge Shooters: Buy Bullets on 'National Ammo Day'
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Washington)
18 November 2007
Seattle resident Chris Pierce had left Butch's Gun Shop on Sunday and was heading for the countryside in North Bend to fire rounds when he heard about National Ammo Day. "I think it's a great idea. It sends the message that firearms aren't going away," he said. "You can't take out one part of the Constitution without ruining all of it." The thought of Monday as National Ammo Day, a period dedicated to buying bullets to... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Lifted Ban on AK47s, So Cops Upskill to Assault Rifles for Street Policing
CNN
6 November 2007
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida -- The war on the streets is escalating. As gangs and other criminals pack more firepower, police departments say they find themselves in an arms race. The officers say they need to level the playing field to survive. And so, on a bright October day about a dozen Palm Beach County sheriff's deputies brought out their big guns at the local firing range. Rifles crackled. Shell casings flew. Bullets... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico, United States
Mexico Flooded With 4 Million Smuggled Guns - 'Almost Always' from USA
ISN Security Watch (Zurich), Web Page
30 October 2007
As news and rumors swirl around the current status and future success of the Merida Initiative, a plan to combat narco-trafficking in Mexico, those who argue the plan's merits can agree on at least one point: The front line of the so-called war on drugs has moved north from Colombia to the US-Mexican border, but the focus on drugs has overshadowed an element of the regional black market that is just as important. Mexican authorities... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Mexican Police Say '100%' of Drug-gang Killings Involve Smuggled US Guns
Washington Post
29 October 2007
TIJUANA, Mexico -- Assassins blasted Ricardo Rosas Alvarado, a member of an elite state police force, with a blizzard of bullets pumped out of AK-47 assault rifles. Alvarado crumpled at the wheel of his sedan, yet another victim of the weapons known here as "goat's horns" because of their curved ammunition clips, and which can fire at a rate of 600 rounds per minute. The killing, Mexican authorities said, was a panorama of blood,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
How Can US School Shootings Happen? How Can We Ask That Question?
Detroit Free Press (Michigan), Column
14 October 2007
In Cleveland last week, a 14-year-old went on a shooting rampage at his school, wounding two teachers and two students, then turning the gun on himself. Grieving children and parents were left wondering: How on earth can something like this happen? -- Microsoft's Halo 3 video game -- a first-person shooter experience using guns, grenades and other weapons -- earned $170 million in sales on its first day of availability, making it... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico, United States
Mexicans Shot Dead in 2006 Topped 2,000: Most Guns Smuggled From USA
Prensa Latina (Havana)
10 October 2007
MEXICO -- The Conference of National Chambers of Commerce, Service and Tourism of Mexico warned against the escalation of crime in the Federal District. The situation, says the institution, endangers the people, who have been victims of armed assaults over the past two years. Authorities said that the second major crime in the country is arms smuggling, only second to drug trafficking. They added that more than 2,000 people... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Wisconsin Killer Cop Used Police Assault Rifle, Killed Himself with a Glock
Los Angeles Times
10 October 2007
CRANDON, Wisconsin -- The 20-year-old off-duty police officer who gunned down six young people later shot himself three times during a confrontation with law enforcement, once in the right temple, police said Tuesday. They also released a chilling timeline and grim details of Tyler Peterson pursuing his victims through his former girlfriend's house, killing one girl as she hid in a closet. This town of nearly 2,000 about... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Wisconsin's 20yr-old Mass Killer Was Member of Police SWAT Team
Los Angeles Times
9 October 2007
CRANDON, Wisconsin -- There are no strangers in tragedy in a town this small. Susan Hill, the co-owner of the only mortuary here, knew Tyler Peterson, the 20-year-old lawman who fired a fusillade into a room filled with seven young people early Sunday, killing six and wounding one. Hill also knew one of his victims. Both were related to Hill by blood or marriage. On Monday, as this heartbroken town grappled with the enormity... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Wisconsin Mass Killing: Handy Assault Weapon Made it Easy, Quick for Cop
CNN / AP
8 October 2007
CRANDON, Wisconsin -- An off-duty sheriff's deputy used a police-style AR-15 rifle to kill six people at an early morning party in a small Wisconsin town, officials said Monday. Twenty-year-old Tyler Peterson had gone to the party early Sunday to make amends with his ex-girlfriend, a friend of Peterson's told The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Peterson lost control after people called him a "worthless pig," Mike Kegley told... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Youth/Rage/Gender/Gun Not Enough Cause: Wisconsin Trawls for 'Madness'
San Francisco Chronicle / AP
8 October 2007
CRANDON, Wisconsin -- A young sheriff's deputy who opened fire on a pizza party and killed six people reportedly flew into a rage when he was rebuffed by his old girlfriend, and others at the gathering called him a "worthless pig." A longtime friend told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Monday that 20-year-old Tyler Peterson came to his door in the hours after the rampage and calmly explained what he had done. "He wasn't... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Man Sold 40 Assault Weapons, Machine Guns to Undercover Cops
Abbotsford News (British Columbia)
27 September 2007
The most notable thing about Steven Ryan Porsch is how normal a young man he appears. With his short-cropped dark hair and baby face, the 22-year-old looks like every neighbour's son. When he makes his appearance in Vancouver Supreme Court each day in his ill-fitting tan suit a little too long in the legs, he doesn't look as menacing as he does sleepy. He doesn't look like someone who would traffic machine guns... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Miami Police Get Assault Rifles to Counter Criminals' Escalating Firepower
New York Times
17 September 2007
MIAMI -- Patrol officers here will have the option of carrying assault rifles as they try to combat the rise in the use of similar weapons by criminals, the city's police chief said Sunday. The chief, John F. Timoney, approved the policy last week, before a Miami-Dade police officer was killed on Thursday in a shootout with a man wielding an assault rifle. "This is something we do not do with any relish," Chief Timoney... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Photo Essay 'Armed America' Shows Wide Variety of Americans With Guns
New York Post, Book review
2 September 2007
Gun-happy Americans are downright amorous about their arms. In the new book "Armed America," Philadelphia photographer Kyle Cassidy shares dozens of arresting images of grinning, gun-toting citizens proudly posing with their beloved weapons, often while their kittens, puppies and little kids trot innocently around them. The photos illustrate a growing gun culture in the United States, where there are nine guns for every... ( 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 States, Iraq
US Police Run Short of Ammo as American Wars Consume Billions of Bullets
Washington Post
28 August 2007
The U.S. military's soaring demand for small-arms ammunition, fueled by two wars abroad, has left domestic police agencies less able to quickly replenish their supplies, leading some to conserve rounds by cutting back on weapons training, police officials said. To varying degrees, officials in Montgomery, Loudoun and Anne Arundel counties said, they have begun rationing or making other adjustments to accommodate delivery schedules... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Law Abiding Canadian Gun Owners Agree They Flout 'Stupid' Gun Laws
Ottawa Sun (Ontario)
26 August 2007
In neighbourhoods across the city, people are flouting the law by storing unregistered firearms in opposition of the federal gun registry. It's impossible to tell how many people have opted not to register their guns with the Canadian Firearms Registry, but police and members of the firearms community get the sense that there are many gun owners who subscribe to this passive form of resistance against the controversial registry.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Ottawa Police Seize 30 Guns, AK47, 30,000 Rounds from 'Gun Admirer'
Ottawa Citizen (Ontario)
24 August 2007
Relatives of a man accused of possessing 30 firearms and stockpiling more than 30,000 rounds of ammunition in his Ottawa home said Friday he is nothing more than an "avid collector" who posed no risk to public safety. "He has an interest in firearms and weaponry and war," said Oz Shanmugadhasan, whose father, Siva Yogi Shanmugadhasan, is now facing four firearms-related charges after police seized the firearms and ammunition from... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Police, Military Face Ammunition Shortage: Iraq War Uses a Billion Bullets
Associated Press
17 August 2007
Troops training for and fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are firing more than 1 billion bullets a year, contributing to ammunition shortages hitting police departments nationwide and preventing some officers from training with the weapons they carry on patrol. An Associated Press review of dozens of police and sheriff's departments found that many are struggling with delays of as long as a year for both handgun and rifle... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Born Again, Famed US Hunting Writer Jim Zumbo Embraces Machine Guns
Journal Review (Indiana)
14 August 2007
Those who are active in Second Amendment issues will recall the great Jim Zumbo flap in February. In case you have slept since then, the problem arose when the famed outdoor writer used his Outdoor Life blog to say that the M-16/AR-15 families of rifles are terrorist guns that have no valid place as hunting weapons and should be outlawed. To say he stirred up a hornets nest would be a slight understatement. Most of his... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Ammunition Prices Soar: 'Must Have' Item Lists in Consumer Price Index
Dallas Morning News (Texas)
9 August 2007
The baby needs milk. The car needs gas. The gun needs bullets. Rising dairy and oil prices grab the attention of shoppers and motorists. But the increasing price of ammunition -- a consumer product the government considers when calculating the rate of inflation -- has largely gone unnoticed. The price increases began after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, then were compounded by a double whammy: the war in Iraq, which... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Lobby's YouTube Hero Shows Off His 'Baby' - An Assault Weapon
Detroit Free Press (Michigan)
25 July 2007
CLIO, Michigan -- Jered Townsend is a single, 30-year-old gun enthusiast who lives north of Flint on a rural road with his parents and his baby. Well, "baby" is his way of putting it. He doesn't have children. As America learned Monday in a nationally televised debate featuring Democratic presidential candidates, Townsend's baby is a Bushmaster AR15 semiautomatic rifle, all black and polished and pretty. He does... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Mental State of US Gun Owner and His 'Baby' Queried in Live Web Debate
Los Angeles Times
24 July 2007
Jered Townsend had the distinction of being one of three dozen Americans whose video question for the Democratic presidential contenders was broadcast during Monday night's debate -- and the further distinction of being the only one whose mental stability was questioned. Townsend, a 30-year-old from Clio, Mich., came next to last among the amateur inquisitors in the CNN/YouTube debate. But he made an indelible impression by asking... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Republican Political Fundraising Event Will Feature Machine Gun Shoot
Union Leader (New Hampshire)
23 July 2007
MANCHESTER -- City Republicans will be packing some serious firepower at their next party fundraiser. Tired of the usual chicken dinners, the Manchester Republican Committee is planning to arm supporters next month with Uzis, M-16 rifles and other automatic weapons for a day of target practice at a Pelham firing range. "The thought just struck me one day: a machine gun shoot. What the heck?" said Jerry Thibodeau, the committee... ( 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, Mexico
'Iron River of Guns' Pours 1000's of Weapons Each Week from US to Mexico
Reuters
13 July 2007
PHOENIX -- When machinegun-toting hit men fought a bloody battle with police and troops around the Mexico town of Cananea that left 23 dead in May, it at first seemed to be the latest chapter in a very Mexican drug war. But as U.S. and Mexican detectives subsequently traced powerful assault weapons recovered from the battlefield to Texas and Arizona, it raised the curtain on a deadly and controversial flow of arms from the United... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Feds Say They Can't Stop US Gun Show Patrons Smuggling Arms to Mexico
Arizona Republic
16 June 2007
MEXICO CITY -- Federal authorities do not have enough agents to regularly patrol gun shows, a major source for U.S. weapons used in Mexico's drug wars, a top official said Thursday during a visit to the Mexican capital. Mexican officials have complained about how easy it is to buy firearms from private, unlicensed sellers at such shows. U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales vowed last week to crack down on such gun-running.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Guns Stolen from Florida Vehicles Increasingly Used to Commit Crimes
South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale)
15 June 2007
Two shootings in west Orange County last week and the shootings of two deputy sheriffs a week earlier have the same thing in common: stolen guns. The pistols linked to both sets of shootings were taken from motorists, who are permitted by Florida law to store loaded firearms in unattended vehicles -- something many police agencies prohibit their own officers from doing. The rationale of police is simple: Hundreds of guns... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
In US Trend, 'Black Rifle' Assault Weapons Hot Sellers in Texas Gun Shops
KLTV News (Texas)
13 June 2007
It's a seasonally slow time for gun sales at George's in Longview, but some models are selling well, semi-automatic M-16s, Russian made AK-47s, and AR-15's "They're cheap to shoot easy they're very reliable so people like them a lot of people use them for collecting, there's an unlimited number of accessories and items you can put on them" said Longview gunsmith Cory Clotz. Versatile and durable, the weapons, sometimes... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
America's Hot-selling Weapon is Now the 'Black' Assault Rifle
New York Times
3 June 2007
Last February, Jim Zumbo, a burly, 66-year-old outdoors writer, got a phone call at his home near Cody, Wyoming, from the rock star -- and outspoken Second Amendment champion -- Ted Nugent. "You messed up, man," Mr. Zumbo says Mr. Nugent told him. "Big time." Two days earlier, Mr. Zumbo, a leading hunting journalist, outraged Mr. Nugent and many other gun owners when he suggested in a blog post that increasingly popular semiautomatic... ( 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
Pennsylvania Police Re-sold Confiscated Guns to Local Gun Shops
Associated Press
21 May 2007
PHILADELPHIA -- A suburban police department resold hundreds of confiscated and surrendered firearms to gun shops, including one dealer now in prison for selling weapons to felons, a newspaper reported Sunday. Another of the shops lost its license last summer after authorities linked guns sold there to 19 homicides, including the killing of a Philadelphia police officer, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Upper Darby police... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Puerto Rico
Gun Shop Burglaries Fuelled Florida-Puerto Rico Gun Smuggling Ring
Orlando Sentinel (Florida)
20 May 2007
The ringleader of a gun- and drug-smuggling operation out of Orlando International Airport bought some of his weapons from a ragtag group of burglars who had been breaking into gun shops across Central Florida. The connection between the smuggling operation and burglary ring is outlined in law-enforcement documents obtained by the Orlando Sentinel. It was only after the burglars' arrests in January that authorities learned they... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Australia, United Kingdom
Gun Control in America? Not on Your Life - the NRA Won't Allow It
Morning Sentinel (Maine), Opinion
15 May 2007
"History has shown that no law will stop a madman intent on doing evil." -- National Rifle Association press release, April 27 The National Rifle Association is wrong. Gun control laws can stop madmen. They can prevent evil. History offers proof. After a string of mass shootings in the 1980s and early 1990s, Australia was horrified by the slaughter of 35 people at the Port Arthur Historical Site in... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Mass Shootings More Common in America Since 1960s
Associated Press
21 April 2007
NEW YORK -- Mass public shootings have become such a part of American life in recent decades that the most dramatic of them can be evoked from the nation's collective memory in a word or two: Luby's. Jonesboro. Columbine. And now, Virginia Tech. Since Aug. 1, 1966, when Charles Whitman climbed a 27-story tower on the University of Texas campus and started picking people off, at least 100 Americans have gone on shooting... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Shows Keep Up Brisk Weapon Trade After Shooting Spree
Reuters
21 April 2007
PHOENIX -- Thousands of shoppers packed more than two dozen gun shows across the United States on Saturday, as the domestic arms trade kept up a brisk pace after the worst shooting rampage in modern American history. Traders at firearms fairs in Arizona and Georgia hawked weapons ranging from high-powered handguns to assault rifles just days after a disturbed student, Seung-Hui Cho, ran amok at Virginia Tech university, shooting... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Lovers Banish One of Their Own Icons for Being Sensible
Journal Gazette (Indiana), Editorial
14 March 2007
It's official: Add gun control to the ranks of issues where no middle ground is permitted. The room for reasonable debate has been pushed out by gun-rights advocates. You're either with them or against them. Jim Zumbo is now counted against them. An accomplished big-game hunter, a 40-year member of the National Rifle Association and a writer for Outdoor Life magazine for almost 30 years, Zumbo touched off a firestorm when he dared... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
American Outdoors Icon Didn't Have Chance Against Gun Zealots
Spokesman-Review (Washington), Column
8 March 2007
None of my outdoor experiences has left a more vivid memory than watching four coyotes, who were unaware of my close proximity, as they attacked a frantic fawn mule deer. Within seconds after fleeing into the open, the young deer was hamstrung, eviscerated and brought down before my eyes. One coyote raised its bloody muzzle to the sunset and yodeled in triumph as the others began ripping into the still-twitching carcass. Unnerving... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
'Rabid' 2nd Amendment Supporters Shred 2 Gun Experts for Honest Opinions
Austin American-Statesman (Texas), Column
8 March 2007
Two gun guys -- Jim Zumbo and Leon Measures -- got their pink slips in the past week. Zumbo publicly was gutted and quartered after he questioned in a web log if anyone should even own an AR-15 or other military style rifle, much less hunt with one. He lost his job at Outdoor Life magazine, lost an association with Remington and has been disowned by the National Rifle Association. Measures, who teaches basic shotgun shooting... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Reasonable Debate, Saner Gun Laws Pushed Out by US Pro-gun Advocates
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (Indiana), Editorial
7 March 2007
It's official: add gun control to the ranks of issues where no middle ground is permitted. The room for reasonable debate has been pushed out by gun rights advocates. You're either with them or against them. Jim Zumbo is now counted against them. An accomplished big-game hunter, a 40-year member of the National Rifle Association and a writer for Outdoor Life magazine for almost 30 years, Zumbo touched off a firestorm when he dared... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Even Alaskan Outdoors Columnist Shows Some Sympathy for Jim Zumbo
Anchorage Daily News (Alaska), Column
4 March 2007
Gun writer Jim Zumbo www-shot-his-mouth-off and ended up in a raging, national blogoversy earlier this month. Now the 67-year-old shooting editor for "Outdoor Life" is out of a job. All of this for penning these words in a blog on www.outdoorlife.com: "The guides on our (coyote) hunt tell me that the use of AR and AK rifles have a rapidly growing following among hunters, especially prairie dog hunters. I had no clue. I... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Most-admired American Hunter Now Gun Zealots' 'Second Most Hated Man'
New York Times, Editorial
3 March 2007
A famous hunter and outdoorsman recently voiced misgivings about people who use assault rifles to kill prairie dogs. Everyone knows what a prairie dog is: a chubby North American rodent that lives in a communal burrow and grows to be about a foot long. "Assault rifle" is a much touchier term. It is generally understood to be the kind of gun that soldiers use in wars and terrorists use on the evening news. But the gun lobby despises... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Outdoors Writers Back Fallen Colleague Against Gun Lobby 'Fanatics'
Ithaca Journal (New York), Column
2 March 2007
The biggest news in the outdoors world right now is the fall of Jim Zumbo, the world's most-famous hunter, who fell victim to the Pro-Gun Right's double standard in his ill-thought Feb. 16 blog on the Outdoor Life's Web site. Associated with the famed outdoors publication for three decades and Hunting Editor since 1979, Zumbo had the audacity to say in print (actually, cyberspace) that rifles patterned after assault weapons had... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Cash-Strapped Michigan Sheriff's Department Auctioning Machine Gun
Associated Press
27 February 2007
LAPEER, Michigan -- For sale: Collector quality, fully automatic M-16 in excellent condition. Never fired outside shooting range. Buyer must have machine gun permit and have no criminal record. And deep pockets. Strapped for cash, the Lapeer County Sheriff's Department is selling the original Colt rifle on its Web site to purchase new guns and other equipment for its 82 deputies. The office hasn't received a budget increase... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Thousands of Firearms Stolen from Canadian Gun Owners, Few Recovered
Vancouver Sun
16 February 2007
More than 2,300 firearms have been stolen from legal-gun owners in B.C. in the past eight years -- including military-style assault rifles such as the AK-47, according to records obtained by CanWest News Service. And only 99 of those missing firearms have been recovered by police -- meaning hundreds of weapons are still unaccounted for. Gun-registry data obtained by the Ottawa Citizen through the Access to Information Act... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Gun Crackdown in Canada? YES: Close Loopholes for Assault Weapons
Ottawa Citizen (Ontario), Opinion
15 February 2007
As all firearms are potentially dangerous, all firearms need to be regulated, and all firearms owners regularly screened. While many firearms serve broadly accepted purposes -- hunting, for example -- there are others, such as military assault weapons, where the potential risk outweighs the accepted utility. Although definitions vary, a recent study has confirmed that most countries in the world prohibit civilian possession of these... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Licensed Canadian Gun Owners Have Lost 17,000 Firearms to Criminals
Ottawa Citizen (Ontario), Series
14 February 2007
The list reads like a SWAT team's inventory or a catalogue for a military museum: Uzis, AK-47s, vintage Tommy guns, German assault rifles and a compact submachine-gun capable of firing 900 rounds a minute. They are some of the most efficient combat firearms ever made and many of them are in the hands of Canadian criminals. More than 1,200 of these prohibited-class firearms have been reported stolen in the past six years and only... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Gun Enthusiasts Legally Own 7,100 Full-auto 'Machine Guns'
Ottawa Citizen (Ontario), Series
13 February 2007
Dave Tomlinson belongs to one of the most exclusive clubs in the country. It hasn't accepted a new member since 1978 and is unlikely to do so again. If you don't already belong, owning the one thing you would need to join could get you arrested. Mr. Tomlinson, a firearms advocate and proud Uzi owner, is one of a shrinking group of Canadians permitted to keep fully automatic weapons -- machine-guns, submachine-guns and other firearms... ( gunpolicy.org )
Papua New Guinea
Voting Under the Barrel of a Gun Predicted for Papua New Guinea Elections
National (Port Moresby), Editorial
12 February 2007
This is one occasion when the leaders and people of Papua New Guinea should listen to the PNG Defence Force. On Friday, we carried a front page story from Defence Force Captain Thomas Kilala. Capt Kilala, a career soldier and a veteran journalist, publicly confirmed what many of us have known for a long time -- the spread of lethal weapons in the Southern Highlands province remains a major threat to the coming elections.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Knob Creek, Kentucky: 2 Days Firing the Deadliest Guns Civilians Can Buy
Sunday Herald (Scotland)
11 February 2007
Richard Parker has a problem with his 50-calibre sniper's rifle, but firepower isn't it. Made by Hampshire-based company Accuracy International, the rifle's cigar-sized bullet reputedly slams into distant targets with more force than Dirty Harry's famous .44 Magnum at point-blank range. "With the right ammunition," muses Parker, an amiable 57-year-old marketing executive from Indiana, "you can take out a tank." Accuracy isn't the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, Australia
Canadians Can Still Buy Semi-automatic Gun Used in Australian Death Spree
National Post (Toronto) / CanWest
10 February 2007
MONTREAL -- On a sunny day in April 1996, Martin Bryant went to a cafe in Port Arthur, Tasmania, and pulled out a semi-automatic AR-15. He fired 29 shots in 90 seconds, killing 20 people. Bryant, 28, moved into the parking lot, where he switched to another military-style rifle and got into his car. By the time he was arrested the following morning, Bryant had murdered 35 people. The response was swift. Within 12... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, Australia
Canadians Consider Restricting Rapid Fire Guns, Cite Australian Example
Ottawa Citizen (Ontario), Series
10 February 2007
Before different types of firearms are regulated, they have to be defined, and that is the challenge of changing current firearms law to prohibit "assault weapons." Gun owners point out that most firearms in circulation were originally designed for military purposes. Even antique flintlock muskets were at one time considered high-tech assault rifles. After an elementary school massacre in Stockton, California, U.S. lawmakers... ( gunpolicy.org )
Papua New Guinea
Some 15,000 Guns in Hands of Papua New Guinea Highlanders
National (Port Moresby)
10 February 2007
More than 15,000 guns are in the hands of village warlords in the Southern Highlands province despite efforts by the security force personnel involved in the state of emergency (SoE) to remove them, the Integrated Coordinating and Planning Team (ICPT) has revealed. The ICPT believes this is a serious problem and should be dealt with urgently. Under an amnesty declared last year, guns were surrendered to be destroyed without those... ( gunpolicy.org )
Papua New Guinea
PNG Criminals Dressed as Police Raid Armoured Car With AR-15s, M-16s
Post-Courier (Port Moresby)
7 February 2007
Criminals in full police gear and heavily armed with M16 and AR15 guns fiercely attempted to hijack an armoured security vehicle in Port Moresby yesterday. The criminals in two vehicles reportedly followed the security vehicle from the Bank of Papua New Guinea in Downtown Port Moresby and blocked it off at Waigani as it was transporting cash to two commercial banks along Waigani Drive. One of the criminals' vehicles cruised... ( gunpolicy.org )
Papua New Guinea
Stolen PNG Police AR-15 Assault Rifle Now Killing in Highlands Tribal Fight
Post-Courier (Port Moresby)
26 January 2007
A state-owned AR15 assault rifle seized from Mt Hagen police by heavily armed warriors at Nebliyer Valley in the Western Highlands Province is believed to be used against the enemy Kulga tribe. Warlords from Ulka Ukupka-Kuwar seized the high-powered rifle recently by attacking two police vehicles returning to Mt Hagen after escorting highway trucks to Southern Highlands. Salon Thomson, a community leader from Kulga tribe... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico, United States
US Ban Lifted, Assault Weapons 'Sell Like Candy' to Mexican Gun Runners
Arizona Republic
16 January 2007
MEXICO CITY -- The Mexican village of Zazalpa got a chilling lesson in American-made firepower recently. Homes, cars, everything was destroyed. Even the cows were shot. About 60 Mexican drug smugglers rolled into Zazalpa, 300 miles southeast of Douglas, looking for a rival trafficker in November. They rounded up residents, then raked the empty village with American-made AR-15 rifles. The destruction of Zazalpa is just one... ( gunpolicy.org )
Papua New Guinea
PNG Robbers Ambush Police, Steal AR-15 Assault Rifle in Nebilyer Valley
Post-Courier (Port Moresby)
15 January 2007
Two police highway patrol units were ambushed in the war-ravaged Nebilyer Valley on Friday morning and an AR15 assault rifle was seized by heavily armed warriors. The police cars were returning to Mt Hagen after escorting highway trucks bound for resource projects in the Southern Highlands Province when they were confronted by armed warriors. It is not the first time policemen were stripped of firearms in this notorious area. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Montana Gun Parts Manufacturer Denies Years of Illegal Pistol, Rifle-making
Montana Standard (Butte)
22 December 2006
DILLON -- A federal prosecutor has taken steps to permanently confiscate gun parts from an Argenta man who is under investigation for illegally selling firearms without a license. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paulette Stewart this month filed to have four parts that federal agents seized from Richard Celata forfeited to the government. The parts include four gun frames that can be machined to make them fire, which the government alleges... ( gunpolicy.org )
Papua New Guinea
Stolen Police, Army Guns Underpin Threat to Sabotage PNG Elections
Post-Courier (Port Moresby)
22 November 2006
Warriors involved in a long-running tribal conflict in the Western Highlands have threatened to sabotage the 2007 general elections. They are demanding that the National Government provide incentives to deter them from resorting to crime. The warriors from the Nebilyer valley also want the Government to station a police mobile squad or a Defence Force unit in the area before they lay down their arms. "Our conflict started over land... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Wives in Danger from Gun Toting Culture: Excerpt from Gun Show Nation
AlterNet (USA), Book Excerpt
17 October 2006
The following is an excerpt from Gun Show Nation: Gun Culture and American Democracy by Joan Burbick (The New Press, October 17, 2006). He was much larger than I am, and he had a beefy football-player build and short dark hair -- the bouncer type. He was going to get physical if I objected. He was ready to push as we walked quickly past the long row of tables covered with guns and ammo, past the woman collecting money for admission.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US State Trooper, Doctor/Gun Collector Owned, Fired Illegal Machine Guns
St Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)
5 October 2006
An emergency room doctor's friendship with and concern for an Illinois state trooper led both to be charged earlier this year with federal machine-gun possession charges, newly released court documents and court testimony show. Prosecutors charged Dr. Harold Griffiths, Special Agent John Yard and two other troopers in January after the troopers used automatic weapons at a firing range at the Greenville federal prison, court documents... ( gunpolicy.org )
Papua New Guinea
PNG Policeman Robbed of AR-15, Pistol, Truck in Capital City
Post-Courier (Port Moresby)
28 September 2006
Two guns belonging to Eda Ranu are in the wrong hands after they were stolen from police at Morata in Port Moresby. The Bush Master rifle and a Glock (handgun) pistol were stolen from a vehicle belonging to Eda Ranu at about 2.15am on Wednesday morning, when a police reserve attached to Port Moresby's water company was dropping off a colleague at Morata. Metsupt Mark Kanawi confirmed the Eda Ranu utility truck was outside... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Another School Shooting in Montreal, Another Case for Gun Control [English]
Le Soleil / Cyberpresse (Quebec City) -- Translated, Opinion
24 September 2006
Another school shooting. More funerals, nightmares and questions. For the victims and their close relations, and for the students of Dawson, the world will never be the same again. And as in 1989, after the slaughter at l'École Polytechnique, the citizens, the media and the politicians react by wondering how one can prevent this kind of tragedy. There is talk of changing the violent culture, of reducing the isolation of young people,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Another School Shooting in Montreal, Another Case for Gun Control [Francais]
Le Soleil / Cyberpresse (Quebec City), Opinion
24 September 2006
Encore une fusillade dans une école. Encore des funérailles, des cauchemars et des questions. Pour les victimes et leurs proches, et pour les étudiants de Dawson, le monde ne sera jamais plus le même. Et comme en 1989, après la tuerie à l'École Polytechnique, les citoyens, les médias et les politiciens réagissent en se demandant comment on peut prévenir ce genre de tragédie. On parle de changer la culture violente, de... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Assault Weapons Seized in Mississippi, Police Waver on 2nd Amendment
Leader-Call (Mississippi)
1 August 2006
Laurel Police Department Detective Michael Reaves is a supporter of the Second Amendment, which gives Americans the right to bear arms. But if it comes to the point he is looking down the barrel of an assault rifle, then his support naturally wavers. At a press conference Monday morning in the office of Laurel Mayor Melvin Mack, Reaves and other LPD officials showcased several rifles, many of which were assault/military type weapons,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Gun Runners Sold Military Machine Guns to Drug Dealers
Surrey Leader (British Columbia)
9 July 2006
A Surrey man is one of 10 people facing criminal charges after police broke up a gun trafficking ring that sold handguns, rifles and machine guns to drug dealers in the Lower Mainland. Robert Dela Pena Banez, 37, is charged with conspiracy to commit weapons trafficking, possession of firearms for the purpose of trafficking, unauthorized possession of firearms and possession of prohibited devices. The other alleged conspirators... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Traffickers Sold Smuggled, Rebuilt Machine Guns to Drug Dealers
Vancouver Sun (British Columbia)
8 July 2006
LOWER MAINLAND -- It may have looked like nothing to the casual observer. But when a man pulled a hockey bag from the trunk of a car parked outside Burnaby's Eight Rinks last April 25, it contained three fully automatic MAC 10 machine pistols, each capable of firing 32 bullets in less than 10 seconds. Police later swooped in and seized the weapons in Langley, along with a loaded handgun, as part of an 14-month investigation that... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Glitch in California's Assault Weapon Law Triggers Rush to Beat Gun Ban
Record (California)
10 April 2006
STOCKTON -- Gun components that can be used to build assault weapons have flooded into California under a loophole in state law. The glitch has delighted some gun owners, who hope to register the weapons before any state legislation is passed barring their possession. Frames of more than 30,000 AR- and AK-series guns have entered California, according to estimates from some gun advocates, and can be purchased from many weapons dealers... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
'Gun Shows Are One of Our Main Problems,' Says Kansas City Mayor
Kansas City Star (Missouri)
26 March 2006
Each weekend in America, vast arsenals of weapons are bought and sold. Critics say those buyers include criminals. Advocates insist it's all legal AK-47s. SKS sniper rifles. Armor-piercing bullets. Machine gun displays. It's just another weekend at a Kansas City gun show, where there is so much firepower at your fingertips that even some gun enthusiasts shake their heads in wonder. But the shows -- which gained... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Dallas Gun Collectors Donate .50cal Rifles, Assault Weapons to City Police
CBS-11 News (Dallas)
8 March 2006
DALLAS -- The Dallas Police Department got something today that it's been wanting for a long time ... a donation of high-powered, semi-automatic weapons. Not many police departments have .50 caliber rifles. The Dallas Police Department just got some donated. They are powerful and precise and the police department believes they will be helpful in stopping well-armed criminals. They are the most powerful guns money... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago Man Charged With 276 Illegal Gun Counts
Chicago Tribune
17 February 2006
A Southwest Side man was charged Thursday with 276 counts of possession of unregistered firearms, police said. James R. Patrick, 63, was arrested Wednesday morning after police found about 300 handguns, shotguns and rifles in his home in the 3700 block of West 62nd Place, plus several thousand rounds of ammunition. The charges against Patrick are misdemeanors, Officer Kristina Schuler said. Of the counts, some are for failure... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago Police Find 300 Guns, Arrest 63yr-old Man: Gunrunning Suspected
Chicago Tribune
16 February 2006
Guns. Lots of them. Big ones and small ones. Pump shotguns and six-shot revolvers. World War I-era single-action shooters and brand-new sniper rifles with the factory tags still on them. In all, Chicago police seized more than 300 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition Wednesday from a Southwest Side home across an alley from an elementary school. "To the best of my recollection, this is the largest gun... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Handguns in DVD Player: Deadly US-Canada Pipeline Pumping Weapons
Toronto Sun (Ontario)
15 February 2006
BRAMPTON -- Semi- automatic handguns hidden inside a DVD player were part of a pipeline pumping weapons into Canada from the US -- and most of the guns have not been found, police said yesterday. Cops have seized 37 guns during a two-year investigation but the whereabouts of another 48 firearms smuggled here is unknown. "We don't know at this time but we've drawn a strong linkage that those guns have been brought into the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Gun Collector Loses 50 Handguns, 30 Long Guns from 'Modest Apartment'
Toronto Sun (Ontario)
12 February 2006
MISSISSAUGA -- Gary Gordemeer's jaw dropped when he stepped inside his apartment to find three of his four tightly bolted metal lockers busted wide open. The 62-year-old tripped over the piles of combat magazines, hunting books and gun stocks crammed into his modest dwelling before discovering more than 80 guns, including 50 handguns, in his prized 100-piece collection were missing. "I was in awe," the burly man said. "I... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Teen Poses With AR-15, Photo Lab Tips Police, Two Arrested
Hamilton Spectator (Ontario)
14 January 2006
Police have laid weapons charges for the second time in a week after receiving tips from local photo labs about teens posing with guns. The latest arrests resulted from a call to police on Jan. 6 after a clerk noticed images of someone handling and posing with a firearm, police said. After identifying individuals in the photos, police set up surveillance outside a central Hamilton residence. Police said they saw... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Guns Flow Easily Into Mexico from the US
Los Angeles Times
8 January 2006
NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico -- The most popular instruments of robbery, torture, homicide and assassination in this violence-racked border city are imported from the United States. "Warning," reads the sign greeting motorists on the U.S. side as they approach the Rio Grande that separates the two countries here. "Illegal to carry firearms/ammunition into Mexico. Penalty, prison." The signs have done little to stop what... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Police/Criminal Arms Race Promotes Assault Weapons for All
Miami Herald (Florida)
19 December 2005
Feb. 28, 1997, is a day most cops won't ever forget. Two bank robbers wearing body armor and brandishing automatic weapons turned a quiet San Fernando Valley neighborhood into a bloody ambush. North Hollywood, Calif., police officers were outgunned and forced to scramble for cover amid relentless gunfire. A quick-thinking sergeant commandeered nine rifles from a neighborhood gun store to end the melee, but when it was over,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Shooter Was Convicted Felon, Bought AR-15 at Gun Show
Longmont Daily Times-Call (Colorado)
9 December 2005
LONGMONT -- Spencer Johnson's former roommate and landlord says the man he evicted had a notable affection for guns but was reckless with them. "I know he had many guns and was careless and irresponsible," Walt Jackson said Thursday. "He should have never had a weapon. He didn't take them seriously." Johnson, 20, is being held at the Boulder County Jail on a $500,000 bond on charges that include attempted second-degree... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian PM Plans to Announce Sweeping New Handgun Ban
Canadian Press
7 December 2005
OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Paul Martin will venture into a violence-plagued area of Toronto on Thursday to announce a sweeping ban on handguns, The Canadian Press has learned. Martin was scheduled to visit Toronto's troubled Jane-Finch area to make a "safer communities announcement." Liberal sources have confirmed the announcement includes an "outright" ban on handguns. However, there will be exceptions for competitive target... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
Glockless Texan Quits 'Too Risky' UK Police Force
Sunday Times (UK)
4 December 2005
A Texan patrol officer who became the first foreigner to join the British police is to resign after three years because he says policing is too dangerous here compared with America. Ben Johnson, a 6ft 4in former paratrooper nicknamed Slim, has written to his chief constable asking to carry a Glock 17 handgun on his routine beat in Reading. He said officers are dying unnecessarily because they are less well equipped and... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Teen Killer Had Access to 54 Guns at Home
Lancaster New Era (Pennsylvania)
17 November 2005
LANCASTER COUNTY, Pennsylvania -- David G. Ludwig obviously had access to guns. But investigators didn't know just how many guns the young man had available to him until they searched his family's Warwick Township home. More than 50 weapons -- including three assault rifles, plus numerous shotguns, handguns, rifles, scopes and bullets -- were confiscated from the Ludwig home on Sunday, according to court documents. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Hurricane Katrina and Gun Ownership [A more balanced version]
All Things Considered, National Public Radio (USA), Transcript
12 October 2005
MICHELE NORRIS, host: Guns became a prized commodity in the wake of Hurricane Katrina when New Orleans descended into lawlessness. Police sought additional firearms to put down anarchy. Many civilians wanted guns for personal protection, buying and sometimes stealing them. Some of the accounts of civil unrest that prompted the scramble for firepower have turned out to be false. But as NPR's John Burnett reports, the rumors have taken on... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Fear of Disorder Sparks Louisiana Gun-Buying Spree
Agence France Presse
12 September 2005
Baton Rouge -- Fears of social breakdown and anarchy in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has seen consumers giving gun stores a sales boost. "We could hardly keep up. We would sell out of everything," said Marshall Morgan, owner of Precision Firearms and Indoor Range in the Louisiana state capital of Baton Rouge. He estimated that his sales are 10 times what they were before Hurricane Katrina. Many of the people... ( gunpolicy.org )
Papua New Guinea
Police Test Previously Confiscated 'Trial' SAR-21 Assault Rifles
Post-Courier (Port Moresby)
25 August 2005
The police mobile squad will be using three new firearms from Singapore during its operations at the 30th independence anniversary celebrations, Princess Anne's Royal visit and the Pacific Island Forum. Assistant Police Commissioner (operations) Jim Andrews, Correctional Service officer in charge of central armoury Inspector Rueben Manamb, Mel Management managing director Melvin Korowi and officers from the mobile squad were up... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Destroying Police Guns Under UN 'Convention' Deplored
Hawke's Bay Today, Editorial
28 May 2005
Being a good global citizen sometimes demands that we yield to international conventions that bind the hands of government. However, United Nations decisions are being enshrined in New Zealand law to the extent that their literal observance makes one wonder just who is supposed to be running the country. It is not surprising that conspiracy theories about ambitions of a big-brother, one-world government have taken root. The... ( gunpolicy.org )
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