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
Mother Behind a Movement: Abby Spangler Leads US Gun Control Push
Washington Post
3 July 2008
Old Town Alexandria's Abby Spangler didn't set out to start a national movement for tighter gun controls. But she took note when two students shot their classmates at Columbine High School in Colorado. She watched moms keep their kids inside when the D.C. snipers terrorized the Washington region. Then five Amish girls were shot in their Pennsylvania schoolhouse. Finally, on the morning of April 16, 2007, when Seung Hui Cho opened... ( gunpolicy.org )
Sri Lanka
Guns a Threat to Business, High Cost of Armed Violence in Sri Lanka
Lanka Business Online, Web Page
2 July 2008
The proliferation of illicit small arms in Sri Lanka not only fuels crime but has indirect costs on business as well as the environment, a new survey says. It said 9mm pistols were sold in the underworld for 15,000 rupees and T-56 automatic assault rifles for 50,000 -- 75,000 rupees while ammunition is also easily available, according to information from criminals and prisoners. Crimes using small arms can impact the local... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Overturning Washington's Handgun Ban May Make US Cities Safer
Toronto Sun (Ontario)
2 July 2008
When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Washington's ban on handguns, our beloved mayor warned this would add to gun violence in Toronto. The mayor is out to lunch -- fear mongering. Again. Under Mayor David Miller's prodding, city council recently voted 31-9 to ban gun clubs in Toronto, hopefully en route to making Toronto a gun-free city. Superficially, it's convenient for those who blame guns for the violence that has been blossoming... ( gunpolicy.org )
France
French Soldier Used Wrong Ammunition, Fired Into Crowd, Injured 17
Times (UK)
1 July 2008
PARIS -- A French paratrooper who fired his assault rifle into a crowd of spectators during a hostage-freeing exercise will face charges of grave negligence, prosecutors said yesterday. A three-year-old boy and his parents were among the 15 civilians and two military personnel who were wounded in the shooting, which took place during an open day at the 3rd Marine Parachutist Regiment barracks on Sunday afternoon. The boy... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Disintegration of US Democrats' Gun Control Push 'Pretty Much Complete'
New York Times / Campaign Stops, Blog
30 June 2008
The Obama campaign Web site's "In the News" section, which chronicles Barack Obama's recent statements on the 36th anniversary of the passage of Title IX and the Juneteenth holiday celebration, does not include his reaction to the United States Supreme Court decision last week to strike down the District of Columbia's ban on handguns. Though I couldn't find it on the Web site, the campaign did issue a statement -- albeit a fairly tepid one... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Ruling Should Have No Effect on Connecticut's Gun Control Laws
Hartford Courant (Connecticut), Editorial
30 June 2008
Count us among those who believe the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution means what it plainly says. A common-sense reading of that famous single sentence -- "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed" -- construes it as creating a collective, not individual, right to possess firearms. But a 5-4 majority of the Supreme... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Obama May Prove Biggest Winner in Wake of US Gun Rights Decision
Boston Globe, Column
29 June 2008
When it comes to gun control, the Democratic Party is a house divided against itself. That helps explain Barack Obama's dizzyingly inconsistent positions on District of Columbia v. Heller, the landmark Second Amendment case decided by the Supreme Court last week. As a candidate for the Illinois Legislature in the 1990s, Obama had supported legislation to "ban the manufacture, sale, and possession of handguns," so it wasn't surprising... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Supreme Court Decision 'Stunning Defeat for Advocates of Gun Control'
Town Hall (USA), Column
29 June 2008
Thomas Jefferson once wrote, pessimistically, "The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." He would probably not have been surprised to see the proliferation of gun control laws in our time. But he might not have anticipated that the water would run back uphill. Thursday's Supreme Court decision affirming that the Second Amendment recognizes an individual right to own firearms for self-defense... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US High Court's Ruling Doesn't Endanger Sensible Gun Control
Capital (Maryland), Editorial
29 June 2008
We have long supported reasonable gun control. There's nothing wrong in principle with licensing and registration. Government has an obligation to keep guns out of the grasp of felons and the mentally ill. And just as the Constitution's First Amendment free speech protection doesn't confer a right to commit libel or sell pornography, the Second Amendment doesn't confer a right to own an assault weapon -- or a howitzer. For all that,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Right to Own Guns in America 'Should Not Extend to Assault Weapons'
Richmond Times-Dispatch (Virginia)
28 June 2008
'Today I didn't even have to use my AK / I got to say it was a good day' -- Ice Cube No one would mistake the Flat Rock area of Powhatan County for South Central Los Angeles. Homicides are a shocking rarity in this slice of rural Virginia, much less those involving an assault rifle. But Powhatan Sheriff Gregory A. Neal said an AK-47 is what killed 18-year-old Tahliek Taliaferro. The AK-47 and its imitators have... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Despite High Court's 'Misguided Ruling,' DC May Have Some Gun Options
Washington Post, Editorial
27 June 2008
It is deeply disappointing, though not surprising, that the Supreme Court yesterday struck down the District's gun laws after finding that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms. Writing for the four justices in dissent, Justice John Paul Stevens offered a persuasive case that the Second Amendment protects the right to bear arms only in relation to service in a state militia. Justice Antonin Scalia, writing... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Debate Pushed Back to the Forefront of America's Political Agenda
Washington Post
27 June 2008
With yesterday's decision, the Supreme Court pushed the gun issue back to the forefront of the nation's agenda, opening a new chapter in what has been one of the most contentious and divisive debates in American politics for the past four decades. Advocacy groups braced for new skirmishes, both in courts and in legislatures. Gun rights advocates, hailing what they called a historic milestone, immediately targeted other jurisdictions... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Law Decision 'Frightening,' Chicago Mayor Braces for NRA Attack
New York Times
27 June 2008
WASHINGTON -- Gun-control advocates across the country reacted with shock and outrage at the Supreme Court's decision to strike down the District of Columbia's ban on handguns today, saying the ruling would threaten gun-control measures in other states. If there was any doubt that other bans would be in peril, the National Rifle Association quickly put those questions to rest when it announced shortly after the ruling that it would... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Licensing, Registration, Background Checks OK - US High Court
USA Today, Editorial
27 June 2008
On hot-button cultural issues, the Supreme Court typically doesn't stray far from public opinion. So that's where the court found itself Thursday with its landmark Second Amendment ruling, right where the majority of Americans are on the issue: for gun ownership, but with limits. The court straddled that line. It said for the first time that the Constitution bars "the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used for self-defense... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Ruling Reverberates in Presidential Campaign - McCain, Obama
Chicago Tribune
27 June 2008
WASHINGTON -- Democrat Barack Obama offered a guarded response Thursday to the Supreme Court ruling striking down the District of Columbia's prohibition on handguns and sidestepped providing a view on the 32-year-old local gun ban, leading Republican rival John McCain's campaign to accuse him of an "incredible flip-flop" on gun control. Obama issued a carefully worded written statement that applauded the court for providing "much-needed... ( 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
US High Court Decision Means 'Rethinking Local Gun Control Laws'
Daily American (Illinois) / Gatehouse News
27 June 2008
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois -- A U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning the District of Columbia's handgun ban won't have a direct, immediate effect on existing gun-control laws in Illinois, according to legal experts. But the high court's ruling could affect what happens here in the future when state and local officials grapple with restrictions on guns. "When you see the gnashing of teeth by the anti-gun types, there's a good... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
'Dangerous and Unusual' Guns Can Still Be Controlled in America
Economist
26 June 2008
After 217 years, the Supreme Court appears at last to have settled one of the most hotly disputed questions in American constitutional law: who has the right to pack heat? The second amendment says: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." The odd punctuation makes it unclear what this means. Can anyone own a gun, or only those who... ( gunpolicy.org )
Germany, Switzerland, Italy, United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa
Gun Laws in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, UK, Australia, South Africa
Associated Press
26 June 2008
GERMANY: Requires license to obtain and use firearms and stipulates a check on the "reliability and suitability" of holders at least once every three years. Under-25s must undergo psychological screening. Buyers must justify why they need a gun. Would-be buyers of recreational firearms must produce proof of regular membership in shooting club for at least one year. Legal age for owning recreational firearms is 21. That... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Lobby Immediately Launches Challenge to San Francisco Gun Law
Los Angeles Times
26 June 2008
Emboldened by today's U.S. Supreme Court ruling affirming an individual's right to possess a firearm, gun advocates said they would immediately challenge a San Francisco law that prohibits guns in public housing. The lawsuit, which the National Rifle Assn. said it would file Friday, was one of several legal challenges gun groups said they would file around the country to enforce the court decision and determine its scope. "I... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Illinois Lawmakers: DC Ruling Makes it Tougher to Pass Gun Restrictions
Chicago Tribune / Clout Street, Web Page
26 June 2008
State lawmakers said Thursday the Supreme Court opinion on gun control is likely to prompt a flurry of legislation in Springfield but at the same time will make it harder for any new gun restrictions to pass. Even before the decision, lawmakers struggled to find votes for bills aimed at reducing gun violence. Since 2004, when Congress allowed a 10-year federal ban on assault weapons to expire, lawmakers have been unable to muster... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Louisiana Weapon Collector Faces 8 Charges After Reporting Gun 'Theft'
New Orleans Times-Picayune (Louisiana)
26 June 2008
St. Tammany Parish deputies seized an arsenal from a Slidell-area home last week that included a military-grade machine gun and sniper rifle, submachine guns, assault rifles likely converted to automatic fire and dozens of other weapons including sawed-off shotguns. The seizure, which also included manuals on converting weapons to automatic fire, computers, a flak jacket and tactical webbing and more than half a million rounds of... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New Jersey's Tough Gun Laws 'Not Threatened' by High Court Ruling
Newsday (New York) / AP
26 June 2008
NEWARK, New Jersey -- The New Jersey attorney general and a gun control advocate said the state's tough firearms laws are not threatened by Thursday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a handgun ban in the District of Columbia. "We believe the court affirmed the right of states to regulate gun ownership to protect public safety and endorsed commonsense licensing of firearms and concealed-weapons restrictions like we have... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Recent Deadly Mass Shootings in the United States, 2007-2008
Reuters
26 June 2008
Thursday's ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that individual Americans have the right to own guns is likely to revive the debate over gun ownership and violent crime -- a debate that is periodically ignited by mass shootings in the country. Following is a chronology of some recent deadly mass shootings in the United States: April 16, 2007 -- Virginia Tech, a university in Blacksburg, Virginia, became the site of the deadliest... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Reported Gun Control Positions of US Presidential Candidates
Reuters
26 June 2008
The Supreme Court's ruling on Thursday that Americans have the right to own guns for personal use could become an issue in the U.S. presidential race. Here are the positions of the two candidates in November's election: DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE SEN. BARACK OBAMA Wants tighter background checks on gun buyers, making gun locks mandatory and holding parents criminally responsible for children who injure someone with a... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Federal Agents Raid Blackwater Armoury in Assault Weapon Probe
Associated Press
26 June 2008
RALEIGH, North Carolina -- Federal agents raided Blackwater Worldwide this week as part of an investigation into whether the private security company sidestepped federal laws prohibiting the private purchase of automatic assault rifles, the company said Thursday. Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives searched Blackwater's armory at its corporate headquarters... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Feds Visit Blackwater 'Mercenary' Base, Seize 2 Dozen Assault Rifles
News & Observer (North Carolina)
26 June 2008
Agents of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have confiscated nearly two dozen automatic rifles from Blackwater Worldwide, the private security contractor and firearms training company in Moyock, N.C. The move came two days after a story in The News & Observer raised questions about the legality of Blackwater's deals to buy the guns for the Camden County Sheriff's Department. The security firm kept the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Right to Own Guns Remains Subject to 'Reasonable Limitations'
Dallas Morning News (Texas)
26 June 2008
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court tossed out a handgun ban in the nation's capital on Thursday, holding for the first time that the Second Amendment does protect an individual right to self-defense and gun ownership. But in its first hard look at gun rights in nearly 70 years, the court also held -- in a narrow, 5-4 ruling -- that the right is subject to some reasonable limitations. "Like most rights, the Second Amendment... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Feds Probe Blackwater Deal to Buy Assault Weapons in Name of Sheriff
Daily Advance (North Carolina)
23 June 2008
The Camden Sheriff's Office's three-year-old weapons arrangement with a private military contractor has attracted federal attention, but Sheriff Tony Perry said he is not aware of anything wrong with the deal. According to Perry, the sheriff's office was trying to put together a SWAT team in 2005, but lacked the necessary weapons. Blackwater Worldwide, which is headquartered in nearby Moyock, helped the sheriff's department by donating... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Security Company Blackwater Sidesteps US Law to Keep, Fire AK-47s
Associated Press
23 June 2008
MOYOCK, North Carolina -- Private security contractor Blackwater Worldwide has been able to keep 17 AK-47s at its armory under a deal that sidesteps federal laws prohibiting private parties from buying automatic weapons, a newspaper reported Sunday. The News & Observer of Raleigh found Blackwater purchased 17 Romanian AK-47s and 17 Bushmasters -- and then gave ownership of the guns to the Camden County sheriff. Sheriff... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Did US 'Mercenary' Firm Use 'Straw Purchase' to Buy Assault Weapons?
News & Observer (North Carolina)
22 June 2008
The private military company Blackwater has found an unusual way to skirt federal laws that prohibit private parties from buying automatic weapons. Blackwater bought 17 Romanian AK-47s and 17 Bushmasters, gave ownership of the guns to the Camden County sheriff and keeps most of the guns at Blackwater's armory in Moyock. Tiny Camden County -- population 9,271 -- is one of the most peaceful in North Carolina. In the last 10 years,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Popularity of Imitation Guns Alarms Police: Airguns Injure 20,000 a Year
Washington Post
21 June 2008
An alarm went off one night at Potowmack Elementary School in Sterling, and a surveillance camera recorded the scene: five intruders in masks and hoods darting through hallways and corridors, their assault rifles pointed. In minutes, sheriff's deputies arrived, their own guns loaded and drawn. Only after the gunmen were taken into custody did deputies discover that the assault rifles were replicas -- so-called "airsoft"... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Licensed Canadian Gun Collector Walks on 50 Trafficking Charges
Winnipeg Free Press (Manitoba)
20 June 2008
A man accused of letting two dozen high-powered guns fall into the wrong hands has walked free on a legal technicality, the Free Press has learned. Terry Gale was arrested in 2002 following a raid on his Fort Rouge home. It was the largest weapons investigation in Manitoba history. Gale's case finally made it to court this month -- but the case abruptly collapsed earlier this week when a judge ruled Winnipeg police breached... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Assault Weapons, Handguns Seized from Wisconsin Felon, Sex Suspect
Wausau Daily Herald (Wisconsin)
19 June 2008
A 58-year-old Plover man is in custody after police recovered firearms, ammunition and improvised explosive devices from two homes in Portage County. The man, whose name is being withheld by police, was arrested without incident about 5 p.m. Tuesday in the 1500 block of Airline Road. He is being held in the Portage County Jail awaiting numerous charges, including possible federal charges. He will make a bond appearance today, and... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Supreme Court to Decide on DC Gun Ban - National Public Radio Q&A
National Public Radio (USA) / AP, Web Page
18 June 2008
In its first comprehensive look at the Second Amendment right to bear arms, the Supreme Court is expected to rule on the constitutionality of Washington, D.C.'s ban on handguns. The District of Columbia's ban is considered the nation's strictest gun-control law. A ruling by the court to strike it down could threaten other gun-control measures across the country, including laws that ban machine guns or assault weapons. Although... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Routine Arming of Police Would Be Big Step, Says New Zealand PM
Radio New Zealand
17 June 2008
Arming police patrols as a matter of routine would be a significant development for New Zealand, says Prime Minister Helen Clark. A proposal for armed patrols in Auckland has been given extra impetus after the fatal shooting of a Manurewa liquor store owner on 7 June. The proposal could result in officers carrying Glock pistols and Bushmaster rifles. Miss Clark says police are not advocating that street patrols be routinely... ( 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
More US Preschoolers Shot than Police Officers; US Leads in Gun Death
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia), Editorial
15 June 2008
Who dies in greater numbers from firearms, police in the line of duty or preschoolers? The answer -- contained in a searing new report by the Children's Defense Fund -- is surprising and disturbing. In 2005, the most recent year for which data are available, guns killed 69 preschoolers, compared with 53 law enforcement officers. That's just one of the alarming facts in the Washington-based child advocacy group's "Protect... ( 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
Gun Control 'Removed from US Agenda:' NRA's Political Clout is Waning
Los Angeles Times
14 June 2008
WASHINGTON -- Eight years after a national debate over gun control helped keep Democrat Al Gore out of the White House, the National Rifle Assn. and its Republican allies are launching a new campaign to defeat Barack Obama. But this time, the issue that GOP strategists once relied on to provide crucial votes in close elections has lost much of its political punch. Congress hasn't passed major legislation to restrict gun... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Unarmed Cops Remain 'Cornerstone of New Zealand Policing Model'
TVNZ One News
14 June 2008
Armed police units may be patrolling some of New Zealand's most dangerous streets by the middle of next year. A spate of violent crime has forced police to reconsider its policy of being generally unarmed. Designed to stop people in their tracks, police are considering using tasers and increasing the use of existing firearms to hit back at criminals on high risk Auckland streets. Police have been looking at alternative... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Feds Allege US 'Militiamen' Had Illegal Assault Weapons, Flame Thrower
Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh)
13 June 2008
Morgan Jones, said to be the captain of a local militia group, had a creative streak about him. At his property in Lucinda, Clarion County, the 64-year-old man hosted what were called "flamethrower parties." He fashioned a device only 18 inches tall and 12 inches wide that could shoot a flame 40 feet. But he also had a homemade cannon, made out of a vehicle's drive shaft, that he used to fire gasoline-filled beer cans;... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Texans Fuel Mexican Drug Wars with 'Virtual Arsenals' of Easy-buy Guns
Dallas Morning News (Texas), Editorial
12 June 2008
For every ounce of cocaine and heroin smuggled through Mexico into the United States, an equally deadly instrument of death moves south. Each year, virtual arsenals cross illegally from Texas into the hands of murderous drug cartels. The illicit weapons trade provides the muscle behind the Mexican cartels' brazen campaigns of kidnapping, torture and murder on both sides of the border. While some weapons are swiped from... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
UN Gun Control Boss Braces for Loss in Supreme Court, New Strategies
ABC News (USA)
12 June 2008
The nation's leading gun control group filed a "friend of the court" brief back in January defending the gun ban in Washington, D.C. But with the Supreme Court poised to hand down a potentially landmark decision in the case, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence fully expects to lose. "We've lost the battle on what the Second Amendment means," campaign president Paul Helmke told ABC News. "Seventy-five percent of the public... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Florida Man Legally Bought 4 Assault Weapons, Talked of School Killing
Associated Press
11 June 2008
MIAMI -- A man possessing an arsenal of AK-47 assault weapons, other guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition at the time of his arrest pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal charge of threatening over the Internet to pull off a Virginia Tech-style massacre. Under a plea agreement with prosecutors, 20-year-old Calin Chi Wong would avoid prison time but have to surrender his entire cache and be barred from owning firearms in the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Submachine Gun, 60 Handguns, Rifles Taken from California Ex-convict
Pasadena Star-News (California)
11 June 2008
ALTADENA -- An ex-convict was in custody Wednesday after authorities served a search warrant at his home and discovered more than 60 guns -- from hunting rifles to a Tec-9 submachine gun. Donald Williams, 55, of Altadena was arrested Tuesday after detectives obtained a warrant to search his home on North Fair Oaks Avenue. Most of the firearms were rifles, but investigators also found handguns and shotguns. Williams... ( gunpolicy.org )
Pakistan
Pakistani Civil Society Groups Promote Global Gun Control Campaign
Post (Pakistan)
10 June 2008
PESHAWAR -- Concerned at the increasing number of fatalities by small arms, speakers at a workshop stressed the need to raise awareness about the threat to life posed by small arms and asked the government to regulate the inflow and use of firearms in Pakistan. There are about 20 million small arms in Pakistan, making it the country with the highest per capita guns in the world, the speakers observed. They said that an estimated... ( gunpolicy.org )
Pakistan, Afghanistan
Pakistani Gun Control Groups Target US, Afghanistan for Weapon Flood
International News (Karachi)
10 June 2008
PESHAWAR -- Highlighting case of Pakistan Raza Shah Khan, executive director of Sustainable Peace and Development Organisation (Spado) claimed that the problem of arms proliferation in the region was the result of Afghanistan war wherein the US provided about $2 billion in arms aid. "We had the greatest number of guns per capita in the world," he told a seminar, jointly organised by Spado, Community Appraisal and Motivation Programme... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Unprecedented Policing Effort Tackles US-Mexico Gun Smuggling
Dallas Morning News (Texas)
10 June 2008
HOUSTON -- Tons of heroin and cocaine move north across the Southwestern border. And millions of dollars and truckloads of weapons move south -- feeding the escalating levels of violence that have turned parts of Mexico into war zones and spread as far as North Texas. At least 80 percent of all of the weapons used by drug traffickers in Mexico to kill one another as well as police and soldiers come from the U.S., Mexican officials... ( 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
Delaware Man with 10 Loaded Guns, Assault Rifle Shoots at Police, Dies
News Journal (Delaware)
9 June 2008
The man shot and killed by a state trooper after a lengthy standoff south of Milford had ten loaded guns in his possession, police said Sunday. Delaware State Police homicide detectives recovered the weapons from the home of Richard D. Redmond, a 52-year-old former California Highway Patrol officer who was killed early Saturday. The guns found were: a Smith and Wesson 10mm Pistol, Glock 26 pistol, Glock model 17 pistol,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Report Shows New Increase in Child, Teen Gun Deaths in America
Huffington Post (USA), Blog
9 June 2008
Imagine a bullet fired from a semiautomatic pistol, moving through the night darkness faster than the speed of sound -- more than 1,200 feet per second or four football fields end to end. Now imagine that bullet slamming into the body of a child like a brick through a picture window. Hold that image in your mind as you consider some of the leads of recent news articles of child firearm victims: -Chicago, May 3 -Cortney... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United States
Canadian Dealers Import Guns as Movie Props, Sell to Gangs [Francais]
Presse canadienne
8 June 2008
[Translated summary: A Royal Canadian Mounted Police police report says gun dealers exploited a legal loophole to import handguns, assault weapons and machine guns from the United States as movie-props, then sell them to drug gangs]. OTTAWA -- Des armes à feu destinées à servir d'accessoires pour des acteurs de cinéma aboutissent entre les mains de véritables criminels à cause d'une "échappatoire" dans les lois canadiennes.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United States
Canadian Gun Dealers Exploit Movie-prop 'Loophole' to Arm Drug Gangs
Canadian Press
8 June 2008
OTTAWA -- Guns intended for make-believe action on the silver screen are winding up in the hands of real-life criminals due to a "loophole" in Canadian laws, says an RCMP intelligence report. Some firearms dealers in British Columbia have taken advantage of movie production companies filming in various Canadian locations, says the newly declassified report on trends in gun trafficking and smuggling. Special permits allow... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gunmaker FN's US Plant Thrives as Wars Drag On, New Rifles Designed
State (South Carolina) / AP
8 June 2008
Tucked behind the Village at Sandhill shopping center, a factory pumps out hundreds of machine guns and rifles every day for U.S. forces fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since the United States went to war in Afghanistan and Iraq, gunmaker FN Manufacturing almost has doubled its Columbia work force while investing millions to upgrade its plant. The company's bread and butter is the M-16 rifle, carried by almost every G.I.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Colombia, Venezuela
Venezuelan Sergeant Said Trafficking Ammunition to Colombia's FARC
Los Angeles Times
8 June 2008
BOGOTA, Colombia -- A Venezuelan national guard sergeant will face "the full weight of national law" after being arrested in a remote border area, allegedly on his way to deliver 40,000 rounds of ammunition to Colombia's largest rebel group, this country's foreign minister said Saturday. Sgt. Manuel Agudo Escalona, was arrested Friday with another Venezuelan and two Colombians in the eastern jungle state of Vichada with ammunition... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Mentally Ill US Man Built Assault Rifles off Net; Shot, Killed Police Officer
Tucson Citizen (Arizona) / AP
7 June 2008
A young man with a history of mental instability who is charged with murdering a police officer was not on any law enforcement list preventing him from acquiring weapons, a loophole that many states tried to close after the Virginia Tech shootings last year. Authorities believe David Nickolas Delich bought parts through the mail to build the three assault-style rifles he had in his possession during last weekend's shooting spree.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, Southern Africa
Southern African Nations Plan Moratorium on Gun Trade to Zimbabwe
South African Press Association
6 June 2008
Civil bodies yesterday urged the Southern African Development Community governments to impose a moratorium on the supply of arms to Zimbabwe. At a briefing in Johannesburg, Obby Chibuluma of the Coalition for Peace in Africa said: "We are asking for the moratorium on Zimbabwe to make sure security is guaranteed before and after the June 27 runoff elections." More than 110000 people globally had signed a petition on the... ( 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 )
Zimbabwe, Southern Africa
Global Gun Control Group, African NGOs Urge Arms Freeze on Zimbabwe
Reuters
5 June 2008
JOHANNESBURG -- A coalition of African-based civil society organisations urged southern African countries on Thursday to freeze arms shipments to Zimbabwe to avoid plunging the country into deeper political violence. Led by the International Action Network on Small Arms, the organisations said politically motivated violence in Zimbabwe was escalating ahead of a June 27 presidential run-off and any transfer of arms and military equipment... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola
Citizens Voluntarily Hand Over 787 Guns Prior to 'Coercive Phase' in Angola
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
3 June 2008
SAURIMO -- About 787 firearms were handed over voluntarily, by citizens illegally owning them, to the National Police in the north-east Lunda Sul province since the beginning of the disarming process last April. According to the spokesperson of the provincial command of the Police in Lunda Sul, told ANGOP this Tuesday that the weapons were handed over in the districts of Saurimo with 440, Muconda with 136, Cacolo with 107 and Dala... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Judge Strikes Down Some Philadelphia City Gun Laws, Lets Others Stand
Philadelphia Inquirer (Pennsylvania)
3 June 2008
A Philadelphia judge today sided with the National Rifle Association and struck down city ordinances banning assault weapons and limiting handgun purchases to one a month. In a blow to the city's attempt to write its own gun laws, Common Pleas Court Judge Jane Cutler-Greenspan ruled that Philadelphia should be permanently prevented from enforcing the laws that the City Council passed unanimously in April. But Greenspan... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Obama, McCain on Gun Control, Gun Shows and Banning Assault Weapons
Associated Press
3 June 2008
WASHINGTON -- A look at where Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain stand on a selection of issues as they go head-to-head for the presidency: ... GUN CONTROL McCain: Voted against ban on assault-type weapons but in favor of requiring background checks at gun shows. Voted to shield gun-makers and dealers from civil suits. "I believe the Second Amendment ought to be preserved -- which means no gun control."... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Philadelphia Judge Blocks Assault Weapon Ban, 'One Gun a Month' Limit
Reuters
3 June 2008
PHILADELPHIA -- A Philadelphia judge struck down city ordinances banning assault weapons and limiting handgun purchases on Tuesday, in a blow to the city's attempts to make gun laws separately from the state. Pennsylvania state lawmakers, influenced by a strong rural gun lobby, have repeatedly rejected gun-control proposals from Philadelphia, one of the most violent cities in the United States. Judge Jane Cutler Greenspan... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Iraq
US Marine Won't Serve Time for Smuggling AK-47 'War Trophy' from Iraq
Associated Press
2 June 2008
SAN DIEGO - A Marine sergeant from El Paso, Texas, accused of bringing an AK-47 assault rifle home from Iraq as a war trophy accepted a plea deal Monday that will keep him out of federal prison. Sgt. Leonardo San Juan agreed to plead guilty to one felony count of possession of an unregistered firearm and pay a $100 fine, said his attorney, Joseph Low. San Juan accepted the deal shortly before jury selection was set to begin.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, United Nations
McCain on Gun Control, Gun Shows, Assault Weapons, the UN and the NRA
America's 1st Freedom / National Rifle Association of America
1 June 2008
To say that the 2008 elections will be crucial for the future of the Second Amendment would be an understatement. Future efforts to preserve our gun rights and our hunting heritage hinge on who will take the helm at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue next January. NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre and NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox recently sat down with presumptive Republican nominee Senator John McCain. They asked him some direct... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Mounties Raid Gun Dealer, Ex-Cop, Firearm Lobbyist Over Gun Trafficking
Vancouver Province (British Columbia)
1 June 2008
A long-serving Vancouver police veteran and a Delta firearms-training company are at the centre of an RCMP investigation into the trafficking of guns, some of which are believed to be ending up in the hands of B.C. gangs. The secretive criminal probe involves the sale of decommissioned guns -- easily reassembled and gunsmithed back into working order -- to Lower Mainland gangsters, a police source told The Province. Gordon... ( gunpolicy.org )
World
Global Gun Trade Treaty Next Step in Campaign to Curb Lethal Weapons
Scotsman (Edinburgh), Opinion
30 May 2008
The decision this week for a global treaty to ban cluster munitions in Dublin is a significant step towards reducing indiscriminate civilian deaths and making our world a safer place. But the world needs to do much more if we genuinely seek to stop civilians dying from weapons designed for war. This is because there is still a type of weaponry in the arsenals of every government on earth that continues to kill and maim... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Licensed Gun Dealer Arrested, 300 Firearms Seized in Australian Raids
Sydney Morning Herald
28 May 2008
Police say they have seized hundreds of firearms and 20,000 rounds of ammunition during raids on a licensed gun dealer and homes in the Central West region of NSW. Ballistics officers, detectives and dog unit officers this morning raided an arms dealer operating from a home in Forbes along with four other residences in the town and another home at Peak Hill. At one of the houses, police arrested an 84-year-old man who is... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Mayor of Philadelphia Joins Fight to Ban Assault Weapons in Pennsylvania
Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh)
28 May 2008
HARRISBURG -- Philadelphia's new mayor, Michael Nutter, is joining with two Allegheny County legislators to push for new state laws aimed at reducing gun violence on Pennsylvania streets. But with the political power that sportsmen, hunters and the National Rifle Association have in the General Assembly, everyone admits it won't be easy to enact the measures. Mr. Nutter, a Democrat who took office in January, spoke to the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Philadelphia Mayor Once Again Takes Gun Control Campaign to Lawmakers
Times Leader (Pennsylvania) / AP
28 May 2008
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter said Tuesday he wants to work with anyone willing to help him address the gun violence that plagues his city and other parts of the state. Nutter, a Democrat who took office in January, told a Pennsylvania Press Club luncheon in Harrisburg that he was interested in "a different kind of dialogue," and that both sides have to be more realistic. "I'm committed to working with anyone who is... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
84yr-old Australian Gun Shop Owner Arrested, Hundreds of Firearms Seized
Australian (Sydney)
27 May 2008
A gang of alleged illegal firearms dealers, including an elderly gun shop owner, has been busted after the seizure of hundreds of weapons in a series of raids in central western NSW, police say. Five people were arrested today, including an 84-year-old licensed gun dealer from Forbes, in five raids in the town and one in nearby Peak Hill. Police said they seized more than 300 firearms, at least 200,000 rounds of ammunition... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Military Still Uses Assault Rifle Ammunition Ill-suited for Modern Warfare
Associated Press
27 May 2008
WASHINGTON -- As Sgt. Joe Higgins patrolled the streets of Saba al-Bor, a tough town north of Baghdad, he was armed with bullets that had a lot more firepower than those of his 4th Infantry Division buddies. As an Army sniper, Higgins was one of the select few toting an M14. The long-barreled rifle, an imposing weapon built for wars long past, spits out bullets larger and more deadly than the rounds that fit into the M4 carbines... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
A Breakdown of the M855 US Military Assault Rifle Ammunition Round
Associated Press
26 May 2008
The M855 round used in the M4 and M16 rifles is also referred to as 5.56 mm. That metric measurement is the diameter of the inside of the rifle barrel. The larger M80 fired by the M14 is a 7.62 mm round. Both types are manufactured at Lake City Army Ammunition Plant near Kansas City, Mo., and by General Dynamics in St. Petersburg, Fla. An M855 round has multiple parts. The bullet, or projectile, is made by first inserting... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya, East Africa
Concern Over Increase in Illegal Guns After Post-Poll Violence in Kenya
IRIN (UN News)
26 May 2008
NAIROBI -- Very little has been done to check the increase in illegal guns in parts of Kenya that were hardest hit by the post-election crisis, an official of a peace and development NGO said on 23 May. "The small arms problem is bigger at this point than at any other time in our country's history, especially owing to the post-election violence, which created new markets for illegal arms more than ever before," Mutuku Nguli, chief... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
New Zealand Police Choose US-made Assault Rifles as Weapon of Choice
New Zealand Herald
26 May 2008
Combat rifles are the weapons of choice for police dealing with situations involving firearms. Police say Bushmaster rifles, already used by armed offenders squad members, have greater accuracy than the Glock pistols now used. Acting Assistant Commissioner Gavin Jones said the Glock pistol would still be carried, but the Bushmaster would be the preferred weapon for armed incidents. ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Oakland is Drowning in Guns: California Women Fed Up with Gun Violence
Oakland Tribune (California), Column
26 May 2008
Consider the 127 people who were murdered in Oakland last year and one similarity leaps out: All but 20 were shot to death. It's hardly any secret to any of us who live in the city that Oakland is drowning in guns. And for all of you Second Amendment watchdogs, I'm not talking about guns like my late grandmother's .38 special, which she kept loaded in a nightstand by the side of her bed, despite the crippling arthritis... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
There's No Evidence that Banning Assault Weapons Cuts US Crime
Philadelphia Inquirer (Pennsylvania), Opinion
25 May 2008
Philadelphia had 406 homicides in 2007, and, at 28 per 100,000 people, it also had the highest murder rate of any major city in the United States. No wonder Philadelphians want things done. Recently, the city focused on a new tragedy, the murder of a 12-year police veteran and father of three, Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski, by three bank robbers with long, violent criminal records. To Gov. Rendell, Mayor Nutter, Police Commissioner... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Combat Rifle Becomes Preferred Weapon for New Zealand Police Callouts
Radio New Zealand
24 May 2008
Police officers are more likely to use combat rifles in dealing with armed offenders instead of their traditional sidearms, under new training policies. The police say Bushmaster rifles, which are already used by members of Armed Offenders Squads, have greater accuracy than the Glock pistols they use at present. From July, nationwide training will ensure all officers are competent in using the rifle. The Acting... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United States
Drug Gangs Smuggle Guns from US as Armed Crime Grows in Vancouver
Vancouver Sun (British Columbia)
23 May 2008
VANCOUVER -- Last Dec. 9, an alert Vancouver patrol officer stopped a GMC SUV as it cruised through East Vancouver. As the vehicle was pulled over, a passerby noticed a loaded handgun being thrown from the passenger side. Two well-known gangsters were inside. But it was the modifications made to the 4x4 that surprised VPD Insp. Dean Robinson, head of the Uniformed Gang Task Force: The vehicle was fully armoured to deflect gunfire.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico, United States
US Guns, Demand Fuel Mexican Drug Wars: Casualty Rate Higher Than Iraq
Denver Post (Colorado), Opinion
23 May 2008
Only lightly noted on this side of the border, our neighbor Mexico is engulfed in bloody, violent combat with and between death-dealing drug cartels. In a stunning reversal for President Felipe Calderon's crusade to subdue the drug trade and its perpetrators, Edgar Gomez, the national police chief and lead anti-cartel crusader, was assassinated this month outside his Mexico City home. "This could have a snowball effect, even leading... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Assault Weapons, Gun Trafficking Spread Among Canadian Drug Gangs
Edmonton Journal (Alberta)
22 May 2008
An assault rifle, a money counter and weigh scales are just tools for the trade for a new gang cutting into Edmonton's drug market, say police who displayed a drug seizure Wednesday. The items were seized from two homes in Edmonton raided last week. Police also seized 800 grams of cocaine and $8,000 in cash. The rifle sat next to T-shirts and ball caps with the gang's name, Independent Soldier. "We're not sure how many... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Relaxed Gun Controls, Unlicensed Sales Help Fuel California Gun Violence
Oakland Tribune (California)
22 May 2008
OAKLAND -- Seventeen-year-old Dominique Nubie stood on a West Oakland street corner talking about what matters in his life. "Guns "... everybody here has guns," he said, motioning around. Instead of the usual high school concerns about finishing homework or making the basketball team, Dominique worries most about survival in a neighborhood where many of his peers own guns. Oakland is teeming with guns. They're... ( 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
US Gun Control Campaign Aims to Split McCain and the 'Suffering' NRA
Washington Times, Blog
22 May 2008
The Brady Campaign, the group that campaigns for stricter gun control laws, is hoping to rain on Sen. John McCain's overtures to the National Rifle Association, arguing the two are an unlikely fit for each other. Brady President Paul Helmke, in a new blog, says the NRA must be suffering since the candidate it's stuck with having to support, McCain, has earned only a "C+" grade from the NRA. Helmke reminds his readers exactly... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Guns Bought in US 'Fuel All the Violence' in Mexican Drug Wars, Say Feds
El Paso Times (Texas)
21 May 2008
One of two men arrested in El Paso last week by ATF agents on charges of smuggling firearms into Mexico is to appear in federal court today. In a six-count indictment, Mexican citizen and permanent legal resident Juan Carlos Meza and U.S. citizen Roberto Marquez are alleged to have taken part in a scheme to buy guns and rifles in El Paso and export them to Mexico, where they were purchased by someone who cannot legally purchase... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Mayor Tells Judge Philadelphia Gun Shops Are 'Traffickers' in Crime Guns
Philadelphia Inquirer (Pennsylvania)
21 May 2008
The legal battle over new city gun-control laws turned into a war of words beyond the courtroom yesterday as Mayor Nutter laid into the two gun shops challenging the ordinances. The lawyer for Colosimo's Inc. and Firing Line Inc. threatened to sue the mayor yesterday after Nutter lambasted them for selling multiple guns to individuals. "These gun traffickers are not going to stop us from keeping the citizens of Philadelphia... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Mexican Drug War 'Hit Guns' Traced to Texas Gun Buyer, El Paso Gun Shop
El Paso Times (Texas)
21 May 2008
Guns recovered in a shootout in Chihuahua City in September 2006 were traced to an El Paso man, according to testimony by an ATF agent during a detention hearing today at the federal courthouse. Juan Carlos Meza is accused of buying several handguns and rifles at gun shops in El Paso that were then allegedly exported to Mexico, including buying weapons for a drug cartel hit man, testified Special Agent Frank Henderson in the U.S.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
NRA Fronts for Republicans, Fails its Members, Says Moderate Rival Group
Herald-Leader (Kentucky), Column
21 May 2008
Last weekend's National Rifle Association convention in Louisville could easily have been mistaken for a Republican campaign rally. "If either Senator Clinton or Senator Obama is elected president, the rights of law-abiding gun owners will be at risk my friends -- and have no doubt about it," John McCain, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, told the crowd. Former Republican candidates Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
Gun Massacre Brings Call for Blanket Civilian Firearm Ban in Philippines
Philippine Daily Inquirer (Manila), Editorial
20 May 2008
MANILA, Philippines -- The robbery-massacre at the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. branch in Cabuyao, Laguna last Friday has once again prompted Nandy Pacheco, proponent of the Gunless Society, to call for stricter gun control. Pacheco urged President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to ask Congress to increase the penalty for illegal possession of firearms to reclusion temporal (from 12 to 20 years imprisonment), without possibility of pardon... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Control's Political Backers Not Confident of Gains, Even in 2009
The Hill (Washington DC)
20 May 2008
Lawmakers who favor gun control are not optimistic about next year even though Democrats may be running Congress and the White House. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.), the sponsor of legislation that would reinstate the expired federal assault weapons ban, dismissed the idea that her bill might pass in the 111th Congress. "It's a pro-gun House, a pro-gun Senate and [Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) or Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
Gunman Uses Assault Weapon to Kill 5 Children, 3 Adults in Philippines
BBC News
19 May 2008
A man has shot eight people dead, five of them children, in a village near the Philippines capital, Manila. The man, reportedly drunk, opened fire in Calamba with a M-16 rifle, and escaped from the scene before he could be arrested by police. Six other people were wounded, after two houses next door to each other came under fire. Five of the dead were under 12 years old, and police speculated that a family feud... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
NRA Fears Disaster for American Gun Owners if Democrat Wins Election
Herald-Leader (Kentucky)
19 May 2008
LOUISVILLE -- Using Kentucky as a stage, a string of high-profile speakers at the National Rifle Association's 137th annual meeting painted the 2008 presidential race as a showdown over the right to bear arms. But the fall election also could prove to be a key test of the NRA's political muscle. The group focused much of its meeting this weekend on gearing up its members, especially the 60,000 who traveled to Louisville,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Shooters Feel Pinch as China Corners Brass, Ammo Costs Treble
New York Times / Reuters
19 May 2008
TOMBSTONE, Arizona -- Gunslinger Bob Krueger blasts away at his outlaw rivals at a tourist show in this storied Old West town, although rising ammo costs may force him to choose his shots. Krueger and his gnarly band of pistoleros are among millions of shooters, hunters and even lawmen across the United States feeling the pinch as sky-high metals prices and demand from wars abroad are driving up the price of bullets. Ammo... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United States
662 Guns Seized at US-Canada Border 'Tip of Iceberg' - Maybe 5% of Traffic
Ottawa Sun (Ontario)
18 May 2008
The cache of firearms seized by Canadian border guards swelled by 30% in 2007, but the vast majority of gun runners were unwitting American tourists, not gangsters or criminal smugglers. Internal reports from Canada Border Services Agency's Strategic Intelligence Analysis division record 662 seizures of machine guns, rifles, antique weapons, revolvers and pistols last year -- up from 509 in 2006. About 75% of the illicit catch is... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago's Deadly Weekend: 40 Shot - A Chronicle of Gun Injury and Death
Chicago Sun-Times
18 May 2008
Angel Ramirez had Friday off, so he enjoyed a late sleep. At 10 o'clock, his mother called to make sure he was up in time to take his grandfather to the doctor as he promised. Angel jumped in the shower, had a bite for breakfast and by noon was on the way to Stroger Hospital with his grandfather in tow. It was already a beautiful day -- clear skies and bright sun that warmed the air enough to pull tulips from their beds... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago Students Petition for Tougher Gun Laws, Assault Weapon Ban
CBS News (Chicago)
18 May 2008
CHICAGO -- More students are speaking out against gun violence in their neighborhoods. They met Sunday to show Illinois lawmakers and the governor that they want tougher gun laws. CBS 2's Pamela Jones reports that the high school students have collected more than 1,000 petition signatures. Each stood with their own story of gun violence. "It hurts me to see the youth, because I have a friend who died,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Rev Jesse Jackson Opposes Arming Chicago Police with 'M4 Combat Rifles'
Belleville News-Democrat (Illinois) / AP
17 May 2008
CHICAGO -- Renewing a call to ban assault weapons nationwide, the Rev. Jesse Jackson objected Saturday to the Chicago Police Department's plan to arm officers with combat rifles. "These weapons, they're only used to kill people," Jackson said in an interview with The Associated Press. Jackson, a longtime advocate for gun control, said giving officers M4 carbines will "intensify violence" and create more tension between... ( 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 )
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