United States
US Gun Lobby Carefully Chose an African-American for Pivotal Court Case
Chicago Tribune
30 January 2010
From behind the wheel of his hulking GMC Suburban, 76-year-old Otis McDonald leads a crime-themed tour of his Morgan Park neighborhood. He points to the yellow brick bungalow he says is a haven for drug dealers. Down the street is the alley where five years ago he saw a teenager pull out a gun and take aim at a passing car. Around the corner, he gestures to the weed-bitten roadside where three thugs once threatened his life. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Sales Soar, Gun Shows Thrive, But Motivation Worries Some
Kansas City Star (Missouri), Opinion
24 January 2010
Walking the talk of valuing diversity can lead to some unusual places. Brian, a regular at monthly meetings of a diversity coalition in Overland Park, talked me out of going to church one Sunday in June and into riding with him to a gun show at the KCI Expo Center in the Northland. I grew up with guns, and this place was very familiar to me. Dad still has the six-shooters his father carried every day to work as a railroad... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Brady Campaign Accuses Obama of 'Running Away from Gun Control'
The Hill (Washington DC)
19 January 2010
President Barack Obama on Monday received a failing grade from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence for running away from gun control. The group, which endorsed Obama in 2008, gave him an "F" on every issue it scored, including background checks, gun trafficking, guns in public, the federal assault weapons ban, standing up to the gun lobby and leadership. "It's been a very disappointing year for us, especially considering... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Wife Avoids Prison for Shooting Extremely Abusive Nazi Husband
Associated Press
7 January 2010
Belfast, Maine - A woman who shot her white supremacist husband while he slept -- leading to the discovery of Nazi memorabilia, an arsenal of weapons and bomb-making materials in their home -- won't have to go to prison for killing the man she said subjected her and their daughter to years of extreme abuse. Amber Cummings, 32, was allowed to go free Thursday after being handed a suspended sentence in the death of James Cummings... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States,Yemen
US Ramps Up Arms Exports to Yemen, Feeds Established Gun Culture
Inter Press Service News Agency
1 January 2010
UNITED NATIONS - When Yemen refused to vote in support of a U.S.-sponsored Security Council resolution against Iraq during the 1990-1991 Gulf War, a visibly angry U.S. delegate turned to the Yemeni diplomat and said: "That will be the last time you will ever vote against a U.S. resolution." Washington's subsequent retaliation, in the aftermath of that negative vote, was predictable. The United States not only downgraded... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Extremist American 'Patriot' Groups Expand, Stockpile Guns and Ammo
Telegraph (UK)
31 December 2009
Extremist "patriot" groups and other armed militias have undergone a dramatic resurgence in America, their numbers more than doubling in the past year amid growing right-wing fears over expanding federal power and gun control. Such groups -- a mix of libertarians, gun rights advocates and survivalists -- appeared to be in terminal decline before the election of Barack Obama, according to monitoring bodies. The Southern Poverty Law... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Ex-Bush Employee Nabbed Near US Capitol with 2 Guns and Ammo
Mother Jones (USA)
23 December 2009
The man who was arrested with two guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition near the Capitol during President Barack Obama's health care speech in September had been an employee of the George W. Bush White House. The arrest of the man, Joshua Bowman, was widely reported at the time, but the news stories made no mention of his previous employment: For several years he worked in the Executive Office of the President, dealing... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Record Taxes on Gun, Ammo Sales Fund America's Wildlife Management
Detroit Free Press
14 December 2009
The continued high-volume sale of guns and ammunition nationwide in the last year will lead to a big increase in funds for wildlife habitat and management across the country, including Michigan. A federal tax collected on firearms and ammunition sales is redistributed to wildlife and hunting programs in each state, and only three -- Alaska, Texas and Pennsylvania -- get more money than the $17 million Michigan is expecting this... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Wisconsin Lawmakers Buck National Trend, Tackle Gun Lobby Head On
Cap Times (Wisconsin)
9 December 2009
Earlier this fall, while scanning the merchandise at a state gun show for an antique handgun, longtime gun enthusiast Guy Gorsky took notice of more than the array of potential investment pieces. Based on the attire worn, questions asked and weapons eyed by a group of young men, Gorsky, who attends three or four gun shows a year, had a feeling they were gang members looking to make a quick purchase. "They were only looking... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Firearms Riding High on America's Holiday Gift Lists, Say Gun Dealers
St Petersburg Times (Florida) / Scripps Howard News Service
7 December 2009
On Kevin Wence's 10th Christmas, he opened a gift from his father and discovered what would become "A Christmas Story" legend: a Red Ryder BB air rifle. His first gun. Last week, Wence bought his 15th, a stainless-steel Smith & Wesson Model 686 revolver. Unlike the air rifle, this gun won't sit under the Christmas tree, he said. But it would be a family gift that he, his wife and his 24-year-old son, all trained in shooting, could... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Fear Drives Hawaiians to Buy, Register Guns at Record Pace
Honolulu Advertiser
4 December 2009
Hawai'i residents have registered guns at a record pace for each of the past four years, and appear headed for a new high again this year, preliminary figures show. Nearly 26,000 firearms -- an annual record -- were registered with the four county police departments during 2008. Yearly gun registrations in Hawai'i have marched steadily upward for most of the past decade -- from about 13,600 in 2000 to 25,996 in 2008 --... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
America's 'Insane' Gun Outrage: 276 People Killed or Wounded a Day
Age (Melbourne)
9 November 2009
By now you will have heard of Major Nidal Malak Hasan, the US Army psychiatrist who shot 13 of his colleagues dead and wounded 31 inside the Army's largest base, Fort Hood in Texas last Thursday. Taryale Petter, John Herman, Jason Rodriques and Marcus Gonzalez are names you may not know. Taryale was only 15 years old. Early Friday morning, aboard his Philadelphia school bus, he pulled a handgun from his bag and shot another child.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Texas Shooting Suspect Used Controversial 5.7mm 'Cop-killer' Pistol
Fox News / AP
6 November 2009
The massacre at Fort Hood that left 13 dead and 30 injured was a "kick in the gut," Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. said Friday, as military officials tried to piece together what led an Army psychiatrist to open fire on his fellow soldiers. The Army wouldn't discuss a motive, but initial reports suggested that the suspect, 39-year-old Nidal Malik Hasan, was dreading his imminent deployment to Afghanistan and had been... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Texas Army Base Massacre Pistol was Semi-auto FN 5.7mm 'Cop Killer'
CBS / AP
6 November 2009
While the investigation into the Fort Hood shooting rampage that killed 13 people is still in its early stages, indications are that it is a "lone wolf" situation, senior law enforcement officials told CBS News correspondent Bob Orr. Authorities said 39-year-old Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan went on the shooting spree Thursday at the sprawling Texas post. He was among 30 people wounded in the rampage and remained hospitalized Friday in... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Seven Shot Dead by Uniformed Snipers at US Army Base in Texas
BBC News
5 November 2009
Seven people have been killed and at least 20 injured in a pair of shootings at the Fort Hood military base in Texas, the US Army has confirmed. One person has been arrested and at least one more is on the run, reports say. The base has been locked down. NBC News network said the two suspects were in military uniform and that the shooter-at-large was believed to have a high-powered sniper rifle. Fort Hood, near... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations,United States,Russia
US On Board, Russia Abstains in UN Global Gun Trade Treaty Talks
Reuters
30 October 2009
UNITED NATIONS -- The world's top weapons exporters agreed to back negotiations on a global treaty to regulate the world's $55 billion arms trade, but Russia refused to show support, diplomats said on Thursday. The deal came after negotiators from four of the top arms traders -- the United States, Britain, France and Germany overcame sharp disagreements on the wording of a U.N. General Assembly resolution that will guide negotiations... ( gunpolicy.org )
Costa Rica,United Nations,United States
Costa Rica's Arias Celebrates US Support for Global Gun Trade Treaty
Daily News (Costa Rica)
20 October 2009
President Oscar Arias is viewing the United States' interest in an Arms Trade Treaty as one more trophy to put on his wall. The disarmament advocate celebrated a statement made by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, which announced the commitment of her country to the establishment of international standards for arms trading. Arias said the U.S. interest "is encouraging" because it represents "a radical" change from... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
NRA Has Yet to Explain Why It Wants to Help Killers, Criminals Get Guns
Los Angeles Times, Editorial
16 October 2009
For shock value, they may not rank with the videos released last month showing ACORN workers giving tax advice to a couple of undercover investigators posing as a prostitute and her pimp. But New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's covert recordings of what really goes on at gun shows are appalling nonetheless. In the midst of a reelection campaign in a Democratic-majority city, the Republican (sort of) Bloomberg has latched on to... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico,United States
Mexico-US Task Force Urges Obama to Reinstate Assault Weapon Ban
Associated Press
14 October 2009
MEXICO CITY -- The United States should reinstate a Clinton-era ban on assault weapons to prevent such guns from reaching Mexican drug cartels, former officials from both countries said in a report released Tuesday. The group, which includes two former U.S. ambassadors to Mexico, also said the U.S. should do more to stop the smuggling of firearms and ammunition into Mexico by stepping up investigations of gun dealers and more strictly... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
450 US Mayors Tout Enforcement, No New Laws to Curb Gun Trafficking
Cox Newspapers (USA), Column
12 October 2009
A new organization has urged President Barack Obama to confront firearms violence, particularly by strengthening the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Here's hoping that he doesn't take up the challenge set out by Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Obama's plate already is heaped. But here's also hoping the president keeps the pitch floating near the top of his to-do pile, to be taken up as soon as time allows. The appeal... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
When Children with Illegal Firearms Rule Chicago's Schools, Streets
Chicago Tribune, Opinion
8 October 2009
The horrific murder of Chicago honor student Derrion Albert has the world's attention, in part because it was caught on video. President Barack Obama sent Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Attorney General Eric Holder to Chicago this week to talk with students, school officials and others about school and youth violence. We welcome the opportunity to talk about a comprehensive strategy to combat youth violence. But let's remember... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Lobby Campaign to Trash City, State Handgun Bans 'Frightening'
Asbury Park Press (New Jersey), Column
8 October 2009
Whatever significance is attached to Chicago's failed bid to host the 2016 Olympics, it is of small importance to the rest of the country. More far-reaching and frightening is the Supreme Court's decision to take up a case challenging the city's ban on handgun ownership in the new term that began this week. The case is best considered a preview of coming attractions. The gun lobby, if it wins in the Supreme Court, is prepared to... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Carrying Gun to Political Protest Against Obama Poor Taste, Dangerous
Missoulian (Montana), Column
8 October 2009
Recently, self-described "conservatives" have chosen to exercise their free speech rights by vilifying the president in demonstrations in Hamilton and across the nation. This is a nationally coordinated campaign promoted heavily by the right-wing commentators of Fox News and other conservative media. These demonstrators frequently compare President Barack Obama to everything from Hitler to Stalin to the devil, pretty much emptying... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago Violence Haunts Obama as Gun-Control Backers Left Cold
Bloomberg (USA)
7 October 2009
CHICAGO -- At least 47 school-age children in Chicago have been killed in homicides, mostly by guns, since the month President Barack Obama took office. The latest youth homicide in his adopted hometown was different only in that the attackers used splintered railroad ties and were captured on video broadcast globally. The Sept. 24 attack prompted Obama to send his attorney general and education secretary to Chicago today... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico,United States
Feds Ramp Up Texas Team, Fight US-Mexico Gun Smuggling Flood
Associated Press
1 October 2009
HOUSTON -- A four-month effort to stop the flow of firearms from the U.S. to Mexican drug cartels has helped law enforcement disrupt various gun trafficking rings and gain a better understanding of how these groups try to avoid detection, officials announced Thursday. Many weapons seized south of the border are traced back to Houston, where 100 agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and other personnel... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Buys 9 Billion Bullets as 'Obama Effect' Drives Fearful Gun Owners
Associated Press
23 September 2009
NEW ORLEANS -- Bullet-makers are working around the clock, seven days a week, and still can't keep up with the nation's demand for ammunition. Shooting ranges, gun dealers and bullet manufacturers say they have never seen such shortages. Bullets, especially for handguns, have been scarce for months because gun enthusiasts are stocking up on ammo, in part because they fear President Barack Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress... ( gunpolicy.org )
Russia, United States
Kalashnikov Faces Bankruptcy as Knock-offs Outsell AK-47s Ten to One
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
21 September 2009
For years, the AK-47 assault rifle has been the world's most popular weapon, the gun of choice for dictators, gang members and Third World revolutionaries. But the global recession and a proliferation of copycats has left the Russian maker of the Kalashnikov, OAO Izhmash, in financial turmoil. Monday, a court in Russia said it will consider a bankruptcy application filed against Izhmash by a supplier owed more than $13-million... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
America's Year-long Gun and Bullet-buying 'Obama Surge' Tapers Off
Wall Street Journal
21 September 2009
While a remarkable surge that began late last year is starting to ease, Americans' demand for firearms and ammunition -- driven largely by economic concerns and the fear of new regulations -- remains brisk as double-digit sales increases continue to fill the financial coffers of gun and ammo makers alike. In August, the number of background checks performed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Instant Criminal Background Check... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Idaho Gun Show Dealer Supports Handgun Purchase Backgound Checks
KCBI-TV News (Idaho)
13 September 2009
BOISE -- As Dana Snebold fills out the paperwork for her new handgun at the Boise Gun Show, local weapons dealer Mike Dome completes her background check. "It was easy," Snebold said. "A little bit of paperwork -- they make sure you're not crazy, not a felon." It's a process that only takes a few steps, but one Dome says is the law. "I have to make a phone call with a driver's license and get approval," Dome said.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Allows 90 Percent of Applicants on Terrorist Watch List to Buy Guns
Oneida Daily Dispatch (New York), Opinion
8 September 2009
While many Americans have curtailed spending to ride out the deepest recession in decades, there are two products that have been flying off the shelves at unprecedented rates: guns and ammunition. Firearms sales have surged since President Barack Obama's election, leaving many gun shops with depleted stocks and contributing to a national ammunition shortage. The FBI reported that seven million people applied for criminal background checks... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Louisiana Holds '2nd Amendment Weekend' Sales Tax Holiday for Guns
Los Angeles Times
5 September 2009
ATLANTA -- Happy 2nd Amendment Weekend Sales Tax Holiday, everyone! An observance of that name is underway this weekend in Louisiana, thanks to a law signed by Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal in July. It decrees that each year, on the first Friday through Sunday in September, shoppers in the Bayou State shall be exempt from paying state or local taxes on firearms, ammunition or hunting supplies. The law was sponsored by state... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
To Meet 'Skyrocketing' Demand, US Will Sell 9.5 Billion Bullets This Year
Los Angeles Times
30 August 2009
There's a bull market for bullets. Stacks of ammo, once piled high at gun shops across America, have dwindled. Prices paid by consumers for much-sought-after Winchester .380-caliber handgun bullets have doubled. At weekend gun shows, trailers loaded with boxes of ammunition are drained within hours. Budget-pressed police departments, which can't be caught short, have increased their orders just to be safe, and the U.S.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Pastor of Assault-rifle Toter at Obama Event Prayed for President to Die
Talking Points Memo (USA), Web page
27 August 2009
Chris Broughton, the man who brought an assault rifle and a handgun to the Obama event in Arizona last week, attended a fiery anti-Obama sermon the day before the event, in which Pastor Steven Anderson said he was going to "pray for Barack Obama to die and go to hell", Anderson confirmed to TPMmuckraker today. Anderson also said Broughton had informed the pastor about his planned show of arms-bearing, but "he planned out the AR15... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US 'Tractor Country,' 'Mormon Outposts' Create 'Obama Sale Gun Bubble'
Christian Science Monitor / Patchwork Nation, Blog
26 August 2009
Even in down economic times, there are winners. Amid the rubble of failed companies, there are bright spots. In 2009, some of the highest wattage has come from weapons manufacturers. Earlier this month, Alliant Techsystems Inc., a major ammunition manufacturer, predicted higher profits for 2009 than previously expected. A rise in gun sales, and in applications for concealed-weapon permits, has been detailed in numerous stories --... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Fear, Obama Gun Control Rumours Prompt American Rush to Carry Guns
Associated Press
23 August 2009
HELENA, Montana -- Gun owners worried that a bad economy could lead to increased violence and suspicious that new stricter gun laws are on the horizon are rushing in record numbers to get concealed weapons permits. From Washington state to Florida, state officials say more people are deciding to pack heat. In some cases, states are reporting a near doubling in the number of concealed carry permits. The firearms industry... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Edges Towards Violence: Obama at Risk from Gun-toting Protesters?
CNN
21 August 2009
Is the anger in American politics edging towards violence? About a dozen protesters carrying guns gathered this week, not far from a building where President Barack Obama was talking to the public about his plans to reform U.S. healthcare. One of them had a rifle slung over his shoulder, a handgun in a holster and bullets in his back pocket. Last week, a man protested outside another Obama healthcare meeting with... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Nuttiness: American Firearm Enthusiasts 'Grow Crazier by the Day'
Hartford Courant (Connecticut), Editorial
20 August 2009
Last week, it was a libertarian in New Hampshire asserting his right to bear arms by wearing a loaded pistol strapped to his leg outside a town hall meeting featuring President Barack Obama. This week, a man in a coat and tie with an assault rifle slung over his shoulder was among several gun-toting protesters at an Obama speech in Arizona. The two states are among several that permit people to carry loaded guns openly. This unprecedented... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Man Carrying Assault Weapon Attends Obama Protest 'Because He Could'
Associated Press
18 August 2009
PHOENIX -- About a dozen people carrying guns, including one with a military-style rifle, milled among protesters outside the convention center where President Barack Obama was giving a speech Monday -- the latest incidents in which protesters have openly displayed firearms near the president. Gun-rights advocates say they're exercising their constitutional right to bear arms and protest, while those who argue for more gun control... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
American Gun-bearers, Protestors Put President Obama in Cross Hairs
Sunday Times (UK)
16 August 2009
To the increasingly toxic American mix of racial anger, political frustration and economic despair, a frightening new ingredient was added last week -- belligerent gun-owners on a mission to defy President Barack Obama. A series of minor but worrying incidents involving citizens carrying handguns to political meetings has raised new questions about the president's security and a potentially inflammatory gun control issue that he... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Obama Faces Mounting Gun Law Complaints During National Park Tours
Associated Press
15 August 2009
BIG SKY, Montana -- Family in tow for a tour of national treasures far from Washington, President Barack Obama is trailed by criticism from gun opponents and parks advocates for allowing firearms into such majestic places as Yellowstone. "There is still time for Congress and the president to take steps to keep loaded firearms away from the valleys of Yellowstone, the cliffs of Yosemite, and the Statue of Liberty -- but they need... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Loaded Pistol at Obama Rally Exposes 'Madness' of Guns at Protests
Hartford Courant (Connecticut), Editorial
14 August 2009
A man with a loaded pistol strapped to his leg protested outside President Barack Obama's town hall meeting Tuesday in Portsmouth, N.H., understandably causing the Secret Service to scramble to attention. Our history of presidential assassinations -- as well as the heated nature of our politics -- suggests we must take seriously guns in the proximity of the president. Interviewed later, the man said he wore the firearm... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Fear of Obama, Crime Spurred 12-mth US Gun Sale Boom, Now Slowing
Associated Press
14 August 2009
NEW YORK -- U.S. sales of handguns, which surged after Barack Obama won the presidential election, appear to be cooling off, a Wall Street analyst said Friday. The number of FBI background checks of potential buyers last month climbed 8 percent over the year-earlier level, marking a continued slowdown from April when the FBI recorded a 30 percent year-over-year increase in the number of checks, CL King analyst Jim Barrett said.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Recent Reversals Seen as Crucial 'Sifting' Opportunity for US Gun Lobby
Houston Chronicle (Texas)
13 August 2009
WASHINGTON -- On the surface, it looks like it's been a bad month for gun-rights groups. First, the Senate narrowly defeated an attempt to allow Americans with concealed-weapons permits to carry their firearms across state lines. Then Second Amendment advocacy organizations pressed senators to oppose Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, only to see more than a dozen gun-rights backers support President Barack Obama's choice. Despite... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New York Mayor Steps In Where Obama Fears to Tread - Gun Control
Reuters, Column
13 August 2009
New York's billionaire mayor, Michael Bloomberg, is stepping in where President Barack Obama fears to tread -- confronting America's powerful gun lobby. In the country that holds a commanding global lead in civilian gun ownership, it promises to be a hard fight. No matter how it goes, America's position at the top of the list of gun-owning nations looks secure. Up to 280 million guns are estimated to be in private hands and the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico, United States
Leaders Pledge to Trace, Stem US-to-Mexico Drug Cartel Gun Running
Reuters
13 August 2009
SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- U.S. and Mexican officials signed an agreement on Thursday meant to help stem the illegal flow of U.S.-made guns and ammunition that has allowed Mexican drug gangs to kill their rivals in record numbers. The letter of intent signed in San Antonio would see U.S. federal agencies share firearms trafficking information with the attorney general of Mexico, with the aim of tracing illegal weapons and prosecuting... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, Mexico, United States
Canadian PM Avoids 'Iron River' of US Guns Smuggled to Mexico, Canada
Toronto Star (Ontario), Editorial
9 August 2009
When Stephen Harper, Barack Obama and Felipe Calderon, the "three amigos" leading Canada, the United States and Mexico, saddle up for their summit in Guadalajara today and tomorrow, they will gallop through an agenda that has seldom been more rugged. From trade protectionism to climate change, swine flu and immigration issues, there will be scant time in the two-day meeting to pause for breath. But there's likely to be a glaring... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Control on a Roll? No, Americans Cling to Arms More than Ever
Washington Times, Editorial
7 August 2009
The Senate confirmed Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court yesterday. Gun-control groups are crowing that the 68-31 vote was a major defeat for the National Rifle Association, which actively opposed the nomination. The gun controllers are reading too much into this vote. The NRA scored Judge Sotomayor's confirmation and ran ads to defeat her, but the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence counted eight NRA-endorsed senators... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Shoo-in Vote for Obama's Judge 'Increasingly Common' Defeat for NRA
The Hill (Washington DC)
5 August 2009
Eleven years after the Senate last confirmed Sonia Sotomayor for a federal judgeship, the chamber is poised on Thursday to put her on the Supreme Court by a nearly identical margin. President Barack Obama's nominee -- the court's first Hispanic -- is a shoo-in for confirmation, leaving the margin of approval and the amount of GOP support as the only real questions. Even Sotomayor's stiffest critics have conceded she has enough votes.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
NRA Steps Up Fight to Oust Sotomayor as Obama's Supreme Court Pick
Associated Press
27 July 2009
WASHINGTON -- The NRA stepped up its push Thursday against Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, warning that backers risk losing ground with gun rights supporters, even as a powerful business lobby came out in support of President Barack Obama's first high court nominee. The promise by the National Rifle Association, which announced its opposition to Sotomayor last week, to include the vote on her nomination in its influential... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Senate Mulls Push to Relax Gun Control Law on Hidden Handguns
Associated Press
22 July 2009
WASHINGTON -- Gun control and gun rights advocates are heading for another clash with a Senate vote on a measure that would allow people with concealed weapons permits to carry those hidden weapons into other states. Backers, led by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., say truckers and others with concealed weapons permits should be able to protect themselves when they cross into other states. Opponents say the measure would force states with... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Lobby Narrowly Misses Hidden Handgun Triumph in US Senate
Reuters
22 July 2009
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senate Democrats stood up to the powerful gun lobby on Wednesday and rejected legislation to permit firearm owners to carry concealed weapons across state lines. A majority of the 100-member Senate voted in favor of the measure, but backers fell two short of the required 60 votes agreed to by both parties for passage. While the gun lobby won two legislative battles earlier this year in Congress, it lost... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
5 Million US Hidden Handgun Carriers Denied Interstate Carte Blanche
New York Times / AP
22 July 2009
WASHINGTON -- The Senate on Wednesday rejected letting people carry hidden guns in 48 states if they have a concealed weapon permit in any one of them, a rare victory for gun control advocates in a Democratic-controlled Congress that has been friendly to the gun lobby. Opponents said it would force states with tough concealed weapon permit restrictions to let in gun carriers from states that give permits to convicted criminals,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Democrats Splinter Over Controversial Hidden Handgun Measure
CNN / Political Ticker
21 July 2009
WASHINGTON -- The hotly debated issue of gun control took center stage on Capital Hill Tuesday as key Senate Democrats bickered over a controversial proposal that would allow people to carry concealed weapons across state lines. The measure, drafted by South Dakota Republican Sen. John Thune, would require each of the 48 states that currently allow concealed firearms to honor permits issued in other states. Supporters of... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Battle Rages Over Move in US Congress to Close Gun Show Loophole
Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas)
18 July 2009
FORT WORTH -- Paul Smith loves guns, and he loves to collect them. Always working to update his collection, he took a Ruger .357 Magnum revolver and headed to a gun show last weekend, hoping to get $400 and find something better. "I like to trade and collect," said Smith, 68, a farmer from Loving who went to the Texas Gun & Knife Show at the Will Rogers Memorial Center. What he doesn't like is a bill in Congress... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Police Blame Fear, Lax Gun Laws, Social Trends for Plague of Firearms
Tennessean (Nashville)
13 July 2009
On the streets of Nashville, the business of guns is booming. The reasons include everything from a fear that President Barack Obama's new administration will crack down on gun sales, to recent legislative action opening more public places to carry-permit holders, to something more elusive in media culture that gives gun ownership a certain cachet. This isn't a welcome development for Metro police. In a week that... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Obama's Supreme Court Pick 'Potent Political Weapon' for US Gun Lobby
Houston Chronicle (Texas)
12 July 2009
WASHINGTON -- It didn't take long for Gun Owners of America to realize that Sonia Sotomayor was going to be a potent political weapon for gun-rights advocates. Within days of President Barack Obama's selection of Sotomayor for the U.S. Supreme Court, the group's Web site labeled the New York appeals court judge an anti-gun radical who "has racked up an anti-Second Amendment record and has displayed contempt for the rule of law under... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Sales Soar in America Amid Fear of Obama, Assault Weapon Ban
Telegraph (UK)
11 July 2009
MEMPHIS -- President Barack Obama may never have fired a gun but he is turning out to be one of the best firearms salesmen in American history. "I've sold probably four times as much in the last six months as I have in 20 years combined," said Cliff Hunter, owner of Tommy Bronson Sporting Goods in Memphis. "Hand guns and the tactical weapons, they're absolutely off the charts." Most of his gun sales used to be for hunting,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, United Nations
Permissive US Gun Laws Support 28 Percent Rise in Global Gun Sales
Bloomberg (USA)
9 July 2009
Permissive U.S. gun controls rewarded pistol, shotgun and sniper-rifle manufacturers worldwide after Americans spent more on buying and selling weapons than anyone else on earth, the Small Arms Survey said. The U.S. exported around 22 percent and imported around 27 percent of the world's small arms, light weapons and ammunition between 2000 and 2006, the Geneva-based group said today in its 344-page "Small Arms Survey 2009." The... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Ban Assault Weapons: They Turn Mean Streets Into Killing Fields
Miami Herald
8 July 2009
Miami Police Chief John Timoney is not one to shy from a fight. He's found a formidable adversary in the National Rifle Association. In remarks on the carnage wrought by a gunman shooting up a large group of party goers, some of them also armed, in Overtown early Monday morning, Chief Timoney noted that one of the guns used was an AK-47. "This is Washington's problem," said Mr. Timoney, referring to the federal ban on the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Fear Over Obama's Gun Laws Sparks Massive Rush to Pack a Pistol
Sunday Herald (Scotland)
7 July 2009
NEW YORK -- Last summer, the National Rifle Association ran adverts claiming that Barack Obama would "ban the manufacture, sale and possession of handguns" if elected. The campaign didn't do much for John McCain, but in every other respect it has been wildly successful: NRA membership is up 30% and gun control has disappeared from the administration's list of priorities. Americans have gone on an extraordinary gun-buying spree.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Firearm Sales Slow as US 'Paranoia' Over Obama, Gun Control Subside
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
29 June 2009
A gun-buying boom in the United States, prompted by worries that the new administration might move to restrict firearms purchases, could be coming to an end. There has been a surge in firearm sales since Barack Obama was elected last fall, apparently buoyed by fears that the new President's administration would launch restrictive gun laws -- unthinkable to millions of citizens in a country whose Constitution preserves the right... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
'Post Election Fear Mongering' Doubled, Trebled US Gun Industry Stocks
San Jose Mercury News (California), Column
23 June 2009
Since the beginning of the year, the country's largest publicly traded gunmakers have seen their shares take incredible upward trajectories, thanks to a rush of post-election fear mongering. The stock of Smith & Wesson, the 157-year-old gunmaker, has nearly tripled, from $2 to more than $6 before trading Monday, while stock of Sturm, Ruger & Co., maker of the "Ruger," has doubled, from just over $6 to $12.35 in the same six-month... ( gunpolicy.org )
Jamaica, Mexico, United States
80 Percent of Jamaica's Traceable Crime Guns Are Smuggled from US
Associated Press
23 June 2009
KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Ships from Miami steam into Jamaica's main harbor loaded with TV sets and blue jeans. But some of the most popular U.S. imports never appear on the manifests: handguns, rifles and bullets that stoke one of the world's highest murder rates. The volume is much less than the flow of U.S. guns into Mexico that end up in the hands of drug cartels -- Jamaican authorities recover fewer than 1,000 firearms a year. But... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Maker Shares Fall as Post-Obama US Firearm Sales Surge Wanes
Associated Press
22 June 2009
NEW YORK -- Shares of the nation's major firearms makers fell Monday on analyst concerns that the postelection surge in hand gun sales may be coming to an end. Both Sturm Ruger & Co. Inc. and Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. declined following an article in the business publication Barron's, which suggested that the companies could see slowing consumer demand for their firearms. The news dragged stocks lower, but it wasn't... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Fear and Fury Drive Gun Sales: US Gun Owners Will Shoot Gun Grabbers
New York Times
21 June 2009
BELLEVILLE, New Jersey -- At the Bullet Hole, an Essex County gun store, and at Gun for Hire,across the street, where Anthony Colandro offers courses in firearm use, martial arts and personal safety, it's the best of times and the worst of times. Worst of times? Just ask Manny Cerca, who for the past 27 years has run the Bullet Hole, a family-owned shop and firing range about five miles from Newark. Inside, there are deer heads... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Disappointment in Obama's Unwillingness to Even Discuss Gun Control
New York Times, Column
19 June 2009
Even with the murders that have already occurred, Americans are not paying enough attention to the frightening connection between the right-wing hate-mongers who continue to slither among us and the gun crazies who believe a well-aimed bullet is the ticket to all their dreams. I hope I'm wrong, but I can't help feeling as if the murder at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington and the assassination of the abortion... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Lobby Groups 'Essentially Have Won' Battle Against US Gun Control
Dallas Morning News (Texas), Opinion
17 June 2009
Three deaths in widely separated parts of the country: Each the work of a single person, each stemming from a different grievance. They did have one thing in common: All three victims were killed by a gun (although each by a different type). In Wichita, Kan., a single bullet from a handgun took the life of Dr. George Tiller, who ran a clinic that performed late-term abortions. The man charged with Tiller's murder was an... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Even More Now in the Age of Obama, Guns Control America's Ballot Box
Independent (UK), Opinion
14 June 2009
These are baffling times on the front lines of America's great culture wars. Half a dozen states have now approved gay marriage, the very mention of which is anathema to social conservatives. In contrast, another great cause of conservatives -- to make abortion illegal -- seems to be making headway. In May, Gallup found that more Americans considered themselves pro-life than pro-choice, the first time this has happened since the polling... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Obama Haters' Gun-empowered White Rage Spiralling Out of Control?
New York Times, Column
13 June 2009
When a Fox News anchor, reacting to his own network's surging e-mail traffic, warns urgently on-camera of a rise in hate-filled, "amped up" Americans who are "taking the extra step and getting the gun out," maybe we should listen. He has better sources in that underground than most. The anchor was Shepard Smith, speaking after Wednesday's mayhem at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. Unlike the bloviators... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Racist Gun Owners' Movement Shows White US Males' Growing Fear
Washington Post
11 June 2009
Crazies. Lone nut jobs. Isolated loonies. Those are frequent descriptions of people like James von Brunn, the 88-year-old white supremacist accused of opening fire at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and killing a black guard. Others believe he represents something more dangerous: a growing racist movement motivated by a number of converging factors, including the first black president. The potential for an increase in... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Holocaust Museum Gun Killer a White Supremacist, Holocaust Denier
Associated Press
11 June 2009
WASHINGTON -- An 88-year-old white supremacist has been charged with murder for killing the security guard who had opened the door to let him into the U.S. Holocaust Memorial and Museum, officials said Thursday. Security Guard Stephen T. Johns was shot to death Wednesday by Holocaust denier James von Brunn, who had left his car in a lane of traffic outside an entrance to the museum before walking in with a concealed rifle, District... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Guns 'Clearly Not Fundamental Right' - Obama's Supreme Court Pick
Washington Times, Opinion
10 June 2009
During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama went to great lengths to convince everyone he was a strong defender of the Second Amendment. He disowned or denied a long list of anti-gun positions and told us time and time again to trust him, that he really did believe the Second Amendment protected an individual right. Was he simply catering to public opinion? The latest poll from Opinion Research found last month that 77 percent... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Hidden Handgun Permits, Gun Sales Rise at Record Clip in Virginia
Virginian-Pilot (Virginia)
8 June 2009
Erin King squeezed into a packed classroom at Bob's Gun Shop with a new pistol and a mission. She sat through two hours of instruction and fired off several dozen rounds at the range with her Guardian .32-caliber. The 26-year-old from Suffolk bought her first gun a few weeks ago and plans to get a concealed-carry permit next month. She'll slip her pistol into a hidden holster and protect herself commuting to her part-time... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Unlikely Allies Blunt Gun Lobby Attack on Obama's Supreme Court Pick
Bloomberg (USA)
2 June 2009
Judge Sonia Sotomayor's best defense against firearms owners mobilizing to oppose her U.S. Supreme Court nomination may come from an unlikely source: two top conservatives on the federal bench. Sotomayor was labeled "anti-gun" by Gun Owners of America for refusing to extend to the states the U.S. Supreme Court's 2008 decision overturning a Washington, D.C., handgun ban. The group said a January ruling by a three-judge panel that... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Advocates See Reason to Be Wary of US Supreme Court Nominee
Wall Street Journal
30 May 2009
WASHINGTON -- Gun-rights advocates are using Judge Sonia Sotomayor's involvement in two Second Amendment cases as ammunition to challenge her nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, threatening to draw the Obama administration into a debate over firearms laws that it has tried hard to avoid. The Gun Owners of America, an organization based in Springfield, Va., is telling its 300,000 members to let senators know they oppose Judge Sotomayor's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Florida Governor Gives $6m Handgun Fund Back to 'Paranoid Gun Lobby'
Orlando Sentinel (Florida), Column
28 May 2009
Even in this time of budgetary sacrifice, Gov. Charlie Crist understands certain priorities. The biggest one is not to offend the NRA when running for the U.S. Senate. And so with a stroke of his veto pen, Charlie gave the very grateful gun lobby the $6 million it so loudly demanded. The Legislature provided Charlie with this golden opportunity. Lawmakers played the anti-gun saps so he could play the pro-gun hero.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Allowing Guns in US National Parks 'Solves Problem that Didn't Exist'
Denver Post (Colorado), Editorial
28 May 2009
A sorry set of circumstances has led to allowing guns in our national parks and wildlife refuges, and our country is the poorer for it. Senate Republicans cynically hijacked the credit card reform legislation that Democrats had championed and attached a rider that would allow holders of concealed-carry permits to tote their firearms within national parks in states that allow such permits. The new law effectively opens all... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Obama Will Probably Pass More Pro-Gun Bills Than Bush, Says Democrat
Associated Press
24 May 2009
WASHINGTON -- Frustrated liberals are asking why a Democratic-controlled Congress and White House can't manage to close the Guantanamo prison or keep new gun-rights laws from passing. After all, President Barack Obama pledged to shut down the military detention center on Cuba for suspected terrorists. And Democratic control of the government would suggest that any gun legislation leads to tighter controls on weapons, not expanded... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
'Stinging Defeat for Gun-control' as US Allows Guns in National Parks
Associated Press
20 May 2009
WASHINGTON -- In a stinging defeat for gun-control advocates, Congress has voted to allow people to carry loaded guns in national parks and wildlife refuges. The House approved the measure, 279-147, on Wednesday, one day after the Senate acted. A total of 105 Democrats in the House joined 174 Republicans in supporting the gun measure, which essentially restores a Bush administration policy that briefly allowed loaded guns... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico, United States
Mexican Drug War Guns Came from Licensed Gun Dealers in Houston
Houston Chronicle (Texas)
20 May 2009
Ten Houston men, including three brothers, were charged Monday in a conspiracy to ship 151 military-style weapons south of the border. It's the region's biggest arms-trafficking case since the Obama administration vowed to do more to stem the flow of U.S. guns to Mexican drug cartel soldiers. Many of the weapons, which court papers indicate were bought by deceiving Houston firearms dealers, were civilian variants of M-16 assault... ( gunpolicy.org )
Trinidad & Tobago, United States
Caribbean Gun Smuggling 'Enormous': Trinidad Signs Gun Tracing Deal
Trinidad & Tobago Guardian
20 May 2009
PORT-of-SPAIN -- Describing the influx of illegal firearms into T&T as "enormous", acting Police Commissioner James Philbert yesterday signed an agreement with the US to combat arms trafficking. Philbert and John Ries, charge d'affaires at the US Embassy in Port-of-Spain, signed a policy agreement with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) of the US Justice Department to provide access and utilisation of e-Trace services.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Democrats' Transformation No More Evident Than in Gun Control
Politico / Capital News (Washington DC)
19 May 2009
Last week, 27 Senate Democrats joined Republicans to pass an amendment that allows concealed weapons in national parks. This week, the Senate could take the first step toward overturning a gun control bill passed by their own Democratic brethren more than a decade ago. After a soul-searching exile, the Democratic Party that regained control of both Congress and the White House in the past two election cycles is proving... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Budget Raid on Florida's Hidden Handgun Licensing Fund Stirs Fight
Miami Herald
19 May 2009
TALLAHASSEE -- As more people in Florida seek concealed weapons permits, Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson wants Gov. Charlie Crist to veto a $6 million raid on a fund that pays for the program. Bronson's request presents a timely opportunity for Crist to score political points with gun owners just as he's embarking on a race for the U.S. Senate. In a letter to Crist, Bronson cited "unprecedented growth" in applications... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New York's Gun Battle: Bloomberg Leads 340 US Mayors for Gun Control
Gotham Gazette (New York)
18 May 2009
Ten-year-old Naiesha Pearson was happily playing with other children at a Bronx playground during a Labor Day picnic on the day a bullet meant for someone else tore into her chest. Two men in their early 20s had gotten into an argument earlier in the day, and one of them decided to resolve it with gunfire. Naiesha was struck by one of the bullets. Her grandmother fainted, and fights broke out as onlookers tried to attack the shooter. Naiesha... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Obama's 'Crazy Theory:' Mexican Wars Might Slow Without US Gun Flood
Arizona Republic
16 May 2009
Arizona's Sen. John McCain, who once proposed cracking down on gun-show sales, told the National Rifle Association on Friday that he will oppose any "separate agenda" to rein in gun owners' rights as part of an effort to stop illegal gun-running to violent Mexican drug cartels. "We can and should do more to crack down on the illegal transfer to Mexico of weapons acquired in the United States, which is a violation of both U.S. and... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Owners Wary of Obama; NRA Influence Either Gaining or Waning
Reuters
15 May 2009
PHOENIX -- Thousands of U.S. gun owners gathering in Phoenix for the National Rifle Association's convention have one target firmly in their sights: any attempt to curb gun rights by the new guys in Washington. "We as an association, but more importantly America's 80 million gun owners, are very concerned about what may be coming down the pike through the Obama administration," Glen Caroline, grassroots director for the NRA's lobbying... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Feds Try to Stop Flow of Guns from Austin, Texas to Mexican Drug Cartels
Austin American-Statesman (Texas)
15 May 2009
The surveillance video showed two women leaving Cabela's in Buda and handing three guns they had just bought to a man, who then put the guns in the trunk of his black Lexus, according to a federal criminal complaint. The purchase and handoff in November piqued the suspicions of Cabela's employees, who alerted federal firearms agents. According to court documents, the agents soon identified the man as Humberto Fernandez,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
After Nearly 4 Months of Obama, Great US Gun Grab Hasn't Begun Yet
Daily Sentinel (Colorado), Column
15 May 2009
During last year's presidential campaign, gun-owners' groups like the National Rifle Association said Barack Obama, if he were elected, would be the most anti-gun president in the history of the United States. That claim and similar statements sparked a buying spree on guns and ammunition immediately following the election, which continued well into this year. I bought some shells last week, and told I was limited to two boxes.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Mexico Data Overstates US Share of Guns Smuggled to Fuel Drug War
El Paso Times (Texas)
14 May 2009
EL PASO -- More than 90 percent of about 11,000 guns tied to violence in Mexico's drug wars came from the United States, but those weapons were handpicked for tracing by Mexican authorities. The Mexican federal attorney general's staff recently acknowledged that Mexican authorities had seized 35,943 arms, including 2,800 grenades, since the crackdown against the drug cartels began in December 2006. That means Mexico provided... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Sales Climb as 'Scared' Americans Cite Obama Gun Ban, Economy
Boston Globe
10 May 2009
The firearms industry appears to be riding out the recession in fine form, with sales across the country flourishing. And the enthusiasm for purchasing such weaponry has spread to communities south of Boston, according to area gun dealers. Firearms of all types are in demand as well as the ammunition to feed them. Customers run the gamut from the seasoned hunter and skilled marksman to the novice. Training classes for new gun owners... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Lobby Victory Myth Inflates 'Democrat Cowardice' on Gun Control
New York Times, Opinion
9 May 2009
In politics, conventional wisdom can be slow to die, even when the so-called wisdom is neither true nor wise. So I was reminded on a recent visit to Capitol Hill, when I asked several lawmakers and senior members of their staffs to explain the Democrats' timidity about standing up to the National Rifle Association by pressing needed measures to curb gun violence. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Obama tossed cold... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
NY Senator, Ex-NRA Favourite Veers to Gun Control, Faces New Test
Newsday (New York)
6 May 2009
WASHINGTON -- Since her appointment to the Senate, one-time NRA favorite Kirsten Gillibrand has passed just about every test on guns set by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy - but that might change next week. As the junior senator from New York, the upstate Democrat has undergone a transformation, moving quickly in the past three months away from her House record that won the NRA's top rating while remaining a supporter of Second Amendment... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico, United States
100 Federal Agents Deploy to Texas to Catch US-Mexico Gun Traffickers
Associated Press
28 April 2009
HOUSTON -- One-hundred federal agents and other personnel have been deployed to Houston in an effort to stop the flow of firearms to Mexican drug cartels from one of the major sources of guns seized south of the border, officials announced Tuesday. They'll spend the next four months in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' Houston field division, developing cases against people and groups trafficking firearms... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Arms Industry Hails Obama as Unofficial Gun Salesman of the Year
Economic Times (India) / AFP
27 April 2009
CALIFORNIA -- The rest of the US economy may be in the grip of a crippling recession but in the booming firearms industry, President Barack Obama is being toasted as unofficial salesman of the year. Fearful that Obama's administration is quietly planning to introduce tough new restrictions on gun ownership and worried that the recession will trigger a crime wave, Americans are scrambling to stock up on guns and ammunition. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Distrust of Obama, Fearful Americans Drive Record Spree of Gun Buying
Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh)
27 April 2009
On the gun counter at Ace Sporting Goods in Washington County, customers are greeted with a picture of President Barack Obama next to the caption, "Salesman of the Year." The "Salesman of the Month" honor goes to Gov. Ed Rendell, whose picture is next to the president's. "Obviously it's a little bit of humor," said owner George Romanoff. "But any time our politicians start discussing gun control, it has the adverse effect... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago Allies Chafe as Obama Slides Gun Control Onto Back Burner
Chicago Tribune
27 April 2009
In July 2007, when the presidency was still a long-shot proposition, Barack Obama stopped at Vernon Park Church of God in Chicago to deliver a fiery sermon challenging the government, the gun lobby and the public to do more to stop gun violence. "Our playgrounds have become battlegrounds. Our streets have become cemeteries. Our schools have become places to mourn the ones we've lost," he told a standing-room-only congregation at... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
8yrs in Prison: US-Mexico Gun Runners, Gun-rights Abusers Take Heed
Dallas Morning News (Texas), Editorial
22 April 2009
Hours after President Barack Obama's trip to Mexico, a Houston court sent a much-needed message to U.S.-based arms buyers that they will pay a heavy price if their weapons wind up south of the border. U.S. District Judge David Hittner sentenced defendant John Phillip Hernandez to eight years in prison Friday for his involvement in a gun-smuggling ring that purchased 339 weapons during a 15-month period. Dozens of those military-style... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Law-abiding Americans Deeply Affected by Gun Laws - The Lack of Them
Baltimore Sun, Column
21 April 2009
Don't be absurd," a reader of this column, E. Bruce Volensky of Alabama, wrote recently when I suggested in an e-mail exchange that he and other all-guns-at-all-costs advocates seem unfazed by the mass killings that have marked another American spring. "Those of us that support Second Amendment RIGHTS hate gun deaths, perhaps more than you, for it gives you what you seem to think is ammunition (no pun intended) for your cause." Thanks... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Lobby Paranoia Is Silly, Dangerous; No Need to Outlaw Firearms
US News & World Report, Opinion
20 April 2009
We make it too easy for dangerous people to get dangerous weapons in this country. As a result of our weak, nearly nonexistent laws restricting access to guns, every year we end up with approximately 12,000 gun homicides, 18,000 gun suicides or fatal accidents, and another 70,000 gun injuries. In the last month, two different shooters used military-style assault rifles to kill police officers in Oakland and Pittsburgh because... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico, United States
Gun Control Group Study Analyses US-Mexico Gun Smuggling Cases
KPBS-TV News (San Diego)
20 April 2009
A Washington DC gun control group says President Barack Obama should ban the import of assault weapons and make public a database that traces guns. Analysts with the Violence Policy Center say doing so would help crackdown on gun smuggling to Mexico. Violence Policy Center analysts looked at all federal firearms cases tied to Mexican gun traffickers they could find in California and three other states from 2006 to 2009. The... ( gunpolicy.org )
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