United States
Wife of Slain Olympian Arrested in California 'Domestic Abuse' Shooting
Associated Press
13 February 2010
OXNARD, California - The wife of an Olympic shot put medalist gunned down in his Southern California back yard last summer was arrested Saturday in the homicide case, authorities said. Jane Laut, 52, was detained during a traffic stop Saturday morning on a warrant issued earlier in the week, Oxnard police said in a written statement. Her husband David Laut, who won a bronze medal in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, was... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Lawmakers Duel Over Merits of Guns in Texas State Capitol: Safe or Silly?
Wall Street Journal
8 February 2010
Lawmakers in firearm-friendly Texas are embroiled in a debate over how to make the state Capitol safer: get rid of guns or encourage even more. The discussion comes after a man last month fired several shots on the steps of the towering Capitol in Austin. State troopers tackled him and no one was wounded, but the incident spotlighted a predicament for lawmakers in a state where carrying handguns is not only legal but largely cherished.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Lawmakers Wade Into Vast Overhaul, Relaxation of Georgia Gun Law
Associated Press
28 January 2010
College presidents and student leaders bristled at a proposal Wednesday that would allow some gun owners to carry firearms on college campuses as legislators waded deeper into a vast overhaul of state gun restrictions. The broad legislation would for the first time allow the estimated 300,000 Georgians with gun permits to carry their weapons in most public buildings, churches and even the state Capitol. It would also lift a ban... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
65yr-old Psychiatric Patient Commits 'Suicide by Cop' in San Francisco
San Francisco Chronicle
25 January 2010
SAN FRANCISCO - A 65-year-old San Francisco man shot to death by police after he allegedly came at them with a machete had called his doctor minutes before to say he was going to "try to take them out when they come to take me," police said. Police officials released a tape of Edward Lemarr Smith's call to his physician Monday, two days after an officer shot and killed Smith just outside his home at 87 Maynard St. in the Excelsior... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Many Guns, 'Enlightened' Pro-gun Laws Make Texas Safer, Says Governor
Associated Press
22 January 2010
AUSTIN, Texas -- Governor Rick Perry said Friday that Texans should not be subject to more government intervention and security measures after a gunman opened fire at an entry to the Texas Capitol and that the state's "enlightened" approach to gun rights helps to keep citizens safe. "In Texas, criminals have to think twice before they draw a gun because there's a good chance they're going to be outnumbered," Perry said, as he accepted... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Michigan Militia Parents, Children Live with Guns, Train to Repel Terrorists
Sun (UK)
18 January 2010
Morgana, six, the youngest of the eight children, is as comfortable with a lethal .22 calibre rifle as she is with a Barbie doll. Her sister Raven, nine, has her own .22 as well, bought for her when she was seven. It is in baby pink. She explains proudly: "My dad says I'm becoming quite a good shot." Dad is Lee Miracle, of Sterling Heights, Michigan. After the events of 9/11 Lee, his wife Katerina, 43, and their... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
NBA All-Star Pleads Guilty Unlicensed Possession
Washington Examiner
15 January 2010
Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas pleaded guilty to a felony gun charge Friday, with prosecutors saying they would recommend the athlete spend no more than two years behind bars. The 28-year-old NBA All-Star appeared in D.C. Superior Court, pleading guilty to one count of carrying a pistol without a license, which carries a maximum prison term of five years. Channing Phillips, acting U.S. Attorney for the District... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
Hostile BNP Member Gets 11 Years for Illegal Weapon Cache and Craft
Guardian (UK)
15 January 2010
A BNP member who spent a decade building up a cache of weapons in a bedroom hideaway was jailed for 11 years today. Bus driver Terrance Gavan manufactured highly dangerous firearms and explosives at the home where he lived with his mother in Batley, West Yorkshire. Police discovered 54 improvised bombs including nail bombs and a booby-trapped cigarette packet, as well as 12 firearms. The former soldier told detectives... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Hidden Handgun Permits Double, Assault Weapoin Sales Up in Michigan
WLUC-TV6 News (Michigan)
15 January 2010
NEGAUNEE, Michigan - Michigan State Police are reporting that more and more people want to carry a gun. During the 12 month period that ended in June of 2009, the number of applications to carry and conceal a weapon in the state of Michigan more than doubled from the year before. In 2001, Michigan became a "Shall Issue" state. That means the only people denied permits are convicted felons and those with mental illness.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Courthouse Security to be Addressed After Vegas Court Shooting
Ely Times
13 January 2010
CARSON CITY -- Judges throughout Nevada will conduct studies to determine whether additional security measures should be taken at local and state courthouses, Supreme Court Chief Justice Ron Parraguirre announced Thursday. "We have seen what can occur, and we need to be sure we can protect our judges, court staff and citizens," Parraguirre said. The announcement comes after Monday's gunbattle at the Lloyd George U.S. Courthouse... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
'Brazen' Celebratory Shootings Targeted by Baltimore Police
Baltimore Sun
13 January 2010
Here's the tally from the Baltimore police commissioner's war on bad guys with guns during the opening minute of 2010: - A blue .38-caliber Smith & Wesson with four rounds in the chamber. - A 9 mm PA-63 semiautomatic handgun. - A .38-caliber Rossi revolver. - A Mossburg 12-gauge shotgun. - A chrome two-shot, .38-caliber Derringer pistol. Five guns, four suspects, two houses. These... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
NY Woman Cleared of Killing Intruder
Associated Press
12 January 2010
SCHROEPPEL, New York - A grand jury finds a central New York woman was justified in fatally shooting a man who ransacked her home in October. Deanna Candee of Schroeppel (SCROO'-puhl) in Oswego County was cleared of wrongdoing in the death of Timothy Hartigan, whom she found inside her home after returning from a shopping trip. Deputies said Hartigan had ransacked her home and attacked Candee. Her son pulled Hartigan off... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
Lawyers Request Exemption from Philippine Election Gun Ban
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Editorial
12 January 2010
In insisting that they be included in the gun ban exemption, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Cebu chapter noted that like judges, they face safety threats due to their handling of controversial cases. While safety is a paramount concern, so is the capacity of law enforcers to regulate or even clamp down on gun use. But Cebu lawyers, while admitting that the climate for lawyers in the province is peaceful compared to... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
6 Govt Offices Exempted from Philippines' Gun Ban
Individual.com
12 January 2010
Six more government offices were added to the roster of agencies that were given exemptions from the gun ban being implemented by the Commission on Elections (Comelec). Comelec Commissioner Lucenito Tagle, head of the Committee on the Ban on Firearms and Security Personnel, said that the personnel of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Units (CAFGUs), the Presidential Security Group (PSG) and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)... ( gunpolicy.org )
South Africa
Impact of South Africa's Gun Amnesty Questioned
Mercury (Durban)
11 January 2010
With thousands of illegal firearms in circulation around the country, contributing to the high rate of serious and violent crimes, most political parties have welcomed the four-month gun amnesty that begins today, saying it will spur people with illegal firearms to surrender their weapons. The amnesty runs until April 11 and allows people to hand in illegal, unregistered firearms at any police station, without fear of prosecution.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Incidents Hurt NBA's Image
Detroit News
11 January 2010
Auburn Hills -- Marvin "Bad News" Barnes played for Pistons teams in the early 1970s nicknamed the "Detroit Hoodlums" because at least four players routinely brought guns into the dressing room for protection. They weren't afraid of teammates, but wanted to protect themselves from the streets of downtown Detroit, which had a bad reputation for crime. Barnes told aol.com he carried an unregistered .45-caliber pistol and... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
India to Tighten Gun Licensing, Registration Laws to Curb Proliferation
The Hindu (New Delhi)
10 January 2010
In a bid to check proliferation of both legal and illegal weapons, the government has decided to review the law for granting licences to individuals and keep a database of those issued across the country. The Home Ministry says proliferation of arms, whether licensed or illegal, vitiates the law and order situation and holding of sophisticated weapons by conflicting parties directly contributes towards lethality of violent acts.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Business Booming at Vegas Machine Gun Range
Forbes (USA), Blog
8 January 2010
LAS VEGAS -- Mining. Cattle-ranching. Machine gun rentals. If you're a Berkeley-bred crunchie that combination is the stuff of nightmares. If you're entrepreneur Billy Conn, however, it's a living. And, thanks to a weak dollar and ever-tightening firearms laws, business at the machine gun range is good. Conn will only say that the privately-held Las Vegas Gun Range & Firearms Center is a "multi-million" dollar business. However... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Athletes Should Avoid Firearm Dispute-Resolution 2010
New York Times, Opinion
8 January 2010
In our search for comity and common ground this year, perhaps we can all agree that professional athletes should try to reduce the use of firearms to resolve personal disputes in 2010. You may have heard that the Washington Wizards are engulfed in a crisis over Gilbert Arenas, one of the team's star players. His fight with a teammate over a gambling debt led to a display of handguns in the Wizards locker room. Seldom have... ( 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
'Guns a Privilege - They Won't Protect You': NBA Star and NRA Member
Sports Illustrated, Opinion
7 January 2010
Former NBA star Karl Malone is an avid hunter who publicly declared his advocacy of the right to bear arms by becoming a spokesman for the National Rifle Association. SI.com asked Malone for his thoughts on the situation involving three-time All-Star Gilbert Arenas, who acknowledged Monday that he stored unloaded guns at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., and said he displayed them in front of Wizards teammate as "a misguided effort... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Guns in the Locker a 'Misguided Joke' says NBA Star
Associated Press
4 January 2010
WASHINGTON,USA - Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas says he took unloaded guns from his locker in a "misguided effort to play a joke" on a teammate. Arenas released a written statement Monday after meeting with law enforcement officials. And Arenas' lawyer says the player voluntarily met with prosecutors and detectives and answered every question during a two-hour interview. In his statement, Arenas repeated his earlier... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
75 Percent of NBA Players Own Guns for Protection an 'Alarming Subject'
Associated Press
4 January 2010
Not only have David Stern's pleas to leave the guns at home been ignored, one player even brought his to work. The commissioner could hand Gilbert Arenas a severe punishment whenever he decides to take action, but it seems clear Stern can't convince NBA players not to carry firearms. As far as they're concerned, players have the right -- and maybe even the need -- to own weapons, as long as they're doing it legally. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
2010, A Year For the Second Amendment - LaPierre
Washington Post, Opinion
4 January 2010
The Second Amendment faces a decisive year in 2010. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. has called for new semi-automatic gun bans - despite their decade-long record of fraud and failure, and despite his own Justice Department's failure to fully or even half-heartedly prosecute federal firearm felonies. Mr. Holder and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have demonstrated their willingness to use cooked statistics to blame Mexico's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Pilots' Right to Carry Extended
CNN
1 January 2010
Washington - The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday extended permission for hundreds of pilots to carry firearms -- just hours before their certification to carry the weapons was to expire, according to an organization which represents the pilots. "A few hundred" Federal Flight Deck Officers -- or FFDOs -- were to lose their certification to carry firearms effective midnight on New Year's Eve, said Mike Karn, executive... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Second Colorado University Bans Hidden Handguns on Campus
Los Angeles Times
28 December 2009
DENVER - After a gun-wielding student killed 32 at Virginia Tech, faculty at Colorado State University in Fort Collins found, to their alarm, that theirs was one of the few public schools in the country with no policy banning firearms. Anyone with a concealed weapons permit could legally carry on campus. Students, however, were alarmed when the faculty moved to change that. Among other arguments, students contended that... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
UK Conservatives Promise to Change Law on Killing Burglars, Intruders
Sky News Online (UK)
21 December 2009
The Tories want to give people who kill burglars while defending their home more protection from prosecution, according to the shadow home secretary. Chris Grayling promised a review of householders' rights to defend themselves against intruders. He said there were some cases where it may be "proportionate" to take a housebreaker's life - such as when someone is attacked in his home by an armed intruder. However,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Personal Aide, Hidden Handgun Guards Australian State Police Chief
Age (Melbourne)
20 November 2009
The personal aide to Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Simon Overland carried a semi-automatic pistol, police confirmed last night. A spokesman said Mr Overland, who has headed inquiries including the anti-underworld Purana Taskforce, was a public figure and had a high profile as a result of his position. He said the aide had undertaken appropriate training courses to use the firearm, believed to be a Glock 9mm pistol.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Trinidad & Tobago
Hardware Shop Owner Calls for More Gun Permits in Trinidad
Trinidad and Tobago Express
18 November 2009
President of the Trinidad and Tobago Hardware Association, Joseph Callendar, is calling on the Government and Acting Commissioner of Police James Philbert to issue firearm users' licences to hardware owners, after his hardware was robbed on Friday morning. Callendar said he is appealing to the Government to allow hardware owners to carry guns. 'We are getting robbed and we don't have any guns. We are totally unprotected,' he said.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Despite Handgun Ban, 7,234 Guns Confiscated In Chicago This Year
CBS-2 TV News (Chicago)
15 November 2009
CHICAGO ? Seven thousand two hundred thirty-four. If Chicago is your home, that number tells you something about your city, and police say it's not necessarily good. As CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman reports, there have been 7,234 guns recovered or confiscated by Chicago Police so far this year. When you think about it, that's about one gun for every 400 people, in a city with an ordinance that prohibits them. Chicagoan Robert... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Texas Army Killing: Foolish Military Gun Controls Left Soldiers Defenceless
Washington Times, Editorial
11 November 2009
Time after time, public murder sprees occur in "gun-free zones" -- public places where citizens are not legally able to carry guns. The list is long, including massacres at Virginia Tech and Columbine High School along with many less deadly attacks. Last week's slaughter at Fort Hood Army base in Texas was no different -- except that one man bears responsibility for the ugly reality that the men and women charged with defending America were... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Encouraging More Guns May Have Prevented Texas Army Base Shooting
Chicago Sun-Times, Opinion
11 November 2009
When Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan started shooting up the Soldier Readiness Processing Center at Fort Hood, Pfc. Marquest Smith dove under a desk. The Associated Press reported that "he lay low for several minutes, waiting for the shooter to run out of ammunition and wishing he, too, had a gun." Neither Smith nor the other victims of Hasan's assault had guns because soldiers on military bases within the United States generally are not... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
It's Time to Put An End to Army Bases as Gun-Free Zones, Says John Lott
Fox News (USA), Opinion
10 November 2009
It is hard to believe that we don't trust soldiers with guns on an army base when we trust these very same men in Iraq and Afghanistan. Shouldn't an army base be the last place where a terrorist should be able to shoot at people uninterrupted for 10 minutes? After all, an army base is filled with soldiers who carry guns, right? Unfortunately, that is not the case. Beginning in March 1993, under the Clinton administration, the army... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Politicians Cower, Too Frightened By Gun Lobby to Protect Americans
Charleston Gazette (West Virginia), Editorial
22 October 2009
CHARLESTON, West Virgiunia -- Since 2000, Kanawha County has issued 13,272 five-year permits to carry concealed pistols, according to Lt. Rick Rose in the sheriff's department. Cabell County has issued perhaps 4,000 in that period. Statewide, the grand total probably is over 100,000. Presumably, all those West Virginia pistol-packers carry hidden guns because they think it makes them safer. But a new federal study concludes that... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
Illegal Guns Flood Mindanao, Fuel Insecurity, Promote Armed Violence
IRIN (UN News)
23 September 2009
DAPIAWAN, Philippines -- A .45 calibre pistol is tucked into the waistband of a tricycle driver as he speeds along a desolate stretch of highway that cuts through a Muslim rebel stronghold in the southern Philippine town of Datu Piang in Mindanao. "I can get attacked by bandits, rebels or my enemies, and my gun spells the difference between life and death," he told IRIN. Similar scenarios are played out across this strife-torn,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Thailand
To Curb Gun Violence in South, Thailand Gives 30,000 Guns to Civilians
Inter Press Service News Agency
18 September 2009
YALA, Thailand -- With an insurgency threatening to worsen, Thailand's military is turning to civilians like Nipa Waya to return fire in the three southern provinces close to the Malaysian border. Nipa, a single mother, maintains a vigil through the night armed with a shotgun at the entrance to a Buddhist village on the outskirts of this southern city. With her, on a recent night, were 15 other men and women, similarly armed, who... ( 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
Florida Court Approves Killing Retreating Attacker with Shots to the Back
Associated Press
19 August 2009
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida's "stand-your-ground" law allows the use of deadly force for self-protection even if an attacker or intruder is in retreat, an appellate court said Wednesday. A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal issued that explanation for last month releasing Jimmy Hair from jail, where he had spent two years awaiting trial on a first-degree murder charge. Hair, 28, was charged with fatally... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
Despite Armed Attack, Mumbai Tightens Restrictions on Private Guns
Times of India / TNN
19 August 2009
MUMBAI -- Post-26/11, the Mumbai police have tightened the screws for issuing arms licences to the public. While last year, from January to July, the police issued 116 arms licences, this year, the figure has gone down to 96. The police said after the terror attack, they received around 150 applications for revolvers and guns from builders, celebrities, hoteliers, politicians and security agency staff. However, they did not issue... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kosovo
350,000 Illicit Guns 'Loose' in Kosovo, Still a Serious Problem - Report
Saferworld / Balkan Insight, Media release
21 July 2009
Civilian possession of illicit weapons remains a serious problem in Kosovo and the region, Saferworld said in a press conference in Pristina on Tuesday. According to a new Saferworld report, around 350,000 illicit small arms and light weapons remain in private possession in households across the country. Kosovo is currently estimated to have a population of around 2 million people. Saferworld Director Henry Smith told the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Russia
Gun Ownership Grows 10% per Year, Now 'Generally Accepted' in Russia
Georgian Daily (Tbilisi) / Novyye Izvestiya
20 July 2009
As the economic crisis deepens and fears of crime spread, not only are more Russians buying guns of various kinds -- including pistols and gas guns -- but many of them are buying more than one, trends that are prompting some Duma deputies to consider repealing existing restrictions on the purchase of hunting rifles for self-defense. But as could be expected on the basis of the experience of other countries, many of these guns are... ( gunpolicy.org )
Turks & Caicos
Tiny Caribbean State (pop. 23,000) Imports Guns, Ammo Worth $2 Million
Turks & Caicos Weekly News
17 July 2009
Almost $2m worth of guns and ammunition has been imported by Islanders in the last three years, the Weekly News can reveal. The alarming number of licensed firearms in the TCI is raising fears that the nation could be headed for the same fate as many of its trigger-happy Caribbean neighbours, plagued by spiralling gun crime. Figures -- contained in the Government's external merchandise trade statistics 2008 -- show that... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United States
American Couple Caught with Handgun Crossing Border into Canada
Victoria Times Colonist (British Columbia)
15 July 2009
An American man was arrested and convicted of a weapon offence, after trying to smuggle a prohibited handgun into Canada. A couple from Florida were trying to cross the Canadian border after a trip on the Coho Ferry Monday morning when border services officers at the Belleville terminal became suspicious and searched their car. They found a Glock 9-millimetre handgun with laser sights in a small backpack behind the driver's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Tennessee, Arizona Allow 375,000 to Carry Hidden Handguns in Bars
Guardian (UK)
14 July 2009
Up to 375,000 registered gun owners in Arizona and Tennessee were today given the right to carry concealed guns into bars and restaurants that serve alcohol, in the latest example of loosening gun laws in a country already renowned for its lax approach to firearms. The change of the two states' gun laws marks a trend across the US towards increased rights for gun owners despite a spate of bloody rampages in recent months that have... ( gunpolicy.org )
Thailand
Licensed Thai Farmers Killed for Their Guns, Carried for Self Defence
Bangkok Post
9 July 2009
PHATTHALUNG -- The slaying of a rubber tapper and the theft of his pistol has highlighted concerns the province is developing a thriving black market for stolen firearms. Police identified the latest victim as Thawee Phromboonkaew, 36, of Khao Chaison district. He was killed early yesterday while on his way to his plantation. Police said Mr Thawee was shot by two gunmen about 4.30am just 300 metres from his home. The... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Long Island Gun Sales Up Due to 'Hysteria Fomented by Pro-gun Groups'
Newsday (New York)
7 July 2009
Local politicians and activists expressed concern Tuesday about reports that handgun sales and permit applications have increased in recent months. Officials and gun sellers offer a variety of reasons, but police and state figures show that so far this year, pistol applications on Long Island are up 50 percent over last year. One reason cited is the fear that a Democratic president and Congress could legislatively snatch... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Prosecutors Drop Gun Threat Case Due to Wyoming's 'Castle Doctrine'
Associated Press
25 June 2009
WRIGHT, Wyoming -- Prosecutors have withdrawn a weapons-related charge against a Wright man, citing Wyoming's "castle doctrine" law on self-defense. An attorney says it may be the first time the year-old statute has been used in Wyoming. Zebulon Alfred Goodrich was charged with misdemeanor reckless endangerment for allegedly pointing a gun at his sister in March. Prosecutors said Tuesday they couldn't meet the burden of... ( gunpolicy.org )
Thailand
Thai Government Tackles Armed Violence by Handing Out More Guns
Bernama (Malaysia)
15 June 2009
BANGKOK -- The Thai government has been asked to end the creation of armed civilian defence volunteer forces and supply of firearms to civilians in the restive southern Thailand as it had led to greater insecurity and ethnic polarisation among the population. The Nonviolence International (Southeast Asia) said Bangkok's strategy of expanding civilian volunteer forces and substituting and deregulating purchases of firearms by civilians... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Obama's Supreme Court Pick Raises Fear Levels Among US Gun Lobby
Associated Press
11 June 2009
WASHINGTON -- Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor told a senator Thursday that she would follow a historic ruling affirming Americans' right to own guns for self-defense, but pro-gun activists said they still believe she'd work to limit gun rights if confirmed for the high court. Democratic Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado said Sotomayor told him during a private meeting that she considers the 2008 ruling that struck down a Washington,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Supreme Court Nomination Signals Legal Shootout Over US Gun Rights
Los Angeles Times, Editorial
10 June 2009
Two federal appeals court opinions -- one signed by Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor -- have created a quandary for those who cherish the protections of the Bill of Rights and also believe in meaningful gun control. But the way out of the dilemma is not to urge the high court to pick and choose which constitutional rights are protected against state and local laws. Among the charges leveled by some conservatives against Sotomayor... ( 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 )
South Africa
Armed Pretoria Gun Dealer Shot Dead in 'Hit' On His Way to Work
Cape Argus (Cape Town)
5 June 2009
A Pretoria arms dealer, who also worked as a police reservist, has been gunned down in a suspected hit close to his home. Ivan Monsieur, 56, a police reservist at the Midrand police station, was shot dead this week while en route to his office in Lyttelton. Monsieur was off-duty when he was shot. He was the chief executive of New Generation Ammunition (NGA), an ammunition manufacturing and weapons importing and exporting... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Tennessee Joins 37 Other US States, Encourages Carrying Guns in Bars
Associated Press
4 June 2009
NASHVILLE -- Tennessee House members voted on Wednesday to override the governor's veto of a bill to allow handguns to be carried in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol. The House voted 69-27 against the veto. The Senate is expected to vote on the matter today. The final version of the bill previously passed the House on a 66-23 vote. All but one of the new votes for or against the measure came from lawmakers who were... ( gunpolicy.org )
Serbia
Serbians Own 1.1 Million Private Guns, Register 15,000 More Each Year
Glas Javnosti (Belgrade)
4 June 2009
BELGRADE -- In Serbia there are approximately 1,150,000 firearms, registered to the name of around 800,000 citizens and companies. According to the records of the Serbian Ministry of Interior, there are around 510,000 pistols and revolvers, while the rest are hunting rifles and small arms. Considering the number of citizens, legal entities and entrepreneurs, Belgrade has the most registered weapons. Discharged... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Federal Appeals Court Unanimously Upholds Chicago's Strict Gun Laws
Los Angeles Times
3 June 2009
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday upheld strict gun control ordinances in Chicago and suburban Oak Park, Ill., setting the stage for a Supreme Court battle over whether the 2nd Amendment and its protection for gun owners extends to state and municipal laws. In a 3-0 decision, the judges said they were bound by legal precedents that held the 2nd Amendment applied only to federal laws. Judge Sonia Sotomayor,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Conservative Judges Back Obama's Supreme Court Pick on Gun Control
Washington Post
3 June 2009
Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor has been called an "anti-gun radical" by some gun rights activists for joining an opinion this year that said the Second Amendment does not prevent state and local governments from restricting arms ownership. But yesterday a panel of conservative luminaries on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit reached the same decision. The unanimous ruling rejecting a challenge to Chicago's tough... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Appeals Court Rejects US Gun Lobby Attack on Chicago Handgun Ban
Associated Press
2 June 2009
CHICAGO -- A federal appeals court Tuesday upheld ordinances barring the ownership of handguns in most cases in Chicago and suburban Oak Park, finding a Supreme Court ruling in a District of Columbia case doesn't apply. The three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in the National Rifle Association's appeal of a judge's ruling in December that upheld the Chicago and Oak Park ordinances. Last year... ( gunpolicy.org )
Thailand
Thailand Vows to Get Tough With Civilians Illegally Possessing Guns
Bangkok Post
29 May 2009
Army chief Anupong Paojinda is pushing for tougher penalties for people found in possession of war weapons. Gen Anupong yesterday said stricter controls on war weapons would deter people from acquiring or keeping them. "I will push for a tougher law to discourage them," he said. "With harsher penalties in place, they will be afraid to keep the weapons." The army chief said he would raise his proposal with Deputy... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Shooters, Heller Litigant Challenge California Hidden Handgun Discretion
CBS News (USA) / Political Hot Sheet, Blog
6 May 2009
In theory, law-abiding Californians who undergo a criminal background check and pass a government training course can receive a permit from their local sheriff to carry a concealed firearm. But in practice, many California counties flatly deny permits to residents who meet the requirements for a concealed carry permit -- a situation that a lawsuit filed in federal court in Sacramento on Tuesday hopes to remedy. The lawsuit... ( gunpolicy.org )
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea Police Minister Mulls Costly Buyback of Illegal Guns
Post-Courier (Port Moresby)
5 May 2009
High-powered firearms will not be surrendered to police as they are viewed as tools for defensive reasons. This was the sentiment shared by Police Minister Sani Rambi when asked about the possibility of high-powered firearms ever being surrendered in relation to the idea of the guns buyback strategy implemented by him last year. When asked how far he was with a draft on the guns buyback strategy, he said that he was yet... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US School Shootings: Guns on Campus Are the Problem, Not the Solution
Dallas Morning News (Texas), Opinion
27 April 2009
Three college professors who favor forcing Texas colleges to accept loaded, concealed handguns on campus wrote on Viewpoints last week, saying they "want to reduce the odds of a Virginia Tech massacre happening on a Texas college campus." I was shot at Virginia Tech. With respect, I think those professors are clueless about what it's like to be in the middle of such a situation. I think putting weapons on Texas campuses is a crazy,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Columbine Gun Control Momentum 'Long Since Petered Out' in America
Time (USA)
15 April 2009
Monday April 20 marks 10 years since Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold permanently etched the words Columbine High School into this nation's collective memory. What happened that day in 1999 also seemed to wake America up to the reality that it had become a nation of gun owners -- and too often a nation of shooters. The carnage in Littleton, Colorado -- 12 classmates and a teacher before the killers offed themselves -- and the ease... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
ABC News 20/20 (USA) Runs 5-part Special on Gun Use, Gun Control
ABC News (USA), TV Promo
9 April 2009
David Muir has firearms in his cross hairs tomorrow in ABC's "If Only I Had a Gun." Despite the rash of high-profile shootings in recent years, a group of youths, given the opportunity to play with a gun, did it. That's one finding in a year-long investigation by ABC News' David Muir and Diane Sawyer in a special report, "If Only I Had a Gun," airing Friday at 10 p.m. For the piece, Muir set up a test in which... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Boom in American Gun, Ammo Sales Fueled by Fear, Politics, Economy
Time (USA)
8 April 2009
Americans are afraid of this economy. As a result, they're getting locked and loaded. To wit: Jacquita Baker, a soft-spoken single mother from Kentwood, Mich., near Grand Rapids. She works as an administrative assistant at the Grand Rapids Urban League and is studying criminal justice at a local university. As of Monday, she's the proud owner of a shotgun. Why bear arms now? "The economy played a large part in my decision," says Baker, 27.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Lobby Bill for Even Slacker Gun Laws 'Has No Place in Montana'
Helena Independent Record (Montana), Editorial
7 April 2009
There are a number of broad and sweeping philosophical bills before the Legislature this year. Some attempt to score incremental wins in the larger spectrum of controversial issues like abortion, health care and gun rights. Take, for example, House Bill 228. Some major amendments were made last week to HB 228 - the "gun bill" -- that move this highly contentious bill from a one-sided extreme closer to middle ground.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Despite Gun Lobby Push, 18 US States Reject 'Arm the Students' Laws
Associated Press
30 March 2009
AUSTIN, Texas -- John Woods sometimes sits in a classroom at the University of Texas and wonders what would happen if somebody walked in and started shooting. In April 2007, he was a student at Virginia Tech when his girlfriend and several other people he knew there were gunned down in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Thirty-two people died, plus the gunman. There were times when Woods thought that maybe... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Campaigners Push Hidden Handguns, 'Guns at Work' Law for Alabama
Montgomery Advertiser (Alabama)
29 March 2009
Alabama employers could one day find that their employees are bringing more than lunch and briefcases to work each day. They could be bringing a gun, and under a bill moving through the Alabama Legislature there might be very little an employer can do to stop them. Democratic lawmakers in the House and the Senate are sponsoring bills that would prohibit employers from establishing policies or rules that stop gun permit... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Missouri Cattle Bill Makes It Legal to Shoot, Kill If Property Threatened
KOMU-TV News (Missouri)
6 March 2009
CENTRALIA -- If passed, a bill in the Missouri House could allow individuals to kill someone if they threaten their private or rented property. It is currently legal to kill someone inside your home or automobile, if threatened. This new bill expands that right to include a person's property. "This is a defense bill and only allows you to defend yourself, not only on your home, but your property as well," said Rep. Kenny... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Michigan Couple Shot Dead by Man Out to Steal Their Self-defence Gun
Saginaw News (Michigan)
6 March 2009
Maurice Burley shot and killed Robert D. "Deon" Wilson and then turned the gun on Wilson's wife, Tara, because she witnessed the slaying, Saginaw County Assistant Prosecutor Paul M. Fehrman said. Burley then stole the couple's rifle a family member gave them for protection, Fehrman said during his opening statement Thursday at Burley's trial. Burley, 25, who last lived at 4010 Wisner faces two counts of first-degree premeditated... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Fear Drives 100% Surge in Floridians Allowed to Carry Hidden Handguns
St Petersburg Times (Florida)
2 March 2009
More of your neighbors are packing heat. Whether it's fear of crime, fallout from a bad economy or concerns about the new administration, the number of people applying for a concealed weapons permit has jumped. For the year ending June 30, 2008, about 84,000 people applied for new permits in Florida. In 2005, that number was about 42,000 people. Here's a look at what obtaining a concealed weapons permit entails and who is getting them: ... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Economy, Crime, Fear Persuade Some American Women to Buy a Gun
New York Times Magazine, Opinion
25 February 2009
Back in late September, when my bank stocks began to tank -- slowly, then all at once, as Hemingway described going broke -- another wall in my life began to crack, as rumors of break-ins rattled my peaceful neighborhood in Allentown, Pa. The first indication that something was going on was the Crime Watch sign that suddenly appeared on the utility pole a block from my house. To see what was happening, my husband and I attended... ( gunpolicy.org )
Nigeria
Church Body Suggests 'Everybody Should Buy His Own Gun' in Nigeria
This Day (Lagos)
24 February 2009
ABUJA -- Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) yesterday disclosed that it was considering sending a bill that would allow every adult to carry arms as a way of checking unwarranted attacks to the National Assembly. The body also took a swipe at what it called the non-challant attitude of President Umaru Musa Yar Adua and Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to the violent crisis in some parts of the North, asking them to resign if... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Fear, Hysteria Fuel Sales of Guns, Ammo for Assault Weapons in Florida
Sun-Sentinel (Florida), Editorial
22 February 2009
It is time for many South Floridians to get a grip. Not on their weapons, but on their senses. First, there was the big run on guns, both locally and nationally, when it was feared the Obama administration would quickly enact tougher gun legislation that would make it difficult to own guns. Didn't happen. And doesn't figure to happen, particularly since the Supreme Court has reinforced the right of an individual to bear... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Pro-gun US Senator Says She's Removed 2 Guns Hidden Under Her Bed
Newsday (New York)
16 February 2009
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) has moved the two rifles that she kept under the bed to protect her upstate New York home, her spokesman said Monday. "Given that the location of the guns has been disclosed, they have been moved for security reasons," Gillibrand's spokesman Matt Canter said. She relocated the guns over the weekend while upstate to endorse Democrat Scott Murphy in the March 31 election to replace her in... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
India Mulls Bulk Gun Licensing, Bigger Guns, 'Entire Gamut' of Arms Act
Economic Times (India)
16 February 2009
NEW DELHI -- With 26/11 strikes in Mumbai pushing up the demand for better security systems among individuals and corporates, the Centre is examining the demand of private security agencies to be issued bulk arms licences. The Union home ministry has started a consultation process with the states on the possible amendments to the entire gamut of Arms Act, including allowing guards in banks and private security agencies to keep non-prohibited... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand Says 'I Keep 2 Guns Under My Bed'
Newsday (New York)
15 February 2009
WASHINGTON -- New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who argues her pro-gun stance aims to protect hunters' rights and the Second Amendment, last week said she and her husband, Jonathan, keep two rifles under their bed to protect their upstate home. Gillibrand said neither she nor her husband is a hunter, and in a general discussion of gun control said, "If I want to protect my family, if I want to have a weapon in the home, that should... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Battle to Allow US Students to Carry Guns on Campus 'Just Beginning'
Washington Post
15 February 2009
HARRISONBURG, Virginia -- Kyle Smith agreed to play the bad guy. In a scenario eerily designed to imitate the Virginia Tech massacre, when a lone gunman shot and killed 32 people in the nine minutes it took for campus police to respond, Smith burst into a classroom here Saturday, his right index finger pointed as if it were a gun drawn, and immediately "shot" the teacher between the eyes. "You people treated me wrong,"... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Sheriff Correct in Her Attempt to Limit Hidden Handgun Permits
Los Angeles Times, Column
13 February 2009
When I opened my big, fat mouth a couple weeks ago in support of Sheriff Sandra Hutchens' more restrictive concealed weapons permit policy, I knew there'd be hell to pay. You know how it is. You say or write anything remotely suggesting we don't all have a right to pack a sidearm on Main Street, and the gun nuts will eat you alive. You write and, to quote Capt. Sully Sullenberger, brace for impact. So, I wrote... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (DRC)
Rebel Attacks Fuel Illegal Gun, Ammunition Factories in Eastern Congo
San Francisco Chronicle
12 February 2009
BANGADI, Congo -- The weapons on display are all homemade: menacing-looking hunting knives, lances made of sticks topped with metal spears, long-barrelled shotguns. For decades, people in this Congolese town have made guns. But the industry has become a roaring business as people in this remote northeastern region arm themselves against the fearsome rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army. In this town overrun by refugees... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Montana Mulls Permit-free Hidden Handguns, 'No Retreat' Shooting Law
Flathead Beacon (Montana) / AP
9 February 2009
HELENA -- The House is backing a plan to clarify self defense laws and expand the right to carry concealed weapons, despite criticism it is unnecessary in Montana. The bill would let people carry concealed weapons inside of city limits -- even without a permit to do so. It would make clear that those who use a weapon in self defense are innocent until police prove that the situation indeed did not warrant self defense,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Blackwater Offers Gun Carry Training to America's Professional Athletes
Associated Press
5 February 2009
RALEIGH, North Carolina -- Blackwater Worldwide, best known for protecting American diplomats in Iraq, is opening up its firearm training ranges and safety workshops to a new class of customer: professional athletes. The first weekend class at the company's compound in North Carolina is set for April, about six months after New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress shot himself in the thigh inside a nightclub. The company cites that... ( gunpolicy.org )
Jamaica
Jamaican Authority Rejects Gun Lobby Call for More Hidden Handguns
Jamaica Observer
29 January 2009
Chairman of the Firearms Licensing Authority Errol Strong has rejected calls from gun rights lobbyists and members of the public who have been clamouring for Government to relax legislation to allow all law-abiding citizens easier access to owning firearms. According to Strong, with Jamaica's high propensity for violence, the move could backfire with devastating results. "In the context of the Jamaican experience, the right... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Aggressive Pro-gun Bill Widely Supported, Opposed by Police in Montana
Bozeman Daily Chronicle (Montana)
22 January 2009
HELENA -- At a marathon hearing Thursday, backers and opponents of a bill to expand gun rights in Montana painted distinctly different pictures of the state and its gun laws. Proponents of House Bill 228 said gun owners in Montana are now held captive by gray areas in Montana statute that could lead to them being prosecuted for defending themselves with their firearm, or even displaying a pistol to deter would-be attackers. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
South Africa
South African Missionary Lobbies for Right to Carry Hidden Handguns
Voice of America
16 January 2009
South African missionary and author Charl Van Wyk says law-abiding citizens have the "right and duty" to bear firearms to protect themselves and their loved ones. In his book, Shooting Back, he makes the argument based on his unique experience: First, he's been working for almost two decades in some of the most dangerous places on earth. And second, Van Wyk is a survivor of one of South Africa's most notorious criminal attacks. At the time,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Allowing Handguns on Campus 'Stuff of Nightmares' for Indiana Schools
Indianapolis Star (Indiana), Editorial
15 January 2009
It's understandable that the deadly shooting rampages that erupted at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois universities in recent years would trigger thoughts of armed students taking out the perpetrators. Those are wishful thoughts for many reasons; but that hasn't stopped gun rights advocates across the nation, including Indiana state Sen. Johnny Nugent, from promoting abolition of the general ban on gun-packing on campus by non-security... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Fear of Crime, Fear of Obama Drive Rush for Hidden Handguns in Utah
Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
11 January 2009
Gun owners are flooding the state with applications for concealed weapons permits, with almost 45,000 applications filed in 2008, easily a record number, quadrupling the figure from just four years ago. With the surge, about one in every 25 Utahns over age 21 could be carrying a licensed concealed weapon, according to a Salt Lake Tribune analysis of numbers from the Bureau of Criminal Identification. In December, alone,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Pakistan
For Middle-Class Pakistanis, an AK-47 or a Handgun Is a Must-Have Item
Wall Street Journal
6 January 2009
LAHORE, Pakistan -- After escaping kidnappers who chained him to a bed for 25 days, Mohammad Javed Afridi pressed Pakistani law enforcement for swift justice. The police offered him something else: temporary permits for four automatic assault rifles. Since Mr. Afridi's ordeal ended in mid-October, police in his hometown of Peshawar, in northwestern Pakistan, haven't made an arrest in his case. They raided the kidnappers' hide-out,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Texas Lawmakers Fight to Loosen Gun Laws Further, Allow 'Open Carry'
Houston Chronicle (Texas), Opinion
4 January 2009
AUSTIN -- Texas legislators can't help themselves. Even before their upcoming session hits its stride, they will do something to get national attention, the kind that makes TV hosts snicker and roll their eyes. A surefire attention-getter this session will be an anticipated bill to let Texans openly pack pistols on their hips, in their belts or elsewhere in public view as they go about their business. Although many other... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
An Armed Citizenry Promises Fearsome Consequences for US Criminals
Washington Times, Opinion
3 January 2009
In the summer of 2008, police in the District set up military-style checkpoints to stop vehicles without a "legitimate purpose" from entering the city's Trinidad neighborhood. It was a bold attempt to stop the murders and violent crimes plaguing the area. During this month's inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama, that same police force is already warning it will not be able to provide adequate protection to revelers taking... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Scared, Gun-toting Pennsylvania Woman Divides Her Community
Philadelphia Inquirer
12 December 2008
LEBANON, Pennsylvania -- Before heading out the door to go to Wal-Mart, Meleanie Hain fussed over her children, grabbed her coat and keys, then ran upstairs to get one more item: her loaded Glock 26, which she strapped to her hip. She never leaves home without it. Hain, 30, has caused a stir in this rural Pennsylvania Dutch community 25 miles east of Harrisburg for packing a gun everywhere she goes, including to her 5-year-old... ( gunpolicy.org )
India, United States
To Prevent More Mumbais, Many More Indians Should Carry Guns
Wall Street Journal Asia, Opinion
9 December 2008
For three bloody days, just 10 determined killers held a city of 18 million hostage. The sheer ignominy of this fact has jolted Mumbaikars -- and Indians -- out of their fabled chalta hai (anything goes) attitude, and into a burst of citizen activism. Even Mumbai's business community has shed its habitual political timidity and filed an extraordinary public-interest lawsuit demanding that the government fulfill its constitutional obligation... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US FDA Approves 9mm Handgun as 'Medical Device' for the Handicapped
MSNBC / Discovery Channel
8 December 2008
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted a conceptual, ergonomic 9mm handgun -- designed for people crippled by arthritis, muscular dystrophy, or similar conditions that render them too weak to operate normal handguns -- as a Class 1 Medical Device. The single-shot gun, dubbed the Palm Pistol, is "an adaptive tool that allows someone otherwise incapable of handling a revolver or semiautomatic weapon to operate one," said... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom, India
UK, Mumbai: If We All Carried Guns, We Could Help to Combat Terrorism
Sunday Times (UK), Opinion
7 December 2008
The firearms massacres that have periodically caused shock and horror around the world have been dwarfed by the Mumbai shootings, in which a handful of gunmen left some 500 people killed or wounded. For anybody who still believed in it, the Mumbai shootings exposed the myth of "gun control". India had some of the strictest firearms laws in the world, going back to the Indian Arms Act of 1878, by which Britain had sought to prevent... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
'Increasingly Anxious' Americans Fear Attacks, Enact 'Shoot First' Laws
Associated Press
7 December 2008
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI -- A convenience store clerk chased down a man and shot him dead over a case of beer this summer and was charged with murder. A week later, a clerk at another Jackson convenience store followed and fatally shot a man he said tried to rob him, and authorities let him go without charges. Police say the robber in the second case was armed, while the man accused of stealing beer was not. Just the same,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
High Demand for Guns, Much Debate Among US Pro Sport Stars, Clubs
Houston Chronicle (Texas)
7 December 2008
From a distance, be it one created by geography, lifestyle, fame or finances, it's easy to consider the plight of Plaxico Burress, the wideout who couldn't shoot straight, and pass it off as slapstick. In fact, one observer quickly compared Burress, the Giants wide receiver who accidentally shot himself in the leg with a handgun at a New York nightclub and now faces weapons charges, to the ultimate goof with a gun. "Plaxico... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
White House Rule Change Lifts Ban on Loaded Guns in US Parks
Associated Press
5 December 2008
WASHINGTON -- People will soon be able to carry concealed, loaded guns in most national parks and wildlife refuges. The Bush administration said Friday it is overturning a 25-year-old federal rule that severely restricts loaded guns in national parks. Under a rule to take effect in January, visitors will be able to carry a loaded gun into a park or wildlife refuge -- but only if the person has a permit for a concealed weapon... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Medical Authority Mulls Pistol as Prescription Device for Old, Disabled
New Scientist
5 December 2008
A US company claims to have received federal approval to market a 9-mm handgun as a medical device and hopes the US government will reimburse seniors who buy the $300 firearm. But the US Food and Drug Administration says there are currently no formal designations of the gun as a medical device. Called the Palm Pistol, the weapon is designed for people who have trouble firing a normal handgun due to arthritis and other debilitating... ( gunpolicy.org )
Germany
Court Revokes Berliner's Licence for Sleeping with Revolver Under Pillow
Reuters
25 November 2008
BERLIN -- A German man who slept with a loaded revolver under his pillow has lost his gun license after a court ruled it to be irresponsible behavior. The 56-year-old was stripped of his license for failing to store the weapon properly, Braunschweig administrative court judge Torsten Baumgarten told Reuters Tuesday. The gun was only discovered by chance during a police inspection. "His home was being checked because he... ( gunpolicy.org )
Israel, United States
Founder of Israeli NRA Aims to Import American Gun Lobby, Gun Culture
Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
19 November 2008
While the gun lobby in the United States took a setback last week with the election of Barack Obama, who supports the ban of assault weapons, a group of Israeli-Americans are now trying to ease restrictions on gun ownership here in Israel. Modeled and named after the powerful but controversial Virginia-based National Rifle Association, it is unclear whether the Israeli NRA will be able to gather enough support to be in any way influential.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Egypt
Licensing a Private Weapon, Guns for Self Defence Not an Option in Egypt
Daily News (Cairo)
7 November 2008
CAIRO -- Adel Abdel Maguid, 27, an accountant at an oil company, never imagined that he would ever need a gun to defend himself. What had started off as a vehement dispute with his landlord who wanted to evict him, gradually evolved into a potentially violent situation when, upon returning from work one day, he was warned by the gateman that four thugs were waiting at his flat to force him to sign a clearance document saying that... ( gunpolicy.org )
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