South Africa
Gun Amnesty Road Show Aims to Mop Up Illegal South African Firearms
BuaNews (Tshwane)
9 March 2010
MORETELE, South Africa -- The North West Department of Public Safety has kicked off the 2010 Firearms Amnesty roadshow in the Moretele Local Municipality. Public Safety spokesperson Lesiba Kgwele said the campaign sought to amplify the call for residents to surrender illegal firearms and ammunition without being arrested before the April 11 deadline. The call came after Public Safety MEC Howard Yawa on Friday launched the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Ireland,United Kingdom
Report Details Last Acts of Gun Surrender, Destruction in Northern Ireland
Associated Press
3 March 2010
DUBLIN, Ireland - The governments of Ireland and Britain praised their disarmament commission Wednesday and published its final achievements in removing weapons from Northern Ireland's underground armies. Both governments in 1997 asked Canadian Gen. John de Chastelain to persuade a half-dozen militant factions to surrender their hidden arsenals. That mission finally ended last month with a flurry of weapons moves. Wednesday's... ( gunpolicy.org )
Uganda
Karamoja Elder Betrayed by Gun Amnesty, Uganda Army 'Cattle Rustlers'
Monitor (Kampala)
21 February 2010
He has dedicated his life to peace, worked closely with the UPDF to disarm his clansmen and once secured surrender of 200 illegal guns in a day. Today, Mzee Aramutori Lokodo is an angry elder, temporary confined by the government at a top Kampala Hotel, after soldiers allegedly grabbed all his 350 cattle last month. He spoke to Sunday Monitor's Tabu Butagira (through an interpreter) about how the army has become what he called a "cattle-rustling... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
National Handgun Ban Mooted After String of Shootings in Finland
Associated Press
17 February 2010
HELSINKI, Finland - A Finnish government commission on Wednesday proposed a ban on semiautomatic handguns after two school shootings in recent years left 20 people dead. The ban, which needs parliamentary approval, would sharply reduce the number of legal weapons in a country that ranks among the world's top five in civilian gun ownership. "We've had a very weapon-friendly culture," commission chairman Pekka Sauri said.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Virginia Passes 20 New Bills to Relax Gun Laws, Promote Pistol Carrying
Associated Press
16 February 2010
RICHMOND, Virginia -- A flurry of bills to make it easier to buy and carry guns handily won the approval of lawmakers Tuesday. About 20 gun-related bills passed on the constitutional deadline for each chamber to pass its own legislative proposals. Most of the bills passed out of the gun-friendly House of Delegates, where they may face more scrutiny in the Democrat-controlled Senate. Bills approved Tuesday would repeal Virginia's... ( gunpolicy.org )
Argentina
Argentina Gun Buyback 'Wildly Successful,' 102,000 Firearms Destroyed
Inter Press Service News Agency
3 February 2010
BUENOS AIRES - As a disarmament campaign launched 17 months ago in Argentina nears its end, the government and civil society groups involved in the initiative announced that it has far exceeded even the most optimistic projections, despite the lack of publicity. The Interior Ministry reported that the programme, in which people voluntarily swap their firearms for cash, has so far collected over 102,000 guns and 721,000 munitions,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (DRC)
Firearm Buyback Creates Market, Organisers Drop Gun Price in DR Congo
Xinhua
29 January 2010
KINSHASA -- A "firearms for money" operation will be launched on Jan. 28 in the restive eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) in the central African country's another bid to restore peace and stability, a source in charge has disclosed. Pastor Daniel Ngoy Mulunda Nyanga, the initiator of the operation, made the disclosure after a meeting with Governor of North Kivu province Julien Paluku in the provincial... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Bronx Destroys Thousands of Guns, Spends $1 Million in Gun Buybacks
New York Daily News
27 January 2010
Cash-strapped people packing guns walked into four Bronx churches last weekend - and were paid for it. Nearly 1,200 guns - handguns, semi-automatic weapons and sawed-off shotguns - were swapped for $200 each on Saturday as part of the latest joint NYPD/Bronx District Attorney's office gun buyback program. Citywide, law enforcement officials have taken 5,700 guns off the streets since 2008. "We'll never know, but... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mozambique
Mozambique Churches Collected, Destroyed 700,000 Guns Since 1995
Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo)
26 January 2010
MAPUTO -- Under its project "Transforming Guns into Hoes" (TAE), the Christian Council of Mozambique (CCM), the umbrella body for the mainstream protestant churches in the country, has, since 1995, collected and destroyed 700,000 guns held illegally, according to the CCM general secretary, Marcos Macamo, interviewed in Tuesday's issue of the independent daily "O Pais". TAE involves offering people holding illegal weapons useful... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Orange County Buyback Hopes to Get Guns Off the Streets
MidHudsonNews.com
13 January 2010
NEWBURGH -- City officials say Newburgh will participate in Orange County's latest gun buyback program on January 16 from 10 a.m. -- 2 p.m. The buyback program is part of a countywide effort to get guns off the streets and keep them out of dangerous hands. In exchange for the weapons being turned in, no questions asked, the person turning the gun in will receive Shoprite gift cards. They range from $25 to $150 depending upon the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
America's Law Enforcers Shift Focus from War on Drugs to War on Guns
Christian Science Monitor
10 January 2010
In the roll call room of Baltimore's Northwestern District Police Headquarters, a squat building in a neighborhood of liquor stores and crumbling row houses, photos of the city's most wanted suspects flash on a new, flat-screen TV. They are not necessarily drug kingpins or murderers or even dealers. But to Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III, they are top priority in this city with one of the highest homicide rates in... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Illegal Guns Seized Frequently as Australian Police Turn Up Heat on Gangs
ABC News (Australia), Transcript
30 December 2009
Hundreds of illegal guns have been seized in Australia recently in a police crackdown on organised criminal groups such as bikie gangs. The confiscated guns range from rifles to pistols. Just where are the guns coming from? Police can't say for sure but there are several likely sources. Brendan Trembath prepared this report. BRENDAN TREMBATH: Police wrap up a raid in the New South Wales southern highlands. Twenty-five... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
LA County Police Gun Buyback Nets 5,334 Weapons, 144 Assault Rifles
Los Angeles Times
30 December 2009
L.A. County's gun exchange program collected 5,337 weapons in 2009, including 144 assault-style rifles. The Sheriff's Department, along with supporters of the Gifts for Guns program, handed out more than $428,100 in gift cards throughout the year at supermarket parking lots around the county in exchange for the guns. "I tell the deputies if it is a gun that could harm one of our deputies, then it is a gun we want off the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Massachusetts Gun Buyback Swaps 122 Weapons for Walmart Vouchers
Telegram & Gazette (Massachusetts)
13 December 2009
Organizers of the Goods for Guns program said they took in 122 unwanted firearms and gave out about $5,800 worth of Walmart gift certificates during yesterday's initial phase of the annual two-day event. The program allows people to anonymously exchange working, unloaded firearms for gift certificates and has collected and destroyed 1,620 guns since 2002. Dr. Michael P. Hirsh, director of the Injury Free Coalition for Kids... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Nova Scotia Gun Amnesty, Buyback Swaps Cameras for 1,074 Firearms
CBC News (Canada)
3 December 2009
NOVA SCOTIA - More than 1,000 guns were collected during a month-long gun amnesty program in the Halifax area, police announced Thursday. The Pixels for Pistols program, which began Nov. 2, allowed local residents to turn in working guns in exchange for a new digital camera. Broken guns or ammunition could be traded for a gift card worth about $80. The program was a partnership between the police department and Henry's,... ( 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
South Carolina Gun Culture's Dark Side Filled With Death, Horror, Grief
State (South Carolina)
1 November 2009
SUMTER -- Last Halloween, when Tony "T.J." Darrisaw happily ran up to a single-story house in Sumter, he was met by a burst of fire from one of world's deadliest weapons -- an AK-47 assault rifle. T.J. died instantly, a bag of trick-or-treat candy in his hand and more than a dozen bullets in his body. The AK-47 was set on fully automatic. It was, in effect, a machine gun. T.J. was 12 years old. His death... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
South Australian 'Police Computer' Counted Non-existent Handguns
Advertiser (Adelaide)
20 October 2009
A SA Police computer program counted firearms which had been destroyed, causing incorrect data on registered handguns to be made public, it has emerged. It was reported today that there were 41,519 registered handguns in South Australia, but it has now been revealed that this figure was based on wrong information given by SA Police to the Australian Institute of Criminology. AdelaideNow has been told that more than 20,000... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Florida Gun Buyback Runs Out of Cash 3 times, Sheriff Pays Out $35,000
Bradenton Herald (Florida)
20 September 2009
BRADENTON, Florida -- A winding line of gun-toting residents stood outside the Manatee County Sheriff's Office on Saturday afternoon for a shot to sell their guns. "Honestly, I think the wrong people are standing in line," said Leo Blackman, 34, of Bradenton, as he waited with six guns and a box of ammo. "Everyone standing here is calm and orderly. We're not the ones they are worried about having a gun." He had been waiting... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New Bedford Churches, Synagogues Offer 'No Questions' Gun Amnesty
South Coast Today (Massachusetts)
14 September 2009
NEW BEDFORD -- The city's faith community is taking a renewed stand against gun violence, teaming with city and law enforcement officials to run anti-gun seminars, organizing a community-wide walk for peace with Bishop George W. Coleman and offering churches as "safe-havens" where gun owners can turn in their weapons "with no questions asked." Several local priests, ministers and rabbis plan to use their pulpits this weekend to... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Studies Show Gun Buybacks Do Little to Reduce US Armed Violence
Bradenton Herald (Florida)
13 September 2009
MANATEE -- Spurred by the death of a Bayshore High cheerleader, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office is holding a gun buyback to help deter future violent crimes. Though the sight of dozens of soon-to-be-destroyed guns might be comforting, multiple studies have shown that buyback programs probably don't reduce gun violence. The studies show that the programs make only a small dent in the local gun market. Many of the guns... ( gunpolicy.org )
South Africa
Gun Owners Due Millions Following South African Ministers' 'Bungling'
South African Press Association
1 September 2009
The Cape High Court has given Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa 90 days to draw up guidelines for compensation for firearms surrendered under the gun control law. The ruling could result in pay-outs totalling millions of rands for gun owners who have handed in weapons since 2004. The order was handed down on Monday by Acting Judge President Jeanette Traverso, who at the same time slapped down an attempt by Mthethwa to distance... ( gunpolicy.org )
Georgia, Russia
South Ossetia Tries to Disarm Its Citizens with Amnesty, Buyback
New York Times
15 August 2009
TSKHINVALI, Georgia -- For years, there was not much difference between a civilian and a soldier in South Ossetia, which was embroiled in a long struggle to separate from Georgia. David G. Sanakoyev, for example, wore a tie during the day. As South Ossetia's ombudsman for human rights, he handled complaints about prison conditions or unlawful firings. Three times a week, after work, he changed into camouflage and took up a position... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
16,000 Guns Crushed, Turned Into Steel Reinforcing in Los Angeles
Los Angeles Times, Blog
28 July 2009
Officials today will destroy 16,000 guns confiscated from criminals and collected from numerous gun buy-back programs across L.A. County. Law enforcement agencies have attempted to get guns off the street by allowing people to turn them in for gift cards. Back in March, an LAPD gun-buyback program that traded gift cards for firearms netted nearly 1,700 weapons, including 40 assault-style weapons and a rifle with a grenade... ( gunpolicy.org )
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea Parliament Tables 4 Year-old Gun Control Report
Post-Courier (Port Moresby)
16 July 2009
More than 1400 individuals and their families have been hurt or traumatised in instances where guns were reportedly used to commit crimes in the country. Guns are used to kill people, commit rape, robberies, used in tribal fights and other violent crimes where these weapons play a major role. Many people in PNG are victims of gun-related incidents while many more have lost loved ones, family members and properties in gun-related... ( gunpolicy.org )
Sudan
To Redevelop Sudan, Buy Back Guns from Ex-Combatants and Civilians
New Sudan Vision, Opinion
24 May 2009
Sudan as a whole is and will continue to be in oddities from the post-conflict spilt over small arms and their misuse for quite sometime. If we, however, inject some science in this scenario in order to define and justify this eccentricity, it would be logical to see the inter-tribal small arms' conflict as after-shock from the aftermath of the twenty one years of a brutal war with each other. These definitions and many others will help... ( 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 )
Australia
Australia's Gold Coast Underworld Sells Guns 'At Any Pub Around Town'
Gold Coast Bulletin (Queensland)
16 May 2009
Jade Lacey thought it was cool to carry a gun. In fact he did it all the time -- even to dinner with his grandmother -- as did his younger brother Dionne who idolised him. After being found guilty of killing landscaper Kevin Palmer, the brothers are now sitting in a jail cell at Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre, probably still ruing the fact that 12 members of the public didn't believe they fired their guns in self defence.... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Heeding NZ Gun Law Report Could Have Avoided Shooting of 3 Police?
Dominion Post (Wellington)
13 May 2009
The author of a major gun law review is frustrated his recommendations, which may have prevented Jan Molenaar's deadly shooting spree, are gathering dust 12 years after being written. Sir Thomas Thorp was appointed by the National government in 1996 to review firearm ownership in the wake of the Aramoana massacre, and similar tragedies in Australia and Scotland. His recommendations included a government buyback and banning... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
No Shred of Evidence That Municipal Gun Buybacks Reduce Gun Violence
Los Angeles Times, Editorial
12 May 2009
For political theater, few things beat gun buyback programs such as the one held Saturday in Los Angeles. The resulting stacks of shotguns, rifles, handguns and even assault weapons make great TV and give the impression that politicians and police chiefs are putting a dent in the supply of dangerous firearms. It's fodder for a slow news day and a harmless enough marketing ploy -- but really reducing gun crime requires more than feel-good... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Police Have 'Lost Control' of Guns in New Zealand, Registration Needed
TV3 News / NZPA
12 May 2009
Police have "no idea" how many guns are in the hands of unlicensed owners, an expert on gun safety says. The arsenal of weapons found at Napier gunman Jan Molenaar's house following a 50-hour siege last week sparked concerns about firearms laws in New Zealand. Molenaar shot and killed Senior Constable Len Snee and wounded two other officers and a civilian when police conducted a drug search at his home last Thursday. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Questions Remain on 50,000 Non-complying NZ Gun Owners, Say Police
New Zealand Herald
12 May 2009
Thousands of firearms remain potentially unaccounted for despite a police campaign for lifetime gun licence owners to renew or hand weapons in. Police national manager operations Tony McLeod said nearly 50,000 people had not responded by the end of a campaign targeting lifetime gun licence holders to renew or surrender their weapons in 2002. The Government scrapped the lifetime licences in 1992 for 10-year licences after... ( 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
New York Moves Towards Pistol Microstamping, 5-year Relicensing
Associated Press
29 April 2009
ALBANY, New York -- Bills that would require renewals of handgun permits and a system to tag and track spent shell casings have touched off the first gun-control battle in years at New York's Capitol. The Democrat-controlled Assembly approved both measures this week. And they face a better chance at becoming law now that the Senate also is controlled by Democrats. In the Capitol, students rallying in support of the measures... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
New Australian Amnesty Sends 796 Guns for Destruction in First Month
Sydney Morning Herald
4 April 2009
Almost 800 illegal firearms have been surrendered during the first month of a three-month amnesty. NSW Police Minister Tony Kelly said 606 rifles, 49 handguns and 141 shotguns were handed in to police stations across the state since the amnesty began on March 1. It had netted 11 replica firearms, 151 pieces of ammunition and 76 firearms parts and telescopic sights, while there had been 4932 applications for the registration... ( gunpolicy.org )
Ghana
Weapon Demand Ignored, Gun Buyback on Road to Failure in Ghana
Daily Graphic (Ghana)
25 March 2009
A security analyst, Mr Emmanuel Sowatey, has described the weapons buy-back move by the Northern Regional Security Council (REGSEC) as wrong and out of place. He said the initiative of the REGSEC, although laudable, should have addressed the causes of the demand-supply chain of the weapons, adding that weapons buy-back scheme had always been part of a major peace process and was never taken in isolation. Mr Sowatey told... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (ROC)
Congo Pays US$200 Each to Buy Back, Destroy 3,000 Assault Weapons
IRIN (UN News)
4 March 2009
BRAZZAVILLE -- At least 2,800 weapons recovered from ex-combatants in a three-week operation in the southern Pool region, site of several civil wars between 1998 and 2003, have been destroyed, according to a government official. "On Monday afternoon, in Kinkala, we incinerated some 2,873 weapons collected from ninja ex-combatants in the Pool region," Moandzibi Olingoba, the commissioner in charge of the economic reintegration of... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Queens Buyback a 'Huge Success,' 919 Handguns, Long Guns for Junk
Queens Chronicle (New York)
26 February 2009
Last weekend's gun buyback in southeast Queens was, by all accounts, a huge success, bringing in over 900 registered and unregistered firearms. The gun buyback was held Saturday, Feb. 21 at several houses of worship located in southeast Queens and the Rockaways. Nine hundred nineteen guns were turned in to the NYPD in exchange for cash cards worth $200 at any ATM. Councilman James Sanders Jr. (D-Laurelton) was... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (ROC)
Congo Gun Amnesty, Buyback to Collect 3,000 Weapons for Destruction
IRIN (UN News)
13 February 2009
BRAZZAVILE -- The Congolese government has started an operation to buy 3,000 weapons from ex-combatants and others illegally possessing weapons in the Pool region, southern Congo, an official told IRIN on 11 February. "Teams have been deployed on the ground. The operation to buy up the weapons started on 10 February in Pool region. It should allow the purchase of at least 3,000 weapons still in circulation in this zone," Moandzibi... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
South Australians Still Handing Over Assault Rifles, Pistols for Destruction
Advertiser (Adelaide)
27 January 2009
Deadly military-style rifles, forgotten rabbit-hunting rifles and worn-out handguns have been turned in to police without penalty during an amnesty on unregistered firearms. More than 370 firearms -- including Chinese assault rifles, complete with factory-fitted bayonet, WWII German Luger semi-automatic pistols and revolvers -- have been surrendered since December 1 last year. Police urge more owners to give up unwanted... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Buybacks Now 'Smarter,' Police Say They Work if Carefully Designed
Newsday (New York)
25 January 2009
By dawn, the line of people turning in guns at the Uniondale church was snaking out the door. It was Nassau's first gun buyback in 20 years, and by the end of that December day, police had taken in 424 handguns and shotguns at four churches -- such an unexpectedly large number that they burned through the $50,000 officials had allocated and had to issue IOUs. A gun buyback in Suffolk the same weekend also far surpassed... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Stray Bullets Fly, Gun Crime Rolls On as LA Collects, Seizes 8,000 Guns
Los Angeles Times
29 December 2008
The Los Angeles police and county sheriff's departments cautioned the public today about firing guns in celebration of the New Year and demonstrated one of the many tools they have to track down shooters during the holiday and year-round. "We know what goes up must come down, and what comes down does so with unpleasant circumstances," said Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca during a news conference at the Lynwood sheriff's station.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Criminals Unlikely to Hand Over Many Illegal Guns in NSW Amnesty
Australian Associated Press
23 December 2008
The NSW government has announced a three-month amnesty for unregistered and unlicensed firearms in a crackdown on gun crime across the state. But the initiative has been criticised by the opposition and a gun control expert. Police Minister Tony Kelly said the amnesty would begin on March 1 next year to give those with unregistered guns an opportunity to hand them in to police. Under the amnesty, people without... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Family Shootings Put Focus on Gun Control in New South Wales
Australian Associated Press
23 December 2008
SYDNEY -- Time goes very quickly when you're staring down the barrel of a gun. It ran out too fast for Melissa Cook, who was fatally shot by her ex-husband John Kudrytch last week while she stood behind the counter of a BP service station in Casula, in Sydney's south-west. In the following days, the NSW government announced it would hold a three-month gun amnesty next year to get illegal firearms off the streets. But... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Australian Shooting Advocate Defends Women's Rights to Bear Arms
Sun-Herald (Sydney)
21 December 2008
At work, Samara McPhedran is a mild-mannered researcher who busies herself with facts and figures. At play, she's a dedicated hunter, committed to shooting rabbit and deer to eat. For a former vegetarian, it's quite a change of pace and one not without risk. She flatly refuses to say exactly where she works, mindful of the fact that people she calls animal rights extremists -- with whom she has had some run-ins... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Assault Rifle Among 352 Guns Collected in Staten Island Gun Buyback
Newsday (New York)
16 December 2008
NEW YORK -- New York City authorities have recovered 352 guns -- including a bright pink rifle, two sawed-off shotguns and an AK-47 assault weapon -- during a Staten Island buyback program. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly says it's the most successful program in the city per-capita. People who owned illegal guns could turn them in anonymously at two churches in exchange for $200 bank cards. Church programs in... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (DRC)
Congo Buyback Collects 3,000 Guns, Mainly from Women: Many Stolen?
IRIN (UN News)
15 December 2008
KINSHASA -- Hundreds of people in Kinshasa have handed over illegal weapons for cash and cloth in a no-questions-asked campaign to reduce crime in the Democratic Republic of Congo. AK-47 automatic rifles, Uzi sub-machine guns and rocket launchers were among the 3,000 or so weapons collected over the past three weeks by the Ecumenical Programme for Peace, Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation (PAREC), an NGO. Those in working... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Shooters Party, Labor Party Combine to Weaken Gun Control in Australia
Sunday Telegraph (Sydney), Editorial
14 December 2008
How quickly the NSW Government has forgotten the murder of 35 people at Port Arthur in Tasmania just over a decade ago. It is only 12 years since the horrific shooting spree in Tasmania that forever reshaped Australians' attitudes to gun ownership and control. In the wake of that tragedy, the NSW Government fell in behind then-Prime Minister John Howard's gun control measures, which included bans on semi-automatic weapons,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Los Angeles Weapon Buyback Swaps 965 Guns for Food, Gift Cards
Associated Press
8 December 2008
LOS ANGELES -- A program to exchange guns for gifts brought in a record number of weapons this year as residents hit hard by the economy look under the bed and in closets to find items to trade for groceries. The annual Gifts for Guns program ended Sunday in Compton, a working class city south of Los Angeles that has long struggled with gun and gang violence. In a program similar to ones in New York and San Francisco, the Los Angeles... ( gunpolicy.org )
Solomon Islands
Gun Owners Receive Payout for 2003 Confiscation in Solomon Islands
Radio New Zealand International (Pacific shortwave)
7 November 2008
The Solomon Islands Police Minister says the team paying compensation to members of the public who handed in their guns after the ethnic tensions will go out to the provinces involved. Licensed Solomon Islands gun holders who surrendered their weapons in 2003 to RAMSI have started receiving their compensation from the Police Ministry this week in Honiara. Government has allocated half a million US dollars for the payments... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Police Buyback Sees 500 Guns Exchanged for Cash in Harlem Churches
Associated Press
26 October 2008
NEW YORK -- Five Harlem churches collected hundreds of weapons -- in exchange for cash. Rifles, handguns and shotguns were handed over on Saturday -- no questions asked. Each person who brought a firearm was handed a $200 bank card. By late Saturday, more than 500 were collected. It's part of a program sponsored by the NYPD and the Manhattan district attorney's office to remove weapons from city streets with recent... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Toronto Cops Swap 'Loose' Guns for Digital Nikons, No Questions Asked
Toronto Star (Ontario)
22 October 2008
The gun used to kill Toronto police officer Todd Bayliss in 1994 was stolen. The World War II souvenir was taken from a locked closet. A handgun implicated in the Boxing Day 2005 shooting of student Jane Creba was also procured by illicit means, among countless other examples, criminologists say. That's why gun amnesty programs, such as the novel one by Toronto police that begins today, are so important. "It's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Buyback in Buffalo, New York Collects 723 Weapons for Destruction
Buffalo News (New York)
13 October 2008
Buffalo's gun buyback is receiving favorable reviews from city auditors who have scrutinized data from the Sept. 27 event. In an audit that will be reviewed Tuesday by the Common Council, Buffalo Comptroller Andrew A. SanFilippo said analysts detected no serious problems with the implementation of the anti-crime offensive. Auditors wanted to make sure all weapons collected at seven sites throughout the city were accounted... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Toronto's 'Pixels for Pistols' Gun Buyback Offers Cameras for Weapons
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
25 September 2008
If swords can be turned into plowshares, maybe aging firearms can be swapped for brand-new digital cameras. And while few foresee a plunge in Toronto's homicide rate as a result of its newest gun amnesty, perhaps -- perhaps -- its streets will be a little safer. There's no guarantee of that. The city has promoted several such amnesties in recent years, as have many other Canadian jurisdictions, and in terms of denting gun crime,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Yemen
Yemen 'Will Never Allow' Gun Dealers to Sell Weapons to Public Again
Yemen News Agency / SABA
23 September 2008
SANA'A -- Interior Minister Mutahar Rashad al-Masri said on Tuesday that Yemen will never allow weapons trade to be back after it was prohibited since June 2008. Al-Masri was quoted by the state-run 26sep.net as warning that the Ministry would crack down any arms merchants who sell secretly or in public any pieces of weapons. "The Ministry don't allow the death trade to appear again after we took an unprecedented step enabled... ( gunpolicy.org )
Papua New Guinea
Gun Control for Police, Prisons, Weapon Buyback in Papua New Guinea
Post-Courier (Port Moresby)
16 September 2008
Internal Security Minister Sani Rambi returned from participating in the United Nations summit on Arm Violence and Development in Geneva. The summit was a follow up of the Small Arms and Light Weapons Conference held in New York earlier this year which he attended with Police Commissioner Gari Baki. Mr Rambi who arrived very early yesterday morning, attended the third bi-annual meeting mid July this year in which his idea... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Australia
What Australia's Gun Laws Could Teach Americans About Gun Control
Crikey (Australia), Blog
9 September 2008
The US National Rifle Association has been a tad suspicious of John McCain after he voted to support a mandatory 72-hour waiting period for background checks on gun purchasers at gun fairs and when he championed campaign-finance legislation that the gun lobby saw as an attack on their rights to expression. The Columbine High School killers obtained their guns from such a fair. With the NRA having the largest grass roots vote delivery... ( gunpolicy.org )
Uganda
Illegal Guns Key to Karamoja Insecurity, Disarmament Falters in Uganda
New Vision (Kampala)
31 August 2008
KAMPALA -- The availability of firearms in Karamoja, a region in north eastern Uganda has exacerbated insecurity and more people are being killed in ambushes and livestock raids. Despite the Government's efforts to disarm the Karimojong, recent reports indicate that the region has more firearms than anticipated. The Government has so far recovered 25,000 guns but a recent report by Small Arms Survey; a regional body that researches... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
$28million Gun Buyback Aims to Destroy 300,000 More Firearms in Brazil
BBC News
23 August 2008
SAO PAULO -- The Brazilian government is to launch a campaign as part of an effort to get 300,000 guns off the streets and to cut the country's high murder rate. Anyone who hands over a firearm will receive between 100 and 300 reais ($60-$185) and will not be investigated if they were illegally holding the weapon. The campaign will be promoted by advertising on television, radio, newspapers and the internet. A... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Brazil Kicks Off New Gun Registration, Buyback Campaign [português]
Folha de São Paulo
21 August 2008
[Translated summary: Brazil begins a new gun registration drive, convincing citizens either to register their guns, or to hand them over in a new buy-back campaign]. O governo lançou nesta quinta-feira uma nova edição da campanha para o registro nacional de armas de fogo. Coordenada pelo Ministério da Justiça, a campanha tem como objetivo incentivar os brasileiros a registrar ou entregar voluntariamente suas armas para reduzir... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Boston Gun Control Groups Revive Campaign to Curb Firearm Trafficking
Jamaica Plain Gazette (Boston)
13 August 2008
JACKSON SQUARE -- Citizens For Safety, a recently reanimated nonprofit with roots in Jamaica Plain dating back to the 1990s, made a splash July 31, hosting a workshop at the Bromley-Heath housing development on illegal gun trafficking. Featuring presentations by Mayor Thomas Menino and Police Commissioner Ed Davis, the "Traffick Jam" was the third in an ongoing series of teach-in events the group is holding across the city this... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya
High Demand for Guns Heightens Insecurity in Kenya's Pastoral Regions
IRIN (UN News)
7 August 2008
NAIROBI -- The widespread availability of firearms in the northern regions of Kenya has exacerbated insecurity and more people are being killed during livestock raids. At least 60 people died while another 15 were injured following clashes on 29 July between the Turkana and Pokot communities in northwestern Kenya, according to the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS). "Most of the injured had bullet and [knife] wounds," said... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago Buyback Collects 6,848 Guns, Assault Weapons for Destruction
Chicago Sun-Times
1 August 2008
Mayor Daley today cracked the door open to abandoning the costly fight to uphold Chicago's 1982 handgun freeze -- if he can fashion a replacement ordinance that protects the safety of first-responders. Until now, Daley had emphatically promised to defend Chicago's ordinance -- all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, if need be -- despite what he called the dangerous precedent set by the nation's highest court. On June 26,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
New Gun Amnesty, Buyback, 'Disarmament Caravan' in Brazil [Português]
Jornal do Brasil (Brazil) / Portal Terra
29 July 2008
[Translated summary: Federal Police official explains "disarmament caravan" that will take place later this year to collect guns from isolated places in Brazil, in new gun buy-back campaign with the participation of civil society]. BRASÍLIA -- A Polícia Federal, por meio do Ministério da Justiça, deve firmar convênios e criar a caravana do desarmamento para recolher armas em pontos isolados do Brasil. - A idéia é... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago Gun Buyback Creates Market for Weapons, Makes Problem Worse
Chicago Tribune
24 July 2008
Here are six reasons I'm wary of gun buybacks, such as the one scheduled for Saturday in Chicago in which those who turn in firearms at any of 25 locations get a $100 prepaid credit card per gun, no questions asked. 1. I can't imagine criminals disarming themselves for a lousy $100. Sure, they might dump their excess, scrap or stolen piece for the bounty. But if having a gun is integral to their criminal activities, it's... ( gunpolicy.org )
Papua New Guinea
UN to Spend up to US$5 Million on Gun Control in Papua New Guinea
National (Port Moresby)
22 July 2008
The United Nations would make available up to US$5 million to combat and eradicate illegal guns in Papua New Guinea, Internal Security Minister Sani Rambi said at the Jacksons International Airport in Port Moresby yesterday. Mr Rambi, Police Commissioner Gari Baki and PNGDF officer Capt (navy) Max Aleale had just returned from an international conference on small arms and light weapons in New York. Mr Rambi said PNG was... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Nearly 700 Guns from Brooklyn Buyback will be Melted into Coathangers
NY1 TV News (New York)
21 July 2008
City officials are calling Brooklyn's gun buy-back program a success. A joint program between a group of Brooklyn pastors and the Brooklyn district attorney netted almost 700 guns. The event allowed people who owned illegal guns to drop them off at six churches in exchange for a $200 debit card, no questions asked. Twenty dollar bank cards were given for B.B. guns and air pistols. Overall, 697 illegal and functioning... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Swapping Guns for Cash, at Church: New Yorkers Give Up Their Weapons
New York Times
20 July 2008
There was a time, in the 1970s and '80s that handguns were so coveted on the streets of Kings County, that the borough gave rise to a law enforcement legend known as the Brooklyn Bounce. If you were to throw a gun from a window in Bay Ridge or Bushwick, so the legend went, it would be eagerly grabbed before it had a chance to bounce more than once. Over the last decade or so, violent crime has dropped in Brooklyn, as it has in the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Pakistan
Buyback Saw 20,000 Guns Destroyed in Pakistan, Shootings Due to Politics
Daily Mail (Islamabad)
17 July 2008
UNITED NATIONS -- Reaffirming its determination to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, Pakistan on Wednesday called for addressing the root causes of conflicts to eliminate a major source of demand for such weapons. "Focus on conflict prevention and dispute resolution is thus a sine qua non for the attainment of the common goals of strengthening peace and security in conditions of economic... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Mayor Asks Chicago Businesses to Raise $1million for City Gun Buyback
Chicago Sun-Times
17 July 2008
Mayor Daley wants to raise $1 million to buy back guns and remove them from Chicago streets, but the latest in a string of corporate fund-raisers got off to a slow start. Sources said former Board of Education President Michael Scott was asked to co-sign a wave of fund-raising letters and make fund-raising phone calls after the initial response was lukewarm from a business community that's also being called upon to bankroll Chicago's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Brooklyn Pastors, NYPD Pay $200 for Each Illegal Weapon in Gun Buyback
NY1 TV News (New York)
16 July 2008
A group of Brooklyn pastors joined forces with the NYPD and the Brooklyn district attorney's office Wednesday to get guns off the streets. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes announced a one-day gun buy-back initiative for Saturday, July 19. Gun owners who possess illegal, functional guns can drop off the weapons at one of six Brooklyn churches in exchange for a $200 bank card. Hynes... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations
Annual Report Launched at UN: Global Gun Theft, Trafficking, Gun Violence
United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI), New York, Media release
14 July 2008
As delegates gathered in New York to consider the implementation of the Programme of Action on the illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons, the Small Arms Survey 2008: Risks and Resilience, was launched at a Headquarters press conference this morning. The book is the eighth annual review of global small arms issues, which is produced by a team of researchers based in Geneva, Switzerland, and a worldwide network of local... ( gunpolicy.org )
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea Tells UN of 'Radical Action Plan' to Curb Illegal Guns
Pacific Magazine
14 July 2008
PORT MORESBY -- Papua New Guinea Internal Security Minister Sani Rambi will announce an executable plan to deal with illegal guns when he returns from a four-day international forum on gun control in New York. Rambi told Pacific Magazine said his delegation is comprised of PNG Police Commissioner Gari Baki and other government officials. They left Port Moresby yesterday morning to attend the Biennial Meeting of States on Small Arms... ( gunpolicy.org )
Papua New Guinea
Australia Sponsors PNG Police Minister to UN Gun Control Talks in New York
Post-Courier (Port Moresby)
11 July 2008
Internal Security Minister Sani Rambi will soon announce a plan to deal with the illegal guns issue in the country. Mr Rambi will announce the plan soon after attending the Biennial Meeting of States on Small Arms and Light Weapons in New York, America next week. Mr Rambi, with his delegates, will leave the country over the weekend to present the position of the Papua New Guinea Government in dealing with illegal guns in... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Buybacks May Fail in One Aim, But They Remain Vital in Phoenix
Arizona Republic, Editorial
29 June 2008
Look, a new gun-buyback program Phoenix will probably not result in any perceptible reduction in violent crime in the four south Phoenix neighborhoods where it's being held.If the buyback goes anything like the others across the country over the past decade, middle-age, law-abiding residents will turn in older guns, mostly revolvers, in return for $100 gift cards that can be used in any Bashas' or Food City stores. The AK-47 rifles... ( gunpolicy.org )
Papua New Guinea
PNG Opposition Praises Minister for Gun Buyback Plan, Urges Much More
Post-Courier (Port Moresby)
24 June 2008
The Opposition has praised Internal Security Minister Sani Rambi for taking a bold move to start acting on the recommendations of the National Guns Summit in dealing with the illegal gun issue. Member for Dei Puri Ruing commended Mr Rambi for taking the initiative even though the Government had not acted to take follow-up actions since it was presented with the report in 2006. However, Mr Ruing suggested that the full implementation... ( gunpolicy.org )
Papua New Guinea
National Gun Buyback Planned to Curb Crime in Papua New Guinea
Radio New Zealand International (Pacific shortwave)
23 June 2008
The Papua New Guinea Police Minister, Sani Rambi, says his Government is planning a nationwide gun buyback scheme as part of efforts to reduce crime. He says too many illegal guns are in the hands of the wrong people. Mr Rambi told the Post Courier newspaper he is weighing up on the issue of time and cost to attack the root cause of an upsurge in organised crime. The paper quotes the Minister saying he is for the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Papua New Guinea
Police Minister Plans Buyback of Illegal Guns in Papua New Guinea
Post-Courier (Port Moresby)
23 June 2008
The Government is willing to buy back illegal guns from the possession of the ordinary Papua New Guinean Minister for Internal Security Sani Rambi has said. Mr Rambi recently said unlawful guns in the hands of wrong people with criminal instincts must be removed as they were doing lots of damage and holding back the positive development progress of the country. "As Minister responsible, I'm for the idea of buying back guns... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Renewed Growth in Australian Gun Numbers Must Be Tackled Urgently
Sunday Times (Western Australia), Editorial
25 May 2008
If there was anything positive to emerge from the tragedy of the Port Arthur massacre it was that our nation was forced to seriously confront for the first time the issue of gun control. The action that followed was swift with the introduction of tougher national gun laws and a buyback scheme. Understandably, given the atrocities committed by lone gunman Martin Bryant, there was widespread community support for these measures.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Western Australia Now Has More Guns Than Before Port Arthur Massacre
Sunday Times (Western Australia)
25 May 2008
WA has more guns now than before the 1996 Port Arthur massacre -- a reversal of a near decade-long downward trend in weapon ownership. The jump coincides with a scathing national report, which found many firearms owners were failing to properly store them, including high-powered weapons left unlocked in cases, cars and cupboards. Inadequate security was to blame for more than half the gun thefts in Australia. Also,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kazakhstan
Unregistered Rifles, Pistols Collected in North Kazakhstan Gun Buyback
BBC Worldwide Monitoring (Astana) / Kazinform, Transcript
11 May 2008
During a campaign to voluntarily hand in unregistered rifles, pistols and explosives to police in [Kazakhstan's northern] Pavlodar Region, people brought 611 weapons, a Kazinform [news agency] correspondent has reported. Police valued the arsenal at 3.79m tenge [over 30,000 dollars], Maskhat Yeshmuratov, deputy head of the public security directorate of the [regional] interior affairs department, said. The explosives, which were... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Australian Gun Control Laws Did, Did Not Reduce Firearm Homicide, Suicide
ABC News (Australia) / PM, Transcript
21 April 2008
LISA MILLAR: The former prime minister, John Howard, recently told an American audience that one of his proudest achievements in office was introducing tougher gun laws after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. But a new study by researchers from the University of Sydney claims the previous federal government's gun control laws have done nothing to reduce firearm deaths in Australia. Gun control advocates though, disagree. Michael... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United States
London, Ontario Police Say Most Crime Guns Come from Canada, Not USA
London Free Press (Ontario)
15 April 2008
One of the world's largest arms merchants is funding a new program to get illegal guns off London's streets. Meanwhile, Londoners are again urged to take advantage of a federal amnesty for handing over unregistered guns. General Dynamics Land Systems, maker of military vehicles, helped launch a new "cash for guns" Crime Stoppers program with city police. "London is our home -- it's where we live, work and raise... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
'Strict Gun Laws, Fewer People Shot,' Says Toronto Mayor. Is It That Clear?
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
12 April 2008
The way Judith Ross describes her favourite hobby, you'd swear she was talking about hatha yoga or a Buddhist pursuit. "It's almost like a meditation," she says, "an experience of focus and concentration. You have to be relaxed and calm." Dr. Ross, a 69-year-old retired psychologist who worked for 30 years at the University of Toronto, is a sport shooter, regularly heading off to her gun club to pursue her passion. When she started... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Washington DC Scales Back Plan to Search Kids' Homes for Guns, Drugs
Washington Post
4 April 2008
D.C. police have scaled back plans to go door-to-door asking residents in high-crime neighborhoods whether officers can search their homes for guns as part of a new amnesty program aimed at getting weapons off the streets. The Safe Homes program instead will be offered by appointment only at residents' request, said Chief Cathy L. Lanier. The program was supposed to begin last month but was delayed after a backlash from... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
20 Chicago Public School Students Fatally Shot So Far This School Year
Washington Post
2 April 2008
CHICAGO -- Chavez Clarke, 18, had spent this past Saturday taking catch-up classes so he could graduate on time. As he left a South Side high school that afternoon, he was fatally shot, in broad daylight and in plain view of other students. His death marked a grim end to a week when police and school officials had stepped up their efforts to combat a spike in killings of public school students. The day before, an eighth-grader at... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Lesbians Accuse Australian Pro-Gun Activist Ron Owen of Vilifying Gays
Courier-Mail (Brisbane)
1 April 2008
Controversial gun lobbyist Ron Owen is being taken to court by a group of lesbians who allege he has breached the Anti-Discrimination Act by publicly vilifying gay people. The case, set for hearing from Thursday, could have landmark repercussions based on Mr Owen's use of the Bible, the Koran and the Jewish Torah for his defence, along with a "freedom of speech" defence. The case is being brought by Rachelle Menzies, Tina... ( gunpolicy.org )
Iraq
Cash Reward Offered to Baghdad Fighters Who Give Up Their Guns
Los Angeles Times
29 March 2008
BAGHDAD -- Prime Minister Nouri Maliki on Friday extended a deadline for fighters to disarm after nobody responded, and U.S. forces were pulled deeper into the showdown between Iraqi security forces and Shiite militiamen. The United States military said a Navy jet had strafed a mortar-launching position in the southern city of Basra with 20-millimeter cannon fire Thursday night, killing three "criminal militia members." It was the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Caribbean, Central America, South America, Colombia, Venezuela
Guns and Gun Running: Small Arms Trade in Latin America - NACLA Report
NACLA Report on the Americas Vol. 41, No. 2
19 March 2008
Small arms and gun violence present the most dramatic threat to public safety in Latin America and the Caribbean. After decades of uncontrolled proliferation, at least 45 million to 80 million small arms and light weapons -- that is, weapons operated by an individual or small group, including handguns, assault rifles, grenades, grenade launchers, and even man portable surface to air missiles -- are circulating throughout the region. (1)... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Amid Little Evidence of Benefit, US Critics Assail 'Feel Good' Gun Buybacks
USA Today
17 March 2008
Gun buyback programs from Miami to the San Francisco Bay are coming under fire by critics who question whether the bucks are reducing the big bangs. "It's like trying to drain the Pacific with a bucket," says Alex Tabarrok, research director at the Independent Institute, a think tank in Oakland. "More guns are going to flow in." Tabarrok and others complain the programs are feel-good events that do not reduce gun crimes... ( gunpolicy.org )
Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Caribbean, Brazil, Argentina
Women's Groups Demand to Know Where Caribbean Gangs Get Their Guns
Stabroek News (Guyana)
5 March 2008
A two-day meeting for parliamentarians and NGOs to review the impact and "responses to small arms diffusion and violence in the Caribbean" is set for Trinidad today and a women's group is asking where the gangs are getting guns and ammo for killings like those at Lusignan and Bartica . According to a press release the Women's Institute for Alternative Development (WINAD) said the meeting hopes to explore a Caricom instrument to... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
As Street Values Rise, US Gun Thieves, Interstate Gun Runners Get Bolder
Virginian-Pilot (Virginia)
4 March 2008
Most of us know the gun debate as a war of words -- a battle of sound bites between this side and that. The real front lines are on the streets, where good guns try to hold back the bad ones, and no one takes the time to hold rallies, give speeches or argue about the Second Amendment. There, the struggle is as intense as ever. "In so many murders and robberies, the weapon of choice is a gun," said Norfolk Police... ( gunpolicy.org )
Yemen
Over 88,000 Firearms Seized, Crime Falls in Yemen as Gun Ban Continues
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
3 March 2008
SANA'A, Yemen -- Yemeni police have confiscated more than 88,000 firearms since a nationwide campaign to enforce a ban on carrying weapons in cities began in last August, the interior ministry said on Monday. It said in a statement that more than 3,000 weapons have been seized in major cities across the Arab country, and over 85,000 pieces were confiscated at checkpoints outside the capital Sana'a and other cities since August 23, 2007.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
White Male Suburban Gun Owners Flock to Oakland to Sell Guns at Buyback
Contra Costa Times (California), Opinion
1 March 2008
Contrary to your criticism of state Sen. Don Perata's, "One Less Gun," gun buy-back program as bungling, I want to thank Perata for enlightening, albeit indirectly, many Oakland residents as to the source of crime guns in Oakland, Richmond and all of the U.S. I was at all three sites for the buy-back in the morning and spent the rest of the day at True Vine Church in West Oakland. There was universal bewilderment at all... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Brazil Gun Deaths Outpaced Births: Gun Buyback Saw 8% Homicide Drop
ISN Security Watch (Switzerland), Web Page
28 February 2008
Results from a recently released study that measured population growth and homicides in Brazil between 1996 and 2006 revealed that homicides dropped by eight percent between 2003 and 2006, a time period that overlaps with a nationwide gun buy-back program during which nearly 500,000 firearms were removed from circulation. Gun buy-back programs have met with mixed success in Latin America, but according to the study, authored by... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
America's Troubling Culture of Gun Violence 'Aberration In Civilized World'
Marin Independent Journal (California), Editorial
24 February 2008
Fatal shootings have become so commonplace that it takes something truly horrific to get national attention. Even then, after the outrage subsides, little is done about a level of carnage that is an aberration in the civilized world. And even as we try to make sense of the latest wave of senseless killings, the body count keeps piling up. - A disgruntled resident opened fire at Kirkwood City Hall in Missouri. Charles... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
First in Line at California Gun Buyback Were Dealers 'Selling' for a Nice Profit
Oakland Tribune (California), Opinion
23 February 2008
On Feb. 9, Oakland police, led by state Sen. Don Perata, D-Oakland, offered to buy handguns and assault weapons for $250 each, "no questions asked, no ID required." The "One Less Gun" buyback program attracted so many eager sellers that the money quickly ran out, but instead of closing up shop, the police handed out IOUs good for a future buyback. The Oakland police are now stuck with a bill for $170,000. The buyback has been criticized... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
To Save Children and Teens, US Supreme Court Must Uphold DC Gun Ban
Huffington Post (USA), Blog
18 February 2008
This year, the U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether to overturn a lower court decision striking down the District of Columbia's 1976 handgun ban designed to reduce violent crime. If the Court reverses the lower court and upholds the ban, it will keep in place a crucial measure for the protection of the health and safety of our children in our nation's capital and communities nationwide. At issue in the case, District of Columbia... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Californians Line Up to Surrender Assault Weapons, Pistols in Gun Buyback
San Jose Mercury News (California)
10 February 2008
OAKLAND -- State Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata was the first among hundreds of people Saturday to turn in a gun, kicking off the "One Less Gun" voluntary gun buyback program. The event caused heavy traffic in east, west and central Oakland as people pulled up at buyback locations with trunk loads of assault weapons. Others stood in long lines that stretched for several city blocks, waiting to turn in handguns. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Oakland, California Gun Buyback Sends Hundreds of Weapons to Furnace
Oakland Tribune / AP
10 February 2008
OAKLAND, California -- Hundreds of guns are set to be melted down following an Oakland gun buyback held hours after two more victims died in a shooting in the violence-plagued city. The Saturday event organized by Democratic state Sen. Don Perata had enough funding to take in 300 guns for $250 a piece but ran out of money as people arrived to turn in trunkloads of assault weapons. Oakland police issued vouchers for guns... ( gunpolicy.org )
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