Australia
Licensed Aussie Gun Dealer, 84, Accused of Trafficking Illegal Handguns
Parkes Champion-Post (NSW)
23 July 2008
An 84-year old World War Two veteran was granted bail in Dubbo Local Court last Tuesday, as he faced charges over an alleged gun-running bust in Forbes earlier this year. Appearing on 26 charges relating to possessing and selling prohibited and unregistered firearms, Norman Whybrow, well known in the Forbes community, was granted bail by Magistrate Howard Hamilton who was 'only just persuaded to grant bail'. Police raided... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Licensed US Gun Dealer, Acquitted of Fraud, Gets 2yrs for Tax Offences
Fort Mill Times (South Carolina)
22 July 2008
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky -- A man once hired by a Louisville millionaire to help him build a world-class gun collection was sentenced Tuesday to two years in prison for failing to pay taxes. Michael K. Salisbury of Alabama was cleared of fraud and several other felony charges by a federal jury in January. But he was convicted on two misdemeanors for failing to pay taxes on some of the guns that he acquired for Owsley Brown Frazier,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Smith & Wesson Mints Special Revolver to Mark US Supreme Court Win
Boston Herald
22 July 2008
Smith & Wesson thinks the Supreme Court's recent Second Amendment ruling is a legal victory worth notching on a gun. The Springfield firearms manufacturer said yesterday it will make an engraved version of its Model 442 revolver to commemorate the historic June 26 high court decision striking down the District of Columbia's strict handgun ban. Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. said it will give a gun to each of the six plaintiffs... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Inactive Gun Dealer Makes Buying a New Gun Impossible in Washington, DC
Washington Post
18 July 2008
District residents in the market for handguns could face a long wait -- only one dealer has stepped up so far, and his license isn't active. Charles Sykes Jr. has been selling guns since 1994 to active and retired police officers and security companies out of an unmarked office in Anacostia. But right now his business, CS Exchange, is on hold because he recently changed locations on Good Hope Road SE and his permit needs to be amended.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Supreme Court Decision Brings 'A New Chance to Curb Gun Violence'
Washington Post, Opinion
17 July 2008
The Supreme Court decision last month overturning the District's handgun ban, though controversial, may have ended a long-standing political logjam. As a local law enforcement official, I hope this decision will allow a working coalition to transcend partisan disagreements and support strategies proven to reduce gun violence. The ruling left almost entirely intact the gun restrictions in Maryland and most other jurisdictions. Still... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Do Idahoans Believe the Answer to Deranged Gun Violence is More Guns?
Boise Weekly (Idaho)
16 July 2008
A few months after Jason Hamilton killed his wife and then took two military rifles from his ample collection and opened fire on the Latah County Courthouse, killing a cop, a church caretaker and then himself, Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney floated the idea of a gun ban. It would have only applied to city property and it was not a direct reaction to the shooting, Chaney said. The city never actually passed anything, after the Idaho attorney... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
DC Votes to Retain Stringent Gun Control Despite Supreme Court Ruling
Associated Press
14 July 2008
WASHINGTON -- The District of Columbia Council planned to vote Tuesday on emergency legislation to allow handguns if they are used only for self-defense in the home and carry fewer than 12 rounds of ammunition. The legislation announced Monday comes as officials scramble to comply with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last month striking down the city's 32-year-old ban. The proposal, which maintains some of the city's strict... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Easily Bought Assault Weapons Kill More Americans, Cops Than Ever Before
Mother Jones (USA) / Jul-Aug Issue
14 July 2008
In a warehouse on the outskirts of the rural Shenandoah Valley town of Fishersville, Virginia, it didn't take long to spot what I was looking for. There were plenty of guns lined up neatly on display tables, everything from Civil War-style muskets to handguns to hunting rifles, but I was in the market for something with a bit more firepower. At a table near the entrance, I found it: a Chinese-made MAK-90 semiautomatic rifle, a variation... ( gunpolicy.org )
Ghana
Global Study Says Civilians Lost 650,000 Guns - About One in 10 Owned
International Herald Tribune / AP
14 July 2008
UNITED NATIONS -- One of every 1,000 civilian-owned guns in the world is lost or stolen and can wind up in the hands of militants in nations like Iraq and Afghanistan, a Swiss institute says in a new survey Monday. Most of the lost guns flow to nations that "rarely engage in some of the most basic verification procedures," said Jurg Streuli, a Swiss diplomat and representative to the U.N. Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, Switzerland.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Most New Orleans Crime Guns Were Stolen from Legal Gun Owners - Police
New Orleans City Business (Louisiana)
14 July 2008
When Deputy Chief James Scott started with the New Orleans Police Department 36 years ago, the criminal weapon of choice was the Saturday Night Special, a cheap, low-quality handgun that packed little punch and wasn't capable of doing much damage. Three decades later, Scott admits to being terrified at some of the weapons police discover on the streets of New Orleans such as the "street sweeper," a modified shotgun capable of shooting... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan, Albania
Pentagon's Afghan Army Ammo Sale Fraud Takes Political Twist in Congress
Los Angeles Times
14 July 2008
WASHINGTON -- A top-priority federal investigation of military procurement fraud in Afghanistan has been forced to shift direction because of a congressional panel's allegation that a senior U.S. diplomat sought to cover up the scheme. The accusation against the ambassador appears to be unraveling, however, and prosecutors are scrambling to assess the effects on a case involving what is considered to be one of the most serious procurement... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Police 'On Edge' After Minnesota Gun Dealer Loses 30 Handguns to Thieves
Fox News (Minnesota)
14 July 2008
MINNETONKA -- A Minnetonka gun shop on Excelsior and Co. Rd. 4 was burglarized early Monday morning and dozens of weapons are now missing. Burglars stole several different kinds of handguns, and police are now on edge. Police say the burglars knew what they were doing and exactly what they wanted. They hit the Glen Lake Gun Shop around dawn, hours before employees arrived, and disarmed the store's sophisticated security... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Vancouver Police Seize Machine Guns, Arrest Drug Gang 'Armourer'
Vancouver Sun (British Columbia)
12 July 2008
A young man arrested last year with a Vancouver condo full of explosives, land mines and machine guns was a major supplier to the United Nations gang, according to just-released court documents. Jong Ca John Lee, 27, is now serving five years after pleading guilty to a series of gun charges. But documents filed at his bail hearing show that police believe he was a major source of high-powered assault rifles, grenades and... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Killer Ideas For Selling Newly Encouraged Handguns in Washington, DC
Washington Post, Column
9 July 2008
Now that District residents can legally keep handguns, prospective gun dealers will need creative ways to target them. Based on my survey of gun shops nationwide, I suggest they start with a catchy name. A name can reflect a state of mind or an ideology. Take, for instance, Gunslinger in Oak Lawn, Ill., or Ready On The Right in Kailua, Hawaii. Or you might choose to convey the threat implicit in the merchandise, with a name such... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New Jersey Husband/Wife Shooting Brings Call for Handgun Sales Limit
Star-Ledger (New Jersey)
9 July 2008
Gun control advocates at a gathering in Montclair today used the recent fatal shooting of a mother at a local YMCA to urge lawmakers to pass legislation limiting the number of handguns sold to individuals. While law enforcement authorities have not said where Kenneth Duckett obtained a handgun they allege he used to kill his wife, Monica Paul, on June 26, the advocates argued that it had to have been obtained illegally. Duckett... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Bill Would Restrict, Licence the Sale of Handgun Ammunition
Mercury News (California), Editorial
8 July 2008
Guns don't kill people; bullets do. Mainly bullets from handguns, the source of 60 percent of murders in California. And yet the sale of handgun ammunition is unregulated in the state. Felons, gang members and others who are banned from possessing handguns can buy as many rounds of bullets as they want, no questions asked. And they apparently do, obtaining tens of thousands of rounds each year, according to a RAND Corporation study.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
In Idaho, Candidates from Both Parties Vie for Gun Lobby Endorsement
Idaho Statesman (Boise)
7 July 2008
WASHINGTON -- When it comes time to endorse candidates in Idaho this election year, the National Rifle Association has something of an embarrassment of riches. There simply aren't many potential officeholders the NRA considers "gun unfriendly." "That's a great predicament to have," said Andrew Arulanandam, director of public affairs for the National Rifle Association and former head of the Idaho Republican Party. "It's a testament... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Supreme Court Ruling Enshrines Most Gun Control as Legal Doctrine
Bangor Daily News (Maine), Opinion
5 July 2008
In the recent ruling District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court found that gun regulation is constitutional. While affirming the right of an individual to own a gun, the court ruled that "like most rights, the Second Amendment right is not unlimited. It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose." The decision went on to give examples of constitutional gun regulations... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Killer of Texas Burglars Absolved as 'Make My Day' Laws Sweep America
Time (USA)
3 July 2008
The 911 tape offered up a few clues that Joe Horn had every intention of killing the men who were breaking into the house next door. For example, there was that time, six minutes into the phone call, when he told the dispatcher, "I'm gonna kill 'em." And "kill 'em" he did, stepping outside his house to shoot the men with three shotgun blasts in the back as they retreated across his lawn with a bag of stolen goods from next door.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
4 New Gun Laws Would Make Americans Safer, Still Fit High Court Ruling
Chicago Sun-Times, Editorial
2 July 2008
If Charlton Heston were alive, he'd be beaming. The man who filled the silver screen with chariot races and a parting of the sea played another prominent role in later years -- president of the National Rifle Association. Heston treasured his constitutional right to own a gun and was fond of intoning at NRA conventions, with his rifle held aloft, that his weapon would be taken only "from my cold dead hands." Now, thousands... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
Gun Crime, Firearm Trafficking Reportedly on the Rise in New Delhi
Times of India / TNN
2 July 2008
NEW DELHI -- An illegal arms bazaar is thriving in the Capital. From the simple desi kattas to the sophisticated smuggled guns from China, Malaysia, Italy and Pakistan -- everything is available for a price, even on rent. According to the police, illegal weapons outnumber the legal ones by more than eight times in the city and more than 90% of crimes in Delhi are committed using unlicensed guns. Sources say these easily obtainable... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe
Cost of Zimbabwe Gun Licence Rises to $50 Billion, Renewal $25 Billion
Herald (Harare)
1 July 2008
Police have, with immediate effect, increased charges for obtaining firearms and clearance certificates. Police spokesperson Superintendent Andrew Phiri yesterday said the increases were with effect from today. The cost of issuing a firearms certificate has been raised from $50 million to $50 billion while an import permit now costs $250 billion, up from $250 million. Renewing a firearm certificate now costs $25... ( gunpolicy.org )
Yemen
209 Gun Shops Shut, 148 Dealers Jailed, 160,000 Guns Seized in Yemen
Yemen Post
30 June 2008
Two weeks ago, Yemen took its biggest step yet in fighting the existence of weapons as a nationwide campaign begun with a goal to close down all weapon shops throughout the country. Until today, 209 weapon shops have been closed down. The government's policy in its campaign was to close down the shops and reimburse weapons dealers by buying their weapons from them, therefore causing the dealers no losses. However, over 148 shop owners refused... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
'At Last, Gun Rules We Can All Agree On,' Says Group of 300 US Mayors
Wall Street Journal, Opinion
30 June 2008
Finally. After decades of ideological debates over the meaning of every word and comma contained in the U.S. Constitution's one-sentence Second Amendment, the Supreme Court has issued a ruling that should largely settle the matter. In District of Columbia v. Heller, the court found that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to bear arms, while also affirming the constitutionality of reasonable restrictions aimed at... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
DC Ruling Highlights Failure of US Congress to Control Gun Trafficking
Sacramento Bee (California), Editorial
30 June 2008
A sharply divided Supreme Court has settled the issue for now. The Second Amendment to the Constitution does confer upon individuals the right to bear arms. In the wake of the ruling, big-city mayors across the country are expressing alarm that their gun-control ordinances will be set aside, unleashing a new wave of urban gun violence. That may be an exaggeration. Local gun ordinances have had limited impact. As crime statistics... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Gun Lobby Pressure for American-style Laws 'Wrong Path' for Australia
Advertiser (Adelaide), Editorial
30 June 2008
Almost anyone who wants a firearm in Australia can get one. It is possible, and legal, to buy a gun and obtain a licence to use it. While most gun dealers are scrupulously honest, it is also possible to obtain weapons on the black market. One dealer appeared last week in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on charges of possessing illegal gun parts. The case has yet to be heard and the dealer has not entered a plea,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Shops In, Around Washington DC Refuse Sales, Await New Rules
Washington Post
30 June 2008
D.C. resident Anthony Mason walked into Atlantic Guns in Silver Spring on Friday afternoon and asked a question the staff had heard all day: "How can I buy a small handgun?" "With the overturn of the gun ban," the retired Metrobus driver began to explain to the sales associate behind the counter. "We're telling everyone to wait 30 days," said Atlantic manager Dale Metta, something he's repeated dozens of times in the past... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
High Cost of Ammunition Hinders US Police Departments, Gun Owners
Dayton Daily News (Ohio)
30 June 2008
Depending on whom you ask, the price of ammunition has gone up 25 percent, 50 percent, or has even doubled in the past several years. The cause, like the price, seems to vary, from the soaring cost of commodities metals, like the brass, copper and lead used to make ammo, to the Iraq war and the need for more production of small-caliber ammunition to supply U.S. troops. Distribution has also been a problem, affecting police... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Obama May Prove Biggest Winner in Wake of US Gun Rights Decision
Boston Globe, Column
29 June 2008
When it comes to gun control, the Democratic Party is a house divided against itself. That helps explain Barack Obama's dizzyingly inconsistent positions on District of Columbia v. Heller, the landmark Second Amendment case decided by the Supreme Court last week. As a candidate for the Illinois Legislature in the 1990s, Obama had supported legislation to "ban the manufacture, sale, and possession of handguns," so it wasn't surprising... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Right to Own Guns in America 'Should Not Extend to Assault Weapons'
Richmond Times-Dispatch (Virginia)
28 June 2008
'Today I didn't even have to use my AK / I got to say it was a good day' -- Ice Cube No one would mistake the Flat Rock area of Powhatan County for South Central Los Angeles. Homicides are a shocking rarity in this slice of rural Virginia, much less those involving an assault rifle. But Powhatan Sheriff Gregory A. Neal said an AK-47 is what killed 18-year-old Tahliek Taliaferro. The AK-47 and its imitators have... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Supreme Court Decision Shows Way to Stronger Controls on Handguns
Baltimore Sun (Maryland), Editorial
27 June 2008
Thousands of citizens in Baltimore and other American cities have died in recent years in an epidemic of gun violence. The contagion is carried by a flood of weapons, legal and illegal, that presents a frustrating challenge to police, prosecutors and politicians attempting to calm the cities. Yesterday, the conservative majority of the U.S. Supreme Court significantly complicated that effort to control violence with a 5-4 decision that struck... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Justice Fears 'Unknown Number of Dominoes' to Fall in Gun Control
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia), Editorial
27 June 2008
Few sentences in the English language have been parsed more intently than "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court settled the argument over the definition of the Second Amendment, ruling that the right to bear arms extends beyond states to individual gun owners. Written by the Founding... ( gunpolicy.org )
Germany, Switzerland, Italy, United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa
Gun Laws in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, UK, Australia, South Africa
Associated Press
26 June 2008
GERMANY: Requires license to obtain and use firearms and stipulates a check on the "reliability and suitability" of holders at least once every three years. Under-25s must undergo psychological screening. Buyers must justify why they need a gun. Would-be buyers of recreational firearms must produce proof of regular membership in shooting club for at least one year. Legal age for owning recreational firearms is 21. That... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Gun Show Loophole Lets US Weapon Dealers Arm Mexican Drug Wars
National Public Radio (USA), Transcript
26 June 2008
Violence across Mexico has intensified as the government has fought against the country's powerful drug cartels, often well-armed from the U.S. Host Bob Moon asks journalist James Verini what can be done to stem the cross-border arms trade. Text of Interview [Link to audio in the original] Bob Moon: It's now official: We've all got the right to own a gun. The Supreme Court settled the matter today for the first... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Federal Agents Raid Blackwater Armoury in Assault Weapon Probe
Associated Press
26 June 2008
RALEIGH, North Carolina -- Federal agents raided Blackwater Worldwide this week as part of an investigation into whether the private security company sidestepped federal laws prohibiting the private purchase of automatic assault rifles, the company said Thursday. Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives searched Blackwater's armory at its corporate headquarters... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Feds Visit Blackwater 'Mercenary' Base, Seize 2 Dozen Assault Rifles
News & Observer (North Carolina)
26 June 2008
Agents of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have confiscated nearly two dozen automatic rifles from Blackwater Worldwide, the private security contractor and firearms training company in Moyock, N.C. The move came two days after a story in The News & Observer raised questions about the legality of Blackwater's deals to buy the guns for the Camden County Sheriff's Department. The security firm kept the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Mayors Vow to Uphold Gun Controls Despite Supreme Court Ruling
Associated Press
26 June 2008
WASHINGTON -- Washington's blanket ban on handguns will fall and tight gun laws in places like Chicago and San Francisco are sure to come under attack. But most of the nation's firearms regulations will probably stay on the books, and some politicians said Thursday's Supreme Court decision won't hinder their efforts to prevent bloodshed. The high court struck down the District of Columbia's ban on handguns, ruling that Americans... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Washington DC's Handgun Ban Prevents Training of Security Guards
Washington Post, Column
26 June 2008
Allan Lucas discovered his passion nearly four decades ago, in the Marine Corps. Assigned to target practice at the range, he suddenly realized that everyone else had stopped shooting their M-14s. "It gets real quiet and I'm the only one shooting, and the general and the corporal are watching me," Lucas remembers. "I'm building a little circle of holes around the bull's-eye." During a 30-plus-year career with D.C. police, the U.S.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
US Army's $300m Ammo Deal 'Case Study' in Botched Military Contracting
New York Times
25 June 2008
WASHINGTON -- When the Army last year awarded a contract worth up to nearly $300 million to a tiny Miami Beach munitions dealer to supply ammunition to Afghanistan's security forces, it overlooked a very checkered past. A Congressional committee revealed Tuesday that by the time the Army awarded the bid, State and Defense Department officials had canceled or delayed at least six earlier contracts with the company, AEY Inc., for... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Georgia Gun Dealer Sued by New York City, Gave it Up and Fell in Love
Village Voice (New York)
24 June 2008
In 2006, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that he was filing suit against 27 out-of-state gun dealers. He called the gun sellers a "scourge on our society," and claimed that they were illegally selling weapons that kept ending up on the streets of New York. Most of the dealers Bloomberg sued quietly settled their cases, agreeing to allow the city to place monitors in their stores to oversee transactions. Others shut down their... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Pro Footballer Accused of Stealing 34 Handguns from Virginia Gun Shop
Richmond Times-Dispatch (Virginia)
24 June 2008
Michael Henderson, a former back-up quarterback at Virginia Union, was one of two men arrested on Monday on multiple felony charges involving the June 13 break-in of Green Top Sporting Goods in Hanover County. Henderson, 21, and Leon E. Waddy, 21, are charged with burglary, grand larceny, possession of burglary tools and conspiracy to commit burglary, according to Hanover County Sheriff spokesman Lt. Mike Trice. The two allegedly... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Albania, Afghanistan
US Ambassador to Albania Targeted in Illegal Afghan Ammunition Probe
Reuters
24 June 2008
WASHINGTON -- The State Department said on Tuesday it would review the conduct of the U.S. ambassador to Albania, after a congressman alleged the envoy knew about a case in which Chinese-made ammunition was falsely relabeled as manufactured in Albania and shipped to the Afghan army. In a hearing on Tuesday and a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice the previous day, Henry Waxman, chairman of the House of Representatives... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Did US 'Mercenary' Firm Use 'Straw Purchase' to Buy Assault Weapons?
News & Observer (North Carolina)
22 June 2008
The private military company Blackwater has found an unusual way to skirt federal laws that prohibit private parties from buying automatic weapons. Blackwater bought 17 Romanian AK-47s and 17 Bushmasters, gave ownership of the guns to the Camden County sheriff and keeps most of the guns at Blackwater's armory in Moyock. Tiny Camden County -- population 9,271 -- is one of the most peaceful in North Carolina. In the last 10 years,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
Miami Gun Dealer Charged with Selling Chinese Ammo to Pentagon
New York Times
21 June 2008
WASHINGTON -- The 22-year-old president of a Miami Beach arms-dealing company and three other people were charged Friday with selling prohibited Chinese ammunition to the Pentagon to supply Afghan security forces, federal officials said. A federal grand jury in Miami indicted the munitions dealer, Efraim E. Diveroli, president of AEY Inc., as well as two former employees and a business associate, on charges of fraud and conspiring... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United States
38 Arrested, Linked to Large-scale Gun Smuggling from US to Canada
City News (Toronto)
20 June 2008
Near the end of what's been one of the most violent months Toronto has seen for some time, police say they've crippled the operations of various organized crime groups that banded together to smuggle guns into Ontario from the United States in exchange for drugs. On Friday the Ontario Provincial Police released more details about the two-year investigation dubbed Project Blackhawk that authorities say dealt a serious blow to the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Canada
Chicago Shop Owner Charged With Smuggling 220 Guns to Canada - Feds
Franklin Park Herald-Journal (Illinois)
20 June 2008
A former Franklin Park gun shop owner was charged Thursday with violating the federal Arms Export Control Act, allegedly for exporting 220 firearms to Canada. Agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms took Ugur Yildiz into custody without incident near his home in Park Ridge, said federal law enforcement agents in a press release. He is in federal custody pending... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United States
Licensed Chicago Gun Dealer Smuggled 220 Guns to Canada, Say Police
Windsor Star (Ontario)
20 June 2008
A former Chicago-area gun dealer looking to divest himself of his firearms stock crossed the Ambassador Bridge in a minivan in 2006 carrying 220 guns that he loaded in a Windsor storage locker before they found their way to the hands of criminals elsewhere in the province. Ugur "Mike" Yildiz was arrested by agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) near his... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Canada
US Feds Arrest Former Gun Shop Owner, Allege Large-scale Trafficking
Chicago Sun-Times (Illinois)
20 June 2008
The former owner of a controversial suburban gun store is charged with illegally exporting hundreds of firearms -- two of which were used in attempted murders in Canada, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Thursday in federal court in Chicago. Ugur Yildiz, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Turkey, ran Chicagoland Bells gun shop in Franklin Park until 2005, when the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives revoked... ( gunpolicy.org )
Yemen
124 Gun Shops Closed as Yemen Cracks Down on Illegal Weapons
National (Abu Dhabi)
19 June 2008
SANA'A -- The ministry of interior announced this week that it has closed 124 shops across the country that were selling firearms, arrested 188 weapons dealers and seized vehicles carrying weapons for al Houthi rebels. The closures and arrests came as the government stepped up a campaign it launched in Aug 2007 to close shops selling guns and reduce the number of firearms on the country's streets. "We have closed these... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
30,000 Firearms 'Unaccounted For' in Feds' Sample of US Gun Dealers
New York Times
19 June 2008
WASHINGTON -- More than 30,000 firearms are unaccounted for in gun dealers' inventories nationwide, according to a new study by a gun control group. Further, the group, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, says its finding most likely undercounts the missing firearms, since the data used, from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, are drawn from the compliance inspections that were conducted at gun dealerships... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
US Gun Dealers Provide Smugglers with Weapons for Mexican Drug War
BBC News
18 June 2008
MEXICO CITY -- So far this year more than 1,400 people have died in Mexico as drug cartels battle one another for control of the illegal drugs trade to the US, and battle the authorities trying to stop them. The dead include more than 400 police officers and other public officials. This follows 2,500 deaths last year and the same number in 2006. Estimates by the US Drug Enforcement Agency suggest the drugs trade... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Licensed Gun Dealer Lost 29 Handguns in British Colombia Theft
Prince George Citizen (British Columbia)
17 June 2008
A man has been charged with more than 200 criminal offences after RCMP pulled over a vehicle containing 29 guns. RCMP said the man was heading through the Prince George area Friday after a major gun theft from a store in Fort St. John and was on his way to organized crime contacts in the Lower Mainland. Mounties caught up with him in Williams Lake. "If those guns had made it to the street, who knows how they might... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Almost All Guns in Mexico's Drug Wars Are From US Dealers, Gun Shows
Portfolio (USA), July Issue
16 June 2008
The U.S. has pledged more than $1 billion to help Mexico win its war on drugs. But even as the body count rises above 10,000, most of the guns that do the killing -- Colt .38 Supers and big-bore Barrett rifles among them -- keep pouring in from the U.S. Alfredo Beltrán Leyva was arrested on January 21 in Culiacán, capital of the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The circumstances of his arrest lived up to his high standing in Mexico's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Feds Raid Licensed Georgia Gun Dealer, Check Possible Illegal Sales
White County News (Georgia)
16 June 2008
Smoky Mountain Trader in Cleveland is being investigated for possible illegal guns sales. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) served a search warrant at the business, located at 18 W. Jarrard Street on the square in Cleveland, at 10 a.m. Friday, June 13. The store remains open for business. Cleveland Police Chief John Foster said he received a phone call from ATF Agent Pete Beck Friday morning.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Thailand, Russia
Global Gun Runner Plays US-Russia 'Cold War' Card to Escape Prison
Sydney Morning Herald
16 June 2008
The Cold War has broken out again, and Thailand suddenly finds itself caught uncomfortably in the middle of competing US and Russian interests. At the centre of the conflict is the alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was arrested on March 6 in Thailand and is in detention in Bangkok. The US wants Bout extradited to stand trial in New York, where he has faces charges of conspiracy to provide weapons to a foreign terrorist... ( gunpolicy.org )
Yemen
Gun Control in Yemen: 12 Weapon Markets, 300 Firearm Shops to Close
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
16 June 2008
SANA'A, Yemen -- Yemen's Interior Ministry has embarked on a campaign to close weapons markets across the Arab state to curb the spread of unlicensed weapons, a ministry source said on Monday. 'All weapons shops and markets will be closed and their dealers will be arrested,' the source said in remarks carried by the official media. He said the crackdown would affect 12 main weapons markets and nearly 300 light weapon shops... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
US-to-Mexico 'Iron River' Provides 90% of Guns Used in Drug Gang Wars
El Paso Times (Texas)
15 June 2008
The rise in cartel violence in Juárez has made U.S. law enforcement officials all too aware that many of the weapons used for crimes in Mexico come from the United States. Insiders have come to describe illegal gun trafficking from the U.S. to Mexico as the Iron River, a trade route that extends well beyond the border as illegal gun dealers are pulling weapons from U.S. cities "The flow of weapons are going from the United... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Georgia is 'Leading Source' of Crime Guns, Trafficking to Other US States
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia)
12 June 2008
Georgia gun stores supplied more guns that were later recovered at crimes in other places than any other state in the nation, according to a Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence review of 2007 federal data. As a source for guns, Georgia outranked much more populous states such as Florida, which was second, and Texas, which was third. According to the Brady Center, federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives data... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Texans Fuel Mexican Drug Wars with 'Virtual Arsenals' of Easy-buy Guns
Dallas Morning News (Texas), Editorial
12 June 2008
For every ounce of cocaine and heroin smuggled through Mexico into the United States, an equally deadly instrument of death moves south. Each year, virtual arsenals cross illegally from Texas into the hands of murderous drug cartels. The illicit weapons trade provides the muscle behind the Mexican cartels' brazen campaigns of kidnapping, torture and murder on both sides of the border. While some weapons are swiped from... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Thieves Take More Than 50 Guns from Michigan Firearm Dealer
Associated Press
12 June 2008
GENESEE TOWNSHIP, Michigan -- Authorities say more than 50 guns have been stolen from a Flint-area firearms dealer. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says surveillance cameras show at least four suspects breaking into Bullock's Guns N More Inc. in Genesee County's Genesee Township early Thursday and stealing the weapons. The ATF is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
Calcutta Gun Shop Owner Faked Robbery, Sold Illegal Weapons - Police
Telegraph (Calcutta)
10 June 2008
PURULIA -- Police today accused the owner of a 190-year-old gun shop in Purulia town of "cooking up" a story of robbery to sell arms to people without valid licences. Shekhar Andia Mistri, 53, told the police seven men came "in the guise of customers" around 6.45am today. They allegedly woke him up for air guns and took away "five double-barrel guns, two revolvers and 20 air guns" after gagging him and tying him up at gun-point.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Unprecedented Policing Effort Tackles US-Mexico Gun Smuggling
Dallas Morning News (Texas)
10 June 2008
HOUSTON -- Tons of heroin and cocaine move north across the Southwestern border. And millions of dollars and truckloads of weapons move south -- feeding the escalating levels of violence that have turned parts of Mexico into war zones and spread as far as North Texas. At least 80 percent of all of the weapons used by drug traffickers in Mexico to kill one another as well as police and soldiers come from the U.S., Mexican officials... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
US Fuels, Fights Gun-led Insurrection in Mexico, Fosters Chaos at Home
Huffington Post (USA), Blog
10 June 2008
In towns along the United States-Mexico border, a battle is raging between drug cartels and the Mexican government that has left thousands of innocent civilians and Mexican police officials dead. A galvanizing moment occurred on May 8, when assassins shot and killed Edgar Gomez, Mexico's top cop and an anti-cartel crusader, as he exited his home north of Mexico City. Gomez is just one of 6,000 Mexican government officials and police officers... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Assembly Mandates Photo ID for Handgun Ammunition Sales
Record Searchlight (California) / Scripps News
9 June 2008
In the future, you may have to leave a copy of your driver's license if you want to buy .22-caliber rounds from your local big-box store. The California Assembly further reinforced the state's reputation as having the most stringent gun laws in the nation by passing two bills late last month that would put more restrictions on buying and selling handguns and handgun ammunition. Both bills must now win state Senate approval. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Back Country Gun Shop Loses Handguns in Ram Raid
CKFU Radio (British Columbia)
9 June 2008
FORT ST. JOHN -- Backcountry Sports was the target of a brash robbery early Sunday morning. At just before 4 am, suspects drove right through the front doors of the store, and continued to about half-way through the building. They then pried open some of the showcases and made off with an undisclosed amount of hand guns. The suspects then backed the vehicle out of the store causing more damage on the way out. Now,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
Get Tough on Guns, Get Serious About Crime Prevention in Philippines
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Opinion
9 June 2008
MANILA, Philippines -- The challenge before the President, Congress and the Philippine National Police is not to "get tough on crime" but to get tough on guns and to get serious about crime prevention. Guns were made for one purpose only: to kill. A gun is a tragedy waiting to happen. Each violent incident, each senseless killing (like the massacre at the RCBC branch in Cabuyao, Laguna), each tragic story muffles a moral voice that,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Lobby Needs to Set Its Sights on Illegal Firearm Dealers
Daily News (New York), Column
9 June 2008
Bullets get around, and so do the high-speed limousines that propel them around: guns. Bullets and guns make a very cold team -- notorious for not caring about the identity of the target. When the gun is fired, anyone who is not wearing armor and is hit will go down. Bullets aren't concerned with important or unimportant, good or bad, brilliant or stupid. The bullet's job is mechanical indifference to identity, the persistent ignoring... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United States
Canadian Dealers Import Guns as Movie Props, Sell to Gangs [Francais]
Presse canadienne
8 June 2008
[Translated summary: A Royal Canadian Mounted Police police report says gun dealers exploited a legal loophole to import handguns, assault weapons and machine guns from the United States as movie-props, then sell them to drug gangs]. OTTAWA -- Des armes à feu destinées à servir d'accessoires pour des acteurs de cinéma aboutissent entre les mains de véritables criminels à cause d'une "échappatoire" dans les lois canadiennes.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United States
Canadian Gun Dealers Exploit Movie-prop 'Loophole' to Arm Drug Gangs
Canadian Press
8 June 2008
OTTAWA -- Guns intended for make-believe action on the silver screen are winding up in the hands of real-life criminals due to a "loophole" in Canadian laws, says an RCMP intelligence report. Some firearms dealers in British Columbia have taken advantage of movie production companies filming in various Canadian locations, says the newly declassified report on trends in gun trafficking and smuggling. Special permits allow... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Milwaukee: One Wisconsin Gun Shop Sold 25% of Guns Seized in Crime
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wisconsin)
8 June 2008
A study released last month showed that one out of every four guns seized by Milwaukee police during an arrest came out of Badger Guns, which formerly was known as Badger Outdoors, in West Milwaukee. No other dealer accounted for more than 3% of the sales of such guns, according to the study by Steven Brandl of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Brandl also found that guns from Badger ended up at crime scenes more quickly... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Murder, Suicide Rates Lower Where Local US Police Check Backgrounds
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wisconsin)
8 June 2008
Gun suicide and homicide rates were about 25% lower when background checks on gun buyers were performed by local authorities as opposed to federal or state agencies, according to a study by the Medical College of Wisconsin. The study shows a patchwork of background check practices around the country. For example, in Wisconsin, checks are done on the state level, and across the border in Iowa and Minnesota, they are done locally.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New York Mayor's Campaign Against Illegal Guns Wins Notable Court Victory
New York Times, Editorial
6 June 2008
Mayor Michael Bloomberg's campaign against illegal guns won a notable victory this week when a Georgia gun dealer decided to default rather than go to trial in a civil lawsuit that accused him of illegally selling handguns that were later used to commit crimes in New York. The last-minute retreat by the dealer, Jay Wallace, is new vindication of Mr. Bloomberg's strategy for holding irresponsible gun dealers accountable. It is part... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Judge Strikes Down Some Philadelphia City Gun Laws, Lets Others Stand
Philadelphia Inquirer (Pennsylvania)
3 June 2008
A Philadelphia judge today sided with the National Rifle Association and struck down city ordinances banning assault weapons and limiting handgun purchases to one a month. In a blow to the city's attempt to write its own gun laws, Common Pleas Court Judge Jane Cutler-Greenspan ruled that Philadelphia should be permanently prevented from enforcing the laws that the City Council passed unanimously in April. But Greenspan... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New York Mayor Claims Victory as Georgia Gun Dealer Pulls Out of Trial
New York Times
3 June 2008
Saying he could not afford what he feared would be an unfair trial, a Georgia gun dealer accused by New York City of illegally selling handguns that made their way to New York backed out of his federal trial on Monday, the day it was set to begin. The city will now negotiate with the dealer, Jay Wallace, to allow a "special master" to oversee gun sales at his store, potentially joining 20 other dealers who have settled lawsuits... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Georgia Gun Dealer 'David' Flees Court Fight with New York Mayor 'Goliath'
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia) / Cox News
2 June 2008
NEW YORK -- Smyrna gun shop owner Jay Wallace ended his current courtroom fight against a New York City lawsuit on Monday, saying that the trial was unfair and he accepted a judgment against him so he could appeal to a higher court. "I wasn't getting a fair shake here in this court, so why should I continue?" Wallace said after the morning's legal action. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg called the judgment a victory, but... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Georgia Gun Dealer Drops Out at Trial: 'Important Victory for New Yorkers'
Associated Press
2 June 2008
NEW YORK -- A Georgia gun dealer accused in a federal lawsuit of selling weapons that ended up in the hands of New York City criminals has opted not to go to trial this week. A lawyer for Jay Wallace, the owner of Adventure Sports Inc. in Smyrna, Ga., said in court papers Monday that his client decided that a trial would be a waste of time and money. He also claimed that pretrial rulings against the defendant showed he couldn't... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Texas Gun Dealer's Radio Ads Urge Fearful Americans to Buy More Guns
WLTV-25 TV News (Florida)
2 June 2008
HOUSTON, Texas -- A new, controversial gun store ad has some wondering about the real meaning behind, "Buy them cheap. Bury them deep." The radio ad, airing in the Houston, Texas area also says, "This is Jim Pruett calling from federal prison. Well, not yet." The ad is for Jim Pruett's Guns and Ammo in northwest Harris County, Texas. It then carries a political message, "Come this November, many could be incarcerated if a bunch... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Where Illegal Guns Can Do No More Harm: New York Destroys Them All
New York Times
2 June 2008
In New York City, where taking illegal handguns off the streets is high on the mayor's agenda, thousands of firearms make it into the hands of law enforcement officers each year. Once they've been seized in crimes, whether after long and ignominious careers or short but violent ones, and once their owners have been prosecuted, the guns must be destroyed, never to be used again. The New York field office of the federal Bureau... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Gun Dealers Broke Law, Sold Thousands of Weapons to Canadian Criminals
Vancouver Province (British Columbia)
1 June 2008
In B.C., the RCMP's chief firearms officer can supply decommissioned guns to certified gun-safety course instructors, a federal RCMP firearms centre official told The Province. To be decommissioned, the weapons have their firing pins ground off or removed, or parts removed from the trigger mechanism. Those guns can come from border seizures, they can be handed over by the courts, or turned in by individuals, but are generally not... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Illicit Guns Flow Into Maryland from Dealers, Thieves in Virginia, Other States
Baltimore Sun (Maryland)
1 June 2008
The burglar known as "white boy" cut a hole in the roof of a Virginia gun store last July and took 40 weapons. Within a month, some of those guns began showing up on the streets of Baltimore -- 100 miles from the tiny Shenandoah Valley town of Washington, Va. Police seized the first on West Lombard Street in August. A suspect fleeing from police tossed away another on Hollins Street in September. A third gun from that burglary... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Mounties Raid Gun Dealer, Ex-Cop, Firearm Lobbyist Over Gun Trafficking
Vancouver Province (British Columbia)
1 June 2008
A long-serving Vancouver police veteran and a Delta firearms-training company are at the centre of an RCMP investigation into the trafficking of guns, some of which are believed to be ending up in the hands of B.C. gangs. The secretive criminal probe involves the sale of decommissioned guns -- easily reassembled and gunsmithed back into working order -- to Lower Mainland gangsters, a police source told The Province. Gordon... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Licensed US Gun Dealer Admits Forging Papers, Selling Handguns to Felon
South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale)
31 May 2008
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida -- A Pembroke Park gun dealer who sold dozens of weapons to a convicted felon and forged paperwork to cover his tracks pleaded guilty Friday to federal weapons charges. Victor Needleman, owner of American Range and Gun, changed his plea in the face of overwhelming evidence, including audiotapes, sales records and statements by one of his customers and some employees, his attorney said. Sentencing is set... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
84yr-old Australian Licensed Gun Dealer in 'Gun Trafficking Ring' - Police
ABC News (Australia)
30 May 2008
An 84-year-old registered gun dealer at the centre of an alleged gun trafficking ring in central western New South Wales has been refused bail. Norman Whybrow was one of five men arrested when police raided six businesses and homes in Forbes and Peak Hill on Wednesday. They seized almost 400 guns, tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition and other weapons, including illegal high-powered slingshots and silencers. Officers... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
Illegal Gun Makers in Phillipines Now Want to Export Hand-made Firearms
Philippine Sun Star (Cebu) / DME
29 May 2008
A Congressman has recognized the potential of the firearms industry in Danao City to cater to the international market. Rep. Roilo Golez (Para-ñaque), in an interview with news reporters yesterday, said he also believes that legalizing gun manufacturing in Danao will deter the presence of illegal manufacturers. "The firearms (manufactured) in Danao City can substitute the imported ones," he said. He also said... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New York Governor Wants Law to Keep Guns Away from the Mentally Ill
Albany Times-Union (New York), Editorial
29 May 2008
New York's legislators have an opportunity to keep handguns out of the hands of the mentally unstable. They not only should seize the chance, they have a responsibility to do so. If not, they should be held accountable by voters in November. After the horrifying massacre at Virginia Tech last year, federal and state authorities began to revise gun laws to prevent a similar tragedy from happening in the future. But there is still... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Gun Lobby Aims to 'Hurt Toronto,' Punish Mayor for Gun Control
Toronto Sun (Ontario)
28 May 2008
The duel is on. A group representing legal gun owners has vowed to hit Toronto where it hurts the most -- in the economy -- because Mayor David Miller has targeted them in his ongoing battle against gun crime. "Our goal is to hurt the City of Toronto," said Tony Bernardo, of the Canadian Institute for Legislative Action, which speaks for the Canadian Shooting Sports Association. "You can only take being defecated upon for... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Licensed Gun Dealer Arrested, 300 Firearms Seized in Australian Raids
Sydney Morning Herald
28 May 2008
Police say they have seized hundreds of firearms and 20,000 rounds of ammunition during raids on a licensed gun dealer and homes in the Central West region of NSW. Ballistics officers, detectives and dog unit officers this morning raided an arms dealer operating from a home in Forbes along with four other residences in the town and another home at Peak Hill. At one of the houses, police arrested an 84-year-old man who is... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
84yr-old Australian Gun Shop Owner Arrested, Hundreds of Firearms Seized
Australian (Sydney)
27 May 2008
A gang of alleged illegal firearms dealers, including an elderly gun shop owner, has been busted after the seizure of hundreds of weapons in a series of raids in central western NSW, police say. Five people were arrested today, including an 84-year-old licensed gun dealer from Forbes, in five raids in the town and one in nearby Peak Hill. Police said they seized more than 300 firearms, at least 200,000 rounds of ammunition... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Client Fatally Shoots Himself at New York Gun Store and Shooting Range
Journal News (New York)
27 May 2008
PEARL RIVER -- A Rockland man fatally shot himself at a gun range in an apparent suicide, Orangetown police reported yesterday. Sgt. Michael Davin said the man shot himself at the Firing Line gun store and shooting range, at 100 N. Middletown Road, on Sunday afternoon. The man was found dead when emergency personnel arrived, the sergeant said. Davin did not release the man's name or other details about him, saying... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Georgia Gun Dealer Takes On New York City, 321 Big City Mayors in Court
Reuters
27 May 2008
NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's crusade against illegal guns entered the courtroom on Tuesday in a battle against a Georgia gun dealer. It is the first of two civil cases New York has brought against 27 gun dealers in five states -- Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia -- on the grounds that their sales practices allowed criminals to buy guns and then bring them into the city. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Pennsylvania Gun Shop Robbed Again, 16 More Firearms Lost to Criminals
Beaver County Times (Pennsylvania)
27 May 2008
NEW GALILEE, Pennsylvania -- A cache of firearms was stolen last week in an overnight burglary of a gun shop, Koppel police said. Thieves dismantled an alarm and broke down the door of Guns Galore at 805 Washington St. sometime between 3 and 5 a.m. Thursday, store owner Jeffrey Albitz reported to police. They made off with 16 weapons. About half were handguns; the others were rifles and shotguns, Albitz said. The guns are... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Stray Bullets from Gun Shop's Firing Range Keep Hitting Connecticut Homes
Hartford Courant (Connecticut)
27 May 2008
DURHAM -- Another bullet struck a house on Tri-Mountain Road over the Memorial Day weekend -- the latest in a cluster of recent strikes that has renewed concerns over a long-standing problem and has refocused attention on a nearby Wallingford firing range. The 200-yard firing lane at the Blue Trail Range & Gun Store has been closed since late last week because bullets were periodically whipping through Tri-Mountain State Park, but... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Thieves Found it Easy to Steal 16 Firearms from Pennsylvania Gun Store
Beaver County Times (Pennsylvania)
27 May 2008
NEW GALILEE -- Two Lawrence County men were charged with possessing firearms stolen from a New Galilee gun shop early Friday. Shane Craft, 20, and Travis Brown, 19, both of 778 Beaver Dam Road, Little Beaver Township, were charged with receiving stolen property and illegal gun possession. Both remained in the Beaver County Jail on Tuesday on $15,000 bond. According to a report written by Beaver County Detective Timothy... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
UK Student Arrested in Vermont Tried to Buy a Gun with Fake ID 'For a Dare'
Guardian (UK)
27 May 2008
A 22-year-old British student has been arrested in the US for allegedly using fake ID to buy a gun for a dare. Stephen Jackley was arrested after he fled from the Vermont gun shop when the owner became suspicious and called the police. He is currently in custody awaiting a court appearance over firearms and driving offences. British officials are looking at extraditing the student to England after a "suspicious... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Licensed Texas Gun Dealer Supplied Mexican Drug Wars - Feds [Part 2 of 2]
Laredo Morning Times (Texas)
26 May 2008
While hundreds of firearms are illegally shipped into Mexico from Texas every year, not all weapons are necessarily meant to cross the Rio Grande. In 2006, ATF agents in Laredo arrested two men, Roberto Lopez and Norberto Olivares, after undercover investigations yielded evidence they were heavily involved in weapons trading. ATF agents, Laredo Police Department officers, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents found... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Texas Gun Dealer Supplied Mexican Drug Wars - Feds [Part 2 of 2] [Espanol]
El Tiempo (Laredo, Texas)
26 May 2008
Mientras que cientos de armas son ilegalmente enviadas a México desde Texas anualmente, no todas las armas necesariamente cruzan el Río Bravo. En el 2006, agentes de la ATF arrestaron a dos hombres, Roberto Lopez y Norberto Olivares, después de que una investigación secreta arrojara evidencia de que se encontraban fuertemente implicados en el comercio de armas. Agentes de la ATF, oficiales del Departamento de Policía... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
'Rogue' Georgia Gun Dealer Holds Firm Against New York City Law Suit
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia)
25 May 2008
A pair of binoculars is always on the ledge of a window that offers a view from Jay Wallace's office to the sales floor of Adventure Outdoors in Smyrna. He uses them to keep an eye on both customers and employees. "I'm proud of how I run my business," Wallace said. But on Tuesday he'll be in a New York courtroom, defending Adventure Outdoors against accusations that it is a "rogue" gun dealership that paid scant attention... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Texas in First Place for Gun Running to Mexico [Part 1 of 2] [Espanol]
El Tiempo (Laredo, Texas)
25 May 2008
Agentes federales que trabajan a lo largo de la frontera de Texas con México se han percatado de que los cárteles de drogas tienen una nueva afinidad para un tipo en particular de armas. "Es una 5.7 (milímetros)", informó Elias Bazan, agente residente responsible de la oficina de Laredo del US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. "En México ya la denominan 'mata policías'. Es una pequeña arma muy poderosa.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
US Gun Shows, Dealers Fuel Gun Running to Mexican Drug War [Part 1 of 2]
Laredo Morning Times (Texas)
25 May 2008
Federal agents working along the Texas-Mexico border have noticed drug cartels have a new affinity for a particular type of firearm. "It's a 5.7 (mm)," said Elias Bazan, the resident agent in charge of the Laredo field office of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. "In Mexico, they already call it the 'cop killer.' It's a very powerful little handgun. Here recently, that has been more a weapon of choice."... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Control Push Should Enlist Gun Owners in Cause of Rational Laws
Daily Herald (Chicago), Editorial
24 May 2008
Many people support "common-sense" gun laws. So the argument goes. An example of such laws are those that require background checks on potential gun buyers. Who wouldn't want to make sure that people with criminal histories, those who have committed domestic violence and those with destabilizing mental illnesses are kept from purchasing guns through a screening process? Indeed, there is strong public support for such laws,... ( gunpolicy.org )
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