United States
Chicago Mayor Recycles Gun Control Slate, Adds Pistol Microstamping
Chicago Sun-Times
8 March 2010
Mayor Daley today unveiled his annual package of gun control legislation and denied he's "swimming upstream" at a time when the U.S. Supreme Court has signaled its intention to overturn Chicago's handgun ban. Most of the ideas are re-treads, but there are a few new wrinkles. They include a proposal to make it a mandatory Class 1 felony to "knowingly sell or transfer a gun to a known gang member." Daley also wants to strengthen... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago Mayor Makes Annual Call for Gun Control, Microstamping Pistols
Chicago Tribune
8 March 2010
Flanked by several parents who had lost children to gun violence, Mayor Richard Daley on Monday called for new laws to restrict gun sales and stiffen penalties for criminals who use them. Although Daley announces new gun-control initiatives every year, this year's announcement took on added significance because the U.S. Supreme Court is weighing whether to overturn the city's handgun ban. "The aggressiveness of the gun... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Crime Busters Hail 'DNA for Guns' as Australians Solve Killings, Cold Cases
Sydney Morning Herald
7 March 2010
A process hailed as DNA for guns has helped to clear up many crimes that would otherwise remain unsolved. The NSW Police Force has lifted the lid on its integrated ballistics identification system (IBIS) which has just scored it 350th "cold hit". IBIS is an electronic database of bullets and cartridge cases collected from crime scenes or seized firearms. Using state-of-the-art lasers and microscopes, it scans the unique... ( gunpolicy.org )
Uganda
Kampala Police Mark 4,300 Firearms, Hope to Trace Cops Renting Guns
Monitor (Kampala)
24 February 2010
KAMPALA -- All firearms belonging to the police have been marked to curb the misuse of guns by security officers. The Director of Police Operations, Mr Francis Rwego, said the exercise will bring to book police officers who have been engaging in armed robberies and hiring out guns to suspected criminals. "There have been incidences in the past where some police officers were engaged in criminal acts like robbery. We shall now be... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Milwaukee Police, DA Blast Law Designed to Suppress Gun Tracing Data
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wisconsin) / Watchdog Reports
22 February 2010
As a candidate, Barack Obama promised to get rid of a law - quietly passed by Congress - that hides information from the public about guns used in crimes and the stores that sell them. Instead, President Obama has embraced most of the law and added even more rules that could make it harder for law enforcement to crack down on dealers and stores selling guns to criminals. While supporters of the secrecy law say shielding... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Report Ranks California Gun Control Law the Best, Utah Worst in America
Orange County Register (California)
18 February 2010
California has the strongest gun laws in the nation, according to a survey released today by a powerful gun-control group as it prods state Legislators to enact further precautions. The survey by the national Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence gave California high marks for making background checks mandatory for all gun purchases and limiting buyers to one handgun a month. It also applauded a new state law that regulates the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Loopholes in US Gun Show Laws Should Raise Security Alarms
Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St Paul), Column
24 January 2010
It is hypocritical for lawmakers to decry steps not taken to prevent Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab from boarding NWA Flight 253 on Christmas Day when they willfully ignore other glaring holes in Americans' security. A security risk big enough to accommodate a jumbo jet full of terrorists is the failure, both in federal and most state laws, to mandate background checks at gun shows when the seller is not a federally licensed firearms... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
Militias Armed With Machine Guns Outnumber Police and Military
Inquirer Mindanao
14 January 2010
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines -- There are more members of private armies in Sulu and Basilan than security forces combined, according to a source privy to police matters and operations. There are also more firearms in the two provinces than the actual number of registered voters combined, according to the same source, who was with Philippine National Police Director General Jesus Versoza during inspection and assessment here Sunday.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
Ballistic Tracing Helps UK Police Reduce Gun Crime
BBC News
14 January 2010
The National Ballistics Intelligence Service (Nabis) works by combining advanced forensic technology and police intelligence information. It has played a key role in prosecuting "armourers", including Paul Alexander, who was jailed indefinitely last year. Nabis says guns are becoming difficult to obtain - meaning rival gangs must sometimes use the same weapons. The service, which was jointly established by the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
Gun Tracing Helps to Crack Down on UK Crime
BBC News
11 January 2010
A firearms database has linked more than 350 guns with crimes in its first year of operation in England and Wales. The National Ballistics Intelligence Service (Nabis) works by combining advanced forensic technology and police intelligence information. It has played a key role in prosecuting "armourers", including Paul Alexander, who was jailed indefinitely last year. Nabis says guns are becoming difficult to obtain... ( gunpolicy.org )
Guatemala,Costa Rica,Mexico,United States
Latin America to Test US Gun-Tracking System
USA Today
6 January 2010
MEXICO CITY -- Police in Latin America will soon have access to a Spanish version of a U.S. gun-tracking system that could widen efforts to hunt down crime suspects and weapons traffickers. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said Wednesday that it is about to begin testing a Spanish-language version of eTrace, the computer system that helps police trace who buys U.S. firearms. "This is to allow... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
2010, A Year For the Second Amendment - LaPierre
Washington Post, Opinion
4 January 2010
The Second Amendment faces a decisive year in 2010. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. has called for new semi-automatic gun bans - despite their decade-long record of fraud and failure, and despite his own Justice Department's failure to fully or even half-heartedly prosecute federal firearm felonies. Mr. Holder and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have demonstrated their willingness to use cooked statistics to blame Mexico's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Microstamping Law Triggers Backlash from CA Gun Industry
Sacramento Bee (California)
30 December 2009
California regulators have approved far fewer semi-automatic pistols for sale in the wake of a state law that required new safety devices in 2006 and 2007. Now, with a new bullet-stamping law scheduled to take effect in 2010, the gun industry predicts it will introduce even fewer new models in California rather than install a device necessary to trace individual casings to a statewide database. "California will become like... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Poll Finds Most NRA Members Favour 'Reasonable' US Gun Control
New York Times, Editorial
20 December 2009
The National Rifle Association has long fulminated in the gun control debate in Washington like the Great Oz in the Emerald City. Now along comes Frank Luntz, a conservative Republican pollster who, Toto-like, has snatched back Oz's curtain to reveal that gun owners favor much more reasonable gun controls than the gun lobby would ever allow the public to imagine. Mr. Luntz queried 832 gun owners, including 401 card-carrying N.R.A.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Most US Gun Owners Favour Sensible Gun Laws, Disagree with NRA - Poll
Washington Post, Column
10 December 2009
The National Rifle Association wields power that would make an Afghan warlord jealous because the organization is thought to command legions of one-issue voters ready to punish any deviationism from the never-pass-any-new-gun-laws imperative. Many legislators fear that casting a vote for even a smidgen of restraint on weapons sales could be politically lethal. But imagine if NRA members were more reasonable than the organization's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Wisconsin Lawmakers Buck National Trend, Tackle Gun Lobby Head On
Cap Times (Wisconsin)
9 December 2009
Earlier this fall, while scanning the merchandise at a state gun show for an antique handgun, longtime gun enthusiast Guy Gorsky took notice of more than the array of potential investment pieces. Based on the attire worn, questions asked and weapons eyed by a group of young men, Gorsky, who attends three or four gun shows a year, had a feeling they were gang members looking to make a quick purchase. "They were only looking... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Computerised Asset Tracking Planned for Australian Customs Guns
Computerworld (Australia)
9 December 2009
Customs and Border Protection is to secure itself a new firearms asset tracking solution aimed at reducing the risk of illegal and improper use of firearms and other items of sensitive personal defensive equipment (PDE). The search for an asset tracking system comes more than a year after a 2008 internal audit raised concerns around the manual and disjointed approach to the management and coordination of weapons and PDE items. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
Tanzania
Tanzania Denies, But 'Will Investigate' Gun Running to DR Congo
NAM News Network
8 December 2009
SIMBEYE, Tanzania -- Inspector General of Police Mr Said Mwema has said that Tanzanian police have launched a formal inquiry of individuals accused by a United Nations report of smuggling weapons to rebels in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). "For the police, the first step towards investigating a tip-off is an inquiry which we have already launched against individuals mentioned in the report," said Mr Mwema who introduced a maiden... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Indiana Leading Source State for Crime Guns Found in Illinois, Chicago
Times (Indiana)
7 December 2009
Illinois and Chicago maintain some stiff gun laws, but recently released federal statistics suggest a lot of guns seized last year by police in Illinois came from a source beyond the reach of those laws: Indiana. The relationship seems intuitive, said Chicago-based Special Agent Thomas Ahern of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The states share a border, and Chicago contains no gun stores. Ahern said... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Smart Gun Control Proposals Could Deny Weapons to US Terrorists
Washington Post, Editorial
6 December 2009
Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a bipartisan coalition of roughly 500 U.S. mayors, has been pushing for smart and sensible law enforcement solutions to reduce the number of illegal guns obtained by criminals or would-be criminals. Last month the mayors renewed their call for adoption of two relatively modest but potentially powerful proposals. The first aims to close the so-called "terror gap" in existing gun laws by prohibiting any... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
First Youth Faces 3-10yrs Under Chicago's Strict New 'Gang Gun' Law
ABC News (USA)
6 December 2009
CHICAGO -- Chicago police say an 18-year-old gang member is the first person charged under a state gun law that Governor Quinn signed Thursday. Kirk Craan was cited for unlawful use of a weapon, possessing a firearm with a defaced serial number, and possessing ammunition without having a valid state firearms owner ID card. He is charged under the Valadez law, which requires a sentence of 3 to 10 years in prison for a gang... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
NY Mayor Slams US Congress for Hiding Gun Trace Records from FBI
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia), Opinion
3 December 2009
The news from Fort Hood shocked the nation: American soldiers shot on American soil. Thirteen dead and 38 injured. It was almost too terrible to believe. Almost. Unfortunately, the Fort Hood rampage was not the first time that our military personnel have been murdered in the United States this year. In June, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad shot and killed an Army private and wounded another soldier at a military recruiting... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
Gun, Ammo Tracing Pinpoints Killers Who Shot 57 Dead in Philippines
Philippine Daily Inquirer
3 December 2009
MANILA, Philippines -- Police are still looking for at least seven more firearms used in the mass killing of 57 people in Maguindanao province, after only one firearm tested positive in the ballistics examination to date, authorities said on Thursday. Chief Superintendent Arturo Cacdac, Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory chide, said in a press conference that they are in the process of testing 21 more firearms, consisting... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
Mass Police Sacking After Mayor, Private Army Shot 57 in Philippines
Business World (Manila) / AFP
2 December 2009
KORONADAL CITY -- Probers of a mass murder yesterday established a link between the perpetrators and the principal suspect through confiscated weapons that tested positive and were among those allegedly used in the crime. The two firearms were taken from civilian volunteer organization (CVO) elements, a paramilitary group, allegedly under the Ampatuan clan, a police official said yesterday. Senior Superintendent Willie... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico,United States
Mexico-US Gun Traffic Exposed as Feds Visit 1100 Licensed Gun Dealers
Government Executive (USA)
1 December 2009
U.S. officials estimate that more than 90 percent of the cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines that enter the United States are funneled through Mexico across the Southwest border. A less frequently cited figure is equally alarming to anyone living south of the border: Ninety percent of the weapons seized from the drug cartels by Mexican authorities are traced to the United States. While the cartels are moving drugs north, arms traffickers... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Congress Needs Courage to Tear Down Gun Lobby Interference
Washington Post, Opinion
27 November 2009
The news from Fort Hood shocked the nation: American soldiers shot on American soil. Thirteen dead and 38 injured. It was almost too terrible to believe. Almost. Unfortunately, the Fort Hood rampage was not the first time that our military personnel have been murdered in the United States this year. In June, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad shot and killed an Army private and wounded another soldier at a military recruiting station in... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Pistol Stolen from Licensed Gun Owner, Used to Blind Toronto Bus Driver
Toronto Star (Ontario)
25 November 2009
The gun used in the shooting that blinded TTC bus driver Jaime Pereira has an ugly criminal history. Forensic experts have determined the Browning FN 9mm handgun was linked to a series of crimes: The murder of youth worker Kempton Howard in 2003. Two young men were convicted. Two 2005 shooting incidents, one in Whitby, with no victims. The April 14, 2006, wounding of a customer in a variety store in Malvern... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States,Canada
Using 'Straw Buyers,' Particularly Women, Part of US Gun Crime Trend
Bangor Daily News (Maine)
17 November 2009
Katrina Wickett was 23 in the summer of 2007 when her life spiraled out of control. The father of her children moved out of their Bangor apartment, leaving her with a 4-year-old, a 2-year-old and a newborn. A few months later, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services placed her children in the custody of her parents. By fall, she was without work, without a relationship and without her children, according to documents filed in U.S.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Connecticut Police Abandon Crime Gun Tracing, 'Problem Doesn't Exist'
Fairfield Weekly (Connecticut)
12 November 2009
A 22-year-old thug from Stamford is convicted on Oct. 14 of possessing a "Street Sweeper 12-gauge revolving cylinder shotgun." Five days later, a Bridgeport coke dealer gets time added to his sentence for having a loaded Glock 23. The end of last month saw a career criminal from Hartford charged with carrying a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol. If you're wondering where the hell these low-lifes are getting all this firepower, you... ( gunpolicy.org )
Ghana
Gun Registries to Be Installed Nationwide by Ghana Police
Daily Graphic (Ghana)
4 November 2009
The Ghana Police Service has been directed to instal arms registries across the country as part of measures by the government to properly control weapons. Additionally, the government is also taking steps to ensure a good stockpile management, as well as branding and tracing of official weapons, to deal with the impunity with which small arms are being used for violent crimes and conflicts in the country. The President,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
NRA Has Yet to Explain Why It Wants to Help Killers, Criminals Get Guns
Los Angeles Times, Editorial
16 October 2009
For shock value, they may not rank with the videos released last month showing ACORN workers giving tax advice to a couple of undercover investigators posing as a prostitute and her pimp. But New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's covert recordings of what really goes on at gun shows are appalling nonetheless. In the midst of a reelection campaign in a Democratic-majority city, the Republican (sort of) Bloomberg has latched on to... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
450 US Mayors Tout Enforcement, No New Laws to Curb Gun Trafficking
Cox Newspapers (USA), Column
12 October 2009
A new organization has urged President Barack Obama to confront firearms violence, particularly by strengthening the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Here's hoping that he doesn't take up the challenge set out by Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Obama's plate already is heaped. But here's also hoping the president keeps the pitch floating near the top of his to-do pile, to be taken up as soon as time allows. The appeal... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Registry Exposes Bogus AK-47 Tale, 4 Rhode Island Men Charged
Providence Journal (Rhode Island)
10 October 2009
A man who walked into the South Kingstown police station with a loaded AK-47 assault rifle is one of four men being charged or sought after a two-week investigation, the police said Friday. Mark A. Smith, 51, of Dam Street, turned in the rifle Sept. 24, saying he'd been driving on Route 108 near the Meadowbrook Apartments around 9 a.m. when he saw two boys about 12 years old playing army with the gun. He told the police that he... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya
Owning an Assault Weapon Could Soon Be a Hanging Offence in Kenya
Daily Nation (Nairobi)
6 October 2009
Owners of illegal guns and police officers who rent their firearms to criminals could soon face the death penalty. Law enforcement agencies are pushing for tighter gun control and have proposed a raft of tough measures to be discussed by the Cabinet soon. These include an amendment to the Firearms Act, the law governing the legal ownership of guns. According to the latest proposals contained in the National Policy... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
450 US Mayors Petition Obama to Adopt Broad Gun Trafficking Reform
Washington Post
5 October 2009
A new report from a national coalition of mayors urges President Obama to adopt dozens of reforms to help curb gun violence, including steps to crack down on problems at gun shows and the creation of a federal interstate firearms trafficking unit. The "Blueprint for Federal Action on Illegal Guns," a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Post, presents 40 recommendations that "would dramatically improve law enforcement's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Dealer 'Cancerous Lesion' on Milwaukee: His Guns Shot 6 Police
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wisconsin)
4 October 2009
The handgun used to shoot a Milwaukee police officer last week has been traced to Badger Guns, making that store the sole supplier of all the guns used to wound six officers in two years, police said. Detectives traced the 9mm Hi-Point used in Wednesday's shooting to a sale at Badger in 2007, and police suspect the handgun -- a cheap model favored by criminals -- was purchased by a "straw buyer," someone who buys a gun for a felon.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico,United States
Feds Ramp Up Texas Team, Fight US-Mexico Gun Smuggling Flood
Associated Press
1 October 2009
HOUSTON -- A four-month effort to stop the flow of firearms from the U.S. to Mexican drug cartels has helped law enforcement disrupt various gun trafficking rings and gain a better understanding of how these groups try to avoid detection, officials announced Thursday. Many weapons seized south of the border are traced back to Houston, where 100 agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and other personnel... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Congress 'Craven Spirit' on Gun Control Weakens Law Enforcement
New York Times, Editorial
30 September 2009
For three weeks in 2002, the nation's capital was terrorized as a sniper and his young accomplice killed 10 people at random and wounded three others. The two murderers were caught and convicted. When their rifle -- a Bushmaster XM-15 -- was tracked back to a Tacoma, Wash., arms dealer, Brian Borgelt blithely told investigators that, yes, the $1,600 rifle was one of 238 weapons that seemed to have been stolen or missing from his inventory.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Pistol Used in 5 US Shootings Traced to Police Sgt Trafficking in Guns
Waterbury Republican-American (Connecticut)
30 September 2009
WATERBURY, Connecticut -- Two arrest warrants have been issued for a city police sergeant stemming from charges that several of his guns disappeared and wound up in the hands of felons. Sgt. David Setzer, a decorated 17-year veteran of the department, is expected to surrender to police in New Haven today on charges of illegally transferring or selling firearms, manufacturing bombs, risk of injury to a minor, illegal possession of... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
DNA Found on Crime Guns Links More Killings to UK Weapon Maker
Birmingham Mail (UK)
26 September 2009
The fatal shooting of a student gunned down in a Birmingham street earlier this year has been linked to a firearms mastermind who armed UK street gangs. "Merchant of death" Paul Alexander illegally converted replica weapons into lethal guns and supplied the "assassination kits" to gangs in the north east for as little as £1,500-a-time. Two of the ex-soldier's weapons were involved in a vicious feud between gangs in Liverpool... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Man Takes Loaded AK-47 from 12yr-olds on Street, Delivers to Police
Providence Journal (Rhode Island)
25 September 2009
SOUTH KINGSTOWN -- The police say they are investigating the origins of an AK-47 rifle which a man brought loaded into the police station Thursday morning, saying he had taken it from two boys he had seen playing with it. The rifle's attached banana clip held 16 rounds of ammunition. A police report identifies the man who brought it in as Mark A. Smith, 51, of Dam Street. The report says Smith initially "refused to elaborate... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Massachusetts Campaign Targets Interstate Gun Runners, Dealers
South Coast Today (Massachusetts)
25 September 2009
NEW BEDFORD -- When a crime involving a firearm is committed, people focus their attention on the shooter. Rarely is thought given to how the criminal got the illegal gun in the first place. A workshop Thursday evening at Our Lady of the Assumption Church tried to change that. The "Traffick Jam," as the event was called, was organized by Citizens for Safety, an organization that strives to "keep guns out of the hands of criminals... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United States
Gun Registration Nails US-Canada Arms Smuggler, His Criminal Buyers
National Post (Toronto)
18 September 2009
The armed men wore masks when they crowbarred their way into the Nguyen family's home near the spiralling roller coaster tracks of the Canada's Wonderland amusement park. One of them had a gun. He held it to the head of Manh Nguyen while his partner searched the home for valuables. The gun was a Taurus 85, a 38-calibre lightweight revolver with a 3-1/2-inch barrel. And like dozens of the handguns used by Ontario criminals,... ( gunpolicy.org )
West Africa,Czech Republic
Czech Government Builds Gun Marking, Tracing Capacity in West Africa
United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) DC/3190, Media release
18 September 2009
NEW YORK -- Small arms experts from West African nations gathered in Prague, capital of the Czech Republic, from 14 to 18 September to participate in a capacity-building workshop focusing on implementation of the International Instrument to Enable States to Identify and Trace, in a Timely and Reliable Manner, Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons. United Nations Member States adopted the document, also known as the International... ( gunpolicy.org )
Slovakia
Slovakia Launches Gun Amnesty, Aims to Collect Unregistered Firearms
SITA Online (Baratislava)
10 September 2009
BRATISLAVA -- As of October, citizens of Slovakia will have seven months to hand in illegally held arms and ammunition without being charged for it. This stems from amendment to the law on arms and ammunition, which lawmakers approved in the third reading. Of the 129 deputies present in the150-member parliament, 119 supported the bill. The ministry estimates that the number of illegally held firearms and ammunition will... ( gunpolicy.org )
East Africa, Central Africa
East, Central African Countries Harmonise Laws to Curb Gun Trafficking
East African (Nairobi)
7 September 2009
NAIROBI -- Countries from the Great Lakes region and Horn of Africa are to harmonise their laws to fight the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. "In order to address the problem effectively, we have resolved to harmonise our laws so that we can rein in the culprits. Our state arms are being marked to help in tracing them if they fall into the wrong hands," Tanzania Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Dominic Hayuma... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
4 Police Visits, Fingerprints, Training, Exams: Getting a Handgun in DC
Washington Post
2 September 2009
It took $833.69, a total of 15 hours 50 minutes, four trips to the Metropolitan Police Department, two background checks, a set of fingerprints, a five-hour class and a 20-question multiple-choice exam. Oh, and the votes of five Supreme Court justices. They're the ones who really made it possible for me, as a District resident, to own a handgun, a constitutional right as heavily debated and rigorously parsed as the freedoms of speech... ( gunpolicy.org )
Turkey, United States, Iraq
Turkey Traces Gun Crime to Flood of Glock Pistols Supplied by US to Iraq
Today's Zaman (Istanbul)
24 August 2009
ANKARA -- A recent report by the Security General Directorate's anti-smuggling and organized crime unit has revealed that 514 of 522 Glock pistols used in crimes in Turkey were originally ordered by the US for its troops in Iraq and that the weapons were used in 25 separate murders, including the 2006 Council of State shooting. The Security General Directorate's anti-smuggling and organized crime unit has prepared a report on the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Shooting Deaths Draw Focus to 'Two Universes' of US Gun Culture
Star-Ledger (New Jersey), Column
23 August 2009
There are two universes of American gun culture. In one universe, the Second Amendment is a stanchion of protected American freedoms, as sacred as free speech. In this universe, when the right to bear arms dies, so does a free America. In another universe, guns make blood run in our city streets. They kill and maim criminals and innocent alike, make good people prisoners in their own homes. Last week in New Jersey,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico, Central America, United Nations
Gun Treaty for the Americas Erodes US Sovereignty, Says Lobby Group
Green Bay Gazette (Wisconsin), Opinion
22 August 2009
DALLAS -- CIFTA -- the 1997 small-arms trafficking treaty drafted with the help of the Clinton administration -- is bad as a matter of principle and policy. When the United Nations tried to get the Bush administration to push the treaty through the Senate, it refused. John Bolton, then undersecretary of state for arms control, said the United States would reject any effort to regulate trade in non-military arms or any treaty that... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Overdue Inspections of Texas Gun Dealers Turn Up Gun Running Clues
Associated Press
13 August 2009
SAN ANTONIO -- Added agents have allowed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to inspect roughly 1,000 licensed gun dealers in the Houston area, an overdue check to ensure dealers are maintaining paperwork needed to investigate gunrunning rings, said the agency's acting director Thursday. "We've never had inspectors like this, not in a long time," Acting ATF Director Kenneth Melson said in an interview with The... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New York Mayor Steps In Where Obama Fears to Tread - Gun Control
Reuters, Column
13 August 2009
New York's billionaire mayor, Michael Bloomberg, is stepping in where President Barack Obama fears to tread -- confronting America's powerful gun lobby. In the country that holds a commanding global lead in civilian gun ownership, it promises to be a hard fight. No matter how it goes, America's position at the top of the list of gun-owning nations looks secure. Up to 280 million guns are estimated to be in private hands and the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico, United States
Leaders Pledge to Trace, Stem US-to-Mexico Drug Cartel Gun Running
Reuters
13 August 2009
SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- U.S. and Mexican officials signed an agreement on Thursday meant to help stem the illegal flow of U.S.-made guns and ammunition that has allowed Mexican drug gangs to kill their rivals in record numbers. The letter of intent signed in San Antonio would see U.S. federal agencies share firearms trafficking information with the attorney general of Mexico, with the aim of tracing illegal weapons and prosecuting... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Handgun Ammunition Microstamping Law Hits Snags, Delays in California
San Diego Union-Tribune (California)
10 August 2009
SACRAMENTO -- Two years after California passed a novel law requiring the next generation of semiautomatic handguns to leave a microscopic identifying code on shell casings, the controversial technology appears no closer to being introduced here or anywhere else. California Attorney General Jerry Brown has not certified the law, which is required before it can take effect as scheduled on Jan. 1, and his aides could not say when... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Weak Laws Make South Carolina Prime Source of Crime Gun Trafficking
Post and Courier (South Carolina)
7 August 2009
South Carolina is one of America's weakest gun-law states fueling the "iron pipeline" of weapons elsewhere, the anti-gun violence Brady Center said Wednesday. Using federal data on the origins of guns recovered nationally in 2008, the Brady group said dealers in states with so-called "weak" gun laws supplied out-of-state guns at more than five times the rate that dealers in the states with "stronger" gun laws did. The results... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Battle of Goliaths: Michael Bloomberg, 450 US Mayors Defeat the NRA
Washington Post
5 August 2009
They've got 4 million followers. He's got 16 billion simoleons. This could get verrrrry interesting. This being the stare-down between the National Rifle Association and Michael Bloomberg. Behemoth vs. behemoth. Since the Reagan revolution, few lobbies have been mightier than the NRA. The Second Amendment defenders rarely lose on Capitol Hill, but lose they did just a few days ago, falling short in a sit-up-and-take-notice... ( gunpolicy.org )
Uganda
To Aid Crime Gun Tracing, Uganda Re-brands Government Firearms
New Vision (Kampala)
28 July 2009
All guns in the hands of security agencies will be marked in a bid to check the proliferation of illegal arms. The marks will include the logos of the country, the manufacturer and the emblem of the security agency to which the weapon belongs, Nickson Olwa, the operations and research officer of the national focal point (NFP) on small arms and light weapons, said. "This will ease monitoring of the movement of arms. Even if they... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New Jersey Mulls .50cal Rifle Ban, Microstamping Handgun Ammunition
Star-Ledger (New Jersey)
26 July 2009
Days before he is expected to sign a contentious gun-control bill into law -- and motivated by shooting deaths last week that included a Jersey City police officer and a Newark mother -- Gov. Jon Corzine convened a press conference today with his running mate and several Democratic allies to call for additional reforms. The governor also painted himself as tougher on violent crime than Republican challenger Chris Christie, who he... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New York Law Would Microstamp Handgun Ammunition, Catch Criminals
Capital 9 TV News (New York)
21 July 2009
ALBANY, New York -- "You have to make a small step to protect," said Glynn Jones, New Yorkers Against Gun Violence. "You got 20,000 to 30,000 laws on the books now! Incrementalism is eroding our Constitution," said gun owner Harry Feineis. Inside the Legislative Office Building in Albany, debate continues over gun control. "How much more do you want to go?" asked Feineis. Only moments after, state legislators... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Felon Sold Gun in US Mall Carpark, Buyer Killed Her Football Hero Lover
CNN
19 July 2009
The Tennessee man accused of selling the gun used to kill former NFL quarterback Steve McNair is in custody facing a federal charge of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, authorities said Friday. Police say Adrian Gilliam admitted he sold Sahel Kazemi the gun she used to kill NFL quarterback Steve McNair. "This is another example of what can happen with a gun when a felon is selling it on the street with... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico, United States
Mexico, US Sign Protocol to Slow Flood of American Guns to Drug Cartels
Associated Press
13 July 2009
MEXICO CITY -- Mexico and the United States have agreed on a protocol for sharing information in arms trafficking cases. Top officials of both countries say the guidelines are aimed at helping them bring more cases against weapons traffickers. Mexican Attorney General Eduardo Medina-Mora made the announcement Monday at a joint news conference with John T. Morton, the assistant secretary of homeland security for U.S. Immigration... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Federal Agents Hunt for US-Mexico Gun Runners, One House at a Time
Houston Chronicle (Texas)
30 June 2009
In front of a run-down shack in north Houston, federal agents step from a government sedan into 102-degree heat and face a critical question: How can the woman living here buy four high-end handguns in one day? The house is worth $35,000. A screen dangles by a wall-unit air conditioner. Porch swing slats are smashed, the smattering of grass is flattened by cars and burned yellow by sun. "I'll do the talking on this one,"... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico, United States
Federal Agencies Vow to Help Each Other Tackle US-Mexico Gun Running
Associated Press
30 June 2009
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico -- Two federal agencies criticized in the past for failing to work together to stop the flow of smuggled firearms from the United States to Mexico have agreed to boost their cooperation. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives signed a memorandum of understanding Tuesday at the start of a two-day summit in Albuquerque to teach law enforcement... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Obama Protects Firearm Dealers Against Police Gun Trafficking Probes
Washington Independent
25 June 2009
Earlier this year, as the violence on the Mexican border had crescendoed into national headlines, the state of California contacted federal firearms officials with a seemingly innocuous request: Would the federal government lend state law enforcers details on the thousands of crime guns seized in Mexico and traced to California -- information that might identify patterns of trafficking worth investigation? Citing a five-year-old... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico, United States
Mexican Drug Cartel Guns Smuggled from US Dealers, But How Many?
Las Vegas Sun (Nevada)
25 June 2009
Fourteen guns were seized after a deadly drug raid on a house in Tijuana, Mexico, in October. Five of those guns reportedly had been purchased in Las Vegas. Those five guns -- four assault rifles and one sniper rifle -- represent a small drop in the steady stream of firearms that flows from the U.S. into Mexico, where they support drug trafficking operations, according to a report released by the Government Accountability Office... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico, United States
70% of 20,000 Crime Guns in Mexico Traced to US Gun Shows, Dealers
New York Times, Editorial
24 June 2009
Drug-related murders in Mexico doubled last year, to 6,200, as cartels fight for the American addict's dollar while relying on American gun dealers for their weapons. A new report to Congress traces over 90 percent of guns recovered in Mexican drug crimes in the last three years back across the border, where legal and illegal American dealers flout federal laws rife with loopholes. The findings contradict gun rights groups' claims... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Handgun Used in Craigslist Killing Traced to New Hampshire Gun Shop
Manchester Union-Leader (New Hampshire)
23 June 2009
MASON -- A New Hampshire gun shop has been linked to the case of the Craigslist killing in Boston. Philip Markoff visited the State Line Gun Shop to purchase the gun he used in the murder of Julissa Brisman, according to Jake Wark, press secretary for Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley, Markoff, 23, reportedly contacted Brisman, a masseuse from New York, through an online ad for erotic services on Craigslist.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Jamaica, Mexico, United States
80 Percent of Jamaica's Traceable Crime Guns Are Smuggled from US
Associated Press
23 June 2009
KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Ships from Miami steam into Jamaica's main harbor loaded with TV sets and blue jeans. But some of the most popular U.S. imports never appear on the manifests: handguns, rifles and bullets that stoke one of the world's highest murder rates. The volume is much less than the flow of U.S. guns into Mexico that end up in the hands of drug cartels -- Jamaican authorities recover fewer than 1,000 firearms a year. But... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico, United States
Gun Show Background Check Loophole Feeds Flow of US Guns to Mexico
Washington Independent
22 June 2009
The absence of required background checks for private firearm sales, like those made at gun shows, have helped fuel the steady flow of U.S. firearms to Mexico, where thousands of trafficked weapons are ending up in the hands of violent drug cartels, U.S. government investigators revealed last week. The news has renewed the call among gun-control advocates and some Democratic lawmakers to tighten the nation's firearms laws to make... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico, United States
Report Finds US Slow to Curb Flood of Guns Smuggled South to Mexico
Houston Chronicle (Texas)
19 June 2009
For years, Mexico's drug cartels killed with reckless abandon using high-powered guns purchased in Texas, but only now, with thousands dead and the threat of violence spilling onto American soil, is the U.S. enlisting a comprehensive strategy to stop weapons traffickers, contends a new federal report. About 87 percent of the guns recovered in Mexico over the past five years that were traced back to their original owners were purchased... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico, United States
Agency Turf Battles Thwart Efforts to Combat US-Mexico Gun Running
Government Executive (USA)
19 June 2009
The two agencies with primary responsibility for cracking down on the flow of illegal weapons between the United States and Mexico do not consistently or effectively coordinate their efforts, leading to missed opportunities and jeopardizing investigations, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. In a report released on Thursday, GAO said an outdated interagency agreement and fights over jurisdiction... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico, United States
Official Report Faults America's Efforts to Curb US-Mexico Gun Smuggling
Associated Press
18 June 2009
WASHINGTON -- Government efforts to stop the flow of guns from the United States to Mexico have suffered in recent years from having no clear plan to combat gunrunners affiliated with drug cartels, investigators have concluded. The Government Accountability Office, which is delivering its findings to Congress on Thursday, noted that federal agencies only recently began coordinating with Mexican counterparts on ways to stop gunrunning... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico, United States
New Data Emerges on Flood of Guns Smuggled Into Mexico from USA
Christian Science Monitor
18 June 2009
ATLANTA -- Can new evidence that high-powered US firearms are fueling Mexican drug violence change the political course of gun control in Washington? Not likely, a number of gun experts say. The Government Accountability Office information that 87 percent of seized guns given to US authorities by Mexican officials come from the US shouldn't come as a surprise, says Bill Vizzard, a criminologist at the California State University... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico, United States
Most Guns Used by Mexican Drug Cartels Smuggled from United States
CNN
18 June 2009
WASHINGTON -- Most of the weapons that Mexican drug cartels use are smuggled from the United States, but the U.S. government lacks a cohesive strategy to combat the arms trafficking, according to a Government Accountability Office report to be released Thursday. Assault rifle magazines are among weapons seized in April in northern Mexico near the U.S. border. In Mexico last year, drug violence was blamed for the deaths... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico, United States
Most Guns Recovered in Mexico Drug Violence Come from US, Says GAO
Wall Street Journal
18 June 2009
WASHINGTON -- A new study by the Government Accountability Office says most firearms recovered in drug violence in Mexico come from the U.S., a finding that will likely fuel the politically charged debate over the U.S. government's efforts to stem gun trafficking across the border. Drug-related murders have more than doubled in number to 6,200 last year from 2,700 in 2007, according to the GAO study, a draft of which was reviewed... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico, United States
Mexican Gun-runners Helped by Lax US Laws, Says Official GAO Report
Reuters
18 June 2009
WASHINGTON -- Loophole-laden laws in the United States are hampering efforts to stop the gun smuggling that fuels Mexico's drug-related violence, according to a congressional report released on Thursday. Efforts to trace firearms seized in Mexico are delayed by an average of two weeks due to the absence of a national U.S. firearms registry, the Government Accountability Office said. The report was released as the Obama... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico, United States
GAO Report Highlights US Failure to Monitor, Curb Gun Running to Mexico
Congressional Documents and Publications
18 June 2009
WASHINGTON, DC -- At a hearing today, Congressman Eliot Engel -- the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere -- is releasing a report he commissioned from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on U.S. efforts to combat illegal gun trafficking to Mexico. The report -- which is the first GAO report ever issued on this topic -- cites the serious challenges that the United States faces in our efforts... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico, United States
Feds Lack Strategy to Stem Flow of US-Mexico Gun Running Cartels
Express-News (Texas)
18 June 2009
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. government lacks a coordinated strategy to stem the flow of weapons into Mexico, a failure that has fueled the rise of powerful criminal cartels and violence in that nation, a government watchdog agency report being released today says. The report by the independent Government Accountability Office represents the first government assessment of the issue and offers blistering conclusions that are likely to... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations, South America, Africa
Key Campaigners Against Global Gun Trafficking Lost in Air France Crash
Sunday Herald (Glasgow)
7 June 2009
Amid the media frenzy and speculation over the disappearance of Air France's ill-fated Flight 447, the loss of two of the world's most prominent figures in the war on the illegal arms trade and international drug trafficking has been virtually overlooked. Pablo Dreyfus, a 39-year-old Argentine who was travelling with his wife Ana Carolina Rodrigues aboard the doomed flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, had worked tirelessly with... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Amnesty Nets Hundreds of Guns for Destruction in Australian Capital
ABC News (Australia)
3 June 2009
Hundreds of guns have been handed into ACT police during a three-month gun amnesty. During the amnesty -- which ends on Sunday -- unregistered and prohibited firearms can be given up to police without penalty. Around 220 guns and 6,000 rounds of ammunition have been surrendered. More than 700 additional firearms have also been registered during the period. ACT Chief Police Officer Michael Phelan says some... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Of 8,281 Guns Taken by Canadian Police, 43% Were in Gun Registry
Ottawa Citizen (Ontario)
31 May 2009
OTTAWA -- About 100 illegal handguns have been confiscated by Ottawa police over the past six months, part of a national haul of 8,200 firearms seized since just last fall. What's more, 43-per-cent of the weapons seized nationally were entered in the Canadian Firearms Registry, which the federal government is once again attempting to kill. Yet without the registry, about 3,560 of the seized guns would have been more difficult,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Malaysia
Malaysia Probes Political, Crime Links to Illegal Submachine Gun Cache
New Straits Times (Malaysia)
27 May 2009
KUALA LUMPUR -- A cache of weapons and ammunition found in Bercham, Perak, on Sunday night could be linked to the chaotic political situation in the state, police say. This is one of the possibilities police are probing, besides the possibility of the cache being used for criminal or militant activities. What is certain, though, is that the weapons and ammunition were brought in from a neighbouring country. Checks revealed... ( gunpolicy.org )
Trinidad & Tobago, United States, Caribbean
Caribbean Police Sign Deal with US to Trace Illegal, Smuggled Guns
Trinidad and Tobago Express
21 May 2009
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between this country's Police Service and the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) was on Tuesday signed at the Ministry of National Security headquarters. The MOU seeks to provide eTrace, which is an electronic system used to trace illicit firearms. Signing on behalf of the ATF was John Ries, the Charge D'Affaires, of the US Embassy, in Port of Spain,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico, United States
Texas Focus for Gun Feds; Houston a Hub for US-Mexico Gun Running
Voice of America
20 May 2009
WASHINGTON, DC -- Federal agents have broken up a gun-smuggling ring in the Houston area that was allegedly sending weapons to criminal gangs in Mexico. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has 100 additional agents in the border region for a 120-day special deployment under what is called "Project Gunrunner." The ATF agents involved in "Project Gunrunner" are trying to locate and seize weapons before they can be taken over... ( gunpolicy.org )
Trinidad & Tobago, United States
Caribbean Gun Smuggling 'Enormous': Trinidad Signs Gun Tracing Deal
Trinidad & Tobago Guardian
20 May 2009
PORT-of-SPAIN -- Describing the influx of illegal firearms into T&T as "enormous", acting Police Commissioner James Philbert yesterday signed an agreement with the US to combat arms trafficking. Philbert and John Ries, charge d'affaires at the US Embassy in Port-of-Spain, signed a policy agreement with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) of the US Justice Department to provide access and utilisation of e-Trace services.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Obama Neglecting Campaign Promise, Doing 'Not Enough on Guns'
New York Times, Editorial
19 May 2009
Both as a senator and as a candidate for the White House, President Obama rightly urged repeal of the so-called Tiahrt Amendment that constrains efforts by the police and other authorities to combat shady gun dealers and gun traffickers. Regrettably, Mr. Obama's budget proposal does not call for full repeal of these laws. On the plus side, the president's budget calls for eliminating a provision that restricts police access to trace... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New York's Gun Battle: Bloomberg Leads 340 US Mayors for Gun Control
Gotham Gazette (New York)
18 May 2009
Ten-year-old Naiesha Pearson was happily playing with other children at a Bronx playground during a Labor Day picnic on the day a bullet meant for someone else tore into her chest. Two men in their early 20s had gotten into an argument earlier in the day, and one of them decided to resolve it with gunfire. Naiesha was struck by one of the bullets. Her grandmother fainted, and fights broke out as onlookers tried to attack the shooter. Naiesha... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Armed Conservatism: More Americans Backing Political Belief With Guns
Christian Science Monitor
18 May 2009
PHOENIX -- When Kirby Warner, a trusty Ruger pistol strapped to his hip, sat around and shot the breeze with his fellow gun owners here at the National Rifle Association's annual meeting this weekend, they weren't just chatting calibers and cartridges. Nor did they stop at other tried and trusted fare, such as President Obama and gun control. This year, taxes, bailouts, and the general direction of the country was all on the docket.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Obama's 'Crazy Theory:' Mexican Wars Might Slow Without US Gun Flood
Arizona Republic
16 May 2009
Arizona's Sen. John McCain, who once proposed cracking down on gun-show sales, told the National Rifle Association on Friday that he will oppose any "separate agenda" to rein in gun owners' rights as part of an effort to stop illegal gun-running to violent Mexican drug cartels. "We can and should do more to crack down on the illegal transfer to Mexico of weapons acquired in the United States, which is a violation of both U.S. and... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Mexico Data Overstates US Share of Guns Smuggled to Fuel Drug War
El Paso Times (Texas)
14 May 2009
EL PASO -- More than 90 percent of about 11,000 guns tied to violence in Mexico's drug wars came from the United States, but those weapons were handpicked for tracing by Mexican authorities. The Mexican federal attorney general's staff recently acknowledged that Mexican authorities had seized 35,943 arms, including 2,800 grenades, since the crackdown against the drug cartels began in December 2006. That means Mexico provided... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
City Microphone Networks Pinpoint Gunshots, Aid Policing in US Cities
New York Times
11 May 2009
Around 2 a.m. on March 8, 2008, officers at the East Palo Alto, Calif., Police Department received a computer alert. Barrages of gunshots had just been fired in the 2100 block of Capitol Avenue and nearby at the corner of University Avenue and Bell Street. Driving down Bay Road toward University Avenue, the sergeant who responded spotted a dark sedan pulling away at breakneck speed. As the officer gave chase, he asked other local... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico, United States
Was 'Anti-aircraft' Gun Seized in Mexico a Big Police Hoax?
Narcosphere, Web page
10 May 2009
Mexican federal police commander Gen. Rodolfo Cruz Lopez described a weapon seized last month from one of the nation's deadly "drug cartels" as a .50 caliber anti-aircraft gun that fires 6-inch armor-piercing bullets at the rate of 800 rounds per minute. The mainstream media coverage on both sides of the border trumpeted the capture of this Rambo-style machine gun as evidence of the increasing danger the drug-trafficking organizations... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Australian Criminals Remove Gun Markings, Escape Heavy Jail Terms
Herald Sun (Melbourne)
5 May 2009
Angle grinders and a legal loophole are helping violent criminals beat Victoria's most serious firearms charge. A court ruling from two years ago is enabling them to stave off charges of being a prohibited person in possession of an unregistered firearm. In the 2007 case, a court ruled a man charged with that offence be cleared because the weapon's identifying numbers had been removed. He was able to successfully... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Licensed Alberta Gun Dealer Loses 54 Handguns to Crooked Employees
CBC News (Canada)
1 May 2009
An employee of a Calgary outdoor sporting equipment store, where more than 50 guns have gone missing, has been arrested after a police investigation. The week-long probe began when police recovered a gun from a gang member in Edmonton, and a second gun from a gang-related shooting in southeast Calgary on April 18, said police on Friday. The National Weapons Enforcement Support Team traced the weapons back to Wholesale Sports... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Calgary Gun Shop Didn't Miss 56 Handguns Stolen by Staff Over 7 Months
CBC News (Canada)
1 May 2009
An employee of a Calgary outdoor sporting equipment store, where more than 50 guns have gone missing, has been arrested after a police investigation. The weeklong probe began when police recovered a gun in Edmonton, and a second gun from a house party in southeast Calgary where suspected shots were fired on April 18. Both incidents were linked to gangs or drugs, said District 4 commander Insp. Ray Robitaille on Friday. The... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Sharp Shooter: Brooklyn Teen Gives NRA a Smart Lesson in Gun Control
New York Daily News, Editorial
30 April 2009
Of the many arguments that can and should be made for toughening New York's gun control laws, few match the simple power of what 17-year-old Kristine Arroyo of Brooklyn said and did yesterday in Albany. Kristine was behind the microphone at a rally of 250 fellow high school students organized by New Yorkers Against Gun Violence. She was speaking from the heart about people she knew who had been shot to death, including a 17-year-old... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
NY Democrats Tout Gun Microstamping Bill as Crime-busting Tool
Albany Times-Union (New York)
30 April 2009
ALBANY -- As the state Assembly passes a number of gun control measures, members of the newly Democratic state Senate joined gun control advocates to push for a proposal to mandate "microstamping" on semiautomatic pistols sold in the state. "This is a tough-on-crime, smart-on-crime proposal," said Sen. Eric Schneiderman, D-New York City, who is shepherding the measure through the Senate. The plan, originally put forth by... ( 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 )
United States
Gun Control Without Gun Laws: US Could Rein in Careless Gun Sellers
Slate (USA), Web page
29 April 2009
Ever since Al Gore lost the presidency in 2000, the national Democratic Party has avoided the issue of gun control. The Obama White House recently made it clear -- abandoning a campaign pledge -- that it won't push for a legislative ban on the sale of assault weapons. Yet a series of provocative recent events has revived the gun debate: the international tension arising from Mexican drug gangs using guns purchased at American stores, the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Caribbean, Dominican Republic, Americas
US Hails 30th Nation to Ratify Gun Trade Treaty for the Americas
Caribbean Net News
27 April 2009
WASHINGTON, DC -- The government of the Dominican Republic ratified on Friday the Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Related Materials (CIFTA) through the signature of a document by the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) José Miguel Insulza and the Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic to the OAS Ambassador Virgilio... ( gunpolicy.org )
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