United States, United Nations, World
US Position Complicates Global UN Effort to Curb Illicit Gun Trafficking
New York Times
19 July 2008
UNITED NATIONS -- Diplomats from the world's governments met throughout this week on agreements to cut the global illicit trade in small arms, but their work was curtailed in part by the near-boycott of the meetings by the United States. The tone of the meetings underscored the political complexities of gaining full support for international small-arms agreements from the United States. The American view has balanced recognition... ( gunpolicy.org )
World, United Nations
Landslide UN Vote Sets Global Gun Control Process Back on Track - IANSA
International Action Network on Small Arms / IANSA, Media release
18 July 2008
UNITED NATIONS -- Campaigners welcomed the resurrection of the UN small arms process today, as states strengthened their commitment to work together to curb the illicit trade in small arms. 134 states voted for the agreement of the Biennial Meeting of States on Small Arms. No state voted against it. Iran and Zimbabwe abstained. The agreement provides guidance on several key areas of small arms control, including arms brokering... ( gunpolicy.org )
Pakistan
Buyback Saw 20,000 Guns Destroyed in Pakistan, Shootings Due to Politics
Daily Mail (Islamabad)
17 July 2008
UNITED NATIONS -- Reaffirming its determination to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, Pakistan on Wednesday called for addressing the root causes of conflicts to eliminate a major source of demand for such weapons. "Focus on conflict prevention and dispute resolution is thus a sine qua non for the attainment of the common goals of strengthening peace and security in conditions of economic... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya, Somalia
No Response Yet to UN Report on Gun Trafficking in Kenya
Daily Nation (Nairobi)
8 July 2008
Almost three months after the UN Security Council released a report saying a shipment of arms from Somalia had entered Kenya, the Government is yet to make its findings known. When reached for comment Monday, police spokesman Eric Kiraithe said: "The report has not come to my attention". He requested for a copy to be faxed to him. "That is a very sensitive report that I am not aware of. Sometimes everyone is so engrossed... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Nearly Half of Toronto's Traceable Crime Guns Came from Canadians
Toronto Star (Ontario)
20 June 2008
Of 2,603 firearms recovered by Toronto police last year, 817 were classed as "crime guns" -- meaning they had been used (or were suspected to have been used) in a crime, were illegally owned or had the serial number obliterated. About 45 per cent, or 366, of the 817 crime guns were pistols or revolvers, weapons that Mayor David Miller wants to ban, along with evicting gun clubs from city property and restricting the manufacture... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya, Africa
African Nations Collaborate to Prioritise Crackdown on Gun Trafficking
Nation (Nairobi)
10 June 2008
African countries will develop a combined approach to deal with the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons, an African Union (AU) official said on Monday. AU director for peace and security department Geofrey Mugumya said African heads of states were committed to combating the problem jointly to help in taming internal conflicts which have torn apart some countries. Addressing journalists on the AU commission... ( 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
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, United States
Ontario Urges Federal Anti-gun Smuggling Measures for US-Canada Border
Niagara Falls Review (Ontario)
27 May 2008
Every gun that is manufactured or imported into Canada should be marked with specific information because it would allow police to quickly trace guns used in crime and break up gun smuggling rings, says Ontario's Attorney General Chris Bentley. "It should have the date, the country where it is manufactured and it should have the location of its manufacturer or the importer," he said Tuesday during a press conference held at Oakes... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
NY Gun Lobbyists' 'Bare Knuckle' Invasion of Handgun Microstamping Event
Albany Times-Union (New York), Editorial
22 May 2008
Whenever a gun control measure begins to wind its way through the Legislature, the gun lobby goes into full-bore opposition. The approach is as familiar as it is effective. It includes lobbying lawmakers; spreading around campaign contributions to sympathetic legislators; holding press conferences, and sending out opinion articles to newspapers to make its case to the public. That's within the bounds of accepted practice. But what... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New York Republicans Stall Move to Microstamp Handguns, Ammunition
Albany Times-Union (New York)
20 May 2008
ALBANY -- Efforts to mandate "microstamping" technology in handguns, which advocates say would allow police to better trace bullets, appear to have faded in the state Senate after being targeted by opponents in the gun lobby. News that the effort lost momentum emerged Monday following a live-fire demonstration at the State Police headquarters target range to promote the technology. The event, set up by Assemblywoman Michelle... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New York: Each Microstamped Handgun Could Leave Mark at Crime Scene
News 10 Now (New York)
19 May 2008
ALBANY, New York -- Supporters are calling it a next generation crime-fighting tool. "I know all too well, dealing with the survivors of gun victims, they deserve to know who shot and killed their loved ones," said Michelle Schimel. Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel is leading a fight to get the Senate to pass the Assembly's microstamping bill. It will require every semi-automatic pistol made in New York State to be equipped... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New York Looks at Microstamping Handgun Ammunition to Catch Gun Crims
Capital News 9 (New York)
19 May 2008
ALBANY, New York -- It's a new technology advocates say will help solve gun crimes in New York State. And in an attempt to gain more support for it, a live fire demonstration was held Monday to show how it actually works. Microstamping brands the bullet casing with the make, model and serial number of the specific gun it was fired from. Supporters say the technology will help solve cases where a gun is not found on the scene. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
South Carolina Dealer Lost 31 Handguns: Some Found in NYC, Connecticut
Greenville News (South Carolina)
27 April 2008
Richard Shumate says that when he received a call one night about an alarm going off at his Taylors gun shop he didn't know whether it was cause for excitement. "Sometimes it's a false alarm," he said. "I had some boxes fall off the shelf one night and set it off." This time, it wasn't boxes. Shumate said he arrived at Trader's Gun Shop to find two holes in the building and handguns missing. The burglary... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations
UN Chief Urges Countries to Enhance Data Sharing on Guns, Ammunition
Associated Press of Pakistan
24 April 2008
UNITED NATIONS -- UN Member States need to increase their collection, maintenance and sharing of data on small arms as part of measures to encourage disarmament, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says. These weapons are "cheap, light and easy to handle, transport and conceal," Ban wrote in his first-ever report on the topic. "While a build-up of small arms alone may not create the conflicts in which they are used, their excessive... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Handgun Ammunition Microstamping Would Make Life Tougher for US Crims
Newsday (New York), Editorial
23 April 2008
In the battle against gun violence, every little bit helps. Microstamping, for instance. Last week, the Assembly passed legislation requiring gun makers to stamp codes on the firing pins of semiautomatic handguns delivered to New York dealers starting in 2010. The Senate should sign on, too. It's no crime-fighting panacea, but microstamping would enable police to identify guns by marks imprinted on the shell casings found at crime... ( gunpolicy.org )
Europe
European Commission Mandates Gun Marking, Registration, 18yr Age Limit
China View / Xinhua
21 April 2008
BRUSSELS -- The European Commission Monday welcomed new measures to strengthen control of the acquisition and possession of weapons in the European Union (EU). "Citizens will be better protected against uncontrolled circulation of firearms, by beefing up our tracing systems and requirements, notably as regards minors," said European Commission Vice President Gunter Verheugen, who is responsible for enterprise and industry policy.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Europe
Gun Control Strengthened After EU Ministers Approve Commission Proposal
FOCUS News Agency (Bulgaria)
21 April 2008
BRUSSELS -- With the adoption of the European Commission's proposal for compulsory and complete marking of firearms, the EU Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs have given the green light to reinforce the fight against organized crime and firearms trafficking, the press service of the European Commission informs. The new measures will extend the duration for record-keeping for data on firearms and ban the purchase of firearms by... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Why Not Bullet Control? New York Mulls Microstamping Handgun Ammunition
Albany Times-Union (New York), Editorial
21 April 2008
Some years ago, whenever the debate over gun control would heat up in Congress, the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York would change the subject. Why gun control and all the Second Amendment implications that go with it? he wondered. Why not bullet control? Regrettably, very few of his colleagues ever took him seriously. But now times are changing, and Senator Moynihan is proving as prescient on gun control as he was on... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
At State Level, Americans Make More Attempts to Limit Guns, Gun Violence
New York Times
15 April 2008
State lawmakers across the country are ramping up efforts to pass new restrictions on guns, following nearly a decade in which state legislative efforts have been dominated by gun advocates. Much of the proposed legislation -- some 38 states are considering gun-related bills -- focuses on cutting off gun access to convicted criminals and the mentally ill and on improving methods to trace guns used in crimes. Underlying... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Handgun Ammunition Microstamping Bill Stirs up New York Gun Debate
Albany Times-Union (New York)
15 April 2008
ALBANY -- If you're buying a handgun, there may soon be a bullet with your name on it, or at least a number on the shell casing. That's because lawmakers are poised to mandate that semiautomatic handguns sold in New York be equipped with microstamp technology that marks each cartridge casing. Proponents say it would allow police to better match weapons and cartridges. But opponents maintain the technology is unreliable,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Push Begins to Microstamp New Handguns, Ammunition Sold in New York
New York Sun
13 April 2008
A state lawmaker is poised to introduce a bill that would require all new pistols sold in New York to be equipped with microstamping technology, a means of tracing pistols the firearms industry opposes. The bill will likely be introduced this week by state Senator Martin Golden, who has been working closely with city officials over the past several weeks to iron out the language of the legislation, an aide to the Brooklyn Republican said.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
'Strict Gun Laws, Fewer People Shot,' Says Toronto Mayor. Is It That Clear?
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
12 April 2008
The way Judith Ross describes her favourite hobby, you'd swear she was talking about hatha yoga or a Buddhist pursuit. "It's almost like a meditation," she says, "an experience of focus and concentration. You have to be relaxed and calm." Dr. Ross, a 69-year-old retired psychologist who worked for 30 years at the University of Toronto, is a sport shooter, regularly heading off to her gun club to pursue her passion. When she started... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
300 Big-City US Mayors Meet to Curb Gun Trafficking, Push Microstamping
New York Sun
11 April 2008
WASHINGTON -- Mayor Bloomberg is gearing up for the third annual Washington summit of his coalition against illegal guns, a group that now includes more than 300 mayors nationwide along with county executives and state legislators. The coalition is looking to expand its issue agenda and will push for enhancing the federal background check system to keep criminals and the mentally ill from buying guns. The meeting on Monday will... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Clinton Vows Assault Weapon Ban, Overturn of Gun Trafficking Secrecy Bill
Philadelphia Daily News (Pennsylvania)
11 April 2008
U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton is to announce in West Philadelphia today a crime-fighting plan that she boldly says will halve homicide rates in cities over five years. Clinton will unveil the plan -- "Solutions for Safe and Secure Communities Now" -- at the Westside YMCA, 51st and Chestnut streets. Mayor Nutter will be at her side. "We wanted to deliver the speech in a place where people need to know help is on the way," said Clinton... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya, East Africa, Central Africa
Central, East African Nations Begin to Mark, Register and Trace Legal Guns
Nation (Nairobi)
7 April 2008
Twelve African countries Sunday reaffirmed their commitment to the marking of all state-owned small arms and light weapons by end of this year. The Regional Centre on Small Arms (Recsa) deputy executive secretary ambassador Tharcisse Midonzi said the 12 countries from the Great Lakes region, East Africa and Horn of Africa had also agreed to maintain data bases to ease the tracing of small arms and light weapons. Mr Midonzi... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya, East Africa, Central Africa
Central, East African States Launch Gun Marking Scheme to Curb Trafficking
East African Standard (Nairobi)
2 April 2008
NAIROBI -- Kenya became the first country in the Great Lakes region and the Horn of Africa to mark its small arms and light weapons. During a symbolic ceremony that coincided with a regional workshop on small arms and light weapons marking and data management, equipment belonging to the Kenya Police was marked. An expert from South Africa, Mr Anthony Coetzee, marked a G-3 rifle and a Ceska pistol using a Marking Press Machine.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya, Africa
East, Central, North African Nations Meet to Trace, Intercept Illegal Guns
Nation (Nairobi)
1 April 2008
The Government will put in place mechanisms of tracing illicit firearms and gathering data that could lead to prosecution of illegal arms merchants. Police commissioner Major-General Hussein Ali has said the mechanisms would be key in curbing the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons (SALW) and help in containing insecurity. He made the remarks at Leopard Beach Hotel when he officially opened a five-day... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Marking, Microstamping Ammunition 'Phony Remedies for Violent Crime'
Hartford Courant (Connecticut), Opinion
27 March 2008
Every year during the legislative session, Connecticut plays host to a medicine show of phony remedies for violent crime. Now that spring is here, so is the snake oil. Two purported anti-crime bills are now being considered by the General Assembly. Both bills promise amazing results, but the buyer should beware. Senate Bill 603 would outlaw the sale of firearms ammunition that does not bear a serial number on the bullet... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Makers Say Ammunition Microstamping Law Will Kill Handgun Sales
Connecticut Post
17 March 2008
HARTFORD -- Connecticut gun manufacturers said Monday they could not sell their weapons here if the General Assembly approves legislation to require that new firearms stamp tiny serial numbers on each shell casing when fired. The makers said the cost of weapons could increase by as much as $200 per gun and that such a tracing system would not be an effective aid to law enforcement in solving crimes. But proponents of the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Illinois Rejects Handgun Ammunition Microstamping as Crime Busting Tool
Southtown Star (Illinois) / AP
13 March 2008
SPRINGFIELD -- An Illinois House committee on Wednesday rejected the idea of requiring gun owners to use special ammunition imprinted with codes to help police track bullets found at crime scenes. Two other gun-control measures won approval from the executive committee. One allows revocation of gun permits for owners who fail to keep their weapons away from children or people with a serious mental illness. The other tightens... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Former San Diego Police Officer Sentenced for Buying Untraceable Guns
San Francisco Chronicle / AP
12 March 2008
OAKLAND, California -- A federal judge in Oakland has sentenced a former San Diego police officer and a second man to prison for trying to buy untraceable guns so they could use them in robberies. Former officer Thomas Williams and Rafael Miranda were both sentenced Tuesday to five years in prison after they both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess firearms equipped with silencers. In pleading guilty, the 61-year-old... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
UK Gun Crime Falling, Gun Homicides Slowly Rising, New Database Coming
BBC News
10 March 2008
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is launching the National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS) to help the fight against gun crime. But what is it and how will it work? Official figures suggest gun crime has been falling, but firearm killings showed a slight rise in the most recent Home Office statistics and the government has pledged to tackle the problem. "We are determined not to let violent offenders get away with wrecking... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
4-Year Study Pans Proposed US National Gun Ballistics Database
Associated Press
5 March 2008
WASHINGTON -- Collecting ballistic "fingerprints" from millions of new guns would create a database that would be too unreliable to be useful in solving gun crimes, a team of scientists said Wednesday. The 300-page report from the National Research Council advised against a proposal that some lawmakers called for in the wake of the 2002 Washington-area sniper shootings. The concept relies on the assumption that individual... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Prestigious US Panel Backs Research on Gun, Ammunition Microstamping
Reuters
5 March 2008
WASHINGTON -- An expert panel rejected the idea of a database of ballistic markings from new and imported guns sold in the United States, saying on Wednesday it may not yield practical leads to solve crimes. Maryland and New York have such databases for guns sold or made in those states, and the U.S. Justice Department asked the National Research Council to assess the wisdom of creating one nationally. The council's panel... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Prestigious US Panel Shoots Down Nationwide Handgun Ballistics Database
National Public Radio (USA) / All Things Considered, Transcript
5 March 2008
Every time somebody pulls the trigger on a gun, it leaves distinctive marks on the bullet or cartridge case. Police have long used those tell-tale marks to help them link a gun to a crime, and bullet-matching is a regular feature of police dramas like CSI. In recent years, some lawmakers and gun control groups have pushed for a national database that would record the ballistics signature of every gun sold in the United States. But... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Inventors Promote Bar-coded Ammunition for Crime-fighting, Gun Tracing
Seattle Weekly
5 March 2008
Russ Ford might look like a longhaired, gun-control, hippie type. And in many ways, he is. Ford and his business partners, Steve Mace and John Knickerbocker, have patented a system that uses laser technology to imprint coding on ammunition with the hope of making it easier for cops to track it back to its shooter. But Ford is not a gun-hating, anti-self-defense (as his opponents call him) activist; he has several guns that were... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Rolling Out Handgun, Ammunition Microstamping Laws Across America
Advocate (Connecticut)
4 March 2008
WEST HARTFORD -- The co-chairmen of the legislature's Judiciary Committee yesterday chose the West Hartford Police Department's firing range to announce legislation they say would help investigators link spent cartridges to the gun that fired the round. "This is the equivalent of a fingerprint to a gun," state Sen. Andrew McDonald, D-Stamford, told reporters during the morning news conference. McDonald and state Rep. Michael... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Connecticut Police Support Microstamping Technology to Trace Crime Guns
WFSB-TV News (Connecticut)
3 March 2008
HARTFORD, Connecticut -- A new high-tech device may help police solve crimes, by leaving a stamp on a bullet as it is being shot out of a gun. Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Susan Raff reported that many police departments claim that one of the biggest challenges when investigating a shooting is trying to find the gun used in the crime. A proposal was announced at the Capitol Monday to introduce the "microstamping"... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Handgun Ammunition Microstamping Laws Will Help US Police Fight Crime
Wisconsin Radio Network, Transcript
3 March 2008
An expert on microstamping talks to state lawmakers about another tool that can help law enforcement. Josh Horwitz, Executive Director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, Washington DC, is an advocate of requiring gun manufacturers to include the new "microstamping" technology in all new semiautomatic pistol models sold in the state. "Well it's an evolution in ballistic technology, and what it actually does is it take... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Lawmakers, Police, Gun Control Groups Push Handgun Microstamping
WTNH-TV News (Connecticut)
3 March 2008
Lawmakers are pushing a new technology to help trace hand-guns used in crimes. It's called 'microstamping.' It's essentially a license plate for handguns that is difficult to remove. It's almost like a rubber stamp, but it's inside the gun and it microscopically stamps the ammunition cartridge. When an ammunition cartridge is ejected from a semi-automatic handgun, it carries a distinguishing mark made by the firing pin.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US: Incremental Gun Control 'Strikes at the Very Heart of American Liberty'
Register-Guard (Oregon), Editorial
22 February 2008
The National Rifle Association's new buzz phrase is "incremental gun control." The NRA's supporters and the members of Congress in the gun lobby's thrall somehow have come to believe that "incremental gun control" strikes at the very heart of American liberty and must be resisted at all costs. Opposition to all sensible gun regulation, incremental or otherwise, has fueled the NRA's largely successful efforts to make sure that nothing... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago's Annual Attempt to Enact Gun Controls in Face of Firearm Lobby
Chicago Tribune
19 February 2008
Mayor Richard Daley and other elected officials announced their annual push for new gun-control legislation Tuesday, this time using the fatal shootings at Northern Illinois University and the Lane Bryant store in Tinley Park as stark illustrations of the need for action. The package of proposals includes several bills that have been introduced repeatedly in Springfield, before meeting heavy opposition from gun-rights advocates.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Baltimore, New York Build Gun Database to Track Illegal Weapons, Dealers
Baltimore Sun (Maryland), Editorial
17 February 2008
When federal policy got in his way, New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg found a way around it to combat illegal guns in his city. Mayor Sheila Dixon has learned a thing or two from Mr. Bloomberg. And now they're joining forces to better track the sources of illegal guns that drive much of the crime in their cities. It may seem like an odd pairing, but federal limitations on this critical data and the ease with which illegal guns move from... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Check Gun Buyers, Microstamp Ammunition to Curb US Gun Death - Obama
Baltimore Sun (Maryland)
15 February 2008
MILWAUKEE -- Sen. Barack Obama this morning commented on Thursday's shootings at Northern Illinois University, as he also discussed his views on gun laws. The Illinois Democrat, talking for the first time about the shootings in his home state, said during a news conference that he had talked to the school's president this morning. "My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those who were killed and those who were... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Microstamping Handgun Ammunition Offers Opportunity to Fight Gun Crime
New York Times, Editorial
15 February 2008
In October, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a smart new law that will help police apprehend violent criminals and deter the gun traffickers who supply them. The measure requires that all new semiautomatic pistols sold in the state starting in 2010 be equipped with technology known as microstamping, which will allow police to quickly match empty bullet casings to the weapon that fired them. Legislation that would extend... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Obama Supports Individual Gun Rights, DC Handgun Ban, Gun Regulation
Associated Press
15 February 2008
MILWAUKEE -- Barack Obama said Friday that the country must do "whatever it takes" to eradicate gun violence following a campus shooting in his home state, but he believes in an individual's right to bear arms. Obama said he spoke to Northern Illinois University's president Friday morning by phone and offered whatever help his Senate office could provide in the investigation and improving campus security. The Democratic presidential... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Hunters Should Oppose Crimebusting Bills to Microstamp Ammunition
Knoxville News Sentinel (Tennessee), Column
10 February 2008
Most politicians learned a few years ago that talking gun control is a political loser. So, to fill the vacuum they're talking bullet control. Sen. Reginald Tate (D-Memphis) and Rep. Larry J. Miller (D-Memphis) have introduced legislation that would require all handgun and assault weapon ammunition sold in Tennessee after Jan. 1, 2009, to be coded. The idea, they spell out in their identical bills, is coded bullets would help police... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Gun Smuggling from United States Is 'No. 1 Crime Problem' Facing Mexico
US House of Representatives, Speech
7 February 2008
Chairman Engel, Ranking Member Burton, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee: I am William Hoover, Assistant Director for Field Operations of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). I have been an agent with ATF since 1987, and in my current position I oversee the operations of all of the Bureau's field offices, including those along the Southwest Border. It is an honor to appear before you today to discuss... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New Jersey Cops Plan to Trace Every Crime Gun Back to its Provider
Star-Ledger (New Jersey), Blog
29 January 2008
Imagine the crime problem in our cities as a pyramid. At the base are the social problems with elusive solutions: poverty and broken family structure. No work means nothing to work for. No family means declining social values. At the pyramid's tip is gun violence. All the layers in between -- from failing education to rampant drug use to diminished humanity through pop culture -- lead to it. Guns kill, maim and... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Maryland Mayor Wants Guns to Automatically Microstamp Fired Casings
Examiner (Baltimore)
28 January 2008
BALTIMORE -- In the wake of a double homicide in Annapolis' Bay Ridge Gardens apartments, Mayor Ellen Moyer is pushing for lawmakers to draft legislation that requires gun manufacturers to produce microstamp imprints of a gun's serial number on shell casings. The Annapolis mayor plans to meet with state leaders today, including House Speaker Michael Busch, D-Annapolis, City Police Chief Joseph Johnson and representatives from several... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Philadelphia Gun Violence Task Force Touts Arrest of 112 Gun Traffickers
Bulletin (Philadelphia)
23 January 2008
PHILADELPHIA -- District Attorney Lynne Abraham, flanked by Attorney General Tom Corbett and State Sen. Vincent Fumo (D-Philadelphia), announced the arrests of 112 straw purchasers of illegal weapons yesterday. Ms. Abraham touted the work of the Gun Violence Task Force, a relatively new program which employs retired police officers to investigate crimes involving straw purchases. Most notably, the taxpayer-subsidized program... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New York Mayor Pushes Microstamping Law as Gun Crime-busting Tool
Newsday (New York) / AP
18 January 2008
NEW YORK -- Tough new law enforcement measures, a major tax cut and new services for senior citizens are on Mayor Michael Bloomberg's agenda for the city as he tests his appeal nationwide as an independent leader. Bloomberg outlined a bipartisan agenda in his State of the City address Thursday. The billionaire mayor, who has two years left in his second term, insists he is "not a candidate" for president, but associates say he has... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
US Agrees to Help Trace American Gun Dealers Arming Mexican Drug Wars
Reuters
16 January 2008
MEXICO CITY -- U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey on Wednesday promised tougher controls on guns flowing illegally over the U.S. border to Mexico, where drug cartels have murdered 115 people already this month. Visiting Mexican counterpart Eduardo Medina Mora in his first foreign trip since taking office in November, Mukasey said the spurt in violence in the first two weeks of 2008 dramatized the need to keep up pressure on what... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
US Gun Dealers Supply .50 Rifles, Assault Weapons in Mexican Drug Wars
Dallas Morning News (Texas)
16 January 2008
Faced with spiraling drug violence along the border, senior U.S. officials met with their Mexican counterparts Wednesday and announced steps to stem the flow of illegal weapons into Mexico. Officials said that many of the weapons -- including powerful handguns and semiautomatic assault rifles -- are purchased legally at shops and gun shows, and that Houston and Dallas are two of the top sources. The guns are typically carried south... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, World
Crime Busting Handgun Microstamping Technology Finds Favour and Foes
Law Enforcement Technology (USA) / Officer.com
1 January 2008
A 14-year-old boy and his 18-year-old brother are shot and killed in a mini-mart down the street from their home. Police find four shell casings in the parking lot, but no leads. A man driving home from work is summoned to the side of the road by a woman apparently needing help. After he stops, he discovers the trap. Two men attempt to rob him. When he runs, they shoot him. He dies. Three shell casings are found, but no leads. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Mountie Went Bad, Trafficked Handguns, Machine Gun to Gangs
Toronto Star (Ontario)
6 December 2007
A retired RCMP officer who sold guns to a self-described mobster has been convicted of 10 firearms offences, including illegally removing serial numbers. David Kift, 50, who served for the RCMP for 18 years and wrote a self-published book, The Naked Mountie, was found guilty by Superior Court Justice Paul Rivard today. Convictions, which covered the months of March and April of 2003, included possession of a handgun for... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Tories 'Cave to the Gun Lobby,' Delaying Marking Imported Guns
Ottawa Citizen (Ontario)
5 December 2007
The Harper government has postponed for two years a requirement supported by police associations for Canadian gun importers to mark all firearms they ship into the country. Cabinet quietly passed an order two weeks ago delaying the measure -- which would have taken effect last weekend -- until December 2009. The day after the cabinet decision, three national police groups wrote Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, urging... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Gun Lobby Hails Delay of UN-mandated Gun Marking Until 2009
Ottawa Sun (Ontario)
2 December 2007
PEMBROKE -- Conservative MP Cheryl Gallant has confirmed to her constituents firearm-marking regulations brought in by the previous Liberal government have been blasted into 2009. The regulations would have required imported firearms be marked with a CA (for Canada) along with the last two digits of the year of import. They were to have become effective yesterday. MP for Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke, Gallant noted all legal... ( gunpolicy.org )
Iraq, United States
Iraqi Soldiers Trade Iconic Soviet Assault Rifle, AK-47, for American M16
Los Angeles Times
2 December 2007
BESMAYA RANGE, Iraq -- The company of Iraqi soldiers pressed together for the dance of valor, singing of their bravery, stomping in the desert sand, thrusting their weapons skyward, just as they might have done not so many years ago to honor Saddam Hussein. But what were those sleek silhouettes they jabbed into the air? Not AK-47s. The iconic Soviet bloc assault rifle that has been synonymous for decades with America's adversaries... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Police Protest Ottawa's Shelving of Global Gun Marking Standard
CBC News (Canada)
1 December 2007
Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day is facing criticism for failing to endorse regulations to track illegal guns imported from other countries. Several of Canada's major law enforcement agencies, including the Canadian Police Association, allege that Day has quietly shelved plans that require gun importers to put identifying marks on all firearms coming into the country. The rules, which were supposed to be enacted on... ( gunpolicy.org )
Europe
European Union Agrees on Tighter Gun Control, Marking, Tracing Firearms
People's Daily (Beijing) / Xinhua
30 November 2007
The European Parliament endorsed on Thursday the European Commission's proposal to tighten control on firearms. The measures were approved by the house with 588 votes in favor,14 against and 11 abstentions. The new measures will require firearms manufacturers to clearly mark guns so that they are easily identified. EU member states are required to set up a computerized data filing system, which will keep firearms data for... ( gunpolicy.org )
Europe, World
27 European Nations Vote for Comprehensive Gun Registration, Age Limits
Associated Press
29 November 2007
BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Responding to a school massacre in Finland and other deadly shootings, lawmakers on Thursday overwhelmingly backed tighter gun control for the 27-nation European Union. The European Parliament vote comes less than a month after an 18-year-old went on a shooting rampage at a school in southern Finland, killing eight people and himself. Under the new guidelines, only adults over age 18 would be able to... ( gunpolicy.org )
Europe
European Union Debates Tougher Gun Licensing, Marking, Registration
European Parliament, Justice and Home Affairs (Brussels), Media release
28 November 2007
MEPs Wednesday debate proposals aimed at making it harder to acquire guns in the European Union. Control on internet sales, targeting converted guns and giving greater weight to the European Firearms Pass are among the proposals. The report, drafted by German Green MEP Gisela Kallenbach follows Commission proposals to update rules agreed in 1991. It would bring EU rules into line with a UN protocol on weapons and takes into account the size... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Police Pressure Govt to Ignore Gun Lobby, Mark Weapon Imports
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
27 November 2007
VANCOUVER -- Canada's police boards, police chiefs and rank-and-file officers are urging the federal Conservative government to ignore pressure from the gun lobby and put into effect new rules that will require the marking of all imported firearms. In a letter to Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, the heads of the Canadian Police Association, Canadian Association of Police Boards and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Crime Control, Condor Bills Earn Schwarzenegger 'Anti-gun' Label
Sacramento Bee (California)
12 November 2007
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a quick-trigger, guns-a-blazing action hero in Hollywood, is being blasted by firearms groups as a Second Amendment wimp in the Capitol. Schwarzenegger's signing of bills to require microstamping of semiautomatic pistols and to ban lead bullets in condor country has prompted gun groups to paint him as one of the state's most anti-gun Republican governors. "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger might as... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Unable to Stop US-Canada Gun Flow, Border Guards 'Extremely Frustrated'
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
10 November 2007
VANCOUVER -- Late at night, Dan Leibel can sometimes hear the sound of an engine drifting in from the darkness beyond the lights of the Roosville border crossing in southeastern British Columbia, or see the flicker of lights in the distance. It is one more vehicle leapfrogging the U.S.-Canada line, just out of the reach of border guards such as Mr. Leibel. No one can know for certain who is in those vehicles or what they are carrying,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Gun Microstamping Leads the Way: All America Should Follow
New York Times, Editorial
23 October 2007
Here is a particularly woeful crime statistic from the Federal Bureau of Investigation: nationwide, nearly 40 percent of all homicides go unsolved each year. In California, the percentage of unsolved homicides is even higher, but a groundbreaking measure signed into law earlier this month by the state's Republican governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, offers a realistic hope for bringing more murderers, gang members and other armed criminals... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Schwarzenegger Ignores Gun Lobby, Bans Lead, Microstamps Handguns
Los Angeles Times, Column
18 October 2007
SACRAMENTO -- Eons ago, when my brother and I were teens hunting in the mountains behind Ojai, we'd marvel at the giant birds soaring far overhead. They were California condors. Or maybe they were turkey vultures. We really didn't know. But we'd always say they were condors because that made us feel good, like it was a special event. This was prime condor country, after all, in the Los Padres National Forest. The condor... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
'Enormous' Crime-solving Benefit of California Handgun Microstamping Law
New York Times / Editorial Board, Web Page
17 October 2007
From California comes a rare, and potentially quite important, bit of good news on the sane gun policy/law enforcement front. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a law that will require new semi-automatic handguns sold in the state to be equipped, starting in 2010, with microstamping technology, which imprints identifying markers on bullets as a weapon fires. With this technology, police can match bullet casings found... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Schwarzenegger 'Gets Tough,' Mandates Microstamping for California Guns
Telegraph (UK)
16 October 2007
LOS ANGELES -- Arnold Schwarzenegger has angered America's powerful gun lobby by backing legislation requiring semi-automatic handguns to mark bullets with serial numbers to help police identify casings found at crime scenes. The former Hollywood action hero, who played trigger-happy characters in violent films such as The Terminator, approved the crime-fighting technology despite opposition from the National Rifle Association,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Schwarzenegger Defies Gun Lobby, Signs Bill to Microstamp New Handguns
San Francisco Chronicle
15 October 2007
Sacramento -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed the nation's first law requiring semiautomatic pistols sold in the state to leave a unique imprint on bullets that are fired, giving police another way to try to link shootings to the criminals who carry them out. The bill was among dozens that Schwarzenegger signed this weekend, banning toxic plastic softeners in toys for toddlers, blessing the sale of kangaroo-skin soccer shoes... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Mandates Handgun Microstamping as Crime-busting Forensic Tool
New York Times / Reuters
14 October 2007
SAN FRANCISCO -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill whose backers say will better help police use shells from hand guns as evidence in criminal investigations, a spokeswoman said on Sunday. The legislation marks a victory for gun-control activists and the second time Schwarzenegger signed one of their priority bills. In 2004 he approved a ban on private citizens owning .50 caliber rifles. Activists... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Mandates Handgun Microstamping, Bans Condor-killer Ammo
San Diego Union-Tribune (California) / Copley News Service
14 October 2007
SACRAMENTO -- Delivering a top priority of the gun-control movement, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation yesterday requiring that new models of semiautomatic handguns sold in California be able to stamp identifying serial numbers on shell casings. In a surprise move, he also signed a bill banning lead ammunition in the sprawling range of the endangered California condor. The handgun-ID law will enable police to link... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Will Microstamp Handguns, Ban Lead Ammo in Condor Country
Los Angeles Times
14 October 2007
SACRAMENTO -- Bucking pressure from the gun lobby, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an unprecedented law Saturday requiring that certain pistols sold in the state be equipped to mark each cartridge when fired so police can more easily trace the weapons. Another signed measure also opposed by the interest group will ban the use of lead ammunition in the habitat of the endangered California condor. During a busy day in which... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New York Police Tally 365 Gun Trafficking Arrests, 472 Illegal Guns Seized
New York Sun
5 October 2007
After an illegally obtained gun nearly killed a detective and injured another in a Bronx shootout this week, Mayor Bloomberg lamented that there are "too many guns" on city streets. Police are the first to agree with that assessment, but yesterday officials told The New York Sun that the local illegal gun market has suffered a significant blow this year. Since January, undercover officers have already made a gun trafficking... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
British Handgun Ban Was 'Right Decision,' Now War on Illegal Guns - PM
Press Association (UK)
25 September 2007
Gordon Brown has declared war on gun crime, with police in four "hotspot" cities receiving handheld weapon scanners. The Prime Minister also said officers would be given portable computers to cut down on paperwork so they can spend more time on the beat. Around 1,000 computers are being issued now, and 10,000 will be in use by next year, according to Mr Brown. He told the Labour conference: "We took the right decision... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Crime Gun Microstamping Bill Offers 'Real Chance to Save Lives'
New York Times, Editorial
24 September 2007
California's Republican governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has a laudable record of splitting with his party's orthodoxy to support pathbreaking state initiatives on global warming and stem cell research. Now Mr. Schwarzenegger has a chance to make Californians safer, and set a new national standard, by signing into law the Crime Gun Identification Act of 2007. The measure would make California the first state to require that all... ( gunpolicy.org )
South Africa, Brazil
Brazilian Ammunition Manufacturer Pioneers Laser Marking on Each Round
Institute for Security Studies (Tshwane), Web Page
21 September 2007
If the recent reports of a South African Metro Police officer's dealing in ammunition from his vehicle are anything to go by the answer must be a resounding 'yes'. The case of the Metro Police officer has made it clear that current control mechanisms over ammunition in State armouries are ineffective. The measures did not prevent the corrupt official from selling ammunition to criminals. The seriousness of this is made worse given... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Police Chiefs Call for End to Gun Show Background Check Exemption
Cleveland Plain Dealer (Ohio)
21 September 2007
Closing a controversial loophole that allows people to buy guns without background checks is one of the recommendations about how to curb firearm violence made by an international police organization. The recommendations came in a report released Thursday by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The report was generated after a gun violence summit held in Chicago this spring. One local gun-rights advocate... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Tracing Crime Guns: New California Bill Pioneers Handgun Microstamping
San Diego Union-Tribune (California)
11 September 2007
SACRAMENTO -- The Assembly sent the governor a bill yesterday requiring that the next generation of semiautomatic handguns stamp identifying serial numbers on spent shell casings. The legislation that would establish the first law of its kind in the nation could have a lasting impact on the war on crime, according to backers. But the limited application of the bill does not figure to be felt for several years. The bill... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Senate Gets Heated, Mandates Microstamping for Pistol Ammo
Los Angeles Times
7 September 2007
SACRAMENTO -- State senators on Thursday approved measures that would provide condoms to prison inmates, legalize the import of shoes made from kangaroo skin, require children to use car seats until they are 8 and require guns to stamp codes on ammunition. The condom bill, was vetoed by the governor last year. But supporters say they hope they have addressed the administration's concerns and are hopeful of a different outcome this... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Senate Approves Bill to 'Microstamp' Pistol Cartridges for Tracing
San Francisco Chronicle / AP
6 September 2007
SACRAMENTO -- California could be the first state to require that every semiautomatic handgun cartridge be stamped with an identifying mark. A bill bearing that proposal has cleared both chambers of the Legislature. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger hasn't said whether he will sign it once it reaches his desk. The measure would require that in three years, every semiautomatic handgun sold in California automatically stamp each... ( gunpolicy.org )
Burundi, Congo (DRC), United Nations, World
Burundi Massacre Reminds World of the Need for a Global Gun Trade Treaty
Nation (Nairobi), Opinion
17 August 2007
The events that happened exactly three years ago on that date will always haunt me. I was accustomed to starting the day with the morning radio bulletin -- which rarely bore good tidings in Burundi where I was working at the time -- but nothing prepared me for the bloody events that had occurred during the night. One hundred and fifty six refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, mostly women and children, including a three-month-old... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Shows Crime Busting Promise of Handgun, Ammo Microstamping
Los Angeles Times
15 August 2007
A proposed state bill requiring all new handguns to be stamped with microscopic identification tags could significantly decrease violence and shut down the illegal gun market if passed, proponents said in a news conference Tuesday. The Crime Gun Identification Act, AB 1471, would require that lasers be used to create a "microstamp" of each gun's make, model and serial number that would become imprinted onto shell casings when a... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Microstamping Bullet Cartridges in California May Help Identify Criminals
Voice of America
7 June 2007
The U.S. Justice Department says homicides in the United States are most often committed with guns, especially handguns. And the number of shooting deaths has increased steadily over years. But a new technology may help prevent gun violence. It allows investigators to trace the source of the weapon, and perhaps find the shooter, even before they recover the weapon. A new bullet casing contains critical information that law enforcement... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Will Another Sound American Gun Law Be Shot Down by the Gun Lobby?
Times-Herald (California), Editorial
4 June 2007
Our golden, trend-setting state of California, already leading the way on issues ranging from global warming to high-tech computers, is poised to push -- or drag -- the nation along on another worthy journey. It's about sensible gun control legislation Californians can live with, it's not a knee-jerk reaction to the horrors of Virginia Tech, and it's about time. Last week, the Assembly, in an effort to curb deadly gun violence,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Clinton Pushes Gun Owner Licensing, Handgun Registration, Gun Sale Limit
CNN
9 May 2000
NEW YORK -- U.S. Senate candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton renewed her call for tougher gun control legislation on Tuesday before an audience of newspaper publishers. "We have to do more to stand up to those who refuse to believe the reality that guns do kill and that common-sense gun measures can make a difference," Mrs. Clinton said during a speech to the Newspaper Association of America's annual convention in New York. "I... ( gunpolicy.org )
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