United States
Janitor Shoots Fellow Workers, Himself After Being Fired by Ohio University
Associated Press
10 March 2010
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State University said Wednesday a background check on a janitor who shot two supervisors before killing himself didn't reveal that he had a criminal record, raising more questions about how his past prison sentence was missed. The school released a background report from September on Nathaniel Brown, 50, who police say entered a maintenance shop Tuesday morning and fatally shot a supervisor, injured another... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Refused, But Mentally Unstable Pentagon Shooter Got 2 Guns
WUSA-9 TV News (Washington DC)
9 March 2010
ARLINGTON, Virginia - How did a man with a history of mental illness and run-ins with the law get two semi-automatic handguns? Handguns that John Patrick Bedell allegedly used to attack two Pentagon police officers last Thursday? Bedell tried to buy a handgun in California and was turned away, apparently because of his mental illness. But the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says it's still unsure... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Fired Ohio University Janitor Kills Co-worker, Then Self, Police Say
New York Times
9 March 2010
An Ohio State University custodian who had been told he was being fired killed a co-worker and wounded another before killing himself early Tuesday morning at a university maintenance building, officials said. No students were involved in the 3:30 a.m. shooting, and classes were held as scheduled on Tuesday. The gunman was identified as Nathaniel Brown, 51. The university released documents indicating that Mr.... ( 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 )
United States
Pro-gun Lobby Stirs It Up At Starbucks, Obama Fails to Deliver Gun Control
Sunday Times (UK)
8 March 2010
WASHINGTON - It is not exactly Gunfight at the OK Corral -- more like Lattes at High Noon -- but the Starbucks coffee chain has become an unlikely battleground for US gun owners campaigning to carry their weapons openly in public. Last Thursday morning, Jim Snyder walked into a Starbucks cafe in Virginia and ordered a tall hot chocolate without cream. On his left hip was his mobile phone. On his right hip was a semi-automatic Browning... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
America's Love Affair With Firearms Won't Be Quelled By Mere Statistics
Irish Times
6 March 2010
AMERICA -- Cities and states that restrict gun ownership are seeing that prerogative threatened by the Supreme Court "We Americans, we cling proudly to our guns and religion," Sarah Palin, the failed vice-presidential candidate and darling of the Tea Party movement, said at a recent rally for Rick Perry, the Republican governor of Texas. The historian Richard Hofstadter coined the phrase "gun culture" to describe America's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Pentagon Shooter 'Brilliant' Conspiracist with Mental Problems and a Gun
Associated Press
6 March 2010
HOLLISTER, California -- John Patrick Bedell was a brilliant and seemingly gentle computer whiz, yet so withdrawn that people in this rural community where his parents and grandparents are civic leaders knew little about him -- until he opened fire at the Pentagon this week. Family and friends now paint a portrait of a troubled man who sank deep into mental illness and anti-government rants, even as his mother -- a nursing instructor... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Virginia Kills Attempt to Reverse One-handgun-a-month Limit on Sales
Washington Post
5 March 2010
A Virginia Senate panel designed to eliminate House gun rights proposals went about its work efficiently Thursday, killing an attempted repeal of the state's 17-year-old ban on buying more than one handgun a month and several other bills. The Senate Courts of Justice special subcommittee, which was composed of four Democrats and one Republican, voted 4 to 1 along party lines to table the gun-a-month repeal sponsored by Del. L. Scott... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Commission Proposes Ban on Semi-automatic Handguns in Finland
Macleans (Canada)
4 March 2010
On Sept. 23, 2008, a culinary student named Matti Juhani Saari walked into a vocational college in Kauhajoki, Finland, drew a semi-automatic pistol, and killed 10 people before taking his own life. Less than a year earlier, an 18-year-old fatally shot eight people at a high school in Tuusula, 50 km north of Helsinki, before killing himself. In the wake of Saari's rampage, Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen promised a grieving nation that... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Landmark One-handgun-a-month Sales Limit Faces Reversal in Virginia
Washington Post
4 March 2010
RICHMOND,Virginia - The latest and most significant effort to repeal Virginia's gun laws faces a critical vote on Thursday, when senators will consider a measure that would undo the state's landmark one-gun-a-month law. Democrats, who control the Senate, will try to kill the legislation through a newly formed subcommittee that they stacked with anti-gun lawmakers. Republicans and other gun rights advocates have protested, saying... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Effort to Tighten Minnesota's Gun Show Law Getting Folks Riled Up
Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St Paul)
3 March 2010
From Virginia to Arizona, federal and state gun laws are loosening everywhere from national parks to Amtrak trains. But in St. Paul, a proposal that would send Minnesota in the opposite direction is headed toward its first hearing Friday -- a bill requiring background checks on the purchaser of any firearm sold at a gun show. The proposal pits its DFL sponsor, St. Paul Rep. Michael Paymar, against the mighty arsenal of... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Iowa Man Gets Life for 'Delusional' Fatal Shooting of Football Coach
Associated Press
2 March 2010
ALLISON, Iowa - Mark Becker stood passively Tuesday as a jury found him guilty of murder in the shooting of a nationally known Iowa high school football coach. He seemed far removed from the man whose mind was filled with images of angels and horned demons who lurked in the shadows of every room, telling him that the community was plotting against him and that Aplington-Parkersburg coach Ed Thomas -- known for his winning record... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Starbucks: Allowing American Customers to Wear Guns Is Just Business
Associated Press
2 March 2010
SEATTLE -- Coffee chain Starbucks said Wednesday it's sticking to its policy of letting customers carry guns where it's legal and is asking not to be put in the middle of a larger gun-control debate. The company's statement, issued Wednesday, stems from recent campaign by some gun owners, who have walked into Starbucks and other businesses to test state laws that allow gun owners to carry weapons openly in public places. Now,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Wisconsin to Compel Gun Dealers to Check Mental History of Purchasers
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wisconsin)
2 March 2010
MADISON, Wisconsin -- Dealers would have to check the mental health histories of handgun buyers before selling them firearms under a bill passed unanimously Tuesday by the Senate. Senators also advanced a bill that could lead to limits on the areas where tickets for Milwaukee Brewers and Green Bay Packers games could be resold outside the stadiums. The handgun measure is meant to help prevent shootings such as the one at... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Virginia Bows to Gun Lobby, Moves to Scrap One-gun-a-month Sales Limit
Washington Post, Editorial
1 March 2010
When then-U.S. Attorney Richard Cullen, a Republican, gave vigorous support in 1993 to Virginia limiting the purchase of handguns to one a month, some people questioned the propriety of a federal prosecutor getting involved in a state legislative matter. But Mr. Cullen believed that it was his duty to speak out because the gun running made possible by Virginia's lax laws was a national problem. That is just as true today -- and it's why... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Campaign Grows as More US Gun Owners Flaunt Handguns in Starbucks
Associated Press
28 February 2010
Dale Welch recently walked into a Starbucks in Virginia, handgun strapped to his waist, and ordered a banana Frappuccino with a cinnamon bun. He says the firearm drew a double-take from at least one customer, but not a peep from the baristas. Welch's foray into the coffeehouse was part of an effort by some gun owners to exercise and advertise their rights in states that allow people to openly carry firearms. Even in some... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Ohio Gun Owners Push Obama Fear Factor, Hidden Handgun Permits Soar
Cleveland Plain Dealer (Ohio)
27 February 2010
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio issued a record 56,691 concealed handgun licenses in 2009, shattering the previous one-year high of 45,497 set in 2004, according to the state attorney general's office. That means Ohio is now approaching 200,000 concealed permits issued since 2004, when the state started handing out licenses to qualified people. And those for and against tougher gun control laws agree the smoking gun for the 2009... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Lobby Targets California Sheriff's Hidden Handgun Permit Policy
Orange County Register (California), Blog
25 February 2010
Sheriff Sandra Hutchens prompted guffaws from some Second Amendment stalwarts when she said at a Feb. 9 candidate forum that she's approved 90 percent of applications for concealed weapons permits. In fact, she's significantly tightened distribution criteria. There are 22 percent fewer CCW permits than when Hutchens was appointed to the job in 2008. And most permits she's approved come with restrictions absent from permits issued... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Fearing Imagined Obama Agenda, US States Push to Loosen Gun Laws
New York Times
24 February 2010
When President Obama took office, gun rights advocates sounded the alarm, warning that he intended to strip them of their arms and ammunition. And yet the opposite is happening. Mr. Obama has been largely silent on the issue while states are engaged in a new and largely successful push for expanded gun rights, even passing measures that have been rejected in the past. In Virginia, the General Assembly approved a bill last... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Laws Loosen in US, Even as Gun Policy Changes Little Under Obama
CBS News (USA) / Political Hotsheet, Blog
24 February 2010
Gun rights advocates are pushing for a slew of new laws in numerous states to loosen gun control, the New York Times reports, in anticipation of stricter gun control laws from the Obama administration. Those policies, however, have yet to materialize. Because he campaigned on promises to make the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent, to close the loophole that allows unlicensed dealers to sell firearms at gun shows without... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Oregon Lawmaker, Gun Lobby Fight to Allow Hidden Handguns for Felons
Oregonian (Portland)
24 February 2010
SALEM -- Lawmakers scrambled Wednesday to fix what they called a "mistake" in a bill from last year that vastly broadened rights of convicted felons to obtain a license to own a gun in Oregon. But opposition from the gun lobby quickly doused all but a single tweak: Felons must make their requests to a Circuit Court judge instead of a justice of the peace. Language in a 2009 bill inadvertently changed state law to allow... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Files Show Alabama School Shooting Suspect's Husband Sought Revenge
Associated Press
23 February 2010
BOSTON - The husband of the Alabama professor accused of fatally shooting three colleagues once said he wanted violent revenge on a doctor who gave his wife a bad job review, according to documents that feed growing evidence the woman showed signs of violence long before the latest episode. Amy Bishop is charged with killing three colleagues at the University of Alabama-Huntsville on Feb. 12. Investigative files released Tuesday... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Arizona Gun Maker, Dealer Pleads Guilty to Illegally Selling Firearms
Arizona Republic
22 February 2010
A Gilbert firearms manufacturer will cease its gun operations after the company's owner pleaded guilty to illegally selling rifles, shotguns and handguns. Cavalry Arms Corp. says on its Web site that it has been "engaged in an ongoing dispute" with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or ATF, for two years over "regulatory and compliance mistakes." But in federal court last week, owner Shawn Nealon admitted that... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Court Injunctions New Trend in Controlling California Gang Gun Violence
San Francisco Chronicle
19 February 2010
In a bold move to reduce escalating gang violence, Oakland asked for a court order Thursday to severely restrict gang activity in a 100-block swath. Nineteen people police identified as gang members would be placed under a curfew and prohibited from associating with one another, loitering and possessing guns in the "safety zone," an area in North Oakland near the Berkeley and Emeryville borders, if the Alameda County Superior Court... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
North Carolina Collector of Assault Weapons Also a Convicted Murderer
ABC News (USA)
19 February 2010
SALISBURY, North Carolina - Authorities have arrested and charged a convicted felon who had a large number of guns at his home in Salisbury. Investigators with the Rowan County Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) received a tip that Jessie Sexton was a convicted felon and had several firearms at his home on Jacob Bost Road. Assault rifles, shotguns, handguns, rare and collectible guns... ( 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 )
Mexico,United States
Texas Gang Smuggled 340 Guns from Houston to Mexican Drug Cartels
CNN
18 February 2010
HOUSTON, Texas - John Phillip Hernandez and a friend walked into the Collector's Firearms gun store in Houston, Texas, to buy a cache of weapons. Hernandez was wearing sunglasses and a dark T-shirt with the words "I Am the Scene" scrawled across the front. It was April 28, 2007. Collector's Firearms was one of two gun stores they visited that day as part of a scheme to arm Mexican cartels across the border, according to federal... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Students Complained About Alabama Professor Charged in Shooting
Associated Press
17 February 2010
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Students banded together to let administrators know something wasn't quite right about Professor Amy Bishop. She taught by reading straight out of the textbook, never made eye contact and liked to remind people constantly that she went to Harvard. "We could tell something was off, that she was not like other teachers," said nursing student Caitlin Phillips, who was among those who complained to administrators... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Wyoming Lawmakers Move to Allow Hidden Handguns Without Permits
Associated Press
17 February 2010
Wyoming citizens could carry concealed handguns without needing a state permit under a bill that passed its first committee on Tuesday. The House Judiciary Committee voted 6-2 to recommend approval of House Bill 113 after a testimony from pro-gun groups and other supporters. "I bring the bill here today because I do believe it is our right not only under the United States Constitution, but under the Wyoming Constitution,"... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Professor's Shooting Spree Began With Killing Her Brother in 1986
Associated Press
16 February 2010
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - When a young woman in Massachusetts killed her brother with a shotgun blast in 1986, authorities waited more than a week to question family members and the death was ultimately ruled an accident. Now, a quarter-century later, Amy Bishop is accused in another shooting -- an attack that killed three fellow biology professors at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. In the days since Friday's shooting,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US School Shooting Professor Punched Woman in Earlier Restaurant Fight
Associated Press
16 February 2010
PEABODY, Massachusetts - An Alabama professor accused of fatally shooting three colleagues last week had previously admitted in court to punching a woman in a tirade over a booster seat at a Massachusetts restaurant. Citing a police report, WBZ-AM and The Boston Globe both reported Tuesday that Amy Bishop was charged with assault after the incident in 2002 at the International House of Pancakes in Peabody. The police report... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Virginia House Moves to Lift One-gun-a-month Limit on Dealer Gun Sales
Hampton Roads Daily Press (Virginia)
16 February 2010
RICHMOND, Virginia - The House of Delegates advanced legislation Monday that would repeal the state's one-handgun-per-month condition and exempt guns made and used in Virginia from federal firearms laws. The Republican-dominated chamber also set up a final vote on a bill that would block public access to concealed-carry permit records filed in local circuit courts. Final votes on all three measures will occur today, the House's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Alabama Professor Practiced at Gun Range Before She Shot 6, Killed 3
Associated Press
15 February 2010
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - The husband of an Alabama professor accused of fatally shooting three colleagues said Monday that the couple went to a shooting range recently, but that he didn't know where she got the gun she used for practice. His description of Amy Bishop's "normal" demeanor leading up to Friday's shooting at a faculty meeting matched an account by a witness, who said the gathering was unremarkable until the gunfire broke... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Senator Aims to Jail NY Mayor's Men Who Uncover Illegal Gun Sales
New York Daily News
15 February 2010
West Virginia has a message for Mayor Bloomberg: Don't come 'round here to buy our guns. A legislator there wants to ban the type of undercover stings that Bloomberg has used to showcase illegal gun sales in other states - and throw the mayor's investigators in jail if necessary. "It's for us to handle within our own borders," said state Sen. Jeffrey Kessler, who is running for governor in 2012. "We jealously guard our... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Licensing, Registration to 'Harass Legitimate Gun Owners' in Maryland
Washington Times, Editorial
12 February 2010
The gun grabbers are at it again in Maryland. Next month, the state's House Judiciary Committee will initiate hearings on legislation forcing firearms enthusiasts to register with the state government before they can exercise their Second Amendment rights. The plan, drafted by Delegate Samuel I. Rosenberg, Baltimore Democrat, and Sen. Brian E. Frosh, Montgomery County Democrat, would mandate that citizens carry a special license... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Virginia Senate Approves Sweeping Relaxation of Hidden Handgun Rules
Richmond Times-Dispatch (Virginia)
11 February 2010
Virginia's drinking establishments soon may be open for business to a new clientele -- people carrying concealed guns. The Courts of Justice Committee of the state Senate yesterday narrowly approved legislation that will enable holders of concealed-guns permits to take their firearms into restaurants that serve alcohol. The committee also approved legislation that would allow people without concealed-guns permits to stow... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Bill Would End Federal Regulation of Utah Guns, Gut Background Checks
Associated Press
10 February 2010
SALT LAKE CITY - Guns made and kept in Utah would be exempt from federal regulations under a measure passed by the Utah Legislature Wednesday, despite concerns over an expensive legal fight at a time when the budget is already stretched thin. Senate Bill 11 was passed by the Utah House 56-17. The proposal mirrors one Montana signed into law last year that's intended to trigger a federal court battle. The measures would... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Shame on Maine Lawmakers Who Condone Gun Trafficking Loopholes
Bangor Daily News (Maine), Opinion
10 February 2010
The Brady law requires a criminal background check to find out if a prospective gun buyer is prohibited from purchasing a gun. It is a critical law enforcement tool that prevents felons, domestic abusers and other prohibited people from buying guns. The law works. Since it was passed in 1994, almost 2 million criminals and other prohibited people have been stopped from purchasing a gun. In 2007, 297 people in Maine where prevented... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Utah Governor Wary of Spending Money on Secessionist Gun Lobby Bill
Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
10 February 2010
A bill that would exempt Utah-made firearms from federal regulations is headed to Gov. Gary Herbert's desk, but a spokeswoman said the governor has concerns about the bill's constitutionality. "Governor Herbert conceptually supports legislative efforts to reaffirm states' rights, but is concerned about constitutional challenges to legislation at a time when the state can ill-afford to invest money in potentially costly legal battles,"... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Lawmakers Duel Over Merits of Guns in Texas State Capitol: Safe or Silly?
Wall Street Journal
8 February 2010
Lawmakers in firearm-friendly Texas are embroiled in a debate over how to make the state Capitol safer: get rid of guns or encourage even more. The discussion comes after a man last month fired several shots on the steps of the towering Capitol in Austin. State troopers tackled him and no one was wounded, but the incident spotlighted a predicament for lawmakers in a state where carrying handguns is not only legal but largely cherished.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Florida's Slack Hidden Handgun Permit System Arms Philadelphia Felons
Philadelphia Daily News
5 February 2010
Imagine having your driver's license revoked in Pennsylvania but then being able to get one in Florida - through the mail - that must then be honored here. Now imagine it happens with guns. Because it does. Pennsylvania residents who are denied a license to carry a concealed weapon, or have theirs revoked, have found a loophole that allows them to get a license from another state that must be honored here. "They... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Texas Gun Show Closed for 'Ongoing' Sales to Felons, Illegal Immigrants
Austin Chronicle (Texas)
5 February 2010
More than 200 people gathered at Austin Police Department headquarters Jan. 25 to protest what they consider unconstitutional police action in shuttering a monthly North Austin gun show -- an action they say infringes on Second Amendment gun rights. ProtestÂers with Texans for Accountable Government, Ladies of Liberty Alliance, and followers of radio show host Alex Jones used dueling bullhorns -- often simultaneously -- to declare that... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Arizona Mulls Dropping Training, Background Checks for Hidden Handguns
Daily Sun (Arizona) / Capitol Media Services
2 February 2010
PHOENIX, Arizona - A Senate panel agreed Monday that any Arizona adult should be able to carry a concealed weapon without special training or background check. The 4-3 vote would create a major loophole in the existing laws that require those who want to have a hidden weapon to undergo special training. This includes classes on when people can legally use deadly force as well as marksmanship. And it also requires a background... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Brooklyn 18yr-old Receives Honour for Standing Up to US Gun Lobby
Daily News (New York)
2 February 2010
At 18, Kristine Arroyo already knows how to stand up to the powerful National Rifle Association - and tomorrow night, she'll stand up and be honored at Borough President Marty Markowitz's State of the Borough address. Arroyo, of Carroll Gardens, went to Albany last year with New Yorkers Against Gun Violence to lobby legislators to tighten gun laws and get firearms off city streets. For her, the issue was personal - just... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya
Large Seizures of Illegal Ammunition Stir Up Sleepy Kenyan Town
Daily Nation (Nairobi)
2 February 2010
NAIROBI -- Despite its proximity to the capital and being the gateway to the world famous Maasai Mara game reserve, Narok has remained a quiet, dusty and sleepy town. Not even the ongoing wrangling about the conservation of the Mau Forest have stirred it up. But things changed on December 7, last year. On that day, Narok was thrown into the spotlight when a large cache of ammunition and military hardware were discovered... ( gunpolicy.org )
Cuba
Cuba Declares Gun Amnesty, Gives Owners 2 Months to Register Firearms
Associated Press
1 February 2010
HAVANA, Cuba - Cuba has declared a two-month amnesty for citizens to register unlicensed guns, and says those passing aptitude and psychological tests will be allowed to keep their weapons. The move is unusual in a state where almost no one except some active military personnel and plain-clothed state security agents are allowed to possess weapons. Even most police officers are required to leave their pistols at the station... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Handcuffed Detroit Imam Was Shot 20 Times in Fatal FBI Raid - Autopsy
Associated Press
1 February 2010
DETROIT - A Muslim prayer leader accused of encouraging his followers to commit violence against the U.S. government was shot 20 times during an FBI raid at a suburban warehouse last fall, according to an autopsy report released Monday. The autopsy was completed a month after Luqman Ameen Abdullah's death, but Dearborn police were granted a delay in releasing the results while they investigate the Oct. 28 shooting, said Dr. Carl... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
47 US States Roll Back Law, in National Trend to Even Looser Gun Control
Associated Press
30 January 2010
PHOENIX -- Arizona's permissive gun laws gained national attention last year when a man openly carried an AR-15 rifle to a protest outside a speech by President Obama. Now, gun rights advocates are hoping for even fewer restrictions on where they can have a firearm. Among their top goals is to make Arizona the third state where it is legal to carry a concealed weapon without a permit. Bills in the House and the Senate would also... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Despite Mass Shootings, Pro-gun Bills Continue to Sprout in Virginia
Associated Press
30 January 2010
APPOMATTOX, Virginia - It wasn't unusual for security guard Christopher Speight to build a shooting range on his sprawling property in this rural part of Virginia. And it wasn't out of the ordinary for him to amass a small arsenal of weapons -- from a 9 mm pistol to military-style assault rifles. His daily target practice sessions, which sometimes spilled into the night, didn't concern his neighbors. This is gun country,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Two US Gun Dealers Charged with Straw Purchase Sales in ATF Sting
Water Town Daily Times (New York)
27 January 2010
NORFOLK, Virginia -- The owner of Straight Shooters gun shop on Route 420 faces federal charges following a raid Tuesday morning by U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents and state police. Richard M. Oakes, 50, pleaded not guilty Tuesday before Judge David E. Peebles in U.S. District Court, Syracuse, to failure to record a firearm purchaser's identity, federal prosecutors said. He could serve up to five... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
65yr-old Psychiatric Patient Commits 'Suicide by Cop' in San Francisco
San Francisco Chronicle
25 January 2010
SAN FRANCISCO - A 65-year-old San Francisco man shot to death by police after he allegedly came at them with a machete had called his doctor minutes before to say he was going to "try to take them out when they come to take me," police said. Police officials released a tape of Edward Lemarr Smith's call to his physician Monday, two days after an officer shot and killed Smith just outside his home at 87 Maynard St. in the Excelsior... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
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 )
United States
Gun Control: If Not After Shooting Deaths of 6 US Police Officers, When?
Olympian (Washington), Opinion
22 January 2010
Enough. Neither gun manufacturers' profits and quasi-interpreted Second Amendment rights, nor the convenience of packing heat are valid reasons to endanger innocent lives any longer. Six police officers were shot and killed within two months in Puget Sound. A young man was shot over an iPod and two teenagers were shot in Burien at an apartment complex. Enough. We need gun control, and we need it now. There... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Mentally Ill Hidden Handgun Permit Holder Killed 8 Family in Virginia
Associated Press
22 January 2010
APPOMATTOX, Virginia - There was no school the next day, so 15-year-old Emily Quarles had a friend sleep over. As she and her mother took the friend home the next morning, they became targets for a rampaging gunman. When Emily's father and boyfriend went looking for them, they were slain too. Police say Emily and her parents, Jonathan and Karen Quarles, and her boyfriend, 16-year-old Ronnie "Bo" Scruggs, were among eight people... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Shooting of 2 Police Officers Spurs Wisconsin to Close Gun Sale Loophole
TMJ-4 TV News (Milwaukee)
22 January 2010
MILWAUKEE - Before Julius Burton shot two Milwaukee Police officers at point blank range, he bought the gun he used in the crime illegally through what is called a "straw purchase." Burton is now heading to prison. What is being done to keep something like this from happening again? Officials in both city and state government are working together to make straw purchases a felony. A bill is being drafted... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Little Rock Soldier Killer Claims Link to al Qaeda, Studied in Yemen
New York Times
21 January 2010
MEMPHIS -- A Tennessee man accused of killing a soldier outside a Little Rock, Arkansas, military recruiting station last year has asked a judge to change his plea to guilty, claiming for the first time that he is affiliated with a Yemen-based affiliate of Al Qaeda. In a letter to the judge presiding over his case, the accused killer, Abdulhakim Muhammad, calls himself a soldier in Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and calls the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Washington Moves to Strike Montana's Secessionist 'Firearms Freedom Act'
Associated Press
21 January 2010
HELENA, Montana - Montana doesn't have the authority to exempt itself from national gun control laws, the federal government argued in new court filings, hoping to beat back a movement from states adopting the Firearms Freedom Act. The Department of Justice, in a brief filed this week in U.S. District Court in Missoula, said that federal gun control is a "valid exercise of Congress' commerce power under the Constitution." The... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Texas Gun Show Fights Police for Right to Sell Guns to Felons, Anyone
Austin American-Statesman (Texas)
19 January 2010
An Austin police effort to curtail the illegal sales of firearms at a weekend gun show sparked an angry response from the event's organizer and raised concerns about whether the department overstepped its authority. Several police recommendations about the operation of the show were intended to curtail crime there and should not have been viewed as requirements, authorities said Tuesday. But the show organizer said he thought... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Texas Gun Show Selling to Felons, Illegal Immigrants: Feds Make 8 Arrests
KTBC-TV News (Texas)
19 January 2010
AUSTIN, Texas -- Several federal law enforcement agencies as well as local police recently conducted a sting operation at the Texas Gun Show at North Lamar near Rundberg. Authorities made eight arrests. The Austin Police Department worked with Immigration, Customs, and Enforcement and Alcohol, Tabacco & Firearms agents. Investigators say that convicted felons and illegal immigrants were able to buy guns in and around the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Brady Campaign Accuses Obama of 'Running Away from Gun Control'
The Hill (Washington DC)
19 January 2010
President Barack Obama on Monday received a failing grade from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence for running away from gun control. The group, which endorsed Obama in 2008, gave him an "F" on every issue it scored, including background checks, gun trafficking, guns in public, the federal assault weapons ban, standing up to the gun lobby and leadership. "It's been a very disappointing year for us, especially considering... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Violent Criminal Allowed, Denied Licence for 8 Guns in Western Australia
WA News (Australia)
19 January 2010
A man granted a gun licence just five months ago despite revealing a string of assault convictions has become the latest victim of a firearms crackdown launched by Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan. Before being granted his seventh gun licence for a .308 rifle on May 28 last year, Scott Woods told authorities he had three convictions for assault, one for criminal damage, one for reckless driving, and one of driving with a blood... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Indiana Moves to Hide Data on Hidden Handgun Permits, Violent Abusers
Associated Press
17 January 2010
Public access to the state database of people with permits to carry guns would be closed under a bill on its way to the floor of the Indiana House. The bill was filed following complaints over newspaper stories that used information from the database to scrutinize how gun permits are issued, including one that found a permit wound up in the hands of a man who had pressed the barrel of a loaded handgun into the chest of a woman holding... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Pennsylvania Gun Show Patrons Far Too Honest to Traffic in Firearms
Philadelphia Inquirer
17 January 2010
They began arriving well before the 9 a.m. Sunday opening, cramming the parking lots and forcing latecomers onto snowy fields. At least half the vehicles were pickups, peppered with road salt and bearing such bumper stickers as "Don't blame me, I voted for McCain" and "If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns." When the doors to the Lebanon Valley Exposition Center finally opened, they stepped inside and paid $5 to attend... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Thousands of Mental Patients Allowed to Buy Guns in Alabama
Press-Register (Alabama)
17 January 2010
Less than a year after a court-ordered stay at a state mental hospital, David Otto Gluth Jr. went gun shopping. His involuntary commitment in 2008 to Searcy Hospital in Mount Vernon made him ineligible under federal law to have a gun. The instant background check run by the Bass Pro Shops store in Spanish Fort failed to flag Gluth, however, because Alabama reports only a tiny fraction of mental health commitments to a national... ( gunpolicy.org )
Pakistan
Political Patronage, PM Flood Pakistan with 400,000 Private Gun Permits
News International (Karachi), Editorial
16 January 2010
What is the point of having firearms legislation if the prime minister and the minister of state for the interior drive a coach and horses through it merely to gratify the wishes of their political cronies? Since the last week of March 2008 more than 38,800 people have been issued with licences for prohibited bore weapons -- Kalashnikovs and Uzis, for instance -- mostly on the direct order of these two office-holders. There... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Hidden Handgun Permit Details to Remain Suppressed in Indiana
Indianapolis Star (Indiana)
15 January 2010
Lawmakers this session are having to weigh the constitutional rights of gun owners against those of the media and employers, and so far, gun owners are emerging the victors. Thursday, a House committee voted 11-0 to keep information about gun permits from being released to the public -- information The Indianapolis Star has used to document how guns have fallen into violent hands. That same committee is working on legislation... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
NBA All-Star to Face Felony Possession Charge Over Locker Room Guns
Associated Press
15 January 2010
WASHINGTON - Ever since he first acknowledged keeping guns in his locker, NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas has publicly employed the "goof ball" defense, claiming he wasn't aware of the law, meant no harm and never takes anything seriously. re The NBA and the Washington Wizards had a far more serious response. Now it's time to see how it plays before a judge. Arenas is scheduled to appear in court Friday to answer a felony charge... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Pennsylvania Gun Owner, Wife Abuser Killed Trooper in 'Planned Ambush'
Associated Press
14 January 2010
FRANKLIN,Pennsylvania - A suicidal man made an improvised sniper's "perch" in an upstairs bedroom so he could fatally shoot a state trooper who volunteered to investigate a domestic-abuse report because he had previous contact with the gunman, the state police commissioner said Thursday. Michael J. Smith, 44, arranged folded towels and blankets on a corner table to steady a scope-equipped .30-30 hunting rifle that police believe... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Should Georgia Allow Hidden Handguns at Public Gatherings? Yes
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia), Opinion
13 January 2010
The time is now for Georgia's citizens to be given back their rights as protected by the Second Amendment and the Constitution of Georgia. Georgians have, since our founding, been allowed under state law to possess and carry firearms. In recent times, more and more restrictions have been placed upon our lawful citizens for many different and various reasons. Well-intended legislators, responding to single incidents, attempted... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
America's Law Enforcers Shift Focus from War on Drugs to War on Guns
Christian Science Monitor
10 January 2010
In the roll call room of Baltimore's Northwestern District Police Headquarters, a squat building in a neighborhood of liquor stores and crumbling row houses, photos of the city's most wanted suspects flash on a new, flat-screen TV. They are not necessarily drug kingpins or murderers or even dealers. But to Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III, they are top priority in this city with one of the highest homicide rates in... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Guns in Locker Room Case, 'Misguided Joke' Taken Very Seriously
New York Times
10 January 2010
WASHINGTON -- The office of Peter Nickles, the District of Columbia's attorney general, is on Pennsylvania Avenue, not far from the White House or the Verizon Center. The proximity of the three locations underlines how law, government, sports and the continuing threat of violence stand shoulder to shoulder in the nation's capital, creating a stark backdrop for Gilbert Arenas's decision to store several guns in a Verizon Center locker... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Tennessee Gubernatorial Candidates Talk Guns
The Commical Appeal (Tennessee)
10 January 2010
1. A Nashville judge has struck down as "unconstitutionally vague" the law passed by the legislature in 2009 allowing people with handgun-carry permits to take guns into places serving alcohol. The bill's sponsors say they will ask the legislature to approve a new version. Do you support or oppose a bill to allow handgun-carry permit holders to take guns into places that serve alcohol? Democrats: Jim Kyle: I strongly... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Tiahrt Defends Own Amendment, Attacks Bloomberg
The Wichita Eagle (Kansas), Opinion
10 January 2010
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg knows a lot, and what he knows has helped bring him success on many levels. But when it comes to federal firearm laws and the Second Amendment, Bloomberg is either uninformed or intentionally deceptive. In recent weeks, Bloomberg and his organization, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, have used victims of the Fort Hood massacre as political tools to seek repeal of a law known as the Tiahrt amendment.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Athletes Should Avoid Firearm Dispute-Resolution 2010
New York Times, Opinion
8 January 2010
In our search for comity and common ground this year, perhaps we can all agree that professional athletes should try to reduce the use of firearms to resolve personal disputes in 2010. You may have heard that the Washington Wizards are engulfed in a crisis over Gilbert Arenas, one of the team's star players. His fight with a teammate over a gambling debt led to a display of handguns in the Wizards locker room. Seldom have... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
Convicted Gun Criminal Caught with Handgun
Daily Mail (UK)
8 January 2010
A teenager jailed for shooting dead his 12-year-old sister was back behind bars tonight after police caught him with a loaded handgun. Kasha Peniston, 19, was sentenced to two years for killing his sister Kamilah when he was 17 after expressing 'devastation' over her death and claiming it was an accident. He claimed he would 'live with the knowledge for the rest of his life that he was responsible for the death of his young... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Concealed Weapons Permits for 'Personal Defence' Ignite Debate in CA
The Press-Enterprise
3 January 2010
An effort by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to make it easier for residents to carry concealed firearms isn't likely to change policy, the Sheriff's Department said. In a 3-1 vote in November, supervisors passed a resolution asking the sheriff to consider applications for permits based solely on "personal defense." Supervisor Jeff Stone, author of the resolution, pegged the issue to the potential release of thousands... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Notorious Wisconsin Gun Dealer Dodges Law Simply by Swapping 'Owner'
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wisconsin)
3 January 2010
Federal investigators recommended revoking the license of Badger Outdoors gun shop after a 2006 inspection - a rare move that could have closed the West Milwaukee business, a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation has found. But there was no revocation and the store remains open, operating as Badger Guns. Federal records show the license recommended for revocation was voluntarily relinquished, the players inside the operation... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Gunman Kills Ex-Girlfriend, 4 Others, Self in Finland's Latest Mass Shooting
Independent (UK)
1 January 2010
After two mass shootings in two years, Finns had been hoping they had seen an end to such murderous outbreaks. But yesterday the small Scandinavian nation's nightmare returned when a solitary gunman dressed in black killed five shop assistants near Helsinki, sparking fresh concerns over the country's liberal gun laws. The gunman, who had previous convictions for gun offences, shot his ex-girlfriend with an unlicensed handgun at... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Latest Finland Shooting Spree Prompts New Gun Law
Agence France Presse
1 January 2010
Finland is in mourning after a jealous ex-lover shot dead his former girlfriend and four of her work colleagues in the latest armed rampage which has reignited debate on the country's gun controls. Ibrahim Shkupolli ended his killing spree on Thursday by turning his weapon on himself, bringing the overall toll from the tragedy in the normally sleepy Helsinki suburb of Espoo to six. As relatives of the victims tried to come... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Police Say Finland Shopping Mall Gunman Stalked, Chose His Victims
Associated Press
1 January 2010
ESPOO,Finland - The gunman who killed five people during a shooting rampage in Finland apparently chose his victims, police said Friday. Chief investigator Esa Gronlund of the National Bureau of Investigation told reporters that a preliminary investigation has indicated that Ibrahim Shkupolli's method of shooting the five Finns, most of them at a shopping mall in the town of Espoo, suggest that he had planned Thursday's slayings,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Disney Grandson Faces Prison for Illegal Handguns, Rifle, Assault Rifle
Associated Press
31 December 2009
Patrick Disney Miller, grandson of Walt Disney, is facing some serious prison time. From the Associated Press: Cops say they found 13 handguns, a rifle, an illegal assault rifle and various drugs at the defendant's Woodland Hills home. Thanks to a 2005 drug conviction in Fresno, Miller is barred from owning guns or ammunition, say prosecutors. LAPD officers obtained the search warrant after running a background... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Intoxicated Convicted Child Abuser Fatally Shoots Daughter with Handgun
Associated Press
30 December 2009
DENTON, Texas - A Texas man is accused of fatally shooting his 10-year-old daughter on Christmas Eve while recklessly handling a revolver. Court record show the man has been investigated repeatedly by Child Protective Services. A state investigator said he believed 36-year-old Duke Lawrence Watrous of Oak Point in Denton County had been drinking when he fired the shot that hit Ashley Watrous in the face. Texas Ranger Tracy Murphree... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Child Shot Dead with Illegal Handgun, How Many Children Must We Lose?
Record (New Jersey), Editorial
23 December 2009
SENSELESS. TRAGIC. This is where we begin in considering the terrible death of 5-year-old Daron Mayes of Paterson. He was playing with a 6-year-old relative at home on Sunday night. The 6-year-old found a loaded handgun - a semi-automatic, which loads a new bullet into the chamber each time it is fired. The child played with the weapon, and accidently shot Daron in the back of the head, police say. Police attempted to revive the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Violent Abuser Banned from Driving, Allowed Guns, Shot 2 Seattle Cops
Seattle Times, Column
22 December 2009
When our latest cop-shooter, David Crable, showed that he was suicidal, violent and abusing alcohol, the courts in October cracked down on his use of a dangerous piece of machinery. His car. But not his guns. "I am afraid to be in my own home with him because of the many guns he owns," his mother told the court in May. "He carried a gun on himself at all times," said his Spanaway neighbor, Bobby Brown,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Alaska Felon Ordered Guns on Net, Used Women to Collect from Dealer
Associated Press
20 December 2009
WASILLA, Alaska - Authorities say a 53-year-old Wasilla man amassed a huge arsenal of firearms despite being a felon. Gregory Dale Hayes has been charged with one count of being a felon in possession of firearms. He is accused of possessing 28 firearms, including semiautomatic guns and rifles with high-capacity magazines. He faces up to life in prison if convicted. Officials with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New Yorkers 'Got Their Money's Worth' from Video Sting of Lax Gun Shows
New York Daily News
20 December 2009
Mayor Bloomberg's crusade against guns comes with a price tag attached. Bills obtained by the Daily News show the city Law Department has paid almost $1.5 million to Kroll Associates, a high-end detective firm, for its undercover probe of out-of-state gun sales. The mayor announced the results of that investigation with a big splash in October, playing secretly recorded videos of dealers improperly selling guns at gun shows.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Philadelphia Man Regrets Trafficking, Wants Gun Dealers Accountable
Philadelphia Inquirer, Column
20 December 2009
Reading my colleagues' recent investigation, "Justice: Delayed, Dismissed, Denied," you may have noticed a theme in the criminal cases that stall and die in Philadelphia's crazy court system: guns. Specifically, guns that their owners had no earthly right possessing, given their age or rap sheets. Today, I introduce you to a guy who put guns in criminals' hands. I'll call him "Jerome," because now that he's served 4½ years... ( 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
Assault Rifle Maker Applauds Bill, Utahns 'Entitled to Any Gun They Want'
Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
19 December 2009
Alex Robinson wants his assault rifles on foreign battlefields and Utah gun racks alike, so a proposed Firearms Freedom Act exempting local-only sales from federal regulation isn't a game changer at his Salt Lake City machine shop. Then again, Utah is gun country. Armed self-defense true believers see life and death in every constitutional affront. Many applaud a message bill that would preclude federal regulation of any guns made,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Federal Appeals Court Makes it Less Risky for US Felons to Carry Guns
Chicago Sun-Times
19 December 2009
A ruling by the federal appeals court in Chicago could make it harder to prosecute felons with guns -- and could jeopardize some previous gun convictions and sentences, sources say. The ruling hinges on a letter the Illinois Department of Corrections sent to ex-offenders when they completed their sentences. The letter informed ex-offenders that their rights to vote and hold constitutional office were restored. But the letter... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Court: Atlanta Transit Cops Can Stop, Question Hidden Handgun Carriers
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia)
18 December 2009
A lawsuit asserting the rights of MARTA passengers to carry concealed weapons has all but backfired with a judge dismissing most of its claims. In a ruling this week, U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash said MARTA police had good reason to stop Christopher Raissi after an officer saw Raissi clip a holstered handgun to the waistband of his pants, pull his shirt over it and then walk toward the Avondale station. Raissi was... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Pistols from Virginia Gun Shows Fuel New York Gang, Street Crime
Daily Press
17 December 2009
NEW YORK - Hundreds of guns are seized in New York City everyday by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Semi-automatic pistols are the most popular crime guns that are recovered on the streets of New York today. In fact, it was the same type of gun used in Times Square last Thursday, when a street peddler tried to take on a New York City police sergeant and lost. Raymond Martinez was killed in... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Most NRA Members Want to Close Gun Show Loophole to Curb Trafficking
Los Angeles Times, Editorial
16 December 2009
Gun control is one of those culture-wars issues on which liberals and conservatives often don't even seem to be speaking the same language, let alone coming to consensus. Gun owners -- especially the hard-core enthusiasts who belong to the National Rifle Assn. -- are often thought to oppose any restriction on their 2nd Amendment right to bear arms. Except that, according to a recent poll, they don't. The gun-control debate is replete... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Texas Moves Slowly to Prevent Severely Mentally Ill People Buying Guns
San Antonio Express News (Texas)
16 December 2009
Gun-control advocates Tuesday promoted a recent federal law that encourages states to report people with severe mental illnesses to the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The NICS, established in 1998, is used by licensed gun dealers to check records on people who might be disqualified from buying firearms. People deemed "mentally defective" or who have been committed to a mental institution are among... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Wife Shooter, Felon Fails in Michigan Appeals Court 'Right to a Gun' Case
CBS News (USA) / Taking Liberties, Blog
14 December 2009
It's common to hear about Second Amendment lawsuits dealing with gun rights. But nearly all state constitutions include similar legal protections, sometimes with language that is more emphatic than the wording in the U.S. Constitution's Bill of Rights. Take the recent case involving a Michigan man named Ricky Lee Baldwin, convicted by a jury of assault with intent to commit murder and unlawful possession of a firearm during a felony.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Illinois Governor Candidates on Hidden Handguns, Assault Weapon Ban
Chicago Tribune
12 December 2009
The Associated Press recently asked candidates for Illinois governor questions about gun-control legislation. Here are highlights of their answers: QUESTION: "Would you sign or veto legislation banning the sale and possession of semiautomatic assault-style weapons in Illinois?" REPUBLICANS -- Adam Andrzejewski: "Would veto a ban on semiautomatic 'assault weapons' in most circumstances. It comes down (to)... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
NRA Threatens to Sue San Mateo County if it Adopts Gun Control Laws
Palo Alto Daily News (California)
12 December 2009
Gun rights supporters want to shoot down two proposed ordinances that would require gun owners in unincorporated San Mateo County to report lost or missing guns and further restrict firearms dealers. At its meeting Tuesday, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors will consider approving the two ordinances -- a move the National Rifle Association has threatened to counter by suing. One ordinance would prohibit firearms... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Pennsylvania Legislators Should Listen to Law Enforcement, Not the NRA
Philadelphia Inquirer, Editorial
11 December 2009
If more lowlifes got the message that gun trafficking in Philadelphia would earn them years behind bars, maybe city streets would be less dangerous for brave officers like slain Police Sgt. Patrick McDonald. That message - along with a measure of justice - was delivered loud and clear this week. A federal jury convicted the man who transported the illegal handgun used by an ex-con to kill McDonald during a September 2008... ( 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
Congress Should Close 'Ridiculous Loophole,' 'Terror Gap' in US Gun Law
New York Times, Editorial
9 December 2009
Under federal law, people who pose a heightened risk of violence cannot buy or own firearms, including convicted felons, domestic abusers, the seriously mentally ill and several other categories. Suspected terrorist is not one them. Individuals on the government's terrorist watch list can be barred from boarding airplanes, but not from purchasing high-powered guns or explosives. Bipartisan legislation in both houses of Congress... ( gunpolicy.org )
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