Australia
Licensed Aussie Gun Dealer, 84, Accused of Trafficking Illegal Handguns
Parkes Champion-Post (NSW)
23 July 2008
An 84-year old World War Two veteran was granted bail in Dubbo Local Court last Tuesday, as he faced charges over an alleged gun-running bust in Forbes earlier this year. Appearing on 26 charges relating to possessing and selling prohibited and unregistered firearms, Norman Whybrow, well known in the Forbes community, was granted bail by Magistrate Howard Hamilton who was 'only just persuaded to grant bail'. Police raided... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Gun Owners Must Surrender Illegal Weapons for Destruction - Ontario Police
Flamborough Review (Ontario)
18 July 2008
The Hamilton Police Service (HPS) reminds all residents who own firearms to ensure their paperwork is in order. The HPS is making a concerted effort to encourage people with expired firearms licences and revoked registration certificates to comply with current legislation and once again be in a legal position to possess their firearms. Over the last few weeks, officers from the Firearms Section of the HPS have taken possession... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Having Toppled Washington Handgun Ban, Plaintiff Registers His Revolver
Washington Post
18 July 2008
Relishing a moment of triumph after a successful, long-running legal battle to end the District's handgun ban, Dick A. Heller strode into D.C. police headquarters yesterday with an unloaded revolver and began registering the weapon so he can keep it in his Capitol Hill home for self-defense. "It's a great day," declared Heller, 66, a hero to gun rights advocates nationwide for his role in District of Columbia v. Heller, the landmark... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Inactive Gun Dealer Makes Buying a New Gun Impossible in Washington, DC
Washington Post
18 July 2008
District residents in the market for handguns could face a long wait -- only one dealer has stepped up so far, and his license isn't active. Charles Sykes Jr. has been selling guns since 1994 to active and retired police officers and security companies out of an unmarked office in Anacostia. But right now his business, CS Exchange, is on hold because he recently changed locations on Good Hope Road SE and his permit needs to be amended.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Washington's New Handgun Law Imposes America's Most Restrictive Tests
Washington Post
18 July 2008
D.C. police have begun accepting applications from residents who want to register revolvers. Some basics: The Guns - As a rule, the city will accept registration applications only for revolvers, although relatively rare types of semiautomatic handguns are permitted. Most clip-loaded semiautomatic weapons remain banned. - Residents who illegally kept revolvers in their homes during the ban will be allowed to apply... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Plaintiff in US High Court Trial Applies for Gun Licence: Denied on First Day
Associated Press
17 July 2008
WASHINGTON -- The plaintiff in the Supreme Court case that overturned Washington's 32-year-old handgun ban was the first to arrive Thursday as the city began registering firearms. But security guard Dick Heller was turned away from police headquarters because he didn't bring his weapon as required. Thursday marked the first day that District of Columbia residents could begin registering or applying for handguns since the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Supreme Court Decision Brings 'A New Chance to Curb Gun Violence'
Washington Post, Opinion
17 July 2008
The Supreme Court decision last month overturning the District's handgun ban, though controversial, may have ended a long-standing political logjam. As a local law enforcement official, I hope this decision will allow a working coalition to transcend partisan disagreements and support strategies proven to reduce gun violence. The ruling left almost entirely intact the gun restrictions in Maryland and most other jurisdictions. Still... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Washington Defiantly Sticks to Its Strict Gun Ban. Don't Like It? Sue Us
Washington Post, Column
17 July 2008
Mayor Adrian Fenty and his feisty attorney general, Peter Nickles, stood on the steps of the Wilson Building this week ostensibly to announce how the District will comply with the Supreme Court's rejection of Washington's ban on handguns. But really, they were delivering very much the opposite message: With only the narrowest of exceptions, we're sticking with our gun ban. Don't like it? Sue us. "I am pretty confident that the people... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
DC Ends Strictest US Handgun Ban, Begins Strictest US Handgun Licensing
Washington Post
16 July 2008
The D.C. Council unanimously approved emergency legislation last night that ends the strictest handgun ban in the country... The emergency gun bill establishes regulations for residents to keep handguns in their homes legally, an effort to comply with last month's historic Supreme Court decision that found the city's 32-year prohibition of handguns unconstitutional. City leaders say the legislation goes as far as it can... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Opponents of Washington DC's Tough New Gun Law Vow Court Challenge
USA Today
16 July 2008
WASHINGTON -- The doors opened Thursday to post-handgun ban era here, with gun rights advocates vowing another legal challenge to the city's newly approved gun control law. Less than a month after the Supreme Court overturned the city's 32-year-old handgun ban -- the most restrictive in the nation -- the same litigant in the landmark case appeared at police headquarters and said he likely would wage a new fight. Dick Heller,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Washington DC Approves New Gun Laws Prompted by High Court Ruling
Associated Press
15 July 2008
WASHINGTON -- The District of Columbia Council approved new firearms legislation Tuesday that will allow residents to begin applying for handgun permits this week. The council's unanimous vote comes as officials try to comply with last month's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down the city's 32-year-old ban on handguns. The emergency legislation will allow handguns to be kept in the home if they are used only for self-defense... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Washington DC Imposes 'Strictest Controls Possible' in Revised Gun Law
Washington Post
15 July 2008
Within weeks, District residents could legally keep handguns in their homes under emergency legislation that goes to the D.C. Council today, as officials try to comply with the Supreme Court ruling rejecting the city's handgun ban. But District officials said yesterday that they are braced for the possibility of more legal wrangling as they try to respect the high court while maintaining the strictest controls possible. Residents... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Washington DC's Strict New Gun Regulations 'Reasonable and Necessary'
Washington Post, Editorial
15 July 2008
There was both a triumphal and defeatist cast to the news conference that D.C. officials held yesterday to unveil new firearms legislation. The agreement by the District's sometimes-fractured political leadership on a course of action was worthy of celebration. But it was hard to stomach the need to promulgate rules allowing ownership of handguns -- something the city had forbidden for decades until the Supreme Court's recent decision. Nonetheless,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
DC Votes to Retain Stringent Gun Control Despite Supreme Court Ruling
Associated Press
14 July 2008
WASHINGTON -- The District of Columbia Council planned to vote Tuesday on emergency legislation to allow handguns if they are used only for self-defense in the home and carry fewer than 12 rounds of ammunition. The legislation announced Monday comes as officials scramble to comply with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last month striking down the city's 32-year-old ban. The proposal, which maintains some of the city's strict... ( gunpolicy.org )
East Timor
Fight Over New Gun Law in East Timor Parliament 'Almost Physical'
Australian (Sydney) / AAP
2 July 2008
East Timor's Prime Minister is supporting a new law that would allow civilians to own guns, less than five months after illegally armed rebel soldiers tried to kill him and the president The proposal has sparked heated scenes in parliament, with MPs almost coming to blows over what some say is a dangerous development that could threaten the nation's fragile security. Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao last week introduced the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
In Unanimous Vote, Washington DC Passes Bill to End Its Handgun Ban
Washington Post
2 July 2008
With the unanimous support of his 12 D.C. Council colleagues, Phil Mendelson introduced a bill that would end the city's handgun ban and make it legal for residents to keep firearms in their homes without requirements that trigger locks be used or that they be disassembled. The bill is in response to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last week to strike down the ban as unconstitutional and is meant to address the ruling's assertion... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
NYPD Fails to Find Most Seized Firearms, Lacks Gun Control, Says Audit
Newsday (New York)
2 July 2008
The New York City Police Department can't keep track of the guns it seizes, according to a report issued yesterday. New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr. referred to the NYPD's current system of holding surrendered and confiscated firearms as unacceptable and demanded immediate improvements after announcing yesterday the results of his audit in lower Manhattan. In June of last year, Thompson's audit gauged whether... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US High Court's Ruling Doesn't Endanger Sensible Gun Control
Capital (Maryland), Editorial
29 June 2008
We have long supported reasonable gun control. There's nothing wrong in principle with licensing and registration. Government has an obligation to keep guns out of the grasp of felons and the mentally ill. And just as the Constitution's First Amendment free speech protection doesn't confer a right to commit libel or sell pornography, the Second Amendment doesn't confer a right to own an assault weapon -- or a howitzer. For all that,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Namibia
Shooters Must 'Wait Much Longer' Before Namibia's Gun Registry is Fixed
New Era (Windhoek)
27 June 2008
WINDHOEK -- People who applied for firearm licenses countrywide will now have to wait much longer before their applications can be processed. The Namibian Police announced in a press statement that due to some technical problems, its Central Firearms Registry Sub-Division is unable to submit newly approved and computerized firearms licenses. Police have requested members of the public who applied for firearm licenses to... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Supreme Court Gun Ban Veto Triggers Review of Massachusetts Law
Boston Herald
27 June 2008
Yesterday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down the District of Columbia's 32-year-old ban on handguns will force Massachusetts officials to review the state's gun laws, long considered among the toughest in the nation. In the justices' first major pronouncement on gun rights, the court ruled 5-4 that Washington's ban was incompatible with gun rights under the Second Amendment. Massachusetts Attorney General Martha... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago's Handgun Ban Language Mirrors Law Overruled in Washington
Associated Press
26 June 2008
Chicago's handgun ban mirrors the Washington, D.C. ban struck down by the Supreme Court Thursday. Both require gun owners to register all firearms but prohibit certain firearms, including handguns, to be registered. The D.C. code states, "no person or organization in the District of Columbia ('District') shall receive, possess, control, transfer, offer for sale, sell, give, or deliver any ... firearm, unless the person or organization... ( gunpolicy.org )
Germany, Switzerland, Italy, United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa
Gun Laws in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, UK, Australia, South Africa
Associated Press
26 June 2008
GERMANY: Requires license to obtain and use firearms and stipulates a check on the "reliability and suitability" of holders at least once every three years. Under-25s must undergo psychological screening. Buyers must justify why they need a gun. Would-be buyers of recreational firearms must produce proof of regular membership in shooting club for at least one year. Legal age for owning recreational firearms is 21. That... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
More Handgun Shootings in Toronto: Government Rejects Handgun Ban
Toronto Sun (Ontario)
17 June 2008
A handgun ban isn't the answer to Toronto's gun violence, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day insists. "Studies in a variety of jurisdictions around the world show that if you want to see gun crime reduced you've got to go after the criminals," Day said during a press conference at Polson Pier yesterday. He said a Canada-wide handgun ban would divert limited police resources to "going after innocent firearm owners." ... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United States
Canadian Dealers Import Guns as Movie Props, Sell to Gangs [Francais]
Presse canadienne
8 June 2008
[Translated summary: A Royal Canadian Mounted Police police report says gun dealers exploited a legal loophole to import handguns, assault weapons and machine guns from the United States as movie-props, then sell them to drug gangs]. OTTAWA -- Des armes à feu destinées à servir d'accessoires pour des acteurs de cinéma aboutissent entre les mains de véritables criminels à cause d'une "échappatoire" dans les lois canadiennes.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United States
Canadian Gun Dealers Exploit Movie-prop 'Loophole' to Arm Drug Gangs
Canadian Press
8 June 2008
OTTAWA -- Guns intended for make-believe action on the silver screen are winding up in the hands of real-life criminals due to a "loophole" in Canadian laws, says an RCMP intelligence report. Some firearms dealers in British Columbia have taken advantage of movie production companies filming in various Canadian locations, says the newly declassified report on trends in gun trafficking and smuggling. Special permits allow... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago Gun Laws Eased to Benefit Councillor Who Forgot to Re-register
Chicago Tribune
4 June 2008
Ald. Richard Mell got a City Council committee to approve a change to a Chicago law on his behalf Wednesday, but argued it would benefit thousands of other city residents who, like him, simply failed to renew their gun licenses. "It was probably good I didn't [renew], because there are an awful lot of other citizens" who had the same problem, Mell (33rd) said after the Police and Fire Committee approved an amendment to the gun registration... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Oklahoma City Police Chief Wants Handgun Registration, Tighter Gun Laws
Tulsa World (Oklahoma) / AP
2 June 2008
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Police Chief Bill Citty called Monday for tighter gun control laws to curb the kind of gang violence that left six teenagers with gunshot wounds following a drive-by shooting in southeast Oklahoma City two days earlier. Citty, speaking at a news conference by a coalition of social services, clergy and community groups opposed to gang violence, said he believes in a citizen's right to carry firearms but that too... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Hillary Clinton No Longer Favours Handgun Registration, Owner Licensing
Billings Gazette (Montana)
31 May 2008
HELENA -- Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton told Montana reporters Friday that she no longer favors national handgun registration and licensing, even as she supports such measures in her adopted state of New York. "What I came out for was the New York law," the U.S. senator said in a noon conference call Friday. "I don't think there is any contradiction between defending Second Amendment rights and trying to... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canada's 'Shameless Pandering to Gun Lobby' Puts Public at Risk
Windsor Star (Ontario), Opinion
28 May 2008
As Monday's Windsor Star editorial noted (Long guns: An amnesty of convenience), the Harper government recently extended its amnesty for long gun owners who haven't obtained or renewed licences and haven't registered their guns. So those who thumb their noses at the law have been given a free pass for another year. It's hard to know which is more offensive: the government's shameless pandering to the gun lobby at the expense of public safety,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Renewed Growth in Australian Gun Numbers Must Be Tackled Urgently
Sunday Times (Western Australia), Editorial
25 May 2008
If there was anything positive to emerge from the tragedy of the Port Arthur massacre it was that our nation was forced to seriously confront for the first time the issue of gun control. The action that followed was swift with the introduction of tougher national gun laws and a buyback scheme. Understandably, given the atrocities committed by lone gunman Martin Bryant, there was widespread community support for these measures.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Western Australia Now Has More Guns Than Before Port Arthur Massacre
Sunday Times (Western Australia)
25 May 2008
WA has more guns now than before the 1996 Port Arthur massacre -- a reversal of a near decade-long downward trend in weapon ownership. The jump coincides with a scathing national report, which found many firearms owners were failing to properly store them, including high-powered weapons left unlocked in cases, cars and cupboards. Inadequate security was to blame for more than half the gun thefts in Australia. Also,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Relaxed Gun Controls, Unlicensed Sales Help Fuel California Gun Violence
Oakland Tribune (California)
22 May 2008
OAKLAND -- Seventeen-year-old Dominique Nubie stood on a West Oakland street corner talking about what matters in his life. "Guns "... everybody here has guns," he said, motioning around. Instead of the usual high school concerns about finishing homework or making the basketball team, Dominique worries most about survival in a neighborhood where many of his peers own guns. Oakland is teeming with guns. They're... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago Mayor Backs Gun Amnesty Proposed by Forgetful Colleague
Chicago Sun-Times
21 May 2008
Mayor Daley said today he's all for the idea of temporarily re-opening gun registration in Chicago -- not as a favor to Ald. Richard Mell (33rd), but to get a realistic handle on the number of guns in Chicago. A former hunter, Mell is proposing a one-month amnesty after he forgot to re-register his arsenal of shotguns, rifles and pistols as required every year by the ordinance he helped to pass. During the month-long window,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago Pol Forgets to Register His Guns, Rewrites Law to Provide Amnesty
Chicago Sun-Times
20 May 2008
Alderman Richard Mell (33rd) is a former hunter with an arsenal of weapons that reportedly features shotguns, rifles and pistols, including a Walther PPK of James Bond fame. But there's a problem. Mell forgot to re-register the weapons as required every year by the ordinance that he helped to pass as one of the City Council's most senior members. So, what does an alderman do when he finds himself in violation of... ( gunpolicy.org )
Ghana, West Africa
West African States Adopt Standard Gun Registration Database Protocols
Ghana News Agency
19 May 2008
ECOWAS small arms experts at the weekend reviewed and adopted a new draft Standardised Form and Computerized Database for the management of the exemption procedures and the draft plan of action for the Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons. The small arms experts meeting at the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja, Nigeria, reviewed and adopted the draft standardized form and computerized database for the management of the exemption... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Tories Extend Gun Amnesty, Waste Millions More on Gun Registry
National Post (Toronto) / Canwest News
14 May 2008
OTTAWA -- The Harper government has extended the two-year-old amnesty that protects firearms owners from prosecution if they fail to register their rifles and shotguns. Cabinet approved a directive last Thursday that extends the amnesty to May, 2009, virtually guaranteeing the Conservatives will not have to risk defeat of a bill scrapping the controversial registry before the next federal election. The move prompted angry... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kazakhstan
Unregistered Rifles, Pistols Collected in North Kazakhstan Gun Buyback
BBC Monitoring Service (Astana) / Kazinform
11 May 2008
During a campaign to voluntarily hand in unregistered rifles, pistols and explosives to police in [Kazakhstan's northern] Pavlodar Region, people brought 611 weapons, a Kazinform [news agency] correspondent has reported. Police valued the arsenal at 3.79m tenge [over 30,000 dollars], Maskhat Yeshmuratov, deputy head of the public security directorate of the [regional] interior affairs department, said. The explosives, which were... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Actor, 'Law & Order' Star Arrested with Unlicensed Pistol at LA Airport
Associated Press
11 May 2008
LOS ANGELES -- Actor Dennis Farina was charged with a felony Sunday at Los Angeles International Airport after a loaded gun was found in his carry-on luggage. When the weapon was discovered at a security checkpoint, the 64-year-old actor said he had forgotten the .22-caliber handgun was in his luggage, police said. Farina was booked for investigation of carrying a concealed weapon, said Sgt. Dennis Beacham. Bail was set... ( gunpolicy.org )
Somalia
Somali Lawmakers Accused of Criminal Activities, Ordered to Register Guns
Garowe Online (Garowe) / AllAfrica
5 May 2008
Legislators in Somalia have been asked to register their weapons with the transitional federal government following a police official's accusations that lawmakers are involved in criminal activities, local sources said. Sheikh Adan "Madobe" Mohamed, the parliament Speaker, told lawmakers in the southwestern city of Baidoa that the government wants to know the number of weapons and guards each lawmaker keeps around for personal security.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
End of Canadian Long-gun Amnesty Could Mean Fines, Jail for Violators
Times & Transcript (New Brunswick)
24 April 2008
OTTAWA -- RCMP say if the government allows an amnesty on rifle and shotgun ownership to expire, police will have no choice but to fine or jail unregistered long-gun owners. The temporary reprieve ends May 16. "We follow the rule of law," said Sgt. Derek Strong. "If there's an amnesty, we follow that. With the lack of an amnesty, it's business as usual." A summary conviction for a first-time offender who fails... ( 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 )
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 )
Canada
Canadian Tories Give Gun Owners More Cash Than the Gun Registry Costs
Canadian Press
20 April 2008
OTTAWA -- The federal Conservatives, who once denounced Liberal cost overruns at the national gun registry, have been passing up more potential revenue from gun owners than they've spent to run the registry since they took power. Statistics provided to The Canadian Press by the RCMP list actual and projected operating costs for gun registration programs at $35.9 million over three fiscal years starting in 2006. During the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Declared Policies of Three US Presidential Candidates on Gun Control - AP
Associated Press
14 April 2008
A look at some of the presidential candidates' positions on gun control: - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-NY: Voted for ban on assault-type weapons and to require background checks at gun shows. Calls for renewing the ban, which expired in 2004. Favored leaving gun-makers and dealers open to civil suits. In 2000, supported proposals for a federal requirement for state-issued photo gun licenses, as well as a national registry for... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canada's Tories Extend Amnesty for Gun Owners, Undermine Registry
Telegraph Journal (New Brunswick) / Canadaeast News
11 April 2008
OTTAWA -- The federal Conservatives have served notice that they intend to continue providing amnesty to long-gun owners whose rifles and shotguns are not registered. The reprieve hinges on a review of the current amnesty program, which expires May 16. Canadian firearm officers -- the administrators responsible for licences and authorizations in the provinces -- and RCMP are currently conducting the review. They... ( gunpolicy.org )
South Africa
South Africa's Gun Owner Licensing Renewal Process 'In Shambles'
Business Day (Johannesburg)
10 April 2008
CAPE TOWN -- The government is facing huge noncompliance and backlogs as legal gun owners fail to apply for their licences to be renewed and the Central Firearms Registry struggles to cope with the numbers that are lodged. While the Firearms Control Act was being processed by Parliament and again when an amendment went through both houses, the police were advised that re-licensing all legal firearms in four years was impractical.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Baltimore's Pilot Gun Offender Registry Yields First Criminal Charge
Examiner (Baltimore)
9 April 2008
BALTIMORE -- Four months after it took effect, Baltimore's new gun offender registry is starting to yield results -- including its first criminal charge. As of Tuesday, 47 people have registered under the new city law -- the first of its kind in Maryland -- which is modeled after many states' sex offender registries. Late Thursday prosecutors filed their first criminal charge, when a Baltimore man's Salisbury address didn't check... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Collector Had 70 Illegal Firearms, Handguns, Submachine Gun
Regina Leader-Post (Saskatchewan)
9 April 2008
REGINA -- There wasn't any sinister intention behind a fearsome arsenal of guns and ammunition found inside a south Regina home two years ago, a Regina court heard on Wednesday. Instead, the defence told court that Murray Dalrymple Hogg's impressive and varied collection of firearms was a kind of savings plan, an investment for a man of modest means. "This is his Registered Retirement Savings Plan, so to speak," lawyer... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Tories Refunded $21m in Firearm Licensing Fees to Gun Owners
CBC News (Canada)
8 April 2008
Ottawa refunded nearly $21 million to long-gun owners for their licensing fees in 2006 following the Conservative government's decision to waive registration for the weapons, according to a report released Tuesday. Back in May 2006, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day announced several major changes to the controversial gun registry brought in by the previous Liberals that effectively gutted the program. Among the changes... ( 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 )
Uganda
Ugandan Army Denies Selling Guns to Karamojong Pastoralists, Rebels
New Vision (Kampala)
6 April 2008
KAMPALA -- The army has refuted reports that soldiers were selling guns and bullets to Karimojong warriors. The 3rd Division commander, Brig. Patrick Kankiriho, said they had set up an armoury committee headed by the division operations and training officer, Col. Paul L'Okech, to ensure there was no misuse of weapons. "We keep record of the guns in the hands of our soldiers whenever they go out for the cordon-and-search operations.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Stalkers, Spouse Abusers, Bankrupts, Suicidal to Lose Their Guns in Japan
Asahi Shimbun (Japan) / IHT
4 April 2008
The National Police Agency plans to overhaul the gun control law for the first time in 28 years to keep firearms from stalkers, spouse abusers, bankrupt people and those with suicidal tendencies, sources said Thursday. The changes will also include a clause requiring a psychiatric check of applicants for gun permits "if necessary." The agency plans to submit a bill to revise the Firearms and Sword Control Law in the next... ( 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 )
United States
Presidential Hopefuls' Gun Control Positions May Count in Pennsylvania Vote
Tribune-Review (Pittsburgh)
2 April 2008
Chad Ramsey likes what he sees. That worries Kim Stolfer. Ramsey, the associate director of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, says each of the three presidential candidates has, to some degree, supported the center's efforts to regulate the gun trade. That hasn't been the case in an election year for a long time. Stolfer says gun rights advocates such as himself shouldn't seriously consider Democratic Sens.... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
India Among Most Heavily Armed Nations, Suffers 'Epidemic of Gun Violence'
Open Democracy (UK), Web Page
1 April 2008
I dedicate this article to the more than 5000 women who have lost their lives or been wounded by gun violence in my home-state of Manipur in Northeast India. As the world knows, India is the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, the land where non-violence was born. Last year the United Nations declared that his birthday, 2 October, would become International Day of Non-Violence. The India that existed at the time of independence championed... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Philadelphia Challenges State Legislators, Enacts Local Gun Control Laws
Philadelphia Daily News (Pennsylvania)
28 March 2008
Kervin Henry was waiting at a bus stop on his way home to Germantown in October when three men walked up, brandished a pistol and demanded his money. Henry had only a Transpass. "They said: 'Man, just let him have it,' " Henry, 23, recalled yesterday, leaning on a crutch and explaining how one of the men shot him in the right knee. That shooting landed Henry in a different sort of conflict yesterday at City Hall,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Licensed Gun Collector Loses 35 Illegal Weapons to New Jersey Police
Record (New Jersey)
26 March 2008
RUTHERFORD -- Police seized a cache of 35 weapons on Tuesday, including illegally modified assault rifles and machine guns from the Hastings Avenue apartment of a gun collector, authorities said. The State Police Street Gang Unit North and borough detectives found an armory of loaded guns and 3,000 rounds of ammunition in the apartment of Joseph Leone, 57. "Laying around in the closet, out in the open, in the dresser drawer... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom, England & Wales
'Chaos, Gross Incompetence' Found in North Wales Police Gun Destruction
BBC News
19 March 2008
Serious failings in the handling of weapons given to North Wales Police by the public for safe disposal have been highlighted in an internal report. It said it was impossible to determine how many weapons had been destroyed and that there is no national policy on how the police should handle such weapons. The BBC has seen details of the report which was completed last year. The force said it regretted poor record... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Lifetime Gun Ban for Canadian Lobbyist 'Cursed with Sense of Armageddon'
Kenora Daily Miner and News (Ontario)
19 March 2008
Eton Rugby resident and former gunsmith Bruce Montague will serve up to 18 months in jail following sentencing at Ontario Superior Court on Tuesday. Montague was found guilty on 26 firearms offences by an 11-member jury in December. The convictions carry sentences ranging from six to 18 months to be served concurrently followed by one year probation. Forfeiture of approximately 200 firearms seized from the Montagues' rural residence... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Gun Lobby Martyr Faces Sentence on 26 Firearm Related Crimes
Kenora Daily Miner and News (Ontario)
18 March 2008
Bruce Montague returned to a Kenora courtroom Monday for a sentencing hearing following 26 firearms related convictions in December. The charges against Montague, and his wife Donna, date back to 2004, following his arrest at a Dryden gun show. After police twice searched his Eton-Rugby home, Montague was charged with more than 50 firearms offences. His wife faced three charges. On Monday, the defence and the Crown argued... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
'Stubborn, Foolish' Canadian Gun Lobbyist Loses Case, Gets 18 Mths Jail
CKDR Radio (Ontario)
18 March 2008
Former Dryden-area Gunsmith Bruce Montague has been sentenced to a total of 18-months in prison after being found guilty on a variety of firearms related offences. Justice John Wright had some harsh words for Montague this morning as he delivered his sentence. The judge described Montague as stubborn and tenacious to a fault who acted foolishly by making automatic weapons. The toughest sentence was for converting... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Philadelphia Sues State Govt to Allow City to Set Its Own Gun Control Laws
Philadelphia Daily News (Pennsylvania)
12 March 2008
City Council squares off against the state General Assembly in Commonwealth Court this morning over whether the city can enforce its own gun laws. Council members Darrell Clarke and Donna Reed Miller filed a lawsuit last fall citing a "state-created danger" after several local gun-control laws were passed but not enforced because the General Assembly had not voted on corresponding state legislation. Clarke and Miller are... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
Only 1 in 100 Unlicensed Gun Owners Observe Philippines Gun Amnesty
GMA News TV (Manila)
11 March 2008
MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippine National Police (PNP) has received 1,828 applications to have their unlicensed firearms registered -- a low number considering police estimates that there are some 110,000 loose firearms nationwide. Sr. Supt. Danilo Maligalig, Operations Management chief of the PNP Firearms and Explosive Division (FED), on Tuesday said they continue to appeal to other owners of unlicensed firearms to avail of... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Licensed California Gun Collector Arrested Again for Drugs, Machine Guns
Associated Press
9 March 2008
TORRANCE, California -- A Torrance man arrested last month for having a cache of weapons in his home has been booked after a second raid this week. Russell Josiah Powell was arrested at his home Wednesday night when police allegedly found drugs, newly purchased illegal ammunition and parts that enable guns to fire as automatic weapons. Police Officer Dave Crespin says the 35-year-old Powell was booked for investigation... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Gun Homicide, Gun Theft 'Declined Dramatically' After Australian Gun Laws
Age (Melbourne)
8 March 2008
Victorian police are planning a crackdown on gun owners. They are set to check whether 18,000 of the state's registered gun owners have stored their firearms properly. The crackdown comes as gun-related murders and gun theft have declined dramatically since the gun-law reforms after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. New research by the Australian Institute of Criminology shows that the theft of firearms has dropped 72% since... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Liberals Accuse Tories of Killing Long Gun Registry by Stealth
CTV News (Toronto)
5 March 2008
The Liberals are accusing the Conservatives of allowing long gun owners to circumvent Canada's gun registry laws. They say the Tories are using "back door tactics" to again extend an amnesty for long guns. "This government's latest extension of the gun amnesty is killing gun control in this country by stealth," said Liberal Public Safety Critic Ujjal Dosanjh. Last November, the government reintroduced a bill to... ( gunpolicy.org )
Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Caribbean, Brazil, Argentina
Women's Groups Demand to Know Where Caribbean Gangs Get Their Guns
Stabroek News (Guyana)
5 March 2008
A two-day meeting for parliamentarians and NGOs to review the impact and "responses to small arms diffusion and violence in the Caribbean" is set for Trinidad today and a women's group is asking where the gangs are getting guns and ammo for killings like those at Lusignan and Bartica . According to a press release the Women's Institute for Alternative Development (WINAD) said the meeting hopes to explore a Caricom instrument to... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Seizing Guns Daily from 'Armed and Prohibited' List, California Can't Keep Up
Contra Costa Times (California)
4 March 2008
PINOLE -- A heavy afternoon rain blurs the sky as three black SUVs pull up across from a one-story stucco house on Pinole Valley Road. The man inside just turned 60 and recently was placed under a psychiatric hold as a suicide risk, one of the five state agents says. Records show that he owns 15 guns, including two assault weapons. Under state law, he must give them up for five years. He has not. "This guy could have a... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New York's Mayor Bloomberg Takes Anti-Illegal Gun Campaign to Florida
New York Sun
3 March 2008
Mayor Bloomberg is taking his nationwide campaign against the illegal sale and trafficking of guns to Jacksonville, Fla., where he will speak today at a conference arranged by the organization he co-founded, Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The mayor of Jacksonville, John Peyton, is attending the conference, which will be held at the Jacksonville Main Library. An aide to Mr. Bloomberg declined to provide further details. Last... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Milestones in US Federal Gun Control Legislation - Background and Timeline
Virginian-Pilot (Virginia)
2 March 2008
Up until the gangster era, gun control -- where it existed -- was a hodgepodge of mostly local laws, haphazardly enforced. That changed in the 1930s, when flamboyant criminals such as Al Capone, John Dillinger and "Machine Gun" Kelly spurred the federal government to action. Even then, gun control didn't sit well with much of the American public. The end result was often watered-down legislation. Some of the more noteworthy laws:... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
White Male Suburban Gun Owners Flock to Oakland to Sell Guns at Buyback
Contra Costa Times (California), Opinion
1 March 2008
Contrary to your criticism of state Sen. Don Perata's, "One Less Gun," gun buy-back program as bungling, I want to thank Perata for enlightening, albeit indirectly, many Oakland residents as to the source of crime guns in Oakland, Richmond and all of the U.S. I was at all three sites for the buy-back in the morning and spent the rest of the day at True Vine Church in West Oakland. There was universal bewilderment at all... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Armed Felon Snared by (Voluntary) Register of Bullet Buyers in Maryland
Baltimore Sun (Maryland)
21 February 2008
Attention, Maryland felons: Here's some news you can use -- it's against federal law for you to possess bullets. You can't have a gun, of course, but you knew that already. Did you also know that, under federal law, you can go to prison for up to 15 years if you're found to be packing ammo? I mentioned it because it's highly likely no one at the Division of Correction took the time to go over this with you before your release. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
Tonga
Rising Number of Illegal Weapons, Shooting Spur Gun Amnesty in Tonga
Tonga Broadcasting Commission
20 February 2008
Illegal weapon holders are being given a chance to license or register their firearms and ammunition to the ministry of police. Police authorities are to grant an amnesty to unlawful firearm and ammunition which will come into force on Friday February 15th to 29th of this month. Assistant Police Commander says the recent shooting incident at Kolofo'ou and also the rising numbers of illegal weapons used to commit crime are... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
1976 Handgun Ban Is Just One in US Capital's Tangled Maze of Gun Rules
Washington Post
18 February 2008
In a city with one of the strictest gun control laws in the nation, perhaps no one understands the controversial statute in more detail than D.C. police Lt. Jon Shelton. As the officer in charge of firearms registration, he is the answer man. Ask what makes a rifle legal or illegal, and he'll talk about muzzle lengths, ammunition capacity and the difference between bolt action and semiautomatic. What types of handguns are security... ( gunpolicy.org )
Pakistan
Pakistan's Elections Spur 1500% Increase in Karachi Gun Sales - Dealers
International News (Karachi)
17 February 2008
KARACHI -- Amidst the prevailing socio-political uncertainty that has characterized the period leading up to the general elections 2008, the regulated sale of weapons has registered an increase of almost 1,500 per cent. Citizens themselves are feeling insecure with regards to the potential -- both perceived and actual -- for trouble during the run up to the elections, in particular polling day itself and the fallout of the election... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
India Shaken by School Violence: 2 Gun Deaths Set Huge Nation on Edge
Washington Post
13 February 2008
NEW DELHI -- Two fatal shootings and a stabbing in Indian schools have rattled parents and teachers here, forcing India to confront an issue it had previously known mainly through TV news footage from the United States. While school violence remains rare in India, three attacks since December have led to calls for increased security in schools and for broader control of the more than 32 million guns in civilian hands in India. Television... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Control Advocates Call Clinton a Hypocrite on Firearm Policy
ABC News (USA), Opinion
5 February 2008
Yesterday we took a look at Sen. Barack Obama's pro-hunter preaching in Idaho, wondering how it fit with a 1996 questionnaire in which he supported banning all handguns. Sen. Hillary Clinton implied Obama was a flip-flopper. This aroused the ire of some gun control advocates, who pointed out that even if one considers this an Obama flip-flop (and Obama says that questionnaire was filled out incorrectly by a staffer), Clinton has... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Control Policies of Leading US Presidential Candidates - AP Update
Associated Press
4 February 2008
The stands of these 2008 presidential candidates on a selection of issues: New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, Democrats; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Arizona Sen. John McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Republicans. (Snip) GUN CONTROL: Clinton: Voted for ban on assault-type weapons and to require background checks at gun shows. Favored leaving gun-makers... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Law & Order Minister 'Flatly Rejects' National Handgun Ban
Toronto Star (Ontario)
30 January 2008
OTTAWA -- Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day is flatly rejecting calls for a ban on handguns, saying the Conservatives government's support for more police on the streets, and tougher laws as yet unpassed, are already putting a dent in gun crime. Day said yesterday his government's approach -- including "increased (police) boots on the street" and a plan to kill the long-gun registry -- has already significantly cut the number... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Japanese Police Visit, Check 175,000 Gun Owners to Lessen Massacre Risk
Bloomberg (USA)
30 January 2008
TOKYO -- Japan's National Police Agency ordered checks on all registered firearms after two people were shot to death at a gym in southern Japan in December, the Asahi newspaper reported. Police departments plan to complete checks by the end of March, the newspaper reported, without saying who provided the information. Statistics show about 175,000 people in Japan had permits to own about 340,000 firearms as of 2006, the newspaper... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canada's Gun Registrar Can't Say How Many Handguns Are Registered
Toronto Sun (Ontario)
28 January 2008
Canada's billion-dollar national gun registry doesn't keep up-to-date stats on the number of legal handguns in the country, the Sun has learned. Staff at the Canadian Firearms Centre told the Sun it would take "days of research" requiring contact with regional offices across the nation to come up with a figure on the number of legal handguns in the country. And to make that figure public, the centre would require a Freedom... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Gun Owner Loses Constitutional Challenge Over Prohibited Pistol
Smithers Interior News (British Columbia)
23 January 2008
A B.C. Supreme Court judge has upheld a ruling to reject a Smithers gun owner's constitutional challenge to possess a prohibited firearm. Justice Harvey Groberman dismissed the appeal Jan. 14. Walter Hromatka has now been ordered to destroy his Walther PP, or file for higher court appeals. Failing his constitutional challenge, Hromatka requested Justice Groberman support an order for the Canadian Firearms Registry... ( gunpolicy.org )
Tonga
Murder/Suicide Shooting Spurs Tongan Police to Attempt Gun Crackdown
Tonga Broadcasting Commission
22 January 2008
Any person found to be carrying unregistered arms or ammunition with intend to commit offence are liable to be imprisoned not more than 12 years jail terms. This was highlighted by the Acting Police Commander Taniela Faletau in amid concerns that illegal possession of unregistered firearms and ammunition in the country. The Acting Police Commander's comment came when police confirmed that the rifle used to shot a business... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Tories Shoot Down Handgun Ban, Stand By Lawful Gun Owners
Winnipeg Sun (Manitoba)
19 January 2008
Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day has rebuffed calls for a ban on handguns, insisting tougher jail terms, more police and strict border security will win the war against gun violence in Canada's cities. Calling the death of an innocent bystander in Toronto "very tragic," Day said penalizing law-abiding firearm owners won't stop the scourge of street shootings. "It would be counter-productive," he told Sun Media in an... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Clinton Touts Assault Weapon Ban, Abandons Gun Licensing, Registration
Wall Street Journal, Transcript
17 January 2008
MODERATOR TIM RUSSERT: Sen. Clinton, when you ran for the Senate in 2000, you said that everyone who wishes to purchase a gun should have a license, and that every handgun sale or transfer should be registered in a national registry. Will you try to implement such a plan? HILLARY CLINTON: Well, I am against illegal guns, and illegal guns are the cause of so much death and injury in our country. I also am a political realist and... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Toronto Demands Handgun Ban After Legal Firearm Owner Kills Bystander
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
15 January 2008
Toronto politicians are calling for their federal counterparts to totally ban handguns three days after a shooting outside a downtown strip club left an innocent bystander dead. "It's inappropriate for citizens of this country to own a handgun, there's no need for it," said Councillor Michael Walker, who put forward the motion to council. "It's the only way to stem the tide of violence in our cities ... Mr. O'Keefe was... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Toronto Gun Club Member Murdered Innocent Man with Legal Pistol - Police
Toronto Sun (Ontario)
13 January 2008
It was a stray bullet fired from a pistol legally registered to an accused gunman that instantly killed an innocent father of a young son in a weekend tragedy, police said. And while John O'Keefe, who was not involved in the Yonge St. dispute died at 1:16 a.m. Saturday, two young men who have never been in trouble with the law now face a lifetime in jail. The 42-year-old victim, a manager of a retail store and the father... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Toronto Nightclub Killing Involved Licensed Gun Owner, Registered Handgun
Toronto Star (Ontario)
13 January 2008
John O'Keefe was shot to death with a handgun legally registered to one of the two men charged in his death, Toronto police allege. The 42-year-old father of one was walking by the Brass Rail Tavern on Yonge St., just south of Bloor St., about 1:15 a.m. Saturday when a bullet struck him in the head and killed him, Toronto police homicide investigator Det. Graham Gibson said Sunday night. Police allege that one of two men... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Newspaper in the Clear After Publishing Canadian Gun Registry on the Web
Ottawa Citizen (Ontario)
10 January 2008
The privacy commissioner has rejected complaints from firearms owners who claimed their privacy was violated by a searchable copy of the federal gun registry posted on the Citizen website. The Citizen last year obtained a copy of the gun registry from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police through an Access to Information request and made an online version of the database available to readers to accompany a series of reports on firearm... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Australian Gun Dealer Caught With 380 Unregistered Firearms - 1000 Seized
Sydney Morning Herald
1 January 2008
A World War II machine-gun and tank mortar, crossbows, semi-automatic weapons and fireworks are among a cache of 380 unregistered firearms uncovered during a two-day search of a 100-hectare property at Peel, near Bathurst, police revealed yesterday. As part of the operation, which involved more than 30 officers from several crime commands and special operations teams, police seized 604 guns from a dealership in Bathurst and suspended... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Ontario Police Use Gun Registry to Gauge Risk in Seige of Gun Owner
Chatham Daily News (Ontario)
28 December 2007
Tactical officers ended a police standoff in dramatic fashion at a home near here Thursday over the noon-hour. A 49-year-old Wallaceburg man, who is known to police, and a 48-year-old woman were taken into police custody after members of the Chatham-Kent Police Service's Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) stormed into a residence on Base Line, near Snye Road, when the occupants refused to heed several demands to leave the home.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Argentina
Argentina Destroys 70,000 Guns Under Buyback, Civilian Disarmament Plan
Xinhua
27 December 2007
BUENOS AIRES -- The Argentine government has destroyed 70,000 guns collected from civilians as part of the National Voluntary Gun Handover Plan, local media reported Wednesday. Andres Meiszner, director of the National Arms Register with the justice ministry, said the plan offered up to 150 U.S. dollars per gun in reward and guaranteed the anonymity for those who handed over the guns, starting from July 10. He said that... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Universal Gun Registration in Australia Brings Sharp Decrease in Gun Thefts
Herald Sun (Melbourne) / AAP
24 December 2007
The latest figures show about 1500 guns a year are stolen in Australia, and authorities fear many of them will be used to commit more crimes. The Australian Institute of Criminology also revealed that about one-third of gun owners who were victims of theft in the year to June 2006 had failed to store their guns securely. In a new report, Firearms Theft in Australia 2005-06, the federal agency said 1445 firearms were stolen... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Japanese PM Orders Gun Control Audit: All Gun Owners To Be Re-assessed
Japan Today / Kyodo
22 December 2007
TOKYO -- Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on Friday ordered ministers in his cabinet to formulate measures to reinforce the nation's gun controls following the fatal shooting rampage on Dec. 14 in Nagasaki Prefecture, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said. Following Fukuda's order made during a ministerial meeting on fighting crime, National Public Safety Commission Chairman Shinya Izumi said he plans to conduct overall inspections... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Declared Gun Control Policies of Nine Leading US Presidential Candidates
Associated Press
18 December 2007
WASHINGTON -- The stands of these 2008 presidential candidates on a selection of issues: Democrats: New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. Republicans: Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and former Tennessee Sen. Fred... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Japan's PM Says Gun Control Just a Part of Comprehensive Violence Plan
Kyodo News (Japan)
18 December 2007
TOKYO -- Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on Monday emphasized the importance of considering ways to secure public safety in a comprehensive manner following the fatal shooting rampage last week in Nagasaki Prefecture. "We must consider carefully the issues such as the criteria for use of guns and their management, but if we were to ask whether just controlling guns would make things perfect, the incident at Ikeda elementary comes to... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Japan to Review Gun Control Laws After Gym Shooting, Says Prime Minister
Agence France Presse
17 December 2007
TOKYO -- Japan will review its gun control laws following last week's deadly shooting at a sports club in western Japan, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said Monday. A man opened fire Friday night at a private gym in Sasebo, western Japan, killing two people and injuring six. "No matter what the reason is, we should not let such a crime happen at any cost," Fukuda told reporters. "There must be problems with usage... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Quebec Willing to Go It Alone if Ottawa Scraps Canadian Gun Registry
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
14 December 2007
QUEBEC -- Premier Jean Charest wants Ottawa to delegate powers and money to Quebec to maintain the gun registry in the province should the federal government move to abolish it. The province wants the right to enforce tougher controls over the transportation and storage of firearms. The two levels of government have held discussions and Quebec is waiting for an answer. "Our first option is that things remain as they are.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Convicted Canadian Gun Lobbyist Prepares for Jail, Martyrdom for Cause
Kenora Daily Miner and News (Ontario)
12 December 2007
Staring down the barrel at a prison sentence on 26 firearms related offences, Canada's most outspoken crusader against Bill C-68 and the federal Firearms Act, Bruce Montague, has laid the foundation to bring his fight to the Supreme Court. Montague was recently found guilty on half of 53 charges he faced in Kenora court. Without being convicted on at least one charge, he wouldn't be able to challenge the law. "Without a... ( gunpolicy.org )
|
