United States
Courts Across America 'Opening Pandora's Box of New Gun Litigation'
Indianapolis Star (Indiana), Column
1 July 2008
The gun lobby at last holds its Holy Grail: a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that the oddly worded Second Amendment, which speaks of a "well regulated militia" in the same sentence as "the right of the people to keep and bear arms," does, in fact, bestow upon individuals a constitutional right to own weapons. Yet it seems that the most extreme crusaders of the right were not sufficiently careful in what they wished for. Even... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
FBI Chief Says High Court Gun Ruling Makes US Campuses Less Secure
Associated Press
30 June 2008
HARTFORD, Connecticut -- FBI Director Robert Mueller on Monday criticized the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling that Americans have a right to own guns for self-defense and hunting, saying it may harm efforts to deter violent crime. Speaking at a convention of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators in Hartford, Mueller said the ruling "does throw a lot of things up in the air." By a 5-4... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Recent Deadly Mass Shootings in the United States, 2007-2008
Reuters
26 June 2008
Thursday's ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that individual Americans have the right to own guns is likely to revive the debate over gun ownership and violent crime -- a debate that is periodically ignited by mass shootings in the country. Following is a chronology of some recent deadly mass shootings in the United States: April 16, 2007 -- Virginia Tech, a university in Blacksburg, Virginia, became the site of the deadliest... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Florida Man Legally Bought 4 Assault Weapons, Talked of School Killing
Associated Press
11 June 2008
MIAMI -- A man possessing an arsenal of AK-47 assault weapons, other guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition at the time of his arrest pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal charge of threatening over the Internet to pull off a Virginia Tech-style massacre. Under a plea agreement with prosecutors, 20-year-old Calin Chi Wong would avoid prison time but have to surrender his entire cache and be barred from owning firearms in the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Louisiana Becomes 16th US State to Repel 'Guns on Campus' Law
Shreveport Times (Louisiana)
10 June 2008
BATON ROUGE -- The possibility of carrying concealed weapons on Louisiana's college campuses was laid to rest Monday when the bill's author decided not to push it to a vote. Rep. Ernest Wooton, R-Belle Chasse, said he had the support of 45 House members but since 53 votes are needed to pass a bill in the House, he chose not to go forward. "Put the bill on the calendar until next year," Wooton asked House Clerk Butch Speer,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Students Packing Heat Surely Would Liven Up American Campus Life
Tribune-Review (Pittsburgh), Column
10 June 2008
Before classes adjourned for the academic year, students at the University of Pittsburgh squared off over whether guns should be legally carried on campus. Although the Students for Concealed Carry on Campus have yet to convince lawmakers to allow them to pack .45s alongside their copies of Roget's Thesaurus, I hear the pro-gunplay group plans a major offensive aimed -- pardon the pun -- at overturning the campus anti-gun policy.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
American Gun Owners Call for Loaded Handguns to Be Worn Openly
Telegraph (UK)
9 June 2008
NEW YORK -- A growing number of Americans are exercising their right not just to own guns but to carry them around in public. As a debate continues in Washington over the constitutional right to gun ownership, supporters of the so-called "open carry" movement argue that sidearms should be precisely that -- a common accessory to be worn freely. Their right to wear their gun, usually on a holster at their hip, as they go... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Fledgling US Movement Urges Gun Owners to Openly Carry Handguns
Los Angeles Times
7 June 2008
PROVO, Utah -- For years, Kevin Jensen carried a pistol everywhere he went, tucked in a shoulder holster beneath his clothes. In hot weather the holster was almost unbearable. Pressed against Jensen's skin, the firearm was heavy and uncomfortable. Hiding the weapon made him feel like a criminal. Then one evening he stumbled across a site that urged gun owners to do something revolutionary: Carry your gun openly for the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Licensed Shooter Prompts Seattle to Clamp Down on Hidden Handguns
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Washington)
6 June 2008
Two weeks after a shooting at Seattle's Northwest Folklife Festival, Mayor Greg Nickels reportedly plans to announce restrictions Monday on concealed weapons on city property. Nickels' office declined to offer any details about the executive order. A news conference was scheduled at the Police Department with Nickels, Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske and state legislators. In a news release, the initiative was described as... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Encouraging More Hidden Handguns on US Campuses Is a Bad Idea
Times-Picayune (Louisiana), Editorial
26 May 2008
Rep. Ernest Wooton keeps threatening to revive his bill to allow guns on college campuses. He shouldn't. Lifting gun prohibitions from colleges, universities and vocational-technical schools is a bad idea. Rep. Wooton delayed a vote by the House May 12 in the face of opposition to the bill. He said then that he would bring House Bill 199 back up in two weeks, which would be this week. "I intend to stay with this bill,"... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago Students Petition for Tougher Gun Laws, Assault Weapon Ban
CBS News (Chicago)
18 May 2008
CHICAGO -- More students are speaking out against gun violence in their neighborhoods. They met Sunday to show Illinois lawmakers and the governor that they want tougher gun laws. CBS 2's Pamela Jones reports that the high school students have collected more than 1,000 petition signatures. Each stood with their own story of gun violence. "It hurts me to see the youth, because I have a friend who died,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago Students Petition State Lawmakers for Common Sense Gun Control
ABC News (USA), Video
18 May 2008
State lawmakers have received 1,000 signatures to represent the 1,000 people in Illinois who die each year from gun violence. High school students from the Chicago area delivered petitions containing those signatures to the lawmakers Sunday calling on them to pass common sense gun laws. As one student, Christine Goggins, looked over the hundreds of pages of petitions, she couldn't help but think of one of her best friends,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Firearm Laws Change Quickly as State Legislators Ride With Gun Lobby
Palm Beach Post (Florida)
6 May 2008
If the gun lobby has its way, you'll be able to be locked and loaded virtually anywhere in America, from parks to schools. If gun control advocates have theirs, law-abiding citizens will continue to be helpless prey for murderers, rapists and thieves. Now that Florida and Georgia have joined six other states with "bring your gun to work" laws, expect to hear these arguments more often as the two sides spar over just how... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Dealer Sold to Campus Killers, Now Touts Guns at Virginia Tech
Associated Press
25 April 2008
BLACKSBURG, Virginia -- The online weapons dealer who sold one of the guns used in the Virginia Tech shootings visited the campus, a decision the school's spokesman called "terribly offensive." Dealer Eric Thompson spoke at the school Thursday night as part of a weeklong demonstration in favor of allowing people to carry concealed weapons at colleges. "For people who want to arm themselves, there shouldn't be policies in... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Virginia Tech Slams Visit by Gun Dealer Who Armed Campus Shooters
New York Times / The Lede, Blog
25 April 2008
Many news accounts have accurately described Eric Thompson as the owner of an online firearms store linked to two mass shootings -- Seung-Hui Cho bought a gun there, Steve Kazmierczak bought ammunition. In attacks less than a year apart, they killed 37 people at two universities. But his company tells a more complicated story, explaining that an "unfortunate twist of fate is spurring him to take a more active role in protecting... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Dealer Sold to Campus Killers, Touts Cheap Guns at Virginia Tech
CNN
24 April 2008
The owner of a company that sold firearm merchandise to both the Virginia Tech University and Northern Illinois University shooters said he will sell his guns at cost for the next two weeks in hopes that "law-abiding" citizens will buy them to prevent similar tragedies. A gunman killed 32 people in April 2007 at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg. "I want to help people save lives," Eric Thompson said Thursday. He was... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Virginia Tech Gun Dealer Offers Student Discount, Touts Pistols on Campus
ABC News (USA)
24 April 2008
The owner of an Internet-based firearms store that sold a gun to Virginia Tech shooter Seung-Hui Cho says he is now offering a discount for students who want to carry guns on campus to protect themselves. The company, TGSCOM Inc., also sold two 9mm Glock magazines to Steven Kazmierczak, who killed five people at Northern Illinois University earlier this year. The owner of TGSCOM, Eric Thompson, announced today that for the next... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Dealer Armed Campus Shooters, Touts More Guns to Make US Safer
Green Bay Press Gazette (Wisconsin)
23 April 2008
A Green Bay-based online gun dealer linked to deadly shooting rampages on two college campuses today announced he'll sell guns at cost for two weeks in an effort to arm citizens and prevent future tragedies. Eric Thompson said his company TGSCOM will offer guns to customers April 23 through May 7 for the same price he pays for them. That could mean a savings of $100 on a $500 gun purchase, he said. "I'm not making a dime... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago Newspaper Prints Front Page in Reverse to Highlight Gun Violence
Editor and Publisher (USA)
22 April 2008
CHICAGO -- To draw attention to the launch of a campaign to stop gun violence against children, the Chicago Sun-Times on Tuesday printed its front page in reverse. "Stop the killing," the bold headline read in mirror image. "Turning our backs doesn't help," the newspaper said in normal type beneath a photo of the backs of pedestrians waiting at a street corner. The tabloid said it was kicking off a series examining... ( gunpolicy.org )
World
Internet Sleuths Could Scour Web for Gunmen, Prevent Campus Shootings
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
22 April 2008
Alone in his bedroom, week after week, the young killer-in-waiting stares into his computer screen, plotting the worst and telling the world. But his plans to shoot up his high school or university campus never materialize. Instead, there's an early-morning door knock from police who've been stealthily tracking his online activities. A plausible scenario? Could mass school shootings be averted with cyberspace snooping and... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Weekend of Gun Violence Kills at Least 7, Wounds Dozens in Chicago
Chicago Tribune
22 April 2008
Weekend gun violence in Chicago that sparked heightened concern from city leaders and the public killed at least seven people and left three dozen wounded, officials reported Monday. The weekend shootings came as warm temperatures in the Chicago area drew many people outdoors. Thirteen of the victims were Chicago Public School students, Mayor Richard Daley said Monday. "One thing we know, it's unacceptable. Whether it's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
In Year After Virginia Tech Campus Killings, US Gun Laws Were Relaxed
Sunday Mirror (UK)
20 April 2008
A year ago this week I stood at a candlelight vigil at Virginia Tech University in America and watched a campus mourn. A day earlier Seung-hui Cho, a mentally disturbed undergraduate, armed himself to the teeth, walked calmly into the university building and shot dead 32 students and five members of staff. He then blasted himself in the head. It was the worst college massacre in American history and for days afterwards... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Georgia Lawmaker Claims Support for More Hidden Handguns in US Schools
Augusta Chronicle (Georgia)
19 April 2008
In light of some shootings on college campuses in the past year, some students and faculty in Georgia are pushing for the right to carry handguns on campus. A proposal in the Georgia Legislature earlier this year that would have allowed gun-toting students and faculty on college campuses failed, but part of the legislation remained allowing permitted gun holders on public transit and in restaurants. Some still hold out... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Michigan Students Rally to Oppose 'Guns on Campus' Policy Change
Grand Rapids Press (Michigan)
17 April 2008
GRAND RAPIDS -- About 65 Calvin College students are marching on campus this afternoon to protest a plan to have campus safety supervisors carry handguns. Students carried "no guns" signs and chanted "No more weaponry. We want community," as they walked peacefully from the campus green to the president's home. School leaders plan to begin the gun policy this fall. The board is expected to approve the plan next month, making... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Report on Finland's Campus Mass Shooting Sees Little Hope of Prevention
International Herald Tribune
17 April 2008
TUUSULA, Finland -- Five months after an 18-year-old student killed eight people at a Finnish school before turning the gun on himself, authorities say they can do little to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. A police investigation that wrapped up on Thursday concluded 18-year-old gunman Pekka-Eric Auvinen acted alone in the November 7 shooting. In the days and hours before the massacre the teenager posted messages detailing... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Ignoring Virginia Tech: Hardened Pre-existing Opinions and No Gun Control
Time (USA)
15 April 2008
A year after the deadliest shooting in America, when a sad and angry English major killed 32 people and himself at the Blacksburg campus of Virginia Tech, only modest changes have been made to the country's gun control laws. These days it appears that the most lasting effect of mass-casualty shootings is to harden people's pre-existing opinions on emotionally loaded issues like gun control and privacy rights. While it's true that... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
One Year On, Virginia Tech Survivors Still Coming to Terms with Shooting
Washington Post
15 April 2008
BLACKSBURG, Virginia -- Spring comes fitfully to this Blue Ridge valley, the wind carrying snow flurries one day and kites the next. In the cold sunlight, the dogwoods bloom and then the lilacs, defiant. It is a season of struggle. Derek O'Dell digs out his favorite fleece jacket, studying the holes in one sleeve. April fills him with dread, sounding an internal alarm he can't silence: Something bad is going to happen ... He... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Organisers of Sensitive Virginia Tech Gun Control Lie-in Agree to 2hr Delay
Roanoke Times (Virginia)
15 April 2008
Last week's dispute between gun control advocates supporting a protest at Virginia Tech and university officials and students who thought it would detract from ceremonies to honor April 16 victims has been resolved. Protesters will hold a 32-person lie-in Wednesday on the Drillfield, two hours later than previously planned, on the one-year anniversary of the worst school shootings in U.S. history. The protest will be at... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Pro-gun US Students Lobby to Carry Hidden Handguns on Campus, in Class
CNN
15 April 2008
CINCINNATI, Ohio -- "Would you rather just sit there and cower underneath a desk when someone executes you or would you rather have a chance to defend your life? That's what it really boils down to." Michael Flitcraft, a 23-year-old sophomore at the University of Cincinnati, has become a leading advocate for college students to carry weapons on campus. He's an organizer for Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, a grass-roots organization... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Illinois Police Warned to Stop Concealing Campus Killer's Gun Licence Info
Daily Herald (Chicago)
14 April 2008
SPRINGFIELD -- The Freedom of Information Act guarantees that anyone, not just reporters, can obtain copies of public records kept by the government. The Daily Herald filed a FOIA request to the Illinois State Police for the gun card information of the man who shot and killed five students and then himself two months ago in a Northern Illinois University lecture hall. Though police officials replied within the seven working-day... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Control Protest Must Not Contribute to 'Unbearable Pain' at Virginia Tech
Virginian-Pilot (Virginia), Editorial
13 April 2008
Gun control groups wishing to protest on the Virginia Tech campus this week should abide by the physician's maxim to "First, do no harm." Wednesday is the first anniversary of the rampage that took the lives of 32 students and faculty, in addition to their killer. Tech officials have organized memorial events on the Drillfield that will be attended by families who lost children and spouses in the tragedy. The Brady Campaign... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
One Year After Virginia Tech Killings, Search For a Solution Remains Elusive
International Herald Tribune / AP
13 April 2008
NARROWS, Virginia -- Allen Neely eases his Chrysler Pacifica onto the bridge named in honor of Jarrett Lane, who grew up in this tiny town near the West Virginia border. Jarrett, Neely says quietly, always wanted to build a bridge. Under the back seat are two pistols. Neely keeps them close these days. He and his construction crew were in Virginia Tech's Norris Hall on April 16 when a mentally ill student went on a rampage -- killing... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Colorado College Students Want Law to Allow Hidden Handguns at School
Associated Press
12 April 2008
COLORADO SPRINGS -- College students who say they're powerless against campus attacks by gunmen want to push legislators and school administrators to let them arm themselves. In the wake of recent campus shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University, a nationwide student group called Students for Concealed Carry on Campus says they've recruited 25,000 members in the last year. John Davis, a 30-year-old University... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Firearm Violence Debate, Gun Control Draw Crowd to Pittsburgh Campus
Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh)
10 April 2008
Two weeks before he was killed in the Columbine High School shootings, Daniel Mauser asked his father a question that Tom Mauser now considers fundamental to the debate on guns and handgun violence in America: "Dad, did you know there are loopholes in the Brady [Handgun Violence Prevention] Act?" Mr. Mauser repeated that question yesterday at the National Symposium on Handgun Violence at Duquesne University's Power Center.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Virginia Tech Refuses Campus Rally Permit for National Gun Control Group
Richmond Times-Dispatch (Virginia)
8 April 2008
Virginia Tech said yesterday that it will not allow a national gun-control advocacy group to hold a campus demonstration on April 16 while the school commemorates last year's massacre. Tech spokesman Larry Hincker said neither the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence nor the co-sponsor of the planned demonstration, ProtestEasyGuns.com, had applied for an assembly permit, and even if they had, Tech only issues permits to student... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Teacher Arrested After Students Find Handgun in Her Class
Los Angeles Times
4 April 2008
A Santa Ana elementary school teacher was arrested after students found a handgun and ammunition in the drawer of a supply cabinet of her classroom, officials said Thursday. Jayne DeArmond, 51, a third-grade teacher at Diamond Elementary School, was arrested on charges of felony possession of a firearm on a campus and misdemeanor child endangerment after students discovered the unloaded handgun and ammunition about 11:15 a.m. Wednesday,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
FBI Probes Florida Gun Owner's Threat to Re-enact Virginia Tech Massacre
Associated Press
4 April 2008
HOMESTEAD, Florida -- A 20-year-old with a weapons cache that included AK-47s was arrested Friday in South Florida on federal charges of threatening to re-enact the Virginia Tech massacre, the U.S. attorney's office said. Local authorities had arrested Calin Chi Wong at his home last week after finding 13 firearms and more than 5,000 rounds of ammunition, some that could pierce armor, and bullets that could take down aircraft or... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Guns, Fear, the Constitution, and the Public's Health in America - NEJM
New England Journal of Medicine (USA), 358:14:1421-1424, Opinion
3 April 2008
It is 1992, and schoolmates Yoshihiro Hattori and Webb Haymaker have been invited to a Halloween party. Yoshi, a 16-year-old exchange student and avid dancer, wears a white tuxedo like John Travolta's in Saturday Night Fever. By mistake, they stop at a house up the block from their destination. No one answers the doorbell. Inside are Rodney and Bonnie Peairs. She opens a side door momentarily, sees the boys, and yells to her husband,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
20 Chicago Public School Students Fatally Shot So Far This School Year
Washington Post
2 April 2008
CHICAGO -- Chavez Clarke, 18, had spent this past Saturday taking catch-up classes so he could graduate on time. As he left a South Side high school that afternoon, he was fatally shot, in broad daylight and in plain view of other students. His death marked a grim end to a week when police and school officials had stepped up their efforts to combat a spike in killings of public school students. The day before, an eighth-grader at... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
300 Rally for Gun Control Following Shooting Death of 20th Chicago Student
Chicago Sun-Times
1 April 2008
Three hundred anti-violence activists and Chicago Public Schools students joined local leaders in their fight for gun control this morning following the shooting death of an 18-year-old Simeon Career Academy student over the weekend. "It's up to the children to tell the adults to do what's right," Mayor Daley said while standing outside the Thompson Center next to 20 empty desks representing the 20 CPS students killed in shootings... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Another US 7-year-old Brings Loaded Guns to School, This Time in Baltimore
CNN
1 April 2008
A 7-year-old first-grader showed up at school Monday with two loaded handguns, Baltimore County, Maryland, police told CNN Tuesday. One of the guns was discovered about 10:15 a.m. when it fell out of the student's pocket at Randallstown Elementary School, just outside of Baltimore, police said. The teacher immediately took the student to the office and police were called. After police arrived, they searched the child's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Several Hundred Children, Teachers, Mayor Rally for Gun Control in Illinois
CNN / AP
1 April 2008
CHICAGO, Illinois -- Twenty desks -- enough to fill a classroom -- sat empty in a downtown plaza Tuesday, each bearing a pair of sneakers and representing a Chicago Public Schools student killed by gunfire this school year. Several hundred more sat empty in city schools, as busloads of teens skipped classes to attend a gun-control rally -- their absences sanctioned by the district, whose CEO says he's angry that too many students... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
America's Founders Didn't Foresee Bloodshed, Mass Murder on Campus
Austin American-Statesman (Texas), Opinion
31 March 2008
"Who are the militia? Are they not ourselves? [T]he unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of the government, but in the hands of the people." -- Federalist Tench Coxe proposing the Right to Bear Arms in 1791 Today gun legislation is plagued by loopholes and lack of information, the power of the sword is, unfortunately, increasingly to be found in the hands of our children and mentally ill. Two centennials ago, Coxe could... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Campaign for Students, Staff to Carry Guns on Campus Fizzles in Oklahoma
Associated Press
31 March 2008
Oklahoma City -- After strong protests, Oklahoma Senate leaders decided Monday to shelve a bill to allow military veterans and others with firearms training to carry concealed weapons on college campuses. Sen. Mike Johnson, a Republican, said he and Sen. Johnnie Crutchfield, a Democrat, made a joint decision to leave the bill off the agenda of the committee that would debate the measure. According to Crutchfield, he and... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Murder Now Leading Cause of US Youth Death: 81 Percent Is Gun Homicide
New York Times / AP
27 March 2008
CHICAGO -- The morning trip to school for dozens of teenagers here had all the normal signs: bleary eyes, oversized jackets zipped up against the chill, the seemingly endless wait for the bus. But there was tension underlying the routine: The trip was under the watchful eyes of parents, an alderman, a principal and police. The escort to and from Crane Tech High School this week, dubbed "Operation Safe Passage" is just one... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Oklahoma Legislators Encourage Students, Staff to Carry Guns on Campus
Bloomberg (USA)
27 March 2008
Oklahoma lawmakers have a plan to prevent violent outbreaks at colleges: let students carry guns. The state's House of Representatives voted March 13 to allow students and employees who have law-enforcement or military backgrounds, or who undergo training, to carry concealed weapons on public campuses. If the measure is enacted, Oklahoma will be the fourth state where collegians can be armed legally, as a result of legislative,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago Public School Students Just Hope to Survive Each Violent Day
Chicago Defender (Illinois)
26 March 2008
Five Chicago Public School (CPS) students were shot and killed in the first two weeks of March, bringing the year's total to 18. But amid the media uproar, a critical set of victims has been overlooked; the students left behind, who struggle to lead normal high school lives in a culture of gun violence and death. The Defender met with a group of 16 and 17-year-old Black male students at John Hope College Prep High School,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Dealer Armed 2 School Shooters, Now Lobbies for Guns on Campus
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wisconsin)
24 March 2008
MILWAUKEE -- If gun dealer Eric Thompson had his way, college students would carry more than just books. In his vision, the next college shooter is thwarted by a student armed with one of Thompson's guns -- averting a massacre, saving lives. Thompson's Internet-based business TGSCOM Inc. sold weapons to the shooters at both Northern Illinois and Virginia Tech universities. First, he said, he felt grief for the victims.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Council Seeks Mandatory Jail Time for Illegal Gun Carrying Near LA Schools
Los Angeles Times
18 March 2008
Suzette Gutierrez knows Aragon Avenue Elementary. It's where she first went to school in the 1980s, where she served as a teachers assistant two decades later and where she now sends her two girls. Until recently, Gutierrez, 28, would never have thought about moving. But now she's not so sure. A recent rash of high-profile shootings has her Cypress Park neighborhood on edge and local officials scrambling to ensure that... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Bill to Allow Oklahomans to Carry Hidden Handguns on College Campuses
Associated Press
14 March 2008
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Legislation that would allow concealed weapons on college campuses in Oklahoma was approved by the state House Thursday despite opponents who said putting more guns on campus makes no sense following recent massacres at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University. "This has to be the craziest thing I have ever seen," said Rep. Ray McCarter, D-Marlow, one of several lawmakers who said the measure is opposed by... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Illinois Campus Killer Shot Himself in Mouth After Killing 5, Wounding 18
Associated Press
14 March 2008
DEKALB, Illinois -- A former Northern Illinois University graduate student who opened fire inside a lecture hall died when he put a gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger, according to partial autopsy results released Friday by the university. Steven Kazmierczak, 27, also had trace amounts of cold medicine, nicotine and alprazolam -- the generic name for the anti-anxiety drug Xanax -- in his bloodstream when he fatally wounded... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United Nations
Global Gun Trade Treaty Eludes Student Consensus in Canada's Model UN
South Asian Focus (Ontario)
13 March 2008
Leave it to our kids to make the rules, and the world could well become a better place. Resolutions they recently undertook as simulated United Nations members included far more rigorous regulation of the arms trade -- and in some instances an effective ban on arms transfer to potential global hot spots. The Sri Lankan delegation suggested a non-partisan body composed of 15 neutral third-party diplomats have to power to... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Iowa Idea Offers Free College Tuition to Cops Willing to Carry Guns in Class
Quad-City Times (Iowa)
12 March 2008
A proposal to put armed police officers in Iowa college classrooms may get a vote of support tonight from the Davenport City Council. The council will hear a presentation for "Cops on Campus," a proposal by Davenport police detective Greg Keller that would permit officers to take college courses tuition-free. However, the officers would be required to be equipped with a cell phone that is interactive with a school's security system... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Despite All the Loss at Virginia Tech, Very Few Changes Made to Gun Laws
Virginian-Pilot (Virginia)
10 March 2008
RICHMOND -- As Andrew Goddard sat by his son's bedside at a hospital near Blacksburg on April 16, he prayed. If Colin survived after being shot four times by a fellow Virginia Tech student who had failed to receive mental health treatment, Goddard vowed to dedicate himself to making sure no other father would have to live his nightmare. Nearly a year later, as the first General Assembly session after the Virginia Tech shootings... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
America's Handgun Problem Can't Be Ignored - Ban Pistols for All But Police
Waterloo and Cedar Falls Courier (Iowa), Opinion
9 March 2008
We recently witnessed, yet again, another case of firearm violence with the shooting deaths of five people on the Northern Illinois University campus. One of the most surprising things in the aftermath was an almost complete lack of discussion on the topic of gun control. The conversation that did occur centered mostly on keeping guns out of the hands of the mentally unstable. Have we as a country given up on the notion of limiting access... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
To Revive Hunting & Shooting, US Schools Bring Guns Back Into Classroom
New York Times
8 March 2008
MORGANTOWN, West Virginia -- When David Helms was in seventh grade, he would take his .22-caliber rifle to school, put a box of ammunition in his locker and, like virtually all the other boys, lean his rifle against a wall in the principal's office so he could start hunting squirrels and groundhogs as soon as classes let out. The number of hunting licenses bought in West Virginia dropped 20 percent in the last decade. Now, when... ( gunpolicy.org )
Israel, Palestine
Killer Shoots 8 in Jewish Seminary Before Armed Targets Can Respond
Reuters
7 March 2008
JERUSALEM -- A Palestinian gunman shot dead at least eight people at a Jewish religious school in Jerusalem, but Israel said the killings would not derail U.S.-sponsored peace talks. "It was a slaughterhouse," Yehuda Meshi-Zahav, head of the Zaka emergency service, said of the scene on Thursday night at the Merkaz Harav seminary, one of the city's most prominent Jewish educational centers. There was no immediate claim of... ( gunpolicy.org )
Israel, Palestine
8 Killed in Shooting at Jerusalem Seminary Before Gunman Shot Dead
Los Angeles Times
6 March 2008
JERUSALEM -- A man concealing an automatic weapon in a cardboard box slipped into a Jewish seminary here and opened fire in the library Thursday night, killing at least eight people in Israel's worst terrorist attack in nearly two years. Jerusalem Police Chief Aharon Franco said the attack lasted more than 10 minutes before an Israeli army officer killed the assailant. Rescue workers said at least 10 people were wounded.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Israel, Palestine
Palestinian Shooter Surprises Armed Israeli Student Soldiers, Shoots 8 Dead
Associated Press
6 March 2008
JERUSALEM, Israel -- A gunman entered the library of a rabbinical seminary and opened fire on a crowded nighttime study session Thursday, killing eight people and wounding nine before he was slain, police and rescue workers said. It was the first major militant attack in Jerusalem in more than four years. Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip praised the operation in a statement, and thousands of Palestinians took to the streets of... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
Arsenal of Illegal Guns Sees 'Deceitful' Head Teacher Jailed, Struck Off in UK
BBC News
5 March 2008
A former primary school head teacher has been struck off after a disciplinary hearing was told he was "deceitful" about his arsenal of guns. Martin Wynn Davies, from Wrexham, was jailed for four years in 2006 for keeping 21 weapons, including revolvers and semi-automatic pistols and rifles. He bought guns after tightening of laws following the Dunblane massacre. The committee ruled his crimes were "fundamentally... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Global Arms Trade Treaty the Focus of Canada's Annual Mock UN Debate
Mississauga News (Ontario)
5 March 2008
Provocative Canadian journalist Gwynne Dyer will give the keynote address on the arms trade when Peel District School Board students gather on Friday for their 13th annual United Nations model assembly. Students from 24 schools will assume their chosen member nation's position and participate in a simulated UN debate. They'll debate a resolution that focuses on the creation of an international arms trade treaty that will... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Shop Where Illinois Campus Killer Legally Bought Guns Shuts Down
Chicago Sun-Times
5 March 2008
CHAMPAIGN -- The backyard gun shop where Northern Illinois University gunman Steven Kazmierczak bought five guns has closed. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent Thomas Ahern says the owner of Tony's Guns and Ammo in Champaign gave up his federal gun dealer's license this week and closed. Kazmierczak was a graduate student at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. He legally bought... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US School Shooting Solution: Arizona Bill Promotes More Guns on Campus
New York Times
5 March 2008
PHOENIX -- Horrified by recent campus shootings, a state lawmaker here has come up with a proposal in keeping with the Taurus .22-caliber pistol tucked in her purse: Get more guns on campus. The lawmaker, State Senator Karen S. Johnson, has sponsored a bill, which the Senate Judiciary Committee approved last week, that would allow people with a concealed weapons permit -- limited to those 21 and older here -- to carry their firearms... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Virginia Tech Killer Bought His Handguns Legally, Killed 33 'By the Book'
Virginian-Pilot (Virginia)
3 March 2008
The two handguns that took 33 lives at Virginia Tech on April 16 were bought by the book -- as it was written then. Seung-Hui Cho ordered the first gun -- a .22-caliber Walther -- on Feb. 2, 2007, online at www.thegunsource.com. The Web site is run by TGSCOM, the same company that sold two Glock magazines to the ex-student who killed five on the Northern Illinois campus last month. Firearms can be purchased over the Internet... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Nothing's Over the Line for Virginia's Tooled-up Suburban Gun Lobby
Virginian-Pilot (Virginia), Opinion
2 March 2008
I recently attended a town hall meeting in Fairfax County where about half of the audience was armed, including a woman directly behind me with a big shiny pistol strapped to her thigh. I grew up in the Shenandoah Valley, and I don't flinch at the sight of a shotgun on the back of a pick-up cab. But I was startled by the two dozen pistol-packing suburbanites filing into a government center for a chat about school funding. The... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Frightened US Students, Faculty, Parents Lobby to Carry Guns on Campus
Philadelphia Inquirer (Pennsylvania)
1 March 2008
Along with books, laptop and cell phone, there is something else that Jeremy Clark thinks is essential to bring to class: his gun. The Villanova University law student said the sickening spate of campus shootings, from Virginia Tech to Northern Illinois University, left him feeling vulnerable without his Glock 9mm semiautomatic handgun. "If I'm in a classroom where a shooting is taking place, I'd like a chance to be able... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US: Close Gun Show Loophole, Ban Assault Weapons, Limit 1-gun-a-month
New York Times, Editorial
1 March 2008
The Valentine's Day massacre at Northern Illinois University, like the killings at places such as Columbine High School and Virginia Tech, has evoked expressions of horror and sympathy and familiar questions about the killer's motives and mental health. Atrocities like these make Americans feel angry and perhaps helpless. Our political leaders are not helpless. They could match public shock with prompt, concerted and effective action... ( gunpolicy.org )
Pakistan
Boy's 'Obnoxious' Text Messages Led to Gunshot Injury at Pakistani School
Daily Times (Lahore)
29 February 2008
ISLAMABAD -- A student on Thursday was accidentally shot and injured in a scuffle between two other students in front of Federal Government Model School for Boys, I-8/4. Industrial Area police said that 16-year-old Abdul Rehman, a grade nine student of the said school, was injured when 17-year-old Ansar Muhammad, a student of private technical institute located in Sector H-8, allegedly opened fire on Usman -- the victim's schoolfellow.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Eight Wounded in Two Simultaneous Los Angeles School, Street Shootings
CBS News (USA)
28 February 2008
LOS ANGELES, California -- At least eight people have been wounded in shootings outside a fast food restaurant and a school in south Los Angeles. LAPD Spokesman Jason Lee says the gunfire happened just after 3 p.m. pacific time outside a Jack in the Box restaurant. Another shooting happened at the same time at nearby Carver Middle School. Two of the injured in that shooting are believed to be students. The fire department... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Twelve US States Mull Bills to Allow Hidden Handguns on Campus, in Class
Los Angeles Times, Column
25 February 2008
I am having a recurring nightmare. It takes place in a lecture hall at Anywhere State College during a tedious presentation on the history of video games. The only alert person in the class, a straight-A student majoring in Wi-Fi, suddenly notices an unfamiliar male entering the room. He is wearing a hooded sweat shirt because it is cold outside and the wind is blowing, but it makes him look like a convenience store crook.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
America's Troubling Culture of Gun Violence 'Aberration In Civilized World'
Marin Independent Journal (California), Editorial
24 February 2008
Fatal shootings have become so commonplace that it takes something truly horrific to get national attention. Even then, after the outrage subsides, little is done about a level of carnage that is an aberration in the civilized world. And even as we try to make sense of the latest wave of senseless killings, the body count keeps piling up. - A disgruntled resident opened fire at Kirkwood City Hall in Missouri. Charles... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
More US Students to Carry Guns in Class? 'Not While Adults Are in Control'
Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh)
24 February 2008
Nathaniel Sheetz knows he and other Penn State University students are protected by armed campus police. Just the same, he'd like to start bringing his own gun to class. If someone were to pull out a weapon and start shooting, he argues, he and his classmates could be dead in seconds before those officers arrive. Mr. Sheetz belongs to a group whose controversial message is getting more attention after a string of school... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Politics-as-usual in US Gun Violence Debate Unacceptable: Reform Gun Law
Arizona Daily Sun, Editorial
24 February 2008
It is interesting to compare the responses in the Midwest and Arizona to the latest mass killing on a college campus. In Illinois, officials want to know how the shooter at Northern Illinois University, who had a history of mental illness, obtained his weapons so easily and what, if anything, could have been done to keep him on medications for his depression In Arizona, the reaction in the Legislature is to tout a bill making it... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Politicians Creeping Around a Debate That Has Citizens Up in Arms
Sydney Morning Herald
23 February 2008
On the third day at his new school in Montgomery County, Maryland, my nine-year-old son came home and excitedly told me they had spent the morning practising code red and code blue. Code blue, he told me, was when there was a threat outside the school. The school would be locked down, the blinds closed but lessons would continue. "And code red?" I asked, horrified. "That's when the threat is inside the school, Mum. That's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
America Need Students, Teachers to Be Armed and Ready to Shoot Back
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia), Opinion
22 February 2008
Another tragic, senseless shooting, this time at Northern Illinois University, has again brought the gun issue to the forefront. However, have you ever thoughtfully considered just how we got to where we are regarding the ownership of firearms? Our nation was founded and evolved as a uniquely free society during the same time that modern firearms were invented and became readily available due to the Industrial Revolution. Combine... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
School Shootings: Honor the Dead by Curtailing Availability of Guns
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia), Opinion
22 February 2008
Last month, my colleagues and I at Georgia Gwinnett College led a field trip to the General Assembly. Students had the opportunity to witness debate on an important -- albeit misguided -- proposed law: one permitting many Georgians to keep guns in their cars at work. When our three-hour visit was over, the gun bill, House Bill 89, had passed the Senate by a wide majority. Another measure is in the works that would allow guns on... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US: Close Gun Show Loophole, Limit Sales to 1 Handgun a Month - Brady
Huffington Post (USA), Blog
21 February 2008
Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and families touched by the recent gun violence at Northern Illinois University. At a time when the country confronts one mass shooting after another -- six separate multiple murders across the country in just the first two weeks of February -- the nation is faced with a critical choice: Do we give up and say we can't do anything about these tragedies? Or do we take common-sense steps... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
In Response to Campus Shootings, Utah Students Pack Hidden Handguns
CNN / CNNU, Web Page
20 February 2008
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- The senior at the University of Utah gets dressed and then decides which gun is easiest to conceal under his clothes. If he's wearing a T-shirt, he'll take a smaller, low-profile gun to class. If he's wearing a coat, he may carry a different weapon, he said. He started carrying a gun to class after the massacre at Virginia Tech, but the student says he's not part of the problem of campus shootings... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Thousands Denied Gun Permits for Mental Illness: Not Illinois Campus Killer
Chicago Sun-Times
19 February 2008
Thousands of mentally ill people have been barred from holding gun permits in Illinois over the last five years. But even though he had undergone mental treatment since his teens, 27-year-old Northern Illinois University killer Steve Kazmierczak was not one of them. Police are seeking Kazmierczak's medical records, which could determine whether there was a breakdown in the state's system for keeping mentally ill people... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Editor 'Inundated' with Letters to Allow Guns on Campus: Police Say No
New Hampshire (University of New Hampshire), Editorial
19 February 2008
He's an avid hunter, supports the NRA, believes in the importance of the second amendment ... and still feels that allowing guns on college campuses is a bad idea. No, ladies and gentlemen, I'm not making this up. He does exist, and he even has a letter published in the very paper you're holding. His name is Paul H. Dean, and he's the Deputy Chief of Police and Emergency Operations Coordinator for the UNHPD. I caught up with Deputy... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Vulnerable US Schools Need Protection: Let Professors Like Me Carry Guns
Chicago Tribune, Opinion
19 February 2008
Thirty-nine students attend my American literature seminar this semester. Our classroom is the first one you see on the left, as you enter the unlocked humanities building. If a psychotic gunman were searching for a tight cluster of multiple bodies -- an easy target for seeking revenge, casting out demons, achieving immortality or whatever else his perverse purpose happens to be -- he would find my classroom door wide open. He could... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Illinois May Need to Tighten New Law on Mental Health of Gun Buyers
Associated Press
18 February 2008
CHICAGO -- Illinois lawmakers moved swiftly after last year's massacre at Virginia Tech to make it harder for anyone with a history of mental illness to buy guns, fortifying what were already some of the nation's toughest weapons laws. But the new measure does not take effect until June. And whether it would have prevented last week's bloodbath at Northern Illinois University is far from clear. Steven Kazmierczak, the 27-year-old... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Mental Illness No Bar to Campus Killer Legally Buying Guns in Illinois: Lawyer
Chicago Sun-Times
18 February 2008
Northern Illinois University killer Steve Kazmierczak struggled with mental illness but wasn't barred from buying guns, raising questions about whether Illinois does enough to flag psychotic buyers. "For anyone to suggest that there is [adequate] screening for individuals with psychosis is folly," said St. Charles attorney Michael Roe, who focuses on psychological issues in the law. "Because of his history, [Kazmierczak]... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Obama, Clinton, Illinois Shooting Generate Litmus Test of US Gun Politics
USA Today, Editorial
18 February 2008
It may seem callous to say so, but there's no better litmus test for where the USA stands on gun violence than a deadly school shooting during a closely fought presidential race. After Thursday's senseless rampage at Northern Illinois University -- where police say Steven Kazmierczak, 27, fatally shot five before shooting himself -- reporters sought out the two Democrats, presumably more sympathetic than Republicans to gun control. What... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Silence on US Domestic Gun Terrorism: Let's Fight the Enemy Within U.S.
Chicago Tribune, Column
18 February 2008
If a man or woman campaigning to be the next president of the United States didn't have a detailed plan to fight foreign terrorists, we'd think he or she was wasting our time. So why is it that we aren't demanding the Democratic presidential candidates, Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and Republican front-runner Sen. John McCain have a plan to fight homegrown terrorists? Why does it take the type of violence that... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Campus Killings Spur Lobby to Arm More Students, Teachers in Class
Sydney Morning Herald
18 February 2008
NEW YORK -- In what seems a distinctly American response to a distinctly American problem, last week's Illinois university shooting appears only to have spurred a push to allow students to carry guns. An internet lobby group, Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, wants politicians to overrule university boards that ban guns on campus, so staff and students can arm themselves against attackers. The group, formed last April... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
A Gun for a Gun? No! Carrying More Guns on Campus 'An Absurd Premise'
Charlotte Observer (North Carolina), Editorial
17 February 2008
In one year, Americans have mourned the senseless slaughter of dozens of promising lives in two terrifying mass shootings on college campuses. In each, gunmen burst into classrooms, fired to kill, then took their own lives. The latest horrific violence took place at a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University, leaving six dead and 15 wounded. The 27-year-old shooter was described as "a very good student and a fairly unstressed... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun-Shy US Presidential Candidates Avoid Discussing Campus Shootings
ABC News (USA)
17 February 2008
The deadly shooting at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill., is just the latest example of a growing problem on school campuses across the country. The issue of gun control is certain to be salient in the minds of voters in DeKalb and, for example, Blacksburg, Va., where shots killed 33 people at Virginia Tech University last April. But so far, the Democratic presidential hopefuls have offered no solutions or preventive... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Investigation of Illinois Mass Shooter's Life Touches on Guns, Girlfriend
San Francisco Chronicle / AP
17 February 2008
DeKalb, Illinois -- Steven Kazmierczak, at 27, looked like an average schoolboy -- except that his arms were covered with disturbing images, including a doll from the horror movie "Saw." Professors and students knew him as a bright, helpful scholar, but his past included a stint in a mental health center. Many saw him as happy and stable, but he had developed a recent interest in guns and was involved in a troubled -- possibly... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
More Guns in Class 'Worst Possible Response' to Campus Mass Shootings
San Francisco Chronicle, Editorial
17 February 2008
Stockton 1989. Littleton 1999. Virginia Tech 2007. Add the awful scenes from Northern Illinois University 2008 (above) to the school-shooting horrors that lay further testament to the dangers of firearms in the hands of madmen. The worst possible response to last week's lecture-hall shooting that left five dead would be to rationalize legislation in 12 states (in response to the Virginia Tech massacre) that would allow people with... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
The Real Insanity of Campus Carnage: Availability of Guns in America
Scotsman (Edinburgh), Column
17 February 2008
It was the talk of the campus for a day or two, but I pretty much forgot about it as the weeks became months and the months became years. It only came back to me as news came through of yet another mass killing at a US university. Unlike the slaughter in Illinois on Thursday, the incident back when I was a student had no serious consequences. No one died. No one was hurt. A few people were frightened, but only for a while. There... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
The Topic We Refuse to Tackle: Guns Make US Mass Killings Possible
Baltimore Sun (Maryland), Column
17 February 2008
"I know who killed Benazir Bhutto," the woman said, as she grabbed a shirt, then a sweater, then a jacket, then a coat, gathering them with two arms and pulling the bundle toward her frantically, as if to create a shield of clothing. She backed up on the porch of the house, almost losing her balance, and grabbed a water bottle and a purse off a table. "I would very much like to get a cab. Can you call me a cab? I have tickets for the Meyerhoff... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Senator Touts Law to Prepare America's Campuses for More Shootings
Daily Herald (Chicago)
17 February 2008
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin stressed the need for stricter gun laws during a press conference held at the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago Sunday. The legislation making its way through Capital Hill -- the Campus Law Enforcement Emergency Response Act -- requires every college and university to have written emergency response policies and procedures and a system to promptly alert the campus community in the event of an emergency. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US: Too Many Guns in the Hands of Potentially Deranged or Criminal People
Chicago Sun-Times, Column
17 February 2008
Evan Ramsey, like other school shooters who have stormed into our consciousness, wanted to "check out." He wanted to kill himself. And so when he came to school armed with a .12-gauge shotgun, it was with the intention of gunning down students and faculty. And then the plan was to turn the weapon on himself. But he hesitated. By the time I interviewed him in 1999, Evan had been in prison two years. At just 18, sitting in a neon... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Excellent Student, Ex-US Army Campus Gun Killer Had 'Boy Next Door' Face
Chicago Sun-Times
16 February 2008
DEKALB -- Those closest to Steve Kazmierczak saw 2 sides -- a gifted, dedicated student, but beset by behavioral problems Steve Kazmierczak had gone more than a dozen years without talking to his godfather, Richard Grafer. Until about a month ago. That's when Grafer got a call from his 27-year-old godson with the boy-next-door face. "It was like he was reaching out for someone to talk to, someone he could confide... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Illinois Campus Killer Legally Bought 3 Pistols, Shotgun at Local Gun Shop
New York Times
16 February 2008
DeKALB, Illinois -- The day after five students were gunned down in an afternoon science class on the campus of Northern Illinois University here, survivors struggled to manage their grief as the authorities released more details about the shooting and the gunman. The few students who remained on campus began to formally memorialize the dead, and a silence fell over the university, broken only by the hum of news trucks and the activity... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Illinois Campus Killer Was a Licensed Gun Owner, Firing Legal Guns
Daily Herald (Chicago)
16 February 2008
After 60 minutes in agonizing limbo as she waited to hear if her son, a Northern Illinois University student, survived Thursday's massacre, Connie Catellani doesn't want to wait anymore. The Skokie physician joined other parents and gun-control advocates calling for tougher measures to prevent firearm violence during a Saturday news conference at Oakton Community College. "It was the longest hour of my life," said Catellani,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Illinois, Virginia Campus Killers Both Supplied By Same Licensed Gun Dealer
Chicago Sun-Times
16 February 2008
The Green Bay, Wis., gun dealer who sold Northern Illinois University killer Stephen Kazmierczak empty magazines and a holster for a semi-automatic pistol also sold a gun to the killer in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. "I was just shocked," said Eric Thompson, 34, whose company TGSCOM Inc. sells weapons over the Internet. "There are over 90,000 licensed dealers in the U.S." Thompson's company sold a Walther... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
In Wake of Illinois Campus Killings, Angry US Parents Push for Gun Control
Chicago Tribune
16 February 2008
Like other parents, Vickie Dehner was watching television Thursday afternoon when reports of the Northern Illinois University shootings aired. She was in panic mode when the DeKalb Police Department called, telling her that her daughter, Samantha, had been injured. Police allowed Dehner to speak to her daughter. "Mom, when are you coming?" were some of the first words Samantha uttered. Samantha Dehner, 20, was... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Lawmakers Jump on Illinois Shooting to Urge More Guns on Campus
State Journal-Register (Illinois)
16 February 2008
A state lawmaker and congressional candidate says recent shooting sprees that killed people at Northern Illinois University and a Chicago-area shopping center might have had "different outcomes" if Illinois law allowed citizens to carry concealed firearms. Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Peoria, has proposed the Family and Personal Protection Act, which would require individuals to complete a training course in handgun use, safety and marksmanship... ( gunpolicy.org )
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