United States
Massachusetts Supreme Court Rules Gun Storage Law Not Unconstitutional
Associated Press
10 March 2010
BOSTON, Massachusetts - The highest court in Massachusetts on Wednesday upheld the constitutionality of a state law that requires gun owners to lock weapons in their homes in a ruling applauded by gun-control advocates. The case had been closely watched by both gun-control and gun-rights proponents. Massachusetts prosecutors argued that the law saves lives because it requires guns to be kept in a locked container or equipped... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Student Openly Wears Pistol at Utah University, Insists He Has the Right
Fox News (USA)
9 March 2010
OREM, Utah - A Utah Valley University student says he is within his rights openly displaying a gun while carrying a concealed gun permit, even while on campus. And that is what student Nick Moyes did Friday morning when he was stopped by the campus police and was told to put the gun away. As president of UVU's Republican Club, Moyes was hanging posters for an event when he was detained. "We are allowed to open carry on... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Tiny Ohio Town Faces Lawsuit for Excluding Gun Shop, Banning Guns
Vindicator (Ohio)
9 March 2010
CAMPBELL, California - Council is reconsidering a citywide gun-sales ban after a lawsuit threat. Law director Mark Kolmacic told city council at its caucus meeting last week that a group called Ohioans for Concealed Carry has threatened a lawsuit over the ban, which stemmed from an effort by a Hubbard man to open a gun-repair shop on property he owns at 120 Robinson Road. Kolmacic would not elaborate after the meeting,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Owners Flaunting Weapons in Public 'Expose Rifts' in US Gun Lobby
New York Times
8 March 2010
For years, being able to carry a concealed handgun has been a sacred right for many gun enthusiasts. In defending it, Charlton Heston, the actor and former president of the National Rifle Association, used to say that the flock is safer when the wolves cannot tell the difference between the lions and the lambs. But a grass-roots effort among some gun rights advocates is shifting attention to a different goal: exercising the right... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Pro-gun Lobby Stirs It Up At Starbucks, Obama Fails to Deliver Gun Control
Sunday Times (UK)
8 March 2010
WASHINGTON - It is not exactly Gunfight at the OK Corral -- more like Lattes at High Noon -- but the Starbucks coffee chain has become an unlikely battleground for US gun owners campaigning to carry their weapons openly in public. Last Thursday morning, Jim Snyder walked into a Starbucks cafe in Virginia and ordered a tall hot chocolate without cream. On his left hip was his mobile phone. On his right hip was a semi-automatic Browning... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Supreme Court Gun Control Case Could Have Broad Impact - George Will
Washington Post, Column
8 March 2010
WASHINGTON -- It is said, more frequently than precisely, that the reasons the Supreme Court gives for doing whatever it does are as important as what it does. Actually, the court's reasons are what it does. Hence, the interest in the case the Supreme Court considered last week. It probably will result in a routine ruling that extends a 2008 decision and renders dubious many state and local gun control laws. What could -- but, judging... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Supreme Court Weighs, Could Weaken US State, Local Gun Control Laws
San Francisco Chronicle
7 March 2010
WASHINGTON - Gun-control advocates think, if not pray, they can win by losing when the Supreme Court decides whether the constitutional right to possess guns serves as a check on state and local regulation of firearms. The justices will be deciding whether the Second Amendment - like much of the rest of the Bill of Rights - applies to states as well as the federal government. It's widely believed they will say it does. But... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
America's Love Affair With Firearms Won't Be Quelled By Mere Statistics
Irish Times
6 March 2010
AMERICA -- Cities and states that restrict gun ownership are seeing that prerogative threatened by the Supreme Court "We Americans, we cling proudly to our guns and religion," Sarah Palin, the failed vice-presidential candidate and darling of the Tea Party movement, said at a recent rally for Rick Perry, the Republican governor of Texas. The historian Richard Hofstadter coined the phrase "gun culture" to describe America's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago's Pointless Handgun Ban: Crime Weakens Case for Gun Control
Chicago Tribune, Column
4 March 2010
When Chicago passed a ban on handgun ownership in 1982, it was part of a trend. Washington, D.C., had done it in 1976, and a few Chicago suburbs took up the cause in the following years. They all expected to reduce the number of guns and thus curtail bloodshed. District of Columbia Attorney General Linda Singer told The Washington Post in 2007, "It's a pretty common-sense idea that the more guns there are around, the more gun violence... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Case Courts Disaster: Inevitable Increase in Illegal Gun Trafficking
Philadelphia Inquirer, Editorial
4 March 2010
A gun-rights decision by the Supreme Court two years ago threatened to make it more dangerous to walk the streets of Washington. Now the top court's conservative voting bloc seems intent upon expanding the risk to other U.S. cities by dismantling strong gun-violence safeguards. Chicago's long-standing handgun ban came into the crosshairs of the National Rifle Association this week, as the group sought to extend the reach... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Bill Would Stop Florida Using Hidden Handgun Money for Public Projects
Associated Press
3 March 2010
TALLAHASSEE, Florida - The Florida Senate has passed a bill that will force lawmakers to keep their hands off a trust fund that covers the costs of the state's concealed weapons permitting program. The bill (SB 1158), a top priority for the National Rifle Association, passed Tuesday. It now goes to the House where a similar measure (HB 651) has cleared committee and awaits floor action. The Legislature recently has been... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Constitutional Bookends Close In, Corral US Gun Control Movement
Atlantic (USA), Column
3 March 2010
The second Constitutional bookend corralling the modern American gun control movement is just about in place. The Supreme Court's oral argument Tuesday morning strongly suggests that a majority of the justices intend to extend onto the state and local scene the Second Amendment's individual gun rights. Once such a ruling is in place (bet the house on the last week of June) we'll see a sea change in the way gun ordinances are written, enacted,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Effort to Tighten Minnesota's Gun Show Law Getting Folks Riled Up
Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St Paul)
3 March 2010
From Virginia to Arizona, federal and state gun laws are loosening everywhere from national parks to Amtrak trains. But in St. Paul, a proposal that would send Minnesota in the opposite direction is headed toward its first hearing Friday -- a bill requiring background checks on the purchaser of any firearm sold at a gun show. The proposal pits its DFL sponsor, St. Paul Rep. Michael Paymar, against the mighty arsenal of... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Laws: US Supreme Court Should Toss Out Chicago Handgun Ban
El Paso Times, Editorial
3 March 2010
In 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a strict handgun ban in the District of Columbia. Now the court is considering a strict gun ban in Chicago. But there's a big difference between the two cases. The D.C. case covered only federal jurisdictions. According to a McClatchy Newspapers story, "District of Columbia v. Heller applied only to federal jurisdictions, because the Bill of Rights, as originally written, covers federal... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Lobby Overreacts, Objects to Pennsylvania 'No Shotguns at Work' Rule
Erie Times-News (Pennsylvania), Editorial
3 March 2010
In Albion, an issue that should have been confined to the local level has escalated into a skirmish involving the National Rifle Association. Gun owners are quick to act when they fear their Second Amendment rights are at risk, but in the Albion example, protesters are misfiring. As Tim Hahn reported on Feb. 6, Jeff Paul, 57, was cited by Albion police in November for disorderly conduct. Police say that Paul, chief operator... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Judge Tosses New Zealand Police Reclassification of Assault Weapons
New Zealand Herald
3 March 2010
A High Court decision has set back efforts by police to impose greater controls on a wider range of firearms. The court has ruled against a move by police to reclassify many "sporting configuration" firearms as military-style semi-automatics (MSSAs). Police spent $60,000 advertising the changes. Owners would have had to undergo more stringent vetting, register each affected weapon and have a more expensive gun safe. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
All US Gun Laws Could Be in Jeopardy, Depending on High Court Case
National Public Radio (USA), Transcript
2 March 2010
The U.S. Supreme Court steps back onto the firing range, so to speak, as it takes up the controversial question of gun rights Tuesday. At issue is whether the Second Amendment right to bear arms puts constitutional limits on state and local laws as well as federal laws. For the first 100 years of America's history, the Bill of Rights -- protecting rights of free speech and religion, among others -- limited only what the federal... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Another Landmark Constitutional Duel Over Right to Bear Guns in America
Wall Street Journal
2 March 2010
The Supreme Court today is the scene of a Constitutional duel in a case that will decide if the Second Amendment's guarantee of an individual right to bear arms applies to the states. The answer will determine whether the Court's landmark 2008 decision in District of Columbia v. Heller is a hollow legal anomaly, or if it extends nationwide. In McDonald v. Chicago, the Justices will consider whether the Windy City's ban on handguns... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
At Least 5 US Supreme Court Justices Poised to Relax US Gun Controls
New York Times
2 March 2010
WASHINGTON -- At least five justices appeared poised to expand the scope of the Second Amendment's protection of the right to bear arms on Tuesday, judging from comments at an unusually intense Supreme Court argument. By its conclusion, it seemed plain that the court would extend a 2008 decision that first identified an individual right to own guns to strike down Chicago's gun control law, widely considered the most restrictive... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Black Chicago Supreme Court Plaintiff 'Pawn of Wealthy White Gun Nuts'?
Chicago Sun-Times
2 March 2010
Otis McDonald doesn't care what you think. You can accuse the black inner-city grandfather of betraying Chicago neighborhoods overrun by thugs with guns. Go ahead, call him a pawn of wealthy, white gun-nuts suing to lift the city's handgun ban. But the 76-year-old Morgan Park man who has become the face of one of the most important Second Amendment lawsuits in history wants you to know this: He is not a "showpiece"... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Government Has No Right to Deny Divine Right of US Gun Ownership
Augusta Chronicle (Georgia), Editorial
2 March 2010
In the comedy Roxanne , Steve Martin is a fire chief of an incompetent department that's as likely to start a fire as put one out. "I have a dream," he tells the men after dousing one of their own little fires. "It's not a big dream, it's just a little dream. My dream -- and I hope you don't find this too crazy -- is that I would like the people of this community to feel that if, God forbid, there were a fire, calling the fire department... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
High Court Justices Suggest They May Overturn More US Gun Control Laws
Associated Press
2 March 2010
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court suggested Tuesday it will strike down U.S. cities' outright bans on handguns, a ruling that could establish a nationwide ownership right fervently sought by gun advocates. But the justices indicated less severe limits could survive, continuing disputes over the "right to keep and bear arms." Chicago area residents who want handguns for protection in their homes are asking the court to extend its 2008... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Learning from DC Handgun Ban: Less Gun Control Leads to Less Crime
Washington Times, Editorial
2 March 2010
The year after the Supreme Court struck down the District of Columbia's handgun ban and gun-lock requirements, the capital city's murder rate plummeted 25 percent. The high court should keep that in mind today as it hears oral arguments about a Chicago handgun ban. Gun controllers screamed to high heaven that impending disaster would follow the court's decision to junk some of the district's gun controls. One of those screaming... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Starbucks: Allowing American Customers to Wear Guns Is Just Business
Associated Press
2 March 2010
SEATTLE -- Coffee chain Starbucks said Wednesday it's sticking to its policy of letting customers carry guns where it's legal and is asking not to be put in the middle of a larger gun-control debate. The company's statement, issued Wednesday, stems from recent campaign by some gun owners, who have walked into Starbucks and other businesses to test state laws that allow gun owners to carry weapons openly in public places. Now,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Supreme Court Likely to Strike Down Some US Gun Laws, But How Many?
Talk Radio News (USA)
2 March 2010
Even liberal Justices seemed to agree in today's Supreme Court oral arguments that the Second Amendment must prevent cities and states from passing certain gun regulations. The Supreme Court in 2008 ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to bear firearms, but that ruling applied to only the federal government, and today's case, McDonald v. Chicago, raised the question of whether states as well are prevented from restricting... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Supreme Court Poised to Rule on Chicago's Longstanding Handgun Ban
ABC News (USA)
2 March 2010
Otis McDonald, 76, is afraid for his life in his crime-saturated Chicago neighborhood and he is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn his city's strict ban on handguns in the home. "In my home, this is the only time I worry," McDonald said. "There's more guns coming into this city than the police can take away from them. So if I've got a gun, and if others have guns in their homes to protect themselves, then that's one thing... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Supreme Court Refuses to Release Same-day Audio of US Gun Ban Case
Associated Press
2 March 2010
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court is declining to release the audio of Tuesday's high-profile argument over gun rights upon its conclusion. Spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said the court turned down a request by broadcasters, often made in closely watched cases, to provide the same-day audio recordings of the argument. With television cameras and reporters' tape recorders barred from the court, the availability of audio provides the public... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Supreme Court Seems Ready to Up-end Gun Control in US Cities, States
Christian Science Monitor
2 March 2010
WASHINGTON - The US Supreme Court appears to be on verge of extending the constitutional protection of the Second Amendment's right to keep and bear arms to every jurisdiction in the nation. During an hour-long oral argument at the high court on Tuesday, several justices exhibited a willingness to enforce their landmark 2008 gun-rights decision at the state and local level. If they do so, the decision may doom not only... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Supreme Court Considers National Expansion of Right to Bear Arms
Reuters
2 March 2010
The Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared likely to extend the federal right to own guns to state and local governments, but some justices said firearms still could face regulations and restrictions. In a legal challenge to Chicago's 28-year-old handgun ban, the high court seemed deeply divided along conservative and liberal lines in considering how broadly to extend its landmark 2008 ruling that individual Americans have a federal... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Virginia Allows Hidden Handguns in Bars - As Long As Owners Don't Drink
Washington Post, Blog
2 March 2010
Gun-rights supporters had reason to cheer Tuesday after the Virginia General Assembly gave final approval to a bill allowing concealed weapons permit holders to enter restaurants that serve alcohol. Two other bills friendly to gun owners also won final approval. On a day when the U.S. Supreme Court was hearing perhaps the most widely followed Second Amendment case in years, Virginia's House of Delegates gave final passage to a Senate... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Virginia Democrats Aim to Quash Gun Lobby Bills in 'Gun-running State'
Richmond Times-Dispatch (Virginia)
2 March 2010
A number of House of Delegates bills that would make it easier to purchase, carry and use guns have been routed to a newly created Senate subcommittee loaded with legislators opposed to expanding gun rights. Sen. Henry L. Marsh III, D-Richmond, chairman of the Democrat-controlled Senate Courts of Justice Committee, announced the shift. The new panel appears to be an attempt to defeat firearms legislation that would stand... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Handpicked Gun Owners the 'Face' of Drive to Lobby US Supreme Court
Associated Press
1 March 2010
CHICAGO -- A couple worries that burglars who tried to break in when the wife was home alone will return. A retiree fears the drug dealers and junkies just outside his window will attempt -- again -- to steal what he spent a lifetime earning. And a businessman wants to protect himself as he could when he was a police officer. Together, they are the face of the most serious challenge yet to Chicago's 28-year-old handgun ban. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Right of Americans to Protect Themselves Against Other People's Guns
New York Times, Editorial
1 March 2010
Two years ago, the Supreme Court struck down parts of the District of Columbia's gun-control law. On Tuesday, the court will consider whether that decision should apply everywhere in the country, not just in the federal territory of the nation's capital. We disagreed strongly with the 2008 decision, which took an expansive and aggressive view of the right to bear arms. But there is an even broader issue at stake in the new case:... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Second Amendment Has Become a Frivolous Challenge to Gun Law
San Francisco Chronicle, Opinion
1 March 2010
In 2006, Harvey Jackson pleaded guilty to illegal drug distribution and firearm possession after he was caught selling cocaine out of his home. Two years later, when the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Second Amendment protects a right to possess a firearm in the home for self-defense, however, Jackson challenged his conviction, arguing that the amendment guaranteed his right to keep a gun to protect himself while conducting his home drug... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Campaign Grows as More US Gun Owners Flaunt Handguns in Starbucks
Associated Press
28 February 2010
Dale Welch recently walked into a Starbucks in Virginia, handgun strapped to his waist, and ordered a banana Frappuccino with a cinnamon bun. He says the firearm drew a double-take from at least one customer, but not a peep from the baristas. Welch's foray into the coffeehouse was part of an effort by some gun owners to exercise and advertise their rights in states that allow people to openly carry firearms. Even in some... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Lobbyists Packing Handguns Startle San Francisco Beachgoers
Associated Press
28 February 2010
SAN FRANCISCO, California - Men and women, armed with handguns strapped to their sides in holsters, fanned out across San Francisco's Baker Beach to help pick up trash and to increase awareness of gun-owners' rights. Robert Montgomery, 39, of San Jose, said he joined in the event Saturday to get out the message that "it's not just criminals who carry guns." Montgomery also wore a miniature video camera and recorded audio... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Ohio Gun Owners Push Obama Fear Factor, Hidden Handgun Permits Soar
Cleveland Plain Dealer (Ohio)
27 February 2010
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio issued a record 56,691 concealed handgun licenses in 2009, shattering the previous one-year high of 45,497 set in 2004, according to the state attorney general's office. That means Ohio is now approaching 200,000 concealed permits issued since 2004, when the state started handing out licenses to qualified people. And those for and against tougher gun control laws agree the smoking gun for the 2009... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Supreme Court Tipped to Loosen Reins on City, State Gun Control
Associated Press
27 February 2010
WASHINGTON - Gun control advocates are hoping they can win by losing when the Supreme Court rules on state and local regulation of firearms. The justices will be deciding whether the right to possess guns guaranteed by the Second Amendment -- like much of the rest of the Bill of Rights -- applies to states as well as the federal government. It's widely believed they will say it does. But even if the court strikes down handgun... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Supreme Court Decision Could Further Weaken Gun Laws Across America
USA Today
26 February 2010
WASHINGTON -- In 2008, when national gun rights advocates were looking for residents to challenge Chicago's ban on handguns, Otis McDonald was in effect looking for them. McDonald, 76, says he had seen his neighborhood on the far South Side of Chicago turn from bad to worse over the years with "gangbangers and drug dealers." "My wife and I are here alone all the time now," says McDonald, a retired maintenance engineer, who with... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Lobby Targets California Sheriff's Hidden Handgun Permit Policy
Orange County Register (California), Blog
25 February 2010
Sheriff Sandra Hutchens prompted guffaws from some Second Amendment stalwarts when she said at a Feb. 9 candidate forum that she's approved 90 percent of applications for concealed weapons permits. In fact, she's significantly tightened distribution criteria. There are 22 percent fewer CCW permits than when Hutchens was appointed to the job in 2008. And most permits she's approved come with restrictions absent from permits issued... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Fearing Imagined Obama Agenda, US States Push to Loosen Gun Laws
New York Times
24 February 2010
When President Obama took office, gun rights advocates sounded the alarm, warning that he intended to strip them of their arms and ammunition. And yet the opposite is happening. Mr. Obama has been largely silent on the issue while states are engaged in a new and largely successful push for expanded gun rights, even passing measures that have been rejected in the past. In Virginia, the General Assembly approved a bill last... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Laws Loosen in US, Even as Gun Policy Changes Little Under Obama
CBS News (USA) / Political Hotsheet, Blog
24 February 2010
Gun rights advocates are pushing for a slew of new laws in numerous states to loosen gun control, the New York Times reports, in anticipation of stricter gun control laws from the Obama administration. Those policies, however, have yet to materialize. Because he campaigned on promises to make the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent, to close the loophole that allows unlicensed dealers to sell firearms at gun shows without... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Colorado University Embroiled in Debate Over Hidden Handguns in Class
National Public Radio (USA), Transcript
22 February 2010
Across the U.S., most public universities ban students and faculty from carrying concealed handguns on campus. Colorado State University has, up until now, been one of the few exceptions to this rule. But now, campus leadership wants to change the policy, and that's not sitting well with students and local gun rights advocates. The university's board of directors voted to pass a ban on carrying concealed weapons last year. At a... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Milwaukee Police, DA Blast Law Designed to Suppress Gun Tracing Data
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wisconsin) / Watchdog Reports
22 February 2010
As a candidate, Barack Obama promised to get rid of a law - quietly passed by Congress - that hides information from the public about guns used in crimes and the stores that sell them. Instead, President Obama has embraced most of the law and added even more rules that could make it harder for law enforcement to crack down on dealers and stores selling guns to criminals. While supporters of the secrecy law say shielding... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Libertarians Sue Washington DC for Right to Carry Hidden Handguns
Washington Post
21 February 2010
He was at the heart of the landmark Supreme Court case that took down the District's handgun ban. But before arriving at the range, he warns in a text message: "You will find I'm not the best shot." Once he fires a few rounds, however, it's clear that Tom G. Palmer is no novice, either. He lands a couple right in the torso of his human-shaped target. Then he aims at the target's head, misses once by a few inches, then hits twice.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago's Supreme Court Gun Case: Will Justice Antonin Scalia Flip-Flop?
Wall Street Journal / Law Blog, Blog
19 February 2010
"Of course, properly understood, it is no limitation upon arms control by the states." -- Justice Antonin Scalia, writing in 1997 about the Second Amendment. Since we declared our affection for McDonald v. Chicago, the big gun rights case that will be heard next month by the Supreme Court, the pre-gaming analysis has continued unabated. Today LB colleague Jess Bravin weighs in with his own take on the alliances and buzz... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Control Defeat Inevitable in US Supreme Court Handgun Ban Case?
Bloomberg (USA)
19 February 2010
For gun-control advocates, defeat may be inevitable in the Chicago handgun-ban case before the U.S. Supreme Court. The question is whether they will get a consolation prize. The central issue in the case, set for argument March 2, is whether the Constitution's Second Amendment applies to state and local gun laws, in addition to those enacted by the federal government and District of Columbia. When the court in 2008 struck down D.C.'s... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New Law Pushed by US Gun Lobby Allows Loaded Guns In National Parks
Associated Press
19 February 2010
WASHINGTON - Loaded guns will be allowed in Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon and other national parks under a new law that takes effect Monday. The law lets licensed gun owners bring firearms into national parks and wildlife refuges as long as they are allowed by state law. It comes over the objections of gun-control advocates who fear it will lead to increased violence in national parks. The national parks law takes effect... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Some US Coffee Chains Ban Gun-toting Customers, Starbucks Trembles
New York Times, Editorial
19 February 2010
It looked like a casting call for a Sam Pekinpah shoot-'em-up: 100 or so gun enthusiasts showed up at the Buckhorn Grill in Walnut Creek, Calif., this month with revolvers strapped on their hips. "We're not politically involved," the restaurant manager declared as he agreed to serve the supporters of Open Carry, a group that goes around flaunting gun owners' right -- under a benighted California law -- to pack weapons in public. Four... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations,United States
Professor Targeted by US Gun Lobby Over Her UN Human Rights Report
Minnesota Daily (Minneapolis)
18 February 2010
The polarizing and powerful emotions surrounding gun ownership hit close to home Friday for University of Minnesota Professor Barbara Frey. Frey, director of the University's Human Rights Program through the Institute for Global Studies, was a special rapporteur on small arms for the United Nations from 2002 to 2006 and advocated for tighter gun regulation. Last Friday, Frey started to receive "hate mail" from people, she... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
'Clarified' Law Allows Utah Gun Owners to Threaten with Firearm if Scared
Deseret News (Utah)
16 February 2010
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- A Senate committee approved a bill to clarify Utah firearms laws and allow gun owners to display and threaten to use their guns in self-defense. The panel passed the bill on Tuesday, despite Democrats who voiced concern that the bill might increase violence. "I'm not sure this is a step in the right direction," Sen. Ben McAdams, D-Salt Lake. In the end he voted for the bill, while a fellow Democrat,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Virginia Lawmakers Aim to Loosen Firearm Restrictions Even Further
Washington Post
16 February 2010
RICHMOND, Virginia - A little more than a year ago, Virginia gun owners joined millions of Americans who began stockpiling weapons for fear that Barack Obama would win the White House and push for new gun controls. Now that the former Illinois senator is president, the prophesied gun control measures have not come to pass, and Virginia's gun advocates are feeling almost giddy about their chances to loosen restrictions on buying... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Virginia Passes 20 New Bills to Relax Gun Laws, Promote Pistol Carrying
Associated Press
16 February 2010
RICHMOND, Virginia -- A flurry of bills to make it easier to buy and carry guns handily won the approval of lawmakers Tuesday. About 20 gun-related bills passed on the constitutional deadline for each chamber to pass its own legislative proposals. Most of the bills passed out of the gun-friendly House of Delegates, where they may face more scrutiny in the Democrat-controlled Senate. Bills approved Tuesday would repeal Virginia's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Restaurant Chain Rejects Gun Lobby Pressure, Bans Guns
Associated Press
13 February 2010
WALNUT CREEK, California - A California restaurant chain is banning the display of guns after about 100 men carrying unloaded weapons gathered at its Walnut Creek location east of San Francisco. Buckhorn Grill had agreed to host the meeting of Open Carry advocates earlier this month. The group wants to change California law to make it easier to carry loaded guns in public. John Pickerel, owner of the seven-restaurant chain,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Mississippi Mulls '2nd Amendment Weekend' Sales Tax Holiday on Guns
Sun-Herald (Mississippi)
13 February 2010
State lawmakers are considering a two-day sales tax exemption for guns and ammunition in honor of "Second Amendment Weekend" which would come just before fall hunting seasons. Some said fear over revenue loss might derail the measure, House Bill 1207, which was authored by Rep. Warner McBride, D-Courtland. It has 39 cosponsors including several from South Mississippi. But the House Ways and Means Committee hasn't taken up the bill.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Arizona University Students Debate Hot Issue of Hidden Handguns in Class
Wildcat (Arizona)
10 February 2010
Approximately 50 students and faculty members stood up to express their views regarding guns on campus at last night's public forum hosted by the Associated Students of the University of Arizona. People gathered in the Santa Rita Ballroom of the Student Union Memorial Center at 7 p.m. last night. ASUA senators and Executive Vice President Emily Fritze sat at a long, horizontal table looking out into the crowd of eager forum... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Bill Would End Federal Regulation of Utah Guns, Gut Background Checks
Associated Press
10 February 2010
SALT LAKE CITY - Guns made and kept in Utah would be exempt from federal regulations under a measure passed by the Utah Legislature Wednesday, despite concerns over an expensive legal fight at a time when the budget is already stretched thin. Senate Bill 11 was passed by the Utah House 56-17. The proposal mirrors one Montana signed into law last year that's intended to trigger a federal court battle. The measures would... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Shame on Maine Lawmakers Who Condone Gun Trafficking Loopholes
Bangor Daily News (Maine), Opinion
10 February 2010
The Brady law requires a criminal background check to find out if a prospective gun buyer is prohibited from purchasing a gun. It is a critical law enforcement tool that prevents felons, domestic abusers and other prohibited people from buying guns. The law works. Since it was passed in 1994, almost 2 million criminals and other prohibited people have been stopped from purchasing a gun. In 2007, 297 people in Maine where prevented... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Control Group Petitions Starbucks to Ban Customers Carrying Guns
CBS News (USA)
10 February 2010
A national pro-gun-control organization wants Starbucks to take a firm stance on whether it allows customers to carry unconcealed firearms in its stores. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence wants its members to sign a petition telling the international coffee company to keep guns out of its locations, according to The Seattle Times. The petition has more than 15,000 signatures, the newspaper reported. The petition... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Lawmakers Duel Over Merits of Guns in Texas State Capitol: Safe or Silly?
Wall Street Journal
8 February 2010
Lawmakers in firearm-friendly Texas are embroiled in a debate over how to make the state Capitol safer: get rid of guns or encourage even more. The discussion comes after a man last month fired several shots on the steps of the towering Capitol in Austin. State troopers tackled him and no one was wounded, but the incident spotlighted a predicament for lawmakers in a state where carrying handguns is not only legal but largely cherished.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Maine Aims to Ban Hidden Handguns in Parks, Declare Gun Free Zones
Bangor Daily News (Maine), Editorial
8 February 2010
A bill now before the Legislature would restore the decades-old policies regulating guns in Acadia National Park, the St. Croix International Historic Site and the state's portion of the Appalachian Trail. Specifically, it would require gun owners to keep their weapons unloaded, broken down and stowed away in vehicle trunks, glove boxes or other such compartments. LD 1737 should be passed, and legislators should not allow it to turn into... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
National Rifle Assn 'Being Duped' in North Dakota Hunting Squabble
Daily News (North Dakota)
8 February 2010
There's a scam going on in North Dakota and the National Rifle Association's (NRA) Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is being duped. Either that or they don't bother to research issues before they take a stand. Or, they're joined at the hip with the high-fence hunting lobby. On Jan. 29, the NRA-ILA issued an alert warning North Dakota residents that an anti-hunting organization was gathering signatures for... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Starbucks Supports Gun Lobby, Allows Firearms In American Coffee Shops
Contra Costa Times (California)
5 February 2010
Starbucks has brushed aside a request from a gun control advocacy group to ban the display of guns in its retail locations, saying it will abide by laws that allow patrons to openly carry unloaded weapons. The national Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence made the request in the wake of a series of meetings in local restaurants over the past few months by Bay Area Open Carry, a group that hopes to make it legal to carry loaded... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Campaign to Allow Guns on US Appalachian Trail 'Unnecessary, Bad Idea'
Bangor Daily News (Maine)
4 February 2010
AUGUSTA, Maine -- Lawmakers heard testimony Wednesday on a proposal to reimpose restrictions on guns within Acadia National Park and along the Appalachian Trail in Maine in response to Congress' controversial decision to lift long-standing limits on firearms. Last year, Congress passed a law authorizing visitors to carry guns -- both concealed and carried openly -- in national parks. Congress passed the law after a federal judge... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Brooklyn 18yr-old Receives Honour for Standing Up to US Gun Lobby
Daily News (New York)
2 February 2010
At 18, Kristine Arroyo already knows how to stand up to the powerful National Rifle Association - and tomorrow night, she'll stand up and be honored at Borough President Marty Markowitz's State of the Borough address. Arroyo, of Carroll Gardens, went to Albany last year with New Yorkers Against Gun Violence to lobby legislators to tighten gun laws and get firearms off city streets. For her, the issue was personal - just... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
Lobby Groups Mobilise as Indian Gun Owners Imagine 'Right to Bear Arms'
Washington Post
1 February 2010
In the land of Mahatma Gandhi, Indian gun owners are coming out of the shadows for the first time to mobilize, U.S.-style, against proposed new curbs on bearing arms. When gunmen attacked 10 sites in Mumbai in November 2008, including two five-star hotels and a train station, Mumbai resident Kumar Verma sat at home glued to the television, feeling outraged and unsafe. Before the end of December, Verma and his friends had... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
NRA Member Moves to Allow Hidden Handguns in Indianapolis City Parks
Indianapolis Star (Indiana)
1 February 2010
INDIANAPOLIS - A proposal to allow guns in Indianapolis parks will go before the City-County Council Monday, a measure its sponsor admits will be controversial. Current law bans weapons in city parks, but they are permitted in state parks and will soon be allowed in national parks, 6News' Joanna Massee reported. If passed, the law would allow anyone with a permit to carry a weapon to do so in a city park. City-County... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
47 US States Roll Back Law, in National Trend to Even Looser Gun Control
Associated Press
30 January 2010
PHOENIX -- Arizona's permissive gun laws gained national attention last year when a man openly carried an AR-15 rifle to a protest outside a speech by President Obama. Now, gun rights advocates are hoping for even fewer restrictions on where they can have a firearm. Among their top goals is to make Arizona the third state where it is legal to carry a concealed weapon without a permit. Bills in the House and the Senate would also... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Lobby Carefully Chose an African-American for Pivotal Court Case
Chicago Tribune
30 January 2010
From behind the wheel of his hulking GMC Suburban, 76-year-old Otis McDonald leads a crime-themed tour of his Morgan Park neighborhood. He points to the yellow brick bungalow he says is a haven for drug dealers. Down the street is the alley where five years ago he saw a teenager pull out a gun and take aim at a passing car. Around the corner, he gestures to the weed-bitten roadside where three thugs once threatened his life. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Man Wore Handgun Into Store, 'Didn't Think it Out,' Apologised
San Jose Mercury News (California)
28 January 2010
A man apparently inspired by a news report on Open Carry gun activists strolled into an East Palo Alto supermarket with a handgun on his hip Wednesday and began shopping for groceries, police said. The store manager at Mi Pueblo Food Center in the Ravenswood 101 shopping complex alerted police after patrons became frightened, said East Palo Alto police Sgt. Roderick Norris. About four officers responded and found the man... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Lawmakers Wade Into Vast Overhaul, Relaxation of Georgia Gun Law
Associated Press
28 January 2010
College presidents and student leaders bristled at a proposal Wednesday that would allow some gun owners to carry firearms on college campuses as legislators waded deeper into a vast overhaul of state gun restrictions. The broad legislation would for the first time allow the estimated 300,000 Georgians with gun permits to carry their weapons in most public buildings, churches and even the state Capitol. It would also lift a ban... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Colorado University Faces Fight for Banning Hidden Handguns on Campus
Denver Post (Colorado)
27 January 2010
A gun-rights group says it will fight Colorado State University's proposal to ban concealed weapons on the Fort Collins and Pueblo campuses. Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, which is based in Fort Collins, claims the gun ban is a clear violation of Colorado law. On Monday, the group will announce its protest plans, which may include legal action. "We are certainly going to pursue every opportunity to not let CSU wag its little... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Landslide Indiana Vote Approves Firearms, Hidden Handguns at Workplace
South Bend Tribune (Indiana)
26 January 2010
INDIANAPOLIS -- State senators were forced to choose between property rights and gun rights Monday, and the latter won in a landslide. The Senate voted 41-9 to approve a bill that would make it illegal for employers in Indiana to adopt policies that prohibit workers from having firearms in their locked vehicles on company property. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Johnny Nugent, R-Lawrenceburg, told his colleagues on the Senate... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Australian Man's Love Song for Firearms Becomes an Internet Hit
Sydney Morning Herald
25 January 2010
Steve Lee says he never set out to be an internet hit. He just loves guns - and thought he would write a song about it. He says he is as shocked as anyone that his YouTube clip 'I Like Guns' has been viewed more than 1.26 million times in the six weeks it has been online. The paean to guns, produced by Bill Chambers - father of Kasey - features Lee shooting at everything from watermelons to cars, and with everything from... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Lobby Fights to Conceal Hidden Handgun Permit Abuse in Indiana
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (Indiana), Editorial
25 January 2010
Americans are familiar with the gun lobby's influence in Congress, but many Hoosiers may not know their own state legislators are being pressured to pass two pro-gun bills that would ill-serve Indiana. Both proposals have passed the pro-gun House Natural Resources Committee, which includes Rep. Richard Dodge of Pleasant Lake. Both advance narrow pro-gun interests at the expense of sound public policy and the overall safety interests... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Pennsylvania Communities Fight NRA to Decide Their Own Gun Controls
Express-Times (Pennsylvania)
25 January 2010
EASTON - Mayor Sal Panto Jr. may try to seize on the number of lost and stolen handgun reporting laws developing around the state by returning the idea to city council for a second chance. "I'm thinking about it, I can tell you that," Panto said last week. "I'd like to see Easton have it." But the mayor may have only one more vote than he did the first time, leaving him still at least one shy of approval. In November... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Partisan 'Battle' as Protestors Wear Guns in New Hampshire Statehouse
Portsmouth Herald (New Hampshire) / AP
24 January 2010
For New Hampshire lawmakers who support a ban on handguns and other deadly weapons at the Statehouse, a defining moment came last March 4 when the House voted down a resolution affirming "states' rights based on Jeffersonian principles." A group of about 15 supporters of the resolution were carrying handguns in the House gallery and heckling lawmakers who had their backs turned to the gallery. Also, a group of visiting school children... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Support for Assault Weapon Ban, Gun Control Lags in Washington State
Associated Press
24 January 2010
OLYMPIA -- After 2009 ended in a hail of high-profile gun violence, Washington state's gun-control advocates are frustrated by an apparent lack of political support for an assault weapons ban, warning that the state will likely face more deadly shootings without it. The bill comes just weeks after a spate of deadly police shootings, and proponents of the ban say those killings should force politicians to confront gun violence. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Big-city Mayors Defend Chicago's Handgun Ban in US Supreme Court
Chicago Sun-Times
22 January 2010
WASHINGTON -- Mayor Daley revved up a coalition of mayors Thursday to urge the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold Chicago's handgun ordinance in the wake of the Illinois State Rifle Association challenge to be argued March 2. Here for the winter meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Daley also went to the White House with other mayors for a session with President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. And in his role as the "mayor of... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Control: If Not After Shooting Deaths of 6 US Police Officers, When?
Olympian (Washington), Opinion
22 January 2010
Enough. Neither gun manufacturers' profits and quasi-interpreted Second Amendment rights, nor the convenience of packing heat are valid reasons to endanger innocent lives any longer. Six police officers were shot and killed within two months in Puget Sound. A young man was shot over an iPod and two teenagers were shot in Burien at an apartment complex. Enough. We need gun control, and we need it now. There... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Many Guns, 'Enlightened' Pro-gun Laws Make Texas Safer, Says Governor
Associated Press
22 January 2010
AUSTIN, Texas -- Governor Rick Perry said Friday that Texans should not be subject to more government intervention and security measures after a gunman opened fire at an entry to the Texas Capitol and that the state's "enlightened" approach to gun rights helps to keep citizens safe. "In Texas, criminals have to think twice before they draw a gun because there's a good chance they're going to be outnumbered," Perry said, as he accepted... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Washington Moves to Strike Montana's Secessionist 'Firearms Freedom Act'
Associated Press
21 January 2010
HELENA, Montana - Montana doesn't have the authority to exempt itself from national gun control laws, the federal government argued in new court filings, hoping to beat back a movement from states adopting the Firearms Freedom Act. The Department of Justice, in a brief filed this week in U.S. District Court in Missoula, said that federal gun control is a "valid exercise of Congress' commerce power under the Constitution." The... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Lobbyists Encourage, Display 'Open Carry' Handguns in California
San Jose Mercury News (California)
20 January 2010
David LaTour rolled out of bed on a recent Saturday morning and prepared for a leisurely lunch: Wallet, check. Car keys, check. Springfield XD 9 mm pistol and ammunition, check. Springfield XD 9 mm pistol and ammunition? The Hayward resident is a member of an organization slowly gaining membership in the Bay Area. Open Carry aims to make it possible for Americans in every state to legally carry loaded guns in public. The... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Brady Campaign Accuses Obama of 'Running Away from Gun Control'
The Hill (Washington DC)
19 January 2010
President Barack Obama on Monday received a failing grade from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence for running away from gun control. The group, which endorsed Obama in 2008, gave him an "F" on every issue it scored, including background checks, gun trafficking, guns in public, the federal assault weapons ban, standing up to the gun lobby and leadership. "It's been a very disappointing year for us, especially considering... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Virginia Lawmakers Push 30 Bills to Make Hidden Handguns Easier to Carry
Associated Press
19 January 2010
RICHMOND, Virginia -- Those on both sides of the gun rights issue fired their first shots Monday, with battles being declared both inside and outside the state Capitol. Several hundred rallied for gun rights on the morning of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, followed by an afternoon rally attended by dozens calling for stricter gun laws. Inside the Capitol, Democrats pushed through committee changes that will make it more difficult... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Michigan Militia Parents, Children Live with Guns, Train to Repel Terrorists
Sun (UK)
18 January 2010
Morgana, six, the youngest of the eight children, is as comfortable with a lethal .22 calibre rifle as she is with a Barbie doll. Her sister Raven, nine, has her own .22 as well, bought for her when she was seven. It is in baby pink. She explains proudly: "My dad says I'm becoming quite a good shot." Dad is Lee Miracle, of Sterling Heights, Michigan. After the events of 9/11 Lee, his wife Katerina, 43, and their... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Lobbyists Work to Encourage Hidden Handguns in Georgia Churches, Bars
Athens Banner-Herald (Georgia)
17 January 2010
Oconee County Sheriff Scott Berry doesn't know if someone breaks the law just by carrying a concealed firearm while talking with friends outside a convenience store. That's because current state law that forbids people with concealed weapons permits from bringing those weapons to public gatherings is too fuzzy, Berry said. "There's no clear definition of what a public gathering is, and the truth is. we're not going to enforce... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Police Chiefs Cite 'Alarming Increase' in Crime Using Assault Weapons
New York Times, Editorial
17 January 2010
The nation's police chiefs are finding an alarming increase in criminals' use of assault weapons -- the high-powered battlefield rifles that used to be banned, back when the federal government showed greater concern for public safety. The 10-year ban expired in 2004, despite the vows of presidential nominees from both parties to fight for renewal. Congress hasn't mustered the guts to try, preferring to roll over for the gun lobby. A... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New Hampshire Defies Gun Lobby, Bans Hidden Handguns in State Capitol
Union Leader (New Hampshire)
16 January 2010
CONCORD -- A gun ban remains in force at the State House after lawmakers yesterday refused to overturn the policy. By a vote of 7-5, members of a committee that oversees the Capitol decided to retain a ban put in place Dec. 21. The policy bars firearms from other areas as well, including the Legislative Office Building, adjacent tunnels and the Upham Walker House. Two bills making it a felony to carry a deadly weapon into... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Hidden Handgun Permit Details to Remain Suppressed in Indiana
Indianapolis Star (Indiana)
15 January 2010
Lawmakers this session are having to weigh the constitutional rights of gun owners against those of the media and employers, and so far, gun owners are emerging the victors. Thursday, a House committee voted 11-0 to keep information about gun permits from being released to the public -- information The Indianapolis Star has used to document how guns have fallen into violent hands. That same committee is working on legislation... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Hidden Handgun Permits Double, Assault Weapoin Sales Up in Michigan
WLUC-TV6 News (Michigan)
15 January 2010
NEGAUNEE, Michigan - Michigan State Police are reporting that more and more people want to carry a gun. During the 12 month period that ended in June of 2009, the number of applications to carry and conceal a weapon in the state of Michigan more than doubled from the year before. In 2001, Michigan became a "Shall Issue" state. That means the only people denied permits are convicted felons and those with mental illness.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Washington County's Gun-Free Parks Law Left Unchanged
Herald Net (Washington)
14 January 2010
EVERETT, Washington -- A move that would have brought Snohomish County in line with Washington state laws that allow concealed firearms at county parks was rejected by the County Council on Wednesday. Republican County Councilman John Koster was disappointed that his proposal didn't win any support from his four Democratic colleagues. The lack of action, he said, left the county with "a code that's essentially been repealed by the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
County Park Gun Ban Law to Visit Seattle State Court
Seattle Times
13 January 2010
Allowing guns in Snohomish County parks got no support from the Democratic majority on the County Council Wednesday -- even if state law suggests that the county's existing ban can't be legally enforced. The council's lone Republican, John Koster, said a 1971 county law that prohibits firearms and other weapons in parks is more restrictive than state law and should be repealed. He argued that state law doesn't allow cities or counties... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Georgia Moves to Encourage Hidden Handguns in Church, School, Bars
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia)
13 January 2010
A controversial bill to allow licensed gun owners in Georgia to carry concealed weapons most places other than the courthouse and the jailhouse is headed to a House subcommittee for closer scrutiny after a lengthy hearing Thursday. Rep. Rich Golick (R-Smyrna), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee on noncivil matters, said a subcommittee will be able to "hash out" some of the concerns about the bill, mostly centering on an expansion... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
No Reason to Repeal Virginia's One-gun-a-month Law
NewsAdvance, Opinion
13 January 2010
Who needs to buy more than one handgun a month? And why? Those were reasonable questions raised 17 years ago when the General Assembly approved then-Gov. Douglas Wilder's proposal to limit the sale of weapons in the state's fight against crime. That limitation to the purchase of one handgun (or pistol, if you prefer) a month reduced the proliferation of weapons traveling up and down Interstate 95 and the violence that accompanied... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Should Georgia Allow Hidden Handguns at Public Gatherings? No
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia), Opinion
13 January 2010
If your children are attending a university in Georgia, would you prefer their classmates and teachers be armed with handguns? Or would you prefer that everyone simply have books? As of July 1, 2008, Georgia lawmakers already increased the areas where guns can be legally carried to include public transportation, state parks and restaurants that serve alcohol. But now state Sen. Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) and another... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Should Georgia Allow Hidden Handguns at Public Gatherings? Yes
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia), Opinion
13 January 2010
The time is now for Georgia's citizens to be given back their rights as protected by the Second Amendment and the Constitution of Georgia. Georgians have, since our founding, been allowed under state law to possess and carry firearms. In recent times, more and more restrictions have been placed upon our lawful citizens for many different and various reasons. Well-intended legislators, responding to single incidents, attempted... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Duck-hunting Student Expelled for Shotguns and Ammo Left in Truck
San Francisco Chronicle
12 January 2010
In late October, Gary Tudesko, a junior at Willows High School, went duck hunting with a friend before school. Instead of dropping off his guns at home he headed to school. He parked his pickup on a public street near campus and left two unloaded shotguns inside the locked truck. Later that day, authorities found the firearms, shells and a knife with a 3-inch blade. Tudesko was suspended and eventually expelled for gun possession. Principal... ( gunpolicy.org )
South Africa
Firearm Amnesty Law 'an Insult' say South African Shooters
Richmark Sentinel
12 January 2010
The new firearm amnesty has kicked off with all the pomp and ceremony that the police can muster for what may well prove to be a pivotal moment in gun ownership in South Africa. The problem is that there are unresolved issues relating to the Firearms Control Act of 2000 (Act) which still have to be sorted out. Chief among these is the application before the High Court, brought by the SA Hunters and Game Conservation Association,... ( gunpolicy.org )
South Africa
Impact of South Africa's Gun Amnesty Questioned
Mercury (Durban)
11 January 2010
With thousands of illegal firearms in circulation around the country, contributing to the high rate of serious and violent crimes, most political parties have welcomed the four-month gun amnesty that begins today, saying it will spur people with illegal firearms to surrender their weapons. The amnesty runs until April 11 and allows people to hand in illegal, unregistered firearms at any police station, without fear of prosecution.... ( gunpolicy.org )
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