Top of PageGun Policy News, 13 August 2001
FBI, ATF Haven't Been Using Info from Background Checks in Probes Ashcroft Move May Have Little Effect
13 August 2001
USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — To gun-rights groups, Attorney General John Ashcroft's decision to have the FBI purge records of background checks on lawful gun buyers after only a day is a major victory in the fight to preserve the rights of law-abiding citizens to bear arms.
To gun-control groups, it's a crippling blow to the ability of the nation's system of checking the backgrounds on prospective gun buyers to catch criminals and crooked firearms dealers.
Both views overstate the... (GunPolicy.org)
Democrats Back Off on Firearms
13 August 2001
USA Today, Opinion
WASHINGTON — With little fanfare, the Bush administration is undoing or ignoring gun-control measures that were pursued aggressively by the Clinton administration.
And to the delight of gun-rights activists, the Democratic opposition in Congress hasn't responded with the expressions of outrage and demands for redress that have met President Bush's actions on such issues as the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and environmental protection.
The politics of guns are... (GunPolicy.org)
Arming Our Guards
13 August 2001
London Free Press (Ontario), Editorial
The zingy title of Canada Customs brochure RC4227 is Importing a Fire-arm or Weapon into Canada. But get past the bureaucratese and the message is clear: Don't even think about it.
If the admonition to visitors verges on puritanical, it is no less than Canadians expect of themselves, particularly in regard to handguns. Guns in Canada are more generally viewed with horror than as guarantors of liberty, a position in marked contrast and occasional border conflict with... (GunPolicy.org)
Rural Lobby 'Spent £13m Defending Blood Sport'
13 August 2001
Independent (UK)
The Countryside Alliance's claim that it promotes a broad range of rural interests has been blown apart by a leaked internal document showing that it spends millions of pounds defending blood sports and only a fraction of that sum on other countryside campaigns.
A leaked copy of the internal budget of the Alliance, seen by The Independent, shows that it spent millions last year campaigning to defend hunting, shooting and fishing — and lobbying against a ban on fox... (GunPolicy.org)
Arms Crisis is Not Inherently African
13 August 2001
Daily Nation (Nairobi)
The Kenya Bullet Factory in Eldoret is known to produce 20 million bullets a year, which translates to 1.6 million bullets a month. As we kick-off the fight against trade in small arms, the question the Government should answer is, where do these bullets go?
Since this factory has been in existence for nearly five years, 100 million 7.62 Nato-standard bullets have been produced. Who is absorbing them? If we are to assume that they are for use in Kenya, a statistical... (GunPolicy.org)
Law Enforcement Opposes New Self-Defence Weapon
13 August 2001
Contra Costa Times (California)
SACRAMENTO — It's billed as the public's next big weapon for self-defense, a flashlight that could light up a room or drop a thug.
By simply pressing a button, owners could fire a beam of light, a laser pointer, and hard plastic rounds that sting like paintballs and incapacitate like pepper spray.
"It's going to give people who don't want a firearm in their home an alternative that will stop attackers and is nonlethal," said Dennis Cole, spokesman for Jaycor... (GunPolicy.org)
Illegal Weapons to Be Put to Torch
13 August 2001
Dawn (Karachi)
ISLAMABAD — A huge quantity of arms recovered during the recent deweaponisation campaign will be put to the torch in Quetta on Aug 20, Dawn reliably learnt.
All the arms which are not in good condition will be burnt, while those in working condition will be handed over to the law enforcement agencies, an interior ministry official said.
Interior Minister Lt-Gen Moinuddin Haider will preside over a meeting of inter-provincial committee on law and order the same day... (GunPolicy.org)
Davis Signs Gun Inspection Bill
13 August 2001
Los Angeles Times
GLENDALE — Legislation by state Sen. Jack Scott (D-Glendale) that would step up oversight of gun dealers by the state was signed into law Monday by Gov. Gray Davis.
Scott's bill, SB 294, will shorten the time between inspections of gun dealerships by the Department of Justice from from five years to 21 months.
"We need to keep guns out of the hands of criminals," Scott said. "This law will give law enforcement the resources to make sure that criminals do not... (GunPolicy.org)
Ask, and You Shall Receive
13 August 2001
Detroit Free Press, Opinion
Editor's Note: Changes in state law have made it easier to get a concealed weapons permit. Free Press reporter Dawson Bell, who has written extensively about the issue, volunteered early this year to apply for one. The process was long, complicated and, in some respects, eye-opening. This is his report.
I have no discernible need to carry a concealed weapon, or reason to ask my county gun board for a CCW license.
I don't own a firearm or plan to get one. I haven't... (GunPolicy.org)
Report Finds DPS is Missing 81 Guns
13 August 2001
Houston Chronicle (Texas)
AUSTIN — During a seven-year period, the Texas Department of Public Safety has lost or had stolen 81 weapons, including 16 assault-style rifles and 29 shotguns, according to a Texas Comptroller's Office report.
A DPS spokeswoman stressed that the missing weapons represent less than 1 percent of the 11,000 weapons issued to DPS lawmen.
"We are concerned," said Tela Mange, DPS spokeswoman. "It is disturbing that we have several firearms that we do not immediately know... (GunPolicy.org)
A Resort for Gun Owners; Welcome to Nevada
13 August 2001
US News Magazine
Call it the new American dream. Or nightmare. A luxury gated community is planned for 550 dusty acres in the Nevada desert some 38 miles from Las Vegas. Front Sight, named for a gun barrel aiming sight, will resemble a golf community. But instead of being built around golf courses, homes will look out on 22 shooting ranges, a five-story SWAT tower, and a defensive-driving track.
The $50 million development will feature 177 homes and 350 condos on streets with snappy... (GunPolicy.org)
Chasing the Wrong Answer
13 August 2001
Cincinnati Post (Ohio), Editorial
Given the orgy of shootings on Cincinnati's streets this year, the last thing on earth we need is more guns in the hands of people who don't know how to use them responsibly.
Yet one of Hamilton County representative's in the Ohio House, freshman Republican Tom Brinkman, says the shootings lead him to exactly the opposite conclusion.
In a recent debate, he reiterated that as a matter of constitutional principle he wants to make it legal for any bozo, without a... (GunPolicy.org)
