Top of PageGun Policy News, 25 June 2003
Gun Registry Boss Spent $205,000 Travelling to Work in Ottawa from Edmonton
25 June 2003
Canadian Press
OTTAWA — The former federal gun registry boss spent $205,000 in public money travelling back and forth to work in Ottawa over two years, government documents show.
Gary Wesbter continued living in Edmonton between July 2001 and February 2003, while he was chief officer of the Ottawa-based Canadian Firearms Centre.
Taxpayers funded 56 of his working trips to Ottawa over that period, according to documents obtained by the Canadian Alliance through the Access to... (GunPolicy.org)
Women Up in Arms Over Gun Law
25 June 2003
Cleveland Plain Dealer (Ohio)
BEDFORD HEIGHTS — Cameras to the left of them. Cameras to the right. The handful of women were surrounded and outnumbered, caught in the cross hairs of media scrutiny.
It was exactly where they wanted to be yesterday — outspoken foes of a national bill that would prohibit lawsuits against gun manufacturers, distributors and dealers for misuse of firearms.
Speakers gathered outside a local gun shop here, and at the Statehouse in Columbus.
They were taking aim... (GunPolicy.org)
Brady Campaign Targeted Presidential Candidate Dean
25 June 2003
Washington Times
Gun-control advocates yesterday taunted presidential candidate Howard Dean, calling him an extremist and not their kind of Democrat.
"Former Vermont Governor Dean says he's from the 'Democrat wing of the Democratic party.' As far as gun-safety advocates are concerned, give us a Democrat from some other wing of the Democratic Party, please," the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence said in a press release.
Mr. Dean believes that gun laws should not be a federal... (GunPolicy.org)
Police to Brief MPs on Gun Crime
25 June 2003
Evening Post (UK)
Police are due to brief MPs about the problems of gun crime in Britain's inner cities.
The House of Commons all-party parliamentary group on gun crime has launched an inquiry into what their chairwoman described as a "surge" in violence involving firearms over recent years.
Today, members will hear from police officers working in London's Operation Trident, the West Midlands' Operation Ventara and the Manchester Gang Strategy Unit — all created to tackle gun crime... (GunPolicy.org)
Ghana: Small Arms Get Kids Involved in Armed Conflicts
25 June 2003
Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra)
Reports compiled by UNICEF has indicated that most armed conflicts in recent decades have involved the use of children as combatants whilst the use of small arms have also helped create more than 300,000 child soldiers, nearly half of them found in Africa.
The figure is expected to double in Africa if steps are not taken to curb the proliferation of small arms because according to the report, since 1990, during conflicts where small arms have been used, more than two... (GunPolicy.org)
Blair: Troops Faced Problems Disarming Iraqis
25 June 2003
Reuters
LONDON — Six British troops killed in Iraq may have run into trouble as they tried to disarm the local population, Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Wednesday.
"There is a background to do with the attempts by British forces to make sure the local population, who regularly carry machine guns and small firearms, were disarmed of those weapons," Blair told parliament.
"There had been problems in relation to that. That may form part of the background to it but at the... (GunPolicy.org)
Wisconsin Group Wants Tougher Ban on Assault Weapons
25 June 2003
Milwaukee Channel
MILWAUKEE — A Wisconsin group is calling on federal lawmakers to renew and strengthen a ban on assault weapons.
That ban went into place in 1994, but expires next year.
The Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort, or WAVE spoke about the National Rifle Association's stance against renewing the ban.
"Their position may be good for street criminals. Their position may be good for terrorists, but their position sure isn't good for police officers or for law-abiding citizens... (GunPolicy.org)
Interview: Do Guns Keep Communities Safe from Burglary?
25 June 2003
Join Together Online gun violence web site (Boston)
Do guns protect or put you at risk of burglary? Dr. Philip Cook, an economist and professor of Public Policy at Duke University designed a study to answer this question. His guns and burglary research appears in the new book Evaluating Gun Policy, which he edited along with Jens Ludwig. Ludwig is also a co-author for the burglary study.
Join Together: Guns and burglary. What are the arguments?
Cook: There's a lot of discussion on how gun ownership affects burglary.... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Join Together Online gun violence web site (Boston)
North Carolina House Passes Domestic Violence Gun Bill
25 June 2003
Durham Herald-Sun (North Carolina)
RALEIGH — The state House passed a bill Wednesday that would take guns away from those under domestic violence protective orders, legislation inspired by a triple homicide in Orange County last year in which a 2-year-old victim was shot execution style. The bill now goes back to the state Senate for a technical vote, and then to the governor for his signature.
Alan Douglas Gates was waiting at his estranged wife's home in southwestern Orange County on July 1 when... (GunPolicy.org)
