Top of PageGun Policy News, 13 August 2008
NRA: Still 'No Comment' on Paid Spy Who Infiltrated Gun Control Groups
13 August 2008
CNN 'American Morning' (USA) / Raw Story
CNN's Jason Carroll has been looking into a recent report in Mother Jones that an activist who has played a prominent role in leading gun-control groups has been working all along as an undercover agent for the National Rifle Association.
On July 30, investigative journalists James Ridgeway, Daniel Schulman, and David Corn revealed that gun control activist Mary McFate was really Mary Lou Sapone, "a self-described 'research consultant,' who for decades has covertly... (GunPolicy.org)
Gunman Barges Into Arkansas Democratic Headquarters, Kills Chairman
13 August 2008
Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — A man barged into the Arkansas Democratic headquarters Wednesday and fatally shot the state party chairman before speeding off in his pickup. Police later shot and killed the suspect after a 30-mile chase.
Police identified the suspect as 50-year-old Timothy Dale Johnson of Searcy, a town about 50 miles northeast of Little Rock. They didn't know a motive. However, moments after the shooting, Johnson pointed a handgun at a worker at the nearby... (GunPolicy.org)
US 'Gun Show Loophole' Sales Thwart Gun Violence Reduction - JAMA
13 August 2008
Journal of the American Medical Association / JAMA. 2008;300(6):640-641.
Last spring, a group called Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a coalition of US mayors who want more stringent regulation of firearm sales, unveiled a television commercial featuring clips from speeches by the 3 leading presidential candidates. In these clips, Sen Hillary Rodham Clinton (D, NY), Sen Barack Obama (D, Ill), and Sen John McCain (R, Ariz) said they oppose a "gun show loophole" that allows individuals to purchase firearms without a background check.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Journal of the American Medical Association / JAMA. 2008;300(6):640-641.
Obama a 'Poster Child of Extremist, Elitist Gun Control Movement' - NRA
13 August 2008
Associated Press
HELENA, Montana — The National Rifle Association said Wednesday that Barack Obama's campaign is trying to mislead voters about his past support of gun control, calling the Democratic candidate "a poster child of the extremist, elitist gun control movement."
The group was responding to recent remarks by Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat who supports gun rights and told reporters this week that Obama "ain't ever going to take your gun away." Schweitzer, who has... (GunPolicy.org)
Judge Sides with Public Safety, Upholds Handgun Ban at Atlanta Airport
13 August 2008
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia), Editorial
When you go to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, you can pack your ID, toothbrush and lunch.
But you still can't pack heat.
That was the verdict — at least temporarily — of U.S. District Judge Marvin Shoob, who denied a temporary injunction to prevent the city of Atlanta from enforcing its 30-year ban on concealed weapons at Hartsfield-Jackson.
In a hearing, Shoob asked airport executives to describe what would happen if a firearm was discharged by... (GunPolicy.org)
Olympic Shooting Medallist's Win Triggers Rush to Buy Airguns in India
13 August 2008
Times of India
CHANDIGARH — Call it the Abhinav Effect. In the 24 hours since the shooter shot for gold at the Beijing Olympics, 65 air rifles have flown off shelves from just one shop in Chandigarh.
Fresh orders have been placed for 50 more and there has been, according to happy faced attendants at Ahuja Arms Company, telephone queries from about three dozen anxious parents, excited children tugging at their sleeves for the latest must-have.
"Our stock has exhausted," said a... (GunPolicy.org)
New Jersey Fed-Ex Employee Accused of Stealing, Selling 146 Handguns
13 August 2008
WNBC-TV News (New York)
NEWARK, New Jersey — A Federal Express employee and another man face 10 years in prison for selling firearms stolen from a Federal Express facility in Eatontown, N.J., prosecutors say.
Patrick Dolan, a cargo handler for Federal Express in Eatontown, and John Sozomenou were charged Tuesday with violating federal firearms statutes, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie said.
Court papers allege that on three occasions since October 2007, Dolan stole from the conveyor... (GunPolicy.org)
6,700 Licensed US Gun Dealers Line Up on Border, Sell Guns Into Mexico
13 August 2008
La Opinión (USA), Editorial
Mexican society finds itself in a bloody war with the drug cartels that has taken more than 4,000 lives so far this year alone. The government of Felipe Calderón has launched a full-scale war against the cartels, which requires significantly more effort than the current U.S. collaboration to be successful.
The Mérida Plan provides helicopters and other support, but there are other more direct ways to help the Mexican government. One is to control the smuggling of... (GunPolicy.org)
Boston Gun Control Groups Revive Campaign to Curb Firearm Trafficking
13 August 2008
Jamaica Plain Gazette (Boston)
JACKSON SQUARE — Citizens For Safety, a recently reanimated nonprofit with roots in Jamaica Plain dating back to the 1990s, made a splash July 31, hosting a workshop at the Bromley-Heath housing development on illegal gun trafficking.
Featuring presentations by Mayor Thomas Menino and Police Commissioner Ed Davis, the "Traffick Jam" was the third in an ongoing series of teach-in events the group is holding across the city this summer.
"Most shootings on the streets... (GunPolicy.org)
Boston Mayor Says Gun Control Groups 'Snuffed' NRA Mole in Their Midst
13 August 2008
Jamaica Plain Gazette (Boston)
There was plenty of discussion about what gun regulation advocates consider strong-arm lobbying by the National Rifle Association (NRA) at the July 31 "Traffick Jam" workshop put on by Citizens For Safety at the Bromley-Heath housing development.
During her PowerPoint presentation, Citizens For Safety Executive Director Nancy Robinson highlighted a quote from 2000 by then NRA first vice president Kayne Robinson saying, "If we win, we will have a president… where we... (GunPolicy.org)
