Top of PageGun Policy News, 7 July 2009
Fear Over Obama's Gun Laws Sparks Massive Rush to Pack a Pistol
7 July 2009
Sunday Herald (Scotland)
NEW YORK — Last summer, the National Rifle Association ran adverts claiming that Barack Obama would "ban the manufacture, sale and possession of handguns" if elected. The campaign didn't do much for John McCain, but in every other respect it has been wildly successful: NRA membership is up 30% and gun control has disappeared from the administration's list of priorities.
Americans have gone on an extraordinary gun-buying spree. The best available measure of... (GunPolicy.org)
Ghana Backs Global Gun Trade Treaty to Curb African Arms Trafficking
7 July 2009
Ghana News Agency
Mr Cletus Avoka, Minister for the Interior, on Tuesday said Ghana had a moral obligation to support other states on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) that would ensure responsibility and fairness in the import, export, trans-shipment and transit of conventional weapons.
He said that support would also ensure the guarantee of human rights including the economic, political and social rights of persons around the world.
In a speech read for him at a day's seminar in Accra to... (GunPolicy.org)
Edmonton Gangsters Can Get Handguns, But Bullets For Them Are Rare
7 July 2009
Edmonton Sun (Alberta), Column
So you wanna buy a gun that can't be traced back to you?
No problem, my friend. I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy. He can hook you up, no questions asked.
But I'll warn you right now, bullets are not so easy to come by. If you waste the clip that comes with the gun, good luck trying to get any more ammo.
That, according to some sources connected to Edmonton's street gangs, is why there aren't more shootings in the city. Black-market guns are easy to... (GunPolicy.org)
US Footballer's Lover Bought Handgun Days Before They Were Both Shot
7 July 2009
Tennessean (Nashville)
Though many questions remain, investigators now know that Sahel Kazemi bought the gun that ended her life and killed former Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair.
Kazemi bought the semi-automatic pistol on Thursday evening from a person Metro police are not naming. She made the purchase just hours after she was bailed out of jail by McNair for a DUI charge. Both were found dead less than 48 hours later in a Second Avenue-area condo McNair rented just across the... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensing Owners Not Enough: New Zealand Should Also Register Guns
7 July 2009
Marlborough Express (New Zealand), Editorial
The cache of weapons found at the home of gunman Jan Molenaar and other elements of the Napier seige raise questions about New Zealanders and firearms.
The man who killed a policeman and wounded two others and a civilian had 18 fully loaded guns. Police found more than 100 spent cartridges, 2000 bullets and home made explosive devices.
His firearm licence had expired in 2002 and three of the guns had been stolen. Two of the self loading rifles had belonged to the... (GunPolicy.org)
Alarm as Assault Rifle, 'AK-47' Shootings Spread Even to Rural Louisiana
7 July 2009
Houma Today (Louisiana)
HOUMA — When police responded to a shooting that wounded a 30-year-old man this weekend, officers were alarmed by the crime as well as the shell casings left at the scene.
Police aren't sure of the exact weapon that fired the bullets, but they suspect they came from an AK-47, a high-powered assault rifle rarely used in local shootings.
More than a dozen casings were found scattered on Canal Boulevard, where the shooting occurred Friday evening.
Houma Police... (GunPolicy.org)
Long Island Gun Sales Up Due to 'Hysteria Fomented by Pro-gun Groups'
7 July 2009
Newsday (New York)
Local politicians and activists expressed concern Tuesday about reports that handgun sales and permit applications have increased in recent months.
Officials and gun sellers offer a variety of reasons, but police and state figures show that so far this year, pistol applications on Long Island are up 50 percent over last year.
One reason cited is the fear that a Democratic president and Congress could legislatively snatch away access to guns, local gun shop owners... (GunPolicy.org)
32 US States Urge Supreme Court to Overturn Chicago's Handgun Ban
7 July 2009
Austin Business Journal (Texas)
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott joined with the attorneys general of 32 other states Tuesday in filing an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court, which the authors say seeks to defend the rights of Americans to keep and bear arms.
The brief supports a legal challenge by Otis McDonald, a community activist who lives in a high-crime neighborhood in Chicago. McDonald's work to improve his neighborhood has reportedly subjected him to violent threats from drug dealers,... (GunPolicy.org)
