Top of PageGun Policy News, 20 April 2010
Washington Gun Law Debate Draws Intimidating Protesters to City Borders
20 April 2010
Washington Examiner
Washington has turned into ground zero for the nation's polarizing gun debate, with rifle-toting protesters lining the banks of the Potomac, Congress on the verge of potentially gutting the District's gun regulations, and area lawmakers calling for a crackdown on gun shows.
The events coincide with the anniversaries of the Oklahoma City bombing and Virginia Tech massacre, which have galvanized both sides in their cries to limit or expand gun control in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Recent American Trend Is to Normalise Carrying Loaded Guns in Public
20 April 2010
Washington Post
In Virginia, they carried handguns on their hips and rifles slung over their backs.
In the nation's capital, where possession of guns is strictly regulated, they came carrying only signs and handbills, which one man had thrust into an empty holster.
The protest by hundreds of gun-rights advocates, billed as a national march in support of the Second Amendment, drew small but fervent groups to the Washington area. As many as 2,000 gathered in the shadow of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Columbine Anniversary Highlights Failure to Close US Gun Show Loophole
20 April 2010
Christian Science Monitor
When Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold embarked on their shooting spree at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., in 1999, three of the four guns they used were purchased at a gun show by a friend who wasn't subjected to a background check.
Now, on the 11th anniversary of the Columbine school shooting where Harris and Klebold killed 12 classmates and a teacher and injured 23 others before shooting themselves, gun-control activists are focusing on the so-called "gun... (GunPolicy.org)
Washington DC Denied Voting Rights Until City Scraps Its Gun Control Law
20 April 2010
Washington Post
With the U.S. House of Representatives scheduled to vote as early as Wednesday, opposition is building locally to a proposal that would grant the District its first voting member in Congress but would repeal most of the city's gun-control laws.
The national and local branches of the League of Women Voters and D.C. For Democracy, which bills itself as the city's largest progressive organization, said Monday they will not support the voting rights bill because it would... (GunPolicy.org)
Tennessee Psychotic Got 2 Handguns, Shot 3 Hospital Workers, Himself
20 April 2010
Associated Press
KNOXVILLE, Tennessee - A mentally ill convenience store operator took a revolver with him to look for the doctor he believed implanted a tracking device in his body during an appendectomy in 2001. Told the doctor wasn't at the hospital, he went to a nearby parking lot and opened fire on three hospital workers he apparently didn't know, killing one of them.
Gunman Abdo Ibssa (AB'-doh IHB'-sah) entered a medical tower near Parkwest Medical Center before Monday's attack... (GunPolicy.org)
Tennessee Bill Modified to Allow Fewer Hidden Handguns in Bars, Eateries
20 April 2010
Bloomberg (USA)
NASHVILLE, Tennessee - Handgun permit holders would not be able to carry weapons into Tennessee establishments that predominantly serve alcohol under a proposal that passed a key legislative committee on Tuesday and is headed for a full House vote.
The proposal sponsored by Republican Rep. Curry Todd of Collierville was approved 20-6 by the House Finance Committee on Tuesday and will now be scheduled for a vote on the House floor. The companion bill is also awaiting a... (GunPolicy.org)
US Mayors Launch Gun Control Blitz in DC to Close Gun Show Loophole
20 April 2010
Roll Call (Washington DC)
Gun-control proponents, outspent and outmaneuvered on Capitol Hill, are pushing back this week using the anniversaries of two high-profile tragedies to make the case for legislation that would close gun show loopholes.
Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a group led by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I) and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino (D), is expected today to unveil a lobbying blitz to prod Congress to approve legislation that would require background checks on all... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Carrying Protesters go Mainstream in Virginia with 'Peaceful' Anger
20 April 2010
Washington Post, Column
They came in camouflage and ammunition vests, carrying AK-47s slung over their shoulders and pistols in their hip holsters. They were in Northern Virginia, on the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, to stand on federal land and to voice violent thoughts.
They did this in a strictly nonviolent fashion, naturally.
"Let me hang out my shingle," Mike Vanderboegh shouted to the 75 armed men and women at Fort Hunt Park in Alexandria on Monday morning.... (GunPolicy.org)
