BEIJING - The government is to crack down on the illegal possession of guns and explosives following a recent spate of armed robberies nationwide. "We will concentrate on tackling crimes involving serious violence and other prominent criminal activities in order to strengthen security in cities and maintain social order and overall stability," said Huang Ming, deputy minister of public security, announcing the campaign against gun crime. There has been a series of... (GunPolicy.org)

OTTAWA - The black-market gun trade includes not just menacing gang members but the firearms enthusiast next door, says a federal study. The research report says "an important segment" of those who buy illicit firearms are so-called "law-abiding citizens" such as collectors. The study of the illicit gun trade, commissioned by the Public Safety Department, was completed in September 2010 but only recently released under the Access to Information Act. The researchers... (GunPolicy.org)

Shanell Crute and her boyfriend were walking toward East 163rd Street in the Bronx to buy marijuana that night. With two blocks to go, they stopped when a group of five guys called out to her. The men had been drinking and smoking. Ms. Crute's nickname was Sweetz because she was quite friendly, but that night, Sept. 30, 2010, she gave as good as she got for the last minutes of her 26-year-long life. "She says, 'I might know these guys,' " said Lt. James Ruane of the... (GunPolicy.org)