Top of PageGun Policy News
Firearm homicide, followed by suicide
Finnish Man Shoots, Kills Wife then Self After Allegedly Stalking Her
16 June 2013
YLE (Finland)
Police have sketched out a clearer picture of events leading up to an apparent murder-suicide that took place at Helsinki's west harbour Saturday afternoon. Officers interviewed eye witnesses as well as relatives of the Finnish-Estonian couple.
Helsinki police say that they have for the most part been able to piece together a narrative of events preceding a deadly shooting incident at Helsinki's west harbour Saturday, in which a Finnish man shot and killed his Estonian... (GunPolicy.org)
Top Namibian Cop Says its 'Too Easy' to Get Guns, Suggests Law Change
20 May 2013
Namibian (Windhoek)
Police Inspector General Sebastian Ndeitunga has admitted that it has become "too easy to own" a firearm in the country and that there is an urgent need to amend the Arms and Ammunition Act of 1996 in order to address its shortcomings.
The Namibian on Friday reported that police issued close to 15,000 licenses for guns to civilians in the past two years - just over 7,100 license applications in 2011 and about 7,600 licenses were issued in 2012.
"As someone responsible... (GunPolicy.org)
Israeli Gunman Kills Four Then Self with Licensed Handgun
20 May 2013
Washington Post
JERUSALEM — A gunman stormed into a bank in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba Monday, killing four people in a gunfight and taking a hostage before killing himself, police said.
Police initially suspected a bungled bank robbery but later changed their assessment.
They identified the gunman as a former military officer who fell on hard times financially. The 40-year-old man arrived at the bank to withdraw money and settle a debt, police said. He reportedly got... (GunPolicy.org)
Israeli Police asks Public to Hand in Illegal Guns After Rise in Murder Rate
13 May 2013
Times of Israel
Following a recent surge in gun murders in Israel, Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich has called on citizens to hand illegally held guns to police without facing criminal charges. The public will be able to turn the munitions at police stations throughout the country for a month, starting Wednesday.
The law calls for a maximum penalty of seven years in jail for someone caught in possession of an unlicensed firearm. Police sources told Ma'ariv they expected... (GunPolicy.org)
German Man Kills Wife Then Shoots, Injures 3 Neighbours
10 May 2013
Local (Germany)
German police are picking through the remnants of a blood bath after a man shot dead his wife, and then roamed the neighbourhood ringing door bells and shooting people who answered. He then shot himself and is in a coma.
Aachen public prosecutor Robert Deller said on Thursday that the man turned his gun on himself before the police could arrest him.
The 63-year-old man from the town of Langerwehe in North Rhine-Westphalia shot dead his 64-year-old wife with a... (GunPolicy.org)
German Gunman Kills Politician, Self After Alleged Licensing Altercation
26 April 2013
Local (Germany)
A 74-year-old gunman killed a top official in the northern German town of Hamelin on Friday before shooting himself dead, police said.
"The perpetrator killed district administrator Rüdiger Butte and then killed himself," a police spokesman said. Officers were still at the scene on Friday afternoon, collecting evidence to support an investigation.
Shots were heard shortly after 10am in the city's main administrative building, where 63-year-old Butte was later found... (GunPolicy.org)
Jilted Lover Kills Indian Girl's Dad, Injures Mom
4 April 2013
Times of India
NAGPUR - A 49-year-old office superintendent with joint director of technical education was shot with a country made revolver and stabbed to death by his daughter's male friend at his residence in ShriHarinagar near Manewada Ring road on Wednesday. YogeshDakhode's wife Kusum was also assaulted a number of times. The perpetrator Anwar Khan, 28, who was once in a relationship with Dakhodes' daughter, wanted to kill the girl too but was overpowered by neighbours before... (GunPolicy.org)
Austrian Pensioner Shoots and Kills Girlfriend, Self in Costa Rica
28 March 2013
Inside Costa Rica
An Austrian citizen in Guanacaste shot his partner twice before turning the gun on himself Tuesday night, according to the Judicial Investigation Organization (OIJ).
The murder-suicide occurred in the couple's home in Villa Margarita, 400 meters north of the main traffic lights in Liberia, Guanacaste, where the couple had lived for about five years.
The Judicial Police identified the man by the last name Ladstetter, 71, and his partner by the last name of Achio,... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed Indian Gun Owner Kills Wife, Neighbour and Self in Spree
27 March 2013
Times of India
KANPUR - An enraged man went on a shooting spree gunning down a teenage youth in the neighbourhood and critically injuring his wife, before killing himself on Tuesday. The gruesome incident took place at Muradpur Nagariya village under the limits of Bhogaon police station in Mainpuri district.
"32-year-old, Prem Narain apparently first opened fire from his licensed firearm at his wife, Radha (28), then his neighbour, Vishal (18) and later killed himself," said circle... (GunPolicy.org)
Guns and Family Violence: How Many Tragedies Does It Take?
25 March 2013
al Jazeera, Opinion
On December 1, 2012, NFL linebacker Jovan Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins. He then drove to Arrowhead Stadium and then shot and killed himself in front of his two coaches and the general manager of his team, the Kansas City Chiefs. On February 14, 2013, South African track star Oscar Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp through the bathroom door of his home. Two well-known athletes, two horrifying acts. While we don't know... (GunPolicy.org)
Of 200 US Mass Killings in 7 Years, Only 29 Involved Random Victims
12 March 2013
USA Today
Tuesday's arraignment of James Holmes, accused of mass murder in Colorado, was a rarity among massacre suspects.
Holmes, who was scheduled to enter a plea for the July 2012 murders of 12 patrons in a suburban Denver movie theater and the attempted murder of nearly 60 others, is just one of a handful of suspects to face legal proceedings in a case involving no prior connection to murder victims. Judge William Sylvester declined a request by Holmes' attorneys to delay... (GunPolicy.org)
UK Coroner Calls for Radical Overhaul of Gun Licensing
8 March 2013
Guardian (UK), Press Association (UK)
A coroner has called for radical overhaul of gun licensing at the conclusion of an inquest into a taxi driver who shot dead three members of his family before killing himself.
Andrew Tweddle described the current system as flawed, adding that it was fortuitous there had not been more incidents like the one in Horden, near Peterlee, County Durham, on New Year's Day 2012.
Michael Atherton, 42, killed his partner, Susan McGoldrick, 47, her sister, 44-year-old Alison... (GunPolicy.org)
Switzerland Guns: Living with Firearms the Swiss Way
11 February 2013
BBC News
Switzerland has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the world, but little gun-related street crime - so some opponents of gun control hail it as a place where firearms play a positive role in society. However, Swiss gun culture is unique, and guns are more tightly regulated than many assume.
Throughout the attack, Anne Ithen kept her eyes shut.
"I didn't want to see it. I didn't want those images in my head for the rest of my life… but I remember... (GunPolicy.org)
Tom Diaz on Converting to Gun Control and the Effect of Newtown
4 February 2013
Macleans (Canada)
Tom Diaz, 72, is one of the most prominent gun control advocates in the United States. A former senior policy analyst at Washington's Violence Policy Center — which considers firearms violence to be a public health issue rather than criminal issue — Diaz wrote Making a Killing: The Business of Guns in America in 1999. It explored the links between political lobbying by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and gun manufacturers. Last year, dismayed by a decade of... (GunPolicy.org)
Switzerland,Israel,United States
Israel, Switzerland Have Stringent Gun Control, Fewer Guns Than US
19 December 2012
Foreign Policy (America)
Following the tragic shooting last week in Newtown, Conn., two stories leapt out at me. The first was the astonishing tale of a teacher, Victoria Soto, who hid her first-graders in closets and took a bullet rather than risking the children's lives by hiding with them. The second featured a photograph of an Israeli woman with a military-style long gun slung across her back, herding children protectively. The contrast between the powerful Israeli woman and the unarmed... (GunPolicy.org)
US Tragedy Sparks Calls for Tighter Gun Laws in Germany
17 December 2012
Local (Germany)
In the wake of the Newtown school shooting tragedy in the United States, German politicians are calling for tighter weapons laws in Germany, including banning all guns from private homes.
A 20-year-old killed 27 people, including his mother and 20 children, in Newtown, Connecticut on Friday, before turning the gun on himself, sparking revulsion in Germany and around the world.
"The horrific massacre of young children in Connecticut is tragic evidence for how easy it... (GunPolicy.org)
Namibia Authorities Worried Over Rising Armed Domestic Violence Rates
28 November 2012
New Era (Namibia)
OSHIKANGO — Crimes of passion are among the top offences committed in the country and they are a serious cause for concern, says police Inspector-General Sebastian Ndeitunga.
Lieutenant-General Ndeitunga made this observation during the inauguration of a new police station at Oshikango on Monday. A total of 31 men from several regions across the country have been arrested between January and November for murdering at least 32 women after their love relations hit the... (GunPolicy.org)
UK Authorities Condemn Decision to Give Killer Licence, Guns Back
19 November 2012
Guardian (UK)
A man who shot dead three women had been allowed to keep his guns by police despite complaints of domestic violence and then threatening to shoot himself, according to a report seen by the BBC.
Michael Atherton, 42, killed his 47-year-old partner Susan McGoldrick, her sister Alison Turnbull, 44, and her niece Tanya Turnbull, 24, before taking his own life on New Year's Day. The four bodies were found in Horden, near Peterlee, County Durham.
The BBC's Inside Out North... (GunPolicy.org)
Authorities Worried About Gun Crime, Availability of Weapons Rising
7 November 2012
Gulf Times (Doha) / Agence France Presse
It was a classic bank heist in many ways. Armed men using a stolen car and motorbikes held up a van carrying cash in central New Delhi, shot a guard, and made off with the money.
While familiar in many countries and a set-piece of Hollywood films, it set alarm bells ringing in India where gun crime and armed robbery is still low by the standards of other developing countries in Latin America or Africa.
The daylight robbery in September and several mass shootings in... (GunPolicy.org)
Weekend of Gun Homicides in Namibia
1 October 2012
New Era (Namibia)
WINDHOEK — In a crime-wracked weekend the Wanaheda Police Station reported a record 63 cases involving different offences, but mostly serious bodily assaults, while other stations recorded two murders and two cases of culpable homicide.
The assault cases were reported between Friday and Saturday noon. More are to follow from Saturday afternoon to Sunday.
According to the Namibian Police Deputy Commissioner, Sylvanus Nghishidimbwa, the assault cases ranged from knife... (GunPolicy.org)
Swiss Man Shoots Dead Estranged Wife, Injures Self in Attempted Suicide
29 September 2012
Local (Switzerland)
A 40-year-old woman was shot dead at a hairdressers in the canton of Aargau on Wednesday by a man believed to be her husband, who then turned the gun on himself.
The incident occurred around 10.30am in a hair salon in Wettingen, a town of 20,000 people.
Cantonal police said the man, aged 51, entered the salon and shot several bullets at the woman who died on the spot.
The attacker was seriously wounded by self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
He was transported by... (GunPolicy.org)
US Man Kills Five People, Self, in Shooting Spree with Handgun
28 September 2012
New York Times
The death toll from an attack at a sign company in Minneapolis rose to six, including the gunman, after another victim died on Friday, the police said.
The gunman was identified as Andrew Engeldinger, 36, who had been fired from the business, Accent Signage Systems.
Chief Tim Dolan of the Minneapolis Police Department said Mr. Engeldinger might have chosen to spare some former co-workers in the attack on Thursday.
"It's clear he did walk by some people, very... (GunPolicy.org)
South Africa Man Survives Suicide Attempt After Fatally Shooting Wife
17 September 2012
IOL (South Africa)
CAPE TOWN - An alleged quarrel turned violent when a man shot and killed his wife before turning the gun on himself.
The shooting happened on Sunday morning at the couple's home at Asanda Village in Strand.
The husband shot his wife in the head, killing her at the scene. He then shot himself. But the 48-year-old survived the gunshot and was airlifted to Tygerberg Hospital by helicopter.
Laticia Pienaar, communications officer for the hospital, said the man, who could... (GunPolicy.org)
Indian Man Shoots Self, Five Others After Rejected Proposal
3 September 2012
Times of India
NEW DELHI / GHAZIABAD - Spurned by a married woman, a heavily armed 27-year-old jobless youth went on a killing spree that left six people dead, including himself, in Delhi and Ghaziabad on Monday.
The bloodbath began when the alleged killer, Ravi, visited the home of his cousin Navin, a BPO cab driver who lived in Bindapur near Dwarka in southwest Delhi. Ravi had earlier proposed to Navin's wife Renu, 24, who had rejected him.
Police said Ravi was armed with an... (GunPolicy.org)
German Authorities Seize Weapons in Raid on Neo-Nazi Group
23 August 2012
Huffington Post (USA)
BERLIN — More than 900 police officers raided homes and clubhouses of suspected neo-Nazis in a crackdown in a western German state on Thursday, seizing far-right propaganda material, computer hard drives and a wide variety of weapons, the region's top security official said.
The raids to collect evidence came after North Rhine-Westphalia state interior minister Ralf Jaeger banned three local neo-Nazi groups.
"These groups are anti-foreigner, they are racist and they... (GunPolicy.org)
German Police Hunt Father After Family Shot Dead
21 August 2012
Local (Germany)
German police are hunting the husband of a woman who was found with their two children, all three shot dead, at their home near Düsseldorf on Monday night.
Police were called to the flat in Neuss by a neighbour who said there was music playing inside, but no-one answered the door when she rang.
Officers who entered the flat found the bodies of a four-year-old boy, his eight-year-old sister and their 26-year-old mother. There was no trace of the father.
All three... (GunPolicy.org)
UK NRA Boss Calls US NRA Fanatical: LaPierre 'Made Me Physically Ill'
9 August 2012
Telegraph (UK)
On the rainy summer's morning that I arrive at Bisley, a sprawling collection of colonial buildings and rifle ranges set in 3,000 acres of Surrey heathland, news is breaking about a policeman who has been shot dead in Essex. An unfortunate coincidence, this, given that I've come here not to write about gun crime but to meet some typical – that is to say, non-deranged – gun owners.
In a clubhouse which has silver trophies in display cabinets and sepia photographs of... (GunPolicy.org)
South Africa Cop Kills Wife, Self After Court Overturns Gun Order
7 August 2012
Sowetan Live
A month after a court dismissed a protection order that prevented him from carrying a gun, a Mpumalanga cop has shot dead his wife and then himself.
Distraught family members of Nelisiwe Nkomo, 21, of Kwaggafontein outside KwaMhlanga, said the justice system had failed to protect their daughter from her abusive husband, Witbank policeman Themba Nkosi
Nkomo's father, Daniel Nkomo, said: "Clearly my daughter was killed by the justice system. If the court had granted her... (GunPolicy.org)
French Man Kills Father, Brother in Shooting Spree
27 July 2012
Local (France)
A 23-year-old man killed his father and 8-year-old brother, and left his 17-year-old brother in a coma after a shooting spree in the village of Bozel in Savoie in eastern France.
The shootings took place late Thursday afternoon at the family home in the quiet Alpine village.
The teenager was hit in the head and was transported in a coma to hospital in Grenoble, according to the Le Parisien newspaper.
The man's mother, who was also subjected to an attack, managed to... (GunPolicy.org)
French Gunman Shot, Killed 4 Hostages During Flat Eviction in Germany
5 July 2012
Local (Germany) / AFP
The gunman who shot dead four hostages during a flat eviction and then killed himself in western Germany was French, it emerged on Thursday. Police say he had been planning the bloodbath for some time.
The 55 year-old man, who has not been named, died along with his four victims in Karlsruhe on Wednesday. He was originally from the Alsace region, a police spokesman said on Thursday. The spokesman could not confirm whether the man also had German nationality.
He had... (GunPolicy.org)
Hunter Shoots, Kills 4 Hostages, Self in German House Eviction
5 July 2012
Sydney Morning Herald, Telegraph (UK) / AP
Police commandos stormed a unit in southern Germany after a hostage standoff last night and found five bodies, including that of the gunman, a spokesman said.
A standoff had developed after an attempted eviction.
The spokesman said the hostage taker and all of his hostages were dead.
"Special forces broke into the apartment after smelling smoke and found five dead bodies. Probably one of them is the gunman," the spokesman said.
Shots were heard as a man barricaded... (GunPolicy.org)
Domestic Violence Now Predictable, Most Deaths in Arizona Involve Guns
10 June 2012
USA Today
PHOENIX – Pamela Blaies handed her daughter a pamphlet on domestic violence, opening it in her hands to point out specific signs of an abusive relationship.
"Look at this. Look at all this. See this? This is you," Pamela told 28-year-old Amanda Blaies-Rinaldi.
"… your partner controls everything.
"… your partner calls you names or yells at you.
"… your partner shoves, pinches, hits, punches, kicks or otherwise hurts you.
"… your partner destroys your... (GunPolicy.org)
Seattle Cafe Mass Killer Mentally Ill, Had Legal Hidden Handgun Permit
1 June 2012
Los Angeles Times, Opinion
Ian L. Stawicki, who shot five people to death Wednesday in Seattle before putting a bullet in his own head, had a long history of violence and mental problems, though not the kind that show up on official records. He was charged with misdemeanor assault in 2008 and 2010, but charges in both cases were dismissed after first his girlfriend, whose nose he allegedly bloodied, and then his brother declined to testify against him. Other charges reported by Seattle police,... (GunPolicy.org)
Report Details Arizona Mass Shooting: Neo-Nazi Shot 4 in the Head
29 May 2012
Seattle Times / AP
GILBERT, Ariz. — All four people killed by a former neo-Nazi before he turned the gun on himself this month in a quiet Phoenix suburb were shot in the head, according to a police report released Tuesday that paints the clearest picture yet of the gruesome crime scene.
Various Gilbert police officers and detectives wrote about what they saw at the home where they believe Jason Todd "JT" Ready, 39, shot and killed his girlfriend and three others, including a toddler,... (GunPolicy.org)
Finnish Gunman Had Picked Up 3 Guns Out of a Relative's Locked Cabinet
28 May 2012
Agence France Presse
HELSINKI — An 18-year-old Finn who has confessed to killing two students and injuring seven others in a weekend shooting spree in a small Finnish town was on Monday remanded in custody, media reported.
The man, named by media as Eero Hiltunen, was after a drawn-out hearing at the Hyvinkaeae district court ordered to remain detained late Monday afternoon on two counts of murder and seven attempted murders, the Huvudstadsbladed daily reported in its online... (GunPolicy.org)
Florida Mother Kills Her Four Children Before Turning Gun on Herself
15 May 2012
KSee 24 News (California)
Florida police say a Port St. John mother shot and killed her four children early Tuesday morning before turning the gun on herself. Tanya Thomas, 33, shot her children Joel Johnson, 12, Jazlin Johnson, 13, Jaxs Johnson, 15, and Pebbles Johnson, 17, in their home before taking her own life.
A next-door neighbor was awakened by the sound of gunfire, then a knock at the door. Three of the children were there, asking for help. Joel Johnson was bleeding, and said he'd been... (GunPolicy.org)
Ten Years After School Massacre, Germany Plans National Gun Registry
26 April 2012
Deutsche Welle
Ten years after Germany's worst school shooting, in which a former pupil killed 16 people before committing suicide, politicians are set to lay the foundations for a national gun-owners' register.
The church bells in Erfurt rang out on Thursday shortly before 11am – the time a decade ago when 19-year-old Robert Steinhäuser started shooting at his former school there. A day of commemoration was planned in the Thuringian city.
It was April 26 when Steinhäuser took... (GunPolicy.org)
South Africa Law Enforcement: 'Armed and Dangerous' Police - Analysis
12 January 2012
Institute for Security Studies (Tshwane/Pretoria)
People who possess firearms in South Africa can generally be separated into three categories. The first group consists of individuals in possession of duly registered firearms. The next group is of greater concern. They are the people who are in illegal possession of firearms. Not all people who possess firearms that are, according to the letter of the law, illegal are violent criminals.
However, even this armed group is less of a concern than the last type. The third... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Institute for Security Studies (Tshwane/Pretoria)
Gun Enthusiast Kills 3 Women, Self, Thrusts UK Gun Laws Back Into News
3 January 2012
Independent (UK)
A taxi driver who murdered his partner, her sister and her sister's daughter before shooting himself in a New Year's Day killing spree at the family home held licences for six weapons and had been known to police for three years after he threatened to harm himself.
His 19-year-old stepdaughter leapt to safety from an upstairs window after the man, named as Michael Atherton, opened fire in the crowded semi-detached house shortly before midnight. Police confirmed they... (GunPolicy.org)
Ranger Kills 2 Women, Self with Government Gun in Guam Domestic Dispute
29 December 2011
Pacific Daily News (Guam)
A relative of two slain women is questioning if the government of Guam should harden the psychological scrutiny of armed law enforcement in the wake of a double murder-suicide.
John Mamaligsa said yesterday that he is pushing local lawmakers to create a law establishing government-wide psychological evaluation standards for anyone who carries a gun in the name of GovGuam.
The standards should require all law enforcement to be reviewed by a psychologist periodically to... (GunPolicy.org)
Belgian Killer Amassed Illegal Guns, Used Light Automatic Army Rifle
15 December 2011
CNN
BRUSSELS, Belgium -- A man who killed five people and himself in a gun and grenade attack in Belgium feared going back to prison and losing the life he had built, his lawyer said Thursday.
The attack on a crowded market square in Liege Tuesday by Nourdine Amrani, which also left at least 130 people wounded, shocked the nation.
His defense lawyer in Liege, Jean-Francois Dister, told CNN Amrani had called him late Monday and early Tuesday after the police called him in... (GunPolicy.org)
Switzerland,Finland,Germany,United Kingdom,Netherlands,Norway,Europe
Gun Attacks in Europe and Their Effect on Gun Control Laws
14 December 2011
BBC News
As more details emerge of the shooting spree and grenade attack in Belgium in which five people died, the BBC News website takes a look at other recent incidents in Europe - and the effect they have had on each country's laws.
Norway
Seventy-seven people were killed in twin attacks on 22 July 2011 in Norway. Anders Behring Breivik has admitted that he planted a car bomb that exploded close to government offices in the capital Oslo, killing eight people. He then drove... (GunPolicy.org)
African Street Sellers Shot Dead in Florence by 'Racist Right Wing Extremist'
13 December 2011
Reuters
FLORENCE, Italy - An Italian man killed two African street sellers and wounded three others in an apparent racist shooting rampage in the heart of Florence on Tuesday before committing suicide, police said.
Gianluca Casseri, 50, who Italian officials said was a right-wing extremist, parked his car in the crowded Dalmazia square at lunch time, got out and started shooting with a large pistol, witnesses said.
Two Senegalese men were killed and one seriously... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Officer, Gun Owner Dead in New Virginia Tech University Shooting
8 December 2011
Reuters
BLACKSBURG, Virginia - A gunman ambushed and killed a campus police officer and was later reported to have been found dead on Thursday at Virginia Tech University, the site of one of the worst shooting rampages in U.S. history.
Authorities declared the campus safe and lifted a lock-down after a nearly four-hour manhunt, seeming to lend credence to television news reports that a body found in a Virginia Tech parking lot was that of the shooter.
Police at a televised... (GunPolicy.org)
Texas Father Shoots His Estranged Wife, Kills Her 4 Children, Himself
1 December 2011
Associated Press
BAY CITY, Texas -- Laura Gonzalez was happy to be back at work after three weeks away that included a stay at a battered women's shelter. She saw it as the beginning of a new life. One without her husband and the father of her four children, she told co-workers. She wasn't going back to him this time, she said, and left for home.
Less than an hour later, her 24-year-old husband, Jose Avila, launched a brutal final assault. First he shot his wife three times. Then, he... (GunPolicy.org)
Arms Dealer Linked to Fatal Shootings in Czech Aircraft Factory Boardroom
10 November 2011
České Noviny (Prague)
KUNOVICE - Three men, including the assailant, died and one woman suffered light injuries in a shooting incident in the Czech Aircraft Industries plant in Kunovice today, regional police spokeswoman Jana Bartikova said.
The shooting occurred in the company's headquarters shortly before noon. There was reportedly a meeting of the company board, some of whose members were killed.
The police were alerted by the employees.
The situation in the company was very dramatic.... (GunPolicy.org)
New Canadian Law Would Allow Even Gun Dealer Sales to Escape Registration
5 November 2011
Montreal Gazette (Québec)
As tensions mount between Quebec and Ottawa over the federal government's proposed law to abolish the longgun registry, a wide-ranging group of activists and politicians gathered at Dawson College on Friday to urge the province to take legal action to save the registry and its vast database.
Heidi Rathjen of Poly sesouvient.ca, a group that has tracked gun laws since the massacre at the École Polytechnique that killed 14 women on Dec. 6, 1989, said Quebec should do... (GunPolicy.org)
Should French Police Officers Keep Service Guns at Home? [Francais]
19 October 2011
TF1 News (France)
[Translated summary: Three police suicides, two family tragedies and one fatal accident in a single month. Should French police officers be banned from keeping their firearms at home?]
Après une série de suicides et de faits divers tragiques impliquant des policiers munis de leur arme au domicile, la question se pose plus que jamais. Mais ni l'Intérieur ni les syndicats n'envisagent une telle solution pour l'instant.
Le 22 septembre 2011, un gardien de la paix en... (GunPolicy.org)
Spread of Armed Violence in Pakistan Truly Alarming: 'Too Many Guns'
18 October 2011
Tribune (Pakistan), Editorial
The rate at which violence is spreading in our society is truly alarming. On the afternoon of October 17, hundreds witnessed an incident on Lahore's busy Jail Road, on the pedestrian bridge located outside the city's prestigious Kinnaird College, where a young man pumped five bullets into a second year student from the institute and then shot himself dead. The killer, Shams Alam, was 23; the victim, Samar Wasti was 19. Two young lives have ended tragically, leaving many... (GunPolicy.org)
Gunman Who Killed 4 and Himself in US Used Illegally Altered AK-47
5 October 2011
Las Vegas Review Journal (Nevada)
CARSON CITY - The gunman who killed four people and then himself at a restaurant on Sept. 6 used a Chinese-made version of an AK-47 assault rifle altered into an illegal automatic weapon, the Carson City sheriff's office said Wednesday.
Sheriff Ken Furlong said his deputies and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were continuing to investigate how the weapon and others ended up in the hands of Eduardo Sencion.
Sencion, 32, of Carson City, fired 60... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Licence Applicants May Have to Prove Mental Health in Netherlands
4 October 2011
Auburn Journal (California)
A majority of Members of the Netherlands Parliament are supporting a recommendation from the public security council that applicants for a gun ownership license prove they are psychologically healthy before they can obtain a license.
In the Netherlands gun ownership is not a right but a privilege, with hunting and target shooting the only two legitimate reasons for owning a gun. Self-defense is not considered a legitimate reason for owning a gun and only the police may... (GunPolicy.org)
13-yr Old Boy Shoots 16-yr Old Friend, Then Himself in Philippines Mall
21 September 2011
Associated Press
MANILA, Philippines — A 13-year-old boy who shot his 16-year-old friend inside a busy Philippines mall then turned the weapon on himself died Wednesday and left the other boy brain dead, raising questions about gun control in a country awash in firearms.
Authorities were investigating how the 13-year-old obtained the .22-caliber pistol and smuggled it into the mall in Pampanga province's Mexico township, area police chief Wilson Santos said. He said the shooting... (GunPolicy.org)
US: 78-yr Old Husband Shot Dead 21-yr Old Wife Before Killing Himself
19 September 2011
Daily Mail (UK)
A 78-year-old man shot and killed his 21-year-old Filipino wife, then set their home on fire, before turning the gun on himself.
Geunther Floerchinger, from Port St Lucie, Florida, is believed to have murdered his wife Carhina in an apparent murder-suicide.
Police received two 911 calls to the property on Saturday after 1am.
One from a neighbour saying Mrs Floerchinger asked her to take her four-year-old daughter away earlier that day and one from the husband saying... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Kills his Parents and Himself with Legally Owned Gun in Quebec
16 September 2011
Ottawa Citizen (Ontario)
A Gatineau man shot and killed his parents and then shot himself with a handgun that he legally owned, police said Thursday.
Police confirmed Patrick Mongeon-Johnson, 32, used his licensed and registered nine-millimetre handgun to kill his mother and stepfather before turning it on himself at 115 De Saguenay Street on Sept. 7.
An autopsy confirmed Lucie Johnson, 51, and Denis Lagacé, 59, died of gunshot wounds.
A handgun is considered a restricted firearm under... (GunPolicy.org)
Security and Justice Minister to Ban Semi-auto Rifles in Netherlands
11 September 2011
Radio Netherlands
Security and Justice Minister Ivo Opstelten says he is going to ban semi-automatic rifles.
Minister Opstelten referred to the massacre in the Dutch town of Alpen aan den Rijn in April of this year, when a man used a semi-automatic rifle as well as a pistol and a revolver to kill six people and injure 17 others before killing himself.
"Such weapons", the security minister said, "are not intended for use at a shooting club. They're made to hit moving targets. It's... (GunPolicy.org)
US 'Gun Murder Capital of World' as 6 Shot Dead in West Virginia
8 September 2011
Charleston Gazette (West Virginia), Editorial
CHARLESTON, West Virginia - A troubled young Morgantown man, barely beyond teen age, used two rifles and a pistol in a stunning murder rampage Tuesday. After writing weirdo notes on Facebook, he killed five at a farmhouse near Morgantown, then wounded a service station worker in Roane County, then killed himself in Kentucky.
His bloodbath was just one of several gun killings in Wednesday's news. On the same day, a pistol-carrier pleaded self-defense after gunning down... (GunPolicy.org)
Armed Gun Owner Takes Cover as Nevada Killer Shoots 10 with AK-47
6 September 2011
New York Times
LOS ANGELES — A man armed with an AK-47 assault rifle opened fire Tuesday morning on a group of uniformed National Guard members as they ate breakfast at an IHOP restaurant in Carson City, Nev. He hit all five Guard members, killing three of them, and killed another woman and wounded five other people before taking his own life.
The gunman, identified by the police as Eduardo Sencion, 32, began his five-minute shooting rampage around 9 a.m. as people flocked to the... (GunPolicy.org)
Sweden,Iceland,Denmark,Finland,Norway
Nordic Countries Set Sights on Stricter Gun Control after Norway Attacks
16 August 2011
Agence France Presse
STOCKHOLM — In the Nordic countries, where hunting is popular and firearms are plentiful, the twin July 22 attacks that killed 77 people in Norway have spurred lawmakers to consider tighter gun laws.
But change will not come without resistance in a region where hunting is viewed by many as a cultural heritage passed down from Viking ancestors, and sport shooting is a favourite pastime.
Finland, which has one of the world's highest gun ownership rates at 1.5 million... (GunPolicy.org)
Once Again, a Gun Scare at Virginia Tech
4 August 2011
Washington Post
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Once again, police rushed to the campus of Virginia Tech. Again, the words man with a gun raced across the university. And again, students and workers locked doors and turned off lights.
But a day-long search Thursday failed to locate the tall figure in the blue-and-white vertically striped shirt whom three summer campers thought they saw with a pistol, and by late afternoon their report remained unconfirmed.
A five-hour campus lockdown was lifted... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gunman Kills Ex-wife and 4 Relatives at Son's Birthday Party
25 July 2011
Sydney Morning Herald / AP
A US gunman shouted at children to leave his son's birthday party at a Texas roller rink as he fatally shot his estranged wife and four of her relatives, before then killing himself, police and witnesses say.
Police said the couple had been having ongoing marital problems that investigators believe led to the shootings about 7pm on Saturday at Forum Roller World in Grand Prairie, about 30 kilometres west of Dallas. No young children or rink employees were killed. Some... (GunPolicy.org)
Dutch Mall Shooter Should Not Have Had Gun Permit
11 July 2011
Associated Press
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A gunman who shot and killed six people in a shopping mall before committing suicide should not have been granted a permit for the three weapons he used, police and prosecutors said Monday.
The April 9 shooting shocked this nation where gun ownership is tightly regulated and mass shootings are a rarity, and sparked a review of weapon permit regulations.
Investigations into the shooting spree concluded that the shooter, 24-year-old Tristan... (GunPolicy.org)
Michigan Man Commits Suicide after Seven Die in Shooting Rampage
8 July 2011
Agence France Presse
CHICAGO — A man suspected of fatally shooting seven people, including a child, committed suicide late Thursday after a car chase and hostage standoff with police in the US Great Lakes city of Grand Rapids.
The two remaining hostages were released safely after the gunman, Rodrick Shonte Dantzler, shot himself dead as police were speaking to him, Grand Rapids Police Chief Kevin Belk told reporters.
Belk said officers were in the house and talking to Dantzler -- who... (GunPolicy.org)
Tougher Gun Laws Go into Effect in Finland after Shootings
13 June 2011
univision.com / AFP
Tougher hand gun laws went into effect in Finland Monday, after being pushed through parliament amid outrage over two recent school massacres and a shopping centre shooting spree.
The new legislation raises the minimum age for a handgun permit from 18 to 20 years of age, requires applicants to be trained by a police-approved instructor at a gun club, and obliges medical and military personnel to report anyone they feel is mentally or socially unsuitable to own a... (GunPolicy.org)
Canada Murder/Suicide: 4 Bodies Found, History of Domestic Violence
9 June 2011
Huffington Post (Canada)
Vivian Sula Enuaraq's family says the Iqaluit woman had finally had enough.
The 29-year-old had thought about leaving her husband several times during their troubled 11-year relationship, her sister Jolene Arreak recalled from Ottawa.
She had few friends in the northern community, however, and couldn't afford airfare out. So each time she decided to stay in the marriage for the sake of the couple's two young daughters, Arreak said.
But the last time Arreak talked... (GunPolicy.org)
73yr-old Arizona Gun Owner Kills 6, Including Estranged Wife, Her Lawyer
2 June 2011
Yuma Sun (Arizona)
A 73-year-old Foothills man went on a shooting spree Thursday morning across Yuma County, killing five people and wounding another before turning the gun on himself and taking his own life.
The man, identified as Carey Hal Dyess, was found dead inside his silver Mazda in the area of Blaisdell and Highway 95 at 10:47 a.m. by Yuma County sheriff's deputies. He died from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Yuma County Sheriff Ralph Ogden said the murders... (GunPolicy.org)
Murder-Suicide in California, Man Killed his Sister and Turned Gun on Himself
27 May 2011
San Francisco Chronicle / AP
WESTMINSTER, California - Police say an Orange County man killed his sister and then turned the gun on himself.
A caller who reported hearing five to six gunshots sent Westminster police to a home on Navajo Road at about 11 p.m. Thursday.
A police statement says a woman met officers in the front yard and told them that her son had killed her daughter.
The sister was found dead in the hallway and the man's body was found in the backyard.
Their names were not... (GunPolicy.org)
Murder/Suicide in US: Man Shot Girlfriend, 2 Daughters Before Killing Himself
23 May 2011
Washington Post / AP
SHALER, Pennsylvania — A man fatally shot his girlfriend, her daughter and their 1-year-old child before turning the gun on himself, and authorities said what lay behind the shooting was still being investigated.
The shootings happened late Sunday night in a home rented by the family.
Police believe that Barry Hardesty, 43, shot his 38-year-old girlfriend, Lynette Gasparre, and then her 7-year-old daughter, Quinn Gasparre, and the couple's 1-year-old daughter, Nina... (GunPolicy.org)
Louisiana Restaurant Shooting: Man Kills Self after Killing Ex-girlfriend, Patron Injured
18 May 2011
Advocate (Louisiana) / AP
PIERRE PART, Louisiana — A man shot and killed himself outside a south Louisiana seafood restaurant just minutes after killing his ex-girlfriend and getting into a shootout with a patron, authorities said Tuesday.
Assumption Parish Sheriff Mike Waguespack said the shooting began about 10:30 a.m. at Landry's Seafood Restaurant, where the woman worked, in the unincorporated community of Pierre Part, about 50 miles west of New Orleans. Waguespack said Paul French, 51,... (GunPolicy.org)
Wave of Murders/Suicides Amongst Kenyan Police Under Study
16 May 2011
Capital FM-Radio (Nairobi)
NAIROBI, Kenya - Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere has commissioned a research to establish the cause of the stress levels amongst his officers, in the wake of increased cases of policemen killing their seniors or colleagues before they commit suicide.
This follows four recent incidents where police officers have either committed suicide or killed fellow officers - mainly their seniors - in various parts of the country.
The most recent incident occurred at the... (GunPolicy.org)
Angry Father Turned Gun on 2 of his Daughter's Friends in Florida Shooting
14 May 2011
Times-Union (Florida)
Glen Conley was standing about 50 feet away when a bullet pierced his only child through the chest. Seconds before, he heard the last words of his 18-year-old daughter, Cami.
"Dad — help."
He couldn't.
"By the time I got up there," Conley said, "there was nothing I could do."
He'd been close before, less than two years ago, when the Middleburg father had to save his daughter's life. That day, he could. But now, Conley is making phone calls to relatives and funeral... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Claims Being Victim of Racism Before Shooting Co-Workers in Connecticut
12 May 2011
San Francisco Chronicle / AP
MANCHESTER, Connecticut - There is no evidence to support a man's claim that he was a victim of racism before he fatally shot eight co-workers at a beer distribution company last year, police said Thursday.
Omar Thornton, who was black, "did not seem to understand the concept of seniority" and therefore believed he was subjected to racism at Hartford Distributors, Manchester Police Chief Marc Montminy said. The company's most senior drivers pick the best routes,... (GunPolicy.org)
Father Shoots Girlfriend and 6yr-old Twins Before Killing Himself in California
9 May 2011
Daily Mail (UK)
A deranged father shot dead his girlfriend and their two children inside a car before turning the gun on himself.
Salvador Acevedo, 45, murdered Iris Oseguera, 33, and their six-year-old twins - a boy, Michael, and a girl, Michelle - while his three other teenage children were in the car with them.
Acevedo then drove the three surviving children to a relative's house and released them, before driving to a separate location and shooting himself.
Police in Los Angeles... (GunPolicy.org)
California Man Shoots, Kills His 5yr-old Twins, Girlfriend, Himself in SUV
8 May 2011
San Francisco Chronicle / AP
LOS ANGELES, California - A man shot and killed his girlfriend and two 5-year-old twins before turning the gun on himself in a murder-suicide inside an SUV that was witnessed by three other children, Los Angeles authorities said Sunday.
The shootings occurred Saturday night in a residential area of East Los Angeles, according to Sheriff's Sgt. Michael Thomas.
Salvador Acevedo, 45, was driving with his girlfriend, Iris Oseguera, their young twins and three other... (GunPolicy.org)
Brazil Lawmakers Propose New Referendum on Gun Law, Gun Sale Ban
13 April 2011
BBC News
Brazilian lawmakers say they will propose a national vote on whether to ban the sale of guns, after a deadly shooting at a school last week.
The Senate leader said legislators would rush through a bill to allow a referendum to be held this autumn.
A similar proposal in 2005 was rejected by voters and kept gun sales legal.
Brazil observed three days of mourning after the attack on 7 April, in which a gunman shot dead 12 children in a school in Rio de Janeiro.
Brazil... (GunPolicy.org)
School Shooting Prompts Gun Buyback, Bill to Ban Gun Sales in Brazil
12 April 2011
Associated Press
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Five days after Brazil's most lethal school shooting killed 12 children, Senate leaders decided Tuesday to rush a bill that would let the voters decide whether to forbid gun sales in South America's biggest country.
Senate leader Jose Sarney said at a news conference that legislators would treat the matter with urgency so the issue could be put before Brazilian citizens this fall.
The bill would have to be approved by both the Senate and the... (GunPolicy.org)
Dutch Mass Shooter Faced Gun Charge as Teen, Legally Owned 5 Guns
11 April 2011
Irish Times (Dublin)
As the death toll from Saturday's shooting by a 24-year-old gunman in a Dutch shopping mall reached seven last night, a heated national debate was under way about how he had come to have legal permits for five weapons.
"This will definitely be part of our investigation," said local prosecutor Kitty Nooy, as it emerged the gunman had had a number of previous run-ins with the police, including a weapons possession charge in 2003 when he was just 17. That charge was... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed Dutch Gun Owner Had Mental History, 5 Guns, Killed 7, Hurt 17
11 April 2011
Associated Press
THE HAGUE, Netherlands - The man who went on a shooting rampage in a suburban Dutch mall fired more than 100 rounds in a few minutes as he killed six shoppers before turning one of his weapons on himself, Dutch prosecutors said Monday.
Tristan van der Vlis, 24, used three different guns during the shooting spree Saturday at the busy Ridderhof mall in the central city of Alphen aan den Rijn, prosecutors said in a statement after police had studied video images from mall... (GunPolicy.org)
Mass Killer in Dutch Mall was Gun Club Member, Licensed to Own 5 Guns
10 April 2011
Reuters
A gunman's deadly rampage through a shopping mall was met on Sunday with disbelief by residents of a quiet Dutch town who once thought such carnage couldn't happen in their country.
Dressed in camouflage trousers and a bomber jacket, Tristan van der Vlis opened fire in a parking lot on Saturday and walked calmly into Ridderhof mall, where he killed five people, most of them elderly. He wounded 17 others, one of whom died later.
The 24-year-old gun club member then... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed Gun Club Member Shoots, Kills 6 in Netherlands Shopping Centre
9 April 2011
BBC News
A gunman in the Netherlands has killed six people and wounded at least 11 before taking his own life.
The killings took place at a busy shopping centre in the town of Alphen aan den Rijn, about 25km (15 miles) south-west of Amsterdam.
The mayor of the town said the man opened fire with an automatic weapon and then shot himself.
The gunman came from the town, was known to police and "almost certainly operated alone", said a prosecutor.
'Slaughter'
Kitty Nooy, from... (GunPolicy.org)
School Massacre Spotlights Gun Violence, Rising Firearm Sales in Brazil
8 April 2011
Christian Science Monitor
Brazil is no stranger to urban mayhem, with street shootouts splashing the front pages of newspapers each day in the nation that tops the world in deaths by firearms.
But Thursday's massacre of 12 children at school in western Rio de Janeiro has touched a nerve in this hardened nation. As families hold burial services today, Brazil is asking how such violence more associated with the United States became a reality here.
As happened following the 2007 Virginia Tech... (GunPolicy.org)
Young Gun Owner Shoots, Kills 12 in Brazil's Worst Mass School Shooting
7 April 2011
Associated Press
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - A gunman roamed the halls of an elementary school in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday and killed 11 children, lining them up against a wall and shooting them in the head at point-blank range as he shouted, "I'm going to kill you all!"
It was the worst school shooting in Brazil and would have been deadlier if the gunman had not been shot in the legs by a police officer, who said the man then fell down some stairs and shot himself in the head.
Images... (GunPolicy.org)
New York Mass Shooting Survivor Wants Limits on Pistol Magazine Size
4 April 2011
Associated Press
ALBANY, New York - The critically wounded receptionist who phoned police during a gunman's rampage two years ago has broken her public silence to ask for a renewed federal ban on large-capacity gun magazines like those Jiverly Wong used to fire 97 bullets in under two minutes, killing 13 and wounding four others.
Shirley DeLucia, who played dead under her desk at the American Civic Association in Binghamton, said the only point of those magazines is to inflict "as much... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Owner Kills Ex-wife, Shoots, Kills New York Police Officer, Then Self
22 February 2011
Journal News (New York), Editorial
Shootings like the carnage in Tucson in January that claimed six lives and injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords galvanize gun control-advocates nationwide and focus attention on our gun culture … for about all of 5 minutes. Soon after, it is back to square one, and the everyday gun violence that riddles the nation with sorrow. Some of that pain is being felt in the Lower Hudson Valley and nearby communities after gun violence Friday claimed three lives, including a... (GunPolicy.org)
The US Campus Gun Debate: A Timeline of School and College Shootings
21 February 2011
Telegraph (UK)
Guns are banned at schools, universities and colleges in 38 American states. In 11 others, schools are allowed to decide whether or not to ban firearms from the premises. At present only Utah demands that they allow qualified gun owners to carry weapons on site.
This is a timeline of recent shootings at American colleges dating back to the Virginia Tech massacre in April 2007, when Seung-Hui Cho, a student, killed 32 people and injured another 15, in the country's... (GunPolicy.org)
Few US States Follow Law to Prevent Mentally Ill People Buying Guns
17 February 2011
Associated Press
More than half the states are not complying with a post-Virginia Tech law that requires them to share the names of mentally ill people with the national background-check system to prevent them from buying guns, an Associated Press review has found.
The deadline for complying with the three-year-old law was last month. But nine states haven't supplied any names to the database. Seventeen others have sent in fewer than 25, meaning gun dealers around the U.S. could be... (GunPolicy.org)
Giant, Well-oiled National Gun Registry 'Exactly What We Need' in America
16 February 2011
Lake County News-Sun (Illinois), Column
I had all but forgotten about the Valentine's Day shooting rampage at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. Three years to the day that five people were shot to death and 18 wounded in a murder/suicide, I sat at my dining room table, typing the FAFSA school code for NIU, a preliminary choice for the next kid off to college.
Steve Kazmierczak, the 27-year-old former NIU graduate student who shot up a geology lecture hall, had been treated for mental illness since high... (GunPolicy.org)
He Put Gun in My Mouth, Former Wife Tells Inquest Into 3 NZ Gun Deaths
16 February 2011
Dominion Post (Wellington)
Desmond Winnie murdered his wife and father-in-law then shot himself, a court has been told. And a former wife said he had once threatened her by putting a gun in her mouth.
The bodies of Mr Winnie, 65, Deborah Honeyfield, 51, and her father, Ian Ray Honeyfield, 86, were found in their home just outside Feilding, on August 23.
Detective Sergeant Gary Milligan, of Palmerston North, told an inquest into their deaths yesterday that a caregiver found Mr Winnie's body... (GunPolicy.org)
Iraq,United States,United Kingdom
New York, UK, German Gun Dealers' Links to Global Arms Trafficking Deal
13 February 2011
Democrat and Chronicle (New York)
In May 2007 a British firearms dealer — Mil Tec Marketing Inc. — signed off on a contract to supply weapons parts to a Florida-based company that provides munitions and equipment to the U.S. military and other national defenses.
Under that agreement, weaponry and accessories would have ended up in Iraq for the war effort. But the British firm was unable to meet the contractual promises. Oddly, an ensuing spat between the companies is the seed of an international... (GunPolicy.org)
School Shootings: In Nebraska, A Proposal for Teachers to Carry Guns
19 January 2011
Christian Science Monitor
A Nebraska lawmaker wants teachers to be able to carry concealed guns in school.
The proposal follows a recent shooting in which an Omaha high school senior killed an assistant principal and wounded a principal before killing himself.
Each school district would set its own policy, with a two-thirds majority vote of the school board required to allow the weapons. Teachers or administrators would have to get a concealed handgun permit, which requires some training.
"If... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Owner Shoots, Kills 2 Brothers, His Wife, Himself Over Infidelity in Italy
9 January 2011
Associated Press
ROME — A 74-year-old Italian retiree shot dead two neighbors and then his wife Sunday before turning the gun on himself, police said. Jealousy appeared to be behind the rampage in the northern city of Genoa.
Carlo Trabona, a retired bricklayer, first went to a coffee bar where he shot one of his neighbors. As the other one ran away, Trabona followed him, shot him and then went back home where he killed his wife, according to a police reconstruction reported by... (GunPolicy.org)
Omaha Schoolboy Stole Gun from Detective Dad, Shot School Principals
6 January 2011
BBC News
A US student who shot two school officials, killing one, had been suspended for 19 days just before the attack, officials have said.
Robert Butler, who killed himself after the attack at his Nebraska school, had just been punished for driving over the school football pitch.
Police said the gun he used belonged to his father, an Omaha police detective.
No other students were injured in the attack. The school principal is in hospital and is expected to... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Officers' Son, 17, Shoots 2 School Principals, Himself in Nebraska
6 January 2011
Press Association (UK)
A teenager who opened fire at a Nebraska high school on Wednesday, killing an assistant principal before shooting himself dead, left a message on Facebook which could offer clues as to why he turned violent.
Robert Butler Jr, 17, also wounded the principal at Millard South High School in Omaha before fleeing the scene and shooting himself in his car about a mile away.
Assistant principal Vicki Kaspar, 58, died at Creighton University Medical Centre on Wednesday... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Owner Kills His Bride, Best Man, Himself at His Own Wedding in Brazil
21 December 2010
United Press International
RECIFE, Brazil - A Brazilian man shot and killed his new wife and his best man and then took his own life at their wedding reception, police said.
The bride's brother was wounded, O Globo reported.
Witnesses told police Roger Damascena, 29, went to his father's pickup truck during the reception Saturday in Casa Grande, a village near Recife, and apparently retrieved a gun. A few minutes later, he began shooting, gunning down Renata Costa Alexandre Coelho, 25, and... (GunPolicy.org)
UK's 34 Gun Control Laws 'Complex and Confused' - Lawmaker Panel
20 December 2010
Bloomberg (USA)
The U.K.'s 34 laws governing the control of guns are "complex and confused," placing an "onerous burden" on police and firearms owners, a panel of lawmakers said.
In a report published today, Parliament's Home Affairs Committee said well-designed legislation that regulates and restricts the legal supply of firearms would help to reduce gun crime. The cross-party panel recommended introducing one licensing system to cover all firearms that require a license.
While the... (GunPolicy.org)
Britain's Gun Laws a 'Complex and Confused' Mess, Say Panel of MPs
20 December 2010
BBC News
Gun laws are a "complex and confused" mess and tighter controls on firearms licences are required, MPs have said.
Replacing 34 laws applying to England and Wales with one system to cover all firearms could help cut gun crime, the Home Affairs Committee reports.
The review, launched after Derrick Bird shot dead 12 people in Cumbria in June, recommends criminals given suspended sentences be stripped of gun licences.
Campaigners say other recommendations would punish... (GunPolicy.org)
Ontario Police Seize 5 Guns, Miss 1, Licensed Gun Owner Kills Wife, Self
16 December 2010
Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal (Ontario)
Thunder Bay Police are expecting the investigation into the unregistered firearm used in a Murillo murder-suicide on the weekend to take some time.
The bodies of Joseph Lavoie and his wife Antoinette Lavoie, both 69, were discovered in their Oliver Road home just before 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Investigation has determined Antoinette Lavoie, who suffered from minor health problems, died of a single gunshot wound, while Joseph Lavoie died of a single self-inflicted gunshot... (GunPolicy.org)
Detroit Gun Owner Kills Neighbour Over Loud Music, Shoots Dad, Himself
29 November 2010
Michigan Live
Detroit police say three men died Sunday night in an apparent double murder-suicide following a dispute over loud music at the upscale Joliet Townhouses in Lafayette Park.
While police have yet to confirm the victims' identity, WXYZ reports the shooter is related to one of the murdered men.
Nov. 28, WXYZ: The situation began to unfold Sunday morning when shots were fired at the condo complex. According to neighbors the suspect, a man in his 20's, got angry because a... (GunPolicy.org)
Jealous Florida Gun Owner Kills Mother of 4, Shoots 3 Children, Himself
22 November 2010
WSVN-TV News (Florida)
NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Florida - According to police, a fight over an affair has left a mother of four dead and several of her children critically injured.
Three children are fighting to stay alive after their mother's boyfriend opened fire on them and killed their mother before he turned the gun on himself.
According to North Miami Beach Police, a domestic dispute led 37-year-old Mark Glinton to gun down Evelina Jack, after 11 p.m. Saturday, inside a North Miami Beach... (GunPolicy.org)
Jealous Florida Gun Owner Shoots, Injures 3 Children, Kills Girlfriend, Self
21 November 2010
Miami Herald
A man and a woman are dead, and three of her four children -- ages 10, 13, and 14 -- were in critical condition after the man went on a shooting rampage in their North Miami Beach home Saturday night.
The shooting was ruled a domestic murder-suicide, said police spokesman Officer Mike Pons. The shooter, his girlfriend and her four kids lived together in the house at 1500 NE 151st Ter. The man was not the birth father of the children.
The shootings came after a violent... (GunPolicy.org)
US Mother Kept Gun: Father Killed Her, His Two Children, Then Himself
17 November 2010
Erie Times-News (Pennsylvania)
An Erie woman and her two children were shot to death with her gun, and police believe the children's father was the shooter, police said Tuesday.
Jamie Malanowski, 28, and her daughters, Trinity Dacus, 4, and Brianna Dacus, 7, were shot with a .40-caliber handgun that belonged to Malanowski, police said.
Their bodies were found inside their apartment at 601 E. 10th St. on Saturday morning. Also found dead in the apartment was the girls' father, Brian Dacus, who was... (GunPolicy.org)
