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Guns from Sturm, Ruger in the news
Growing Number of Indian Women Turning to Firearms for Protection
21 May 2012
Guardian (UK)
When Dr Harveen Kaur Sidhu travels from her home in an upmarket neighbourhood of the north-western Indian city of Chandigarh, she always slips her lightweight .22 revolver in her bag. The gun is a new purchase – Sidhu got her licence only a year ago – but now the 33-year-old dentist won't travel without it.
"I don't have faith in the police to protect me. There are so many attacks on women these days. It's everybody's right to defend themselves. I think all women... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Makers' Share Values Rise on Strong Demand, Fear of Obama
22 March 2012
Reuters
Gun maker Sturm Ruger & Co Inc's (RGR.N) shares rose to a life-high on Thursday, after the company said demand was rising so fast that it was suspending new orders until May.
Sturm Ruger said on Wednesday that it has received orders for more than one million guns for the first quarter and it could not keep up with demand despite increased production.
The spike in demand comes in an election year when fears of gun control regulations resurface.
In 2009, gun sales had... (GunPolicy.org)
Why More Americans Carry Hidden Handguns in Public Places - Feature
11 March 2012
Christian Science Monitor
Leaning against a scrub pine as preschoolers scurry about at his feet, Shane Gazda, father of 3-year-old twins, recalls a conundrum he faced earlier that morning: whether to take his Smith & Wesson .40 caliber handgun to a Groundhog Day celebration in this town's White Deer Park.
After all, what was once against the law in North Carolina – carrying a concealed gun in a town park, square, or greenway – is now, as of Dec. 1, 2011, very much allowed. To Mr. Gazda, who... (GunPolicy.org)
NYC Police Arrest, Jail More US Tourists Toting Illegal Hidden Handguns
22 January 2012
CNN
NEW YORK -- An online campaign in support of a former U.S. Marine -- arrested for attempting to security-check his pistol while visiting the Empire State Building -- is bringing new attention and a fair amount of scrutiny to one of the nation's toughest gun-control laws.
Ryan Jerome, 28, was charged with criminal possession of his .45-caliber Ruger while visiting the famous New York landmark during a September vacation with his girlfriend. Jerome has a license to carry... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Lobby Group Raises $200 Million a Year, Aims to Unseat Obama
29 December 2011
Bloomberg (USA)
A toaster that burns the National Rifle Association's logo onto bread fetched $650 at an auction last month, just one reflection of the money-making power in the gun group's brand.
The NRA, which began as a grassroots organization dedicated to teaching marksmanship, enters the 2012 election season as a lobbying, merchandising and marketing machine that brings in more than $200 million a year and intends to help unseat the incumbent president. From 2004 to 2010, the... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Gun Laws, Scrapping of Long Gun Registry Explained, Debated
6 December 2011
CBC News (Canada)
The contentious long-gun registry is on the cusp of being abolished, meaning rifles and shotguns like those sold at Stephen Milton's King City, Ont., shop will disappear from government records.
But while police say that would make it harder for them to do their jobs, Milton says it would be a good move.
"We don't have a gun problem. We have a criminal problem, we have a gang problem, we have problems with people who have no regard for the law whatsoever," he said.... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Nuts Need Fear, Conspiracies, Obama to Hate, Flourish, Raise Money
1 December 2011
New York Times, Opinion
PHOENIX — When it became clear in the early fall of 2008 that Barack Obama, son of a Kansan and a Kenyan, would be the 44th President of the United States, many citizens rushed to their gun shops, stocked up on ammo and camo, and tried to fortify their nests with all manner of lethal weapons.
Though he had said nothing about gun control in the campaign, Obama, to a certain kind of person, appeared to be a grave threat to the Second Amendment. He was urban —... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Government Rejects Long-gun Registry Amendments [Francais]
30 November 2011
Le Devoir (Quebec)
[Translated Summary: "A poisoned Christmas gift." Opposition attempts have failed and Bill C-19 will be sent back to the House of Commons: the long gun register will be abolished, as will its data, and no one will be able to revive it. This was the decision made by the Commons Public Safety Committee, made up of a conservative majority.]
OTTAWA — Malgré les critiques de plusieurs témoins, et notamment du gouvernement du Québec, la proposition des conservateurs... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Tories Reject Amendments to Repeal of Long Gun Registry
29 November 2011
Toronto Sun (Ontario)
OTTAWA - The Conservatives refused to bite on amendments put forward by the NDP Tuesday on the bill to repeal the long gun registry.
The Commons public safety committee has wrapped up its study of Bill C-19, which will be heading back to the House without changes despite the NDP's last ditch attempt to remedy what they see as serious problems with the proposed legislation.
Two amendments were shot down by the Conservatives - one forcing the feds to table the costs of... (GunPolicy.org)
Opposition's Honest Mistake Confirms Canada's Dysfunctional Gun Laws
29 November 2011
National Post (Toronto), Blog
The federal New Democrats have been left scrambling after nearly making an embarrassing mistake in an ad campaign criticizing the federal Tories for scrapping the long-gun registry. The NDP planned to run ads showing the Mini-14 rifle, which would no longer be subject to registration after the end of the long-gun registry. But the graphic showed the wrong variant of the Mini-14 — one that is considered a restricted firearm, and therefore won't be affected by the... (GunPolicy.org)
Iraq,Afghanistan,United States
Conspiracists Chatter as Secretive US Company Buys Up Gun, Ammo Makers
26 November 2011
New York Times
SCARBOROUGH, Me. - Lined up in a gun rack beneath mounted deer heads is a Bushmaster Carbon 15, a matte-black semiautomatic rifle that looks as if it belongs to a SWAT team. On another rack rests a Teflon-coated Prairie Panther from DPMS Firearms, a supplier to the United States Border Patrol and security agencies in Iraq. On a third is a Remington 750 Woodsmaster, a popular hunting rifle.
The variety of rifles and shotguns on sale here at Cabela's, the national... (GunPolicy.org)
Despite Police Protests, Blind American Man Legally Holds 12+ Handguns
25 November 2011
New York Times
ROCKAWAY, N.J. — Judging by what the authorities say about him, Steven Hopler has really been testing the limits of the Second Amendment.
Mr. Hopler, 49, who lives on a winding road here, is once again fighting for his right to keep and bear arms despite having been totally blind for most of his adult life. He has repeatedly persuaded judges to let him keep his collection of more than a dozen handguns, but doing so has been more complicated since 2008, when he was... (GunPolicy.org)
Guatemala,United States,Mexico,Central America
Arms Trafficking, Business of Death: Guns in Central America [Espanol]
16 November 2011
Contralinea (Mexico)
[Translated Summary: Contralinea magazine details the routes by which guns are trafficked into Mexico, including the flow of arms from the US directly to Guatemala, and then over Mexico's southern border. English translation at: http://bit.ly/uBnEGu]
En la última década, México pasó del lugar vigesimosegundo al quinto en tráfico de armas en el ámbito mundial. Se calcula que cada día ingresan al país unas 2 mil para abastecer a los cárteles de la droga, la... (GunPolicy.org)
Guns Destroyed in Australian Gun Buybacks Now Replaced with Imports
13 November 2011
ABC Radio National - Background Briefing, Transcript
Gun clubs report lots of new members, hunting is cool, and handguns are gangland chic. The hundreds of thousands of guns destroyed in buybacks since Port Arthur have been more than replaced by new ones. But guns are highly political and the national system for monitoring gun ownership is a mess. Reporter, Ian Townsend.
Ian Townsend: There may be more guns in Australia today than there have ever been. In the past 16 months in Queensland alone, nearly 50,000 guns —... (GunPolicy.org)
UK Man Guilty of Receiving Handguns Smuggled from US, Selling to Gangs
10 November 2011
Guardian (UK)
A man has been found guilty of helping an international gun runner to smuggle dozens of handguns into Britain on commercial transatlantic flights.
Over a six-month period gun runner Steven Greenoe, 37, – an American who lived in Shrewsbury and is currently awaiting sentence in the US – repeatedly crossed the Atlantic to purchase weapons to sell on to the criminal underworld for a huge profit. He broke the guns down to their component parts and smuggled them into... (GunPolicy.org)
Rifles, Shotguns Set to Become Invisible if Canada Scraps Gun Registry
8 November 2011
McGill Tribune (Montreal)
On Oct. 25 Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservative government introduced Bill C-19 to the House of Commons. This bill, known as the Ending the Long-gun Registry Act, seeks to abolish the current long-gun registry. If passed, gun owners will no longer be required by law to register rifles and shotguns. Furthermore, Bill C-19 would ensure the destruction of all existing records of these weapons in the Canadian Firearms Registry.
The Conservative government's... (GunPolicy.org)
Bill to Kill Canada Long-Gun Registry Delists Sniper Rifles, Semi-Automatics
1 November 2011
Toronto Star (Ontario)
OTTAWA — The powerful Ruger Mini-14 semi-automatic rifle used in the 1989 Montreal massacre and this summer's Norway bloodbath.
Sniper rifles that can pierce light armour from a distance of up to 1.5 kilometres.
Or one that can drop a target two kilometres away.
They are all weapons that will soon be declassified under the Conservatives' bill to kill the long-gun registry and freed from binding controls that now see them listed with the RCMP-run database.
They... (GunPolicy.org)
One Gun for Every Four People, Owned by 6 Per Cent of Canadians
24 October 2011
Montreal Gazette (Québec)
The Canadian public loves its guns, and has a sizable arsenal to prove it.
According to the Canadian Firearms Centre, there are more than 7.6 million registered firearms in Canada, about one gun for every four Canadians.
More than 1.8 million Canadians - about six per cent of the population - have valid gun licences, with the largest concentrations in Atlantic Canada and the North.
The Yukon stacks up as the most gun-loving area of the country, with more than 84 guns... (GunPolicy.org)
Why the US Firearm Industry Secretly Loves Obama: More Gun Sales
5 September 2011
Bloomberg (USA)
Rick Perry's emergence as the front runner for the Republican Presidential nomination would seem like a coup for the gun industry. The Texas governor's enthusiasm for firearms rivals Yosemite Sam's. He has an A+ rating from the Texas State Rifle Association and packs a laser-sighted Ruger pistol when he jogs. Last year, he famously shot a coyote that threatened his dog during a run. To commemorate his act of valor, the manufacturer, Sturm, Ruger & Co., produced a... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Ownership Soars Under Obama As 15 Million Americans Undergo Sales Checks
5 September 2011
Daily Mail (UK)
For most gun loving Americans, the election of President Obama brought fears of a clamp down on their hobby.
But shockingly, new statistics show the President may just be the best thing to happen to the U.S. gun industry.
The numbers show that since he took office, gun ownership in America has soared - with FBI requested background checks for new gun licences set to reach 15 million for the first time in their history.
In another sign of America's new found love for... (GunPolicy.org)
Canada Chooses Flabby Furball, US States Go for Guns as State Symbols
19 August 2011
Canada.com, Opinion
Know what I like best about Canada's national symbol, the beaver?
It's not imperial. Not for us the American eagle with its razor talons, the British bulldog with its gobful of teeth or the ballsy Gallic rooster that struts symbolically for France.
Canadians chose a docile rodent with buck teeth, a pot belly and a tail that looks like it was run over by a Zamboni. We could have opted for a ferocious wolf, a majestic moose, a mighty bison or a fearsome polar bear.
We... (GunPolicy.org)
Denmark,European Union,United States,Norway
Police Call for Stricter Gun Control in Norway
2 August 2011
Views and News from Norway
Calls are going out for stricter gun regulation and changes to the Norwegian criminal code after the terrorist attacks on Oslo and Utøya, with police, politicians and academics welcoming a debate. When such a debate will be able to occur is more uncertain, with the American police chief in charge of the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombings warning Norwegians not to be overly critical of police or emergency services at this early stage.
The police have expressed a... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Control in Canada: Crime and the Long-gun Registry
30 July 2011
Montreal Gazette (Québec)
MONTREAL - There are two basic crime scenes when it comes to gun violence in Canada. One involves weapons that are traceable - sometimes using the $1 billion long-gun registry that is likely to be scrapped by the Conservative government this fall, as promised. The other - far more common - involves guns that are not traceable because they are not registered, the registration number was erased or the guns used to kill are never found.
The looming question as MPs get set... (GunPolicy.org)
Maker of Norway Massacre Gun Donates $280,000 to US Gun Lobby
29 July 2011
Sturm, Ruger (USA), Media release
SOUTHPORT, Connecticut -- Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE: RGR) is proud to announce that it has donated $279,600.00 to the NRA as part of Ruger's "Million Gun Challenge to Benefit the NRA" campaign.
Ruger is trying to make history by selling one million firearms to the commercial market in a 12-month period, and is pledging to give the NRA one dollar for every gun sold during that time period with the goal of donating $1,000,000.
At the close of the first quarter... (GunPolicy.org)
Norway Shooter's Ruger Mini-14: Very Popular, 'Poor Man's Assault Rifle'
27 July 2011
Huffington Post (USA), Blog
The attack in Norway by Anders Behring Breivik, apparently involving a Ruger Mini-14 assault rifle, is only the most horrific of the mass shootings involving the company's products.
Founded in 1949, the "corporate motto" of Sturm, Ruger & Co. is "Arms Makers for Responsible Citizens." But Sturm, Ruger firearms are also often found in the hands of mass shooters: last year's attack at a Connecticut beer distributor, leaving eight victims dead and two wounded; the 1999... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Norway,Australia
Australian Gun Control Group Renews Its Call for Semi-auto Handgun Ban
26 July 2011
Herald Sun (Melbourne) / AAP
The National Coalition for Gun Control has renewed its call for a ban on semi-automatic handguns after the Norway massacre.
Coalition co-convenor Samantha Lee said semi-automatic longarms were deemed too dangerous and banned in 1996 after the Port Arthur massacre in which Martin Bryant shot dead 35 people.
But semi-automatic handguns remain available to sporting shooters.
"It only takes one person with a high-powered semi-automatic firearm and access to lots of... (GunPolicy.org)
Norway Mass Killer Tried Smuggling, Then Bought His Guns Legally Instead
24 July 2011
Financial Times (UK)
The Nordic countries' hunting traditions mean that there is a high rate of gun ownership in Norway, where locals – and tourists - often go out to the woods to hunt wild reindeer, moose, deer, hare and grouse.
About 439,000 Norwegians are recognised by the Norwegian Register of Hunters, or about one in every 10 citizens. However, most have licences for bolt-action rifles and shotguns, with a smattering of semi-automatic weapons, and ownership of heavier weapons and... (GunPolicy.org)
Arizona Lawmaker Pointing Her Handgun at a Journalist Draws Fire
16 July 2011
New York Times, Opinion
While all the country gaped last week at the acrimony ensnarling the Federal government, Arizonans were treated to an additional, equally bizarre spectacle. You'll be shocked to hear that a firearm was involved.
It was a classic case of he said/she said, but of a particular stripe hard to imagine outside Arizona, where guns are so fervently embraced that I imagine they rank above waffle irons as popular wedding gifts and make the occasional appearance at christenings,... (GunPolicy.org)
US-Mexico Gun Tracking Program Comes Under Congressional Fire
16 July 2011
Christian Science Monitor
ATLANTA - Busting a major gunrunning ring on the New Mexico frontier – and netting a mayor, a police chief and a town councilor in the process – would normally be a huge feather in the cap of embattled federal agencies under pressure to stop cross-border arms smuggling and corruption.
But instead, the resolution of the so-called Columbus 11 case in the historic border village of Columbus, N.M., has taken on a muted tone, primarily because of its potentially... (GunPolicy.org)
Badly Flawed US Background Check System Fails to Contain Gun Sales
23 June 2011
Center for Public Integrity / iWatch News (USA)
Like many states, Maine depends on the FBI to conduct background checks of people who want to acquire firearms from the state's federally licensed gun dealers.
And like many states, Maine is a slacker in supplying the records that the FBI depends on to run those checks.
That's how Raymond Geisel got his guns, including a Glock Model 17 pistol and a semi-automatic version of the AK-47 assault rifle. Geisel had previously been committed to a psychiatric hospital in... (GunPolicy.org)
Uzi Submachine Gun, Pistol, Rifles Seized Near School in Jamaica
20 June 2011
Jamaica Gleaner
The St Catherine South police yesterday seized four illegal guns within an eight-hour period and charged one man with breaches of the Firearms Act.
The guns were seized in Waterford and Old Harbour, respectively.
About 9:45 a.m., a team, led by Senior Superintendent Colin Pinnock, went along Caymanas Drive in Waterford, St Catherine.
Following the searches of a number of premises, the team inspected bushes near the Waterford Primary School.
This resulted in the... (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)
Should Australian Police be Contributing to the Gun Death Toll in the USA?
14 April 2011
Croakey / Crikey (Australia), Blog
Should Australia be contributing to the gun toll in the USA?
It's a timely question for the Defence Export Control Office in the Department of Defence in Canberra, says Adjunct Associate Professor Philip Alpers, of GunPolicy.org at the Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney.
Philip Alpers writes:
If Canberra follows precedent, around 10,000 surplus Australian police firearms will soon be for sale in pawn shops and gun shops across the United States.
To... (GunPolicy.org)
Thousands of Used Australian Police Guns Headed for US Streets – Again
14 April 2011
Australian (Sydney)
Almost 10,000 Australian police-issue handguns will flood the American secondary arms market after two state police departments opted to trade in their old weapons rather than have them destroyed.
The Australian has learned that Victoria and South Australia struck deals with weapons manufacturer Smith & Wesson to export their surplus weapons to the US to reduce the cost of upgrading to semi-automatic pistols.
While NSW and the Australian Federal Police destroyed their... (GunPolicy.org)
Sydney Gun Club's 'Negligent Attitude to Gun Safety' Cited in Family Killing
5 March 2011
Sydney Morning Herald
When the gun club official noticed a borrowed pistol had not been signed back into the register, he made a fatal assumption.
Without checking, he assumed it was a clerical error, packed up the club's firearms and drove home. It was 2pm and it took another 72 minutes for police to be told the pistol was missing.
In the meantime it was allegedly used in a murder.
Another club official eventually called police at 3.12pm. Two minutes later a mentally ill woman, Shamin... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Runner Smuggled Dozens of Handguns from US to UK, Pleads Guilty
2 March 2011
BBC News
An American man accused of smuggling 62 guns into the UK has pleaded guilty in an US court.
Steven Greenoe, 37, who appeared in court in Raleigh, North Carolina, faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1m (£610,000) fine.
In exchange for federal prosecutors dropping 48 other weapons charges against him, he pleaded guilty to two counts of transporting guns outside the US without a federal export licence.
He is expected to be sentenced in June.
Arsenal
US prosecutors... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Rights vs. Gun Control: Arizona Legislators Push to Weaken Gun Law
20 February 2011
Daily Star (Arizona)
It didn't take much effort for the accused gunman in Tucson's Jan. 8 mass shooting to buy a semiautomatic handgun and ammunition - quick trips to the Sportsman's Warehouse and Walmart near his home.
It didn't take long - 15 seconds - for him to shoot 19 people, killing six, when he fired 31 rounds using a high-capacity magazine. That's roughly double the standard number for the Glock pistol he used.
And even if police could go back in time, they wouldn't have been... (GunPolicy.org)
Tucson Shooting Not Cooling Western Arms Ardor as Utah Plans State Gun
18 February 2011
Bloomberg (USA)
Lawmakers from Arizona to Wyoming, the mountain region of Western movies and home to four of the five fastest-growing states, are moving forward with gun laws that would be among the nation's most permissive, undeterred by the shooting of U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords.
Arizona, where the shooting took place last month, is considering a proposal to allow firearms on college campuses. Wyoming's Senate passed a bill to authorize residents to carry concealed... (GunPolicy.org)
Ex-Marine Smuggled 66 Guns from US to UK, Sold Them to Gangs - Police
25 January 2011
Press Association (UK)
A former Marine faces trial in the United States accused of smuggling more than 60 handguns into Britain in his luggage.
Steven Greenoe, 37, is alleged to have imported at least 66 weapons into the country from his home in North Carolina.
Police fear many of the guns, which included Glock and Ruger 9mm pistols, were sold to criminal gangs in north-west England.
One drive-by shooting in Wythenshawe, Manchester, last October, in which a man was hit in the leg,... (GunPolicy.org)
Arizona's Gun Control Laws Were Much More Strict, Enforced in the 1880s
23 January 2011
Los Angeles Times
TOMBSTONE, Arizona — A billboard just outside this Old West town promises "Gunfights Daily!" and tourists line up each afternoon to watch costumed cowboys and lawmen reenact the bloody gunfight at the OK Corral with blazing six-shooters.
But as with much of the Wild West, myth has replaced history. The 1881 shootout took place in a narrow alley, not at the corral. Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday weren't seen as heroic until later; they were initially charged with... (GunPolicy.org)
Hidden Handgun Carrier Almost Shot Innocent Person in Arizona Shooting
14 January 2011
Los Angeles Times
Joe Zamudio was out buying cigarettes last Saturday when he heard what sounded like fireworks but quickly realized were gunshots. He reached into his coat pocket for the 9-millimeter semiautomatic pistol he carried, clicking the safety off.
He heard yelling around him: "Shooter, shooter, get down!"
Zamudio saw a young man squirming on the ground and an older man standing above him, waving a gun.
Zamudio, 24, had his finger on the trigger and seconds to decide.
He... (GunPolicy.org)
How Glock Became Weapon of Choice for Cops, Gun Hobbyists and Killers
13 January 2011
Business Week / Bloomberg (USA)
For all the anguish and outcry in the days after a community college dropout named Jared Loughner allegedly sprayed a Tucson crowd with 33 bullets from a semiautomatic pistol, one response was notably absent: any sense that America's latest shooting spree, which killed six people and wounded 14, including Representative Gabrielle Giffords, would bring new restrictions on the right to own or carry large-capacity, rapid-fire weapons.
The gun control debate has vanished... (GunPolicy.org)
Arizona Rampage Handgun's Reputation Built on Style, Ease of Use
12 January 2011
Wall Street Journal
Police and gun dealers say Glock semiautomatic pistols, including the lightweight model allegedly used in the Tucson rampage last weekend, are among the most popular firearms in the U.S. because they are easy to use, reliable and accurate.
"The Glock is a very popular weapon, generally not only with the law enforcement but with civilians," said James Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, which represents about 330,000 street-level officers. "It's... (GunPolicy.org)
Arizona Lawmaker Packs Hidden Handgun in Senate: No Plan to Stop Her
12 January 2011
East Valley Tribune (Arizona)
A new state lawmaker is bringing her concealed gun into the Senate despite signs on the doors making the building a weapons-free zone.
And the president of the Senate doesn't intend to do anything about that.
Sen. Lori Klein, R-Anthem, said she has had a gun for years. And when a new law kicked in last year allowing anyone to have a concealed weapon, she began carrying a .380 Ruger in her purse.
"I believe that my responsibility is to protect myself," she told... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed Florida Gun Dealer, Son Get 6mths Jail for Selling Guns to Felon
6 January 2011
Walton Sun (Florida)
PANAMA CITY — A former Washington County commissioner and his son were sentenced to prison Wednesday for selling firearms to a convicted felon.
Federal Judge Richard Smoak sentenced the former commissioner, Ronnie B. Finch, and son Victor to six months in prison, three years probation and fined $3,000. The two defendants had signed a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in November after they allegedly sold firearms to a convicted felon.
According to court... (GunPolicy.org)
Michigan Gun Shop Owner Lost 170 Guns to Thieves, Scoffed at Police
15 December 2010
Grand Rapids Press (Michigan)
Eighty-one years ago, Felix Pytlinske started Felix's Marine & Guns in Robinson Township overlooking Stearns Bayou on the Grand River.
His son, Felix Pytlinske Jr., turns 80 next month.
He doesn't know, he jokes, if he was named for his father — or the shop.
But he knows it's a tough business. Three burglaries in three years resulted in the loss of nearly 170 firearms
The thefts nearly did him in. They also put a lot of guns on the street.
Pytlinske said police... (GunPolicy.org)
War On 'Bad Guys with Guns' is Signature Programme for Baltimore Police
2 December 2010
Baltimore Sun
It's the signature program for Baltimore police — curtail violence by getting guns off city streets.
The department's public Twitter feed is replete with gun arrests — "traffic stop leads to 1 arrest and recovery of a .40 cal handgun" — reads one note from Monday. "Call for armed person leads to recovery of a .38 caliber handgun," reads another message from Thursday.
But it seems that just as often as guns are taken out of circulation, bullets fired from guns... (GunPolicy.org)
Guns Found Buried in PVC Pipes in Dense NSW Forest, Owner Arrested
24 November 2010
Australian Associated Press
Six firearms hidden inside PVC pipes have been unearthed in a forest in NSW's central west.
A man has been charged over the discovery in dense bushland in the Goonoo State Forest at Mogriguy, 25 kilometres north-west of Dubbo.
Following a tip-off from a member of the public, police searched the forest on Monday and discovered inside buried PVC pipes two .22 rifles, one 12-gauge shotgun, a semi-automatic .223 Ruger rifle, a .303 Lithgow rifle and a 3030 Winchester... (GunPolicy.org)
In California, Illegal Guns Not as Easy to Get as Some Believe - Police
9 November 2010
Richmond Confidential (California)
From mid-September to mid-October there were 182 separate instances of gunfire in Richmond; that averages out to about six a day.
Not all of these shootings — tracked by the department's ShotSpotter gunshot detection system — were motivated by violence, said Captain Mark Gagan, head of Richmond's central police district. Many incidents were apparently celebratory, like people firing off guns at parties or after the San Francisco Giants won the World Series.
Still,... (GunPolicy.org)
Afghanistan,Iraq,United States
Ex-Marines Arrested for Selling Assault Weapons to Los Angeles Gang
9 November 2010
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - Federal agents have arrested three retired Marines suspected of selling illegal assault weapons to a notorious Los Angeles street gang, authorities said Tuesday.
The suspected ringleader, Adam Gitschlag, who served in Iraq and was once based at Camp Pendleton, was arrested at his Orange County home Nov. 2 as part of an operation carried out by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as military investigators and local police.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
One DC-Area Firearm Dealer Supplied 2,500 Crime Guns to DC, Maryland
24 October 2010
Washington Post, Series
Outside a baby shower in Landover three years ago, Erik Kenneth Dixon snapped. As he argued with his sister and her boyfriend in a parking lot, the 25-year-old man whipped out a .45-caliber Glock and shot her in the leg. Then he chased down her boyfriend, firing between cars and at the running man's feet until he slipped on wet grass. As the prone man held his hands up in futile defense, Dixon executed him, firing seven times.
By law, Dixon was prohibited from owning... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed Ontario Gun Owner Loses Weapons as Police Raid His Drug Farm
9 October 2010
Windsor Star (Ontario)
WINDSOR, Ontario - Gun charges against a local elementary school teacher have been withdrawn -- after her husband took the fall.
Giuseppe Zambito, 42, is in Windsor Jail this weekend after pleading guilty to two counts of unsafe storage of a firearm and one count of diverting electricity.
Luana Zambito, Giuseppe's 41-year-old wife, no longer has any charges. She teaches Grade 1 at King Edward public school.
Giuseppe was sentenced on Friday to 14 days of custody,... (GunPolicy.org)
Coroner's Report 'Could Lead to Sweeping Changes' to NZ Gun Laws
4 September 2010
Dominion Post (Wellington)
The violent deaths of Napier gunman Jan Molenaar and the police officer he shot, sparking a 50-hour siege, could lead to sweeping changes to gun laws.
Coroner David Crerar has recommended the Government review the Arms Act – including revisiting a suggested ban on military-style semi-automatics – as part of his findings into the deaths of Molenaar and Senior Constable Len Snee last May.
He levelled criticism at the community, saying it was "a matter of enduring... (GunPolicy.org)
Connecticut Mass Killer Had 'Numerous Guns Registered' to His Name
4 August 2010
New York Times
It was the busiest time of the day at Hartford Distributors, the morning shift change. And among the dozens of warehouse workers, sales representatives and executives inside the sprawling building in Manchester, Conn., was the company's newest truck driver, about to lose his job.
The driver, Omar S. Thornton, 34, came in at 7 a.m. on Tuesday for a disciplinary hearing. Mr. Thornton had been with the company for two years, still new in a family-run workplace where... (GunPolicy.org)
Winnipeg Police Bust Gun Trafficking Network, Seize 9 Brand New Firearms
26 July 2010
Winnipeg Sun (Manitoba)
Nine firearms and other weapons were seized and three people arrested when police officers interrupted Winnipeg-based members of a gun-trafficking network earlier this month.
Facing more than 140 criminal charges, the suspects — two men and a woman — may be part of something larger but Winnipeg police were tight-lipped about the scope of the illegal ring.
The reason is several related, parallel investigations are ongoing and discussing intimate details of this... (GunPolicy.org)
In Wake of Supreme Court Chicago Decision, US Gun Maker Shares Rose
9 July 2010
Patriot Ledger (Massachusetts), Editorial
Anyone who thinks the Supreme Court's decision on gun rights last week was an exercise for constitutional scholars – and nothing more – didn't catch what happened with the stock of gun manufacturers Smith & Wesson and Sturm, Ruger. Like a trigger had been squeezed, their stock went up on a day other stocks went down.
The justices' 5-4 decision was a landmark one, establishing clearly that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms is not a lesser right among... (GunPolicy.org)
Pennsylvania Drug Dealer Shot, Killed Man 'In Self Defence,' No Charge
22 June 2010
Sun-Gazette (Pennsylvania)
City police secured a warrant Monday to track down a man who is accused of selling drugs from his Scott Street home where a gun battle occurred just over a week ago, resulting in the death of another man.
Police said Neil L. Felver, 29, used a .22 caliber Ruger handgun to shoot Abdul Miller, 33, of Milton after Miller invaded Felver's home at 1510 Scott St. just after 2 a.m. June 14.
The district attorney is not charging Felver with homicide as the shooting was... (GunPolicy.org)
California Gun Owners Parade Unloaded Guns in Public 'Diplomacy' Push
16 May 2010
Orange County Register (California), Column
One thing's for sure. No one was going to rob the Whole Foods Market in Tustin on Sunday afternoon.
Between the fresh greens and the Asian foods, Phil Greubel had a .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol holstered to his belt.
Vincent Burke decided what to have for lunch while packing a .40-caliber Glock. Over near the Greek salad, Gabriel Machan carried a 9 mm pistol on his hip.
Then there was Brandon Stevens and his girlfriend, Chelley Smith, waiting amiably in line,... (GunPolicy.org)
California Law Stopped Pentagon Shooter Buying Gun, Nevada's Didn't
19 April 2010
Southern California Public Radio
Last month, security officers shot and killed a gunman who'd opened fire on them outside the Pentagon. The shooter — armed with two handguns — wounded two officers before they were able to stop him. The gunman was John Patrick Bedell — a former Irvine resident with a history of mental illness. That made it tougher for him to buy a gun — but not impossible.
Look into Bedell's background and you'll find a former San Jose State engineering major, a skilled... (GunPolicy.org)
Arkansas Councilman Pleads Guilty to Possession of Illegal Machine Gun
31 March 2010
Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK — An east Arkansas city councilman pleaded guilty Tuesday to illegally possessing an unregistered machine gun, telling a federal judge that he had the weapon because he was working on it for the local police department.
John Henry Parker pleaded guilty to one count of illegally possessing a Glock machine gun. As part of a plea deal, federal prosecutors dropped a charge of illegally possessing a Ruger .22-caliber rifle equipped with a silencer.
Parker was... (GunPolicy.org)
Toronto 18yr-old Found Loitering in Park with Loaded Machine Pistol
21 March 2010
Toronto Observer
A Toronto man facing ten gun-related charges is appearing in a Scarborough court today for a bail hearing.
The man was loitering in a park in the Markham Road and Lawrence Avenue area on March 18 when he was allegedly found to be in possession of a loaded Tech 9 machine pistol and 30 rounds of ammunition.
He is also scheduled to appear in court March 25.
Wariskhan Pathan, 18, was arrested March 18 on charges including possession of property obtained by crime, weapons... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Seized Handgun, Sold to US Gun Shop, Pentagon Shooter Used It
15 March 2010
Washington Post
One of the handguns that John Patrick Bedell used to shoot two Pentagon police officers this month was seized five years ago by a Tennessee police department that later traded the weapon to a licensed gun distributor in Georgia, law enforcement sources said Sunday.
The Sturm, Ruger & Co. 9mm gun ended up with Bedell, 36, not long before he opened fire at the Pentagon's Metro entrance March 4, officials said. Law enforcement officials aren't sure how Bedell got the... (GunPolicy.org)
Pentagon Shooter Used Gun Seized, Sold by Police, Bought at Gun Show
14 March 2010
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Two guns used in high-profile shootings this year at the Pentagon and a Las Vegas courthouse both came from the same unlikely place: the police and court system of Memphis, Tenn.
Law enforcement officials told The Associated Press that both guns were once seized in criminal cases in Memphis. The officials described how the weapons made their separate ways from an evidence vault to gun dealers and to the shooters.
The use of guns that once were in police... (GunPolicy.org)
Busted Gang of US-Canada Gun Runners Armed Toronto Underworld
12 March 2010
Niagara Falls Review (Ontario)
The good news: Police took 30 guns off the streets.
The bad: Some 50 more are still out there.
This, after a "significant blow" was dealt to an alleged cross-border crime group that cooked up a specialty in moving legally bought guns from the United States to criminals in the Greater Toronto Area.
"We are aware of approximately 80 guns that have come up from an individual in Kentucky," OPP Insp. Steve Clegg told reporters Thursday, a day after a joint-forces... (GunPolicy.org)
Some US Coffee Chains Ban Gun-toting Customers, Starbucks Trembles
19 February 2010
New York Times, Editorial
It looked like a casting call for a Sam Pekinpah shoot-'em-up: 100 or so gun enthusiasts showed up at the Buckhorn Grill in Walnut Creek, Calif., this month with revolvers strapped on their hips. "We're not politically involved," the restaurant manager declared as he agreed to serve the supporters of Open Carry, a group that goes around flaunting gun owners' right — under a benighted California law — to pack weapons in public.
Four days later, the chief of the... (GunPolicy.org)
13 Firearms and a Parrot Stolen From a South Beach Apartment
29 December 2009
Miami News Times
Michael Beasley hobbled up the stairs leading to his second-floor apartment near the southern tip of Miami Beach. On the way home from Haulover Park, the 60-year-old Jacksonville native had purchased a couple of burgers for himself and his beloved green Amazon parrot, Seaweed. Then something startled Beasley. His front door had been pried open.
Normally, Seaweed would squawk the greeting, "Hey, how ya doing?" But this time there was silence.
Beasley, who walks with a... (GunPolicy.org)
Philadelphia Man Regrets Trafficking, Wants Gun Dealers Accountable
20 December 2009
Philadelphia Inquirer, Column
Reading my colleagues' recent investigation, "Justice: Delayed, Dismissed, Denied," you may have noticed a theme in the criminal cases that stall and die in Philadelphia's crazy court system: guns.
Specifically, guns that their owners had no earthly right possessing, given their age or rap sheets.
Today, I introduce you to a guy who put guns in criminals' hands. I'll call him "Jerome," because now that he's served 4½ years in federal prison, he's walking a straight... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Long Gun Registry is Much More Than a Symbol
10 December 2009
Metro (Canada), Opinion
This past weekend, groups across the country commemorated the 20th anniversary of the Montreal massacre. Families of the victims mourned their loss and recommitted to defending Canada’s gun control law, which they called a monument to the memory of the victims.
Twenty years ago, a man walked into l’Ecole Polytechnique, separated the men from the women and screaming — you are all a bunch of feminists — killed 14 young women and injured 13 others. His... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Control Advocates Fight 'Misinformation' Over Canadian Registry
9 December 2009
CBC News (Canada)
Twenty years after the École Polytechnique massacre in Montreal, survivors, victims' families, police officers and others are fighting what they are calling a campaign of misinformation about the federal long-gun registry.
The groups, which also included advocates working on suicide prevention, appealed to the public to support the existing registry in a news conference in Montreal Tuesday.
A private member's bill that would eliminate the requirement to register... (GunPolicy.org)
Canada Remembers Mass Shooting of 13 'Feminists' by Student with Rifle
6 December 2009
Canadian Press
MONTREAL — Nobody took Marc Lepine seriously at first, when he walked into a classroom at the Ecole polytechnique on Dec. 6, 1989, and interrupted an engineering student's presentation on heat transfer.
He stood there, in his threadbare parka, holding a 223-calibre Sturm-Ruger rifle. People stared, confused. One student asked him if he was playing a prank.
"Everybody thought it was just a bad joke until he fired his weapon," Rolando Rifiorati said softly as he cast... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Lobby Less of a Problem than Silence of the Canadian Majority
6 December 2009
Toronto Star (Ontario), Opinion
Twenty years ago today, an angry man walked into l'École Polytechnique in Montreal, separated the men from the women and screaming, "You are all a bunch of feminists!" killed 14 young female engineering students and injured 13 others.
Many of us remember exactly where we were when we got the news. And exactly how we felt when we realized it could have been us or our daughters or our sisters. And we remember the outrage when we learned that military-style weapons were... (GunPolicy.org)
Montreal Massacre Highlights 'Narrow Interests' of Minority Gun Lobby
5 December 2009
Waterloo Record (Ontario), Opinion
It is nearly 20 years to the day that a man with a legally acquired rifle entered our school and shot 23 people, including me, Nathalie Provost.
Several of our close friends were among the 14 young women who died on Dec. 6, 1989, at l’École Polytechnique in Montreal.
Our crime? Most of the shooting victims were women who wanted to become engineers. And an angry man was able to easily get access to a lethal weapon.
Twenty years after that fateful day we would like... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Registry a Potent Memorial of Montreal Shooting Massacre [Francais]
5 December 2009
Le Devoir (Quebec)
[Translated summary: Montreal school shooting massacre survivor and gun control campaigner Heidi Rathjen campaigns once again to retain the Canadian long gun registry.] OTTAWA — Circonstance étrange pour un anniversaire spécial. Le malaise? Le 20e du drame de Polytechnique survient au moment où le principal héritage de l'événement — le registre des armes à feu — joue sa survie politique à Ottawa. Et cette épée de Damoclès, Heidi Rathjen s'en serait... (GunPolicy.org)
Tories Plan 'Huge Step Backward' to Dismantle Canadian Gun Registry
4 December 2009
CTV News (Montreal)
It was a cold early December night. The memories, all these years later, remain as sickening as ever. It's not something you can forget, nor should you. Their only crime was that they were bright young women with futures so promising. They were our daughters, our sisters, our friends. They will never grow old, have families, become engineers. December 6, 1989 changed all that. 20 years later we have come far.
The legacy of the murders of 14 young women has been tougher... (GunPolicy.org)
As US Gun Ownership Falls, Arms Industry, Gun Lobby Recruit Children
28 November 2009
Guardian (UK)
In the distance, there is snow on the ridges of the Rocky Mountains, but down here in the plains of Colorado there is only dust and sweat. In a layby just south of Denver, Texas Marshal is standing in the sweltering heat preparing for the showdown. He tips back his black felt bronco hat, pulls out his .45 Colt revolver and gives the barrel a slow, deliberate spin. Five brass bullets sink into the chambers and the gun goes back in its holster, ready to draw, his hand... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun, Ammo Sales Peak on America's Rising Fear of Crime, Terrorism
16 November 2009
Times (UK)
Smith & Wesson, the famed American gunmaker once owned by Tomkins, the British conglomerate, expects to nearly double its annual sales in the next three to five years as demand for its firearms soars in the recession. It is not alone.
All over America demand for firearms and ammunition is rising amid concerns that rising unemployment, which passed 10 per cent this month, will lead inexorably to higher rates of crime. Fears of terrorism have also helped to lift demand,... (GunPolicy.org)
Sturm, Ruger Post-Obama Sales Up 60%, Profit Up 83%, Crash to Follow
10 November 2009
Motley Fool (USA) / MagicDiligence
Sturm, Ruger & Company (RGR) is a firearms manufacturer that makes and markets four different kinds of firearms: rifles, shotguns, pistols, and revolvers. The company also produces investment castings for third-party sale when there is excess capacity not needed for its own products. Products are sold mainly to independent wholesale distributors, who then resell to retailers primarily in hunting and sporting markets. Ruger is basically a U.S.-only company, with less... (GunPolicy.org)
United Kingdom,Northern Ireland,United States
Smith & Wesson Gun Maker Sees Sales Almost Doubling in 3-5 Years
9 November 2009
Reuters
Smith & Wesson Holding Corp (SWHC.O), known for its 157-year-old handguns business, expects to nearly double its annual sales in the next three to five years, the company said in a filing.
The Springfield, Massachusetts-based company which forecast $650 million in yearly sales also expects gross margins of 35 to 36 percent by that time, boosted by its acquisition of privately held Universal Safety Response Inc (USR).
It posted gross margins of 29.2 percent on sales of... (GunPolicy.org)
MPs Are Way Off Target: Long Gun Registry Makes Canada a Safer Place
6 November 2009
Montreal Gazette (Quebec)
Canada's long-gun registry was a product of tragedy, a response to the massacre of 14 young women at Montreal's École Polytechnique on Dec. 6, 1989.
A registry was a rational step toward trying to make sure that the country would never again experience mass murder. The Polytechnique killer, Marc Lépine, used a semi-automatic gun that allowed him to shoot 28 people in 22 minutes.
Few Canadians in 1989 knew it was considered normal for someone to have unrestricted... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Tax Take 42% Up, Ammo 49% Up as 'Obama Gun Fear Year' Fades
3 November 2009
Washington Post
In a year of job losses, foreclosures and bag lunches, Americans have spent record-breaking amounts of money on guns and ammunition. The most obvious sign of their demand: empty ammunition shelves.
At points during the past year, bullets have been selling faster than factories could make them.
Gun owners have bought about 12 billion rounds of ammunition in the past year, industry officials estimate. That's up from 7 billion to 10 billion in a normal year.
It has... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed Pennsylvania Gun Store Loses 16 Handguns to Thieves
24 October 2009
Chambersburg Public Opinion (Pennsylvania)
FORT LOUDON — The ATF is offering a $5,000 reward for information on guns stolen from Keystone Country Store in Fort Loudon.
Pennsylvania State Police, Chambersburg, said someone broke into the store at 186 Path Valley Rd. around 4 a.m. Friday morning.
In all, 16 handguns were stolen. A list provided by police included:
- Smith & Wesson SW9VE 9 mm; 22A 22LR; and two 637 .38SP revolvers;
- Ruger 05501 44 mag; 01701 .357 mag; and two 03305 9mm-X19 pistols;
- Taurus... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Sales Soared 2-3 Fold Post-Obama, But Bubble May Be Bursting
22 October 2009
New York Times
Cerberus plans to float the gun maker Freedom Group soon. It better hurry. President Obama's election victory sent weapon sales — and the valuations of firearms producers — higher. Falling backlogs hint that sales could plunge. This gun bubble may backfire.
Two sparks set off this speculative burst. First, fears of economic calamity inspired sales of weapons. The assault-rifle-style autoload SR-556 is useful for shooting varmints and for "personal defense,"... (GunPolicy.org)
Illegal US Gun Show Sales Caught on NY Mayor's $1m Undercover Video
7 October 2009
New York Times
In one video, a man trying to buy a gun at a gun show in Ohio tells the dealer that he probably couldn't pass a background check. The dealer, smiling, says that does not matter, "Because I wouldn't pass either, bud."
In another video, this time at a gun show in Nashville, a man asks a female friend to buy a Glock handgun on his behalf, in what appears to be violation of federal law. Instead of asking the actual buyer to fill out the paperwork, the dealer, who is aware... (GunPolicy.org)
Drunk, Law-abiding US Gun Owner Shoots Into Neighbour's Apartment
27 September 2009
Washington Post
Like a lot of bachelors, Russ Castle often eats cereal for dinner, sitting in front of a TV in a sparsely decorated apartment. Such was the case late one night this week. Cream of Wheat, with a little milk.
Unknown to the 37-year-old at the time, his next-door neighbor, Gaithersburg Assistant City Manager Fred Felton, was cleaning his Ruger .357 magnum, according to court records made public Thursday.
"What the hell?" Castle shouted as a bullet from Felton's gun... (GunPolicy.org)
America's Year-long Gun and Bullet-buying 'Obama Surge' Tapers Off
21 September 2009
Wall Street Journal
While a remarkable surge that began late last year is starting to ease, Americans' demand for firearms and ammunition — driven largely by economic concerns and the fear of new regulations — remains brisk as double-digit sales increases continue to fill the financial coffers of gun and ammo makers alike.
In August, the number of background checks performed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Instant Criminal Background Check System was up 12.3% from the same... (GunPolicy.org)
Kalashnikov Faces Bankruptcy as Knock-offs Outsell AK-47s Ten to One
21 September 2009
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
For years, the AK-47 assault rifle has been the world's most popular weapon, the gun of choice for dictators, gang members and Third World revolutionaries.
But the global recession and a proliferation of copycats has left the Russian maker of the Kalashnikov, OAO Izhmash, in financial turmoil.
Monday, a court in Russia said it will consider a bankruptcy application filed against Izhmash by a supplier owed more than $13-million (U.S.). According to reports out of... (GunPolicy.org)
California Gun Lobby Group Carries Loaded Handguns in Starbucks
16 September 2009
KPBS Public Radio (San Diego), Transcript
MAUREEN CAVANAUGH (Host): I'm Maureen Cavanaugh. You're listening to These Days on KPBS.
The way you feel about the Open Carry movement kind of depends on how you feel about the guy next to you wearing a .44 Magnum or a Glock semi-automatic pistol on his belt.
Some people feel comforted by the fact that law abiding people can legally carry unloaded weapons freely in San Diego. Others are not so crazy about the idea, especially considering that the gun wearers are... (GunPolicy.org)
Surprise Winner of Obama Stimulus Spending: America's Gun Industry
11 September 2009
Christian Science Monitor
ATLANTA — Many gun-loving Americans are convinced that President Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress are bent on ripping rifles from their "cold, dead hands," as actor Charlton Heston once declared at a National Rifle Association meeting.
But from the perspective of police departments — not to mention gunmakers — the Obama administration may go down as one of the most gun-friendly in history. Across America, police departments are using the... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago Gun Shop Owner Smuggled 234 Firearms to Canadian Gangs
24 August 2009
Toronto Star (Ontario)
The trail of guns led from Chicago to Guelph, where a year ago a coked-up man went berserk and fired shots into his neighbour's apartment and car.
Then it continued to Ottawa, where a 26-year-old man was fatally shot after answering a knock on an apartment door just before Christmas.
A month later, in Vaughan near Weston and Rutherford Rds., three residents were held hostage at gunpoint during a home invasion. Two men pleaded guilty to the crime last month.
These... (GunPolicy.org)
Fear of Obama, Crime Spurred 12-mth US Gun Sale Boom, Now Slowing
14 August 2009
Associated Press
NEW YORK — U.S. sales of handguns, which surged after Barack Obama won the presidential election, appear to be cooling off, a Wall Street analyst said Friday.
The number of FBI background checks of potential buyers last month climbed 8 percent over the year-earlier level, marking a continued slowdown from April when the FBI recorded a 30 percent year-over-year increase in the number of checks, CL King analyst Jim Barrett said.
May checks were up 18 percent and... (GunPolicy.org)
Handgun Ammunition Microstamping Law Hits Snags, Delays in California
10 August 2009
San Diego Union-Tribune (California)
SACRAMENTO — Two years after California passed a novel law requiring the next generation of semiautomatic handguns to leave a microscopic identifying code on shell casings, the controversial technology appears no closer to being introduced here or anywhere else.
California Attorney General Jerry Brown has not certified the law, which is required before it can take effect as scheduled on Jan. 1, and his aides could not say when that may happen.
Other states expected... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed Gun Dealer Charged with Selling 73 Handguns to Oz Criminals
28 July 2009
Sunday Herald Sun (Melbourne)
A hero who rescued a child from a fatal blaze is facing gun possession charges.
Simon Tanti, who saved a toddler in a house fire which claimed the lives of her two brothers, will go to trial next year.
It was alleged in a Melbourne Magistrates' Court hearing that Mr Tanti — a former prison guard and licensed gun dealer — had sold 73 handguns on the black market.
He could be the first licensed gun dealer to face such charges.
Mr Tanti pleaded not guilty to four... (GunPolicy.org)
Battle Rages Over Move in US Congress to Close Gun Show Loophole
18 July 2009
Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas)
FORT WORTH — Paul Smith loves guns, and he loves to collect them.
Always working to update his collection, he took a Ruger .357 Magnum revolver and headed to a gun show last weekend, hoping to get $400 and find something better.
"I like to trade and collect," said Smith, 68, a farmer from Loving who went to the Texas Gun & Knife Show at the Will Rogers Memorial Center.
What he doesn't like is a bill in Congress that he believes could curtail the way he expands his... (GunPolicy.org)
American Couple Caught with Handgun Crossing Border into Canada
15 July 2009
Victoria Times Colonist (British Columbia)
An American man was arrested and convicted of a weapon offence, after trying to smuggle a prohibited handgun into Canada.
A couple from Florida were trying to cross the Canadian border after a trip on the Coho Ferry Monday morning when border services officers at the Belleville terminal became suspicious and searched their car.
They found a Glock 9-millimetre handgun with laser sights in a small backpack behind the driver's seat.
Also found was a box of ammunition in... (GunPolicy.org)
Jailed Students Bought 22 Handguns in US, Smuggled them to Canada
15 July 2009
Winnipeg Free Press (Manitoba)
WINNIPEG — A young Winnipeg man attending a North Dakota college to play football has admitted to fuelling street crime in his home city by helping smuggle nearly two-dozen high-powered guns across the Canadian border in exchange for cash and drugs, according to court documents.
Thomas Scher, 20, was sentenced in an American courtroom Monday to 366 days jail, in addition to three years of supervised probation, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute a... (GunPolicy.org)
El Salvador,Guatemala,Nicaragua,Central America
More Central America 'Peacetime' Gun Deaths Than in Civil Wars - Report
9 July 2009
Reuters
GENEVA — Some Central American countries are experiencing more gun killings now than during their civil wars and face serious security threats from firearms in civilian hands, the Small Arms Survey report released on Thursday showed.
Armed robberies, extortions, kidnappings for ransom, organised riots and community violence threaten to destabilise post-conflict nations in Latin America, Asia and Africa where fighting has officially stopped, the annual publication... (GunPolicy.org)
Our Father Who Art in Heaven, Hallowed Be Thy Sidearm: Guns in Church
2 July 2009
Chicago Tribune, Opinion
"Pastor urges his flock to bring guns to church"
- New York Times headline, June 26
Good morning and welcome to all of our parishioners. I see many familiar faces, but I am glad to say that I also see a number of new handguns, sidearms and semiautomatic weapons. Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.
Seriously, though, I couldn't be happier with the turnout. At last count, we have 200 in the pews today and each and every one of you is armed, including the little... (GunPolicy.org)
God, Guns and America Come Together in Kentucky Church Celebration
29 June 2009
New York Times
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — Some of those seated in the pews of New Bethel Church here Saturday night, their firearms tucked to their sides, saw themselves as modern-day pioneers.
"This country started by people gathering together in churches and complaining about taxation and about their current government, King George III, taking armaments that they had," said Chesley Kemp, 61, a family doctor with his Kimber .45 Auto at his side.
Dr. Kemp said he had driven two hours... (GunPolicy.org)
Firearm Sales Slow as US 'Paranoia' Over Obama, Gun Control Subside
29 June 2009
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
A gun-buying boom in the United States, prompted by worries that the new administration might move to restrict firearms purchases, could be coming to an end.
There has been a surge in firearm sales since Barack Obama was elected last fall, apparently buoyed by fears that the new President's administration would launch restrictive gun laws — unthinkable to millions of citizens in a country whose Constitution preserves the right to bear arms.
The two publicly traded... (GunPolicy.org)
Going Great Guns With Fear Marketing: Veteran Exposes US Gun Industry
25 June 2009
Business Week (USA), Book review
Lethal Logic: Exploding the Myths that Paralyze American Gun Policy
By Dennis A. Henigan
Potomac Books; 256 pp.; $29.95
Don't let the title fool you. Lethal Logic sounds like an anti-gun polemic, the latest shot in America's endless battle over the right to pack heat. It is, in part, but the book offers much more. Read from a business perspective, it dissects the marketing genius of an industry that moves merchandise despite a saturated market and broad support for... (GunPolicy.org)
