How many times have we heard the Bush Administration tell us they would do everything in their power to prevent terrorism? In his address to the United Nations on November 10, 2001, Bush announced, "We have a responsibility to deny weapons to terrorists — and to actively prevent private citizens from providing them." Six weeks earlier, testifying before Congress on September 24, 2001, Attorney General John Ashcroft stated unequivocally, "It's our position at the... (GunPolicy.org)

A new state law in California requires handgun buyers to pass a 30-question written test and pay a $25 fee for a Handgun Safety Certificate, which is good for five years. A gun rights group is outraged, saying the new law amounts to a "literacy test" for would-be gun owners. "It is an outrage that California law now treats gun buyers in much the same way that African-Americans were treated in the South to prevent them from voting," said Alan Gottlieb, the founder of... (GunPolicy.org)

An 81-year-old woman was shot dead by a burglar when she confronted him with a gun and had the weapon turned on her, a court heard. Drug addict Stephen Burgess killed spinster Mildred Hope-Baldwin after he broke into her bungalow in Plummer Lane, Kegworth. Nottingham Crown Court heard Burgess had burgled the house looking for cash to buy drugs — but was confronted by Miss Hope-Baldwin, who was carrying a handgun. Timothy Spencer, prosecuting, told the jury:... (GunPolicy.org)

An employee brandishing a gun in a break room and another dropping one in a stairwell have led to a proposed Larimer County policy that would allow county workers to carry guns on the job. County officials say the policy mostly codifies existing, yet unwritten regulations and would not result in the mass arming of county employees. But pro- and anti-gun advocates already are weighing in as the proposed policy bubbles up to the three-member Larimer County Board of... (GunPolicy.org)

An Ontario Superior Court judge issued a strong message on gun crime yesterday by making sure a drug dealer sentenced to life in prison for killing a woman in a dispute over $20 will serve at least 22 years before applying for parole. Calling 28-year-old Wayne Fairclough a "menace to society," Mr. Justice Archie Campbell said the public must be protected from men like him who cheapen the value of human life. "[When a man] carries a sawed-off shotgun around and uses it... (GunPolicy.org)

PANAMA CITY, Panama — An Organization of American States report released Monday accused Nicaragua of negligence for authorizing a deal that allowed 3,000 Kalashnikov rifles meant for Panama to go to a Colombian paramilitary militia. The Washington-based OAS faulted Nicaragua for not doing more to verify the authenticity of falsified Panamanian purchase orders it used to go ahead with the sale. "To base this deal on only one purchase order not verified by any... (GunPolicy.org)

Two young boys, a 2-year-old and a 7-year-old, were shot to death Monday in separate incidents that left police puzzled over motives. The 2-year-old, Osvaldo Martinez, was eating lunch with his mother and siblings in a Pomona Burger King shortly after 1 p.m. when a man suddenly stood up, walked to the boy and shot him in the head at close range with a pistol, said Pomona Police Sgt. Joann Crabb. The shooting was unprovoked and deliberate, she said. The child was taken... (GunPolicy.org)