CHICAGO — Mayor Richard Daley on Wednesday pushed for lawmakers to approve a wide range of gun control measures, moving from the court system to the Legislature his campaign to hold gun dealers responsible for the costs to society of handgun violence. Daley, who has been urging lawmakers to adopt most of the reforms for years with little success, wants them to approve two new proposals that would prevent gun dealers from knowingly selling firearms to criminals and... (GunPolicy.org)

Every year, about 30,000 Americans die of gunshot wounds. You would think that given the high body count, researchers would have a pretty good handle on what works and what doesn't work when it comes to reducing firearm violence in America. But you would be wrong. In fact, a recent study by the National Research Council says it's almost impossible to determine what is effective and what isn't in reducing handgun violence. That's because accurate information — in the... (GunPolicy.org)

NEW YORK — The City Council on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed legislation that would allow crime victims to sue gun manufacturers and dealers who do not follow a set of selling and distribution guidelines. The sponsors of the gun safety package say that by restricting and punishing members of the gun industry, New York's streets will see significantly less gun violence. "Starting today, if they don't clean up their act, they're going to face stiff penalties in... (GunPolicy.org)

A little more than half a century ago, a man who now lives in Whitfield was a school-aged lad living in a New Jersey urban area. His teenage older brother was undergoing that ritual of approaching adulthood, while his dad was teaching him to drive. Son and father pulled into the driveway with the boy at the wheel of the stickshift sedan. This was before air-conditioning, and both front windows were down. The boy turned the ignition off and slumped over the wheel. The... (GunPolicy.org)

The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed the revised gun law, banning any toy guns that could be converted into real firearms. The amended statute outlaws any toy guns that are similar to real guns in appearance, material, structure and trigger device, and could be converted into fatal weapons. Anyone making or selling such toy guns could be given a maximum fine of NT$500,000. Those owning such toy guns now must register with the police in six months after the... (GunPolicy.org)

The Bloomberg administration has reached agreement with City Council leaders on a bill that would make it easier for crime victims to sue gun manufacturers and dealers who do not adhere to strict guidelines for selling and distributing their firearms. The bill, which is expected to pass the Council today, would allow civil suits to be filed against the manufacturers and dealers unless they voluntarily adopt a "code of conduct." That code would include restrictions like... (GunPolicy.org)

There are nearly two guns for every home in America, according to a poll released yesterday. The Gallup Poll found that the average number of firearms per U.S. household is 1.7, while among just gun owners, the number of firearms in each household is 4.4. Sixty-two percent of gun owners have two or more, and 29 percent said they own five or more. The survey indicates that general public perception of the average American gun owner as a white, Republican male from... (GunPolicy.org)