SRINAGAR — Guns of all makes and sorts may be booming in militancy-hit Kashmir, but the Valley's traditional gun-making industry is struggling for survival. A ban on civilian licences since the rise of militancy in the early 1990s and the Centre's curb on production quotas — as a security measure — have crippled any hope of growth, say those who run the Zaroo and Subhana gun factories, the two remaining units here. The only hope, they say, is the J&K Government's... (GunPolicy.org)

BLOEMFONTEIN — Firearms handed in to police in three provinces in the first two weeks of a three-month amnesty period were mostly legal weapons. On Monday, about 560 firearms had been been handed in to police in Gauteng. "Sixty-three firearms were handed in under amnesty and about 499 was handed in voluntarily," said Superintendent Chris Prinsloo, provincial co-ordinator for firearms. "We also confiscated 256 firearms (unlawful) during this period." Gauteng... (GunPolicy.org)

The Finnish hunting rifle manufacturer Sako has recalled nearly 3,000 of its guns with a potential defect that could cause it to break apart when fired. In October, Mark Almeida, a 45-year-old American living in University Place, Washington, suffered injuries to his hand when his new Sako 300 Winchester Short Mag Finnlight model rifle exploded while he was shooting at a firing range. "The target was 200 yards away when I pulled the trigger. The gun let out a powerful... (GunPolicy.org)

RICHMOND — Hundreds of people file into the Capitol every day to visit their state legislators. Some bring paperwork. Some bring cupcakes. Some bring guns. In the past, rules about firearms in the Capitol and adjoining legislative office building were virtually non-existent. People with concealed weapons were required to show their permits, but those who openly carried pistols walked past Capitol Police officers, no questions asked. This year, new rules ban any... (GunPolicy.org)

Sherlock Holmes could teach deductive reasoning to the National Academy of Sciences. Holmes, the quintessential detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, knew that by eliminating all other factors, the remaining one must be the truth. An NAS panel created during the Clinton administration — and infested with gun-grabbers — issued a 328-page report on gun control. It studied hundreds of articles, books, government publications, gun-control laws and its own... (GunPolicy.org)

BALTIMORE — A law requiring Maryland State Police to collect ballistics information from each handgun sold in the state has not aided a single criminal investigation and should be repealed, a state police report has concluded. About $2.5 million has been spent on the program so far. Col. Thomas E. Hutchins, the state police superintendent, said he would prefer spending the money on proven crime-fighting techniques. Maryland was the first state to adopt a ballistic... (GunPolicy.org)