The Government will pass tough gun-control laws early next year, Alliance minister Matt Robson says. The legislation would require all guns — as well as gun owners — to be registered, probably by the end of next year, a ban on civilian ownership of military-style semi-automatic weapons, a compulsory buy-back of those weapons, and the probable establishment of an independent firearms-licensing authority. A National Government bill last year had proposed... (GunPolicy.org)

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Ryan, known for his prowess at working the Legislature, endured a humiliating defeat Friday when the Republican-led Senate rejected an anti-crime package he supported. Senate President James "Pate" Philip, a fellow Republican and a friend of Ryan's, orchestrated the defeat and ensured that the General Assembly's stalemate over the Safe Neighborhoods Act will spill into the weekend unresolved. The four legislative leaders were to meet with Ryan... (GunPolicy.org)

WASHINGTON — A Republican senator criticized Clinton administration plans to sue gun manufacturers as a tactic to pressure them to settle similar suits by cities and states blaming them for violent crimes. In a letter Friday to Housing Secretary Andrew Cuomo, U.S. Sen. Christopher Bond, R-Mo., asked for an explanation why and how the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the administration would bring such a suit. "These announcements are puzzling to me... (GunPolicy.org)