If I had my way there would be laws restricting cigarettes and handguns. But Congress won't even pass halfway measures. Cigarette companies have admitted they produce death sticks, yet Congress won't lift a finger to stub them out. Teenage boys continue to shoot up high schools, yet Congress won't pass stricter gun controls. The politically potent cigarette and gun industries have got what they wanted: no action. Almost makes you lose faith in democracy, doesn't... (GunPolicy.org)

Tracing ownership of guns is becoming increasingly important in crime solving, a federal firearms expert said Tuesday in Spokane. When police find a gun used in a crime, they call upon the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to track its ownership history. The ATF can trace the ownership from the manufacturer or importer through retail gun dealers. There is no record of gun sales between private individuals. Increasingly, the ATF says guns are ending up in the... (GunPolicy.org)

The corporate owner of a suburban gun shop and one of its salesclerks went on trial Tuesday in federal court on charges of illegally selling 10 handguns and semiautomatic weapons to undercover Chicago police officers. Prosecutors alleged that Universal Firearms Ltd., which owns Bell's Gun and Sport Shop in Franklin Park, and Dean Ceretti, an employee, knowingly sold the guns to "straw purchasers"-individuals who bought firearms for others who couldn't buy them because,... (GunPolicy.org)

SACRAMENTO — Ignoring an appeal from the governor for a moratorium on new gun control measures, a state Assembly committee on Tuesday backed legislation to license handgun buyers and register all such weapons in California. The proposal is intended to make it easier for police to track stolen handguns used in crimes, and ensure that only people who know how to handle the guns safely can legally purchase them. "I'm not interested in jamming the governor. But I am... (GunPolicy.org)

SACRAMENTO — The gun-control movement's boldest initiative in years, a handgun licensing and registration scheme that could affect more than 3 million Californians, began moving through the Legislature yesterday. A bare majority of the Assembly Public Safety Committee approved the measure, which should provide an early test of whether lawmakers will challenge Gov. Gray Davis' request to hold off on any new gun control until at least next year. The legislation by... (GunPolicy.org)

Northbrook residents may have a chance in the fall to decide whether they want all handguns-including those legally owned-banned from the village. Officials decided Tuesday they would not place the question of banning handgun ownership on the ballot in the upcoming spring election. Instead, they may put the question on the fall ballot. While most village trustees favored the idea of a referendum, they decided it would conflict with a park district bond issue that is... (GunPolicy.org)

Gun-control advocates and gun-rights supporters will get their first hint today of what Colorado lawmakers have in mind for the numerous gun bills before them. In the first legislative hearing on gun bills this year, the Senate Judiciary Committee will consider a gun-control bill and a gun-rights bill. The Judiciary Committee is considered the least conservative among the Senate committees. It is expected to get most of the gun bills this year. The gun-control bill,... (GunPolicy.org)