"Project Exile" has seeped so deeply into Richmond, Va., culture that street criminals there use "exile" as part of their vernacular and dissuade their friends from carrying guns. "It used to be that for the average criminal the gun was an article of clothing," said James B. Comey, managing assistant U.S. attorney in Richmond. "But now, we've made the gun such a liability that they think about it." State Sen. Ross Johnson, R-Irvine, hopes that kind of fear will... (GunPolicy.org)

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. George Ryan and the two top Republicans in the legislature Thursday appeared close to an agreement that would make the illegal possession of firearms a felony but give prosecutors the option to charge first-time offenders with a misdemeanor. Ryan also presented his own $350 million tax-relief proposal in an attempt to advance budget talks with the state's legislative leaders. He said he was "encouraged" that the discussions could lead to a... (GunPolicy.org)

If you're like most people, you feel pretty powerless to affect the interminable debate about gun control. You listen with despair as the rhetoric between President Clinton and the NRA becomes more and more vitriolic and purposeless; you watch futilely for signs that Congress will end its stalemate against tougher laws. The power to affect change, it seems, is wielded by those a continent away. That's not entirely true. By telling your elected representative (city,... (GunPolicy.org)

SANTA FE, Texas — An eighth-grade boy was arrested after a teacher received a tip that he had hidden four handguns in a gym bag he brought into his junior high school classroom. Three of the guns were loaded. A student overheard a conversation about the weapons and told a teacher, Santa Fe Police Chief Barry Cook said. The 13-year-old boy remained in custody today at the Galveston County town south of Houston. The boy's gym bag contained a .38-caliber handgun, a... (GunPolicy.org)

WASHINGTON — House lawmakers will continue work on school safety legislation without Democrat-backed gun-control requirements. The House Education and Workforce Committee decided not to consider a vote on a Democrat-backed gun-control plan that would require trigger locks on all new handguns and impose tougher restrictions on sales at gun shows. The panel made its decision Thursday in its second day of revising the myriad school-safety programs funded under the... (GunPolicy.org)

WASHINGTON — Thousands of disapproving mothers are planning to scold the nation's political leaders this Mother's Day for failing to enact strict gun control measures. Organizers of the Million Mom March expect about 100,000 mothers to converge on the nation's capital and hundreds of thousands more to take part in rallies in 20 cities in hopes of laying the biggest guilt trip ever on the country's lawmakers. "In six weeks, we give birth to the Million Mom March and... (GunPolicy.org)