A Chester Township man's request to carry a handgun in his job as a bounty hunter has raised a legal debate on the powers of bail enforcement agents and what rights they have to carry weapons on the job. Charles P. Borinsky, a former Essex County sheriff's officer and firearms instructor for the U.S. Marine Corps, was denied a carry permit in August by township police Chief Adam J. Schuler. The chief had been unable to verify Borinsky's new employment with the... (GunPolicy.org)

Within hours of a Hamilton County judge's decision Thursday that Ohio's ban on concealed weapons is unconstitutional, an appeals court temporarily halted his order for police to stop arresting law-abiding citizens with hidden firearms. A hearing before the First District Court of Appeals is scheduled for Jan. 22. In his ruling, Common Pleas Judge Robert Ruehlman agreed with four Cincinnati plaintiffs contention that the Ohio statute infringes upon the rights of... (GunPolicy.org)

The City of Philadelphia cannot sue the gun industry for negligently distributing its products in a way that creates a public nuisance because gun manufacturers are under no legal duty to protect citizens from the deliberate and unlawful use of their products, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday. The city's suit was fatally flawed, the court said, because it couldn't show that the gun manufacturers were the proximate cause of the harm suffered by the... (GunPolicy.org)

The 13-year-old North Norwich boy who state police at Norwich say accidentally shot his 11-year-old friend was arrested Thursday on charges stemming from the incident. Troopers said the teen was charged with three counts of juvenile delinquency, which if committed by an adult would have been second-degree manslaughter and first-degree reckless endangerment, both felonies, and second-degree reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor.The teen, whose name was withheld because of... (GunPolicy.org)

PHILADELPHIA — A federal appeals court rejected the city's lawsuit against the gun industry Friday, saying gunmakers aren't required to protect citizens from misuse of weapons. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a decision by federal Judge Berle M. Schiller, who had dismissed the lawsuit. Philadelphia filed its lawsuit in April 2000, joining more than 30 cities and counties that sued gun manufacturers. Many of those lawsuits also have been dismissed. The... (GunPolicy.org)

MAPUTO, Mozambique — With a gun trade about to take place, the atmosphere was predictably tense and the participants very nervous. Sousa, the man with the merchandise, smiled nervously as he talked in hushed tones to Guerra, the man who had come to collect. The door of Sousa's two-roomed house remained firmly locked thoughout he did not want neighbours knowing about his illegal weapons or his past as a guerilla fighter in Mozambique's vicious 17-year civil war. So... (GunPolicy.org)

ANCHORAGE — A state appeals court has ignited a debate on gun control by overturning a judge's order that a man who says he has a computer chip in his head surrender his gun permit. The Court of Appeals ruled in November that the Alaska law on concealed deadly weapons did not allow general concerns about mental illness to play a role in issuing permits. Advocates of gun control say the case illustrates a dangerous accommodation to the gun lobby by the Legislature.... (GunPolicy.org)

EASTHAMPTON, Massachusetts — The city's police chief was charged Friday with breaking the state's gun safety laws. Chief Robert Redfern, 51, was charged with 27 counts of unlawful storage of a firearm, prosecutors said. The charges stem from a probe that's been underway since July, when two teen-agers were arrested for stealing Redfern's unmarked cruiser from his garage when the chief was on vacation in Hawaii. The teens were invited to the house by Redfern's... (GunPolicy.org)

CAPE TOWN — Pellet guns are popular purchases in the new year as these can be bought without the person having to have a gun licence. But, not everyone is happy about this. In accordance with the new gun laws which came into effect on January 1, number one pellet guns that use bullets of 2.97mm or smaller can be bought without having to get a gun licence. Other pellet guns, shooting gunpowder powered bullets, still require a licence. City council regulations can,... (GunPolicy.org)