University of Utah President Bernie Machen was summoned before Utah legislators Monday to defend a ban on guns at his campus, which will be the home of the Olympic ceremonies and athletes village. We need to have the right to exclude weapons on campus, said Machen, calling it a matter of academic freedom. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Machen said it was a bad time for legislators to challenge the gun ban with the Winter Olympics just 24 days away. But the... (GunPolicy.org)

Up to 90% of people shot dead in Kenya last year were victims of police, according to a report published in a Kenyan newspaper. Over the past five years, police have killed more people than criminals, says the study drawing on figures from five high-crime areas around the country. The study, presented in Australia by Chief Government Pathologist Dr Kirasi Olumbe, does not specify whether the victims were innocent civilians or criminals, shot after refusing to... (GunPolicy.org)

The weapons of the Home Guard ought to be stored in central depots. This is the opinion of the Labour Party and the Socialist Left, following the triple murder at Geilo over the weekend, when the murderer used his Home Guard AG-3. While the other political parties want to maintain the present system, with the members of the Home Guard storing their guns at home, Labour wants the guns stored in central depots in each community. "I believe it would be better to keep... (GunPolicy.org)

The FBI considers Irvine one of the nation's safest cities, a master-planned community where nagging issues range from lawn maintenance to the early morning howl of leaf blowers. But there's a new debate in town: gun control. A city councilman has drafted a proposal that would be among the toughest gun laws in the state, making it nearly impossible for new retailers to sell firearms. All in a city where gun violence is minimal. Councilman Chris Mears ordinance would... (GunPolicy.org)

The head of the United Nations Military Mission in Sierra Leone, General Daniel Opande, says the civil war in the West African state is over. Gen. Opande made the statement last week in Freetown after eleven senior officers of the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and the government-backed Kamajors symbolically handed their guns to the UN Mission. His pronouncement followed the disarming of some 45,000 fighters of the RUF, Kamajors and the defunct Armed Forces... (GunPolicy.org)

Schools still have zero tolerance for weapons, but the hard line on disciplining students who bring them to school appears to be softening. Zero tolerance still means that districts will not tolerate students bringing a weapon or a lookalike to school, said Cahokia Superintendent Jed Deets. But punishment varies, with some districts offering students more leeway than others. Initially the public misunderstood zero tolerance and thought it meant that any weapon from... (GunPolicy.org)

KABUL, Afghanistan — Starting Monday, people here whose jobs require them to carry guns will also have to carry government identification cards, the authorities said today. It is part of an ambitious plan by Afghanistan's interim rulers to end the ubiquity of weapons in this heavily armed society. Disarming Afghanistan's 24 million people is critical to restoring order in the country, according to Gen. Bismullah Khan, a Northern Alliance commander who oversees... (GunPolicy.org)

Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Robert P. Ruehlman's Thursday ruling (now stayed, pending appeal), which struck down as unconstitutional Ohio's ban on concealed firearms, should prompt the General Assembly to guarantee all Ohioans right to carry guns in self-defense. Such a guarantee is required by the Ohio Constitution, as Ruehlman's well-reasoned ruling demonstrates, and is good public policy. Ruehlman's decision came in a case where the facts convincingly... (GunPolicy.org)

CITY HALL — The city has broad legal authority to regulate the sales of firearms, which could open the door for the City Council to limit gun sales to commercial zones and restrict them within a certain distance of all schools. The City Council on Tuesday will consider such legislation and an ordinance that would prohibit anyone younger than 18 from entering or remaining inside a gun store. Councilman Rafi Manoukain raised the issue in October and asked City Atty.... (GunPolicy.org)

DENVER — Gun rights activist Bob Glass has dropped his Libertarian bid for governor of Colorado, saying he underestimated the demands of campaigning. The former gun shop owner and founder of the activist group Tyranny Response Team told supporters of his withdrawal in a letter posted on his Web site. He had entered the race in September. In my enthusiasm and desire to carry on the fight I convinced myself that I could physically, emotionally and financially wage... (GunPolicy.org)

Despite the protests of a self-described gun safety organization, a firearms manufacturer advertising a shotgun online as a "homeland security" self-defense weapon says that, in an age of domestic terrorism, he is not resorting to false advertising. "I see nothing indicating how (Gun Industry Watch) feels that a home-defense shotgun does not enhance the security of the neighborhood," said Robin Sharpes, director of operations for Ithaca Gun, and a former board member... (GunPolicy.org)

Although Gov. Parris N. Glendening pledged not to push more gun-control bills, legislators will reprise efforts to approve some measures that he might sign in this final year of his administration. Sen. Christopher Van Hollen, Montgomery County Democrat, said he is sponsoring a measure that requires anyone who purchases a handgun or other regulated firearm to obtain a license. To get a license, buyers would have to go to a police station and be fingerprinted. We... (GunPolicy.org)