A bill passed by the South Carolina House and now before the Senate would let people with concealed weapons permits carry guns into public buildings including schools. Supporters say the 1996 concealed weapons law needs to be tuned up, because some gray areas could land someone into trouble. Gun advocates are also asking to relax the law letting permit holders carry guns in more places. Grass Roots, a pro gun group pushing the proposed changes, says it's only serving... (GunPolicy.org)

Two more emergency services professionals were killed over the weekend in South Carolina, a fact that is not only sad but aggravating. Combine those killings with three other recent deaths, including two in Beaufort County, and you find one common denominator: Guns on the streets. You find too many people with guns loaded and at the ready, and you find them using guns to settle their differences. Those who argue for the Constitutional rights of a militia to bear arms... (GunPolicy.org)

Under current Ohio law, the only defense against carrying a concealed weapon is an affirmative defense in which those arrested must prove in court they need the weapon for their own safety. If Judge Robert Ruehlman's rul ing stands, Hamilton Countians will be allowed to carry concealed weap ons if they adhere to other laws. Judges will announce Friday if they will lift a 13-day-old stay that continues to make carrying a concealed weapon in Hamilton County a crime. A... (GunPolicy.org)

Utah lawmakers are considering a bill that would make it easier to obtain a concealed weapons permit by eliminating a safety course now required by law. I don't know that we need to worry about the class, said Sen. Scott Jenkins, R-Plain City. It doesn't serve that strong of a purpose. Jenkins' bill, Senate Bill 121, was released from the Rules Committee on Tuesday and almost immediately scheduled for a hearing Thursday before the Senate Transportation and Public... (GunPolicy.org)

The Contra Costa chapter of the Million Mom March was out in force at a gun show in Antioch. They opted not to sport their signature T-shirts with a logo stating: Sensible gun laws, safe kids and its signature emblem of a pastel-colored flower on top of a loaded handgun. Instead, they walked around and observed the gun culture as watchdogs, looking to see if required background checks were in effect for gun sales. The Moms were also on the lookout for illegal sales and... (GunPolicy.org)

Nigeria has been rated highest in the implementation of the moratorium on the import, export and manufacture of small arms, among ECOWAS member countries and was to serve as a model. A source in the Ministry of Co-operation and Integration in Africa told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja at the weekend that the feat was achieved within six months of the inauguration of a national committee on the implementation of the moratorium. Within six months of the... (GunPolicy.org)

It is a well-known fact that arms and ammunition of various sophistications are being smuggled into the country on a daily basis. Some of the gun runners appre-hended admitted that it is a very lucrative enterprise, it then goes without saying that the vast majority of the imported arms fall into wrong hands. Just the month of December, 2001. A Philanthropist in Ibadan was shot dead by assa-ssins. He was killed around 9.05 pm on his way to his residence. It was... (GunPolicy.org)

Following the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in civil societies in African countries and its attendant threat to security of lives and property, President Olusegun Obasanjo has appealed to manufacturers of those weapons to exercise some restraints. The president, who was represented by the Minister of Defence, Lt — Gen't. Y. Danjuma (rtd), made the plea in Sierra Leone at a symbolic arms burning ceremony to mark the end of the country's 10-year-old... (GunPolicy.org)

FRANKFORT — Kentucky lawmakers approved a bill Wednesday to further aid domestic violence victims. The law would automatically warn victims when their abusers tried to obtain guns. The state Justice Cabinet would set up the notification system with the aid federal funding. Law enforcement agencies are currently responsible for notifying victims when their abusers try to obtain guns. The bill supporters hope automation will be more effective than the current... (GunPolicy.org)

After rushing to post metal detectors at entrances to state capitols after September 11, some states are now realizing that there's nothing their security guards can do about many of the people who are carrying firearms into the buildings. Right-to-carry and concealed-carry laws in many states specifically grant residents the right to have a gun in public spaces — and in many cases those laws apply to states capitols. That's exactly what's happened in Kentucky,... (GunPolicy.org)

ANNAPOLIS — Handgun buyers in Maryland would have to be licensed, much like automobile drivers, under legislation proposed by state gun-control advocates. Sponsors of the Handgun Accountability Act, which was introduced on Monday, said the measure would make gun owners more accountable for their weapons and help police keep guns out of the hands of criminals. Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr. endorsed the measure, as did such gun-control groups as the... (GunPolicy.org)