ANNAPOLIS — Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. has promised to sponsor legislation that would help local handgun manufacturer Beretta USA comply with the trigger lock provision in a landmark gun safety bill passed in 2000. Miller (D-Dist. 27) of Chesapeake Beach said Accokeek-based Beretta has not been able to sell its handguns in the state because of a controversial trigger lock provision contained in the gun law championed by Gov. Parris N. Glendening (D).... (GunPolicy.org)

NAIROBI, Kenya — An increase in the rate of violent crime in the last five years has been blamed on an influx of illegal firearms. Some 43,932 robbery cases were recorded between 1999 and 2003, said Police Commissioner Edwin Nyaseda. In 1999 alone, 8,612 robberies were reported; 8,925 in 2000; 9,180 in 2001; 8,504 in 2002 and 8,711 last year. "Robberies are posing a challenge due to the firearms but officers are systematically seizing them," Mr Nyaseda said in a... (GunPolicy.org)

A father and son who supplied criminals with do-it-yourself kits to turn deactivated firearms into lethal weapons were facing jail on Monday. William Greenwood (76) and his son Mitchell (42) portrayed themselves as legitimate gun-dealers while trading from their family-run business. But in fact the pair happily "turned a blind eye" to the likelihood that their stock would one day end up being used in crimes all over the country. Police revealed many of the weapons... (GunPolicy.org)

A bill requiring gun owners to lock up their weapons and ammunition was tabled by a Senate committee Tuesday after lawmakers said they wanted its sponsor and the state's powerful gun lobby to work on a compromise. SB38 is the fifth attempt by Sen. Paula Julander, D-Salt Lake, to give Utah a CAP — child access prevention — law. Her 2004 bill could criminally penalize those whose failure to store weapons and ammunition in separate, locked compartments results in the... (GunPolicy.org)

Giant NFL players admitting they feel threatened by crime? This hardly fits their tough, macho image. Our concern is supposed to be for women walking alone at night. But while the massive size and strength of NFL players might seem to make them unlikely victims, their wealth and high profiles nonetheless make them targets for violent criminals. Yet, crimes against professional athletes don't engender much sympathy or news coverage. So, what do many NFL players do when... (GunPolicy.org)

UNITED NATIONS — In the 1990s, a decade of horrendous little wars, 47 of the 49 biggest conflicts were fought not with high-tech weaponry but with small arms, yet the casualties were measured in the millions. The United Nations reckons that small arms still kill about 300,000 people a year in conflict, most of them civilians. Add to that the 200,000 more gun deaths from homicides and suicides, and small arms begin to look like weapons of mass destruction. Around the... (GunPolicy.org)

ANNAPOLIS — A bill banning assault weapons is shaping up to be the major battle over weaponry this session, with the idea getting a nod from Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. and a broad swath of liberal Democratic lawmakers. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Robert J. Garagiola (D-Dist. 15) of Germantown and Del. Neil F. Quinter (D-Dist. 13) of Columbia, would ban not only the semiautomatic Uzis, AK-47s and other guns included in the federal assault weapons ban... (GunPolicy.org)

Police Commissioner Sam Inguba yesterday urged the Government to enact tougher laws on people who steal State-owned firearms. This comes after police discovered six high-powered guns and 908 rounds of ammunition last Thursday at the Jacksons Airport. The cache was bound for the Southern Highlands Province. They were believed to have been stolen from the Murray Barracks armoury. The commissioner said: "I will be discussing this matter of grave concern with the... (GunPolicy.org)