A Maryland law requiring state police to collect ballistics data on every handgun sold in the state is ineffective and expensive and should be repealed, according to a report by the Maryland State Police. Police have gathered information from more than 43,000 guns since the law was adopted in 2000, but the data have not significantly aided a single criminal investigation, according to the report. The study was compiled last year by the state police forensic sciences... (GunPolicy.org)

Gun rights advocates and gun control supporters visited Richmond yesterday to lobby the legislature. These bills, under consideration by Virginia's General Assembly, are among the top concerns for both sides: SB 850: This Senate bill would allow those who own guns legally to carry their weapons in all public buildings. The bill would invalidate a rule adopted in March that barred Virginians from carrying guns in the Capitol and General Assembly Building without a... (GunPolicy.org)

RICHMOND — The metal detector just inside the doors of Virginia's General Assembly Building let out a shriek Monday as Stafford resident Bruce Jackson strode through. That was not at all surprising, since Jackson was wearing a loaded .45-caliber handgun under his blazer. On the other side of the gate, a uniformed Capitol Police officer examined his driver's license, then his concealed handgun permit, had a quick word and waved him along. The routine took only a few... (GunPolicy.org)

The Conservatives tonight confirmed that they have suspended a Parliamentary candidate after he was pictured with a range of guns, rifles and a hunting knife. The party said it would hold an inquiry into why Robert Oulds — the would-be MP for Slough in Berkshire — appeared with the weapons in camera phone images posted on the internet. In a statement, a party spokesman told PA: "We take this matter extremely seriously. "We have suspended Mr Oulds from the list of... (GunPolicy.org)

New legislation governing the legal use of guns in Northern Ireland will allow paintballing clubs to operate for the first time without the need for a firearms licence, it can be revealed today. The move will bring Northern Ireland's gun laws into line with regulations introduced in the rest of the UK after the Dunblane School massacre in 1996. The new Firearms Order 2004, which will govern the use of all legally held guns, will become law at the beginning of next... (GunPolicy.org)

Attorney General nominee Alberto Gonzales told the Senate on Tuesday that he supports extending the expired federal assault weapons ban. Gonzales also said he wants Congress to reauthorize the Patriot Act this year, despite complaints that it is too intrusive. "I believe the USA Patriot Act has greatly improved our nation's ability to detect and prevent terrorist attacks," Gonzales told the Senate Judiciary Committee in written answers to questions left over from... (GunPolicy.org)

A toddler has been returned to his mother and a 20-year-old Chicago man who was supposed to be babysitting faces multiple charges today after police allegedly found the child home alone, playing with a loaded handgun. The incident began Sunday night when police arrested Jamie Kindred on a South Side street for allegedly dealing marijuana, WGN-AM 720 reported. The man reportedly told police he could not be taken into custody because he had left the child alone at his... (GunPolicy.org)

WEST PALM BEACH — A 6-year-old boy shot his 3-year-old brother in the hand Monday with a gun he found in their apartment, police said. The family had just returned to their second-story apartment at 1928 Beautiful Ave. when the shooting occurred about 4:45 p.m., police said. The boys ran inside and found the gun lying on the couch, their mother told police. While their mother waited at the door for her other children to come up the stairs, the 6-year-old shot his... (GunPolicy.org)