With almost one homicide per day in Philadelphia since the start of the year, state and local legislators and law enforcement officials know that something has to be done to end the killing — once again raising the issue of effective gun control. The residents of the neighborhoods where the killings are taking place certainly know something has to be done, as do the families of all the victims who have fallen. But while city officials wrestle with the problem of... (GunPolicy.org)

TORONTO — When a 15-year-old bystander was gunned down last month while holiday shopping on busy Yonge Street, it set off a wave of concern about the safety of citizens in this traditionally safest of cities. Toronto's gun-related homicides nearly doubled last year with 52 shooting deaths. A few miles to the south, Buffalo, a substantially smaller city, had 41 gun murders in 2005. And, the homicide rate of Canada's largest city still lags far behind comparable... (GunPolicy.org)

Fed up with growing gun violence in the city, two grassroots community groups are trying a new approach: lobbying their fellow citizens. Organizers from Neighborhood Networks and the African American Coalition are launching a letter-writing campaign from residents of Northwest Philadelphia to their neighbors in Northeast Philadelphia. The letter-writing campaign will be launched today during a town hall-style meeting in Germantown where audience members will have a... (GunPolicy.org)

NEW YORK — Sometimes it's the little things that count, and that's true also when it comes to armaments. For two weeks, Jan. 9-20, the United Nations has been reviewing progress made in reducing the trade in small arms. U.N. estimates reckon there are more than 600 million small arms and light weapons in circulation worldwide. They come from a variety of sources, including illicit trading, leftovers from conflicts, and theft from military and police armories. The... (GunPolicy.org)

MEXICO CITY — Mexicans are being invited to exchange their weapons for computers under a quirky new idea to curb rampant crime in Mexico City. Authorities in one of the city's 16 districts are offering a new computer, out of 150 donated by a charitable foundation, for each gun handed in. "People often have a gun at home, which could perhaps be for self-defense, but sadly it becomes a family tragedy when it is not used properly" Guadalupe Lopez, local government... (GunPolicy.org)

Come spring, the Winchester rifle, immortalized as the gun that won the West and rode into the sunset with John Wayne, will be made in Portugal and Japan. The U.S. Repeating Arms Company, which has manufactured rifles and shotguns in New Haven since 1866, is set to shut its doors on March 31. About 200 people will lose their jobs, many having worked for decades on the plant's assembly line. Workers were told of the decision to close the plant this month after... (GunPolicy.org)

TOPEKA, Kansas — The issue of whether Kansans should be allowed to legally carry concealed guns is back in play with legislators. Sen. Phil Journey on Friday introduced a bill — similar to one that Gov. Kathleen Sebelius vetoed in 2004 — allowing residents with proper training and background clearance to carry a hidden handgun. "It's good public policy. It allows Kansas citizens after a background check and training to have a means to protect themselves, their... (GunPolicy.org)

WASHINGTON — A quarter of a century has passed since Ronald Reagan was sworn in as president — and it's been almost as long since a lone gunman forever changed the lives of a top White House aide and his wife. CBS News senior White House correspondent Bill Plante had an exclusive interview with Jim and Sarah Brady. These days, Sarah and Jim Brady live quietly, far from Washington. But 25 years ago this week, Ronald Reagan became president — and Jim Brady was... (GunPolicy.org)

MADISON, Wisconsin — Legislators who fear young people are losing interest in Wisconsin's hunting tradition want to allow children as young as 8 years old to shoot deer. Rep. Scott Gunderson's proposal would lower the hunting age from 12 to 8. "It's important to get kids involved in hunting at a younger age. If they are not engaged in hunting by 12 or 13, they probably won't be," said Gunderson, R-Waterford. But the idea of a lower hunting age horrifies Joe... (GunPolicy.org)

MADISON — Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed a bill Friday that would allow people to carry concealed weapons, saying it would make the state more dangerous. "The bill does not create a single job, help a single Wisconsin citizen afford health care or improve schools for a single Wisconsin child," Doyle said in a statement. "The Legislature should spend more time trying to get jobs into our communities instead of more guns." The veto sets up a repeat of a standoff from two years... (GunPolicy.org)