In lobbying, a threat is good for business, whether it's genuine or not. This might help to explain the dire warnings being issued by the National Rifle Association as the Democrats prepare to take control of Congress this week. "The new leadership could be one of the most unfriendly to the National Rifle Association," declared Andrew Arulanandam, spokesman for the NRA. "If there's an effort to pursue gun control, we will mount an active defense." The famously... (GunPolicy.org)

MOGADISHU — Somalia's victorious government set up gun collection points in Mogadishu on Tuesday at the start of a drive to disarm one of the world's most dangerous cities after the defeat of a six-month rule by Islamists. Neighboring Kenya sent security forces to its long and porous northeastern border area, closing the net on defeated Somali Islamic Courts Council (SICC) fighters who retreated after a two-week war in the volatile Horn of Africa nation. The... (GunPolicy.org)

A 13-year-old Feilding boy is fighting for his life in Wellington Hospital, after he was accidentally shot with an airgun by his friend. A pellet went straight through the boy's eye and lodged in his brain when the pair were playing with a point-two-two calibre air rifle in a garage in Feilding. Wellington Hospital says the boy is in a critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit. As police investigate, firearms lobbyist John Howat says he is saddened and appalled at... (GunPolicy.org)

RIVIERA BEACH — An 8-month-baby boy was shot dead last night while sitting in a baby carrier in a parked car outside a home. Five other people were wounded in the attack, a member of Palm Beach County's Violent Crimes Task Force said on Tuesday. Several of the victims were hit with multiple shots, task force spokesman Paul Miller said, adding that it appeared the home had been targeted. "They were running for their lives," Miller said. It happened around 11:30 p.m.... (GunPolicy.org)

The number of Israelis carrying guns without valid licenses hit a 10-year low in 2006, the Interior Ministry revealed on Tuesday. During the past year, the gun-licensing branch of the Interior Ministry worked to lower the number of Israelis carrying guns without valid licenses. Whereas in 2005 there were around 33,000 Israelis carrying guns without a valid license, there were only around 13,000 citizens doing the same in 2006. But more Israelis were issued private... (GunPolicy.org)

In the wake of Darrent Williams' murder — only the latest and most tragic instance of late-night violence and gunplay involving a well-known athlete — I was struck by something NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said: "We've really got to get a handle on why there's such a proliferation of gun violence around our players." As much as I applaud the desire of Goodell and NBA commissioner David Stern to stem the tide of mayhem in their respective leagues, I think the... (GunPolicy.org)