CINCINNATI — Broadening his national effort to reduce the use of illegal guns, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York announced the addition of 14 mayors from Ohio and Kentucky to his coalition on Thursday and unveiled a campaign to pressure Congress to allow cities to share information about the source of guns used in crimes. The campaign, to include Internet and television advertisements as well as a new Web site, is intended to pressure Congress into rescinding... (GunPolicy.org)

Greg Jeffery is an engineer, a married suburban father of two and a crack shot with a pistol. He's also a strong supporter of the National Rifle Association, an NRA-certified shooting instructor and lobbyist for the Gateway Civil Liberties Alliance, a gun-rights group. He welcomes the gathering of thousands of like-minded Americans at the national NRA convention, which opens today at America's Center in downtown St. Louis. "Too many people get their images of gun... (GunPolicy.org)

Canada's gun laws are hardly burdensome. Gun owners have to be properly licensed and must register their handguns and "long" guns, such as rifles and shotguns. At the moment, Ottawa is even handing out licence renewals free. Even so, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives have never met a gun law they would not like to soften. To that end, they introduced Bill C-21 in Parliament last year to kill the long-gun registry by repealing the requirement to register... (GunPolicy.org)

OTTAWA — The Stephen Harper government proposed to extend an amnesty for unregistered rifles and shotguns, but at the same time warned gun owners they could be charged if they don't register the weapons and renew licences. The mixed message is contained in a public notice that said the government intends to renew the amnesty by next week following consultations that found the public was confused. Liberal MP Marlene Jennings accused the government of trying to... (GunPolicy.org)

The National Rifle Association is not known for restraint when they see a piece of legislation as an attack on gun owners or the right to own firearms. That tendency often leaves them to go overboard where such a threat is perceived but does not actually exist. Then along comes an example of lawmakers' mischief such as Pennsylvania House Bill 760 — containing enough silly restrictions as to make even a middling gun control supporter give a salute to the Second... (GunPolicy.org)

There may be no better example of the divide between city and country than a bill in the state Legislature that would put huge restrictions on gun owners in Pennsylvania. House Bill 760 would require annual registration of every gun at a fee of $10 apiece and force gun owners to undergo a criminal background check and register their fingerprints, Social Security numbers, birth dates and photographs with the state. Sure enough, the principal sponsor of the bill, Rep.... (GunPolicy.org)

CINCINNATI — The mayor of Cincinnati, which set a record for homicides last year, joined a national coalition of city leaders on Thursday seeking to curb illegal gun sales. Mayor Mark Mallory was joined by several suburban mayors for a ceremonial signing with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, co-founder of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. "Public safety is a regional issue that requires a united response," Mallory said. "Criminals do not recognize municipal... (GunPolicy.org)

Law enforcement officials and community leaders yesterday hailed a new proposal to stem the flow of guns to the city's streets. Legislation filed by state Senator Jarrett Barrios seeks to make it more difficult for gun traffickers to avoid detection by creating a central database tracking guns bought and sold on the secondary market. It will also make it illegal to not report a lost or stolen gun, allow judges to consider illegal gun possession when setting bail, and... (GunPolicy.org)

It wasn't exactly among the Liberals' finest hours. When they launched the national firearms registry in 1995, it was estimated the project would cost as little as $2 million. Today, $1 billion later, it's a painful example of how things can go terribly wrong, especially when it comes to government spending our money. But just because it cost so much to assemble doesn't mean it should be dismantled. And if it is going to be torn up, it should be done in the plain... (GunPolicy.org)