Gun Policy News, 30 April 2007
America Silences Talk of Guns: How Can 'Healing' Come Before 'Treating'?
30 April 2007
New Yorker
The cell phones in the pockets of the dead students were still ringing when we were told that it was wrong to ask why. As the police cleared the bodies from the Virginia Tech engineering building, the cell phones rang, in the eccentric varieties of ring tones, as parents kept trying to see if their children were O.K. To imagine the feelings of the police as they carried the bodies and heard the ringing is heartrending; to imagine the feelings of the parents who were... (GunPolicy.org)
State Gun Control Laws Scrutinized in Wake of Virginia Tech Shootings
30 April 2007
Virginian-Pilot (Virginia)
RICHMOND — A broad and defining debate over gun control in Virginia is taking shape in the aftermath of the killings at Virginia Tech.
Lobbyists on both sides of the issue predict the shootings will provoke new laws expanding the mental health information on gun buyers that must be disclosed on instant background checks. They say the tragedy also will recharge stalled efforts in recent years to change Virginia's laws on carrying concealed weapons and privately... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,United Kingdom,Canada,Japan,Germany,Australia,United Nations
Shooting Massacres Often Bring Tough Gun Controls Around the World
30 April 2007
Associated Press
After a loner armed with assault weapons turned a scenic resort into a mass of mangled bodies and thrashing injured in 1996, Australia took quick and decisive action. Twelve days later, the government pushed through a tough ban on semiautomatic rifles.
Australia, which had been bloodied by 13 mass shootings in the 15 years that preceded the slaughter in Port Arthur, Tasmania, hasn't seen one since.
Gun control proponents say the Australian experience, and more modest... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Thefts Fall 70% in Wake of Australian Gun Laws: Still Too Many Stolen
30 April 2007
Age (Melbourne)
Almost 1500 guns fell into the hands of thieves and burglars in the space of a year, according to the Australian Institute of Criminology, which also revealed that some of the stolen weapons were used to kill.
Firearms from at least three thefts were used in murders and/or suicides, and firearms from at least two other thefts were used in armed robberies.
The figures are a conservative estimate of the extent to which stolen guns were used in crimes. Data indicating... (GunPolicy.org)
Ignoring Firearms After Virginia Gun Massacre Could Be a Deadly Decision
30 April 2007
News Leader (Virginia), Column
Thirty-two innocent victims were murdered at Virginia Tech with a semi-automatic pistol. If even one of these victims could have been saved through legislated control of this weapon, such control would be warranted — nevertheless, this tragedy is not central to my rationale for gun control. This incident, although horrendous, does not fully encompass the issue. One can pull a trigger for a variety of reasons, many of which are bad. In this case, apparently a severely... (GunPolicy.org)
America the Only Industrialised Nation Unwilling to Deal With Gun Violence
30 April 2007
Huffington Post (USA), Blog
It's an unbelievably sad commentary that high-profile shootings occur frequently enough that we know the National Rifle Association's rote four-step crisis management response.
One. Don't talk to the press. You don't want the NRA's name associated in the public's mind with mass shootings and the inevitable carnage that results from our nation's lax gun policies.
You want to make sure that the last thing anyone associates with a gun massacre is firearms and those who... (GunPolicy.org)
Immediate Reduction in Gun Availability is a World Public Health Priority
30 April 2007
Lancet, Editorial
The blood had not yet dried in the lecture rooms of Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, before polarised camps claimed that the slaughter of 32 students and teachers vindicated their particular stance on gun control. So shrill was the debate about whether the tragedy would have been better prevented by reducing firearms through stronger gun laws or by increasing availability through liberalising right-to-carry legislation, that the more important issue of gun violence... (GunPolicy.org)
US Democrats Still Silent on Gun Control: Australian Laws Show the Way
30 April 2007
Boston Globe, Column
As senate majority leader Harry Reid bares his fangs on President Bush and Iraq, he betrays how toothless the Democrats are on guns at home.
Reid said last week of Iraq, "This war is lost," partially because of "the extreme violence." On Monday, he said that Bush is in a "state of denial" about American casualties and the trauma to Iraqi children. Reid said, "What a shame that after five-and-a-half years, so many lost lives and so much treasure depleted, President Bush... (GunPolicy.org)
Two Die as Kansas City Gunman Goes on Shopping Mall Rampage
30 April 2007
Scotsman (Edinburgh)
Two people were killed and at least two others were wounded during a shooting rampage at a shopping mall in the United States yesterday.
There were conflicting reports about whether the gunman — armed with an AK-47 assault rifle — was among the dead or was in custody after the attack.
Police confirmed there were "multiple shootings" at the upmarket Ward Parkway complex in Kansas City, Missouri.
Joe Vitale, a fire department battalion chief who was at the... (GunPolicy.org)
In Post-Massacre Trend, Utah Gun Show Attracts More People Than Usual
30 April 2007
Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
SANDY — Thousands flocked to the Crossroads of the West Gun Show over the weekend, continuing a trend of higher attendance in a year that has seen widely publicized mass shootings and a congressional change of the guard.
The two-day show at the South Towne Exposition Center attracted about 10,000 people, much higher attendance than usual, according to Bob Templeton of Kaysville, general manager of the show. The more popular February show, which normally draws between... (GunPolicy.org)
America's Mass Shootings Would End Swiftly if Students, Faculty Had Guns
30 April 2007
Charlotte Observer (North Carolina) / McClatchy-Tribune News, Opinion
BLACKSBURG, Virginia — I cannot help but think that things could have been different at Virginia Tech. As a Tech student and a Concealed Handgun Permit holder, I have requested that the university allow me, and those who wish to be responsible for their own safety, the ability to carry a legally licensed firearm as a means of self-defense without fear of expulsion or termination from employment.
The associate vice president for university relations, Larry Hincker,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Charlotte Observer (North Carolina) / McClatchy-Tribune News
Launch of America's New 'Garden & Gun' Magazine Sees Awkward Debut
30 April 2007
New York Times
Garden & Gun, a glossy new lifestyle magazine from Charleston, S.C., says it is for those who love "an adventure-bound, art-loving, skeet-shooting lifestyle." In reality, the magazine is less about guns than it is about gardens, "Southern tradition" and land conservation. The gun part of the title, said Rebecca Darwin, the magazine's publisher, is a metaphor for "the sporting life."
It is also an inside reference to a popular '70s Charleston disco called the Garden... (GunPolicy.org)
'Extraordinary' Gun Cache Seized in Montreal Condominium
30 April 2007
Montreal Gazette / CanWest
One man was arrested after police discovered a large cache of firearms, including some "extraordinary guns," in a high-rise condominium.
Insp. Bob Chapman wouldn't say how many weapons police found, but the seizure included a number of "guns we haven't seen in a while."
Outside the building Saturday, police officers were observed removing four loads of covered equipment.
Chapman said the man was arrested Thursday after police responded to a 911 call. He seemed... (GunPolicy.org)
World's Parliaments Urged to Act on Gun Control
30 April 2007
Reuters
JAKARTA — Parliamentarians around the world should press for urgent action on gun control, particularly in view of recent tragedies, the head of a global body representing lawmakers said on Monday.
Anders Johnsson, secretary general of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, was speaking after the launch of a handbook aimed at guiding legislators in the area of gun control.
"We are pushing parliamentarians to act on this," he said by telephone from the resort island of Bali... (GunPolicy.org)
Virginia Decides Some Mentally Ill People Should Not Buy Guns from Dealers
30 April 2007
Washington Post
RICHMOND — Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine signed an executive order today instructing state agencies to step up efforts to block gun sales to people involuntarily committed to inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment centers.
Appearing alongside Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell (R), Kaine (D) said the order will help prevent people like Seung Hui Cho, the Virginia Tech shooter, from legally obtaining firearms. Cho, who killed 32 people and himself, was... (GunPolicy.org)
American Debate on Gun Control More Muted Even Than After Columbine
30 April 2007
York Daily Record / Medill News Service (USA)
WASHINGTON — The Virginia Tech shootings, which left 32 dead by a shooter with a history of psychological problems, have so far sparked little legislative debate on the question of gun ownership and the mentally ill.
Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Arlen Specter's office said he is interested in federal legislation restricting gun purchases by the mentally unstable, but there is nothing yet on the table.
Some lawmakers have said the focus this soon after the worst... (GunPolicy.org)
Texas Governor Calls for Gun Carrying to Be Made Legal in All Locations
30 April 2007
KVUE-TV News (Texas)
Monday saw some startling comments from Governor Rick Perry on the issue of gun control.
Perry told reporters that law-abiding Texans with the proper training should be allowed to carry guns anywhere in the state: churches, courthouses … even in the classroom.
The governor made those remarks after holding talks with educators, law enforcement and mental health experts addressing school safety in wake of the tragedy at Virginia Tech.
"I think it makes sense for... (GunPolicy.org)
Lax Gun Laws, Scared Politicians Make Gun Violence Part of American Life
30 April 2007
MacLeans (Canada)
Bright and early this past Easter Monday, a 38-year-old accountant walked into a Troy, Mich., office with a pump-action shotgun, killed the 63-year-old receptionist and left two of his former bosses lying in pools of blood. The man had been fired on Thursday, and purchased the gun and ammunition on Good Friday. On March 27, a backyard poker game in Lake Worth, Fla., ended when one of the participants drew a gun instead of a straight, slaying three, and wounding four... (GunPolicy.org)
Philippine Election Gun Ban Sees 1,969 Arrested, 2,305 Weapons Seized
30 April 2007
GMA News TV (Manila)
With less than 15 days before the May 14 mid-term election, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has arrested at least 1,969 violators of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) gun ban and seized a total of 2, 304 various weapons.
In a statement on the Philippine National Police (PNP) website, PNP chief Oscar Calderon said they have also filed 707 cases against the offenders, with the other 770 cases still under investigation.
"Our aggressive operations against... (GunPolicy.org)
US Should Bar Dangerous Gun Owners, Close Down Crooked Gun Dealers
30 April 2007
Washington Post, Editorial
It's a chilling thought: Seung Hui Cho's rampage at Virginia Tech might have been avoided but for what might have seemed until recently a minor flaw in Virginia state policy.
In 2005 Mr. Cho's disturbed behavior persuaded a state special justice to declare him "an imminent danger to himself as a result of mental illness" after police detained him. Under federal law, that determination disqualified him from legally purchasing guns. Yet when he went to buy the... (GunPolicy.org)