Gun Policy News, 5 January 2008
Strict Gun Controls Warranted to Quell Violence, US Supreme Court Told
5 January 2008
Washington Post
The District told the Supreme Court yesterday that even if the Second Amendment affords an individual right to possess firearms, the city's ban on handguns is a reasonable restriction to prevent the "tragic harms" brought by gun violence in an urban setting.
"Where a legislature has articulated proper reasons for enacting a gun-control law, with meaningful supporting evidence, and that law does not deprive the people of reasonable means to defend themselves, it should... (GunPolicy.org)
Shootings Decline as Yemen Bans Gun Carrying, Destroys 62,000 Firearms
5 January 2008
Yemen Observer
The campaign to ban carrying weapons has achieved positive results in the governorate of Marib, whose officials seized 40,845 weapons at security checkpoints. Those caught with weapons were prevented from entering the city, said the security director of the Marib governorate, Colonel Mohammad al-Ghadra.
"The total number of crimes declined during the implementation of the campaign, from 160 reported crimes compared with 183 crimes during the four months preceding the... (GunPolicy.org)
AK-47, Other Assault Rifles Double in Price, Sell Swiftly in Lebanon Crisis
5 January 2008
Times (UK)
BEIRUT — Wearing tatty green Israeli army webbing over his black leather jacket, Walid shoulders an M16 rifle and squints down the barrel. "How much is this one?" he asks. "It's worth $1,200," replies Abu Rida, a tough, barrel-chested arms dealer.
Arrayed on a bed in Abu Rida's home in southern Beirut were more weapons for sale — an automatic pistol, two AK47 rifles and a Heckler & Koch G3 rifle, altogether worth about $3,000 (£1,500), more than double the price... (GunPolicy.org)
More Tennesseans Carry Guns, More People Die in 'Self-Defence' Shootings
5 January 2008
Commercial Appeal (Memphis)
The number of justifiable homicides in Memphis jumped from 11 in 2006 to 32 in 2007.
No one is sure why, but one man has a theory.
"The thugs have started running into people who can protect themselves," said Tom Givens, owner and instructor at the firearms training school RangeMaster, 2611 S. Mendenhall in Memphis.
Police detectives and prosecutors don't think it's that simple, and they acknowledge the spike could be a one-time occurrence.
"It's hard to put your... (GunPolicy.org)