Gun Policy News, 26 January 2011
Florida 5-year-old Busted for Carrying Dad's Loaded Gun to Music Class
26 January 2011
USA Today
A 5-year-old Florida boy has been suspended for taking a loaded semi-automatic weapon to his pre-kindergarten music class, WJXX reports.
Police say a teacher at the Palatka, Fla., school noticed the 22-caliber weapon when it fell from the boy's pocket Tuesday morning, the Jacksonville TV station reports.
Officers say the weapon was loaded, but there were no rounds in the chamber. The child told police that he'd found the weapon in his step-father's vehicle.
Police... (GunPolicy.org)
Plan to Adopt Official Utah State Gun Condemned by Gun Control Groups
26 January 2011
Telegraph (UK)
The semi-automatic Browning M1911 pistol, which was a standard issue side arm for the US military from 1911 to 1985, would become an emblem of the state in honour of John Browning, the Utah gun-maker who invented it.
The plan has sparked outrage among gun control campaigners who said it was insensitive, coming so soon after a mass shooting in neighbouring Arizona earlier this month.
Six people died in the massacre in Tucson, Arizona and US Congresswoman Gabrielle... (GunPolicy.org)
President Obama Will Soon Address Gun Control, Say White House Aides
26 January 2011
Washington Post
White House officials on Wednesday attempted to quell criticism that President Obama dodged a national debate over guns in his State of the Union address and announced that the president would address the issue soon.
But aides sidestepped questions about when Obama will talk about federal firearms policy or what he would say.
"I wouldn't rule out that at some point the president talks about the issues surrounding gun violence," Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed Vancouver Firearm Owner Convicted of US-Canada Gun Running
26 January 2011
Vancouver Sun (British Columbia)
A Vancouver man has been convicted in Seattle of trafficking nearly two dozen firearms as well as making false statements to U.S. officials.
Thirty-five-year-old Oliver King, who is also known as Hamid Malekpour, was arrested May 19, 2010, after he traveled from B.C. to Oregon and returned to the border area with 21 guns.
A jury convicted him after a five-day trial. He is slated to be sentenced April 11 and faces up to 10 years in jail.
Jurors heard that King claimed... (GunPolicy.org)
Under Fire from NRA, Washington Backs Down on US-Mexico Gun Running
26 January 2011
MSNBC News (USA)
The White House, facing fierce criticism from the gun lobby, has delayed approval of a proposed rule that federal law enforcement officials say could help them stanch the flow of U.S. assault rifles and other high-powered weapons to Mexico's drug cartels.
The proposed rule, announced by Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms acting director Kenneth Melson on Dec. 20, would require U.S. firearms dealers in four southwest border states to report multiple sales of long guns, such... (GunPolicy.org)
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Support for Arms Trade Treaty Grows as Norway, Sweden Fund SIPRI
26 January 2011
United Press International
WASHINGTON - Support for international efforts to secure an effective arms trade treaty has received boost with new European funds going into the work of leading think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Frenetic arms buying in Latin America in 2009 and last year led to diplomatic initiatives, including several from the Obama administration, to control a trend that critics said could turn into an arms race.
The arms buying was fueled partly by... (GunPolicy.org)
US Mayors's Gun Control Coalition Grows, Faces a Hard Sell in Washington
26 January 2011
New York Times
In the spring of 2006, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and 14 other mayors from across the country stood at Gracie Mansion and announced that they would take up the fight for stricter gun regulation, vowing to raise the pressure on a volatile national issue.
"If the leadership won't come from Congress or come from the White House," Mr. Bloomberg said, "then it has to come from us."
Nearly five years later, Mr. Bloomberg has used his political bully pulpit and personal... (GunPolicy.org)
Studies Show in US Gun Research, Cause Is Often the Missing Element
26 January 2011
New York Times
Ultimately, the conundrum in firearms research comes in establishing what scientists call "causality."
An analysis, for instance, of the 62 most urbanized counties in the United States conducted for The New York Times by Daniel Webster, co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, found that higher rates of gun ownership correlate with higher rates of per capita homicide, after adjusting for residents' ages.
On average, counties in the top... (GunPolicy.org)
NRA Successfully Shut Down US Government Research on Firearm Injury
26 January 2011
New York Times
In the wake of the shootings in Tucson, the familiar questions inevitably resurfaced: Are communities where more people carry guns safer or less safe? Does the availability of high-capacity magazines increase deaths? Do more rigorous background checks make a difference?
The reality is that even these and other basic questions cannot be fully answered, because not enough research has been done. And there is a reason for that. Scientists in the field and former... (GunPolicy.org)
Utah Lawmakers Propose a Semi-automatic Pistol as Official State Gun
26 January 2011
Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY — State lawmakers are debating whether to designate a semiautomatic pistol as the official gun of Utah, despite protests from people who believe it's inappropriate because of recent mass shootings.
The bill to make the Browning M1911 the official gun breezed through a committee hearing this week and is scheduled to be debated by the full House as early as Wednesday.
Republican Rep. Carl Wimmer said the state should have the gun as one of its state... (GunPolicy.org)
What Wasn't in Obama's State of the Union: Any Mention of Gun Control
26 January 2011
CBS News (USA)
The most glaring omission in President Obama's State of the Union speech Tuesday night was the lack of any mention of the gun control issue.
In the wake of the Tucson tragedy, gun control advocates have been pressuring Mr. Obama to take a strong stand in favor of the gun control legislation being put forth in Congress. But the White House has stayed conspicuously silent.
And while Mr. Obama opened his speech Tuesday night with a reference to that tragedy, he elected... (GunPolicy.org)
One of Arizona's Top Exports is Guns for Mexico Drug Cartels, Say US Feds
26 January 2011
Wall Street Journal
PHOENIX — Federal officials said Tuesday they busted a network of gun buyers and smugglers planning to ship 700 guns to Mexican drug cartels embroiled in deadly turf wars.
Law-enforcement officials arrested 17 people named in a 53-count indictment unsealed Tuesday. Police were still searching for three other people named in the indictment.
"The drug cartels go shopping for their war weapons in Arizona," said Dennis Burke, U.S. attorney for the District of Arizona.... (GunPolicy.org)
University Presidents Fight 'More Guns in College' Lawmakers in Arizona
26 January 2011
ABC News (USA) / AP
Two weeks after a shooting incident that left six people dead outside a grocery store in Tucson, Ariz., two new bills remain in the Arizona Legislature that would loosen gun controls, specifically on college campuses. Neither proposal sits well with the heads of the state's public universities.
Guns and college campuses simply don't mix, the presidents of Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University and the University of Arizona say.
If the measures pass,... (GunPolicy.org)
Florida May Allow Guns in Schools, Jail Doctors for Asking Gun Questions
26 January 2011
Sun-Sentinel (Florida), Editorial
In a poorly timed effort to further liberalize the state's gun laws, the Florida Legislature has proposed legislation that may make gun enthusiasts happy, but could potentially undermine Florida's efforts to produce jobs and revive its economy.
Simply put, a gun-toting reputation isn't so good for business, a reality lawmakers must consider as they weigh bills that would allow people to carry licensed concealed weapons openly, and penalize physicians for supposedly... (GunPolicy.org)
Congress Should Improve US Gun Control Background Checks, Database
26 January 2011
Times-Tribune (Pennsylvania), Editorial
For all the debate and controversy following the recent deadly rampage in Tucson, Ariz. a few weeks ago, there is no doubt that alleged killer and would-be assassin Jared Loughner should not have been able to acquire the semi-automatic Glock 19 and high-capacity magazines used in the shooting spree.
Under federal law, a database known as the National Instant Criminal Background Check System is supposed to include the names of mentally ill people, violent and drug... (GunPolicy.org)
Utah's Decision to Adopt Pistol as State Symbol Could Spark Controversy
26 January 2011
Telegraph (UK)
Utah's decision to adopt the M1911 as a state symbol has won the approval of its lawmakers – but will provoke sharp debate in a country scarred by the recent attempt to assassinate Congresswoman Gabriel Giffords.
The attempt to assassinate Mrs Giffords has started nationwide debate over how expansive the constitutionally-protected right to bear arms should be. Jared Loughner, who attempted to kill Mrs Giffords, fired 32 rounds using a high capacity magazine before he... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Dealer Guilty in US-Canada Gun Smuggling, Licence Forging Scheme
26 January 2011
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A federal jury in Seattle has convicted a Vancouver, B.C., man accused of illegally dealing high-end firearms, the U.S. Attorney's Office for Western Washington reported. Returning their verdict Wednesday afternoon, jurors convicted Oliver King -- a Canadian citizen who previously lost his license to deal guns in that country -- on five counts related to the trafficking and possession of nearly two dozen firearms.
King, 35, was arrested in May after federal agents... (GunPolicy.org)
Key Omission from Obama's State of the Union Address: Gun Control
26 January 2011
Christian Science Monitor
As lengthy as President Obama's State of the Union address was (62 minutes), there was plenty more he could have discussed. In fact, interest groups watched with a keen eye toward a mention of their respective causes – from immigration (check) to gay rights (a quick mention of "don't ask, don't tell," but not gay marriage) to the protests in Egypt (implied, perhaps).
But the one issue he skipped that may have raised the most eyebrows was gun control. After the... (GunPolicy.org)
Republicans, Democrats Meet to Discuss Improved US Gun Control Law
26 January 2011
The Hill (Washington DC)
Staffers from the House Judiciary Committee will meet with Obama administration officials Thursday to examine the effectiveness of federal laws designed to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill, according to a Republican aide with the panel.
The closed-door gathering will focus on whether a federal system of background checks is working to block gun sales to the mentally ill and others barred from owning firearms, the aide said Tuesday. Staffers from both... (GunPolicy.org)