Gun Policy News, 15 January 2014
Gun Prices, Sales Up in Jordan Over Syria War Fears
15 January 2014
New Straits Times (Malaysia) / Agence France Presse
AMMAN - Firearm prices in Jordan have soared tenfold since the war in neighbouring Syria erupted in 2011 but more people than ever are buying guns for protection against a possible spillover of the violence.
The number of licensed weapons stands at 120,000 but there are more than one million unlicensed guns in the kingdom of seven million people, according to interior ministry estimates.
According to a study by the Jordanian Society for Political Sciences, 25 percent... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New Straits Times (Malaysia) / Agence France Presse
Accountants, Priests, Reporters Can Carry Guns Under New Law in Philippines
15 January 2014
CNN
Filipino doctors, priests, journalists and accountants will be allowed to arm themselves while at work under a controversial new gun law that takes effect in their country this month.
Under the Philippines' Republic Act 10591, people working in these sectors - along with nurses, engineers, bank tellers, and lawyers - are considered "in imminent danger due to their profession" and will be allowed to carry small guns when outside their homes.
To qualify for a special... (GunPolicy.org)
Comment: Living in an American Gun Lobby Dystopia
15 January 2014
New York Times
The gun lobby says Americans would be safer if more "good guys" carried loaded guns in public places, and extols the benefits of an armed citizenry.
On Monday, the nation got a terrifying glimpse of how dangerous that vision really is — when a minor argument escalated into lethal violence at a movie theater in a Tampa suburb.
In this tragic episode, an irascible patron at a matinee showing of "Lone Survivor" shot a fellow audience-member because he was... (GunPolicy.org)
Shootings Drop More than 30 Percent in Jamaica, Police Say
15 January 2014
DNAInfo (New York)
QUEENS — The number of shootings in Jamaica fell by nearly 32 percent last year, a decrease that police officials attributed to aggressive efforts to confiscate illegal firearms.
Last year, there were 30 shooting incidents in the 103rd Precinct, which covers Jamaica and Hollis. In 2012, there were 44 shooting incidents in the area, nearly 32 percent more.
"How do we keep people from getting shot? We confiscate illegal guns, whether it be through search warrants,... (GunPolicy.org)