Gun Policy News
US policy positions on gun control, gun rights
The Shoddy Conclusions of the Man Shaping the Gun-Rights Debate
3 November 2022
New Yorker / The Trace
In 1957, the small-arms manufacturer Armalite created the AR-15—short for Armalite Rifle—at the invitation of the U.S. Army, which was seeking an effective lightweight combat weapon. When the Department of Defense reviewed a version of the rifle in 1962, during the early stages of the Vietnam War, its report stated that the gun's "lethality" and "reliability" were "particularly impressive." From forty-nine feet away, it noted, an Army Ranger fired a round into a... (GunPolicy.org)
Americans Have Bought Record 17m Guns in Year of Unrest
30 October 2020
Guardian
Americans have bought nearly 17m guns so far in 2020, more than in any other single year, according to estimates from a firearms analytics company.
Gun sales across the United States first jumped in the spring, driven by fears about the coronavirus pandemic, and spiked even higher in the summer, during massive racial justice protests across the country, prompted by police killings of black Americans.
"By August, we had exceeded last year's total. By September, we... (GunPolicy.org)
Pandemic Fears Cause Spike in U.S. Gun Sales
1 April 2020
New York Times
Americans bought about two million guns in March, according to a New York Times analysis of federal data. It was the second-busiest month ever for gun sales, trailing only January 2013, just after President Barack Obama's re-election and the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
With some people fearful that the pandemic could lead to civil unrest, gun sales have been skyrocketing. In the past, fear of gun-buying restrictions has been the main driver of spikes... (GunPolicy.org)
Trump & Turnbull: US to Consider an Australian Model on Guns?
23 February 2018
New York Times
WASHINGTON — One of the most powerful moments during President Trump's meeting with survivors and relatives of the Florida school shooting this week came when a student pleaded with the president to do what Australia did after a similar tragedy.
As it happened, Mr. Trump had an opportunity on Friday to get a firsthand report on Australia's crackdown on guns when he hosted the country's prime minister at the White House. But both men quickly discounted any... (GunPolicy.org)
How the AR-15 Became The Most Popular Rifle In America
14 December 2017
CNN
Larry Hyatt had never seen such a frenzy.
The lines at Hyatt Guns, his shop in Charlotte, North Carolina, snaked out the door. The deep, green-walled warehouse bills itself as the largest gun shop in America, but even then Hyatt had to stretch to meet the demand.
At one point, he dispatched 37 salespeople to man the cash registers. He put up velvet ropes and hired a police officer. He even put a hot dog stand outside.
It was just after the Sandy Hook massacre -- and... (GunPolicy.org)
US Virgin Islands Shows Registration-Confiscation Link
30 October 2017
NRA Publications (USA)
If there were ever a perfect example of the endgame of the gun-ban crowd and their ultimate weapon -- registration of firearm owners -- it comes with the order by the governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands to confiscate registered firearms from law-abiding citizens as a response to the impending devastation of Hurricane Irma.
Gov. Kenneth Mapp, in a toxic Sept. 4 order, proclaimed that the activated National Guard "is authorized and directed to seize arms,... (GunPolicy.org)
How America's Gun Violence Research Ban Hurt Science
23 November 2016
Huffington Post (USA)
In 1996, Congress passed the Dickey Amendment, effectively banning government research on gun violence. But these days, former Republican representative Jay Dickey sees his namesake amendment for what it was: A mistake.
"I wish we had started the proper research and kept it going all this time," Dickey told The Huffington Post last year. "I have regrets."
Now, a research letter published as part of a series on firearm violence in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine... (GunPolicy.org)
American Women Buying More Guns Than Ever, Claims Dealer
22 November 2016
Opposing Views (Canada)
National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NCIS) numbers indicate that 2016 is on pace to have the highest number of background checks for guns on record.
Up until the end of October, NCIS conducted 22,206,203 firearm background checks, which is less than 1 million away from the record year of 2015, which ran 23,141,970 firearm background checks. With two more months left to report, 2016 will likely surpass 2015 when the November numbers come through.
NCIS... (GunPolicy.org)
After Trump's Victory, Gun Sellers Rely On 'Black Friday' [FR]
21 November 2016
Les Echos (France)
[Translated summary: After the election of Donald Trump, one of the main American gun manufacturers, Smith & Wesson, saw its stock price fall by 15%. The reason is that gun enthusiasts were buying more firearms in case Hillary Clinton won. Now, sellers expect to recover during the 'Black Friday' but estimate that they have little chance of repeating the record numbers of last year.]
Il y a quelques semaines encore, nous étions dans une Amérique démocrate, ou le... (GunPolicy.org)
Trump Softens Gun Promises, Gun Rights Not a Priority [ES]
18 November 2016
Newsweek (USA)
[Translated Summary: During his presidential campaign Donald Trump promised to swiftly "unsign" the executive actions President Obama issued in January regarding background checks and to abolish gun-free zones at schools and on military bases. In addition, he promised to allow Americans to carry hidden handguns across all 50 states. However, after the election he softened his tone and it now appears that gun rights are mo longer a priority.]
A lo largo de sus casi 17... (GunPolicy.org)
NRA Fuels Gun Paranoia in the Age of Trump - Chicago Tribune
18 November 2016
Chicago Tribune
There were plenty of agitated and even hysterical reactions to Donald Trump's election victory, but none more surprising than the one expressed in a direct mail letter I got a couple of days afterward.
"Our worst nightmare is staring us right in the face," it declared. "The attacks will be hitting everywhere, every day." It invited me to fill out a survey. "By answering this survey today, you're drawing a line in the sand — making it clear to politicians across... (GunPolicy.org)
US Justice Department Issues 'Smart Gun' Specifications
17 November 2016
FCW (US)
The Justice Department has issued a final set of baseline specifications for how "smart gun" technology could enhance firearm safety.
In a Nov. 16 blog post, Justice officials said the specifications contain "a detailed description of the minimum technical requirements that law enforcement agencies expect from smart gun technology" and mark a significant step forward in the Obama administration's efforts to combat gun violence.
During his State of the Union address in... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Buyers Stockpiling Firearms Ahead of Election Day
3 November 2016
Salon (US)
With just days left before American voters decide who will replace President Barack Obama, many in the nation's gun-owning public seem to be preparing for a dystopian future of jackbooted liberal government thugs prying guns — as the popular slogan goes — from their cold dead hands.
On Wednesday executives at the country's top firearms manufacturer said they're adequately prepared to meet demand from a postelection gun-buying surge if Democrats make significant... (GunPolicy.org)
Five US Gun Violence Researchers Get $3.3 Million in Grants
2 November 2016
The Trace (USA)
Federal dollars for research into gun violence are hard to come by, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reluctant to step over a 20-year Congressional restriction on funding firearms studies.
A rare bright spot emerged last week, however, when the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) awarded more than $3.3 million to five private institutions for firearms research. The funding will support inquiries into some of the most pressing questions regarding gun... (GunPolicy.org)
US Senator to Halt Sale of 26,000 Assault Rifles to Philippines
1 November 2016
Guardian
The US state department halted the planned sale of 26,000 assault rifles to the Philippines' national police amid concerns about human rights violations there, Senate aides told Reuters on Monday.
Aides said Senator Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee, said he would oppose the transaction with the long-time ally of the US.
The relationship between the two countries has been complicated lately by President Rodrigo Duterte's angry... (GunPolicy.org)
US Agency Badly Undercounts Children Killed with Guns [ES]
14 October 2016
Euronews (France)
[Translated Summary: The real number of children killed with guns is underestimated in US official statistics. According to research, between January, 2014 and June this year, there have been 326 deaths by accidental shooting related to children. Yet only 74 were documented by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the agency responsible for keeping count.]
Es la cara oculta de la proliferación de armas de fuego en Estados Unidos: el numero real de niños muertos por... (GunPolicy.org)
326 US Children Unintentionally Shot, Killed in 2014-2016 [FR]
14 October 2016
Euro News
[Translated summary: In the US, between January 2014 and June 2016, there have been 326 fatal, but unintentional shootings and thousands of gun injury incidents involving children, according to a research by USA Today and the Associated Press. In 2014 the Centers for Disease Control only found 74 of those.]
C'est la face cachée du boom inédit du marché des armes à feu aux Etats-Unis : le nombre réel de morts par balle impliquant des enfants.
Bryson... (GunPolicy.org)
Debate: Safe Guns Before Mental Treatment to Prevent Suicide
5 October 2016
International Business Times (USA)
A new study published in the American Journal of Medicine suggests the way to prevent suicide may be by placing the emphasis on guns. The study reports that differences in suicide rates across America lie not in different rates of mental illness or depression, but in levels of gun ownership.
Suicide is the leading cause of injury death in the United States and the rate has increased in recent years. Although only one percent of suicide attempts are with guns, half of... (GunPolicy.org)
Increase in US Murder Rate Driven by Gun Homicide - FBI
26 September 2016
Guardian
Murders in the US rose 10.8% last year, the biggest single-year percentage jump since 1971, according to data released Monday by the FBI.
The rising violence was driven by an increase in the murders of black men, and by an increase in the number of gun murders. At least 900 more black men were killed in 2015 than in 2014, according to FBI data.
There were roughly 1,500 additional firearm murders in 2015. No other type of weapon saw a comparable increase. The number of... (GunPolicy.org)
Clinton Doesn't Spur Gun Sales as Much as Obama Did
25 September 2016
Washington Post
Few people have sold more guns than Barack Obama. In March of last year, we looked at the effects of his presidency on the gun industry, estimating that the gun industry had seen about $9 billion more in sales during Obama's presidency than might otherwise have been expected. That's an estimate, but it's clear that the past eight years have been a boon for gun manufacturers. Half of the guns in the United States are owned by 3 percent of adults, suggesting that people... (GunPolicy.org)
Half America's 265m Guns Are Owned by 3% of the People [FR]
19 September 2016
Les Echos (France)
[Translated summary: A study from Harvard and Northeastern universities shows that there are 265 million firearms in America and that 130 million of them are in the hands of only 3% of the population. This group of 'super owners' has an average of 17 firearms each. The study also confirms that owners are mostly white, conservative men.]
Une étude réalisée par les universités d'Harvard et Northeastern montre qu'une grande partie des armes à feu est concentrée... (GunPolicy.org)
Study Shows 3% of Americans Own Nearly Half the Guns in US
19 September 2016
Guardian
Americans own an estimated 265m guns, more than one gun for every American adult, according to the most definitive portrait of US gun ownership in two decades. But the new survey estimates that 130m of these guns are concentrated in the hands of just 3% of American adults – a group of super-owners who have amassed an average of 17 guns each.
The unpublished Harvard/Northeastern survey result summary, obtained exclusively by the Guardian and the Trace, estimates that... (GunPolicy.org)
Criminal Gun Misuse in Australia Reveals Gun Law Limitations
16 September 2016
NRA Institute for Legislative Action
While anti-gun politicians like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama tout Australia's gun control laws as a model for the United States, recent reporting on crime in Melbourne from newspaper The Age revealed the limitations of Australia's stringent laws. According to the paper, "Despite Australia's strict gun control regime, criminals are now better armed than at any time since then-Prime Minister John Howard introduced a nationwide firearm buyback scheme in response to the... (GunPolicy.org)
US Senators Seek to Block $1.15bn Arms Sale to Saudi Arabia
8 September 2016
New York Times, Reuters
Four U.S. senators introduced a joint resolution on Thursday seeking to block the U.S. sale of $1.15 billion of Abrams tanks and other military equipment to Saudi Arabia, citing issues including the conflict in Yemen.
The measure was introduced by Republican Senators Rand Paul and Mike Lee and Democrats Chris Murphy and Al Franken, the latest indication of strong disapproval of the deal among some U.S. lawmakers.
"Selling $1.15 billion in tanks, guns, ammunition, and... (GunPolicy.org)
Main US Gun Tracing Centre Deliberately Buried in Bureaucracy
1 September 2016
Mother Jones (USA)
Two agents with suits and trim haircuts lean against a cubicle wall in the cavernous red-brick building that houses the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' National Tracing Center in Martinsburg, West Virginia. They're laughing about one of the gun lobby's favorite myths: the notion that the government has a database with the names of every gun owner in America, and that one day, maybe very soon, it will sweep across the country to confiscate... (GunPolicy.org)
Lax US Gun Laws Fuel Violence in Mexico - Foreign Minister
29 August 2016
Mexidata, InSight Crime (Bogotá)
Mexico's foreign minister has blamed lax US gun control laws for the flood of illegal weapons into the country, in an unusually frank assessment of the impact of US domestic policy on violence and organized crime in Mexico.
Speaking at the Second Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty, Foreign Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu said loose gun control laws in the United States have undermined Mexico's own restrictions on gun sales and ownership.
"[Mexico's]... (GunPolicy.org)
Even Trump Backers Favour More Gun Sale Background Checks
27 August 2016
Guardian
Even as the partisan divide on gun rights widens in the US, an overwhelming majority of both Clinton and Trump supporters say they support several of the gun control reform proposals that have failed to pass Congress over the past few years, according to a new national survey from the Pew Research Center.
Seventy-five percent of Trump supporters said they favor background checks on private gun sales and sales at gun shows, as did 90% of Clinton supporters. And 82% of... (GunPolicy.org)
Gays Against Guns Campaign Targets US Funds, Gun Makers
15 August 2016
Guardian
Hundreds of gay activists will begin a campaign of civil disobedience and direct action against gun companies and their supporters on Monday, to demand an end to the epidemic of gun violence blighting the US.
Members of Gays Against Guns, a group formed in the wake of the massacre of 49 people at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando earlier this summer, said they would "no longer stand by and watch the gun industry profit from death".
Organizers of the collective, which... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Maker Stocks Surge After Record Background Checks
1 August 2016
Guardian
The gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson's share price reached an all-time high on Monday after it was reported that the background checks for new guns had set a new record for July.
Shortly after the FBI announced July's figures on Monday afternoon, shares in the second largest gun manufacturer hit $30.59 each. Smith & Wesson's shares closed the day at an all-time high of $30.36, up 3% for the day and beating a previous record high of $29.37 set in March.
Shares in Sturm... (GunPolicy.org)
Black US Gun Owners Treated Differently Than White Owners
8 July 2016
New York Times, Associated Press
WASHINGTON — One man told an officer during a Minnesota traffic stop that he was a licensed gun owner, and that he was reaching for his wallet, a witness said. The other was on the ground with police officers on top of him in Louisiana when someone shouted "He has a gun!"
Police in each circumstance thought the black man carrying a gun was dangerous and immediately shot him dead. Activists say black gun owners are often treated differently than white gun owners to a... (GunPolicy.org)
51 Times More Gun-Related Deaths In USA Than In Canada
8 July 2016
National Observer (USA)
Five police officers were killed in a Dallas mass-shooting Thursday night, blocks away from where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated 53 years ago.
Twelve police officers and two civilians were shot during the attack that saw one sniper — who targeted white police — open fire on officers working a peaceful protest in response to police shootings in Minnesota and Louisiana.
In Dallas, the shooter, 25-year-old Micah Johnson, was trained in the military and... (GunPolicy.org)
Second Day of Gun Control Protest in US Congress
23 June 2016
Newshub (New Zealand)
Chaos in the US House of Representatives has stretched into a second day after Republicans refused demands by Democrats, who staged a "sit-in", to bring up gun control legislation in the wake of the nation's worst mass shooting in modern history.
Scores of Democrats flooded the chamber for more than 14 hours, sitting on the floor and chanting in a "sit-in" protest, taking over the House even as the Republican leadership shut off television cameras and microphones as... (GunPolicy.org)
Drastic Drops in Australia Gun Deaths After New Regulations
23 June 2016
RT-TV Novosti (Russia)
Gun control legislation introduced by Australia 20 years ago has not only stopped mass shootings from happening, but also led to a fall in gun-related fatalities, a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows.
Rapid fire weapons were banned in Australia in 1996 following a mass shooting, which killed 35 people. A year later, the government introduced a buy-back scheme. Over the next few years, over 700,000 semi-automatic weapons, pump... (GunPolicy.org)
America's Gun Problem Is Much Bigger Than Mass Shootings
21 June 2016
Guardian
A disturbed man with an AR-15-style rifle walked through a popular historic site in 1996, shooting up the cafe and gift shop. He left 35 people dead and 19 seriously injured.
The country's conservative leader pushed through immediate, sweeping changes to gun laws. Chief among them was a ban and mandatory buyback of more than 600,000 semiautomatic rifles and other long guns, which were then melted down. In all, one researcher estimates, the government ultimately... (GunPolicy.org)
Pink Pistols, the Pro-gun Group Arming Gay America
19 June 2016
Telegraph (UK)
Karen McCloud and her girlfriend fired round after round, the bullets hitting the human shaped silhouette down range in the head and chest.
A former soldier, Ms McCloud was a straight shot. Her hands steady, her breathing calm, she squeezed the trigger of her 9mm handgun, the hot casings falling to the floor.
"Bad people have guns, and the only people who can stop them are the good people with guns," she said, reloading her weapon. "And that's exactly what went wrong... (GunPolicy.org)
California Votes to Fund Its Own Gun Violence Research Centre
17 June 2016
Science/AAAS (USA)
Four days after a mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, left 49 people dead and 53 injured, California's state legislature voted yesterday to establish a $5-million firearm violence research center within the University of California (UC)—the first such publicly charted center in the country.
"Acts of firearm violence like Sunday's horrific mass shooting in Orlando leave us searching for answers. California made finding those answers a priority,... (GunPolicy.org)
Peak US Research Body Avoids Studying Gun-Related Deaths
16 June 2016
ABC News (USA)
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studies a variety of public health threats every year, from infectious diseases to automobile safety. But for 15 years, the CDC has avoided comprehensive research on one of the top causes of death in the U.S.: firearms.
While the CDC keeps surveillance data on gun injuries and deaths, it has not funded a study aimed at reducing harm from guns since 2001. The CDC estimates that firearms are one of the top five causes... (GunPolicy.org)
US Debate: Would an Assault Weapon Ban Make a Difference?
13 June 2016
Guardian
In preparation for what would become the deadliest mass shooting in American history, Omar Mateen bought an .223 caliber AR-15-style assault rifle and a 9mm semiautomatic pistol, law enforcement officials said.
The shooters in December's San Bernardino terror attack also used AR-15-style rifles. So did the shooters in the 2012 attacks at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, and an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.
Critics call AR-15-style rifles the weapon of... (GunPolicy.org)
AR-15, the Most 'Domestic' Weapon of War in America [ES]
13 June 2016
El Mundo (Spain)
[Translated summary: After a mass shooting, fear causes Americans to acquire more and more firearms for "self-defense". Some seem even more deadly, like the AR-15, an assault rifle. It is estimated than in the last five years, civilians have bought more than 1.5 millions guns. Prices start at 500 dollars.]
Cualquier vendedor de armas en EEUU sabe que un tiroteo masivo es una buena noticia para el negocio. Y más si es la mayor matanza en la historia del país. Lejos de... (GunPolicy.org)
Assault Rifle the Weapon of Choice in US Mass Shootings
13 June 2016
Malay Mail (Kuala Lumpur)
WASHINGTON — When Omar Mateen entered an Orlando, Florida, nightclub yesterday to carry out the deadliest mass shooting in US history, he wielded a weapon that has been used in massacres from California to Connecticut: a military-inspired semi-automatic rifle.
Though so-called assault rifles account for a small fraction of the United States' 30,000 annual gun deaths, they have been used in at least 10 mass shootings since 2011, according to a database compiled by... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Industry Shares Soar After Orlando Nightclub Massacre
13 June 2016
Guardian
Gun company shares soared on Monday as traders predicted that Americans will react to the Orlando massacre by rushing out to arm themselves with more guns.
Shares in the two biggest listed US gun manufacturers Smith & Wesson and Sturm Ruger & Co rose by 11% and 10% in early trading and ended the day up 6.8% and 8.5% respectively.
Gun companies shares have risen strongly after every recent mass shooting incident as investors speculate that the atrocities might lead to... (GunPolicy.org)
1934 US Firearm Law Shows How Well Gun Control Can Work
31 May 2016
New York Times, Opinion
For more than 80 years, the United States has enforced a tough and effective gun control law that most Americans have never heard of. It's a 1934 measure called the National Firearms Act, and it stands as a stark rebuke to the most sacred precepts of the gun lobby and provides a model we should build on.
Leaders of the National Rifle Association rarely talk about the firearms act, and that's probably because it imposes precisely the kinds of practical — and... (GunPolicy.org)
Trump and Clinton on Guns, Race, Justice and Policing
21 May 2016
Guardian
For years seen as a losing battle, the push for gun control has become a central conflict of the 2016 presidential election, and part of a broader struggle between competing visions of policing, justice and racism in America.
Donald Trump, the presumptive nominee of the Republican party, has pledged that if elected he will eliminate "gun-free zones" and make it easier to carry a concealed firearm in all 50 states. National Rifle Association members cheered him on... (GunPolicy.org)
Nothing to Stop US Doctors Asking Patients About Their Guns
17 May 2016
US News & World Report
Physicians often don't ask patients whether they have a gun at home, but a group of doctors say it's time to start.
Dr. Garen Wintemute, director of the violence prevention research program at the University of California—Davis wrote recommendations for discussing gun ownership with patients in an article published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine. They recommended that doctors first ask during routine screening whether a patient keeps a gun in the house. If... (GunPolicy.org)
Vietnam Would Welcome U.S. Lifting Its Gun Sales Embargo
12 May 2016
Daily Mail (UK), Reuters
HANOI -- Vietnam would welcome the United States "accelerating" the lifting of a lethal arms embargo, which would reflect trust between the two countries and recognition of its needs to defend itself, its foreign ministry said on Thursday.
Vietnam's comments on a topic that has long been a source of friction with the United States comes just over a week ahead of a visit by President Barack Obama, and amid debate in Washington over whether to remove the ban, which was... (GunPolicy.org)
Fox News To Blame for Upsurge in US Gun Sales: Newsweek
6 April 2016
Newsweek (USA), Opinion
There are a lot of reasons why Americans buy firearms, but one of the main reasons is the concern that gun control is, this time, really going to happen, and it's necessary to buy guns now, because you won't be able to later.
Why would Americans think this? Perhaps because the news media, and Fox News in particular, are saying it. The possibility of gun control may make for good ratings, but it's also directly responsible for millions of additional gun sales in America... (GunPolicy.org)
141 Doctors Groups Urge Congress to Fund Gun Research
6 April 2016
Guardian
A coalition of more than 100 medical groups is asking Congress to fund research on gun violence at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to end a decades-long drought of federal public health research on the subject.
The groups sent a letter on Wednesday requesting that Congress "end the dramatic chilling effect of the current rider language restricting gun violence research and to fund this critical work".
The lack of gun violence research at the CDC is... (GunPolicy.org)
Smart Guns Will Not be Available Soon in France [FR]
5 April 2016
ObjetConnecte.net (France)
[Translated summary: There is a new market of smart guns developing. In France, these guns would belong to the A category, meaning that the only ones allowed to carry them would be police or customs officials. Therefore, smart guns are not going to be available for the general public any time soon.]
L'internet des objets fait partie intégrante de notre présent. Les objets connectés sont de plus en plus nombreux et suscitent par leur intérêt et leur efficacité, un... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Micronesia (FSM),Oceania
US Rules Pacific Island Gun Ban Violates 2nd Amendment
30 March 2016
Guardian, Agence France Presse
America's heated gun debate has reached a remote Pacific territory, with a court overturning a ban on handguns in the Northern Marianas after ruling it breached the US constitution's second amendment.
In a ruling greeted with dismay by the island territory's leaders, the US district court found the right to bear arms enshrined in the second amendment also applied to the commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).
"The second amendment … [is] the law of the... (GunPolicy.org)
US Police Kill Far More People with Guns than Key Federal Data Sources Show
20 March 2016
Trace (USA)
A new study released Thursday suggests that two major data sources used by federal officials to tally police homicides — instances in which a police officer fatally shoots someone while on the job — dramatically undercount the number of deaths.
Researchers from Harvard and Northeastern University found that the number of police homicides, also known as "legal intervention deaths," recorded by the FBI's Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHRs) undercounted the number... (GunPolicy.org)
Study Claims 3 US Gun Laws Could Cut Gun Deaths by 90%
19 March 2016
New Scientist
Most of the laws aimed at gun control in the US don't work. But three do. Implement them at a national level, and we could cut firearm deaths by 90 per cent.
That's the conclusion of a recent study, and it sounds like great news. But the findings have come under heavy fire from other researchers.
There are more than 33,000 firearm deaths each year in the US. Yet no one knows which, if any, laws are effective in reducing this number. This is partly due to lack of... (GunPolicy.org)
In US Hillary Clinton Endorses Gun Control Measures
17 March 2016
Chicago Tribune, Editorial
In 2008, Barack Obama bent over backward to defuse suspicions from gun owners and their chief lobbying group, the National Rifle Association. "I believe in the Second Amendment," he assured one audience. "I will not take your shotgun away. I will not take your rifle away. I won't take your handgun away."
A lot of good it did him. The NRA ran ads saying he "would be the most anti-gun president in American history." Four years later, with that fear unrealized, NRA... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Debate Riddled with Wrong, Meaningless Numbers
15 March 2016
The Conversation
United States President Barack Obama continues to push for reform on gun control amid concerns that people will "become numb" to any further mass shootings, which he says are now happening on a weekly basis.
His comments followed a shooting in Kansas last month in which three people died and 14 were wounded.
But his attempts to do something have been frustrated by a Congress that reportedly has not approved any major gun-control legislation since the 1990s.
Instead,... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico's Gun Dealers Are Unfazed by Obama
26 February 2016
Global Post (Boston)
MEXICO CITY — Javier scoots onto a plastic stool in a courtyard. He reaches beneath his shirt and pulls out a shiny Smith & Wesson semi-automatic pistol. He deftly spins it through his hands, ejects the magazine, and holds it out for inspection.
"This one's new, straight from its packaging," he says.
It will cost 15,000 pesos with a box of ammo, around $810.
Javier, who only gave his first name, operates this illicit little gun mart in Tepito market, a famed... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Charged in Michigan Attacks Had No Barriers to Guns
23 February 2016
Associated Press
PLAINWELL, Michigan — A man accused of randomly killing six people in Michigan had a personal cache of weapons that included handguns and long guns, but there was nothing in his past that prevented him from owning as many guns as he could afford.
Authorities seized the gun collection after the weekend attacks around the Kalamazoo area. With no criminal history or record of mental illness, Michigan residents who follow requirements can legally acquire any number of... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Botswana,Algeria,Libya,South Africa,Kenya,Rwanda,Djibouti
7 African Nations More Effective at Gun Control than the US
11 January 2016
Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg)
In a BBC interview last July, US President Barack Obama admitted that failure to pass "common sense gun safety laws" in the US has been the greatest frustration of his presidency.
Since he took office in 2008, there have been repeated mass shootings including the 2011 Tucson Arizona shooting in which Gabrielle Giffords, then a member of Congress and 18 others were shot in a supermarket parking lot. Six people died that day.
Another shooting was at Emanuel African... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia,United States,Canada,United Kingdom
US Political Debate About Australian-Style Gun Laws
20 October 2015
Sydney Morning Herald
Asked about Hillary Clinton's suggestion that the United States consider Australian-style gun laws, one of the country's leading gun industry champions laughed.
"You've got to ask yourself how much the NRA paid the Clinton Foundation to get her to say that," Richard Feldman, a former National Rifle Association lobbyist said.
"Forget gold, that comment is worth its weight in platinum."
Australia has been raised again in the US debate over guns in the wake of the... (GunPolicy.org)
There are Now More Guns than People in the United States
5 October 2015
Washington Post
It's tough to know exactly how many guns we have in the United States. Most estimates of the number of guns in the U.S. use federal tallies of the firearms manufactured, imported and exported by U.S. gunmakers.
A 2012 Congressional Research Service report published exactly one month before the Sandy Hook school shooting put the number of civilian firearms at 242 million in 1996, 259 million in 2000, and 310 million as of 2009.
If that 310 million number is correct, it... (GunPolicy.org)
Argentina,Canada,Mexico,Australia,United Kingdom,Russia,China,South Africa,United States,Israel,Norway,Finland,Germany,Switzerland
Three European Countries Lead US in Mass Shootings: WSJ
3 October 2015
Wall Street Journal
The latest U.S. shooting that ended in the deaths of 10 people at an Oregon college last week is reigniting calls for tighter gun laws and prompting comparisons to gun violence in other countries.
President Barack Obama asked why Americans can't follow the example of the U.K. and Australia. They crafted laws that "almost eliminate mass shootings," he said. "We know there are ways to prevent it."
Adam Lankford, an associate professor at the University of Alabama... (GunPolicy.org)
10 August 2015
Economist
With one of the highest murder rates among OECD countries—second only to Mexico—America retains its reputation as a disproportionately dangerous country. The number of violent assaults in America is comparable to those of other western countries, yet murders are much more common. The prevalence of guns goes a long way toward explaining America's terrible record—they are used in two-thirds of all murders. Americans are five times as likely to be murdered as Brits... (GunPolicy.org)
President Obama Praises Australian Gun Control, 'Ashamed' of US Efforts
11 June 2014
News.com.au (Australia)
Australia has got gun control right, says US President Barack Obama, while his own nation "should be ashamed" at its inability to address a surge in school shootings.
The president vented frustration and disbelief that there was no momentum for gun reform in the wake of a recent spate of mass shootings, in impassioned remarks likely to touch off a new row with the powerful firearms lobby.
"Our levels of gun violence are off the charts, there is no advanced developed... (GunPolicy.org)
Obama Praises Australia's Gun Control, Brings Country into US Gun Debate
11 June 2014
Sydney Morning Herald
Even as police were still on the scene of yet another American school shooting – the 74th since the massacre of primary school children in Newtown – President Barack Obama praised Australia's gun laws in an online question and answer session.
"Couple of decades ago, Australia had a mass shooting, similar to Columbine or Newtown. And Australia just said, well, that's it, we're not doing, we're not seeing that again, and basically imposed very severe, tough gun laws,... (GunPolicy.org)
Hillary Clinton Attacks 'Anywhere, Anytime' US Gun Culture
6 May 2014
Wall Street Journal
As Hillary Clinton mulls running for president in 2016, she has been careful to shy away from broad, sweeping policy declarations. But not Tuesday, when she delivered harsh criticism of gun culture in America and denounced the idea that "anybody can have a gun, anywhere, at any time."
Speaking at the National Council for Behavioral Health conference in Oxon Hill, Md., the former secretary of state didn't dispute Americans' right to own guns. But she said access to guns... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Culture 'Way Out of Balance': Rein It In, Says Hilary Clinton
6 May 2014
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday the nation's gun culture has gotten "way out of balance" and the U.S. needs to rein in the notion that "anybody can have a gun, anywhere, anytime."
The former secretary of state and potential 2016 Democratic presidential candidate said the idea that anyone can have a gun is not in the "best interest of the vast majority of people." But she said that approach does not conflict with the rights of people to own... (GunPolicy.org)
The 'Public Health Crisis' That Is US Gun Culture – Analysis
16 April 2014
CBC News (Canada), Opinion
Three days after Frazier Glenn Miller tried to kill some of the Jews he has spent his life despising (the self-styled paramilitary warrior actually wound up gunning down three Christians instead), the National Rifle Association's website remains silent about the attacks.
Instead, the site features, among other things, a Fox News appearance by the NRA's chief legislative lobbyist about the need to defeat Barack Obama's nominee for surgeon general.
The nominee, a doctor... (GunPolicy.org)
Former New York Mayor Plans $50M Gun Control Network
16 April 2014
Associated Press
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg plans to spend $50 million this year on a new group that will mix campaign contributions with field operations aimed at pulling 1 million gun-control supporters to the polls, he announced Wednesday, adding a new dimension to his long-running fight for tighter firearms regulation.
The new organization, Everytown for Gun Safety, plans to mobilize voters to back candidates and ballot measures supporting such causes as enhancing... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Rights Advocates or Gun Advocates? US Gun Lobby Digs its Heels In
13 April 2014
Telegraph (UK)
The song blasts from two speakers placed either side of a beige canopy: "Guns, whether Remingtons and Glocks / Come on man it ain't like I'm a slingin' 'em on the block / I'm gonna tell you once, and listen son / As long as I'm alive and breathing, You won't take my guns."
Under the canopy is a table full of T-shirts and baseball caps embossed with the words "Open Carry Texas". And gathered around that are a handful of people with AK-47 or AR-15 semi-automatic rifles... (GunPolicy.org)
What the NRA's War Against Obama's Surgeon General Pick is Really About
21 March 2014
Talking Points Memo (USA)
With the White House and Senate Democrats in retreat, the National Rifle Association is winning its battle to scuttle President Barack Obama's nominee for surgeon general, but the group is escalating its war against him anyway.
The gun industry lobby issued a "special alert" to members on Wednesday with a call to action in bright red: "Please call your U.S. Senators and Ask Them to Oppose the Confirmation of Vivek Murthy for U.S. Surgeon General." The group provided a... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Lobby Opposition to Surgeon General 'Unacceptable'
19 March 2014
New England Journal of Medicine, Editorial
Surgeons general of the United States have often championed important causes that improve the nation's health. Leroy Burney and Luther Terry took on the issue of smoking and health. C. Everett Koop championed the treatment of HIV-AIDS as a medical condition. With the nomination of Dr. Vivek Murthy, who aims to take on the epidemic of obesity, President Barack Obama is striving to continue this tradition.
Murthy, whose parents immigrated to the United States from India,... (GunPolicy.org)
NRA Fears Gun Facts, Mounts 'Corrupt' Campaign to Muzzle Public Health
17 March 2014
Bloomberg (USA), Editorial
Vivek Murthy is a well-regarded physician and instructor at Harvard Medical School. Like the president he hopes to serve as surgeon general, he supports greater regulation of firearms. That said, the surgeon general has no role in regulating guns, a task that falls to the perennially underfunded and legislatively hobbled Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
So why are the National Rifle Association and its allies in the extreme gun-rights movement so... (GunPolicy.org)
Obama Asks US Congress for Money to Prevent Mass Shootings
4 March 2014
Reuters
U.S. President Barack Obama returned to the subject of mass shootings on Tuesday by proposing to spend millions of dollars more on gun safety programs, inspections of retailers and background checks for people buying firearms.
If enacted by a U.S. Congress that has been wary of gun control measures, the $182 million package would advance an issue that rose to the top of the national agenda after the December 2012 shooting of 20 children and six adults at a Newtown,... (GunPolicy.org)
NRA Urges US Senate to Reject Surgeon General Nominee Over Guns
27 February 2014
ThinkProgress
The National Rifle Association (NRA) sent a letter to Senate leaders on Wednesday evening urging the chamber not to confirm Dr. Vivek Murthy, President Barack Obama's nominee for Surgeon General, over Murthy's belief that gun violence presents a major public health threat. The letter was issued on the same day that Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said he would place a hold on Murthy's nomination over similar concerns.
"Dr. Murthy's record of political activism in support of... (GunPolicy.org)
If Guns Are Illegal in the US, Only Illegal Immigrants Will Have Guns
20 February 2014
Bloomberg (USA)
Do you really think the United Autoworkers Union's drive to organize the Volkswagen plant in Tennessee was about organizing a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee?
How naive.
Or maybe you believe that the battle over immigration reform in Washington is about … reforming immigration law.
I laugh at your foolishness.
At that treacherous corner where the privileges of the First Amendment collide most spectacularly with the passions of the Second, producing a flaming, 12-car... (GunPolicy.org)
Legal Shotgun Used in US Mall Shooting, Latest in Spate of Gun Violence
26 January 2014
Reuters
A gunman who shot and killed two people at a Maryland mall was a 19-year-old who lived with his mother in a nearby Washington suburb and arrived at the shopping center in a taxi about an hour before opening fire, police said on Sunday.
But a day after Saturday's shootings, police could provide no immediate insight into why Darion Marcus Aguilar killed a young man and a young woman at the mall in Columbia, Maryland, about 20 miles (32 km) west of Baltimore, before... (GunPolicy.org)
Review Confirms Guns at Home Raises Homicide, Suicide Risk
20 January 2014
NBC News (USA)
Having guns in the home triples the risk of suicide and doubles the risk of homicide, researchers reported on Monday.
Their review of 15 studies considered high quality confirms a clear association between gun ownership and violent death in the United States, where more than a third of the population owns firearms.
It's a touchy subject — gun rights activists say they suspect researchers want to restrict gun ownership. Congress has restricted federal funding of gun... (GunPolicy.org)
US to Consider Gun Law Reform on Background Checks, Mental Health
3 January 2014
Reuters
The Obama administration on Friday proposed two new gun control regulations aimed at clarifying restrictions on gun ownership for the mentally ill and strengthening a database used for background checks before firearm purchases.
The measures are the latest step in a year-long push by President Barack Obama to tighten U.S. gun laws in the wake of a school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, where 20 children were killed.
Obama tried last year to bring in sweeping new gun... (GunPolicy.org)
The Year in Guns: In Wake of Tragedy, More American Government Inaction
22 December 2013
al Jazeera
In the United States, the pendulum swings wide bearing the weight of a gun.
Just one year ago, the nation found itself grappling with fresh grief following a mass shooting in which a gunman killed 20 children and six teachers in Newtown, Conn. It was another stroke in the drumbeat of tragedy ingraining a national vernacular centered on dateline — Columbine, Virginia Tech, Aurora. All were places where the semi-automatic weapon's innate purpose to briskly slaughter... (GunPolicy.org)
Unheralded FBI Unit Gets Mental Health Help for Possible Mass Shooters
16 December 2013
Republic (Indiana)
WASHINGTON — The FBI says it has helped to disrupt or prevent nearly 150 shootings and violent attacks this year, in part by steering potential gunmen toward mental health professionals. It's an achievement that stands out during a year when President Barack Obama made curbing gun violence a priority, yet has had little success in getting new restrictions enacted.
There have been hundreds of these disruptions since 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder recently told an... (GunPolicy.org)
US Mayors Group Says Thousands of Guns Sold Illegally Online
12 December 2013
Reuters
Thousands of guns are being offered for sale illegally by unlicensed firearms dealers on a single U.S. website, according to a report released on Thursday by a group of U.S. mayors campaigning for gun control.
Mayors Against Illegal Guns, founded and largely funded by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, examined sales on Armslist.com, a major gun-trading website that enables sales in all 50 states, over an eight-week period this year.
It said nearly a third of the ads... (GunPolicy.org)
Sandy Hook Massacre: US Gun Lobby Targets Australia, Cherry-Picks Data
12 December 2013
Sydney Morning Herald
As America prepares to mark the first anniversary of the murder of 20 children and six staff at the Sandy Hook elementary school, Australia has again become a focus of the increasingly bitter debate over gun control in the United States.
At issue for activists on both sides is the decision by former prime minister John Howard to ban a range of gun types in Australia following the Port Arthur massacre, in particular semi-automatic rifles. To gun control advocates in... (GunPolicy.org)
Post-Newtown, US Gun Control Battle Moves to States
9 December 2013
Reuters
In the year since the massacre of 26 schoolchildren and adults in Newtown, Connecticut, efforts to pass gun legislation have stalled in the U.S. Congress but shifted to the states, helped by the deep pockets of outgoing New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
In scores of statehouse battles, both gun-control and gun-rights advocates have notched wins since a mentally unstable gunman killed 20 first-graders and six adults at Newtown's Sandy Hook Elementary School on December... (GunPolicy.org)
Iraq,Syria,Israel,India,Ireland,Togo,Canada,United States,Afghanistan,Côte d'Ivoire,Iran,Sri Lanka,Germany,Russia
Growing Number of Personalised Firearms to Boost Safety Available
30 November 2013
Economist
To help push Soviet forces out of Afghanistan in the 1980s, America's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) gave Afghan fighters shoulder-launched Stinger anti-aircraft missiles (pictured). Accurate and easy-to-use, the Stingers caused grievous losses. But after the Soviet withdrawal in 1989, the CIA wanted to discourage the use of the leftover missiles. It got hold of some of those circulating on the black market and booby-trapped them, so that anyone who tried to fire one... (GunPolicy.org)
Report on Sandy Hook Mass Shooting Raises Questions
25 November 2013
Guardian (UK)
Adam Lanza, the 20-year-old who convulsed America when he shot dead 20 young children and six of their adult carers at Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut last December, was obsessed with mass murders in the run-up to his meticulously-planned attack and kept photocopies of newspaper articles on shootings of children dating back to 1891.
A 48-page summary of the official investigation into the tragedy in Newtown on 14 December 2012 has revealed new details about... (GunPolicy.org)
Honduras Won't Debate Gun Control Despite Being World's 'Murder Capital'
19 November 2013
New Republic (USA)
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Nearly everyone in Honduras blames drug trafficking for the Central American country's unfortunate distinction of having the world's highest homicide rate - over 91 per 100,000. But in the same breath, nearly everyone in Honduras will also admit, just days away from a landmark general election, that the proliferation of firearms plays a key role in the tragic triumvirate of corruption, trafficking, and violence that's increased here over the... (GunPolicy.org)
Op-Ed: Instead of Studying Gun Violence, Americans Just Argue About It
29 October 2013
LiveScience, Opinion
Is gun violence a public-health epidemic?
The unfortunate truth is this: Scientists simply don't know, because hard statistics either don't exist, aren't current, aren't readily available or can't be researched nationally under the usual rules. Until a few months ago, federal science agencies were essentially barred from even studying gun violence within a public-health epidemic framework.
The United States is the only country in the world that treats gun ownership as... (GunPolicy.org)
China,Algeria,Sierra Leone,Russia,United States
US Law Reforms 'Open Floodgates' on Arms Exports, Say Critics
17 October 2013
Inter Press Service News Agency
WASHINGTON - On Tuesday, the largest deregulation in the history of U.S. arms exports took place as part of the Barack Obama administration's export reform initiative.
But a day after the new reforms came into effect, former government officials and critics from the human rights community are warning of the serious human rights consequences and of the negative long-term impact for U.S. foreign policy.
The reforms are part of the Export Control Reform Initiative (ECRI)... (GunPolicy.org)
Black Children in America Top Targets for Gun Violence
7 October 2013
Miami Herald
In the weeks since the Washington Navy Yard shooting, the city of New Orleans reached a tragic milestone.
All told, 108 people have been murdered in the Crescent City so far this year. In September two black girls, one 11 years old and the other age 2, were shot and killed. And earlier this year a national organization advocating for stricter gun control told the story of a black 10-year-old New Orleans boy who has been shot and seriously injured twice in his short... (GunPolicy.org)
ATF Head Still Boxed in by Politics, Low Resources in America
6 October 2013
Minnesota Public Radio / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - When President Barack Obama picked B. Todd Jones to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, it looked like the moment had arrived when the beleaguered ATF would reassert itself as an agency with teeth.
It was January, and the nation was embroiled in a rare debate on gun control, the result of the massacre at a Connecticut elementary school the previous month. The White House pushed for tougher gun laws and Congress seemed unusually... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia,United States,England & Wales
Obama Praises Australian Gun Laws After US Mass Shootings
23 September 2013
Australian (Sydney) / Agence France Presse
US President Barack Obama has used Australia as a positive example of a country that tightened gun laws after a mass shooting.
He was speaking at a memorial service for the victims of America's latest mass shooting and was making yet another impassioned appeal for the US to reform gun ownership laws.
"No other advanced nation endures this kind of violence. None," he declared, at a ceremony in the Washington Navy Yard, where a contractor killed 12 people in a gun... (GunPolicy.org)
NRA Claims Mass Shooting Shows Need for More Guns at Defence Base
22 September 2013
Guardian (UK)
The head of the National Rifle Association said on Sunday "there weren't enough good guys with guns" to confront the gunman who killed 12 people at the Washington navy yard on Monday. Wayne LaPierre, the NRA's executive vice president, called for more armed guards and better security at military bases.
LaPierre's comments, in an interview with NBC's Meet the Press, echoed his response nine months ago to the Newtown school shooting, in which Adam Lanza killed 20 young... (GunPolicy.org)
Canada,Australia,United States,United Kingdom
Hard Evidence: Does Gun Control Work?
20 September 2013
SBS (Australia), Series
This week brought news of yet another gun massacre in the United States at Washington Navy Yard. It is the latest in a string of 146 mass shootings, with more than 900 victims since 2006. The tragedy gives us pause to reflect on the "common sense" gun controls proposed by president Barack Obama but blocked by gun lobby senators only a few months ago.
Among other measures, Obama's proposals sought to reform the national firearm purchase check system, so that offenders... (GunPolicy.org)
US Navy Yard Shooter Known for Past Gun-Related Issues
17 September 2013
BBC News
A gunman who died after killing 12 people at a naval installation in Washington DC has been identified as a former Navy serviceman.
Aaron Alexis, 34, of Fort Worth, Texas, died in a gun battle with police during the rampage at Washington Navy Yard.
Eight others were injured in the attack, which began at around 8:20 local time (12:20 GMT) on Monday.
US President Barack Obama ordered flags be lowered to half mast at the White House and on Capitol Hill.
He said he... (GunPolicy.org)
Study: Gun Ownership Linked to Increase in US Firearm Homicides
12 September 2013
al Jazeera
A new study published in the American Journal of Public Health on Thursday has found a "robust" relationship between rates of gun ownership and firearm homicide, challenging the National Rifle Association's assertion that more registered guns equal fewer firearm-related deaths.
However, the study noted that while gun ownership is a significant predictor of firearm homicide rates, the correlation did not necessarily mean that higher ownership directly caused more... (GunPolicy.org)
Two US Politicians Ousted as Gun Lobby Increases Pressure Over Laws
9 September 2013
Denver Post (Colorado)
DENVER — Two Democratic state lawmakers who backed tighter gun laws in the aftermath of mass shootings have been kicked out of office in a recall election promoted by both grassroots activists and the National Rifle Association.
Senate President John Morse lost by just 343 votes Tuesday in a swing district in the Republican stronghold of Colorado Springs but Sen. Angela Giron lost by a bigger margin in a largely blue-collar district that favors Democrats.
The NRA... (GunPolicy.org)
Fear of Obama, Gun Control Panic Continue to Drive US Ammo Hoarders
8 September 2013
Maine Sun-Journal / Bangor Daily News
BANGOR — Ammunition and gun experts at the 36th annual Bangor Gun Show said there are a lot of rumors floating around about why there is an ammunition shortage, but they say it simply comes down to supply and demand.
"People are concerned they won't be able to get it, that our Second Amendment is under attack, so they're buying all they can," ammunitions dealer Jeff Holt, who with wife, Nancy, are the owners and operators of Farmington-based Appalachian Ammunition... (GunPolicy.org)
Shooting Death Reveals Gulf Between US and Australia Over Guns
25 August 2013
Herald Sun (Melbourne), Editorial
The horrific and senseless shooting of baseballer Chris Lane in the prime of his life has again exposed the deep divide in gun culture here and in America.
As United States President Barack Obama sends his prayers to the popular athlete's loved ones, Australians can count our blessings we live in a different society.
Three teens are accused of randomly ambushing an innocent stranger who was jogging in daylight, shooting him in the back and leaving him for dead by the... (GunPolicy.org)
US State Expands Background Checks to All Gun Purchases, Transfers
18 August 2013
Reuters
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed a gun-control measure into law on Sunday that expands background checks to cover all firearms purchases in the state, closing what he said was a loophole that exempted gun sales between private parties.
The new law also requires all gun owners to report any lost or stolen firearms to local police within 72 hours.
"Guns are a plague on too many of our communities," Quinn, a Democrat, said in a statement. "Making sure guns do not fall... (GunPolicy.org)
Profits Soar as Fear of Gun Control Feeds US Gun Maker's Expansion
13 August 2013
Montreal Gazette (Québec)
RALEIGH, N.C. — Sturm, Ruger & Co. said Tuesday that it aims to keep up with demand for its guns by opening a new factory in the small North Carolina community already home to America's largest firearms maker.
Southport, Conn.-based Sturm, Ruger says it will open a new factory in Mayodan to meet firearm demand that has spiked since the U.S. Congress and some states sought to toughen gun controls. The community is already headquarters to Freedom Group Inc., which owns... (GunPolicy.org)
US Finally Confirms ATF Director After Seven Years
31 July 2013
Reuters
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed a director for the federal agency that regulates firearms, fulfilling one of the demands President Barack Obama made after the Newtown, Connecticut, school shooting.
After a delay while lawmakers awaited the return of a colleague who was flying in from North Dakota, senators voted 53-42 to install prosecutor Todd Jones as director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The troubled bureau, which gun-rights... (GunPolicy.org)
Why Have US Gun Dealer Background Checks Dropped 54% in 7 Months?
23 July 2013
Atlantic Wire (USA)
In June, the number of background checks conducted by the FBI — a strong indicator of new gun sales — hit its lowest level since September 2011. The figure was down 54 percent from December 2012, in which more background checks were performed than any previous month in history. But why?
There are probably four reasons : Obama, the seasons, gun control, and physics.
Using data from the FBI, we created a chart showing the number of background checks per month. This... (GunPolicy.org)
US First Lady Highlights Youth and Gun Violence in Speech
23 July 2013
Washington Post
WASHINGTON — Michelle Obama is speaking out about the toll that gun violence is taking on young people, in a shift that shows the first lady's willingness to tackle new and polarizing issues as she shapes her second term.
A meeting with high school students from a poor, gang-infested neighborhood in Chicago, her hometown, led Mrs. Obama to put a new spin on the stalled legislative debate over whether to ban firearms or impose new background checks on people who want... (GunPolicy.org)
US Officials 'Hamstrung' by Lack of Gun Data
17 June 2013
Bloomberg (USA), Editorial
How do criminals get their guns? Are there observable patterns to gun crime? Who is at the greatest risk of injury, or causing injury to others, from firearm use? Which gun-safety practices are most effective at preventing accidental injury?
The answers to these and other basic questions remain difficult and obscure in part thanks to a senseless ban, on the books for a decade, that limits research on gun violence and denies researchers and even police and prosecutors... (GunPolicy.org)
Smith & Wesson Gun Sales Hit All-Time High in Year After Mass Shootings
14 June 2013
Guardian (UK)
Gun sales at Smith & Wesson have hit an all-time high during a year marked by some of the most horrific acts of gun violence in US history.
The arms manufacturer reported this week that sales for the year ending 30 April had hit a record $588m, a 43% year-on-year rise.
Smith & Wesson said fourth-quarter sales were up 38% year-on-year to $179m. It told investors it expects its first-quarter financial results to top market expectations and is planning to buy back $100m... (GunPolicy.org)
Five Dead After Shooting at US Home, College Campus
8 June 2013
BBC News
At least five people are dead and several others injured after a gun rampage in the beachfront city of Santa Monica, California, police say.
The attack began at a house and ended on a college campus where police say they shot the gunman in the library.
Police initially put the death toll at six, but later revised it to five people dead, including the shooter.
The gunman was in his late 20s and had been carrying an assault-style rifle, say witnesses.
President Barack... (GunPolicy.org)
US Allows Tracing of Bulk Semi-Automatic Gun Sales to Mexican Gangs
31 May 2013
Reuters
A federal regulation aimed at detecting bulk sales of semi-automatic rifles to Mexican drug gangs was upheld Friday by an U.S. appeals court.
A unanimous panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the Obama administration acted within its authority to adopt the 2011 rule, which affects firearms sellers in states bordering Mexico.
The Gun Control Act of 1968 "unambiguously authorizes" the rule, and it is unrealistic to argue, as gun... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Researcher Turns to Crowd-Funding
30 May 2013
Nature (USA)
Economist Bisakha Sen wants to study how US states' gun laws and gun cultures correlate with certain crimes and with firearms deaths in each state — and whether differing laws and cultures in neighboring states "spill over" to influence a state's statistics.
But although President Barack Obama ordered the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to recommence gun research in the wake of last December's massacre of 20 schoolchildren and 6 adults in Newtown,... (GunPolicy.org)
New US Technology Allows Remote Tracking and Disabling of Gun
22 May 2013
Washington Post
SAN JOSE, California — A high-tech startup is wading into the gun control debate with a wireless controller that would allow gun owners to know when their weapon is being moved — and disable it remotely.
The technology, but not an actual gun, was demonstrated Tuesday at a wireless technology conference in Las Vegas and was shown to The Associated Press in advance. It comes at a time when lawmakers around the U.S. are considering contentious smart gun laws that... (GunPolicy.org)
US Pediatricians Take on Gun Lobby – Carefully
13 May 2013
NBC News (USA)
To pediatricians, gun control is a public health issue, not a political one. But they're treading a fine line, and they know it.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has begun a renewed push to try to get Congress to pass gun control measures, sending more than 100 pediatricians to Capitol Hill earlier this month. But others who have taken on the issue over the past decade have a warning for them: they can run afoul of the National Rifle Association and other pro-gun... (GunPolicy.org)
More US Women Taking Up Guns, for a Variety of Reasons
1 May 2013
Korea Herald / Agence France Presse
FREDERICKSBURG, Virginia ― Proudly brandishing a target she had riddled with bullets, 62-year-old Sharon Schaefer could not hide her delight at joining America's growing number of gun-toting women.
"It was fun!" she exclaimed breathlessly, much to the approval of her instructor Teresa Ovalle.
"You did a good job, Sharon," said the former Marine, who had just given the senior citizen a crash course in pistols at the Fredericksburg Range, some 80 kilometers southwest... (GunPolicy.org)
Yemen,Argentina,Costa Rica,Libya,Germany,United States,Brazil,Paraguay,Austria
Most Brazilian Guns Exported to US
29 April 2013
Folha de Sao Paulo
BRASILIA - The U.S., currently discussing restrictions on the sale of firearms, purchased 7.9 million guns from Brazil in the past 40 years, and 59% of those were exported during the Lula administration (2003-2010).
That is the result of a new study by the Army Command to which Folha had access through the Access to Information Act, with a detailed record of the sellers and buyers of 9.9 million revolvers, pistols, rifles and shotguns, among other weapons, exported... (GunPolicy.org)
The Gun Fighter: Garen Wintemute's Battle for US Gun Violence Research
24 April 2013
Nature
With his crisp blue suit and wire-framed spectacles, Garen Wintemute hardly looked frightening as he stepped to the podium last month to address a conference on paediatric emergency medicine in San Francisco, California. But his presence there made the organizers nervous.
Wintemute, an emergency-department doctor, is better known as the director of the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California (UC), Davis. As such, he has published dozens of... (GunPolicy.org)
Amid Gun Control Debate, US Asks How Bombing Suspects Got Guns
22 April 2013
Leader Post (Canada)
WASHINGTON - Just days after U.S. senators defeated a bid to expand background checks on potential gun buyers, Americans are asking how the Boston Marathon bombing suspects acquired a cache of firearms alongside their explosives.
Among the weapons officials have said were in the possession of Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev were not only several bombs, but handguns, an M-4 carbine rifle and more than 250 rounds of ammunition.
Much of that arsenal was on fiery display... (GunPolicy.org)
US Senate Blocks New Laws, Ignore Pleas from Gun Victims
18 April 2013
Washington Post
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans backed by a small band of rural-state Democrats scuttled the most far-reaching gun control legislation in two decades Wednesday, rejecting tighter background checks for buyers and a ban on assault weapons as they spurned pleas from families of victims of last winter's school massacre in Newtown, Conn.
"This effort isn't over," President Barack Obama vowed at the White House moments after the defeat on one of his top domestic... (GunPolicy.org)
Mother of Newtown Victim Steps In for Obama, Pleas for Gun Control
13 April 2013
Edmonton Journal (Alberta)
WASHINGTON - The mother of a 6-year-old boy killed in the Newtown, Connecticut, school shooting made a deeply personal plea from the White House for action to combat gun violence, choking back tears almost from the start of her speech.
Francine Wheeler, whose 6-year-old son, Ben, was killed in the Dec. 14 attack inside Sandy Hook Elementary School, stepped in for President Barack Obama to deliver the president's weekly radio and Internet address. She is the first... (GunPolicy.org)
Toronto Artist's Bullet-riddled School Bus Turns Heads at White House
10 April 2013
Toronto Star (Ontario)
The torn up shell of a school bus, pockmarked with gashes and dents from 6,000 bullets, was paraded through the streets of Washington, D.C. this week, centre of the action in the swirling American gun control debate.
Was it the remains of an unspeakable horror? Some kind of war zone relic?
No. It's art, and in post-Sandy Hook America, where the bullet-riddled bus installation by Toronto artist Viktor Mitic is on display, the stark portrayal of the destructive power of... (GunPolicy.org)
Mayor Says NYC is Example on How to Combat Youth Gun Crime
5 April 2013
Washington Post
NEW YORK — New York City's mayor met Thursday with the parents of a Chicago girl killed just days after performing at President Barack Obama's inaugural festivities, then suggested that places interested in reducing gun violence might want to emulate the Big Apple, where studies have found teenagers are less likely to carry weapons than in any other major U.S. city.
The meeting between Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the parents of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, who was... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia's Gun Controls a Political Template for US
3 April 2013
Reuters
Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard wore a bullet proof vest under his suit when he addressed an angry crowd of gun owners in 1996, telling them he was going to ban automatic and semi-automatic weapons for the safety of all Australians.
At other rallies, effigies of his deputy prime minister Tim Fischer were hanged by opponents of gun control.
The battle for gun control in Australia, after the country's worst massacre in which 35 people were shot dead, was... (GunPolicy.org)
Health Authorities Fear NYC's New Gun Laws May Hurt the Mentally Ill
28 March 2013
BBC News
When Governor Andrew Cuomo put his name to the Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement (Safe) Act, just a month after the mass shooting at Newtown, Connecticut, he told supporters that the bill's mental health provisions lay at the core of the legislation.
The act includes, among its various controls on gun ownership, something called a "mental health alert", which requires mental health professionals to report patients who they believe pose a threat to themselves... (GunPolicy.org)
Oceania,Asia,Europe,Africa,Americas,United States
NGOs Slam New Arms Trade Treaty Draft, Blame US for Changes
25 March 2013
Reuters
Human rights groups on Monday sharply criticized the latest draft of what could become the first international treaty to regulate the $70 billion global conventional arms trade, accusing the United States and others of pushing to dilute it.
Several Western delegations, however, played down the complaints of groups like Oxfam, Amnesty International, the World Council of Churches and Control Arms, saying the latest draft showed progress, though improvements were clearly... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Law Heads to US Senate, Leader says Background Checks a 'Must'
21 March 2013
Reuters
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on Thursday any gun-control bill that passes his chamber can only be effective if it includes universal background checks, an embattled centerpiece of President Barack Obama's bid to curb gun violence.
Reid voiced hope an elusive bipartisan compromise could soon be reached on requiring virtually all firearm purchasers to be screened for possible criminal and mental-health records.
Republicans have voiced concerns that a proposed... (GunPolicy.org)
Sandy Hook Shooting May Make Almost No Difference in US Gun Control Laws
11 March 2013
Time (USA)
Here's a hard truth: all the emotion and outrage and sadness that followed the Dec. 14 shooting of 20 children and 6 adults at Sandy Hook elementary school may make almost no difference in federal gun control laws. How little is the Hill going to do on gun control? As things stand, Congress may not even pass two gun control measures that even some elements of the powerful gun lobby have suggested they could support. But if post-Sandy Hook gun control measures are badly... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa
US Gun Lobby's Silence on UN Arms Treaty Surprises Gun Control Campaigners
9 March 2013
Guardian (UK)
The National Rifle Association is so tied up fighting new gun restrictions in the wake of the Newtown shooting that it has failed so far to mount its expected lobbying blitz against a new international arms control control treaty.
With just a few weeks to go until the world's first Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is put to a final vote at a UN conference in New York campaigners have voiced surprise at the NRA's relative silence on the issue. Until the Newtown tragedy, in which... (GunPolicy.org)
How the White House Silenced US Gun Control Groups
7 March 2013
Politico (Washington DC)
President Barack Obama's gun control agenda is looking more doomed by the day, but gun control advocates still haven't said a word to complain.
That's no accident.
The White House knew its post-Newtown effort would require bringing key gun control groups into the fold. So the White House offered a simple arrangement: the groups could have access and involvement, but they'd have to offer silence and support in exchange.
The implied rules, according to conversations... (GunPolicy.org)
US Senate Panel Backs Tougher Penalties for Illegal Gun Trafficking
7 March 2013
Bloomberg (USA)
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee approved tougher penalties for illegal gun-trafficking in the first congressional vote on gun restrictions since the December shootings in Newtown, Connecticut.
Still, California Democrat Dianne Feinstein said her proposed assault-weapon ban is on a "very hard road."
The 11-7, almost party-line vote on the trafficking measure today emphasized the hurdles to passing gun legislation even after the Dec. 14 mass killing of 20 children... (GunPolicy.org)
US States With Most Gun Laws Have Fewest Firearm Deaths, Study Says
7 March 2013
Bloomberg (USA)
States with the most laws regulating firearms, including Massachusetts and New York, have the lowest gun-death rates from homicides and suicides, according to a study published by the American Medical Association.
Physicians and researchers at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard University used data on gun fatalities collected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and surveys of states' laws compiled by advocacy groups such as the Brady Center to Prevent Gun... (GunPolicy.org)
American Doctors Beg Govt to be Able to Do Gun Research
28 February 2013
NBC News (USA)
Dr. William Begg wiped away tears as he pleaded with Congress on Wednesday to help rescind laws that limit medical research into gun deaths and that restrict doctors from asking patients about guns in their homes.
Begg's testimony highlighted a growing battle between some doctors and some gun advocates over whether federal health dollars should be spent on research into gun violence, and on whether doctors should counsel their patients about gun safety.
Medical groups... (GunPolicy.org)
US President Urged by NGOs to Support Tough UN Arms Trade Treaty
25 February 2013
Reuters
Three dozen arms control and human rights groups have written to U.S. President Barack Obama ahead of new arms-trade negotiations at the United Nations next month, urging him to back a tough treaty that would end loopholes in international weapons sales.
Arms control campaigners say one person every minute dies worldwide as a result of armed violence and a convention is needed to prevent the unregulated and illicit flow of weapons into conflict zones and fueling wars... (GunPolicy.org)
US Vice President Recommends a Shotgun for Protection
20 February 2013
Guardian (UK), Video
Joe Biden, the US vice-president, has said Americans should buy a shotgun rather than an assault rifle if they want to protect their homes.
Biden, who is spearheading a push for President Barack Obama's gun control proposals, made the remark during a question-and-answer session on Facebook on Tuesday.
The vice-president has not one but two shotguns that he says he keeps in a locked cabinet at his house in his home state of Delaware, and he has given his wife, Jill,... (GunPolicy.org)
Proposed US Assault Weapon Ban Leaves Out Over 2,200 Guns
18 February 2013
Washington Post
WASHINGTON — Congress' latest crack at a new assault weapons ban would protect more than 2,200 specific firearms, including a semi-automatic rifle that is nearly identical to one of the guns used in the bloodiest shootout in FBI history.
One model of that firearm, the Ruger .223 caliber Mini-14, is on the proposed list to be banned, while a different model of the same gun is on a list of exempted firearms in legislation the Senate is considering. The gun that would... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Winemaker Pulls Out of US Gun Lobby Wine Club
25 January 2013
Herald Sun (Melbourne)
Leading wine company Yalumba has quickly distanced itself from the controversial US National Rifle Association after it was revealed it was one of 20 Australian producers sold on the group's wine club.
The privately owned Barossa Valley company will begin moves immediately to track how four of its wines made it onto the NRA's profit-making club, boss Robert Hill Smith said.
He did not want Yalumba associated with the the powerful pro-gun political lobby, even though... (GunPolicy.org)
US Author Attacks 'Propaganda-Savvy Gun-Pimps', Gun Culture
25 January 2013
Guardian (UK)
Stephen King has entranced millions with tales of dread but his latest volume will read like a horror only to the National Rifle Association and other gun-rights advocates. The best-selling author made an unexpected charge into the national debate on gun violence on Friday with a passionate, angry essay pleading for reform.
King, who owns three handguns, aimed the expletive-peppered polemic at fellow gun-owners, calling on them to support a ban on automatic and... (GunPolicy.org)
Asia,Europe,Germany,South America,United States,Austria,Italy,Croatia,Belgium
European Arms, Money Fuel US Gun Addiction say Experts
23 January 2013
Deutsche Welle
After each massacre in the US, Europe laments America's gun culture and violence. At the same time, European companies have no problem selling arms to Americans and supporting the NRA's fight against tougher gun laws.
It is not widely reported, but European firearms for a long time have played a pernicious role in US mass shootings and Europe's gun makers are among the strongest backers of the National Rifle Association (NRA).
Handguns by Austrian arms manufacturer... (GunPolicy.org)
Three Shot and Injured at Texas University
23 January 2013
BBC News
Three people were injured as gunfire rang out during an argument at a college in the US state of Texas, say police.
A sheriff's official said both people involved in the altercation at Lone Star College in the Houston area were wounded and taken to hospital.
A college maintenance man was also injured in the cross-fire.
The latest in a series of US shootings, it comes amid a push for gun control by the Obama administration.
Hiding under table
Lone Star College's... (GunPolicy.org)
Action on Bullets Missing from US Gun Debate, say Police
20 January 2013
Reuters
Bullets are one thing Sacramento Police Detective Greg Halstead can count on to root out weapons that otherwise would be impossible to find. They are also largely missing from the gun control debate in Washington.
Since 2008, California's capital has required ammunition dealers to take names and thumbprints of bullet buyers. They send the information electronically to police computers, which compare the names to an FBI criminal database.
Halstead begins his day... (GunPolicy.org)
US Teen Shoots, Kills Five as Gun Lobby Protests for Rights
20 January 2013
BBC News / Associated Press
A teenage boy in New Mexico has been arrested in connection with the fatal shootings of five people.
Two adults and three children were found dead with apparent multiple gunshot wounds at a house near Albuquerque on Saturday evening.
Bernalillo County sheriff's spokesman Aaron Williamson said it was not yet clear what the suspect's motive was, or his connection to the victims.
He faces two counts of murder and three of child abuse resulting in death.
Mr Williamson... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Lobby Uses Cable TV to Promote Gun Rights, Raise Money
20 January 2013
Yahoo! (America) / Reuters
LOS ANGELES - When President Barack Obama announced a raft of proposals in the biggest U.S. gun-control push in decades, Cam Edwards, host of Sportsman Channel's "Cam & Company" talk show, wasted no time siding with the National Rifle Association.
"Assault weapon is a made-up name for a gun I can ban," said Edwards, an avowed Second Amendment advocate, who later in the program read, word for word, the NRA's statement in response to Obama's announcement.
Edwards, whose... (GunPolicy.org)
US Public Health Experts Applaud Gun Violence Research Funding
17 January 2013
Toronto Star (Ontario)
In the mid-1990s, Stephen Teret received an unnerving phone call from a friend at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At the time, Teret was director of a CDC-funded injury-prevention centre at Johns Hopkins University. It studied all manner of injury risks: fire, poison, motor vehicles and guns.
"That person told me they would appreciate it if I did not speak about gun policy anymore," recalled Teret, who left the centre shortly after to create Johns... (GunPolicy.org)
Irish Personalised Gun Tech Shown at Obama's Gun Control Meeting
17 January 2013
Irish Times (Dublin)
President Barack Obama signalled he is ready for a fight with House Republicans and the National Rifle Association over gun control when he announced the most far-reaching initiative on the issue in nearly 20 years.
"I intend to use whatever weight this office holds," Mr Obama vowed. Referring to the December 14th massacre of 20 six and seven-year-olds and six adults at Sandy Hook school in Connecticut, he said, "This is our first task as a society; keeping our... (GunPolicy.org)
Obama Joins the Gun Fight: This Time the Cynics Are Wrong
17 January 2013
Bloomberg (USA)
Is it real this time? President Barack Obama's announcement today that he will support a range of legislative and executive actions on gun safety will be dismissed as just one more tilt at the gun lobby windmill, bound to end in political failure for Obama, and personal tragedy for countless Americans.
But the White House agenda, and the presidential commitment behind it, is a genuine milestone on the long, twisted road toward sensible U.S. gun laws. This time the... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Violence Research Freeze May End With New Obama Plan
15 January 2013
NBC News (USA)
A little-known kibosh on government research into the public health effects of gun violence is expected to be lifted after President Barack Obama called Wednesday for renewed scientific inquiry - and funding - to address the problem.
Obama issued a presidential memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other scientific agencies to research the causes and prevention of gun violence - and he called on Congress to provide $10 million to pay... (GunPolicy.org)
NY State Tightens Gun Laws, Requires Mental Health Checks
15 January 2013
Reuters
NEW YORK - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday signed into law one of the nation's toughest gun-control measures and the first to be enacted since the mass shooting last month at an elementary school in neighboring Connecticut.
The bill passed the Democratic-led Assembly on Tuesday afternoon, a day after sprinting through the Republican-majority Senate. State lawmakers have been in session for just a matter of days.
New York's legislation comes just a day before... (GunPolicy.org)
Gunman Critically Injures US Student as Authorities Debate Gun Control
11 January 2013
Reuters
A 16-year-old boy armed with a shotgun opened fire in a California high school classroom on Thursday, critically wounding a fellow student before two staff members talked him into surrendering the weapon, authorities said.
The accused gunman was arrested at Taft Union High School in inland Kern County following the shooting and investigators later said he felt he was being bullied by one or two students in the class, including the boy who was shot and seriously... (GunPolicy.org)
US Scientists Urge Authorities to End Limits on Gun Safety Research
10 January 2013
Reuters
Research restrictions pushed by the National Rifle Association have stopped the United States from finding solutions to firearms violence, more than a hundred scientists from virtually every major U.S. university told Vice President Joe Biden's task force on gun violence in a letter on Thursday.
In the wake of the December school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, and other mass homicides, the group of economists, health researchers, educators, doctors and... (GunPolicy.org)
Experts Suggest US Can Learn from Australia's Post-Port Arthur Laws
30 December 2012
Sky News (UK)
When Martin Bryant massacred 35 people with semi-automatic weapons at a tourist spot in Tasmania in 1996, then-Australian prime minister John Howard reacted swiftly by pushing for tough new national gun laws.
Just 12 days after the shootings at Port Arthur, legislation was agreed which banned most people from owning rapid fire rifles and shotguns.
In a government buyback scheme more than 600,000 weapons were handed in and destroyed.
There have been no mass killings... (GunPolicy.org)
Africa,United States,Americas,Oceania,Europe,Asia
US Gun Lobby Accused of Lying to Public About UN Arms Trade Treaty
28 December 2012
Reuters
The leading U.S. pro-gun group, the National Rifle Association, has vowed to fight a draft international treaty to regulate the $70 billion global arms trade and dismissed suggestions that a recent U.S. school shooting bolstered the case for such a pact.
The U.N. General Assembly voted on Monday to restart negotiations in mid-March on the first international treaty to regulate conventional arms trade after a drafting conference in July collapsed because the U.S. and... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun, Ammo, Bulletproof Gear Sales Rocket in US Due to Fears of Ban
28 December 2012
CBS News (USA) / Associated Press
The phones at Red's Trading Post wouldn't stop ringing. Would-be customers from as far away as New York wanted to know if the Twin Falls, Idaho gun shop had firearms in stock. Others clamored to find out if their orders had been shipped.
Overwhelmed, gun store manager Ryan Horsley had to do what no employee would ever think of doing just days before Christmas: He disconnected the phone lines for three whole days.
"We had to shut everything off," says Horsley, whose... (GunPolicy.org)
We Know Several Ways to Reduce, Prevent Gun Violence - Wintemute
26 December 2012
New England Journal of Medicine
We are learning how to watch the news through tears. All those children, and the adults protecting them. With an assault rifle. Up close. The survivors, eyes averted, are led to safety in daisy chains. Ambulances rush to the scene, but nearly all return empty. Loved ones go home empty, too.
We pore over the details, searching for the clues that will bring order to chaos and help us predict and prevent the next one. But these catastrophes are all different. We have... (GunPolicy.org)
Turkey NGO says Potential for Mass Shootings Due to Lack of Gun Control
23 December 2012
Today's Zaman (Istanbul)
As long as Turkey does not take action to put in place gun control measures, the country is likely to face mass shootings like the one that shook the United States in mid-December, killing 26 people, observers have said.
A 20-year-old man, Adam Peter Lanza, on Dec. 14 shot and killed his mother, Nancy Lanza, at their Newtown home before fatally shooting 20 children and six adult staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. He then took his own... (GunPolicy.org)
Fear That Canada Is Moving to Further Loosen Its Gun Control Laws
17 December 2012
Calgary Herald (Alberta)
As debate over stricter gun control ratchets up in the U.S. in the wake of last week's mass shooting in Connecticut, there is fear among gun-control advocates in Canada that the Conservative government is moving to further loosen some of this country's gun rules.
While Prime Minister Harper earlier this month threw cold water on a government committee's suggestion of reclassifying "prohibited" weapons as "restricted" ones, the government appears to be open to some of... (GunPolicy.org)
One Leader of a Democracy Reversed His Nation's Gun Laws in 12 Days
17 December 2012
CNN, Opinion
Editor's note: Philip Alpers is Adjunct Associate Professor at the Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney. A policy analyst in the public health effects of gun violence and small arms proliferation, his web site GunPolicy.org compares armed violence and gun laws, country by country.
SYDNEY, Australia - Could the leader of a democracy reverse his nation's slide toward the ever more permissive use of firearms and mandate stringent new gun control laws in... (GunPolicy.org)
Antigua & Barbuda,United States
Antigua Gets Boats from US to Fight Gun Trafficking
27 November 2012
Caribarena News (Antigua)
ST JOHN'S, Antigua - After considerable delay and quite some nagging, the Antigua & Barbuda Coast Guard has finally received two much-needed 'Interceptor Vessels' to aid in its fight against human trafficking, drug and gun smuggling and in search and rescue operations.
The 33-foot class A interceptor vessels come as part of US President Barack Obama's Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) and Sea Secure Program. They were officially handed over on Monday during a... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Industry Shares Jump After Obama Wins US Presidency
7 November 2012
Los Angeles Times
While investors moping over President Barack Obama's reelection sent the Dow spiraling down more than 300 points Wednesday morning, one sector is seeing a surge: gun manufacturing.
Firearms maker Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. surged 10.8% to $10.48 a share in morning trading, more than double its price at the beginning of the year.
Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc. got a 6.4% boost to $47.48 a share, a 39% increase from early January
The impetus? Gun sales are expected to boom... (GunPolicy.org)
Candidates Avoid Gun Questions Ahead of American Election
19 October 2012
New York Times, Opinion
Let's give a cheer for Nina Gonzalez, the woman who asked Mitt Romney and Barack Obama about gun control at the presidential debate.
People, have you noticed how regularly this topic fails to come up? We have been having this campaign since the dawn of the ice age. Why wasn't there a gun control moment before now?
True, the candidates were asked about it after the horrific blood baths last summer in Colorado and Wisconsin. But there have been 43 American mass... (GunPolicy.org)
America's Gun Industry Thrives Under Obama, Gun Lobby Remains Alert
19 October 2012
Newser (USA) / Associated Press
President Barack Obama has presided over a heyday for the gun industry despite predictions by the National Rifle Association four years ago that he would be the "most anti-gun president in American history." The president hasn't pressed such an agenda, but gun owners still are afraid that, if re-elected, an Obama who wouldn't have to face voters again would try to restrict firearms purchases.
An analysis by The Associated Press of data tracking the health of the gun... (GunPolicy.org)
US Pediatricians Want Tough Gun Laws to Prevent Kids Dying at Home
18 October 2012
Reuters
Pediatricians Thursday called for the strictest possible regulation of gun sales, as well as more education for parents on the dangers of having a gun at home, to prevent deaths of kids and teens.
In a policy statement published in the journal Pediatrics, researchers representing the American Academy of Pediatrics said the number of gun-related deaths in youth has dropped nationally since the mid-1990s, but is still many times higher than rates in other wealthy... (GunPolicy.org)
Obama May Push for Ban on Assault Weapons if Re-Elected
17 October 2012
Indian Express
Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney engaged in a rare tussle over gun control on Tuesday, and Obama opened the door to pushing for a ban on assault weapons if he wins a second term.
During their second election debate, both men largely danced around a gun-control question, a reflection of how they are wary of offending voters who support gun rights.
However, Obama did say that he would back an assault-weapons ban like... (GunPolicy.org)
Legal Loophole Allows Felons, High-risk Americans Easy Access to Guns
27 August 2012
Chicago Sun-Times
Presidential candidate Barack Obama was resting in his Kenwood home on the morning of Sept. 23, 2008, after a fund-raiser the night before in Chicago.
Outside, a drama was unfolding as police stopped a BMW at the security barriers protecting his house. Officers found a Fabrique Nationale Herstal .40-caliber handgun and a bulletproof vest in the car.
They learned the man behind the wheel was a felon barred from owning a firearm. And when federal agents conducted an... (GunPolicy.org)
US Temple Gunman 'Frustrated Neo-Nazi,' Mistook Sikhs for Muslims?
7 August 2012
Sydney Morning Herald
The gunman who killed six people inside a Sikh temple in the US before dying in a police shootout was a 40-year-old army veteran described as a "frustrated neo-Nazi".
Police called the attack on Sunday an act of domestic terrorism.
The FBI said there was no reason to think anyone else was involved in the attack, and they were not aware of any past threat made against the temple.
The gunman was Wade Michael Page, said First Assistant US Attorney Greg Haanstad in... (GunPolicy.org)
Former Caribbean Diplomat Calls for Continued Arms Treaty Support
3 August 2012
Caribbean 360, Opinion
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries joined dozens of other nations in fighting for a robust and comprehensive Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) during negotiations at the United Nations headquarters in New York from 2 to 27 July, but their efforts were frustrated by President Barack Obama's re-election campaign team.
The Caribbean countries have very good reason for wanting a strong ATT. In recent years, these countries have become the hapless victims... (GunPolicy.org)
US Needs to Get Rid of Its Guns - John Howard, Former Australian PM
1 August 2012
Sydney Morning Herald, Opinion
Early in 2008 Janette and I were guests of the former president, George H. W. Bush or "41", as he is affectionately known, at his Presidential Library in College Station, Texas. I spoke to a warm and friendly audience of more than 300 who enthusiastically reacted until, in answer to a request to nominate the proudest actions of the Australian government I had led for almost 12 years, I included the national gun control laws enacted after the Port Arthur massacre in... (GunPolicy.org)
Guns in America - The Business of Fear: Bernd Debusmann
30 July 2012
Reuters, Opinion
Mass shootings are good for the gun business. So are dark warnings from the principal gun lobby in the United States, the National Rifle Association (NRA), that President Barack Obama is leading a global conspiracy to seize an estimated 300 million guns now held by private citizens.
Whether this is true or not doesn't matter. As they say on Wall Street, perception is reality and the fears the NRA has managed to inspire since Obama's 2008 election have led to a boom for... (GunPolicy.org)
Kennesaw, Georgia: Compulsory Gun Ownership to Make a Political Point
28 July 2012
Sydney Morning Herald
Dent Myers has a friendly presence, rheumy eyes, a firm handshake, a long matted beard that hides his age - at first - and a pair of Colt .45s that he wears loaded and holstered over his denim shorts as he pads about his cluttered Civil War memorabilia shop in the town of Kennesaw, Georgia.
Tourists like to come and get their photographs taken with Dent, and to poke around his narrow shop - properly known as Wildman's Civil War Surplus and Herb Shop. For 25¢ he will... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Africa,Americas,Asia,Europe,Oceania
Fact Check: Arms Trade Treaty Unlikely to Curb US Gun Rights - AP
28 July 2012
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Negotiators at the United Nations are working to put final touches on a treaty cracking down on the global, $60 billion business of illicit trading in small arms, a move aimed at curbing violence in some of the most troubled corners of the world. In the United States, gun activists denounce it as an attack on their constitutional right to bear arms.
"Without apology, the NRA wants no part of any treaty that infringes on the precious right of lawful... (GunPolicy.org)
Americas,Africa,United States,Asia,Europe,Oceania
US Senators to Block UN Gun Trade Treaty Over Right to Bear Arms
26 July 2012
Globe & Mail (Toronto) / AP
WASHINGTON - A bipartisan group of 51 senators on Thursday threatened to oppose a global treaty regulating international weapons trade if it falls short in protecting Americans' constitutional right to bear arms.
In a letter to President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the senators expressed serious concerns with the draft treaty that has circulated at the United Nations, saying that it signals an expansion of gun control that would be... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Violence Shifts to Forefront of US Presidential Campaign
26 July 2012
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia) / AP
WASHINGTON — Even as the issue of guns shifts to the forefront of the presidential campaign, the White House and the Senate's top Democrat made it clear Thursday that new gun legislation will not be on the political agenda this year. Instead, President Barack Obama intends to focus on other ways to combat gun violence — a position not unlike that of his rival, Mitt Romney.
Days after the mass shootings in Colorado, White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama still... (GunPolicy.org)
'Carrying a Firearm - That's Being an American' [FR]
23 July 2012
Le Point (France), Transcript
[Translated summary: Aurora's shooting has revived the debate over the right to carry firearms in the United States. Didier Combeau, researcher at the Center of Urban Studies in the English-speaking World, explains why the United States will never ban firearms.]
La fusillade d'Aurora a relancé la question du port d'armes aux États-Unis… Du moins, en apparence.
Didier Combeau, chercheur au Centre d'études urbaines dans le monde anglophone à l'université Paris... (GunPolicy.org)
US Shooting Response: Theatre Chain Bans Masks, Costumes, Fake Guns
21 July 2012
CNN
The suspect in the mass shooting at an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater screening of the new Batman film early Friday had colored his hair red and told police he was "the Joker," according to a federal law enforcement source with detailed knowledge of the investigation.
At least 12 people were killed in the rampage and 58 were injured, one fewer than earlier reported. Of those injured "nearly everyone was shot," Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said Friday night, adding... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Control Advocates 'Sputter at Own Impotence,' Gun Lobby Wins
21 July 2012
US News & World Report / AP
WASHINGTON — Gun control advocates sputter at their own impotence. The National Rifle Association is politically ascendant. And Barack Obama's White House pledges to safeguard the Second Amendment in its first official response to the deaths of at least 12 people in a mass shooting at a new Batman movie screening in suburban Denver.
Once, every highly publicized outbreak of gun violence produced strong calls from Democrats and a few Republicans for tougher controls... (GunPolicy.org)
Sloggers for Gun Control Are My American Heroes - Gail Collins, NY Times
20 July 2012
New York Times, Opinion
My favorite American heroes are the ones who went for the long slog, even when their cause appeared to be hopeless to the point of ridiculous. Civil rights activists in the 1950s. Generations' worth of suffragists who trudged around the country collecting signatures on petitions to give women the right to vote.
Also, anybody who works on gun control.
"We do just seem to slog along, from one tragedy to the next," said Tom Mauser of Colorado Ceasefire.
The gun control... (GunPolicy.org)
Analysis: Colorado Shooting Unlikely to Spur Changes in US Gun Laws
20 July 2012
Reuters
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock is a member of a coalition called Mayors Against Illegal Guns, but when he issued a statement expressing shock and horror on Friday after a mass shooting at a Colorado movie theater, he had nothing to say about gun control.
Neither did President Barack Obama nor his Republican rival Mitt Romney, though both canceled campaign speeches on Friday and expressed sorrow for the victims of the shooting rampage.
The killing of 12 people at a... (GunPolicy.org)
Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,United States
The Arms Trade Treaty and the US Gun Lobby's Misleading Rhetoric
11 July 2012
Arms Control Today (USA)
The ongoing conflict in Syria - like recent wars in Burma, Congo, Liberia, Sudan, and Sierra Leone - underscores the urgent need for common standards for international transfers of conventional weapons and ammunition, as well as legally-binding requirements for all states to review exports and imports - particularly for arms transfers that could lead to human rights abuses or violate international arms embargoes.
While the United States and a few other countries have... (GunPolicy.org)
Israel,Taiwan,United States,Sweden,Germany,France,United Kingdom,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa
Talks Begin at UN on Global, Legally Binding Arms, Ammo Trade Treaty
4 July 2012
Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS — The world's nations began a final push Tuesday for the first legally binding global treaty that would regulate the international arms trade and try to prevent the transfer of weapons to armed groups and terrorists.
The 193-member U.N. General Assembly is expected to approve the treaty, which has been in the works since 2006, when the U.S. voted against the resolution that launched the process. The Obama administration later reversed the George W.... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Lobby, Gun Maker Profits Soar on Own Prediction: Obama Will Win
6 June 2012
CBS News (USA) / AP
NEW YORK - Shares of firearms maker Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. rose Wednesday after a Wedbush analyst said that gun sales rose in May on worries that President Barack Obama may tighten gun laws if he is reelected.
THE SPARK: Wedbush analyst Rommel Dionisio said gun sales picked up in May, and Smith & Wesson was gaining market share. He maintained his "Outperform" rating on the stock.
THE BIG PICTURE: Last month, Smith & Wesson boosted its fourth-quarter sales... (GunPolicy.org)
Russia,Syria,United States,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa
Arms-control, Humanitarian Groups Push for 'Bullet-proof' Arms Treaty
24 May 2012
Bloomberg (USA)
Arms-control and humanitarian groups are pressing President Barack Obama to seek a tough international treaty restricting sales of conventional arms.
"We are writing to encourage you and your administration to spare no effort to seize the historic opportunity to negotiate a robust, bullet-proof Arms Trade Treaty," groups including the Arms Control Association, Amnesty International USA and Oxfam America wrote in a letter to Obama.
The United Nations will attempt in... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexican Couple Admit to 27,000-round Ammo Cache in Texas
15 May 2012
Reuters
Two illegal immigrants pleaded guilty in Texas on Monday to possessing 27,000 rounds of assault rifle ammunition along the U.S.-Mexico border, where cross-border weapons smuggling has increased in recent years, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Police in Laredo, Texas, discovered the ammunition after they stopped a Dodge Ram pickup truck that failed to stop at a stop sign in March, U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson said in a statement.
Weapons traffickers along the... (GunPolicy.org)
Feds Say 68,000 Guns Seized in Mexico Were Traced Back to US [ES]
26 April 2012
El Correo (Spain)
[Translated Summary: Washington says 68,000 guns recovered by Mexican authorities in the past five years have been traced back to the United States. An official report by the The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says that during this period, the Mexican authorities submitted more than 99,000 arms for tracing.]
WASHINGTON - El Gobierno de México ha recuperado más de 99.000 armas de fuego entre 2007 y 2011, de las cuales más de 68.000 procedían de... (GunPolicy.org)
Washington Says 68,000 Guns Seized in Mexico Were Traced Back to US
26 April 2012
Seattle Times / AP
WASHINGTON — The government said Thursday that 68,000 guns recovered by Mexican authorities in the past five years have been traced back to the United States.
The flood of tens of thousands of weapons underscores complaints from Mexico that the U.S. is responsible for arming the drug cartels plaguing its southern neighbor. Six years of violence between warring cartels have killed more than 47,000 people in Mexico.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and... (GunPolicy.org)
Mass Shootings Not Tightening US Gun Control Laws Anymore - Expert
22 April 2012
Agence France Presse
CHICAGO — The statistics are staggering, the stories heartbreaking, yet there is little chance that any amount of bloodshed will lead to stiffer gun controls in the United States in the foreseeable future.
"It's not something that any politician thinks is winnable," said Kristin Goss, a politics professor at Duke University and author of "Disarmed: The Missing Movement for Gun Control in America."
Five years after the worst school shooting in US history left 32... (GunPolicy.org)
America's Deadly Devotion to Guns: A British Columnist Meets the NRA
16 April 2012
Guardian (UK)
There are around 90 guns for every 100 Americans yet, despite 85 fatal shootings a day, the mighty US gun lobby is as powerful as ever. In the wake of Trayvon Martin's killing, Gary Younge reports on the country's deadly attachment to firearms
At an organising breakfast for National Rifle Association (NRA) grassroots activists, Samuel Richardson, a man with whom I have not exchanged a word, passes me a note. "Please read the book Injustice by Adams," it reads. "He was... (GunPolicy.org)
90% of Guns Seized in Mexico Traced Back to US - ATF 2009 Report
16 April 2012
Latin American Herald Tribune (Venezuela)
MEXICO CITY – An exhibit of photographs and art at a Mexico City museum seeks to draw attention to the impact of arms smuggled into Mexico from the United States and gather signatures for a campaign demanding that Washington put an end to arms trafficking.
"Adios a las armas. Contrabando en las fronteras" (Goodbye Firearms. Contraband at the Borders), which opened on Nov. 30 at Mexico City's Museum of Memory and Tolerance, has been seen by about 30,000 visitors,... (GunPolicy.org)
NRA Gunfest Focuses US Fight Over 'Shoot First' Hidden Handgun Laws
14 April 2012
CBS News (USA)
ST. LOUIS - Avid hunter Rob West drove from Chillicothe, Ohio, to St. Louis this week to join some 70,000 fellow National Rifle Association members at the organization's annual convention, where seven acres of guns and gear were on display and where politics was never far from anyone's mind.
For the NRA, which opposes any restrictions on gun ownership and President Barack Obama's re-election, the Second Amendment right to bear arms is sacrosanct.
"We don't want... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Pleads Guilty in Botched 'Fast and Furious' US Gun-running Sting
5 April 2012
Reuters
PHOENIX - A man pleaded guilty on Thursday to two felony counts of purchasing and running high-powered rifles to Mexico from Arizona under the botched "Fast and Furious" federal sting operation tied to the murder of a U.S. federal agent.
Jaime Avila Jr. was among a ring of 20 defendants charged with buying high-powered firearms including Kalashnikov type assault rifles and Barrett sniper rifles to run to the Mexican cartels.
The purchases were made in the Phoenix area... (GunPolicy.org)
America's Wild West Gun Laws Unlikely to Change - Bernd Debusmann
23 March 2012
Reuters, Column
The killing of a black teenager by a self-appointed vigilante in Florida has trained a spotlight on gun laws reminiscent of the Wild West in 24 U.S. states. Despite widespread outrage over the Florida case, gun-friendly senators in Washington want to make it easier to extend those laws to most of the country.
That would set the United States, where there are more firearms in private hands than in any other country, even farther apart from the rest of the industrialized... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Makers' Share Values Rise on Strong Demand, Fear of Obama
22 March 2012
Reuters
Gun maker Sturm Ruger & Co Inc's (RGR.N) shares rose to a life-high on Thursday, after the company said demand was rising so fast that it was suspending new orders until May.
Sturm Ruger said on Wednesday that it has received orders for more than one million guns for the first quarter and it could not keep up with demand despite increased production.
The spike in demand comes in an election year when fears of gun control regulations resurface.
In 2009, gun sales had... (GunPolicy.org)
Why More Americans Carry Hidden Handguns in Public Places - Feature
11 March 2012
Christian Science Monitor
Leaning against a scrub pine as preschoolers scurry about at his feet, Shane Gazda, father of 3-year-old twins, recalls a conundrum he faced earlier that morning: whether to take his Smith & Wesson .40 caliber handgun to a Groundhog Day celebration in this town's White Deer Park.
After all, what was once against the law in North Carolina – carrying a concealed gun in a town park, square, or greenway – is now, as of Dec. 1, 2011, very much allowed. To Mr. Gazda, who... (GunPolicy.org)
Africa,Americas,Asia,Europe,Oceania,Somalia,United States,Russia,Egypt,Iran,Pakistan
A 'Bulletproof' Arms Trade Treaty Could Slow the Global Flow of Guns
8 March 2012
MediaGlobal News (New York)
Every day, according to Amnesty International, thousands of people are killed, injured, raped, and forced to flee from their homes as a result of armed conflict, armed violence, and human rights violations and abuses perpetrated using conventional arms.
As violence continues unchecked around the world, a coalition of humanitarian and health organizations is rallying support for a "bulletproof" global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), to be discussed in July, that would stymie... (GunPolicy.org)
Texas Gun Sales Boom in Expectation of Obama Re-election
4 March 2012
ABC News (USA) / AP
FORT WORTH, Texas - Gun sales are booming across Texas, and some buyers say their growing belief that President Barack Obama will inevitably be re-elected is fueling their race to bear more arms.
And sales haven't just risen in Texas. There's been a rush nationwide, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported in Sunday's edition.
The Cheaper than Dirt gun store in Fort Worth set a sales record for February, said store owner DeWayne Irwin, who described the rush as similar... (GunPolicy.org)
Sudan,China,Egypt,Bahrain,Libya,Germany,United Kingdom,Russia,United States,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa
At Last, the World Acts to Control Global Arms Trade, UN Talks Begin this Week
12 February 2012
Independent (Dublin)
The global arms trade, which produces two bullets for every person on the planet every year and the weapons that kill 1,500 people each day, is facing the first worldwide effort to control it. An unprecedented treaty that would attempt to restrict arms sales is expected to be drawn up at talks in the United Nations this week.
A campaign for such an agreement, begun six years ago by Nobel laureates, faces attempts by the United States and Russia to water the treaty... (GunPolicy.org)
Talk of US Gun Buying Spree Based on Inaccurate, Biased Estimates
4 February 2012
Reuters
The conventional wisdom is that gun sales have increased dramatically since the election of Barack Obama because people fear gun rights will be curtailed. But as it turns out, there are no completely accurate measures of either gun purchases or gun ownership.
The gun industry's trade group, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), tracks gun sales by looking at the number of new requests to the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). A... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Sales Up? It's a Beat-up Story: Real US Industry Figures Suppressed
9 January 2012
Huffington Post (USA)
The media has been awash this holiday season with stories about a "dramatic increase" in gun sales in the United States. CNN, for example, declared, "December holiday shoppers were not just interested in buying the hottest electronics and toys--they also were purchasing record numbers of guns." USA Today claimed, "Along with millions of Kindles, Angry Birds and gift cards, Santa left a record number of guns under Americans' Christmas trees." Reuters gushed about "16.5... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Lobby Group Raises $200 Million a Year, Aims to Unseat Obama
29 December 2011
Bloomberg (USA)
A toaster that burns the National Rifle Association's logo onto bread fetched $650 at an auction last month, just one reflection of the money-making power in the gun group's brand.
The NRA, which began as a grassroots organization dedicated to teaching marksmanship, enters the 2012 election season as a lobbying, merchandising and marketing machine that brings in more than $200 million a year and intends to help unseat the incumbent president. From 2004 to 2010, the... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Officer, Gun Owner Dead in New Virginia Tech University Shooting
8 December 2011
Reuters
BLACKSBURG, Virginia - A gunman ambushed and killed a campus police officer and was later reported to have been found dead on Thursday at Virginia Tech University, the site of one of the worst shooting rampages in U.S. history.
Authorities declared the campus safe and lifted a lock-down after a nearly four-hour manhunt, seeming to lend credence to television news reports that a body found in a Virginia Tech parking lot was that of the shooter.
Police at a televised... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Control Off the Table as US Congress Feels Heat from Influential NRA
8 December 2011
Guardian (UK)
Mexico's drug cartels have for years armed themselves courtesy of America's love for guns.
Many Americans, wedded to their right to own guns under the second amendment of the US constitution, are viscerally opposed to stronger laws to curb weapons trafficking, out of fear that it may prove to be the thin end of a wedge that they say will result in the government confiscating all firearms.
Some are wedded to their guns out of fear of crime. Others see them as a... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Nuts Need Fear, Conspiracies, Obama to Hate, Flourish, Raise Money
1 December 2011
New York Times, Opinion
PHOENIX — When it became clear in the early fall of 2008 that Barack Obama, son of a Kansan and a Kenyan, would be the 44th President of the United States, many citizens rushed to their gun shops, stocked up on ammo and camo, and tried to fortify their nests with all manner of lethal weapons.
Though he had said nothing about gun control in the campaign, Obama, to a certain kind of person, appeared to be a grave threat to the Second Amendment. He was urban —... (GunPolicy.org)
Hidden Handguns: US Lawmakers Vote for Lowest Common Gun Safety Rules
26 November 2011
Economist
One question that worries many visitors to defensivecarry.com, a website devoted to the delights and pitfalls of life with a hidden gun, is whether their "concealed-carry" permits will be valid outside the state in which they are issued. Can they take their guns on holiday with them? Can they pack them in their checked bags for a flight? What if their plane is diverted to a spot like New York, which makes it exceedingly difficult to carry a gun? And if they cannot bring... (GunPolicy.org)
Obama Treads Warily, Democrats Mute in America's Gun Control Minefield
25 November 2011
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — They are fuzzy about some issues but the Republican presidential candidates leave little doubt about where they stand on gun rights.
Rick Perry and Rick Santorum go pheasant hunting and give interviews before heading out. Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain speak to the National Rifle Association convention. Michele Bachmann tells People magazine she wants to teach her daughters how to shoot because women need to be able to protect themselves. Mitt Romney,... (GunPolicy.org)
Obama Voters, Muslims Need Not Apply for Texas Gun Course
28 October 2011
Reuters
SAN ANTONIO - A central Texas gun dealer ran radio ads advising "Socialist" liberals, those who voted for President Barack Obama, Arabs and Muslims that they need not apply for his concealed gun license class.
Crockett Keller, who owns Keller's Riverside Store, ran the ads on the radio station in his rural hometown of Mason, Texas, which is 120 miles west of the state capital of Austin.
"If you are a Socialist liberal and/or voted for the current campaigner in chief,... (GunPolicy.org)
US Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Bill, 'That's Not Liberty, More Like Lunacy'
24 October 2011
New York Times, Opinion
Between the struggle to fold a sport jacket so it doesn't wrinkle, the 45-minute wait on a security line if I'm flying, the price of gas if I'm driving and the worry either way that I left the coffee maker on, I thought I was pretty well versed in the inconveniences and stresses of domestic travel.
Hardly! Things could be much, much worse, namely if I were a gun owner with a permit to carry a concealed firearm in my home state and an itch to do so in any other state I... (GunPolicy.org)
Second Bush Administration Gun-Trafficking Investigation
15 October 2011
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — A second Bush administration gun-trafficking investigation has surfaced using the same controversial tactic for which congressional Republicans have been criticizing the Obama administration.
The tactic, called "gun walking," is already under investigation by the Justice Department's inspector general and by congressional Republicans, who have criticized the administration of Democratic President Barack Obama for letting it happen in an operation called... (GunPolicy.org)
US Customs Seized 30 Assault Rifles Bound for Mexico
22 September 2011
Reuters
AUSTIN, Texas - U.S. customs agents in Texas seized 30 high-powered assault rifles when they searched a car heading into Mexico in what they said was the largest gun seizure at the state's border this year.
Agents at the Del Rio port of entry found the stash of Kalashnikov and M-4 type rifles in the trunk of a Nissan Altima headed into Mexico on Wednesday, and arrested the 18-year-old driver from Eagle Pass, the Customs and Border Protection agency said in a news... (GunPolicy.org)