Gun Policy News
Gun-related, non-fatal injury
Alarm Over Growing Use of Weapons at Rallies
27 August 2021
Guardian
A gunfight in Portland, Oregon, last week is intensifying concerns over escalating violence during contentious rallies in the city, as far-right demonstrators and anti-fascist counter-protesters have repeatedly faced off.
The Portland police bureau charged a 65-year-old man from Gresham, Oregon, over a gunfight in the city's downtown during violent clashes on Sunday. Authorities say Dennis Anderson drew a concealed handgun and shot at a group of anti-fascists who were... (GunPolicy.org)
Fewer Guns Will Save Women's Lives in South Africa
16 August 2021
Institute for Security Studies (ISS)
Fifty-eight percent of South Africa's domestic violence murder victims from April to June 2020 were women, according to national police statistics. Sixty-seven percent of these women were killed by a current or ex-intimate partner. In such cases, femicide is the final act in a pattern of chronic and escalating abuse. South Africa's rate of femicide has been estimated at six times higher than the global average.
Research has consistently shown that having access to a... (GunPolicy.org)
Utøya Massacre 10 Years On: What Has Changed In Norway?
22 July 2021
Conversation
It has been 10 years since 77 people – mostly teenage political activists – were massacred in a far-right terror attack in Norway that shocked the country and the world.
Anders Breivik was 32 years old on July 22 2011 when he detonated an ammonium nitrate fertiliser bomb at 15:25pm in the Regjeringskvartalet district of Oslo, attempting to assassinate government officials, killing eight. Ninety minutes later, as emergency services responded to the bomb, Breivik,... (GunPolicy.org)
Pandemic gun violence surge was not linked to rise in gun sales, study finds
9 July 2021
Guardian
Gun homicides surged across the United States during the coronavirus pandemic, in the same year that Americans bought a record-breaking number of guns.
But some of America's leading gun violence researchers have concluded that what might seem like an obvious cause-and-effect – a surge in gun buying leads to a surge in gun violence – is not supported by the data.
Through July of last year, there was no clear association between the increase in firearm purchases and... (GunPolicy.org)
How Bad is the Rise in US Homicides?
30 June 2021
Guardian
There's been a wave of media coverage this summer about an increase in homicides across the United States, with attention often focused on the same political question: will Americans still want to defund or even reform the police if "violent crime" is on the rise?
Anxiety about violent crime is often used to win elections. Police and politicians routinely share misleading, out-of-context crime statistics to advance their agendas. Fearmongering about rising crime has... (GunPolicy.org)
More Guns at the Root of 2020 Murder Increase in US
12 June 2021
Vox
The year 2020 saw the largest recorded increase in homicides in United States history — an increase likely propelled by a complex mix of factors, from more guns to stresses of the pandemic to fewer police officers on the streets to a crisis in relations between police and citizens.
But one persistent theory is that a change in policing last summer primarily drove increased gun violence. This is an especially popular explanation among law enforcement figures. Former... (GunPolicy.org)
Africa,Americas,Asia,Europe,Oceania
Basic Steps That Can Stop Catastrophic Explosions at Munition Sites
8 April 2021
Conversation
A series of massive blasts recently rocked Equatorial Guinea's city of Bata. The explosions, at an army barracks, killed over 100 people and destroyed military buildings as well as people's homes around the site. President Teodoro Obiang Nguema stated that the explosions were "caused by negligence of the unit in charge of storing explosives, dynamite and ammunition at the Nkoa Ntoma military camp".
Unplanned explosions at munitions sites have occurred on all continents... (GunPolicy.org)
Report Shows Gun Ownership on the Rise in Turkey
10 March 2021
Stockholm Center for Freedom (SCF)
A report drafted by Turkey's Gendarmerie General Command has revealed an increasing demand for gun ownership in the country, with a 34 percent increase in the number of applications for gun permits in 2020, Turkish Minute reported.
In 2019, a total of 13,206 people applied for a license to carry a firearm, rising by 34 percent in 2020, with 17,751 applying for permits, the activity report for 2020 said.
According to the Umut (Hope) Foundation, a leading advocate of... (GunPolicy.org)
The Roots of Pre-Election Carnage by Uganda Security Forces
20 January 2021
Conversation (Uganda)
For two days in November 2020, Uganda witnessed some of the most violent riots in a decade. The riots were triggered by the arrest of opposition presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, who is challenging the incumbent Yoweri Museveni in the February 14 2021 election. Authorities alleged that Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi Wine, had consistently disregarded COVID-19 related election campaign guidelines limiting gatherings to no more than 200 people.
In the violence... (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)
Rise In Gang Violence Across Sweden
4 July 2019
Local (Sweden)
Honour, debts, and prestige are serving as the pretext for an increasing number of deadly shootings that challenge the ideals of equality and social harmony on which modern Sweden was built.
"You strengthen your own gang by eliminating an external threat and you gain prestige," Eddy Paver, a reformed former member of a biker gang, told AFP.
Paver was long willing to pay the ultimate price in order to "belong" to a criminal gang which required absolute loyalty from its... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Policy Pointless Without Funds for Public Health Research
17 November 2016
Dallas Morning News (Texas), Editorial
To make an informed decision, you need information. And that's exactly what everybody involved in America's bitter gun debate doesn't have.
Guns kill more than 33,000 Americans a year, yet the clock stopped on government research into this epidemic two decades ago. As is frequently noted, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has funded no in-depth studies of gun violence, its causes, or proposals for its reduction since 1996. That's when the so-called... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Background Checks Work, May Hamper Suicide Prevention
17 November 2016
Channel News Asia (Singapore), Reuters
Gun control laws that mandate a background check before a gun can be temporarily transferred to a friend or family member may interfere with suicide prevention efforts, researchers say.
The research team looked at what happens when people want to temporarily remove firearms from their home because they fear someone in the house might be considering a suicide attempt. In some states, they found, gun control laws may actually hamper the ability to easily transfer a gun... (GunPolicy.org)
US Document Trove Shows Remington Gun Model Is Unsafe
15 November 2016
CNBC (US)
Owners of Remington's popular Model 700 rifle can now examine for themselves literally millions of pages of internal company documents that have led critics to conclude that the guns are unsafe.
The documents — more than 130,000 files in all — have been assembled in a searchable online database by the advocacy group Public Justice. The organization, which battles against secrecy in the courts, fought successfully last year to make the documents public.
"These... (GunPolicy.org)
US States with Tighter Gun Laws Have Fewer Homicides [ES]
14 November 2016
La Información (Dominican Republic)
[Translated Summary: According to a US study, states with tighter firearms laws show a higher decrease in firearm deaths. The most successful laws are those ones which improve background checks for potential buyers and require a permit to buy a firearm, among others.]
Leyes más estrictas para controlar la circulación de armas de fuego están relacionadas con una reducción de los homicidios en Estados Unidos, concluye un análisis de más de 30 estudios publicados... (GunPolicy.org)
Florida's 'Stand Your Ground' Law Linked to Homicide Increase
14 November 2016
Time (USA)
Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law, which gives widespread legal immunity to people who use lethal force in self-defense, may be responsible for an increase in homicides in the state, according to a new study released Monday.
Since the controversial law was implemented in 2005, Florida's overall monthly homicide rate has increased 24.4% and the homicide by firearm rate is up 31.6%, according to the study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical... (GunPolicy.org)
Celebratory Shooting Illegal in India, Gun Licence May Be Taken
2 November 2016
Hindustan Times (Lucknow)
Firing in the air while celebrating marriages, religious functions or social gatherings is illegal and may result in the cancellation of the licence and initiation of legal action, Delhi Police told the High Court on Wednesday.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice G. Rohini was told by Delhi Police's Arms Licensing Unit that it takes prompt and certain action against offenders on receipt of any complaint of misuse of the firearms.
The firearm licences are issued... (GunPolicy.org)
Clinton #2 Tim Caine: US Gun Violence Is a Public Health Crisis
1 November 2016
Time (USA)
In every elected office I have held over the past 20 years, gun violence has been a serious issue. When I was mayor of Richmond, Virginia, our city had one of the highest homicide rates in the country. When I was governor, our commonwealth experienced the worst campus shooting in U.S. history. And as I serve in the U.S. Senate and our country falls victim to one mass shooting after another, Congress has yet to pass any commonsense gun safety legislation. Like many... (GunPolicy.org)
In a Life, 99.9% of Americans Will Know a Shooting Victim [ES]
27 October 2016
Huffington Post (USA)
[Translated summary: A report from Boston University in the Journal of Preventive Medicine estimates that 99.9% of Americans will know a victim of gun crime in their lifetime. According to the study, African Americans are more likely to know at least one gun violence victim who died than whites or Hispanics.]
Nadie está seguro en Estados Unidos. Y esto no es una frase hecha. Un estudio de la Universidad de Boston publicado en la revista Preventive Medicine ha puesto... (GunPolicy.org)
In a Lifetime, 99.9% of Americans Will Know a Shooting Victim
26 October 2016
Quartz (US)
Victims of gun violence are not just the people in direct range of bullets. They're also those on the periphery.
Almost every single American—99.85%—will know at least one victim of gun violence during his or her lifetime, a recent analysis in the journal Preventive Medicine estimates.
Around 30,000 gun-related deaths and 80,000 non-fatal injuries occur annually in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A study published in the... (GunPolicy.org)
At Least One American Child Dies by Gunshot Every Other Day
14 October 2016
USA Today, Associated Press
Hours earlier, he was a happy 4-year-old who loved Ironman and the Hulk and all the Avengers. Now, as Bryson Mees-Hernandez approached death in a Houston hospital room, his brain swelling through the bullet hole in his face, his mother assured the boy it was OK to die.
"When you are on the other side," his mother, Crystal Mees, recalls telling him, "you are going to see Mommy cry a lot. It's not because she's mad. It's because she misses you."
And this: "It's not your... (GunPolicy.org)
Confronting Gun Violence in America - New Book, Good Reviews
13 October 2016
Palgrave Macmillan, Author Thomas Gabor, Media release
Each year, over 100,000 Americans are killed or seriously injured by gunfire. This book critically examines the link between guns and violence and suggests a bold national strategy to reduce gun violence in the United States.
Criminologist and international consultant Thomas Gabor has been conducting research on gun violence for 25 years. The book presents the most current data and trends on gun violence and mass shootings, including recent attacks in Orlando and... (GunPolicy.org)
In Two Years, 295 US Children Under 13 Have Shot Someone
10 October 2016
The Trace (USA)
Christa Engles was shot in the head in November, 2014 by her 3-year-old son while changing her baby's diaper in her Tulsa, Oklahoma home. The boy had found the 9mm semiautomatic handgun on a living room table.
Two months later, in Elmo, Missouri, five-year-old Corbin Wiederholt used a .22-caliber handgun he picked up off the headboard of the grandfather's bed to shoot and kill his nine-month-old brother.
Not long after that, at a home in LeBleu Settlement, Louisiana,... (GunPolicy.org)
4.5 Million US Women Threatened With Guns by Partners [FR]
4 October 2016
BFM TV (France)
[Translated summary: About 4.5 million women have been threatened with a firearm by their partners in the US, according to a report by the US National Library of Medicine. Another 1 million have survived a gunshot wound or been shot at. As the study explains, if the gun is used to threaten, it can create an intimidating environment.]
Une étude menée par des universitaires américains pointe l'usage "non mortel" des armes à feu par les hommes sur leurs partenaires.... (GunPolicy.org)
Shootings on US Campuses Doubled Over the Last Five Years
3 October 2016
New York Times, Reuters
Shootings on college campuses over the last five years have more than doubled since a similar period a decade earlier, according to a report released on Monday by a criminal justice reform organization.
The incidents have also grown more deadly, with three times as many people injured or killed during the most recent five-year period, the New York City-based Citizens Crime Commission said.
"It is now appropriate to call our nation's gun violence problem an epidemic,"... (GunPolicy.org)
Texas Spree Killer a Lawyer with Nazi Symbols, Legal Firearms
26 September 2016
New York Times, Associated Press
A disgruntled lawyer wearing military-style apparel with old Nazi emblems had two weapons and more than 2,500 rounds of live ammunition when he randomly shot at drivers in a Houston neighborhood Monday before he was shot and killed by police, authorities said.
Nine people were injured during Monday morning's shootings on the street in front of a condo complex; six were shot and three had eye injuries from flying glass. One person was in critical condition and another... (GunPolicy.org)
Texas Spree Shooter Was Lawyer with Legally Held Guns [ES]
26 September 2016
El Mexicano (Mexico), Associated Press
[Translated summary: The lawyer who shot people indiscriminately in Texas on Monday had two legally purchased firearms: a semi-automatic pistol and a semi-automatic rifle. He also had over 2,500 cartridges. The incident left 9 people injured, one in critical state.]
HOUSTON. — Un abogado disgustado que vestía ropa tipo militar con emblemas nazis antiguos tenía dos armas de fuego y más de 2.500 cartuchos cuando comenzó a dispararles indiscriminadamente este lunes... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Violence Kills, Injures 111,000 Victims Each Year [ES]
25 September 2016
Radio Nacional Venezuela
[Translated summary: According to violence prevention organisations, more than 17,000 minors are victims of firearms in the US every year. Furthermore, over 111,000 people are shot annually, resulting in death or serious injuries.]
De acuerdo a las organizaciones para la prevención de la violencia armada en Estados Unidos, cada año, más de 17.000 menores de edad son víctimas de las armas de fuego. Mientras que más de 111.000 personas anualmente reciben disparos,... (GunPolicy.org)
Twenty-year Record: 400 Shot in Chicago in August [FR]
7 September 2016
A l'Encontre (Switzerland)
[Translated summary: August was the most violent month in Chicago in almost 20 years. According to the Chicago Police, around 400 people have been victims of firearms and 78 were killed. Since the beginning of the year, there have been 487 homicides while 2015 had a total of 491.]
Ils ne seront jamais inculpés, mais les vrais criminels responsables de la violence dans des villes comme Chicago siègent à l'Hôtel de ville et dans les conseils d'administration des... (GunPolicy.org)
Deadly Shootings in Vietnam Expose Gun Control Loopholes
30 August 2016
Voice of America
The recent shooting deaths of two Vietnamese officials, allegedly committed by a lone forest ranger in the remote northern province of Yen Bai, have drawn public attention to rising cases of gun violence in the Southeast Asian nation.
One high-ranking lawmaker was quoted by local media as saying during a meeting convened by the parliamentarian Committee on Defense and Security following the deadly shootings that, "there seems to be loopholes in gun control in... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,China,Germany,United Kingdom,France,Russia,Spain,Italy,Israel,India,Saudi Arabia,United Arab Emirates,Pakistan,Australia,Turkey,Singapore,South Korea,South Sudan,Ukraine
Killer Facts: The Scale of the Global Arms Trade, Gun Totals
22 August 2016
Amnesty International (London)
Transfers of heavy conventional weapons
The top 10 exporters of conventional arms (excluding small arms/ light weapons – SALW) 2010-15
USA: US$55.006 billion
Russia: US$42.404 billion
China: US$9.943 billion
Germany: US$ 9.467 billion
France: US$ 8.932 billion
UK: US$ 7.627 billion
Spain: US$ 5.310 billion
Italy: US$ 4.360 billion
Ukraine: US$ 4.156 billion
Israel: US$ 3.280 billion
The top 10 importers of conventional arms (excluding SALWs) 2010-15
India:... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Culture Thrives in Florida as Each Shooting Boosts Sales
28 July 2016
Guardian
When Jason Moore heard about the shooting in a Fort Myers, Florida, nightclub that killed two and injured more than a dozen others, his reaction was immediate.
He had the employees at his gun shop move roadside signs to just outside the club's parking lot that said: "We come to you, concealed weapon permit."
The shooting early Monday morning happened after a party for teenagers was emptying out of Club Blu. Sean Archilles, 14, and Stef'An Strawder, 18, died. The... (GunPolicy.org)
Correlation Between Illicit Firearms and Violence in Serbia
13 July 2016
SEESAC (Belgrade)
"I am deeply saddened to see Serbia go through one of its most tragic weeks, following another mass shooting with five dead and twenty injured. The events in Zitiste a few days ago brought to light once again three major but often ignored problems – the large scale availability of illicit firearms, its impact on public safety and most specifically its impact on intimate partner and domestic violence.
As the rest of the Western Balkans, Serbia is awash with firearms.... (GunPolicy.org)
Dallas Police Hampered, Not Helped by 'Good Guys With Guns'
11 July 2016
Los Angeles Times
Remember this drivel?
"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."
Well, that gun lobby rubbish was again disproved in Dallas.
Twelve good guys — law enforcement men and women trained to shoot — were stopped by one bad guy. Five officers were killed and seven wounded. Two civilians also were injured before the bad guy was finally stopped by a bomb-carrying robot.
How many good guys with guns were there trying to subdue this bad... (GunPolicy.org)
Two Thousand Victims of Gun Crime So Far This Year in Chicago
7 July 2016
Sky News (UK)
More than 2,000 people have been killed or injured in gun violence this year in America's third biggest city.
Shootouts between suspected gang members on the last day of the 4 July holiday weekend brought the number of shooting victims in Chicago in 2016 so far to 2,021.
The total for the whole of 2015 was just over 2,900, the Chicago Tribune said.
The city's police force had hoped that a new strategy for dealing with gun violence had been working.
Earlier in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Crime Rose More Than 160% Since 2011 in Mexico [ES]
5 July 2016
AM (Mexico)
[Translated summary: Since 2011, over 7,892 crimes with firearms have occurred in Guanajuato, Mexico. Over 11,505 firearms have been registered (6,580 of them are handguns) and 75% of these are in civilian possession. From 2011 to 2015, there has been an increase of 161% in homicides and injuries with firearms.]
Desde 2011 en Guanajuato se han perpetrado un total de siete mil 892 delitos donde se han usado armas de fuego y en el mismo periodo incrementaron más de 160%... (GunPolicy.org)
Gunman Shoots, Kills Wife & Four Others, Injures 20 in Serbia
2 July 2016
BBC News
Five people have been shot dead and at least 20 injured in a cafe in north-eastern Serbia.
Police say the gunman killed his wife and another woman, before randomly shooting at other customers at the cafe.
Three children were among those injured in the attack near the city of Zrenjanin, the interior ministry said.
The gunman was arrested and police are investigating his motive, which is believed to be jealousy.
Witnesses told Serbia's state TV that the attacker came... (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)
US Senate Fails to Pass Four New Gun Control Measures
20 June 2016
Guardian
The US Senate failed to advance new restrictions aimed at curtailing gun violence on Monday, as lawmakers voted down four separate measures just one week after a terrorist attack in Orlando marked the deadliest mass shooting in the nation's history.
Democrats and Republicans had put forth competing amendments to both strengthen background checks and prevent suspected terrorists from purchasing firearms. But all four bills fell short of the 60 votes needed to clear a... (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)
Gun Injuries Are Now More Often Lethal Due Number, Severity
14 June 2016
Health Day (USA)
Injuries from senseless gun violence -- like those witnessed in Orlando on Sunday morning -- may be increasing in severity in ERs across the United States, a new study suggests.
"Americans mourn firearm-related fatalities every day," said lead researcher Dr. Angela Sauaia, a professor of public health and surgery at the University of Colorado, in Denver. "Mass shootings are just the tip of the iceberg of the daily tragedy witnessed by trauma surgeons in emergency... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Violence a 'Public Health Crisis' - American Medical Assn
14 June 2016
National Public Radio (USA)
Days after the deadly mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., the American Medical Association says it is adopting a policy calling gun violence in the U.S. "a public health crisis," and it says it will actively lobby Congress to overturn 20-year-old legislation blocking research on gun violence by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Even as America faces a crisis unrivaled in any other developed country, the Congress prohibits the CDC from conducting the very... (GunPolicy.org)
Easier to Buy Gun in US Than For a Gay Man to Donate Blood
13 June 2016
Huffington Post (USA)
America's gun laws are being challenged once more in the wake of the Orlando nightclub shooting.
More than 50 people were injured and 49 died after Omar Mateen opened fire at the Pulse nightclub in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Mateen, who was killed in a shootout with police, was armed with an AR-15 assault type rifle, a handgun and an explosive device.
The 29-year-old purchased at least two firearms legally within the last week or so, said Trevor Velinor of... (GunPolicy.org)
US General Petraeus, Astronaut Kelly In New Gun Control Group
10 June 2016
The Hill
Gen. David Petraeus and retired astronaut Mark Kelly announced Friday they are forming a new gun control group for veterans.
The Veterans Coalition for Common Sense will push to strengthen gun background check laws and help prevent veterans from committing suicide. It pointed to several alarming statistics about the military and gun violence.
According to the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), about 22 veterans kill themselves each day.
Since September 11, 2001, more... (GunPolicy.org)
24 Dead In Mass Shooting at a Protest Camp in India
3 June 2016
Associated Press, Guardian
Clashes with squatters in protest camp in Mathura lead to 370 arrests, with police saying they were fired on from treetops
Attempts to evict thousands of people squatting in a makeshift protest camp in a northern Indian city ended in deadly clashes as people opened fire from treetops and police retaliated, leaving at least 24 people dead, authorities have said.
More than 370 people have been arrested for their alleged part in the overnight violence, during which gas... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Violence: 'Ordinary' 4-Shot Shootings Alone Killed 462
26 May 2016
New York Times, Editorial
Only in America: A computer algorithm about guns has been created to predict who is most likely to be shot soon, or to shoot someone.
The Chicago Police Department, desperate to reduce gun violence by street gangs, authorized this unusual tool three years ago and has been using it to track and caution the most likely offenders.
It is a remarkable state of affairs that local governments must resort to such an approach to deal with the reality of gun mayhem. Yet it is... (GunPolicy.org)
Neo-Nazi Gunman Kills 2, Injures 11 at Austrian Rock Concert
24 May 2016
Local (Austria), Central European News
The gunman who opened fire with a Kalashnikov at a rock concert leaving three people including the attacker dead and 11 hospitalised was a skinhead member of extremist neo-Nazi group "Blood and Honour".
The far-right have been gaining in popularity in Austria after mass immigration and the country almost voted in a far-right president Norbert Hofer who was only narrowly defeated in yesterday's election.
Police have released further details yesterday of the killings... (GunPolicy.org)
US Shootings With 4 Deaths or Injuries Are Invisible - NY Times
22 May 2016
New York Times
CINCINNATI — After the slaughter of nine worshipers at a South Carolina church last June, but before the massacre of eight students and a teacher at an Oregon community college in October, there was a shooting that the police here have labeled Incident 159022597.01. It happened on a clear Friday night at an Elks Lodge, on a modest block of clapboard houses northeast of this city's hilly downtown. Unlike the butchery that bookended it, it merited no presidential... (GunPolicy.org)
Firearm Ownership Closely Tied to Suicide Rates - US Study
19 May 2016
Medical Xpress
States with higher estimated levels of gun ownership had higher incidents of gun-related suicides, with firearm ownership alone explaining 71 percent of the variation in state-level gun suicide rates for males and 49 percent for females, a new study by Boston University School of Public Health researchers shows.
The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, covers 33 years, from 1981 to 2013, and is the most comprehensive analysis of the association... (GunPolicy.org)
Tanzania's Neighbouring Countries a Source of Illegal Guns
16 May 2016
Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
Mwanza will not win the war against illegal fire arms unless peace is found in neighbouring war torn countries, Mwanza Regional Commander Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police (SACP) has said.
According to the police head ongoing conflict in South Sudan has also contributed to the presence of guns in Tanzania.
"Criminals travel to any country looking for guns and they are often readily available in places such as South Sudan, due to this, the city is experiencing... (GunPolicy.org)
Re-creation of Québec Firearm Registry Moves Forward [FR]
11 May 2016
Info Dimanche
[Translated summary: A firearm registry bill received a majority of votes in the National Assembly of Quebec. Statistics show that firearm registration reduces the number of suicides, injuries, deaths and crime. Hunters will have to register their guns again.]
Le mardi 10 mai dernier, la mise en place d'un registre d'immatriculation des armes à feu a franchi une étape importante à l'Assemblée nationale du Québec lorsque 103 députés ont voté en faveur du... (GunPolicy.org)
100s of Child Gun Deaths "Occasional Mishaps" - Gun Lobby
5 May 2016
Mother Jones (USA)
In an in-depth investigation in 2013, Mother Jones found that guns kill hundreds of children per year in the United States. Many die in homicides, and many others die in accidents—mostly when children themselves pull the trigger. The kids shooting themselves or others have often been as young as two or three years old. Invariably these "tragedies" result from adults leaving unsecured firearms lying around in their homes or, in some cases, in their cars.
Since our... (GunPolicy.org)
White House Hopes to Launch US Smart Gun Technology
29 April 2016
NBC News (USA)
The White House hopes it can finally launch smart gun technology — childproof weaponry aimed at stopping accidental shootings and increasing gun safety.
The administration is, for the first time, trying to put in place the requirements needed so law enforcement could eventually use smart guns. It's using findings in a new report from the Defense, Homeland Security and Justice Departments — agencies that were directed in January to look into the matter as Obama... (GunPolicy.org)
Burundi Reports 481 Armed Violence Homicides in 2015 [FR]
28 April 2016
Burundi Africa Generation
[Translated summary: The president of the National Permanent Commission of Fight Against the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons claimed that gun violence and insecurity in Burundi remains, despite efforts to fight it. Only in 2015, there have been 481 homicides, mostly perpetrated by men in Mairie de Bujumbura, the capital.]
A Bujumbura, ce lundi 25 avril 2015, l'officier Laurent Kabura, commissaire de police (CP) et président de la CNAP ( Commission... (GunPolicy.org)
City Gunshot Detection Systems Measure US Gun Violence
23 April 2016
Washington Post
In Canton, Ohio, one of the most common complaints that police chief Bruce Lawver hears is about gunfire. Shots fired. That unnerving pop of a firearm being discharged.
Last year, at least 772 bullets were fired in one tiny part of Canton, a city of 73,000 people. That is more than two bullets every day.
Yet, either by luck or intent, relatively few of these projectiles hit anyone. Gunfire across the entire city of Canton resulted in eight homicides, 11 suicides and... (GunPolicy.org)
UK Doesn't Track Small Arms Dealers and Exporters
20 April 2016
Politics Home (UK)
The UK is the sixth largest exporter of arms in the world, and business is booming. As tensions rise around the planet so too has the demand for weapons, with global sales increasing 14% in the last five years. According to SIPRI, the UK's arms exports have risen 26% in the same period, now supplying 4.5% of the total demand. And that's just what we know about.
The bulk of these figures are constituted by the sale of so-called 'large weapons,' such as aircraft. The... (GunPolicy.org)
US Internet Gun Sites Lack Important Safety Information
7 April 2016
Fox News (USA), Reuters
Gun owners looking for safety tips on the Web may not find what they need to know, a recent study suggests.
Most U.S. websites with information on guns do not include important guidelines on how to store guns safely and keep them out of reach of children, researchers report in the journal Injury Prevention.
"Firearm injury and death are unfortunately very common among U.S. children and adolescents," said lead author Dr. Katherine Freundlich of the University of... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Lobby Puts Guns in Fairy Tales to Recruit Children [FR]
29 March 2016
Terrafemina
[Translated summary: The US pro-gun lobby, the National Rifle Association, is re-writing fairy tales by making their characters use firearms in an attempt to recruit children at an early age.]
Pour recruter des adeptes dès l'enfance, les lobbyistes pro-armes de la National Rifle Association (NRA) ont trouvé la solution : réécrire les contes de fées en armant le petit Chaperon rouge pour qu'il plombe le derrière du grand méchant loup.
Vous rappelez-vous... (GunPolicy.org)
California Should Lift NRA Veil Which Hides Gun Violence
29 March 2016
Los Angeles TImes, Editorial
Bang, bang, we're dead.
More than 196,000 people died of gunshot wounds in the United States between 2009 and 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An additional 400,000 suffered nonfatal gunshot wounds from 2009 to 2013 (the last year for which that data is available). Nearly 600,000 victims in all, from toddlers picking up unattended guns to suicides to domestic violence casualties to those killed in mass shootings.
Why is the United... (GunPolicy.org)
California Senator Steps in to Fill the US Gun Research Void
22 March 2016
Bloomberg (USA), Editorial
Homicide and unintentional injury are two major causes of premature death in the U.S. Firearms, which kill or injure about 100,000 Americans annually, are a key component of both. Yet, very little research has been done to find out how best to prevent gun violence.
For two decades, Congress, at the gun lobby's behest, has blocked federal funding for such studies, mandating that "none of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the Centers for... (GunPolicy.org)
Guadeloupe Needs More Police to Curb Armed Violence [FR]
17 March 2016
MetaMag
[Translated summary: Guadeloupe police ask for reinforcement, claiming homicide and gun violence are without real control. Murders by any method reached a peak in 2015, with seven more so far this year.]
Les élus de Guadeloupe viennent de tirer la « sonnette d'alarme » sur la violence dans leur département, réclamant, dans une lettre ouverte au Premier ministre, des renforts de forces de l'ordre après le septième homicide depuis le début de l'année et une... (GunPolicy.org)
California Bill Seeks to Lead US in Gun Violence Research
17 March 2016
KCRA/KQCA News
SACRAMENTO, California —A bill to create a gun violence research center in California passed a key Senate hearing Wednesday.
The Senate Education Committee voted 7-2 to approve legislation that would create a Firearm Violence Research Center at the University of California system.
"In the gun debate, frankly there seems to be a real lack of evidence and information about what really works," said State Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, who authored Senate Bill 1006. "I think... (GunPolicy.org)
Mass Shooting at Côte d'Ivoire Beach Resort
13 March 2016
Local (France), Agence France Presse
Heavily armed gunmen opened fire Sunday at a hotel in the Côte d'Ivoire beach resort of Grand-Bassam which is popular with Westerners, witnesses told AFP.
The assailants, who were "heavily armed and wearing balaclavas, fired at guests at the L'Etoile du Sud (Southern Star), a large hotel which was full of expats in the current heatwave," a witness told AFP.
It was not immediately known how many people had been killed or injured or who was behind the shooting in the... (GunPolicy.org)
South African Women Most Likely to Be Shot by a Partner
7 March 2016
ISS Africa
Tomorrow is International Women's Day. Observed annually on 8 March, it is a time to not only reflect on progress made by women, but also a call to action for increasing the global momentum towards gender equality.
The prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is one of the clearest markers of continued inequality between men and women in any society. South Africa has particularly high levels of SGBV for a country not involved in conflict.
Between 29% and... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Australia,Brazil,South Africa
Gun Control: What Works and What Doesn't
7 March 2016
Washington Post, Blog
Gun control works, but you have to be smart about it.
That's the takeaway from a major new analysis out this month in the journal Epidemiologic Reviews. Columbia University's Julian Santaella-Tenorio and a team of researchers pored over the results of 130 studies on gun control legislation passed in 10 different countries to find out which policy interventions worked, which ones didn't and on what issues the jury was still out.
Big caveat up front: Sussing out cause... (GunPolicy.org)
In American Mass Shootings, Most Guns Were Quite Legal
26 February 2016
Washington Post
The death tolls change, the places change: Nine in a church, 23 in a restaurant, 26 in an elementary school, 14 at a holiday party. The faces in the memorial photos change the most.
But the weapons are the common denominator.
Mass killings in the United States are most often carried out with guns, usually handguns, most of them obtained legally.
There is no universally accepted definition of a mass shooting, and different organizations use different criteria. In this... (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)
Liberia,Sierra Leone,New Zealand,United Kingdom
Hospital-Based Research in Liberia on Armed Violence
19 February 2016
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War / IPPNW (USA)
Results of hospital-based research in Liberia on armed violence spearheaded by members of IPPNW was published recently by the Small Arms Survey in Switzerland. A main finding of The Value of Hospital Data - Understanding and Preventing Intentional Injury in Liberia (1) was that the Liberian Armed Violence Observatory (LAVO) is not receiving all the data it needs to most effectively inform intervention strategies on armed violence prevention.
"Our analysis of hospital... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War / IPPNW (USA)
Restricted Guns Up 82% in Canada Under Tory Government
11 February 2016
iPolitics (Canada)
The number of restricted firearms across Canada rose more than 82 per cent while Prime Minister Stephen Harper was in power, with the sharpest increase after the Conservatives formed a majority government.
The increase is found in calculations made by iPolitics from statistics found in several reports of the federal Commissioner of Firearms, which released its 2014 report last month.
One of the biggest increases was in Alberta, where the number of restricted guns rose... (GunPolicy.org)
29 December 2015
Trace (USA)
In the first minutes of 2013, 10-year-old Aaliyah Boyer stepped into the backyard of her relatives' home in Elkton, Maryland. Boyer had missed watching the New Year's Eve ball drop on television, and so she went out with her cousins to watch the neighborhood fireworks. Soon after she stepped outside, Boyer collapsed. Her parents, who thought she had fainted, attempted CPR. Paramedics rushed her to hospital, where it was discovered that a bullet had struck the back of... (GunPolicy.org)
10 Americans Who Shaped the Gun Debate This Year
28 December 2015
Trace (USA)
Deborah Azrael, gun-violence researcher
Despite some 300 million guns in circulation in America, research on guns and gun violence remains seriously underfunded. Among the handful of public health experts helping to expand the available pool of data is Dr. Deborah Azrael of Harvard's Injury Control Research Center. Azrael co-authored a seminal study in 2015 that found firearm suicide rates are higher in states with higher rates of gun ownership, underscoring the... (GunPolicy.org)
Most Guns in US Mass Shootings Were Legally Obtained
5 December 2015
NBC News (USA)
The weapons used in this week's massacre in San Bernardino, California, were purchased legally, raising questions about how preventable gun violence is under current U.S. firearm laws.
Eighty-two percent of weapons involved in mass shootings over the last three decades have been bought legally, according to a database compiled by Mother Jones magazine that defines a mass shooting as taking the lives of at least four people in a public place. Using that criteria, Mother... (GunPolicy.org)
How Many US Mass Shootings Are There, Really?
3 December 2015
New York Times, Opinion
On Wednesday, a Washington Post article announced that "The San Bernardino shooting is the second mass shooting today and the 355th this year." Vox, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, this newspaper and others reported similar statistics. Grim details from the church in Charleston, a college classroom in Oregon and a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado are still fresh, but you could be forgiven for wondering how you missed more than 300 other such attacks in 2015.
At Mother... (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)
How US Mass Shooters Got Their Guns
3 October 2015
New York Times
The vast majority of guns used in 15 recent mass shootings, including at least two of the guns used in the San Bernardino attack, were bought legally and with a federal background check. At least eight gunmen had criminal histories or documented mental health problems that did not prevent them from obtaining their weapons.
- DEC. 2, 2015: Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, husband and wife, killed 14 people at a holiday office party in San Bernardino, Calif. Four... (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)
United States,Australia,Turkey
Weakening Australia's Gun Laws a 'Huge Mistake' - Ex-PM
10 September 2015
ABC News (Australia)
The Federal Government has agreed to allow the importation of the Adler lever-action shotgun in a year's time, pending a review into the system.
Gun control advocates say the rapid-fire weapon from Turkey should be permanently banned because of its fast firing rate and its eight-round capacity.
Mr Howard, who introduced a ban on automatic and semi-automatic weapons following the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, said he did not believe Australians wanted to see weaker... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Yemen,Switzerland,Finland,Serbia
US Has 5% of World's Population, 31% of Mass Shootings
23 August 2015
EurekAlert! The Global Source for the Science News (USA) - American Association for the Advancement of Science
Chicago - Despite having only about 5 percent of the world's population, the United States was the attack site for a disproportionate 31 percent of public mass shooters globally from 1966-2012, according to new research that will be presented at the 110th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association (ASA).
"The United States, Yemen, Switzerland, Finland, and Serbia are ranked as the Top 5 countries in firearms owned per capita, according to the 2007 Small... (GunPolicy.org)
US Study: No Advantages to Using Firearms in Self-Defence
14 July 2015
The Trace (USA)
A recent study published in The Journal of Preventive Medicine offers new support for the argument that owning a gun does not make you safer. The study, led by David Hemenway, Ph.D., of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, examines data from the National Crime Victimization Survey — an annual survey of 90,000 households — and shows not only that so-called "defensive gun use" (DGU) rarely protects a person from harm, but also that such incidents are much... (GunPolicy.org)
Gunman Kills Eight in Czech Republic Mass Shooting
24 February 2015
BBC Worldwide Monitoring (Czech Republic)
A gunman has opened fire at a restaurant in the Czech Republic, killing eight people before shooting himself dead, officials say
The man burst into the Druzba restaurant in the eastern town of Uhersky Brod and started "shooting indiscriminately", mayor Patrik Kuncar said.
Police described it as the worst mass shooting incident on record. Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec said it was not a terrorist attack.
Some 20 people were thought to have been in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Lockhart Shootings: Body, Gun Pulled From Dam in NSW
10 September 2014
Guardian (Australia)
A body has been recovered from a dam in the NSW Riverina region following the shooting deaths of a woman and her three children.
Farmer Geoff Hunt has been missing since the bodies of his wife Kim, 41, and his children Fletcher, 10, Mia, eight and Phoebe, six, were discovered at a property near Wagga Wagga on Tuesday.
Police divers entered a dam on Wednesday afternoon and pulled out a body a short time ago. A firearm was also found in the dam.
Police said the body... (GunPolicy.org)
The Upsides of the Australian Gun Buyback
31 July 2014
Inside Story (Australia)
On the chilly Melbourne evening of Sunday 9 August 1987, nineteen-year-old former army cadet Julian Knight drank several beers at the Royal Hotel in Clifton Hill then packed a bag with an M14 semi-automatic, a Ruger 10/22 semi-automatic, and a Mossberg pump action 12-gauge shotgun. As he later told the police, "I wanted to see what it was like to kill someone."
Most bullets are less than a centimetre wide, but when they enter a person's body they make a far larger... (GunPolicy.org)
Dominican Republic Minister Says Gun Import Ban Ineffective [ES]
29 June 2014
Listin Diario
[Translated summary: The Defence Minister of the Dominican Republic says the ban on importing firearms has done more harm than good, adding that 98% of firearm deaths and injuries are caused by illegal weapons.]
SANTO DOMINGO - El ministro de Defensa aseguró que la prohibición de la importación de armas de fuego ha hecho más mal que bien al país.
El almirante Sigfrido Pared Pérez reveló que el 98 por ciento de las muertes y heridas que se cometen son producidas... (GunPolicy.org)
South Korean Soldier Captured After Shooting Five Others Then Himself
23 June 2014
Bloomberg (USA)
A South Korean soldier besieged by troops after gunning down five of his compatriots shot himself in the chest and was captured, a Defense Ministry official said.
The soldier was in a hospital in the border county of Goseong after a day long standoff with Korean troops, Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min Seok said at a televised briefing in Seoul. The soldier had been surrounded by hundreds of troops, with military personnel trying to convince him to surrender when he... (GunPolicy.org)
French Pensioner Shoots Son Mistaking Him for Bird
23 June 2014
Local (France)
A Frenchman shot his son three times after mistaking him for a blackbird raiding the family cherry tree. The story is just the latest in a long line of tragic and freak shooting accidents in France.
A Frenchman aged in his 70s noticed some rustling in his cherry tree tree on Saturday night in north-western France and, assuming it was hungry blackbirds pillaging his fruit, he pulled out his shotgun and opened fire.
But the movement in the tree was not in fact... (GunPolicy.org)
Big Demand for Crime Guns in Canada
22 June 2014
Windsor Star (Ontario), Blog
The men hugging each other in a Windsor bar looked like old friends catching up, but the police trailing them knew better.
Investigators say they were at Rack n' Roll Club on Forest Glade Drive for a gun sale, one of many that supplied Toronto gangsters with firepower as they peddled drugs, settled scores and waged a bloody power struggle.
The salesman was Windsor's Lamar Porter, who already had more than 20 criminal convictions. The buyers were Siyadin Abdi, also... (GunPolicy.org)
Unsuspecting Canadian Drivers Drawn into World of Weapons Smuggling
20 June 2014
Windsor Star (Ontario), Blog
The gun smugglers called him "fool" – one of many Windsorites they used to unwittingly mule firearms over the border.
Buried in volumes of recently released Toronto police documents is the frightening revelation that Windsor gun runners hide firearms and GPS devices in the cars of unsuspecting Canadians to sneak them through customs.
For Windsor's Lamar Porter, who police say was the main source of guns for Toronto's murderous Dixon City Bloods, it appeared to be... (GunPolicy.org)
Three Dead After Estranged Greek Husband Shoots Family, Self
19 June 2014
Xinhua
NICOSIA - A 40-year-old Cypriot man shot his estranged wife and two under-aged children and then turned the gun on himself, the police said on Wednesday.
A police source said the man had called his estranged wife to talk and they met on mid-afternoon Wednesday in a busy Nicosia suburb, but he started shooting with an army-issued assault rifle when the meeting developed into a shouting argument.
He then took his own life by shooting himself in the head, the police... (GunPolicy.org)
Barbados AG Worried About Recent Spate of Gun Murders
18 June 2014
Caribbean 360
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - Six murders involving the use of firearms this year have Attorney General, Adriel Brathwaite, vowing to crackdown on people trying to smuggle guns into the country.
On Monday, Brathwaite said as of the end of May, there were six murders committed with the use of guns, compared to two for the same period last year.
"If firearms are coming into the country illegally, it is not just a police matter. It is a Customs matter, it is a Coast Guard... (GunPolicy.org)
Opinion: Las Vegas 'Good Guy with a Gun' - Victim or Martyr?
17 June 2014
BBC News, Blog
Shortly after the shooting that killed 20 children in Newtown, Connecticut, National Rifle Association executive vice-president Wayne LaPierre said: "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun".
The oft-repeated line has become a rallying cry for proponents of looser firearm regulation as well as being a target of derision for those who believe that "good guys" with guns frequently do more harm than good.
The recent shooting spree in Las... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Violence at US Schools Continues to Grow Sharply
11 June 2014
Los Angeles Times
A fatal shooting in Oregon on Tuesday was the 31st firearms attack at a U.S. school since the start of the year, marking a sharp acceleration in the rash of violence that has occurred on campuses across the nation.
The incidents range from the 20 people shot near UC Santa Barbara less than three weeks ago to gunfire that resulted in no injuries at all.
The frequency of attacks has picked up since the December 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn.,... (GunPolicy.org)
Homicide Spree Highlights Illicit Firearm Proliferation in Pakistan
8 June 2014
Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)
A hike in gun crimes including homicides, attempted murders and robberies using weapons ranging from 9 mm pistols to T-56 assault rifles, has highlighted the threat posed by firearms getting into the hands of criminals; but the Government's response to the problem has been slow, with little follow-up action on pledges made to various UN bodies to deal with the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, particularly in a postwar scenario.
May and June alone, there... (GunPolicy.org)
As UK MP Suggests Relaxing Laws, Secret Life of Britain's Guns Uncovered
7 June 2014
Voice of Russia, Audio
The leader of the UK Independence party, Nigel Farage, has suggested in an interview that Britain's gun laws should be relaxed. He said it was party policy for hand guns to be legalised and licensed in the UK. They've been banned for the last 18 years following the Dunblane School shooting in 1996.
VoR's Juliet Spare hosts a discussion.
Recent statistics from London's ambulance service reveal paramedics were called to 973 victims under the age of 25 suffering a gun or... (GunPolicy.org)
Are Gun Seizures Why Homicides Are Falling in Nicaragua?
5 June 2014
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Authorities in Nicaragua have identified the seizure of thousands of firearms over the past several years as the main reason for a large drop in the country's homicide rate, but experiences around the region suggest the issue is unlikely to be so simple.
According to Nicaragua's National Police, the seizure of 19,000 illegally owned firearms between 2008 and 2013 has played a critical role in reducing the country's homicide rate from 11 homicides per 100,000 residents... (GunPolicy.org)
Children in Jamaica Injured, Killed by Guns in Rising Numbers
2 June 2014
Trinidad and Tobago Express
KINGSTON - The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) says 60 children were murdered here during the period January 2013 to May this year.
The JCF said, in addition, 99 children were shot and injured by criminals during the same period.
According to the statistics released by the JCF, over the last two months, seven children between the ages seven and 17 years were murdered while one was shot and injured.
As a result, the police are calling on all citizens to redouble... (GunPolicy.org)
Five Injured at Chinese Kindergarten in Police Gun Safety Display
30 May 2014
Standard (Hong Kong)
A policeman's handgun went off accidentally when two officers held a safety demonstration at a kindergarten in China to mark International Children's Day, injuring one child and four parents, authorities said.
A gun discharged accidentally and a bullet hit the ground, sending shards of cement flying into the air, wounding five people, said police authorities in Zhengzhou, in the central province of Henan.
They had injuries to their arms and legs and were rushed to... (GunPolicy.org)
The Best Reporting on Guns in America – A Collection from ProPublica
28 May 2014
ProPublica
Are Mass Shootings Increasing? Depends on How You Count Them
Criminologists have made the same point again and again: the number of mass shootings in America is not increasing. Experts told the Los Angeles Times that mass shootings represent only a small fraction of the annual deaths due to gun violence, and that police data indicate that the overall count of mass shootings per year has not shown any significant increase over time. This conclusion is based on the FBI's... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun-Control Debate Heats Up Following California Shooting
26 May 2014
Time (USA)
The death of seven young adults, including the suspected shooter, in a Santa Barbara rampage Friday has once again made Americans take a painful look at the country's gun culture and laws.
During a press conference Saturday, Richard Martinez — the father of one of the victims, Chris Martinez — lashed out at the National Rifle Association and politicians who have continued to block tougher gun legislation.
"Why did Chris die? Chris died because of craven,... (GunPolicy.org)
How US Lobby Enables Gun Massacres, Other Nations Prevent Them
25 May 2014
Daily Beast
As a shooting spree leaves seven dead in California, the gun lobby is trying to thwart attempts to study gun deaths and officials who see gun violence as a public health crisis.
Yet another massacre occurred last night at an institution of learning, this time the University of California, Santa Barbara. The price we paid for the National Rifle Association's "freedom" was seven people murdered and seven injured at nine different crime scenes.
A young man who Santa... (GunPolicy.org)
US Shooting Renews Frustration Among Gun Control Advocates
24 May 2014
Los Angeles Times
Mixed in with prayers and sympathy after the Isla Vista shooting and stabbing rampage in Santa Barbara County were renewed calls Saturday to pass stronger gun control legislation.
"Although the circumstances of this attack are under investigation, we do know that real solutions exist to prevent most of the 90 gun deaths that happen in our nation every day, and that those solutions are supported by the overwhelming majority of Americans," said Dan Gross, president of... (GunPolicy.org)
Three Dead After Shooting at Jewish Museum in Belgium
24 May 2014
BBC News
A gunman has shot dead two men and a woman at the Jewish Museum in the Belgian capital Brussels.
A fourth person was seriously wounded, emergency services said.
The attacker arrived by car, got out, fired on people at the museum entrance, and returned to the vehicle which then sped away, Belgian media report.
One person has been arrested and police are hunting a second, officials say. Security has been tightened at Jewish sites across Belgium.
Prime Minister Elio Di... (GunPolicy.org)
Six Killed, Four Injured in Bus Ambush, Shooting in El Salvador
23 May 2014
Latin American Herald Tribune (Venezuela)
SAN SALVADOR – Six people were killed and four others wounded early Friday when armed men opened fire on an intercity bus in the central province of La Paz, Salvadoran police said.
The attackers were apparently wearing uniforms of Fondo Vial, the government agency responsible for road maintenance, media accounts said.
The shooting took place near the town of San Luis Talpa as the bus was making a regularly scheduled run from the eastern province of Usulutan to San... (GunPolicy.org)
Do Background Checks Prevent Disturbed People From Getting Guns?
22 May 2014
Mother Jones (USA)
It's a question at the heart of the gun debate. Most Americans think the answer is yes (an overwhelming majority continues to support comprehensive background checks for gun buyers), while the National Rifle Association emphatically believes the opposite (its leadership opposes new firearm regulations of virtually any kind). Now, a new report from the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety crunches some actual data: Citing figures from the FBI, the gun-reform group... (GunPolicy.org)
Bulgarian Civilians 'Have More Firearms than the Army'
21 May 2014
Sofia Globe
A gun control check has found that 211,486 people out of Bulgaria's population of 7.3 million have firearm licences, meaning more than 300,500 guns – which officials said means that Bulgaria's civilians are better-armed than the country's army.
The Prosecutor-General's office ordered a check-up on firearm licences and possession of firearms after a March incident in which a botched special police operation against a mentally ill man with a stash of firearms led to... (GunPolicy.org)
Luxembourg,United States,Germany
Ten Things the Gun Industry Won't Tell You – Wall St Journal
20 May 2014
Wall Street Journal
1. "Owning our product may be hazardous to your health."
In the U.S., there are now somewhere between 270 million and 310 million guns, according to the Pew Research Center — that's almost one gun for every person in the nation. Judges and legislators across the political spectrum recognize the constitutional right to bear arms. And gun and ammunition sales to private citizens are a significant part of a nearly $15 billion industry that's seeing plenty of growth: On... (GunPolicy.org)
Scottish Police Chief Secretly Authorises 440 Officers to Carry Handguns
18 May 2014
Daily Record (Scotland)
More than 400 police officers across Scotland have been secretly authorised to carry handguns in a holster while on routine patrol, we can reveal.
Permission was given by Police Scotland Chief Constable Sir Stephen House without any requirement for approval by politicians.
It means specialist officers are routinely allowed to carry handguns on duty – even though there may be no obvious threat to them or the public.
Previously, firearms officers had to collect... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Dies After Twentieth Shooting in Swedish City During 2014
18 May 2014
Local (Sweden)
A man was shot dead in the Backa area of Gothenburg in western Sweden on Saturday evening with a further man sustaining gunshot wounds, the 20th incident of its kind in the city so far this year.
Both men, who are 25-years-old, are previously known to police.
"Several spent shells have been found and the crime scene had been cordoned off for a technical forensic investigation," said Ulf Lörstad at Västra Götaland police.
The police have opened a preliminary... (GunPolicy.org)
No Silver Bullet… But Focus on Guns to Reduce Global Violence
16 May 2014
Huffington Post (USA), Blog
There is no "silver bullet" to reduce armed violence, a multi-faceted, complex phenomenon with a long list of drivers, risk factors and causal connections. Moreover, the local manifestation of armed violence often reflects unique factors and peculiarities found in a given community, country or culture, but not elsewhere.
As once noted about politics, all violence is also local; as such, there are many different interpretations of the best ways to confront this global... (GunPolicy.org)
Two Dead, Three Injured After Workplace Shooting in South Africa
16 May 2014
Xinhua
JOHANNESBURG - A gunman went on a shooting rampage on Friday in Mmabatho, North West Province, killing a local government official and wounding three others before turning the gun on himself, police said.
A middle-aged man started shooting while outside a government building and reportedly entered the building and fired shots inside the offices of the Human Settlements Department (HSD) in the province, police Colonel Sabata Mokgwabone said.
"The man allegedly went to... (GunPolicy.org)
Going to a Saudi Wedding Celebration? Leave Your Gun at Home
15 May 2014
Saudi Gazette, Opinion
I don't know what kind of thrill some people get by firing machine guns and other weapons into the air during wedding celebrations and other festive occasions.
Several years ago the Ministry of Interior banned the use of weapons and firearms during wedding parties after several unfortunate incidents occurred which turned these occasions of joy and happiness into tragedies. However, recently there has been an increase in such incidents, the latest of which was the death... (GunPolicy.org)
Why Don't We Know How Many People are Shot Each Year in America?
14 May 2014
ProPublica
How many Americans have been shot over the past 10 years? No one really knows. We don't even know if the number of people shot annually has gone up or down over that time.
The government's own numbers seem to conflict. One source of data on shooting victims suggests that gun-related violence has been declining for years, while another government estimate actually shows an increase in the number of people who have been shot. Each estimate is based on limited, incomplete... (GunPolicy.org)
Maine Drug Gang 'Straw Purchased' Pistol to Boston Marathon Killer
12 May 2014
Los Angeles Times
When police confronted Tamerlan Tsarnaev four nights after the Boston Marathon bombing last year, he leaped from his car with a 9-millimeter semiautomatic pistol and opened fire.
He critically wounded one officer and, despite being shot himself, kept firing until the gun emptied or jammed. In a final act of defiance, he threw the pistol at police before he was killed.
The tale of that handgun, a black Ruger P95, Serial Number 317-87693, offers new insights into the... (GunPolicy.org)
Rising Number of Accidents Prompts Calls for Gun Control in New Zealand
11 May 2014
New Zealand Herald
A string of hunting accidents is proof New Zealand's firearms laws need to be reviewed, a leading gun control advocate says.
In the past 10 years, 19 people have died and 57 have been injured by firearms.
A 44-year-old duck hunter suffered serious injuries after being shot in the elbow last Saturday. Another man, also 44, has been charged with careless use of a firearm causing injury and released on bail.
Kevin Clements, chairman of Peace and Conflict Studies at... (GunPolicy.org)
In America, 'Scores of Bullying Victims Bring Weapons to School'
4 May 2014
Examiner (Denver)
Scores of bullying victims are bringing weapons to school, says new research offered in a presentation today. A recent study shows adolescents who are harassed in multiple ways most likely to carry gun or knife on campus, says the new study, "Exponential, Not Additive, Increase in Risk of Weapons Carrying by Adolescents Who Themselves Are Frequent and Recurrent Victims of Bullying." The abstract of the research is online. Bullying can take many forms. Students who have... (GunPolicy.org)
Zambian Man Injures Daughter, Nephew in Accidental Shooting
1 May 2014
UK Zambians
A trigger happy man on Sunday caused panic at a funeral house when a firearm he had put in his pocket after firing casually in the air accidentally went off, shooting and wounding his 14-year-old daughter and nephew in Mumbwa.
The man of Lusaka's Kanyama township, identified as Allan Ngwenya, 52, is alleged to have fired in the air at the funeral house before putting his pistol, an Austria, serial number VAK 951, which had eight rounds of ammunition in his pocket... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago Teen Girl Guns Down Rival in Facebook Dispute Over Boy
29 April 2014
New York Daily News
Another virtual diss has turned into a real-life tragedy.
A Facebook feud between two 14-year-old girls over a boy ended when one gunned down the other on a Southside Chicago porch in broad daylight Monday afternoon, police said.
The unnamed teen perp, who has been charged with murder as a juvenile, whipped out a stolen .38-caliber handgun about 4:50 p.m. and tried to shoot into a crowd of people. The gun jammed and the girl handed it to someone else, who cleared the... (GunPolicy.org)
US FedEx Worker Wounds 6 in Georgia, Then Kills Himself
29 April 2014
CNN
ATLANTA - A FedEx package handler went on a shooting rampage early Tuesday at his workplace in suburban Atlanta, wounding six people before turning the gun on himself, officials said.
"That individual is deceased here at the scene," Cobb County Police Sgt. Dana Pierce told reporters. Police were sweeping the area with search dogs to ensure no secondary devices had been planted.
Authorities identified 19-year-old Geddy L. Kramer of Acworth as the shooter. His body was... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Youth Gun Programme Ends in Mentally Ill Woman Fatally Shooting Dad
27 April 2014
Sydney Morning Herald, Opinion
Eighteen years ago today, a lone gunman brandishing semi-automatic firearms shot dead 35 people and wounded 23 others at Port Arthur in Tasmania.
Most of us would remember where we were when we first heard that news. But nearly two decades on, there are young people who may have never have heard of this massacre. Tighter gun laws in Australia have meant no gun mass killings in their lifetimes.
Recent statistics on gun ownership from Gun Control Australia reveal that... (GunPolicy.org)
Can 'Stray Bullets' Be Deemed Innocent? Turkey Considers New Gun Laws
23 April 2014
Today's Zaman (Istanbul), Opinion
Earlier this week, Turkey saw two terrifying incidents in which stray bullets caused injury and, in one case, the death of a 24-year-old. Erkan Bektaş, a waiter who was leaving work at a café in İstanbul's Beşiktaş district at 5 a.m., was shot in the head by a stray bullet when he was walking down the street. The individual who shot him was caught up in a bar fight. The dispute, which the young waiter was not involved in, had reportedly erupted among a group of men... (GunPolicy.org)
Republicans Say No to CDC Gun Violence Research
21 April 2014
ProPublica
After the Sandy Hook school shooting, Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) was one of a few congressional Republicans who expressed a willingness to reconsider the need for gun control laws.
"Put guns on the table, also put video games on the table, put mental health on the table," he said less than a week after the Newtown shootings. He told a local TV station that he wanted to see more research done to understand mass shootings. "Let's let the data lead rather than our... (GunPolicy.org)
Uzi, Machine Guns Amongst Scotland Yard's Biggest Gun Haul in UK
17 April 2014
Telegraph (UK)
Assault rifles, sawn off shotguns, an Uzi and a Thompson machine gun have been seized by an anti-gang squad in one of Scotland Yard's biggest gun seizures.
Thirty firearms and ammunition were seized yesterday morning by the Waltham Forest Gangs Task Force in east London following an intelligence operation.
A 51-year-old man was arrested at the address and remains in custody.
Acting Detective Superintendent Gary Bruce said: "Seizing guns has helped us vastly reduce... (GunPolicy.org)
New Zealand Girl Shot with Airgun by Teen Brother, Police Warn of Risks
15 April 2014
Dominion Post (Wellington)
An eight-year-old girl accidentally shot by her brother is in a stable condition in Hawke's Bay Hospital.
The girl's 12-year-old brother shot her in the stomach with a low-powered slug gun near Wairoa around 4.45pm on Sunday.
The girl suffered minor injuries and was flown to the hospital by the Lowe Corporation rescue helicopter.
Wairoa police senior sergeant Tony Bates said the pellet lodged deep within the girl's abdomen.
He said the circumstances were still being... (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)
Study: Guns are Associated With Dramatically Increased Suicide Risk
13 April 2014
Examiner (USA)
Gun ownership laws are a heated topic across the United States due to the constitutional issues involved. From a public health perspective it is however clear that guns are dangerous. With guns, suicide becomes the biggest problem, reports MedPage Today on April 11, 2014. In fact every single day 88 people die from a firearm associated injury and about two-thirds of those deaths are due to suicides.
Researchers have reported a very high proportion of gun associated... (GunPolicy.org)
US Doctors Say Gun Violence a Public Health Issue
10 April 2014
Washington Post
With last month's controversy over Vivek Murthy's nomination for surgeon general still fresh, the nation's second-largest physicians group reaffirmed Thursday that it considers firearm violence a public health issue and issued a wide-ranging set of recommendations to address the deaths and injuries caused by guns.
The timing appears to be coincidental. But like Murthy — whose nomination was blocked in large part by a National Rifle Association offensive over his... (GunPolicy.org)
Germany,Bahrain,South Korea,Japan,United Kingdom,Italy,United States
Local Gun Control Laws Make Overseas US Military Bases 'Safer'
9 April 2014
Stars and Stripes (USA)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Strict gun laws in foreign countries mean many in America's overseas military communities feel safer than they would at home, although they're divided over whether tougher rules would reduce gun violence in the U.S.
"For the most part, I feel safer over here because we're not allowed to bring guns," Sgt. Roseann Baena, a 26-year-old soldier assigned to Europe Regional Dental Command in Sembach, Germany, said Tuesday.
Her comment was typical... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Borrowed from Indonesian Soldier Used in Shooting
5 April 2014
Jakarta Post
Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Moeldoko on Friday offered an apology in light of the shooting of a Nasdem Party campaign post in North Aceh regency on Feb. 16, which involved the use of a TNI-issued weapon.
The two local political party supporters suspected of the crime have since been apprehended, but the results of a ballistics examination revealed that the weapon used belonged to a soldier.
"I would like to be honest about it and apologize for the... (GunPolicy.org)
Gunman Kills Four, Injures 16 in Second Mass Shooting on US Army Base
3 April 2014
Washington Post
An Iraq war veteran who was grappling with mental health issues opened fire at Fort Hood, Tex., in an attack that left four people dead and 16 wounded Wednesday afternoon, according to preliminary law enforcement and military reports. The gunfire sent tremors of fear across a sprawling Army post still reeling from one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history.
Many basic details about the shooting remained unclear in the chaotic hours after the first calls for help... (GunPolicy.org)
Health, Security Experts Warn Against Carrying Illegal Guns in Saudi Arabia
30 March 2014
Saudi Gazette
MAKKAH – Security and social experts on Monday warned against carrying unlicensed weapons and said the deadly arms should not be left in the hands of irresponsible or mentally unstable citizens because they may use them to commit crimes at moments of extreme anger or frustration.
Speaking to Makkah daily, the experts asked for severe punishment for anyone carelessly carrying illegitimate arms. They also asked for intensifying control and supervision over firearms so... (GunPolicy.org)
Turkish Man Shoots, Kills Six Colleagues and Self at Former Workplace
19 March 2014
Hürriyet Daily News (Istanbul)
Seven people were killed and several are reported injured after an armed attack on the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) office in the northeastern province of Kars on March 19.
It has been revealed that the assailant was an employee recently fired by TÜİK. He committed suicide right after the raid, which was staged soon after the opening of the office, Kars Governor Eyüp Tepe said in a statement.
"Someone who was dismissed from his job ran amok and killed... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia,Norway,United States
Limits of Neutrality: How Wikipedia Avoids Identifying Mass Shooting Guns
18 March 2014
Action on Armed Violence (London)
On 22 July 2011, Anders Behring Breivik took a boat to the small island of Utøya on a Norwegian lake not far from Oslo. Dressed as a police officer, he claimed to be checking on the safety of a Labour party youth camp after an explosion in downtown Oslo hours earlier. The campers did not know that Breivik was not a police officer, that he was responsible for the blast, or that he viewed them as traitors. When they gathered around, Breivik, armed with a Ruger Mini-14... (GunPolicy.org)
Bulgarian Official Orders Review of All Gun Licences After Fatal Shooting
18 March 2014
Sofia Globe
Bulgarian Prosecutor-General Sotir Tsatsarov has ordered a complete check-up of all gun licences in the country, whether for hunting or self-defence, in the wake of a March 14 incident in which a police officer died in a shootout with a mentally ill man who had a stash of firearms.
The inspection, announced on March 18, will require authorities in charge of firearms supervision to provide information including the expiry dates of existing gun licences.
Tsatsarov... (GunPolicy.org)
South Africa Asks: Where's Our Debate On Gun Control?
17 March 2014
Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)
"Guns, ammo and shooting are as much a part of everyday life [in Pretoria] as a trip to the dentist," an Australian journalist recently reported. It's a narrative we've been hearing a lot of from our international colleagues lately. South Africa, the gun-mad land of fear, where citizens hole up with firearms to defend themselves against any threat.
It's true for some. It's clearly true for the Pistorius family, with Beeld reporting last year that Oscar's father, three... (GunPolicy.org)
Recriminations Continue Over Fatal Shootout in Bulgarian Town
17 March 2014
Sofia Globe
The March 14 shootout in a Bulgarian town between an allegedly mental ill man and a police team in which a police officer died and three were wounded continues to generate controversy, with the Interior Ministry leadership being sharply criticised for bungling the operation and with a political blame game underway.
The operation in the town of Lyaskovets was intended to arrest the man and seize his stash of firearms, after years of complaints about his behaviour,... (GunPolicy.org)
Firearms Industry Benefits from America's Epidemic of Gun Violence
10 March 2014
Baltimore Post Examiner
America is a violent place by any standard. The national firearm-related death rate has held steady at 10.5 per 100,000 people since 1999, well above the global average. Some of its cities exhibit epidemic rates of gun death on par with crime-affected urban centers in Latin America and the Caribbean. Hard as it might be to believe, levels of lethal violence are actually at historic lows.
Declines occurred after the passage of specific legislation designed to prevent... (GunPolicy.org)
Disarmed: How American Cities Are Losing the Power to Regulate Guns
6 March 2014
Atlantic (USA)
It was after midnight on February 15. Valentine's Day had ended, but there were still roses in the gift shop when two men hobbled into Via Christi Hospital St. Joseph in Wichita, Kansas, each with a bullet wound in the thigh. One of them explained to police that he had a concealed-carry handgun license, and that he'd been drinking at the Shot Time II bar when he'd accidentally fired a bullet through his own leg and into the leg of the man sitting next to him.
Kansas... (GunPolicy.org)
Kentucky 'Outreach to Rednecks' Converts to Christ with Gun Giveaway
3 March 2014
USA Today
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — In an effort its spokesman has described as "outreach to rednecks," the Kentucky Baptist Convention is leading "Second Amendment Celebrations," where churches around the state give away guns as door prizes to lure in the unchurched in hopes of converting them to Christ.
As many as 1,000 people are expected at the next one, on Thursday at Lone Oak Baptist Church in Paducah, where they will be given a free steak dinner and the chance to win one... (GunPolicy.org)
Pistorius Trial Renews South Africa Gun Ownership Debate
28 February 2014
BBC News, Video
Oscar Pistorius is due to go on trial on Monday for the murder of his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp.
The case has raised questions for South Africans about safety, as the paralympian claims he shot Ms Steenkamp after mistaking her for an intruder.
Andrew Harding reports from... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun-Control Activists Cite Merits of Background Checks
28 February 2014
Christian Science Monitor
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. And again. And again. That appears to be the mantra of proponents of federal gun control legislation, who arrived on Capitol Hill Friday with new ammunition for their fight.
Though they were turned back last year on the issue of universal background checks, and neither the House nor the Senate has plans to revisit that issue, gun-control advocates came to Capitol Hill bearing … statistics. Assessing 20 years of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Celebratory Gunfire a Changing Part of UAE Culture
27 February 2014
Telegraph (UK), Blog
We don't hear about gun crime in the UAE. It's just not something that happens. But that didn't stop me from feeling utterly petrified some time ago when I was woken in the early hours by the sound of gunfire.
I was staying at the time in a seafront resort in a rural area of Oman, just across the border from the UAE. As I lay rigid in bed listening to the gunshots getting closer, it struck me that we were staying in a villa right on the beach. I can't tell you the... (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)
After Decades With Few Guns, Almost Every Libyan Household Has One
25 February 2014
PolicyMic
In a country where civilian gun ownership was rare for decades, a sudden inundation of small arms means plenty of people will likely get shot.
One recent afternoon, Ahmed, 26, was driving around Tripoli with his brother Bashir, 24. Without warning, the driver in the car in front of them slammed his brakes. Ahmed, who nearly rear-ended the offending vehicle, honked his horn. The other driver got out of his car. A shouting match became physical and the man went back to... (GunPolicy.org)
US Man Kills Himself While Demonstrating Gun Safety
25 February 2014
RT-TV Novosti (Russia)
A Michigan man from Independence Township accidentally killed himself after reportedly firing a gun into his head while attempting to demonstrate how safe the weapon was.
The 36-year-old man's girlfriend told law enforcement that he'd been drinking throughout the day when the incident occurred Sunday evening. Police told the Oakland Press that when they arrived at the home, the girlfriend was performing CPR on the man. He was declared dead at the scene.
Authorities... (GunPolicy.org)
US Study Shows Having a Gun in the House Doesn't Make a Woman Safer
23 February 2014
Atlantic (USA)
Christy Salters Martin is a professional boxer and the owner of a concealed carry permit. But when she attempted to leave her husband, she was shot with her own gun. Today, she cautions other women against making the same mistake. "Just putting a weapon in the woman's hand is not going to reduce the number of fatalities or gunshot victims that we have. Too many times, their male counterpart or spouse will be able to overpower them and take that gun away."
Wayne... (GunPolicy.org)
Virginia Republicans Flinch at Restricting Guns for Criminals
20 February 2014
Washington Post, Editorial
In Virginia, about 5,600 people were convicted in 2011 and 2012 on misdemeanor counts of assaulting a member of their family or household. During the same period, the state's courts found 171 individuals guilty of misdemeanor stalking charges and 158 guilty of misdemeanor sexual battery. In Richmond, Republican lawmakers in the House of Delegates want to ensure that these offenders can continue to own handguns and rifles if they so wish.
House Republicans last week... (GunPolicy.org)
Claims Ukraine Rioters Seized Over 1,500 Guns From Security Forces
19 February 2014
Eurasia Review / RT
Ukraine's security service has announced it is launching a counter-terror operation. Radicals have seized over 1,500 firing arms and 100,000 bullets in the last 24 hours, the service said.
The recent events in Ukraine have shown "the escalation of violence and a massive use of firearms by the extremist groups. In many parts of the country, public authorities, military installations and depots with munitions are being seized. Court buildings are burning, the vandals are... (GunPolicy.org)
'We Need The iPhone Of Guns.' Will Smart Guns Transform The Gun Industry?
18 February 2014
Washington Post
One of California's largest firearm stores recently added a peculiar new gun to its shelves. It requires an accessory: a black waterproof watch.
The watch's primary purpose is not to provide accurate time, though it does. The watch makes the gun think. Electronic chips inside the gun and watch communicate with each other. If the watch is within close reach of the gun, a light on the grip turns green. Fire away. No watch means no green light. The gun becomes a... (GunPolicy.org)
Estranged Husband Crashes Baptism, Kills Ex-wife, Wounds 4 in Brazil
16 February 2014
Latin American Herald Tribune (Venezuela)
BRASILIA – A woman died and four other people were wounded Sunday when an armed man fired several shots in a church in the town of Guarulhos, near the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo, police said.
The incident occurred during the baptism ceremony for a baby and the woman who died – according to what police commissioner Joao Blase, who is handling the case, told reporters – was the child's mother.
Blase confirmed that some witnesses had said the man who fired the... (GunPolicy.org)
Mistrial in Fatal US Loud Music Shooting Case, Stand Your Ground Law Tested
16 February 2014
Guardian (UK)
A jury has declared that it could not reach a decision on whether a Florida man, who shot dead a teenager in a dispute over loud music, was guilty of murder or had acted in self defence.
The judge in Jacksonville declared a mistrial on the first-degree murder charge on Saturday, although the jury convicted Michael Dunn on three lesser counts of attempted second-degree murder, and shooting into an occupied vehicle. Dunn could face a sentence of between 20 and 60 years.... (GunPolicy.org)
8 Dead, 12 Injured After Day of Gun Violence in Guatemala
16 February 2014
Latin American Herald Tribune (Venezuela)
GUATEMALA CITY – At least eight people died and about a dozen were wounded, including four children, in violence around Guatemala over the past 12 hours, authorities and emergency services personnel reported Sunday.
A spokesman with the National Civil Police, or PNC, told reporters that the eight victims were shot in several incidents in the Guatemalan capital and vicinity.
In Villa Nueva, one of the capital's southern suburbs, the bodies of two men were found, both... (GunPolicy.org)
Over Three School Shootings a Month in US Since Newtown - New Analysis
13 February 2014
Washington Post, Blog
There have been at least 44 school shootings on K-12 or college campuses in 24 states — an average of more than three a month — since the deadly 2012 attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., according to a new analysis. Twenty-eight people have died and 37 have been injured.
Twenty children and six adults working at Sandy Hook were killed in the December 2012 assault in Newtown, leading to renewed calls around the nation for Congress to take action... (GunPolicy.org)
28 People Killed in 44 US School Shootings Since Newtown, Study Finds
12 February 2014
Guardian (UK)
Gun violence is erupting in America's schools and colleges at a rate of more than three incidents a month, with 13 school shootings recorded in the first six weeks of 2014 alone, a new study on the impact of gun violence since the Newtown tragedy shows.
The analysis by groups campaigning for tighter gun controls in the US identifies at least 44 school and college shootings since Newtown in December 2012, when 20 children and six of their carers were killed in a... (GunPolicy.org)
Kenyan Cop Shot, Gun Stolen After Weapon Seized From Gang
10 February 2014
Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu)
A traffic police officer was Monday morning shot and wounded in the head before he was robbed of his AK-47 rifle by gunmen on a motorbike in Kombani, Kwale County.
Police suspect the attackers were followers of Somalia's Al-Shabaab gang. Another female officer was slightly injured after she was wrestled by the gunmen who escaped after the incident along the Lunga Lunga highway.
Area police boss Richard Muguai said police have launched investigation and a hunt to... (GunPolicy.org)
Chinese Man Shoots, Kills Six in Revenge for Wife's Affairs
31 January 2014
Xinhua
KUNMING - A man shot six people dead and wounded three more as he took revenge against his wife's lovers in southwest China's Yunnan Province on Thursday afternoon, local police said on Friday.
The suspect, Shao Zongqi, 38, is now wanted by the police of Tengchong county.
Shao, who is from the village of Qingkou, is suspected of carrying out the killing with a semi-automatic rifle before escaping in a cross-country vehicle.
When Shao discovered that his wife had been... (GunPolicy.org)
Myanmar's Border Police Seek Weapons Upgrade
30 January 2014
Eleven (Myanmar)
Myanmar's police on duty in conflict-prone border areas across the country have asked to be equipped with modern weaponry, citing a number of attacks on police in Maungdaw, Rakhine State.
Since 2001, police say, they have been attacked at least seven times by Muslims in Maungdaw.
A police sergeant was killed on July 11, 2001 in an attack in Thugyi Village, Maungdaw Township. The same year on November 23, an attack on Laungdon Police Station in northern Maungdaw killed... (GunPolicy.org)
20 Young People a Day Hospitalized for Gun Injuries in America
27 January 2014
USA Today
Almost one child or teen an hour is injured by a firearm seriously enough to require hospitalization, a new analysis finds. Six percent of the 7,391 hospitalizations analyzed in 2009 resulted in a death, says the study in February's Pediatrics, released Monday.
The damage caused by gun-related injuries rarely gets the same attention as fatalities, "but that every day, 20 of our children are hospitalized for firearms injury, often suffering severe and costly injuries,... (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)
Cape Verde Launches Firearms Amnesty [PT]
25 January 2014
Portugal Digital
[Translated summary: Cape Verde authorities have launched a national campaign for the voluntary surrender of illegal firearms, estimated by police to be around 6,500. In the last two years, 538 firearms and 414 homemade guns were seized. Authorities said firearms were involved in 44 homicides, 323 injuries and 632 assaults. A new law was signed in 2012 to create systems to improve security and prevent the proliferation of illegal firearms.]
Praia - O Ministério da... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,New Zealand,Europe
Guns Raise Risk of Suicide, Homicide, Shot Women: Global Meta-Analysis
21 January 2014
University of California, San Francisco, Media release
Someone with access to firearms is three times more likely to commit suicide and nearly twice as likely to be the victim of a homicide as someone who does not have access, according to a comprehensive review of the scientific literature conducted by researchers at UC San Francisco.
The meta-analysis, published online Jan. 20 in Annals of Internal Medicine, pools results from 15 investigations, slightly more than half of which were done after a 1996 federal law... (GunPolicy.org)
Europe,New Zealand,United States
Access to Guns Lifts Risk of Suicide, Homicide: Global Meta-Analysis
21 January 2014
Annals of Internal Medicine (Philadelphia)
Abstract
Background: Research suggests that access to firearms in the home increases the risk for violent death.
Purpose: To understand current estimates of the association between firearm availability and suicide or homicide.
Data Sources: PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Web of Science were searched without limitations and a gray-literature search was performed on 23 August 2013.
Study Selection: All study types that assessed... (GunPolicy.org)
Guns + Impulsive Teenagers = Family Tragedy in America - MSNBC feature
19 January 2014
MSNBC News (USA)
Michael Graham killed himself a year ago. The 13-year-old was at home in Brewster, N.Y., and used one of his father's unsecured guns to shoot himself on Jan. 14, 2013. The boy "definitely" acted on impulse – "without a doubt," his aunt Maureen Hutchins told msnbc.
"Did he have a bad day at school? Fight with a girlfriend? Things that happen to a 13-year-old – when you're that age – can seem overwhelming, but two hours later, you know, you move on," said Hutchins.... (GunPolicy.org)
Illegal, Homemade Guns in Hands of South African Youth
18 January 2014
Independent/IOL Daily News (South Africa)
CAPE TOWN - Teenage hitmen as young as 14 are terrorising the streets of Mitchells Plain, and while police battle to curb the rampant gun trade, the increasing use of homemade firearms threatens to further derail any chance of controlling gang violence.
Mitchells Plain's worst areas, such as Beacon Valley, have at least one illegal gun on every street, according to police.
Gangs are using the bravado of youths as a means to eliminate their rivals, sometimes with crude... (GunPolicy.org)
One Legal Firearm For Every Nine People in Scottish Region
17 January 2014
Daily Record (Scotland)
There are more than 16,000 legal guns in the region – that's one firearm for every nine people.
A freedom of information request by the News revealed the figures, although police refused to lift the lid on how many illegal weapons had been confiscated in the past decade.
The statistics on non-registered firearms were not revealed as police believed it "too time consuming" to collate the figures.
Freedom of information officer Steven Irving said: "As at 7 January... (GunPolicy.org)
Comment: Living in an American Gun Lobby Dystopia
15 January 2014
New York Times
The gun lobby says Americans would be safer if more "good guys" carried loaded guns in public places, and extols the benefits of an armed citizenry.
On Monday, the nation got a terrifying glimpse of how dangerous that vision really is — when a minor argument escalated into lethal violence at a movie theater in a Tampa suburb.
In this tragic episode, an irascible patron at a matinee showing of "Lone Survivor" shot a fellow audience-member because he was... (GunPolicy.org)
Accountants, Priests, Reporters Can Carry Guns Under New Law in Philippines
15 January 2014
CNN
Filipino doctors, priests, journalists and accountants will be allowed to arm themselves while at work under a controversial new gun law that takes effect in their country this month.
Under the Philippines' Republic Act 10591, people working in these sectors - along with nurses, engineers, bank tellers, and lawyers - are considered "in imminent danger due to their profession" and will be allowed to carry small guns when outside their homes.
To qualify for a special... (GunPolicy.org)
Brazilian City Registers 10 Gun Homicides in One Night
13 January 2014
Latin American Herald Tribune (Venezuela)
SAO PAULO – The Brazilian city of Campinas, the second-largest in Sao Paulo state, on the night of Sunday and Monday registered at least 12 murders, some of which appear to be linked, authorities said.
Police told Efe that 10 people were shot to death in two of the city's neighborhoods and at least two others died in hospitals where people wounded in the shootings were taken.
The shootings happened within a span of four hours, according to media accounts.
At a... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Stands Trial in China Over Fatal Shooting of Five People
13 January 2014
Xinhua
SHANGHAI - A man stood trial in a court in east China's Shanghai on Monday for allegedly killing six and injuring four others with guns and an iron pipe in June last year.
The defendant, Fan Jieming, 63, was charged with murder, robbery, and forcible seizure, illegal purchase and possession of guns, according to the Shanghai No. 2 Intermediate People's Court.
The trial opened at around 9:30 a.m. and continued on Monday afternoon.
On June 22, Fan allegedly beat a... (GunPolicy.org)
UK Gangs Load Up on Antique Guns, No Registration Required
12 January 2014
Independent (UK)
Surrounded by a fearsome array of 2,000 assorted lethal weapons ranging from a rocket-propelled grenade to a homemade blunderbuss, Tony Gallagher points to a rack of 100-year-old revolvers straight out of a cowboy film. He said: "We're seeing a few more of these on the streets now."
As a forensic expert for the National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS) at its high-security laboratory in an anonymous building in a Birmingham suburb, Tony and his colleagues know... (GunPolicy.org)
Fight Over Girlfriend in Zimbabwe Ends in Fatal Shooting
11 January 2014
Herald (Zimbabwe)
A 33-year-old security guard stationed at Mavhudzi High School in Nyazura ran amok on Wednesday night, fatally shooting his workmate for allegedly having an affair with his girlfriend.
The guard, identified as Joseph Zvikumva, also accidentally shot and seriously injured a female worker at the school.
Zvikumva fled the scene after committing the offence and police have since launched a manhunt for him.
He is wanted for murder and attempted murder.
Police... (GunPolicy.org)
French Police Find 32 Guns, 500kg of Ammo at Man's Home [FR]
9 January 2014
Paris-Normandie
[Translated summary: French authorities found 32 firearms and 500kg of ammunition in the canton of Beaumont-le-Roger, after a man was injured in a shooting incident. The man did not have a licence for the weapons.]
Les gendarmes de la compagnie de Bernay ont découvert un véritable arsenal chez deux collectionneurs demeurant dans le canton de Beaumont-le-Roger. Ils ont, notamment, saisi 32 armes à feu et 500 kg de munitions assemblées.
Admis aux urgences
Tout... (GunPolicy.org)
Five Recent Shooting Deaths in Namibia Linked to Failed Romances
8 January 2014
New Era (Namibia)
Keetmanshoop — Police Crime Investigations Coordinator in the //Karas Region, Deputy Commissioner Rudolf Isaaks, has called on people to seek counselling following failed relationships and not to resort to passion killing and suicide.
Isaaks' remarks come in the wake of a series of suicides and passion killings in the region over the festive season. Speaking to New Era, Isaaks says although very few crimes were reported in the region over the festive season, the... (GunPolicy.org)
Fatal Shooting of Beauty Queen Highlights Insecurity, Crime in Venezuela
8 January 2014
InSight Crime (Bogota)
The murder of the 2004 Miss Venezuela winner has sparked a wave of concern over the country's security situation, forcing the government to confront a major issue it has previously tried to downplay.
Monica Spear, a model and actress, was murdered along with her British partner, Thomas Henry Berry, in an apparent robbery attempt on January 6.
According to El Universal, the couple's car broke down on the highway as they headed toward Caracas, and they were being... (GunPolicy.org)
US Universities Using Threat Assessment Teams to Prevent Mass Shootings
8 January 2014
Nature
In many pictures of her online, Kayla Bourque looks like a typical college student: there are selfies of her on a coastal holiday, or smirking mischievously after an experiment in hair colour. But in 2012, Bourque, then a criminology student at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, told a classmate that she fantasized about killing a homeless person and that she was studying forensics so that she could get away with it. She also talked about killing her family... (GunPolicy.org)
Two Injured in Namibia After Celebratory New Year Gunfire
1 January 2014
Namibian (Windhoek)
Two people were left injured after they were hit by bullets when members of the public fired gunshots into the air to celebrate the New Year in Windhoek on Tuesday night.
This comes after City Police Chief, Abraham Kanime, warned Windhoek residents to refrain from firing gunshots into the air to celebrate the New Year.
Kanime said in the earlier in the week people should not fire shots into the air as this could lead to unnecessary deaths.
Namibian Police Force... (GunPolicy.org)
12 Wounded in New Year's Eve Shooting in Brazil
1 January 2014
Latin American Herald Tribune (Venezuela)
RIO JANEIRO – A total of 12 people were wounded, including one who sustained serious wounds, in a New Year's Eve shooting in the Copacabana district, one of the most famous neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro, minutes before the arrival of the New Year, Agencia Brasil reported Wednesday.
The shooting started when a man who had been arguing with a woman grabbed the firearm of a police officer who had responded to the incident.
The suspect, identified as Adilson Rufino da... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Jam Thwarts Latest in String of Dutch Assassinations
31 December 2013
NL Times (Amsterdam)
Gwenette M., a major criminal from Amsterdam, escaped death Friday. An unknown man pointed a gun at him and pulled the trigger several times, in Amsterdam-Zuid. The gun failed. M.'s attorney, Nico Meijering, confirmed the incident. The 39-year-old M. is a key figure in a major investigation into a series of relatively recent assassinations in the Amsterdam criminal environment. One of which is a double murder, with a lot of gun violence, in the Staatsliedenbuurt, a year... (GunPolicy.org)
Firecracker, Stray Bullet Injuries Continue to Rise in Philippines
27 December 2013
Philippine Star
MANILA, Philippines - Five days ahead of the New Year, the number of firecracker injuries recorded by the Department of Health (DOH) has increased to 72, with piccolo as the leading cause of injury.
Health Secretary Enrique Ona said 37 of the 72 cases reported were caused by piccolo, an imported firecracker.
Ona has given parents the task of ensuring that their children will not use any type of firecracker.
"It has always been the responsibility of the police to be... (GunPolicy.org)
Swedish Security Guard Shot in Holiday Shopping Rush
23 December 2013
Local (Sweden)
Swedish police have detained three men suspected of robbery that left a security guard with a bullet wound to the stomach.
"It was a robbery against a valuable goods truck outside Citygross in the Kungens Kurva neighbourhood," Stockholm police spokesman Sven-Erik Olsson told the TT news agency. The robbery took place around noon in the busy shopping district south of Stockholm, which among other thing houses the world's largest Ikea and the Heron City entertainment... (GunPolicy.org)
Yale Students Recommend Public Health Approach to Gun Policy
20 December 2013
Hartford Courant (Connecticut), Opinion
In the year since the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, more than 11,161 people were killed with a firearm in the U.S., while an estimated 69,000 were shot and survived and 20,000 committed suicide with a firearm. Also, at least six other mass shootings — such as the Navy Yard shooting in Washington and a shooting that injured 13 people in Chicago's Back of the Yards neighborhood — were committed.
Although Sandy Hook motivated some states —... (GunPolicy.org)
Philippines Mayor Among 4 Killed in Shooting at Manila Airport
20 December 2013
CNN
A gunman opened fire outside a terminal at Manila's international airport on Friday, killing the mayor of a southern Philippines town, two members of his family and a young child, authorities said.
The attack wounded five people and caused panic among travelers caught up in the chaos.
Gun crime and political violence occur with grim frequency in the Philippines. But the shooting Friday at Terminal 3 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport appeared particularly... (GunPolicy.org)
Moroccan Authorities Seize Suspected Homicide Gun From Crime Gang
18 December 2013
Morocco World News
CASABLANCA - Last August, the police managed to arrest Chinese criminals who attempted to assassinate a Chinese citizen at Casablanca's Derb Omar. Recently, the police announced the dismantling of a mafia network, which is this time originally from Europe.
According to MAP, the National Team of Judicial Police managed, with the assistance of the Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DST), to dismantle criminal networks active in the field of cross-border organized... (GunPolicy.org)
Trinidad Man Sentenced Over $10 Shooting
18 December 2013
Trinidad and Tobago Express
Jason Braithwaithe who shot a man in his both legs over $10 is expected to be sentenced today for the crime.
Braithwaithe, 35, who had been found guilty of shooting with intent to do grievous bodily harm to Leslie Williams and possession of a gun and ammunition, will face Justice Geoffrey Henderson in the San Fernando First Court.
Williams testified that he was liming with friends at the corner of Phyllis and Stella Streets, La Romaine when Braithwaithe arrived in a... (GunPolicy.org)
'Brilliant' Nigerian Lecturer Shot Dead at Home
18 December 2013
Premium Times (Nigeria)
A senior lecturer in the Department of Sociology at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, Dr. Olusegun Onabanjo, was on Wednesday shot dead by gunmen who stormed his private residence.
PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the killers stormed the residence located in Odomolasa area of Ilese-Ijebu at about 1.00 a.m. and attempted to force their way into the apartment.
As at the time the assailants were making frantic efforts to break in, residents of the area said Mr.... (GunPolicy.org)
American Gun Running: A Lot of Canadians Want Smuggled Handguns
17 December 2013
Windsor Star (Ontario), Blog
Riccardo Tolliver pulled up to the Ambassador Bridge customs booth, his pulse quickening, his nerves rattling, firepower on his mind. But he dared not show anxiety – not with almost 40 handguns hidden in door panels of his black Hummer H2.
He had hired a friend to drive, it being the first time Tolliver personally smuggled guns across the Canadian border. He figured as a passenger he would not be flagged.
He was wrong.
Border officers noticed a drunk-driving... (GunPolicy.org)
Teen Hunter Accidentally Shoots Father Dead, Kills Self in France
16 December 2013
National Post (Toronto)
France is in shock after a 14-year-old boy mistakenly shot his father dead while out hunting then turned the gun on himself in despair and committed suicide.
The father and son had been out hunting on Saturday afternoon in Sourribes in the Alpes-de-Haute Provence when the boy slipped on leaves, accidentally pulling the trigger, police said. The bullet struck his 42-year-old father in the legs.
The distraught teenager then called contacted a family member who alerted... (GunPolicy.org)
Yemeni Govt Gives Cash, 100 Guns to Victims of Killer Drone Attack
15 December 2013
National Yemen
Yemeni authorities offered 32 million YR and 100 guns as compensation to victims' families as a result of Air raid that took place in Qaifah in the al-Baida governorate, leaving 25 killed and wounded last Thursday.
The announcement came hours after a source's announcement of High Security Committee that the air raid was aimed at a car belonging to one of al-Qaeda's leaders with a number of al-Qaeda's members inside it. Those members are considered among the most... (GunPolicy.org)
Gang Shooting Shocks Swedish Christmas Shoppers
15 December 2013
Local (Sweden)
A man was gunned down in central Örebro in eastern Sweden on Saturday in full view of shoppers out in the middle of the Christmas rush, with police reporting a gangland connection.
The man, who is reported to be in his twenties, was shot in the torso on Drottninggatan in Örebro's main shopping area on Saturday afternoon, according to a report in the local Nerikes Allehanda daily.
According to the police the man is connected to a gang known as Romanos and it is... (GunPolicy.org)
When Will US Learn from Australia? Stricter Gun Control Saves Lives
14 December 2013
Guardian (UK), Opinion
The mass murder in Newtown Connecticut a year ago caused shock and sorrow all around the world. In Australia it also revived memories of our own horror on a similar scale, when dozens of people innocently going about their day were gunned down by a disturbed young man.
Our tragedy occurred in 1996 at the Port Arthur historic site in Tasmania, one of Australia's most popular tourist destinations. The dead numbered 35, with more than 20 others injured. The victims ranged... (GunPolicy.org)
Five Injured After 'Chaotic' Shooting in Finland
14 December 2013
Xinhua
HELSINKI - Five people were shot and wounded in the Finnish capital city of Helsinki on Friday night, local media reported on Saturday.
Four men and one woman were among the wounded and were sent to hospital. Reports said that no one's life was in danger.
The shooting happened at midnight in Malminkartano Square in northern Helsinki as several gun shots were heard. The police received the first emergency call around 1:00 a.m. Saturday.
Preliminary investigation... (GunPolicy.org)
Women Twice as Likely to be Shot Dead by Partner Than by Stranger
13 December 2013
University of California / EurekAlert, Media release
SACRAMENTO, California — More intensive screening to identify firearm owners among individuals who are subject to domestic violence restraining orders, and streamlining processes to recover guns at the time those restraining orders are served could help enforce existing laws that prohibit these offenders from having firearms, a pilot study conducted by violence prevention experts at the University of California, Davis, and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public... (GunPolicy.org)
Inside the NRA: Why US Gun Control Always Fails – NY Times Magazine
12 December 2013
New York Times
To get to Joe Manchin's private office in the Hart Senate Office Building, you first pass through a lobby where you encounter a small bronze statue of an Old West lawman holding a firearm — an award given to Manchin several years ago by a chapter of the National Rifle Association for his unswerving defense of gun rights. Then you turn down a hallway, past several framed photographs of children who were victims of the massacre a year ago at Sandy Hook Elementary School... (GunPolicy.org)
More Than Half of Americans Now Have Tougher Gun Laws
12 December 2013
Mother Jones (USA)
An unthinkable massacre ignites an intense national debate. Then, Congress does nothing. The powerful gun lobby wins again. End of story.
[Interactive charts of US state gun laws are displayed in the original]
So went the popular narrative last spring with the collapse of gun control legislation on Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, scores of people have been wounded or killed in five new mass shootings and other gun rampages around the country, and an estimated 30,000 have... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun-Control Groups are Shifting Efforts and Resources to Handful of States
12 December 2013
Washington Post
DENVER — In Colorado, a state scarred by two mass shootings, Democrats passed some of the nation's toughest gun legislation this year. Gun rights supporters responded by recalling two state senators who had championed the bills.
Now gun-control advocates are plotting their revenge. Inside a hotel conference room here this week, 60 activists spent a day strategizing to defend the remaining legislators who voted for the measures and protect them from repeal efforts.... (GunPolicy.org)
Goat Market in Kenya Becomes 'Supermarket' of Illegal Guns
8 December 2013
Daily Nation (Nairobi)
On November 14, officers from the Special Crimes Prevention Unit (SPRU), acting on a tip-off, trailed a white saloon car on suspicion that its occupants were planning to rob a bank.
After a dramatic chase, the officers challenged its occupants to stop at Kiamaiko.
The officers ransacked the car and found an arsenal of weapons among them AK-47s, pistols, ammunition, police uniform and walkie-talkies. One of the four suspects arrested was a former administration police... (GunPolicy.org)
New US Poll Shows Support for Stricter Gun Control Fades
4 December 2013
CNN, Blog
WASHINGTON - As memories fade from last December's horrific school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, a new national poll indicates that support for stricter gun control laws appears to be fading, too.
According to a new CNN/ORC International survey, 49% of Americans say they support stricter gun control laws, with 50% opposed. The 49% support is down six percentage points from the 55% who said they backed stricter gun control in CNN polling from January, just a few... (GunPolicy.org)
Lots of Guns, Little Violence: Shooting Highlights Armed but Peaceful Iceland
3 December 2013
Christian Science Monitor
PARIS - A 59-year-old man was shot and killed by police, who were called to the man's apartment east of Iceland's capital because someone reported gunshots being fired inside. It's an event that might not even make the news in some countries.
In Reykjavik, the incident was front-page coverage and ultimately garnered a national apology from the country's top police official: It was the first time that the country's police have ever shot anybody in an operation.... (GunPolicy.org)
Puerto Rico Toughens Penalties for Celebratory Shootings
3 December 2013
Latin American Herald Tribune (Venezuela)
SAN JUAN – Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla on Monday signed two amendments to the island's gun law toughening the penalties for illegal weapons possession and for firing shots into the air, a common cause of accidents especially during the Christmas season.
"Whoever fires a weapon into the air, possesses or carries an illegal weapon, will have to serve jail time without the right to probation or to diversion programs," said Garcia Padilla upon signing the... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Shot Dead in Iceland by Police After Shotgun Incident
3 December 2013
Telegraph (UK)
Police in Iceland have shot dead a gunman - the first time armed officers have shot and killed someone in the country.
Officers were called to an apartment in the Reykjavik suburb of Arbaer early today when a man fired a shotgun from inside the flat.
Two policemen, who were not armed, were wounded when trying to enter the apartment. A special armed unit then entered and fired at the man, who was taken to hospital, where he died.
Iceland, which has a tiny population... (GunPolicy.org)
Real Cost of Youth Gun Deaths in America Unknown Due to Lack of Data
30 November 2013
Washington Post, Editorial
Lobbyists for the National Rifle Association (NRA) have spent considerable time and money to discourage the collection and sharing of information related to guns and gun violence. Keeping the public in the dark about the facts is helpful in advancing an extreme agenda. In particular, the gun lobby has used the under-counting of gun accidents involving children to oppose reasonable policies that could help prevent deaths and injuries caused by the careless handling and... (GunPolicy.org)
Kenya Targets Rising Gun Crime Involving Security Forces
26 November 2013
Sabahi (Washington DC)
NAIROBI — Embarrassed by a slew of recent high-profile crimes involving Kenyan security forces, the government is mulling ways to better monitor current and former members of the police and military to combat this growing and alarming trend.
"The police will not allow these waves of crime to continue," Nairobi County Police Chief Benson Kibue told Sabahi. "We will continue to fight against organised crime by ex-policemen and military officers without fear or favour,... (GunPolicy.org)