Gun Policy News
Shooting clubs, pistol clubs and gun clubs
Germany Plans to Tighten Gun Control
6 November 2022
Deutsche Welle
The German government is planning to make background checks for potential gun owners even tighter. But questions remain over whether authorities are even equipped to carry out such controls.
The German government is seeking to impose even stricter background checks on gun ownership in an attempt to prevent political extremists and the psychologically disturbed from buying guns.
The latest call for restrictions comes partly in response to the killings in Hanau in... (GunPolicy.org)
Brazil Documents Surge In Registered Firearms
7 April 2021
Economist
"I always had the American dream," says Bernardo Mattos, sitting outside his shooting club in Rio de Janeiro. "Thank God, I fulfilled that dream." Since he launched his club in 2018 membership has risen steadily—particularly so during the past year of pandemic. Now around 350 people come through his doors to rattle off rounds. Mr Mattos, who says he was trained by the United States armed forces, broadcasts his views to even more. He has nearly 90,000 followers on... (GunPolicy.org)
Changes in Gun Policy Boost Number of Guns Owners in Brazil
12 February 2021
VICE
President Bolsonaro is encouraging weapons imports and shooting clubs, but discouraging the tracking of firearms in what observers say could be stoking violent crime.
Gun purchases in Brazil nearly doubled last year, yet controls on the purchase and use of weapons is weak and violent homicides are rising.
In 2020, nearly 180,000 new guns were registered in Brazil, the highest number on record and a 91% increase on the previous year.
In the first two years of his... (GunPolicy.org)
Aggressive Behaviour at Range Causes Discord for Sydney Gun Group Officials
21 August 2018
Guardian
Cyril Peel says concerns about 'aggressive behaviour' at firing range dismissed but group says he is a 'disgruntled' member
An official from Australia's largest gun group who was suspended after raising safety concerns at a Sydney firing range says it is "only a matter of time" until there is another mass shooting.
But the group says he is a "disgruntled member" and that the matter is being investigated.
Cyril Peel, a long-standing range officer from the Sydney... (GunPolicy.org)
Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,Yemen,China,Israel,Russia,Brazil,United Kingdom,Germany,India,Canada,Austria,Australia,Mexico,United States,Japan,South Africa
How to Buy a Gun in 15 Countries
2 March 2018
New York Times
Many Americans can buy a gun in less than an hour. The process takes months in some countries. Here are the basic steps for how most people buy a gun in 15 of them. Many countries have exceptions for specialized professions, and local laws vary.
United States
1) Pass an instant background check that considers criminal convictions, domestic violence and immigration status.
2) Buy a gun. Many states have additional buying restrictions, including waiting periods and... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Investigate Hack of Guns Database
18 November 2017
Age (Melbourne)
Police are investigating the hacking of a gun club database that may have exposed where more than 1500 semi-automatic handguns are stored.
The private details of 540 members from the Port Melbourne club, including the types of weapons they owned, is believed to have been compromised this month, potentially exposing them to the theft of guns worth at least $5000 each on the black market.
Most members own multiple guns, and store them in their homes.
One Melbourne... (GunPolicy.org)
US Virgin Islands Shows Registration-Confiscation Link
30 October 2017
NRA Publications (USA)
If there were ever a perfect example of the endgame of the gun-ban crowd and their ultimate weapon -- registration of firearm owners -- it comes with the order by the governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands to confiscate registered firearms from law-abiding citizens as a response to the impending devastation of Hurricane Irma.
Gov. Kenneth Mapp, in a toxic Sept. 4 order, proclaimed that the activated National Guard "is authorized and directed to seize arms,... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia Justice Minister Said Consulting Only With Gun Lobby
24 October 2016
Guardian
A group of 30 domestic violence groups, gun control advocates, politicians and prominent Australians has criticised the federal justice minister, Michael Keenan, for holding "one-sided" meetings in 2015 with the firearms lobby on changes to Australia's gun laws.
Minutes from the firearms reference industry group obtained by Guardian Australia show Keenan told firearms lobby groups in a private meeting in September 2015 that the government wanted to cut "red tape" from... (GunPolicy.org)
More US Urban Women Now Own Handguns for Protection
21 September 2016
Guardian
She only owns a handgun. She's more likely than male gun owners to live in an urban area, and less likely to have grown up in a gun-friendly household.
And regardless of how many and what types of guns she owns, she's more likely to report owning firearms for protection than men.
This is the portrait of the American female gun owner, as depicted by the most definitive survey of US gun ownership in two decades. While gun ownership has long been dominated by men in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Australians Now Own More Guns Than Ever Before
28 April 2016
Sydney Morning Herald
Australians now own more guns than before the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, according to new research that shows firearm imports hit a record high in 2014-15.
[Charts, tables in the original]
The surge in gun-buying over the past 16 years, which has seen 1.02 million guns brought into the country, has been largely a "gun swap", according to Philip Alpers, a University of Sydney public health researcher, gun control expert and founding director of GunPolicy.org.
"The... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Clubs Growing by 10% Each Year in Australia's Capital
9 April 2016
ABC News (Australia)
A sharp rise in the number of registered guns in Canberra reflects a boom in recreational shooting and should not be seen as a concern, shooting clubs say.
There are currently 19,200 registered firearms in the ACT, up from 17,000 in 2013.
While gun control advocates have condemned that number as extraordinarily high for a primarily urban area, sporting shooters said they were surprised the figure was so low given a boom in the sport.
Sporting Shooters Association of... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
SSAA Members, Number of Registered Guns up in ACT
12 January 2016
Canberra Times (Australia)
Gun ownership has risen 3 per cent in the past year, with one firearm registered for every 20 residents in the ACT.
There are now 583 extra firearms belonging to 197 more licensees in the capital than there were at the start of 2015.
ACT Policing figures have revealed 19,200 guns were legally registered to 6083 licensees, about three an owner, at the end of November last year.
That was a jump from 18,617 guns that were registered to 5886 licensees in January 2015.... (GunPolicy.org)
Over 18,000 Firearms in Australian Capital Territory
24 January 2015
Canberra Times (Australia)
The lure of hunting in NSW national parks has prompted a membership boom at ACT gun clubs.
Statistics obtained by the Sunday Canberra Times reveal there are more than 18,000 firearms in the territory, about one for every 20 Canberrans.
It's illegal for shooters to hunt vermin in ACT parks, although shooting on private properties is still allowed.
Sporting Shooters Association of Australia ACT president David True said they had about 3500 members in the ACT, growing... (GunPolicy.org)
20 Young Shooters Suffer Lead Overexposure at US Gun Club
20 October 2014
Seattle Times, Series
The youngsters knew their sport could be dangerous, even deadly.
But for the junior team at the Vancouver (Wash.) Rifle and Pistol Club, the peril that emerged from their sport didn't come from a stray bullet.
It came from lead.
In 2010, blood tests revealed that 20 youths had been overexposed to the poisonous metal after shooting in the club's dirty, poorly ventilated range.
"It was devastating," said Marc Ueltschi, the junior team coach and a club member. "It... (GunPolicy.org)
Minority Gun Owners in America Face Balancing Act
14 June 2014
New York Times
INDIANAPOLIS — Standing in a small booth surrounded by displays for rifles, pistols, holsters and other firearm accouterments, the Rev. Kenn Blanchard signed copies of his book "Black Man With a Gun: Reloaded." Amid the sea of thousands of white faces that descended on this city for the National Rifle Association convention in late April, Mr. Blanchard, an N.R.A. member since 1991, offered his reasoning for why he was one of the few black visitors.
"We still... (GunPolicy.org)
Maryland Gun Dealer Drops Smart Gun Sales Plan After Gun Lobby Pressure
2 May 2014
Washington Post
A Rockville gun store owner who said he would sell the nation's first smart gun — even after a California gun store removed the weapon from its shelves to placate angry gun-rights activists — backed down late Thursday night after enduring a day of protests and death threats.
Andy Raymond, the co-owner of Engage Armament, a store known for its custom assault rifles, had said earlier this week that offering the Armatix iP1 handgun was a "really tough decision" after... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Man Arrested After Stealing Guns From School Club
29 April 2014
Daily Telegraph (Sydney)
A man charged with stealing several rifles and shotguns from a Brisbane Catholic school will remain behind bars as police try to track down the weapons.
Jason Francis Williams, 43, was remanded in custody after he appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Williams and a 27-year-old woman have been charged with breaking into a high-security building at St Joseph's Nudgee College and removing about 10 firearms.
A large amount of ammunition was also stolen... (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)
'Smart' Firearm Draws Wrath of US Gun Lobby
27 April 2014
New York Times
BEVERLY HILLS, California — Belinda Padilla does not pick up unknown calls anymore, not since someone posted her cellphone number on an online forum for gun enthusiasts. A few fuming-mad voice mail messages and heavy breathers were all it took.
Then someone snapped pictures of the address where she has a P.O. box and put those online, too. In a crude, cartoonish scrawl, this person drew an arrow to the blurred image of a woman passing through the photo frame.... (GunPolicy.org)
Teens as Young as 12 Getting Gun Licences in Australia, Schools Involved
7 April 2014
Perth Now / Herald Sun (Melbourne)
Suburban schoolchildren as young as 12 years old are applying for and getting gun licences in their hundreds, new figures show.
The approved youngsters, including pre-teens, can legally shoot rifles, shotguns and handguns under supervision.
Victoria Police approved 1028 licences in metropolitan areas last year — more than 270 were granted to children aged 12 to 14.
Junior gun owners live in some of the state's most exclusive suburbs including Prahran and span as... (GunPolicy.org)
Irish Gun Control Review Sparks Calls for Compensation
1 March 2014
Journal (Dublin)
A review of firearm licensing in Ireland has prompted questions over how gun owners will be compensated if they lose currently legal guns.
The Department of Justice confirmed that a joint review of licensing is currently underway with An Garda Síochána, although no concrete proposals are yet in place.
Licenses can be sought for a number of different firearms from the age of 16.
Sport and hunting
It is thought that over 200,000 licenses have currently be issued,... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Club Owner Found with Machine Gun, 13,000 Rounds of Ammo in Ireland
1 March 2014
Irish Examiner (Dublin)
Gardaí found more than 13,000 rounds of ammunition and a rifle that had been modified to fire like a machine gun, when they searched a man's home in Co Limerick, a court heard yesterday.
A vast array of ammunition and guns, as well as an army helmet, gunpowder, night vision scopes, crossbows and arrow heads were discovered in the home of gun club operator David O'Dea, aged 48, on June 20, 2011, Kilmallock District Court was told.
Gardaí said they also discovered a... (GunPolicy.org)
Florida's Largest Gun Dealer Bans Gun Rentals in Wake of Suicides
10 January 2014
Orlando Sentinel (Florida)
Shoot Straight, Florida's largest independent gun-shop chain, has stopped renting guns to prevent its eight Florida ranges from becoming suicide parlors.
Khaled Akkawi, founder of the Apopka-based chain, made the decision last month after the latest suicides at one his gun ranges.
"We've had enough," Akkawi said Friday. "They've been increasing real fast and the one common denominator — everyone is done with a rental gun."
Shoot Straight joins a growing number of... (GunPolicy.org)
Asian Tourists Revel in Hawaii's Sun, Surf, Glocks, AK-47s – NY Times
1 January 2014
New York Times
HONOLULU — Kenji and Hiromasa Ozawa, a father and son vacationing on the island of Oahu, spent Christmas morning hiking up Diamond Head, a volcanic cone here with sweeping views of Waikiki Beach.
Their next stop: The Royal Hawaiian Shooting Club — an indoor shooting range in an upscale shopping center just above Cartier and Hermès stores — where they fired off several dozen rounds between them.
"We love shooting guns, I love shooting guns," said Kenji Ozawa,... (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)
Northern Ireland Children Aged 12 Could Be Allowed to Fire Guns
11 November 2013
Belfast Telegraph
The thought of a shotgun in the hands of a 12-year-old may send a shiver down your spine – but it could become a reality in the next few years.
Justice Minister David Ford is considering lowering the age at which young people can have supervised access to shotguns and air rifles from 18 to 12.
British Association for Shooting and Conservation NI director Tommy Mayne said it should be lowered further – to 10, the age of criminal responsibility.
It seems a lot of... (GunPolicy.org)
New Regulations Causing Controversy for German Sport Shooting
16 October 2013
NPR Berlin
Sonya Pfeilschifter marches onto the shooting range with her head down and a focused stride.
You wouldn't know it, but her heart is racing. She's about to compete in the German National championships for air rifle shooting in Munich.
In this sport, a fast pulse can be a problem. She's in fourth place, and if she's going to win, she has to have an absolutely steady hand.
She focuses on the target ten meters ahead. The eight women raise their guns. Pfeilschifter... (GunPolicy.org)
Routine Traffic Stop in Australia Leads to Haul of Illegal Guns
7 August 2013
Brisbane Times (Queensland)
Police have uncovered a cache of illegal weapons including an AK47 in three central Queensland homes.
During a routine traffic stop on July 15 police discovered an unsecured weapon in the car of a 69-year-old Mount Morgan man.
When police later searched the man's home they found another 28 weapons, including eight handguns.
Through further investigations police uncovered a total of 150 weapons at two other homes.
The loot included an AK47, 20 handguns,... (GunPolicy.org)
New Philippines Gun Control Law to Licence Gunsmiths, Regulate Guns
27 July 2013
ABS-CBN News (Manila) / Philippine Star
MANILA, Philippines - A new law on gun control requires gunsmiths to have licenses for them to repair registered firearms.
This is one of the salient points in the newly approved Republic Act 10591, also known as the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, which will take effect in September, four months after President Aquino signed it on May 29.
Chief Superintendent Raul Petrasanta, chief of the Firearms and Explosives Office (FEO) said his unit has... (GunPolicy.org)
Bermuda Gun Clubs Upset Over Amendments to Gun Law
28 June 2013
Royal Gazette (Bermuda)
Local target shooting enthusiasts are mulling filing a complaint against Government for what they say is a law which discriminates against Bermudians.
They are also up in arms over the seizure of pistols valued at more than $70,000 by the Police Commissioner in 2011 for which they have not been compensated.
Bermuda's gun control regime began with the Firearms Act 1973, a legislative response to the murders of Police Commissioner George Duckett, the Governor Richard... (GunPolicy.org)
Priests in Philippines Against New Law Allowing Them to Carry Guns
6 June 2013
Gulf News (Dubai)
Manila - Catholic priests have voiced their reaction against a new law that has allowed them to arm themselves against attackers, adding it is contrary to their belief that peace not violence is needed in this world, a Catholic website said.
"Priests are supposed to be men of peace, not of war. Our Lord said: 'he who lives by the sword will die by the sword. We should not counter violence with violence." Bishop Jose Oliveros of suburban Malolos said in a statement... (GunPolicy.org)
UK Plans Changes to Airgun Laws but Clubs Fight Back
21 May 2013
Courier (UK)
An airgun club chief has hit back in the row over proposed new licensing.
Kathleen Male, chairwoman of Tayside Airgun Club, said they don't have any problem with a fair licensing system but they do object to the Government's proposals.
She said: "We still do not agree there should be greater restrictions where airweapon owners can shoot as there are adequate laws, at present, in place, restricting where they may be used, and, on the street of a town or city is not one... (GunPolicy.org)
Antigua Gun Club Suggests More Training Needed Before Licence Issued
8 May 2013
Antigua Observer
ST JOHN'S, Antigua – The president of a local shooting club said he is "concerned" licensed gun owners are not fully prepared for the responsibility – and is calling on police for more training.
"It is a problem for us in terms of the club. There is a breakdown in communication between the police and the clubs," Antigua & Barbuda Shooting Club president Frank Theodore said in an interview with OBSERVER media.
Theodore, who is also the treasurer of the Riffle... (GunPolicy.org)
Irish MP Suggests Relaxing Gun Laws for Rural Citizens to Fight Crime
26 April 2013
Irish Examiner (Dublin)
Michael Healy-Rae, who holds certificates for three different guns, said firearms were very restricted in Ireland. They are linked to pest control and game hunting or sports, and one had to be a member of a gun club, or own land, to be granted a licence, he said.
However, the Kerry South TD said changes in rural Ireland meant communities now have to police themselves against ever-more aggressive and armed criminals. He claimed that with whole swathes of the country... (GunPolicy.org)
More Than 250,000 Guns a Year Illegally Smuggled into Mexico - Study
19 March 2013
Fox News Latino
The Fast and Furious gun-running scandal that continues to haunt the U.S. Department of Justice highlighted a frightening fact: Illegal firearms are flowing into Mexico from the U.S. at an alarming rate.
More than two percent of all firearms bought in the United States -- about 253,000 -- end up south of the border, up from 1.75 percent in 1990, according to a binational report by the Trans-Border Institute in San Diego and the Igarape Institute, a research center in... (GunPolicy.org)
NZ Sport Shooter says New Laws Have Changed Pistol Competitions
27 February 2013
Daily Post (Rotorua)
Pistol shooting runs in the blood for Colin Bell, who worked as a gunsmith in Johannesburg.
He moved to Rotorua five years ago where he has been a standout representative for the Rotorua Pistol Club.
He is competing today in the biggest pistol shooting competition the country has seen - the International Practical Shooting Confederation Australasia 2013 Handgun Championship.
The four-day competition, which started yesterday, is in Rotorua for the first time with more... (GunPolicy.org)
Japanese Turn 'Gun Ho' in Guam but Prefer Own Gun Culture
17 February 2013
Japan Times
TAMUNING, Guam – Their well-equipped arsenals offer everything from tiny revolvers for ladies to Berettas, Glocks, semiautomatic pistols and M16 military assault rifles. If kids can see over the counter, they're welcome too.
Forget the white sandy beaches, coral reefs and laid-back island culture. For many Japanese tourists, the biggest thrill on Guam is the chance to shoot a gun at one of its ubiquitous ranges, dozens of which are tucked between upscale shopping... (GunPolicy.org)
Female Gun Ownership in US About Protection, Power
10 February 2013
New York Times
PAINESVILLE, Ohio — Mary Ann Froebe stood feet apart with knees slightly bent and aimed the .22-caliber Ruger semiautomatic.
"You've got some adrenaline running through you right now," said Esther Beris, the coordinator of the northeastern Ohio chapter of A Girl and a Gun Women's Shooting League. "It's O.K., just relax."
Ms. Froebe, 42, a small-business owner who described herself as a "virgin gun shooter," concentrated and pulled the trigger. "It was awesome," she... (GunPolicy.org)
A Three Month Firearms Amnesty Takes Effect Across Queensland
1 February 2013
myPolice - Queensland Police Service News, Media release
A three month weapons amnesty takes effect across the state today.
The Queensland Government announced a state-wide amnesty from prosecution for the surrender and registration of weapons and unregistered firearms during the amnesty period. The amnesty is effective from February 1 to April 30, 2013.
Deputy Commissioner (Specialist Operations) Ross Barnett said members of the public would be encouraged to hand back and surrender for destruction, unregistered firearms... (GunPolicy.org)
'Alarmingly Easy Access' to Guns Online Fuelling Australian Crime
23 January 2013
ABC News (Australia), Video
A former senior federal police officer has warned more needs to be done to combat the online trade of firearms as authorities in Sydney deal with a spate of shootings and street violence.
In the past three months alone there have been 25 separate shooting incidents in Sydney - last night, two shootings were reported in the city's south-west.
The style and purpose of the shootings are not confined to traditional turf warfare over drugs or ongoing reprisals between... (GunPolicy.org)
Norway,Switzerland,Finland,Germany,Canada,Australia,United Kingdom,United States
Around the World, Gun Massacres Spurred Gun Control, Public Safety
18 December 2012
ABC News (USA) / AP
If there's anywhere that understands the pain of Newtown, it's Dunblane, the town whose grief became a catalyst for changes to Britain's gun laws.
In March 1996, a 43-year-old man named Thomas Hamilton walked into a primary school in this central Scotland town of 8,000 people and shot to death 16 kindergarten-age children and their teacher with four legally held handguns. In the weeks that followed, people in the town formed the Snowdrop campaign — named for the... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia's Gun Ownership Rate Rising Despite Shootings, Law Reform
17 December 2012
Sydney Morning Herald
Thirteen years after John Howard's historic gun reforms, a woman with a history of chronic paranoid schizophrenia walked out of the Sydney Pistol Club with one of its weapons, a .22 calibre Ruger semi-automatic pistol. Shamin Fernando, a probationary club member, used it to pump bullets into the head of her 70-year-old father, Vincent Lalin Fernando, in August 2010. He was her only target.
But gun control campaigners worry that there is nothing to stop a mass killer... (GunPolicy.org)
NSW Firearm Dealer Arrested, Police Seize 500 Guns
17 August 2012
Newcastle Herald (New South Wales)
A Maryland gun dealer was behind bars last night, charged with offences related to about 500 firearms that were found at his home, including several that police allege were secreted in various hiding spots, Newcastle Local Court heard.
Police warned there was an "extreme risk" that such firearms could find their way into the hands of criminals to be used in "major crime" or violent crime, a police statement said.
Warren William Howard's licences to deal with firearms... (GunPolicy.org)
UK NRA Boss Calls US NRA Fanatical: LaPierre 'Made Me Physically Ill'
9 August 2012
Telegraph (UK)
On the rainy summer's morning that I arrive at Bisley, a sprawling collection of colonial buildings and rifle ranges set in 3,000 acres of Surrey heathland, news is breaking about a policeman who has been shot dead in Essex. An unfortunate coincidence, this, given that I've come here not to write about gun crime but to meet some typical – that is to say, non-deranged – gun owners.
In a clubhouse which has silver trophies in display cabinets and sepia photographs of... (GunPolicy.org)
Targeted by Robbers, Sydney Pistol Club Member Loses 22 Handguns
8 August 2012
Sydney Morning Herald
A large cache of stolen handguns is circulating on Sydney's streets with police appealing for information about 22 stolen semi-automatic pistols.
Police today displayed a collection of guns similar to those stolen in a violent home robbery in Mount Druitt a month ago in the hope of urging people to look out for any "friends or associates who may have recently acquired handguns".
The guns were stolen by two men who ambushed a 30 year-old as he was entering his Hythe... (GunPolicy.org)
Changes in Law Reduces Demand for Handguns in Finland
6 August 2012
Helsingin Sanomat (Finland)
New firearms legislation, which was prompted by two school massacres in Finland in 2007 and 2008, appears to have led to a sharp decline in applications for handgun licences.
"Many dealers still have guns acquired in 2009 in their storerooms, and that is where they will stay", says Timo Huikkala, vice chairman of the Finnish Association of Gun Dealers.
A new law took effect in June, placing strict conditions for handgun permits. Retailers say that sales of handguns... (GunPolicy.org)
Canada,United States,Australia
Australian Academic Says Gun Culture a Risk Factor for Shooting Sprees
25 July 2012
Sydney Morning Herald, Opinion
The number of victims in the Colorado cinema shooting would undoubtedly have been much higher than 12 killed and 58 wounded had the AR-15 assault rifle used by the alleged offender, James Holmes, not jammed. According to police, the jammed weapon was capable of firing 50-60 rounds a minute. Police say Holmes also had two Glock pistols, a shotgun and 6000 rounds of ammunition.
Shock, dismay and surprise are always expressed after such killings - and questioning of the... (GunPolicy.org)
View of USA Looks Grim from Mexico's One and Only Gun Store
24 July 2012
New York Times
MEXICO CITY — Juan García relinquished his cellphone, walked through two metal detectors, registered with a uniformed soldier — and then finally entered Mexico's only legal gun store.
To anyone familiar with the 49,762 licensed gun dealers in the United States, or the 7,261 gun-selling pawn shops, the place looked less like a store than a government office. Customers waited on metal chairs near a fish tank to be called up to a window to submit piles of paperwork.... (GunPolicy.org)
Tunisia,Yemen,United States,Japan
Land Without Guns: How Japan Has Virtually Eliminated Firearm Deaths
23 July 2012
Atlantic (USA)
I've heard it said that, if you take a walk around Waikiki, it's only a matter of time until someone hands you a flyer of scantily clad women clutching handguns, overlaid with English and maybe Japanese text advertising one of the many local shooting ranges. The city's largest, the Royal Hawaiian Shooting Club, advertises instructors fluent in Japanese, which is also the default language of its website. For years, this peculiar Hawaiian industry has explicitly targeted... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Gun Club Blames Fatal Shooting on Police, Loses Licence
16 July 2012
Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Pistol Club, from which a mentally ill woman took a pistol she used to kill her father, has failed to have its sport shooting licence reinstated amid concerns it has not acknowledged responsibility for its role in the incident.
The club had instead unfairly tried to shift responsibility to the Firearms Registry, the Administrative Decisions Tribunal found. The tribunal could not be satisfied the club would ensure the safety of its firearms.
Shamin Fernando,... (GunPolicy.org)
German Club Allows Unlicensed Visitors to Try Out Guns: 2 Injured
9 July 2012
Local (Germany)
Organisers of a public relations event at a German gun club were left red-faced on Sunday, after a woman accidentally shot a man in the foot. Both had to be treated for injuries.
The embarrassing - and painful - accident happened at the open day at a shooting club in the small town of Sallgast in the state of Brandenburg, eastern Germany, the Express newspaper reported.
The club took the ill-fated decision to allow visitors without firearms licenses to try out guns... (GunPolicy.org)
Public Stigma Drives Toronto Gun Hobbyists, Shooters Underground
18 March 2012
National Post (Toronto)
Ellen loads five bullets into her favourite pistol, a .22-caliber Browning Challenger, and demonstrates her favourite shooting stances. She begins with two hands holding the gun straight out in front of her, elbows slightly bent and feet hip-width apart for balance before changing poses, with her left hand behind her back, her palm facing outward, and the pistol in her right hand.
She is a Toronto grandmother of two in her mid-sixties and she is sharing her love of... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Club Officials Charged Over Illegal Machine Guns in Barbados
13 February 2012
Real Jamaican Radio
Shooting clubs and gun dealers in Barbados are at the centre of police investigations following the discovery of a number of unregistered high powered weapons.
Among the weapons were a number of M4 assault rifles used for single and automatic fire, President Barbados Rifle Association (BRA), Michael Holder, club secretary Debbie Holder and committee member Richard Arthur, were charged with illegal possession of firearms and or ammunition. Another club member was being... (GunPolicy.org)
Concerns Persist Over Irish Police Attitude to Gun Licence Applicants
2 February 2012
Irish Times (Dublin)
ANALYSIS - Following an intervention by Mr Justice John Hedigan, the Garda and three gun enthusiasts have come to an agreement. This will allow gun club members reapply for licences where they have been refused.
The basis on which the case was settled was the reasoning for the refusal of licences was flawed.
However, questions about the behaviour of the Garda posed by Mr Justice Hedigan remain to be answered. Minister for Justice Alan Shatter has asked the Garda... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico,El Salvador,Honduras,Venezuela,Brazil,Colombia
Colombia Capital Tries Trial Ban on Guns in Public
2 February 2012
New York Times / AP
BOGOTA, Colombia — Gustavo Petro was imprisoned as a rebel in the 1980s on a weapons conviction. As Bogota's new mayor, he wants to get firearms off the streets of this city where the conspicuous display of guns has long been the norm.
So he's trying an experimental ban on gun-wielding in public.
The only people authorized to carry weapons during the 90-day trial that began Wednesday are active and retired police and soldiers, bodyguards of diplomats, politicians,... (GunPolicy.org)
Normally Law-Abiding Mexicans Take Up Illegal Guns for Protection
28 January 2012
National Public Radio (USA)
In Mexico, where criminals are armed to the teeth with high-powered weapons smuggled from the United States, it may come as a surprise that the country has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the world.
Law-abiding Mexicans who want a gun to defend themselves have no good options. Either they fight government red tape to get a legal permit, or they buy one on the black market.
After an outbreak of violence, one embattled community in northern Mexico called... (GunPolicy.org)
Sydney Woman Joined Gun Club, Shot Father, Acquitted as Mentally Ill
15 December 2011
ABC News (Australia)
A woman who joined a gun club so she could kill her 70-year-old father has been found not guilty of murder due to mental illness.
Shamin Fernando, 44, faced a judge-only trial for the 2010 murder of her father Vincent.
The Supreme Court heard she called him to her Glebe unit in inner Sydney to help with her computer then shot him several times with a pistol.
The court heard Fernando obtained the gun from the Sydney Pistol Club, where she was a provisional... (GunPolicy.org)
Europe,Norway,Netherlands,United Kingdom,Germany,Finland,Switzerland
Gun Attacks in Europe and Their Effect on Gun Control Laws
14 December 2011
BBC News
As more details emerge of the shooting spree and grenade attack in Belgium in which five people died, the BBC News website takes a look at other recent incidents in Europe - and the effect they have had on each country's laws.
Norway
Seventy-seven people were killed in twin attacks on 22 July 2011 in Norway. Anders Behring Breivik has admitted that he planted a car bomb that exploded close to government offices in the capital Oslo, killing eight people. He then drove... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Woman Joined Pistol Club, Stole Handgun to Kill Father - Court
7 December 2011
ABC News (Australia)
A Sydney court has heard a woman accused of shooting her father dead joined a local pistol club to obtain the gun she used in the killing.
Shamin Anne Fernando today faced a judge-only one-day trial in the New South Wales Supreme Court over the death of her father Vincent Fernando last year.
The 44-year-old has pleaded not guilty to murder on the grounds of mental illness.
The court heard Fernando called her father to her unit at Glebe in inner Sydney to help with... (GunPolicy.org)
Toronto Council to Debate City Ban on Shooting Ranges
1 December 2011
National Post (Toronto)
City council will fight a challenge to its gun bylaw at the Ontario Municipal Board, despite an assertion by the deputy mayor that the decision goes against expert advice.
In 2008, the city enacted a bylaw that restricts the manufacture of guns in the city, and bans any firing range and gun club that is not operated by the government. The Canadian Shooting Sports Association appealed the decision to the Ontario Municipal Board and had floated a "compromise" that would... (GunPolicy.org)
Guns Destroyed in Australian Gun Buybacks Now Replaced with Imports
13 November 2011
ABC Radio National - Background Briefing, Transcript
Gun clubs report lots of new members, hunting is cool, and handguns are gangland chic. The hundreds of thousands of guns destroyed in buybacks since Port Arthur have been more than replaced by new ones. But guns are highly political and the national system for monitoring gun ownership is a mess. Reporter, Ian Townsend.
Ian Townsend: There may be more guns in Australia today than there have ever been. In the past 16 months in Queensland alone, nearly 50,000 guns —... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Gun Imports, Shooter Numbers Up, Firearm Records 'In a Mess'
12 November 2011
ABC News (Australia)
More than a decade after the horrific Port Arthur Massacre, gun ownership is on the rise in Australia, but experts say this resurgence is highlighting serious problems with the current regulation and registration system.
In the 15 years since Martin Bryant killed 35 people at the popular Tasmanian tourist site, the flow of firearms into Australia has eclipsed the amount recovered in the government funded buy-back scheme.
Last financial year alone Australians imported... (GunPolicy.org)
Political Party Gives Bullets to Australian Gun Clubs in Return for Votes
28 October 2011
Australian (Sydney)
Bob Katter's Australia Party is giving bullets to gun clubs in return for their political support.
Gun dealer and party vice-president Robert Nioa yesterday confirmed the "sponsorship" scheme as Queensland Attorney-General Paul Lucas condemned the fledgling political entity's financial links to shooting interests.
Mr Lucas said he was seeking crown law advice over a loophole in electoral laws that spared the party from having to declare more than $500,000 in donations... (GunPolicy.org)
Cayman to Establish a Firearms Authority to Decide Who Gets a Licence
13 October 2011
Cayman News Service
The country's legislators had another rare moment of harmony on Wednesday when they all voted to support a private member's motion to establish a firearms authority to decide who gets a gun licence.
Currently, it is the commissioner of police alone who makes the decision to grant or deny a firearms license to an applicant on Grand Cayman but legislatures have voted to amend legislation which will see the country's top cop share the decision with at least three local... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Licence Applicants May Have to Prove Mental Health in Netherlands
4 October 2011
Auburn Journal (California)
A majority of Members of the Netherlands Parliament are supporting a recommendation from the public security council that applicants for a gun ownership license prove they are psychologically healthy before they can obtain a license.
In the Netherlands gun ownership is not a right but a privilege, with hunting and target shooting the only two legitimate reasons for owning a gun. Self-defense is not considered a legitimate reason for owning a gun and only the police may... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Kills his Parents and Himself with Legally Owned Gun in Quebec
16 September 2011
Ottawa Citizen (Ontario)
A Gatineau man shot and killed his parents and then shot himself with a handgun that he legally owned, police said Thursday.
Police confirmed Patrick Mongeon-Johnson, 32, used his licensed and registered nine-millimetre handgun to kill his mother and stepfather before turning it on himself at 115 De Saguenay Street on Sept. 7.
An autopsy confirmed Lucie Johnson, 51, and Denis Lagacé, 59, died of gunshot wounds.
A handgun is considered a restricted firearm under... (GunPolicy.org)
Security and Justice Minister to Ban Semi-auto Rifles in Netherlands
11 September 2011
Radio Netherlands
Security and Justice Minister Ivo Opstelten says he is going to ban semi-automatic rifles.
Minister Opstelten referred to the massacre in the Dutch town of Alpen aan den Rijn in April of this year, when a man used a semi-automatic rifle as well as a pistol and a revolver to kill six people and injure 17 others before killing himself.
"Such weapons", the security minister said, "are not intended for use at a shooting club. They're made to hit moving targets. It's... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Club Member Sues Over Firearm Licence Refusal in Cayman Islands
16 August 2011
Cayman News Service (Cayman Islands)
A local sports shooter and gun club member, who also represented Cayman at the NSSA skeet world championships in the 1990s, is taking the refusal of his firearms licence by the commissioner of police to the court, claiming David Baines has acted unlawfully. Dennie Warren JR, who is better known these days for shooting photographs, has been a licensed firearm holder since 1993 but his regular renewal was refused last year. Warren says the RCIPS boss has introduced new... (GunPolicy.org)
Long Battle Over Firearm Licences in Cayman Islands Heading to Court
15 August 2011
Caymanian Compass (Cayman Islands)
A long-brewing battle over private firearms ownership in the Cayman Islands may soon come to a head in court.
A local man who filed a complaint last year over how the country's Firearms Law was being enforced – and later had his shotgun seized by police after officers refused to renew his gun owner's licence – has now filed an application for judicial review of the decision not to renew the
firearms licence.
A decision on whether the court would grant a... (GunPolicy.org)
Norway,United States,European Union,Denmark
Police Call for Stricter Gun Control in Norway
2 August 2011
Views and News from Norway
Calls are going out for stricter gun regulation and changes to the Norwegian criminal code after the terrorist attacks on Oslo and Utøya, with police, politicians and academics welcoming a debate. When such a debate will be able to occur is more uncertain, with the American police chief in charge of the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombings warning Norwegians not to be overly critical of police or emergency services at this early stage.
The police have expressed a... (GunPolicy.org)
Increased Number of Gun Licences in Queensland Due to Fear of Robberies
29 July 2011
Brisbane Times (Queensland)
The number of new gun licences issued on the Gold Coast has risen 36 per cent in the past two years, nearly double the increase across Queensland, with one criminologist attributing the rise to fears over home invasions.
There are currently more than 155,000 firearm licence-holders in Queensland, 14,622 of whom are in the Gold Coast region.
The Queensland Weapons Licensing Branch issued 1294 new firearms licenses for the Gold Coast, Coomera and Logan in the 2009/2010... (GunPolicy.org)
Worst-ever Mass Shooting Killer Licensed Gun Owner, Gun Club Member
23 July 2011
CNN
As Norway struggles to come to terms with its greatest loss of life in decades, all eyes are on the man charged in the explosion in central Oslo and the deadly shooting rampage at a youth camp.
While police have not officially named him, Norwegian television and newspaper reports have identified the suspect as 32-year-old Anders Behring Breivik, of Norwegian origin.
A picture is emerging, gleaned from official sources and social media, of a right-wing Christian... (GunPolicy.org)
For New Wisconsin Hidden Handgun Permits, Web Training May Suffice
10 July 2011
Fox News (USA) / AP
MILWAUKEE – Wisconsin residents who want to carry a concealed handgun legally need to be trained first -- but the state's new law could allow applicants to satisfy that requirement without ever touching a gun.
The concealed-carry measure became law when Republican Gov. Scott Walker signed it Friday. A few minor parts take effect right away but most aspects don't go into effect until November.
The law, which now leaves Illinois as the only state without some sort of... (GunPolicy.org)
Tougher Gun Laws Go into Effect in Finland after Shootings
13 June 2011
univision.com / AFP
Tougher hand gun laws went into effect in Finland Monday, after being pushed through parliament amid outrage over two recent school massacres and a shopping centre shooting spree.
The new legislation raises the minimum age for a handgun permit from 18 to 20 years of age, requires applicants to be trained by a police-approved instructor at a gun club, and obliges medical and military personnel to report anyone they feel is mentally or socially unsuitable to own a... (GunPolicy.org)
Tragic Sequel After Sydney Gun Dealer Sold Bullets to Unlicensed Shooter
6 June 2011
Sydney Morning Herald
The offence may sound trivial but the consequences proved fatal. When George Petas, a licensed firearms dealer and official with the Sydney Pistol Club, sold two boxes of ammunition to an unlicensed shooter, he did not realise he was breaking the law, his lawyer told the court.
Seventy of the 100 rounds he sold for $16 were used in a so-called training shoot at the La Perouse range one day last August. But the unlicensed shooter, Shamin Fernando, 43, walked out of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Owners Set Up Trusts to Avoid US Machine Gun Background Checks
25 May 2011
CNN
PRESTONBURG, Kentucky -- For Benjamin Ferguson, the Dewey Lake Fish and Gun Club brings back memories. As a child, Ferguson came to the modest gun range in rural Floyd County, Kentucky, to learn gun safety so he could go deer hunting with his family.
Now, the Army veteran and drug counselor has children of his own, six in total. He passes along knowledge about gun operation and safety and encourages his children to explore the guns -- safely, of course.
"It's... (GunPolicy.org)
Another Gun Club Patron Rents a Gun, Shoots, Kills Himself in Florida
13 April 2011
Times-Union (Florida)
A man is dead in what authorities described as an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound at a gun range in St. Johns County.
Rescue workers were called to the Fraternal Order of Police range on Inman Road off Florida 16 about 10:55 a.m., said spokesman Jeremy Robshaw of St. Johns County Fire Rescue.
The Sheriff's Office said Robert Allen Abbosh, 50, of Palm Valley was found lying in one of the shooting bays by other members who called 911. He was a registered... (GunPolicy.org)
Dutch Mass Shooter Faced Gun Charge as Teen, Legally Owned 5 Guns
11 April 2011
Irish Times (Dublin)
As the death toll from Saturday's shooting by a 24-year-old gunman in a Dutch shopping mall reached seven last night, a heated national debate was under way about how he had come to have legal permits for five weapons.
"This will definitely be part of our investigation," said local prosecutor Kitty Nooy, as it emerged the gunman had had a number of previous run-ins with the police, including a weapons possession charge in 2003 when he was just 17. That charge was... (GunPolicy.org)
Mass Killer in Dutch Mall was Gun Club Member, Licensed to Own 5 Guns
10 April 2011
Reuters
A gunman's deadly rampage through a shopping mall was met on Sunday with disbelief by residents of a quiet Dutch town who once thought such carnage couldn't happen in their country.
Dressed in camouflage trousers and a bomber jacket, Tristan van der Vlis opened fire in a parking lot on Saturday and walked calmly into Ridderhof mall, where he killed five people, most of them elderly. He wounded 17 others, one of whom died later.
The 24-year-old gun club member then... (GunPolicy.org)
Mass Shooting by Gun Club Member Sparks Scrutiny of Dutch Gun Laws
9 April 2011
Radio Netherlands
Following a shooting spree on Saturday by a lone gunman which has so far cost the lives of nine people, questions are bound to be asked about how the killer, who reportedly used a fully automatic weapon, got his gun and ammo. Outside the military, nobody in the Netherlands is allowed to own or shoot an automatic weapon.
So what are the rules governing gun ownership in the Netherlands? Dutch gun laws are actually quite strict. Gun ownership is seen not as a right, but... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed Gun Club Member Shoots, Kills 6 in Netherlands Shopping Centre
9 April 2011
BBC News
A gunman in the Netherlands has killed six people and wounded at least 11 before taking his own life.
The killings took place at a busy shopping centre in the town of Alphen aan den Rijn, about 25km (15 miles) south-west of Amsterdam.
The mayor of the town said the man opened fire with an automatic weapon and then shot himself.
The gunman came from the town, was known to police and "almost certainly operated alone", said a prosecutor.
'Slaughter'
Kitty Nooy, from... (GunPolicy.org)
Vicious Cartel Drug War Has Mexicans Taking Up Guns for Self Defence
6 March 2011
El Paso Times (Texas)
NUEVO CASAS GRANDES, Mexico - On the ranch lands near the U.S. border, people no longer take security for granted and have turned to weapons to stave off drug thugs.
Teachers, ranchers, town officials, business owners and lawyers in rural towns of northwest Chihuahua near New Mexico have armed themselves.
Legal or not, they are ready to use their guns for protection.
In a country caught in the clutches of a vicious drug war, people have decided it's better to fight... (GunPolicy.org)
Sydney Gun Club's 'Negligent Attitude to Gun Safety' Cited in Family Killing
5 March 2011
Sydney Morning Herald
When the gun club official noticed a borrowed pistol had not been signed back into the register, he made a fatal assumption.
Without checking, he assumed it was a clerical error, packed up the club's firearms and drove home. It was 2pm and it took another 72 minutes for police to be told the pistol was missing.
In the meantime it was allegedly used in a murder.
Another club official eventually called police at 3.12pm. Two minutes later a mentally ill woman, Shamin... (GunPolicy.org)
Patron Committed Suicide at Pennsylvania Gun Club Range - Coroner
25 February 2011
WFMZ-TV News (Philadelphia)
ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania - The death of a man who was found shot at a gun range in Lehigh County last Friday has been ruled a suicide.
The coroner said Arthur Lichtenwalner, 61, intentionally shot himself at the Ranger Lake Rod and Gun Club on Quarry Street in North Whitehall Township on February 18.
State police and representatives from the coroner's office were involved in the week-long investigation of Lichtenwalner's... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Visits Massachusetts Gun Shop, Rents Gun, Dies on the Range
24 February 2011
Gloucester Daily Times (Massachusetts)
SALISBURY — The Essex Country District Attorney's office yesterday identified the man found dead inside a Route 1 gun club Wednesday night as Lawrence Pelrin of 12 Cottage St., Hingham.
The 60-year-old Pelrin was discovered inside Bob's Tactical Shooting Range & Gun Shop a little after 6 p.m. while the club was still open. By 7:15 p.m., the body had been removed from the shooting range section of the building and into a dark-colored Suburban SUV. According to... (GunPolicy.org)
In Latest Shooting Range Killing, Man Dies at Pennsylvania Gun Club
18 February 2011
WFMZ-TV News (Pennsylvania)
NORTH WHITEHALL Township, Pennsylvania - The coroner and state police are investigating the apparent shooting death of a person at a gun range.
The Lehigh County Coroner says Arthur Lichenwalner, 61, of Lehigh Township died at 11:40 Friday morning at Ranger Lake Rod and Gun Club in North Whitehall Township.
That's in the 2400 block of Quarry Street.
He died from a gunshot wound to the body.
The incident happened at 10:39am.
State police at Bethlehem, who are... (GunPolicy.org)
Swiss Gun Culture, Assault Weapons at Home Under Fire in Referendum
9 February 2011
Associated Press
BUEREN AN DER AARE, Switzerland — The neutral Swiss do love their guns and their frequent, citizen-inspired referendums. Those two deeply cherished rights collide this weekend as Swiss voters decide whether to impose far-reaching restrictions on firearms.
The nationwide vote Sunday pits critics of Switzerland's high rate of firearms suicides against those who fear tighter rules may hurt the country's beloved village shooting clubs or cripple its citizen... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Club Joins Bereaved Family, Urges Tough Vetting of Oz Shooters
25 January 2011
Sydney Morning Herald
The family of Vincent "Lalin" Fernando, who was allegedly killed by his mentally ill daughter with a pistol she had stolen from a gun club, has called for the independent vetting of unlicensed shooters.
Their call has received unexpected support from the Sydney Pistol Club, the club Ms Fernando joined and from which she stole the gun. Its president, Jan Ryan, said she would welcome a return to the old legislation when unlicensed shooters were thoroughly checked by the... (GunPolicy.org)
Unlicensed Australian Woman Borrowed Pistol from Gun Club, Shot Father
22 January 2011
Sydney Morning Herald
A mentally ill woman allegedly killed her father with a gun she stole from a pistol club she had been allowed to join despite her illness.
The tragic case of Shamin Fernando, who allegedly shot her father Vincent "Lalin" Fernando, 70, in her Glebe home in August, highlights questions about the checks on those using firearms in NSW.
It has also sparked a battle between the Sydney Pistol Club and police trying to suspend its licence - yet another in a series of... (GunPolicy.org)
Massachusetts Machine Gun Fun Shoot was 'Safe,' But 8yr-old Boy Died
10 January 2011
Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - A gun club where an 8-year-old boy accidentally killed himself with an Uzi first agreed to hold a machine gun shoot a decade ago when the organizer told club officials it was legal and safe, one of those officials testified Monday.
Steven Sklarski, recording secretary for the Westfield Sportsman's Club, testified on the fifth day of the manslaughter trial of former Pelham, Mass., Police Chief Edward Fleury.
The club had held the event for... (GunPolicy.org)
US Outdoor Gun Ranges Under Fire as Noise, Stray Bullets Hit Neighbours
17 December 2010
USA Today
ST. CLOUD, Minnessota — Louise Neeser was doing yard work outside her home here last May when something struck her in the face. Dazed and bleeding, she crawled into the house, where a relative took her to the hospital.
Doctors told her something had torn through the side of her face. She was left with permanent jaw and eye damage and debilitating headaches, and says she lives in fear of letting her three children play outdoors.
"It's changed every bit of our life,"... (GunPolicy.org)
Oz Gun Owners 'Outraged' as Flak Follows Shootings, Club Handgun Theft
11 December 2010
Gold Coast Bulletin (Australia)
Gold Coast Pistol Club officials have hit back at comments condemning the use of handguns, saying gun owners are not criminals and the process prospective owners must complete before getting a weapon is thorough.
Members of the club were outraged on Thursday by comments from Gun Control Australia president John Crook, who called for handguns to be banned in Australia because they serve no useful purpose and are often the target of thieves wanting to sell them on the... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun-crazy Singaporeans Must Join Club, Get Licence, Register Weapons
10 December 2010
Straits Times (Singapore)
Most Singaporeans think gun ownership is banned in Singapore. Not true. You can own a gun in Singapore, but it comes with several restrictions.
First, you have to be a member of the Singapore Gun Club. Membership will set you back $1,980 for the entrance fee, and an additional $300 per month.
Then, you will have to apply for an Arms and Explosives licence from the Singapore Police Force. Once the police grants you a licence, you can purchase your own firearm from a... (GunPolicy.org)
Robbers Take 24 Handguns from Australian Gun Club: Police Retrieve 14
10 December 2010
Australian Associated Press
Queensland police have appealed for public assistance in finding 10 handguns stolen from a Brisbane gun club.
They have recovered 14 of 24 guns stolen at gunpoint from the Sporting Shooters Association's Belmont club at 6.35am (AEST) last Thursday.
The public was not informed until police addressed a media conference eight days later, on Friday. They said they delayed the announcement out of concern for investigating officers' safety.
Four people have been charged... (GunPolicy.org)
Judge Will Let Jurors See Video of 8yr-old Being Killed by Uzi at Gun Show
8 December 2010
New York Times
BOSTON — A judge ruled Tuesday that jurors can be shown video of an 8-year-old boy accidentally shooting himself in the head with a submachine gun at a gun show, setting up an unusually grisly courtroom scene in the manslaughter trial of a former police chief who organized the event.
Judge Peter A. Velis of Hampden Superior Court in Springfield, Mass., is still deciding whether audio from after the shooting — in which the boy can be heard screaming and his father... (GunPolicy.org)
Trial Begins in Case of 8yr-old Killed Firing Uzi at Massachusetts Gun Show
5 December 2010
Associated Press
BOSTON - Eight-year-old Christopher Bizilj — 4-foot-3 and 66 pounds — stepped up to the firing range to shoot an Uzi as his father and 11-year-old brother watched from a few feet away.
As Christopher fired the 9mm micro submachine gun at a pumpkin, the weapon flipped backward and shot him in the head. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Prosecutors brought manslaughter charges against the gun club where the machine gun shoot took place, two men who supplied... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Twin Sisters Rent Guns for Suicide Pact at Colorado Gun Club
17 November 2010
Australian (Sydney)
Australian twin sisters have been shot at a Colorado shooting range in a bizarre incident that has left one dead and the other critically wounded.
The 29-year-old siblings were simultaneously shot in the head at around 2.50pm local time on Monday at the Cherry Creek State Park shooting range southeast of Denver, the Denver Post reported today.
Reports suggest a suicide pact is suspected but police have not said whether the shooting was accidental or intentional.
One... (GunPolicy.org)
US Supreme Court Justice Scalia Teaches Justice Elena Kagan to Shoot?
25 October 2010
Daily Caller (USA)
According to two witnesses, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia took fellow Justice Elena Kagan out for a lesson in skeet shooting at his shooting club in Virginia last week.
The witnesses saw Scalia at the Fairfax Rod and Gun Club, where he is a member, around noon on Wednesday of last week. He was with a woman who was noticeably diminutive in height, like Kagan, who stands at about five feet three inches. The witnesses, who got a very close look at the pair, say... (GunPolicy.org)
Suicidal Man, Woman Rented Guns, Died at Adelaide Shooting Range
6 September 2010
Advertiser (Adelaide)
A firearms notification was issued two weeks before Julia Morris walked into a city shooting range and committed suicide, a court has heard.
Earlier that same day October 23, 2008 Ms Morris had been released from hospital after an earlier suicide attempt.
State Coroner Mark Johns is investigating the deaths of Ms Morris and Raymond Glenn Jast five months later on March 25, 2009 in another shooting suicide at the Marksman Indoor Firing Range on Franklin St,... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Club Loses Enthusiasts, Weapons Because of Canadian Gun Registry
2 September 2010
Winnipeg Free Press (Manitoba)
Long gun registry hurting membership at Winnipeg Trap and Skeet Club
Winnipeg Trap and Skeet Club president David Mosscrop says the long gun registry has had a negative impact on recreational shooting.
The president of the Oak Bluff-based Winnipeg Trap and Skeet Club says the country's long gun registry has had a devastating impact on the club's membership.
Club president David Mosscrop said that the number of recreational gun enthusiasts who use the club has... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Club Target Shooter with Legal Assault Rifle Killed 7, Self in Slovakia
31 August 2010
Agence France Presse
BRATISLAVA — Conflicts with his Roma neighbours were a likely motive behind a shooting rampage in which a gunman killed seven people in Bratislava before turning the gun on himself, police said Tuesday.
Lubomir Harman, 48, whose victims included his five Roma neighbours, their relative and a woman standing on a balcony, was shot by a police bullet to the chest before he killed himself, the police added, a day after the bloodbath.
"We don't yet know the motive, but... (GunPolicy.org)
School Mass Shootings Prompt Finland to Restrict Handgun Licensing
16 August 2010
BBC News
When Finland experienced two school shootings in just 10 months it sparked a national debate about the country's relatively relaxed gun laws, now the government hopes new legislation will reduce the number of guns in the country and make another mass shooting less likely in the future.
In 2007, 18-year-old Pekka-Eric Auvinen walked into Jokela High School in the town of Tuusula where he was studying. He shot seven pupils and the head teacher, before turning the gun on... (GunPolicy.org)
Michigan Township Faces $1.1 Million Gun Club Lead Pollution Cleanup
29 July 2010
Record-Eagle (Michigan)
Taxpayers in Elk Rapids Township will decide if they should chip in about $800,000 toward a $1.1 million cleanup of lead contamination at the former Elk Rapids Sportsman's Club.
The township will ask voters on Tuesday for a 0.5-mill levy for seven years that will raise $112,000 its first year. The millage would cost the owner of a home with a taxable value of $75,000 an additional $37.50 a year in property taxes.
The township wants the money to remove lead bullets... (GunPolicy.org)
Pittsburgh Gun Club Raided for Selling Alcohol as Speakeasy, Say Police
27 July 2010
Tribune-Review (Pittsburgh)
Two Fayette County social clubs were raided by state police Sunday evening for allegedly selling alcohol without a liquor license.
Troopers with the state police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement raided the Monarch Volunteer Fire Department in Dunbar Township and the Continental No. 2 Rod & Gun Club in South Union at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
Robert W. George, acting commander of the bureau's Pittsburgh district office, said the two clubs were operating as... (GunPolicy.org)
Woman Shot 2 at Ontario Shooting Club, Charged with Careless Gun Use
27 July 2010
Innisfil Journal (Ontario)
INNISFIL - Two people received minor gunshot wounds after a shotgun was accidentally discharged Saturday at shooting range in Innisfil.
According to South Simcoe Police, pellets from the shotgun shell ricocheted off the cement floor and struck two people. One was struck in the shin, the other was hit in the legs and chest. Both parties were transported to hospital, where they were treated and released with minor injuries.
A 53-year-old Toronto woman was charged with... (GunPolicy.org)
Random Gun Killer was Licensed Member of English Pistol, Rifle Club
1 July 2010
Burton Mail (UK)
A maniac who murdered a father-of-three in a 'random' shooting was a member of a South Derbyshire gun club.
Colin Cheetham, 61, who was convicted of murdering cabbie Stuart Ludlam, was a member of Swadlincote Rifle and Pistol Club, which is based off Park Road, in Newhall.
Club chairman Neil Barker said: "We can confirm that Mr Cheetham is a member of the club but was suspended as a precautionary measure after the police made us aware of the situation. Now that the... (GunPolicy.org)
Government Decision Stops American Military Owning Guns in Germany
15 June 2010
Stars and Stripes (USA)
WIESBADEN, Germany — Americans are unable to register privately owned firearms in Germany after the German government halted the program recently.
Problems began a couple of months ago when Installation Management Command officials in Europe moved the person responsible for signing certificates needed to purchase and register weapons from Munich to Grafenwöhr.
"That wasn't perceived by us to be a change to the program, but the Germans did," said Dan Gasparino,... (GunPolicy.org)
Second Man Commits Suicide with Rented Gun at Canadian Pistol Club
31 March 2010
Calgary Herald (Alberta)
For the second time in three months, staff at a southeast shooting range are receiving counselling after a man died at the facility.
J.R. Cox, owner of The Shooting Edge, said a man in his mid-20s committed suicide at the range Tuesday, despite the efforts of a staff member to stop him.
The man, who was a first-time customer, came in alone at about 5 p.m., said Cox, adding there were no other patrons in the area.
"Our range officer was attentive and tried to stop the... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed Toronto Handgun Owner Aced Safety Test, Then Killed Passerby
12 February 2010
Toronto Sun (Ontario)
In the months leading up to the shooting death of innocent bystander John O'Keefe, the man accused of firing the fatal bullet sat through a gun safety course, aced a test, then fired round after round under watchful eyes of certified instructors, a second-degree murder trial heard Friday.
It was Sept, 7, 2007 that Edward Paredes, now 24, walked into the Grange Firearms Association north of Toronto and submitted his application for membership.
Paredes had already... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Shot Dead in Apparent Suicide at Licensed UK Gun Club
18 January 2010
Leicester Mercury (UK)
The death of a man at a gun club in Harborough Road, Kibworth Beauchamp, is not being treated as suspicious.
Police were called to Kibworth Gun Club, on the A6 at Kibworth Beauchamp, at 2.15pm on Friday following reports that a man had been shot.
Officers said the man's body was found near the club buildings, close to a range. Paramedics were called and pronounced the man dead at the scene.
The victim, a man in his 50s, has not been named by police. Officers... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed Pistol Club Shooter Arrested for Hungarian University Killing
30 November 2009
Hungary Around the Clock (Budapest)
A court of the city of Pecs (S Hungary) has ordered the pre-trial detention of the young man who shot four people, killing one of them, at Pecs University earlier this week, Judge Istvan Hajdu told the press on Saturday.
The 23-year-old pharmacology student gave himself up shortly after firing shots at his classmates, a lab worker and a cleaning woman in the biophysics research centre of the university just before noon on Thursday. His motivation is still unknown.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
Student, Club Shooter Kills 1, Injures 3 in Hungarian University Shooting
27 November 2009
Hungary Around the Clock (Budapest)
A pharmacology student fired shots inside a building of Pecs University in the south of Hungary just before noon on Thursday, killing a classmate and wounding another student, a male lab worker and a cleaning woman, local county police chief told the press from the site.
Police have arrested the attacker, a 23 year-old man, who gave himself up over the phone shortly after firing the shots with a handgun, Jozsef Dakos said.
He is said to have attended a lab class with... (GunPolicy.org)
Saipan Gun Club Caretaker Planned Mass Shooting, Left Notes, Killed 5
23 November 2009
Saipan Tribune
Investigators recovered several notes that indicated that the gunman planned Friday's shooting rampage that left five people dead, including the suspect, and eight others wounded.
Department of Public Safety spokesman Jason Tarkong said yesterday that detectives from the DPS Criminal Investigation Division found several notes left by the suspect, Zhong Ren Li.
Tarkong said the 42-year-old Li was the alleged caretaker of the shooting range, which has been closed for... (GunPolicy.org)
Family Sues Massachusetts Gun Club After 8yr-old Boy Died Firing Uzi
10 November 2009
Daily Hampshire Gazette (Massachusetts)
SPRINGFIELD — The Micro Uzi machine gun that killed 8-year-old Christopher K. Bizilj at a Westfield gun fair last October reportedly jammed twice and was inspected by a 15-year-old boy before it slipped from Christopher's grasp and discharged, according to a $4 million wrongful death lawsuit filed Monday.
Christopher was shot through the head at the "Great New England Pumpkin Shoot" last year, an event the suit alleges was advertised as "an opportunity to shoot... (GunPolicy.org)
Massachusetts Gun Clubs All Fired Up at Tough New Range Restrictions
22 October 2009
Boston Globe
BRAINTREE, Massachusetts — Once a month on a Saturday, the Braintree Rifle & Pistol Club hosts the Second Amendment Sisters, a national organization that advocates and provides firearms training for women.
Women who have never held a gun before are invited to learn to shoot. The club provides the weapons and ammunition, and the cost to the woman learning typically does not exceed $10.
The novices will have different goals: Some want to feel safer when walking... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Owner Shoots Both His Daughters by Mistake at Maryland Pistol Club
5 October 2009
Associated Press
NORTH EAST — Two women were shot at a Cecil County pistol range in what Natural Resources Police say was likely an accidental shooting.
Sgt. Art Windemuth says a Joppa man was teaching his two daughters how to use a 9mm handgun at the Elk Neck State Forest pistol range on Sunday when it discharged.
He says the bullet struck man's 23-year-old daughter in the arm and a 27-year-old woman downrange in the leg.
The 27-year-old woman was flown to Shock Trauma in... (GunPolicy.org)
Cheap Handgun 'Fires On Its Own' at Florida Gun Club, Shoots 3 People
5 October 2009
St Petersburg Times (Florida)
TAMPA — Michael Thourot had just pulled his hand away from the warm metal when it started spewing bullets.
Moments before, Sherri Thourot had watched her husband fire and reload the Jennings 9mm. Then he set it down for her to shoot next at the range.
That's when the handgun started firing on its own, she said, spinning around in circles, landing the Thourots and an Irish tourist in the hospital.
"Nothing like that has ever happened," said Sherri Thourot on... (GunPolicy.org)
Machine Gun Death of 8yr-old Heralds Gun Club Curbs in Massachusetts
20 September 2009
Boston Globe
The Turkey Shoot at the Shirley Rod and Gun Club is not what you might expect.
First, the club buys some frozen turkeys at the supermarket. Then there are target-shooting competitions for hunting rifles, shotguns, and pistols. The winners take home the frozen birds. Last year, the club gave away about 300 of them.
Still, the club's Thanksgiving tradition, its largest fund-raiser of the year, has been around for as long as anyone can remember. But this year's Turkey... (GunPolicy.org)
Another US Gun Club Member Uses Range, Rented Handgun in Suicide
8 September 2009
Tulsa World (Oklahoma)
A customer at an indoor gun range killed himself with a pistol he had just rented from the facility Tuesday afternoon, police said.
The 40-year-old man was pronounced dead at Tulsa Firearms, at 61st Street and Garnett Road, EMSA spokeswoman Tina Wells said.
Detective Demita Kinard said the man had a single gunshot wound to the head. The shooting happened about 4:15 p.m.
Kinard said the man was by himself and didn't appear to be distressed when he went to the... (GunPolicy.org)
US TV Host Loves Firing Guns, But They 'Shouldn't be Allowed at Home'
1 September 2009
Business & Media Institute (USA)
Rachel Maddow, gun lover? Well, sort of. And with some strings attached.
The MSNBC host of the "The Rachel Maddow Show" appeared on Jimmy Fallon's Aug. 31 NBC show and told the host about her first date — at a shooting range.
"My first date with my girlfriend Susan was at a shooting range," Maddow said. "That was awesome. It was ladies' day on the range. Her sister is a lifetime NRA member and she was organizing ladies' day on the range at her gun club. So we did... (GunPolicy.org)
Philippines Intercepts Shipment of Assault Rifles 'From Indonesia to Mali'
30 August 2009
Jakarta Globe
The recent seizure by Philippine customs officers of a cargo vessel carrying firearms manufactured in Indonesia is raising more questions than answers in both countries, with Indonesia questioning the motives for the bust and a lawmaker calling for answers from the central government.
Military Chief Gen. Djoko Santoso said over the weekend that PT Pindad, the state-owned military equipment manufacturer, had been authorized to export the shipment of assault rifles and... (GunPolicy.org)
Pistol Club Members Open Safes, Give Handguns to Aussie Robbers
27 August 2009
Herald Sun (Melbourne)
Police are hunting armed bandits who have stolen more than $30,000 worth of guns in targeted home invasions in Melbourne's south-east.
Police fear the guns could be sold on the black market or used to commit further violent crimes.
The chilling ambush attacks on family homes in Trafalgar, on August 19, and Hampton Park, in June, are almost identical, with a crew of five masked men storming both houses in search for guns.
In the Hampton Park attack, a woman and her... (GunPolicy.org)
Home Invaders Target Australian Gun Club Members for Their Handguns
26 August 2009
Courier-Mail (Brisbane)
Victorian police fear a gang has built up a cache of weapons from two separate home invasions in which guns and ammunition were stolen.
Police believe the raids at Trafalgar, in the state's southeast, and at Hampton Park, southeast of Melbourne, are linked.
On August 19, five men, all wearing balaclavas and one brandishing a gun, forced their way into the Trafalgar home at about 9.15pm.
Police say the bandits forced a 35-year-old man to open his gun safe, stole... (GunPolicy.org)
Police to Give 2 Weeks Notice Before Inspecting Private Guns in Finland
16 August 2009
YLE (Finland)
New gun control legislation may give police new enforcement powers. The Sunday newspaper supplement Sunnuntaisuomalainen writes that new legislation, under preparation, will allow the police to inspect the homes of gun permit holders without the need to establish suspicion of a crime.
However, they will have to inform the permit holder of their intention two weeks in advance.
Tougher gun laws being formulated in the wake of school shootings in Finland will require... (GunPolicy.org)
Shoot 'em Up on the Fourth; Regular 4 July Machine Gun Shoot in Florida
4 July 2009
Hernando Today (Florida)
CHASSAHOWITZKA — They wore earplugs and had to scream over machine gun fire, but that didn't stop a couple of gung ho firearms enthusiasts from swapping a few jokes.
"Is this what July 4 is all about?" one guy screamed to another.
"If I heard (Thomas) Jefferson correctly, he said do this every 4th of July!" he answered.
Seconds later, someone fired off 100 rounds from a custom-made, chopped-down, .223-caliber HK53K.
The 4-inch barrel did nothing to muffle the... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Club Mates: Dead Shooter 'Just Like Anyone Else - He Liked Guns'
30 June 2009
New Zealand Herald
A gun club that helped hone the capabilities of a disabled gunman shot dead by police says it could not have foreseen such a tragic event.
Wheelchair-bound Shayne Richard Sime, 42, was killed by members of the armed offenders squad at his Christchurch home on Sunday night after firing more than 100 rounds, wounding an AOS member and a neighbour, and damaging homes in the area that had to be evacuated.
The injured AOS member has had surgery to remove shotgun pellets... (GunPolicy.org)
Dead New Zealand Gunman Had Firearm Licence, Despite History
29 June 2009
New Zealand Herald / NZPA
The 42-year-old paraplegic man killed during a shoot-out with police in the Christchurch suburb of Burnside was a licensed firearms holder.
Shayne Sime's body was removed from the scene this afternoon but police caution their investigation is likely to be lengthy.
A post mortem on Mr Sime will start this evening and continue into tomorrow.
Detective Superintendent Brett Kane said that Mr Sime had been a licensed firearms holder since 2006, which gave him a licence to... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Drives to Florida, Rents Gun, Commits 4th Recent Gun Club Suicide
23 June 2009
Associated Press
DELRAY BEACH, Florida — Authorities say a man fatally shot himself after renting a gun at a Delray Beach shooting range.
Employees found the man, who has not been identified, dead of a single gunshot wound Tuesday afternoon at Delray Shooting Center.
Police say the man came to Florida from another state and rented a car Tuesday morning. He went to the range, rented a revolver and fired several hundred rounds. Police say he waited for two other patrons to leave... (GunPolicy.org)
New Gun Law Tightens German Background Checks, Age Limits, Storage
28 May 2009
Associated Press
BERLIN — Germany's cabinet approved legislation that would tighten gun restrictions, two months after a teenager shot and killed 12 people.
The law, which requires parliamentary approval, would mean stricter checks on weapons owners and a higher age limit for users of large-caliber weapons.
Calls for tougher laws followed the March 11 shooting spree in which Tim Kretschmer, 17 years old, used a pistol taken from his father's bedroom to kill students and teachers at... (GunPolicy.org)
Germany Struggles With Gun Laws as Shooters' Lobby Rebuilds Support
12 April 2009
Times (UK)
In a low-ceilinged room in west Berlin, a gunman steadies himself, aims and fires. The noise is startling even through sizeable ear protectors, but he doesn't flinch before pulling the trigger again. Despite the Magnum revolver he looks like an off-duty lawyer, which he is, down to his shiny brown brogues.
Next to him, firing a similar weapon at the cardboard targets 25 metres away, is a ginger-bearded mechanic in a baseball cap. It is practice night at... (GunPolicy.org)
Another Licensed German Shooting Club Member Kills in Gun Rampage
8 April 2009
Agence France Presse
LANDSHUT, Germany — A gunman killed one person then himself on Tuesday in a rampage at a German courthouse, police said, in a country still shaken after a teenage shooter murdered 15 people less than a month ago.
A 60-year-old man shot dead his sister-in-law, 48, during a recess from a hearing in the southern city of Landshut in a long-running inheritance dispute, a police spokesman said.
He then shot and wounded a lawyer involved in the case and another... (GunPolicy.org)
Fear, Nazism, Racism, Obama Paranoia at Famous US Gun Club Event
7 April 2009
Washington Independent (Washington, DC)
WEST POINT, Kentucky — The sound of gunfire rumbles and echoes from half a mile away, long before anyone can see the entrance. The walk up to the Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot starts on the country road outside the range, lined with cars from Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and Georgia. Their occupants scramble for space before grabbing their ammo and starting uphill. They trudge through dirt that mostly, mercifully, has not yet turned into mud, and up to a gate where for $10... (GunPolicy.org)
New Law Would Ban Machine Guns for Children Under 16 in Connecticut
1 April 2009
Hartford Courant (Connecticut)
Responding to the tragic death of an 8-year-old Connecticut boy at a Massachusetts gun club, a key legislative committee voted Tuesday on a measure designed to keep machine guns out of the hands of anyone under 16.
The judiciary committee passed the bill, which prohibits the physical transfer of such weapons to children, in response to the death of Christopher K. Bizilj, an Ashford boy who lost control of a Micro Uzi submachine gun and accidentally shot himself in the... (GunPolicy.org)
German Chancellor Mulls Tighter Gun Law, 78% Want Private Gun Ban
15 March 2009
Reuters
BERLIN — German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for greater supervision of her country's gun laws on Sunday, after a teenager shot dead 15 people last week before killing himself.
Merkel said she had been stunned by the massacre in the southwestern town of Winnenden, where 17-year-old Tim Kretschmer shot 15 people with his father's pistol, including 12 at his former school.
Merkel told Deutschlandfunk radio it was crucial that rules about the storage of weapons... (GunPolicy.org)
Shocked Gun Club Colleagues Condemn Parents of German Mass Killer
13 March 2009
BBC News
The shootings in southern Germany on Wednesday by the 17-year-old Tim Kretschmer has turned the spotlight on the country's gun laws. Heike Karkinsky has been speaking to members of a shooting club near Hamburg for their views.
Ilse Ringelmann reloads her rifle with manicured hands. She focuses on the paper target 50m (54 yards) in front of her, her sandaled feet lodged firmly on the concrete floor.
The air smells of gunpowder and car tyres. A shot cracks through the... (GunPolicy.org)
German Gun Club Killer Had 'Deep Fascination with Guns, Ready Access'
13 March 2009
Australian (Sydney) / Times (UK)
The "unremarkable" teenage killer who went on a rampage in southern Germany on Wednesday with his father's Beretta had a deep fascination with guns and ready access to a domestic arsenal.
To most who knew him, Tim Kretschmer seemed normal, but the 17-year-old from an affluent family, who came back to terrorise the school he left last year with poor grades, had a dark side that few would have guessed at.
His father, Jorg, who runs a packaging company that employs 20... (GunPolicy.org)
Detectives' Union Says German Gun Storage Law Weak, 'Not Enforced'
12 March 2009
Wall Street Journal
BERLIN — A shooting rampage that began in a southern German school on Wednesday and left 16 dead is likely to stoke fresh debate in Europe about gun control and public security.
The shooting began about 9:30 a.m., when 17-year-old Tim Kretschmer, a former student, entered Albertville high school in Winnenden, a suburb of Stuttgart. He killed nine students and three teachers with a Beretta 9mm pistol before fleeing, police say. In Winnenden, he killed a passerby and... (GunPolicy.org)
Dad's Legal Handgun Killed 16, Storage 'Negligent,' Say German Police
12 March 2009
Reuters
WINNENDEN, Germany — German authorities are looking into whether to press charges against the gun-collecting father of the teenager who went on a shooting rampage at his former school on Wednesday, killing 15 people.
The motive for the attack by 17-year-old Tim Kretschmer remained unclear a day after the massacre in the southwestern town of Winnenden.
The teenager, who neighbours described as a loner with a fondness for violent videos, appears to have taken his own... (GunPolicy.org)
Stuttgart, Alabama Shooting Massacres Restart Debate on Gun Control
12 March 2009
Financial Times (UK)
Two shooting massacres in Germany and America this week have reignited the debate about gun control, but while Europe has in the past been ready to tighten its tough restrictions, the US remains more resistant to change.
Germany was in shock on Wednesday after a teenage gunman shot 15 people near Stuttgart, in one of the worst incidents of its kind in the country.
In the US on Tuesday, a man went on a shooting spree in Alabama after setting his mother on fire in her... (GunPolicy.org)
German Gunman Targeted Female Students, Hit Most in Head, Killed 15
12 March 2009
CNN
WINNENDEN, Germany — A gunman dressed in military gear killed 15 people Wednesday in a shooting spree in Germany, police said.
Tim Kretschmer, 17, began his rampage at a school where he used to be a student in Winnenden, a small town about 20 kilometers (12 miles) northeast of Stuttgart.
Most of the victims at the school were female — eight female students, three female teachers and one male student, said Heribert Rech, interior minister for Baden Wuerttemberg... (GunPolicy.org)
Feds Say Thieves from Reno Lifted 27 Firearms from California Gun Club
3 March 2009
Reno Gazette-Journal
Two Reno-area men has been arrested in the theft of guns from a Plumas County, Calif., gun club, authorities said.
Sixteen firearms have been recovered but the Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol and Firearms asks for the public's help in finding 11 still missing.
The Sierra Valley Gun Club reported the 27 weapons missing on Dec. 14 and the Reno Police Department's Street Enforcement Team told the ATF it had a report of a Sparks man offering stolen guns for sale, the ATF said... (GunPolicy.org)
Convicted Handgun Collector Bemoans Latest Theft of 80 Legal Firearms
13 February 2009
Toronto Star (Ontario)
Gary Gordaneer collected guns most of his life — but no more.
He was given his first, a .22 repeating rifle, as an 11-year-old boy.
By 62, Gordaneer had accumulated as many as 80 weapons, which he estimates were worth about $500,000.
"Now, they're all gone," says Gordaneer, 65.
Three years ago, thieves broke into Gordaneer's Mississauga apartment.
They busted through the front door and jimmied open three of the four large metal storage lockers.
The suspects made... (GunPolicy.org)
Massachusetts Suburb Hit by Stray Bullets, Locals Try to Close Gun Club
3 February 2009
Quincy Patriot-Ledger (Massachusetts)
BROCKTON — Three months after a stray bullet crashed through the window of a Heritage Trail home, residents have asked a judge to halt gunfire at the nearby Scituate Rod and Gun Club.
Fifteen plaintiffs, all residents of Heritage Trail and Clapp Road, have requested an injunction that would temporarily stop the club from using its ranges — which they believe are the source of four stray bullets that have entered their neighborhood since 2004.
"Until an injunction... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Crime, Stray Bullet Survivors Urge Toronto Handgun Ban [Part 1 of 2]
26 December 2008
National Post (Toronto)
In 2008, the shooting deaths of several innocent Torontonians rocked the city. In June, Dylan Ellis and Oliver Martin, both 25, were killed while waiting for a friend in an SUV parked on Richmond Street West. In January, John O'Keefe, a 42-year-old father, was walking home along Yonge Street when he crossed into the path of gunfire and was shot in the head.
This Fall, we were also made to remember the Boxing Day 2005 shooting death of 15-year-old Jane Creba; the first... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Chief Pleads Not Guilty in Uzi Death of 8yr-old Boy at US Gun Club
23 December 2008
Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts — A police chief in western Massachusetts pleaded not guilty Monday to involuntary manslaughter in the death of an 8-year-old boy who accidentally shot himself with an Uzi at a gun show.
Pelham Chief Edward Fleury owns COPS Firearms & Training, which promoted the October show where Christopher Bizilj shot himself in the head.
Fleury's lawyer, David Kuzmeski, also entered not guilty pleas on Fleury's behalf to four counts of furnishing a... (GunPolicy.org)
Queensland Cop, Drug Dealer, Pistol Club Member Traded Police Glock
18 December 2008
Courier-Mail (Brisbane)
A developer was fitted with a body wire to trap a drug dealer who traded a Gold Coast police officer two surfboards for a stolen police pistol, a court has been told.
Gold Coast police officer Christopher Curtin is facing a committal hearing charged with stealing the Glock .22 handgun from the Surfers Paradise police station and swapping it for two surfboards with NSW drug dealer and surfboard maker Brian Kellway.
He is also charged with possessing tainted property... (GunPolicy.org)
Glock from QLD Police Safe Traded to Drug Dealer, Pistol Club Member
17 December 2008
Courier-Mail (Brisbane)
A NSW drug dealer traded a Gold Coast policeman two surfboards for a stolen police gun so he could go pig shooting, a court has been told.
Convicted drug dealer and surfboard maker Brian Kellway gave evidence yesterday at the committal hearing into charges against Senior Constable Christopher Curtin.
Curtin has been charged with stealing the Glock handgun from a gun safe at the Surfers Paradise police station in March 2001, and with receiving tainted property —... (GunPolicy.org)
Premier to Consider Tightening Gun Laws in Australia's Largest State
15 December 2008
Sydney Morning Herald
The State Government has commissioned a report into gun crime six months after backing Shooters' Party amendments that watered down gun ownership laws.
The Premier, Nathan Rees, sought to temper the Government's stance on the issue yesterday, saying he would review the amendments this week when the report was handed down by the Attorney-General's department.
But even as Mr Rees delivered his comments, the Police Minister, Tony Kelly, held a media conference defending... (GunPolicy.org)
Irish Gun Enthusiasts 'Caught in Political Crossfire' of New Handgun Ban
13 December 2008
Irish Times
On a bitterly cold Sunday morning in the depths of rural Co Cork, a man wearing earmuffs and thick goggles lifts a heavy rifle onto his shoulder and lines up his shot. He takes aim at his defenceless target 50 metres away. He smiles as he hits his target and prepares to reload.
There is no scream of pain or shock, no blood or gore in sight, no damage caused at all, really, apart from a small hole in a large sheet of white paper.
The man is one of over 100 members of... (GunPolicy.org)
American Gun Clubs Tout Safety Record After 14yr-old Boy's Uzi Death
12 December 2008
Associated Press
BOSTON — Gun control advocates are hoping that manslaughter indictments in the death of an 8-year-old boy who was allowed to fire an Uzi during a gun fair will have a chilling effect nationally on gun shows that encourage the participation of children.
But enthusiasts say gun ranges are remarkably safe and that most shows do not feature live shooting like the one in Westfield where Christopher Bizilj, of Ashford, Conn., lost control of the powerful automatic weapon... (GunPolicy.org)
8yr-old Dies at Gun Club: Massachusetts May Ban Machine Guns for Kids
5 December 2008
Republican (Massachusetts)
BOSTON — State legislators called for tightening laws on gun clubs and the use of weapons by minors, following the criminal charges issued on Thursday in the death of an 8-year-old Connecticut boy who accidentally shot himself with a submachine gun at the Westfield Sportsman's Club.
State Rep. Michael A. Costello, co-chairman of the Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, said he would hold an oversight hearing and take testimony to determine what laws... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Chief, Gun Club Charged in Connecticut Boy's Machine Gun Death
5 December 2008
Hartford Courant (Connecticut)
A Massachusetts grand jury has indicted a police chief, two Connecticut men and a gun club in the Oct. 26 death of an 8-year-old Ashford boy who shot himself in the head at a machine gun event in Westfield, Mass.
Christopher K. Bizilj lost control of a 9mm Micro Uzi at the Machine Gun Shoot and Firearms Expo at the Westfield Sportsman's Club. The two-day event was sponsored by the club and COP Firearms & Training, a business owned by Edward B. Fleury, a firearms... (GunPolicy.org)
Death of 8yr-old Boy in Uzi Pumpkin Shoot Brings Calls for Gun Club Law
8 November 2008
Boston Globe
The micro Uzi machine pistol placed in the hands of an 8-year-old at a Westfield gun club's pumpkin shoot last month is so hard to handle that it has earned a nickname among gun enthusiasts: the "Fifty-fifty."
"That means there is a fifty-fifty chance that you'll either kill whomever or whatever you're aiming it at or kill yourself," said Steve Traver, owner of D&S Gunworks, a firearms company in Hancock. "That machine gun should have never been at that shoot. It... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Violence by the Numbers: Uniform National Gun Laws Needed
31 October 2008
Huffington Post (USA), Blog
In the wake of the recent senseless death of an 8 year old with an Uzi automatic weapon at a gun club in Massachusetts, it's critical that we as a nation recognize that this child's gun death was just one of the 5 kids under 10 years old and 83 Americans total that died that day and every day from gun violence.
Clearly 8 year old Christopher Bizilj's gun death was entirely preventable and a result of adult negligence and irresponsibility. On the other hand it's hard... (GunPolicy.org)
Senseless Death of 8yr-old US Boy Firing Uzi with Dad: 'Legal, But Insane'
30 October 2008
Boston Globe, Editorial
Eight-year-old Christopher Bizilj, who accidentally shot himself to death Sunday with an automatic Micro Uzi, is a tragic example of how something can be legal and still insane.
Christopher was taken by his father to an annual machine gun shoot at the Westfield Sportsman's Club. According to advertising for the event, no minimum age and no licenses were required to shoot machine guns at pumpkins and "other fun stuff we can't print here." The advertisement boasted,... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Fun Days, Machine Gun Shoots Attract Kids, Adults Across America
28 October 2008
Boston Herald
Machine gun "shoots" such as the one that unfolded tragically in Westfield on Sunday are rare throughout the country — and often controversial.
A similar firearms fest is hosted by the Hanson Rod and Gun Club, which was criticized in 1999 for allowing children as young as 6 to shoot automatic weapons.
Months later, a special town meeting voted to ban anyone younger than 21 from pulling the trigger at the event.
The Knob Creek Gun Range Machine Gun Shoot in Kentucky... (GunPolicy.org)
8yr-old Boy Shot Dead with Uzi: Police Chief Ran US Machine Gun Shoot
28 October 2008
Boston Herald
A leading gun control advocate says tougher laws are needed in the wake of a "machine gun shoot" that allowed an 8-year-old boy to pull the trigger on an Uzi, accidentally killing himself with a bullet to the head.
John Rosenthal, founder of the nonprofit Stop Handgun Violence, considers the ability of gun clubs to hold machine gun shoots a "loophole" in the federal assault weapons ban that former Gov. Mitt Romney made permanent in the Bay State.
"There ought to be a... (GunPolicy.org)
8yr-old American Boy Dies Firing Submachine Gun with Dad at Gun Club
27 October 2008
Boston Globe
An 8-year-old boy died yesterday at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield after he accidentally shot himself in the head at a Westfield gun club, Westfield Police reported.
Police said the child's death, caused by a fully automatic Uzi machine gun, appears to have been an accident, but it remains under investigation.
The Westfield Police Department released a statement about what they described as a self-inflicted, accidental shooting, which occurred at 2 p.m. at the... (GunPolicy.org)
Rifle Association Shoots Down Senator's Call for Jamaicans to Carry Guns
26 October 2008
Sunday Observer (Jamaica)
The controversial call by Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) senator, Prudence Kidd-Deans for the arming of the society in the face of the prevailing high murder rate, has not found favour with the Jamaica Rifle Association (JRA), popularly known as the gun club.
"First of all, it's not a right of every Jamaican to bear arms, like in the United States where their constitution states so explicitly," said Andrew Chin, acting president of the JRA. "There must be strict... (GunPolicy.org)
Shooters Must Now Pass Medical Check, Wait for 1st Handgun in Finland
30 September 2008
BBC News
Finland has introduced stricter rules on gun permits, following a school shooting in which 11 people died.
Handgun permits would no longer be granted to first-time applicants, the interior ministry said.
Instead, they must train for at least a year at a gun club before being allowed to apply for a permit.
All applicants must also provide a note from a doctor about their mental health and sit an interview with police. The new rules cover pistols and revolvers.... (GunPolicy.org)
California Shooters Bristle at Move to Reduce Toxic Effects of Lead Shot
29 September 2008
San Francisco Chronicle
For 40 years on clear mornings, avid shooters have turned out at the Petaluma Trap and Skeet Club for the sport of popping away at clay pigeons hurled into the air.
The western Sonoma County range looks idyllic with hawks and golden eagles diving over grazing sheep. But in a year's time, the rural outdoor range is strewn with seven tons of lead, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, which owns the land.
Health officials worry about even trace amounts of lead in gasoline,... (GunPolicy.org)
Facts, Figures on Finland's Gun Law, Gun Ownership, Gun Death - AP
23 September 2008
Associated Press
Facts and figures about Finland's gun laws and gun ownership.
HIGHLY ARMED: Finland has roughly 1.6 million firearms in private hands. The country's 650,000 licensed gun owners — about 13 percent of the population of 5.2 million — include hunters, practice shooters and gun collectors.
In Europe, only Switzerland comes close to Finland in gun ownership: each member of Switzerland's militia army is allowed to keep his gun after completing military service.
LAX GUN... (GunPolicy.org)
Massacre in Finland: PM Says Handguns Should Not Leave Pistol Club
23 September 2008
BBC News
Finland's prime minister has called for gun laws to be tightened after a school shooting that left 11 people dead.
Matti Vanhanen said he believed handguns should no longer be used outside shooting ranges.
Matti Juhani Saari shot fellow students at a college in western Finland before turning his gun on himself.
It emerged that he had been questioned by police after posting on the internet a video clip of himself at a shooting range, but had not been detained.... (GunPolicy.org)
Another Finland Gun Club Member Shoots, Kills 10 College Students
23 September 2008
Agence France Presse
KAUHAJOKI, Finland — A masked student went on the rampage at a Finnish school Tuesday, methodically gunning down 10 people before killing himself, a day after police quizzed him over a chilling YouTube warning.
Young women screamed as the 22-year-old shooter stalked the corridors of the vocational college in a ski mask and black outfit letting off round after round at helpless students before starting several fires, witnesses and police said.
The massacre in... (GunPolicy.org)
California Man, 27, Rents Weapon at Gun Club, Kills Himself on Range
10 September 2008
Press-Telegram (California)
ARTESIA, California — Homicide officials are investigating a shooting death that occurred at The Insight Indoor Shooting Range on Wednesday.
A 27-year-old man rented out a gun at the range and had been practicing briefly before witnesses found him with a gunshot wound to the head at about 2 p.m., said Lt. Brian Proctor of the Lakewood Sheriff's Station.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, Proctor said. No further details on the man's identity were available.... (GunPolicy.org)
Quebec Bans Guns in Schools, Public Transit, Tightens Gun Club Rules
1 September 2008
Canadian Press
MONTREAL — Quebec's new gun control legislation, Bill 9, comes into force today.
The legislation is dubbed Anastasia's law in memory of 18-year-old Anastasia DeSousa, who was killed during the Sept. 2006 Dawson College shooting.
The law bans the possession of firearms in schools and daycare centres and on public and school transportation.
Fines for contravening the law forbidding firearm possession on those premises range from $500 to $5,000.
Under the new rules,... (GunPolicy.org)
Son Shoots Father in the Back with Shotgun at Ohio Gun Club
25 August 2008
Fox TV News (Cleveland)
AMHERST TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A former assistant prosecutor in Lorain County has been upgraded to fair condition Monday after he was shot in the back while skeet shooting at a local gun club this weekend.
It happened Saturday afternoon at the Sportsmen Gun and Reel Club in Amherst Township.
Investigators say that Jonathan Rosenbaum, 54, was there with his son.
According to the Lorain County Sheriff's Department, 23-year-old Aaron Rosenbaum told deputies that his gun... (GunPolicy.org)
Germany,Switzerland,Italy,United Kingdom,Australia,South Africa
Gun Laws in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, UK, Australia, South Africa
26 June 2008
Associated Press
GERMANY:
Requires license to obtain and use firearms and stipulates a check on the "reliability and suitability" of holders at least once every three years. Under-25s must undergo psychological screening. Buyers must justify why they need a gun.
Would-be buyers of recreational firearms must produce proof of regular membership in shooting club for at least one year. Legal age for owning recreational firearms is 21. That was raised from 18 in 2002, the year an alienated... (GunPolicy.org)
Toronto Pulls Trigger on Gun Clubs, Evicts Shooting Ranges from City
24 June 2008
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
Two gun clubs on city property - including one in the rafters of Union Station — will get the boot under Mayor David Miller's new rules aimed at curbing the number of handguns in the city, approved yesterday by city council.
After a near daylong debate, council voted 31-9 for a policy that prevents new gun clubs and manufacturers from setting up in the city.
The two affected gun clubs — the Scarborough Rifle Club at the Don Montgomery Community Recreation Centre,... (GunPolicy.org)
Toronto Councillors Back Down on City-wide Ban of All Gun Clubs
4 June 2008
Toronto Star (Ontario)
Mayor David Miller's powerful executive committee has reversed course on part of a proposed anti-firearms policy after getting an earful from the gun lobby.
A city report on measures to address gun violence in Toronto called for several steps, the most controversial being to terminate leases with two gun clubs that run shooting ranges on city property at Union Station and a Scarborough community centre.
The committee instead asked staff to draft a report on options... (GunPolicy.org)
Toronto Mayor Triggers Gun Club Anger in Push to Ban City Sport Shooting
4 June 2008
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
Gun enthusiasts, including an Olympic sport shooter, confronted Toronto Mayor David Miller yesterday over his plan to shut down two shooting ranges on city property and ban all new gun clubs, persuading his executive committee to offer a kind of reprieve.
After nearly six hours of hearings and debate, the mayor and his executive committee voted to recommend that city council allow the two gun clubs — one in the rafters of Union Station, the other in a Scarborough... (GunPolicy.org)
Mayor's Proposal to Close All Toronto's Gun Clubs Misses the Mark
3 June 2008
Toronto Star (Ontario), Column
Not content with the call for a ban on handguns, Mayor David Miller wants to close down shooting ranges and gun clubs on city-owned facilities. And he wants changes that would prohibit the manufacture, warehousing, distribution and discharging of handguns anywhere.
Earlier this year, Miller called for a nationwide ban on handguns. The majority of citizens responded with, "Me, too."
Today, the mayor has moved a reasonable, supportable idea beyond the bounds of fairness... (GunPolicy.org)
Toronto Politicians Hear Impassioned Pleas to Ban, Not Ban City Gun Clubs
3 June 2008
CTV News (Toronto)
Gun enthusiasts voiced their displeasure on Tuesday over Toronto Mayor David Miller's plan to shut down the two gun clubs on city-owned facilities, while opponents and the police board threw their support behind the proposal.
In his latest bid to tackle the problem of illegal guns, Miller has proposed closing the clubs, including the 40-year-old Scarborough Rifle Club.
Some gun owners fired off at an executive meeting at city hall, saying closing the clubs won't... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed Toronto Gun Collector Loses 80 'Improperly Stored' Firearms
29 May 2008
CITY News (Toronto)
As Mayor David Miller fights to rid the city of both legal and illegal guns police raided an east end home and seized dozens of firearms and some ammunition.
Authorities entered the home in the Queen Street and Victoria Park area early Thursday morning where they removed over 80 guns and several rounds of ammunition apparently belonging to a collector.
Police allege the firearms were being stored improperly.
Miller has been fighting to have handguns banned for years... (GunPolicy.org)
Toronto's Mayor Wants All Gun Clubs, Sport Shooting Ranges Shut Down
27 May 2008
Toronto Star (Ontario)
Mayor David Miller wants to close recreational shooting ranges in Toronto, along with giving the city power to block gun manufacturers and wholesalers from opening new plants or warehouses.
"Nobody can deny that hobby directly results in people being shot and killed on the streets of our city," Miller said of sport shooting yesterday, amid debate on a possible gun bylaw.
Canadian Olympic pistol shooter and downtown resident Avianna Chao begs to differ. She says that... (GunPolicy.org)
Negative Publicity Pushes Canadian Gun Clubs Into Realm of Secret Society
21 April 2008
CITY-TV News (Toronto)
TORONTO, Ontario — The first rule of gun club is, you don't talk about gun club.
Ranges that cater to sport shooters are increasingly secretive and an outsider's attempts to gain access to a gun club, such as the one hidden in the rafters at Union Station, are difficult, if not impossible without an invitation from a long-standing member. Media attempts are even more vehemently thwarted, and Tony Bernardo, Executive Director of the Canadian Sports Shooting... (GunPolicy.org)
Safety Record of Grand Old British Shooting Club Marred by Gun Suicide
16 April 2008
Woking News and Mail (UK)
A man found dead at a shooting centre is believed to have shot himself in the head.
The grim discovery was made by staff at the shotgun ranges of Bisley's National Rifle Association.
Centre director Jeremy Staples said: "Unfortunately a male was found close to the shot gun ranges last Monday. It appeared that he had self-inflicted shotgun injuries.
"The site was closed as there is no shooting on Monday. We immediately called paramedics and police who took over the... (GunPolicy.org)
'Strict Gun Laws, Fewer People Shot,' Says Toronto Mayor. Is It That Clear?
12 April 2008
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
The way Judith Ross describes her favourite hobby, you'd swear she was talking about hatha yoga or a Buddhist pursuit. "It's almost like a meditation," she says, "an experience of focus and concentration. You have to be relaxed and calm."
Dr. Ross, a 69-year-old retired psychologist who worked for 30 years at the University of Toronto, is a sport shooter, regularly heading off to her gun club to pursue her passion. When she started about 25 years ago, she used static... (GunPolicy.org)
Thousands of US Firearm Collectors See Guns as a Hobby Like Any Other
11 March 2008
Reuters
DOUGLAS, Arizona — An odd contraption in retired firefighter Alex Black's cluttered garage looks a bit like the hand winch at the top of a well. In fact, it is a machinegun.
Turning the shiny brass handle spat out a withering hail of bullets that transformed modern warfare.
"You march in to battle in straight lines against this, and nobody comes back," said Black, standing beside the hefty, carriage-mounted Colt Gatling Gun, which he restored over the course of a... (GunPolicy.org)
Michigan Firearm Owner Falls on Handgun, Dies at Gun Club Range
10 March 2008
Associated Press
LARKIN TOWNSHIP, Michigan — An accidental shooting at an outdoor gun range in Midland County has left a 48-year-old man dead.
The Saginaw News, WNEM-TV and WSGW-AM report Michael Laurson was alone Sunday at the Midland County Sportsman's Club in Larkin Township when he slipped and fell.
The sheriff's department says a handgun he was carrying went off, fatally wounding him. Authorities say he had several guns.
The shooting is under investigation, but foul play isn't... (GunPolicy.org)
California Man Rents Pistol, Commits Suicide at LA Target Shooting Club
21 February 2008
Torrance Daily Breeze (California)
NORTHRIDGE — Authorities today identified a 65-year-old man who committed suicide at a Northridge shooting range by shooting himself in the head.
Richard Mackay of Tarzana was pronounced dead at the scene, Lt. John Kadas of the coroner's office said.
The shooting occurred around 3:15 p.m. Wednesday at the Firing-Line indoor shooting range at 18348 Eddy St., where Mackay rented a 9-mm pistol, police said.
Mackay had joined the target shooting club several weeks ago,... (GunPolicy.org)
Veteran Pennsylvania Gun Club Worker Died After Uzi 'Went Off' in His Face
15 February 2008
Pocono Record (Pennsylvania)
POCONO TOWNSHIP — Anton Bonifacic, the owner of the Sunset Hill Shooting Range on Route 314, has been handling guns for 35 years.
For Bonifacic, who lives by the commandments of gun safety, what happened Thursday morning to his friend and employee, Russell Stephens Jr., was a nightmare come true.
At 9:40 a.m., Stephens, 38, of Delaware Water Gap, an instructor at the range for the past two years, was removing firearms from the overnight storage safe to take out onto... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Man Joined Gun Club, Bought Handgun, Shot Innocent Passerby
16 January 2008
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
A Scarborough man accused in the shooting death of an innocent bystander outside a Yonge Street strip bar on the weekend became a full member of a target-shooting club north of Toronto last October.
As such, Edward Paredes, 23, had successfully completed eight probationary shoots under close scrutiny of fellow members of The Grange Firearms Association. The club is one of seven, with a combined membership of about 2,000, that convene at the Target Sports Center in... (GunPolicy.org)
Toronto Gun Club Member Murdered Innocent Man with Legal Pistol - Police
13 January 2008
Toronto Sun (Ontario)
It was a stray bullet fired from a pistol legally registered to an accused gunman that instantly killed an innocent father of a young son in a weekend tragedy, police said.
And while John O'Keefe, who was not involved in the Yonge St. dispute died at 1:16 a.m. Saturday, two young men who have never been in trouble with the law now face a lifetime in jail.
The 42-year-old victim, a manager of a retail store and the father of a 9-year-old boy from a previous... (GunPolicy.org)
On Bail for Killing Wife, UK Police Inspector Shoots Her Mother, Then Himself
13 January 2008
News of The World (UK)
A police inspector accused of murdering his wife killed himself on Saturday after apparently shooting his mother-in-law dead.
Metropolitan Police officer Weddell, 45, who was out on £200,000 bail, is understood to have committed suicide yesterday morning at the Broomhills Shooting Club in Markyate, Herts.
The discovery of his body sparked a frantic police search and the body of a woman believed to be his mother-in-law was found at an address in Gustard Wood, Herts,... (GunPolicy.org)
Many US Gun Ranges Threatened by Suburbs, Noise, Lead Pollution Laws
13 January 2008
New York Times
FAIRFIELD, New Jersey — Down a winding, tree-lined road near the banks of the Passaic River, trap shooters blast away outdoors at the New Jersey Clay Target Club, making it hard for David Acosta, who lives in a nearby house, to sleep in on weekends.
"It can be bothersome," he said. "They start pretty early."
Mr. Acosta, 28, has lived in the house since 1994 with his mother, Gladys Masterson, 49, who said she did not know about the shooting range when she moved in... (GunPolicy.org)
Another Shooting Range Customer Found Shot Dead at Texas Gun Club
6 January 2008
KHOU-TV News (Texas)
Pasadena police are investigating a woman's shooting death at a gun range.
The incident occurred Saturday evening at the Pasadena Gun Center.
Witnesses say the woman came in around 6:50 p.m., got a gun and retreated to the shooting stall.
About 30 minutes later, the owner was closing up when he found the woman lying dead in the back.
It was unclear if the shooting was... (GunPolicy.org)
Finnish School Shooter Qualified for His Handgun Simply by Joining a Club
16 November 2007
International Herald Tribune, Opinion
The horror that struck Finland last week was inconceivable, incomprehensible, unbearable. The massacre of children, at school, by their classmate — no one can make sense of such a calamity.
Yet as commentators were quick to point out, the scenario at Jokela High School was grimly familiar. A teenage boy, filled with existential angst and rage, buys a gun, takes it to school and opens fire, killing several people before taking his own life.
Prior to the murders, he... (GunPolicy.org)
Finnish PM Seeks Firearm Regulation Probe After School Gun Massacre
11 November 2007
International Herald Tribune / AP
HELSINKI, Finland — Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen has called for an investigation of the country's firearms regulations following a shooting in which an 18-year old student killed eight people and himself, he said Sunday.
Vanhanen told Radio Suomi he wanted to see whether it is possible to prohibit licensed owners from bringing guns home with them from shooting clubs.
He suggested firearms could be kept instead in locked rooms at the clubs, but said changing... (GunPolicy.org)
Finnish PM 'Surprised' at Killer's Easy Gun Access, Mulls Tougher Controls
11 November 2007
Reuters
HELSINKI — Gun policies will be reviewed in Finland after its deadliest school shooting where a student shot eight people, Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said on Sunday.
Pekka-Eric Auvinen, who killed six fellow students, two staff members and himself on Wednesday at the Jokela high school, obtained a licence for a .22 calibre handgun through a gun club last month.
"It was an unfortunate surprise for me that one can get a licence for a handgun by visiting a... (GunPolicy.org)
Finnish Killer's Internet Contact With US Columbine Fans 'Highly Probable'
10 November 2007
Times (UK)
TUUSULA, Finland — The YouTube killer who shot dead eight members of his school in Finland before turning his gun on himself had internet contacts with an American teenager who was planning a shooting spree in a high school in Philadelphia, it was claimed yesterday.
The disclosure could turn upside down previous assumptions about the dynamics of school massacres. Until now, teenage killers were regarded as depressed loners whose imagination had been stoked by... (GunPolicy.org)
Schoolboy's Shooting Spree Triggers Calls for Greater Gun Control in Finland
9 November 2007
Guardian (UK)
JOKELA — Candle flames flickered in kitchen windows across a chilly Finland last night as the country of 5 million people learned more details about the school massacre carried out by a student who felt himself cast out and bullied by his fellow pupils.
Police investigating the midday rampage that left nine dead on Wednesday said the 18-year-old gunman, Pekka-Eric Auvinen, had been bent on exacting maximum damage.
A 25-year-old mother of two was among the dead. She... (GunPolicy.org)
Guns Common, Easy to Get in Finland: Schoolboy Mass Killer Joined a Club
8 November 2007
Sydney Morning Herald / Reuters / AFP
Finland's accommodating gun laws are likely to attract criticism after an 18-year-old gunman shot dead seven children and a school principal.
About 56 of every 100 Finns own a gun according to a study by the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International Studies this year, putting the rate of firearm ownership in Finland third after the United States and Yemen.
The government has said Finland's low crime rate meant there was little need for harsher gun... (GunPolicy.org)
Finnish School Killer Used Legally Owned Sig Sauer .22cal Semi-auto Pistol
8 November 2007
Helsingin Sanomat (Helsinki)
A deep sense of sorrow and shock descended over Finland on Wednesday after eight pupils and staff died in a shooting spree at the Jokela school in the municipality of Tuusula north of Helsinki.
The shooting is the most serious crime of violence ever committed in a Finnish school.
The gunman, identified as 18-year-old Pekka-Eric Auvinen, a student at the upper secondary school, began shooting indiscriminately before noon on Wednesday. He shot himself at the end of... (GunPolicy.org)
Finnish School Shooter Was Given Licence, Pistol After 1 Hour at Gun Club
8 November 2007
YLE Radio Finland
At a press conference, police said Auvinen had acted alone. They described him as a lonely individual with extreme opinions.
Chief Inspector of the National Bureau of Investigation Rabbe von Hertzen said the perpetrator had chosen his victims at random, all of whom have now been identified. They were six of the high school's students, the school principal and school nurse. The victims had sustained injuries to the upper body and head.
Some 69 rounds were fired during... (GunPolicy.org)
Finns Mourn Victims of School Killing, US Pundit Fears Copycat Shootings
8 November 2007
Associated Press
TUUSULA, Finland — An 18-year-old gunman who killed seven other students and the principal before mortally wounding himself in a rampage was a social outcast who was "bullied in school," a senior police official said Thursday.
Investigators said the gunman, identified as Pekka-Eric Auvinen, shot himself in the head after the shooting spree Wednesday at Jokela High School in Tuusula, some 30 miles north of the capital, Helsinki.
Police were analyzing YouTube postings... (GunPolicy.org)
Finnish School Killer Imported Shooting Script from Columbine, Virginia Tech
8 November 2007
Washington Post
TUUSULA, Finland — A teenager who called himself "a natural predator" shot and killed seven of his classmates and the principal inside a public high school here Wednesday, police said, one day after posting a video on YouTube in which he foreshadowed a massacre.
The midday attack, which ended with the 18-year-old gunman taking his own life, jolted this Scandinavian country of 5.3 million people. A nation of hunters and sportsmen, Finland has the third-highest rate... (GunPolicy.org)
Finnish Student Joined Gun Club to Get Pistol, Shot 8, Killed Himself
7 November 2007
Bloomberg (USA)
Seven schoolchildren and their principal were killed when a student opened fire in a town near Helsinki, in the deadliest shooting in Finland's history. The gunman shot himself in the head and died later in hospital.
The 18-year-old student, identified by police as Pekka-Eric Auvinen, started shooting with a handgun during lessons yesterday at the Jokela secondary school in Tuusula, killing five boys and two girls as well as the principal, Helena Kalmi, police said at... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed Pistol Club Member Kills Eight in Finnish School Shooting Spree
7 November 2007
Associated Press
TUUSULA, Finland — An 18-year-old gunman opened fire at his high school in this placid town in southern Finland on Wednesday, killing seven other students and the principal before mortally wounding himself in a rampage that stunned a nation where gun crime is rare.
Police were analyzing YouTube postings that appeared to anticipate the massacre, including clips in which a young man calls for revolution and apparently prepares for the attack by test firing a... (GunPolicy.org)