Gun Policy News
Firearm violence prevention in America
Florida Shooting Survivors Are Fighting Back
21 February 2018
Guardian
The students who survived a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school are aiming to reshape America's gun control debate.
"You're either with us or against us," senior Emma González told politicians on Sunday, following a viral speech to gun control advocates the day before when she promised, "We are going to be the last mass shooting."
Many people see the American gun control debate as a helpless stalemate dominated by the intransigence of the National Rifle... (GunPolicy.org)
'Guns Don't Kill People; Toddlers Kill People' - Brady US TV Ad
17 October 2016
USA Today
In a nation where someone utters the phrase "guns don't kill people, people do" in nearly every gun debate, a new gun control campaign agrees and goes a step further: It's not just people that kill people, but toddlers.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence released a satirical video Monday calling for the deportation of toddlers, who obtained firearms and shot people on a weekly basis in 2015. The ad begins with a barrage of images showing children holding... (GunPolicy.org)
4,500 Gun Violence Deaths While US Congress Was on Break
6 September 2016
Fusion (USA)
As America's elected representatives returned from their nearly two-month-long summer break on Tuesday, they were met with a stark number awaiting their arrival:
4,500.
That's how many people the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence says were killed by firearms since Congress broke for its summer recess on July 18.
"Congress is in for a rude awakening today if they thought seven weeks of vacation would wipe the slate clean," Dan Gross, President of the Brady... (GunPolicy.org)
Gays Against Guns Campaign Targets US Funds, Gun Makers
15 August 2016
Guardian
Hundreds of gay activists will begin a campaign of civil disobedience and direct action against gun companies and their supporters on Monday, to demand an end to the epidemic of gun violence blighting the US.
Members of Gays Against Guns, a group formed in the wake of the massacre of 49 people at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando earlier this summer, said they would "no longer stand by and watch the gun industry profit from death".
Organizers of the collective, which... (GunPolicy.org)
Two Major US Gun Control Groups Merge, Pool Resources
16 March 2016
USA Today
WASHINGTON — The group created by former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords to push for tighter control on the sale of guns is merging with a group focused on the legal issues surrounding gun control.
The merger, announced Wednesday, brings together the notoriety of Giffords' Americans for Responsible Solutions in Washington with the legal acumen of the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence in San Francisco.
For now, the two groups will retain separate names and separate... (GunPolicy.org)
Ted Cruz Australia Gun Law, Violence Claims Rubbished
25 January 2016
Washington Post
"And as you know, Hugh, after Australia did that [gun buyback program], the rate of sexual assaults, the rate of rapes, went up significantly, because women were unable to defend themselves." - Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), interview on "Hugh Hewitt Show," Jan. 12, 2016
We've heard politicians make all sorts of conclusions about the 1996 gun buyback program in Australia: that it worked, that it didn't work, that it brought crime rates down, that it made no difference on... (GunPolicy.org)
United Kingdom,Canada,United States,Australia
US Political Debate About Australian-Style Gun Laws
20 October 2015
Sydney Morning Herald
Asked about Hillary Clinton's suggestion that the United States consider Australian-style gun laws, one of the country's leading gun industry champions laughed.
"You've got to ask yourself how much the NRA paid the Clinton Foundation to get her to say that," Richard Feldman, a former National Rifle Association lobbyist said.
"Forget gold, that comment is worth its weight in platinum."
Australia has been raised again in the US debate over guns in the wake of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Of 1500 Top Pro or Con Web Sites, Ratio Against Gun Control is 3 to 1
15 May 2014
MIT Technology Review, Blog
On 14 December 2012, Adam Lanza shot and killed his mother, then drove to Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut and gunned down 20 children and six adult staff members before killing himself.
The incident was the deadliest shooting at a school in US history and triggered an intense debate about gun control. That debate continues today.
One problem is that there is growing evidence online that people tend to seek out views that agree with their own and... (GunPolicy.org)
Former New York Mayor Plans $50M Gun Control Network
16 April 2014
Associated Press
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg plans to spend $50 million this year on a new group that will mix campaign contributions with field operations aimed at pulling 1 million gun-control supporters to the polls, he announced Wednesday, adding a new dimension to his long-running fight for tighter firearms regulation.
The new organization, Everytown for Gun Safety, plans to mobilize voters to back candidates and ballot measures supporting such causes as enhancing... (GunPolicy.org)
NRA Moves Campaigning to New Arena in Fight Over US Surgeon General
21 March 2014
Los Angeles Times, Editorial
WASHINGTON — In recent years, the National Rifle Assn. has stepped into fights over judicial nominees it views as weak on 2nd Amendment rights, but its decision to oppose a surgeon general nominee takes the powerful lobby into new territory, expanding its campaign to a post that has no direct power to regulate guns.
President Obama's nominee, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, a Massachusetts internist and former emergency room doctor, has called for more stringent gun laws. But... (GunPolicy.org)
Editorial: US Gun Lobby's Latest Bizarre Crusade
17 March 2014
New York Times, Editorial
The National Rifle Association has mounted an outrageous campaign to torpedo President Obama's nomination of an outstanding young doctor to be the next surgeon general of the United States because of his attitudes on gun control. The sad part is, the campaign is causing some nervous Democrats whose votes may be needed for Senate confirmation to consider breaking with the president to bolster their own chances for re-election in states where the gun lobby is... (GunPolicy.org)
US Dems Join NRA to Oppose Obama's 'Anti-Gun' Pick for Surgeon General
14 March 2014
New York Times
WASHINGTON — Facing a possible defeat in the Senate, the White House is considering delaying a vote on President Obama's choice for surgeon general or withdrawing the nomination altogether, an acknowledgment of its fraying relationship with Senate Democrats.
The nominee, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, an internist and political ally of the president's, has come under criticism from the National Rifle Association, and opposition from the gun-rights group has grown so intense... (GunPolicy.org)
Under Pressure, Facebook Announces Major Gun Policy Changes
5 March 2014
CBS News (USA)
After a campaign by gun control advocates to address concerns of firearm-related commercial activity on Facebook, the company today announced a series of "educational and enforcement" measures regarding discussion of guns and other regulated items on its social networks.
The changes, which also apply to Facebook-owned Instagram, include new age limits for posts or pages promoting private sales of restricted items like firearms, alcohol or adult products. There's new... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Control Supporters Slam VISA's NRA Cards
23 February 2014
Voice of Russia (Moscow)
Gun control activists in the United States have shamed the Visa digital payments giant for helping the National Rifle Association (NRA) boost gun sales thanks to non-cash payments with the NRA's special VISA cards.
The so-called "Second Amendment" cards are part the NRA's efforts to prop up the constitutional amendment that grants individuals the right to keep and bear arms. They offer $35 bonuses and no annual fees and have enabled the NRA to add $20 million to its... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Lobby Upset New US Surgeon General Supports Gun Control
10 February 2014
Washington Times
President Obama is using every executive power in his arsenal to infringe on Second Amendment rights.
His latest maneuver is to nominate a rabidly anti-gun doctor to be the next U.S. surgeon general. Dr. Vivek Murthy is facing Senate approval in upcoming weeks.
Dr. Murthy is the 36-year-old president and co-founder of Doctors for America, a group that advocates for Obamacare and gun control laws.
The group calls gun violence "a public health crisis." It pushes for... (GunPolicy.org)
High-Profile US Gun Control Groups Join Forces
18 December 2013
USA Today
Moms will soon join mayors in a push to limit access to illegal firearms, as two high-profile groups reveal plans to merge.
Outgoing New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Mayors Against Illegal Guns on Thursday will announce that it is joining with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a year-old grassroots campaign launched the day after the Dec. 14, 2012, shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
The combined group will align Bloomberg's... (GunPolicy.org)
US Mayors Group Says Thousands of Guns Sold Illegally Online
12 December 2013
Reuters
Thousands of guns are being offered for sale illegally by unlicensed firearms dealers on a single U.S. website, according to a report released on Thursday by a group of U.S. mayors campaigning for gun control.
Mayors Against Illegal Guns, founded and largely funded by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, examined sales on Armslist.com, a major gun-trading website that enables sales in all 50 states, over an eight-week period this year.
It said nearly a third of the ads... (GunPolicy.org)
Opinion: US Gun Use Is Out Of Control. Shouldn't The World Intervene?
21 September 2013
Guardian (UK), Opinion
Last week, Starbucks asked its American customers to please not bring their guns into the coffee shop. This is part of the company's concern about customer safety and follows a ban in the summer on smoking within 25 feet of a coffee shop entrance and an earlier ruling about scalding hot coffee. After the celebrated Liebeck v McDonald's case in 1994, involving a woman who suffered third-degree burns to her thighs, Starbucks complies with the Specialty Coffee Association... (GunPolicy.org)
When the US Senate Gun Control Bill Died, So Did the Story
14 July 2013
Washington Post, Blog
Seven months ago, Adam Lanza blasted his way into a first-grade classroom at Sandy Hook Elementary School, murdering 20 children and six staff members before turning the gun on himself.
The massacre in Newtown, Conn., set off a furious debate, prompting an unprecedented amount of media attention on America's gun laws. But the press's declining interest in gun control in recent months illustrates just how hard it is for advocates to keep a story alive once Washington... (GunPolicy.org)
US Democrats Quietly Renew Push for Gun Measures
13 June 2013
New York Times
WASHINGTON — Democratic leaders in Congress and the White House renewed their push for gun legislation on Thursday, just months after it was defeated in the Senate, amid delicate talks on a new background-check measure that advocates hope could change enough votes from no to yes.
But those negotiations met a warning from Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, who said he would not accept any bill that is substantially weaker than the one defeated in... (GunPolicy.org)
Why Aren't US Gun Control Advocates Focusing More on Online Sales?
17 April 2013
Atlantic (USA)
Despite clear demonstrations of the ease with which anonymous weapons transactions can occur online — including ties to mass shooting incidents — the issue has been largely sidelined during the political debate.
After all, the "gun show loophole" — the shorthand expression for exempting a number of gun buyers from background checks — is much more than a gun show loophole. The image of two guy shaking hands to finalize a sale in a crowded, well-lit conference... (GunPolicy.org)
Syria,North Korea,Iran,United States
Expert Says Explaining Benefits of Arms Treaty will Boost US Support
11 April 2013
New York Times, Opinion
On April 2, the United States joined an overwhelming majority of countries at the United Nations in voting to adopt a treaty regulating the international trade in conventional weapons — a monumental achievement after seven years of diplomacy, lobbying and out-and-out arm-twisting.
The United States pushed for the General Assembly vote last week after securing, in a March conference, the treaty language its negotiators wanted.
Yet now, just days after the United... (GunPolicy.org)
Mayor Says NYC is Example on How to Combat Youth Gun Crime
5 April 2013
Washington Post
NEW YORK — New York City's mayor met Thursday with the parents of a Chicago girl killed just days after performing at President Barack Obama's inaugural festivities, then suggested that places interested in reducing gun violence might want to emulate the Big Apple, where studies have found teenagers are less likely to carry weapons than in any other major U.S. city.
The meeting between Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the parents of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, who was... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Running into Mexico on the Rise as US Admits Lack of Data on Guns
4 April 2013
San Marco Mercury
As the gun control debate swirls around issues like background checks and mental health, a new study reveals that gun running into Mexico remains a large-scale problem.
In their report, titled "The Way of the Gun," researchers at the University of San Diego's Trans-Border Institute estimated that as many as 253,000 firearms were purchased in the United States from 2010 to 2012 for the sole purpose of being trafficked across the border into Mexico. The figure is nearly... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia's Gun Controls a Political Template for US
3 April 2013
Reuters
Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard wore a bullet proof vest under his suit when he addressed an angry crowd of gun owners in 1996, telling them he was going to ban automatic and semi-automatic weapons for the safety of all Australians.
At other rallies, effigies of his deputy prime minister Tim Fischer were hanged by opponents of gun control.
The battle for gun control in Australia, after the country's worst massacre in which 35 people were shot dead, was... (GunPolicy.org)
US President Uses Executive Power to Advance Gun Control Agenda
29 March 2013
The Hill (Washington DC)
President Obama is quietly moving forward on gun control.
The president has used his executive powers to bolster the national background check system, jumpstart government research on the causes of gun violence and create a million-dollar ad campaign aimed at safe gun ownership.
The executive steps will give federal law enforcement officials access to more data about guns and their owners, help keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill, and lay the... (GunPolicy.org)
Bloomberg Funds $12m US Gun Law Campaign
25 March 2013
BBC News
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is bankrolling a $12m (£7.8m) advertising campaign for tougher gun control laws.
The television adverts will run in 13 states and urge voters to persuade their senators to back comprehensive background checks for gun buyers.
Mr Bloomberg, a strong supporter of gun control, has said he is cautiously optimistic of winning over Congress, which votes on the issue next month.
But his campaign has been dismissed by the National Rifle... (GunPolicy.org)
NRA Lobbies for Domestic Abusers and Drinking, Disturbed Gun Owners
20 March 2013
al Jazeera
The National Rifle Association's guns-at-all-costs mentality and total disregard for public safety has already put it in the uncomfortable position of opposing the most basic laws to protect the public safety. It opposes the regulations that would help stop disturbed young men from going on shooting sprees in schools with weapons that are as easy to fire as video game controllers. It opposes the international Arms Trade Treaty, which according to the Washington Post... (GunPolicy.org)
How the White House Silenced US Gun Control Groups
7 March 2013
Politico (Washington DC)
President Barack Obama's gun control agenda is looking more doomed by the day, but gun control advocates still haven't said a word to complain.
That's no accident.
The White House knew its post-Newtown effort would require bringing key gun control groups into the fold. So the White House offered a simple arrangement: the groups could have access and involvement, but they'd have to offer silence and support in exchange.
The implied rules, according to conversations... (GunPolicy.org)
Comprehensive Study of Mass Shootings by US Gun Control Campaign
22 February 2013
Demand a Plan / Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Blog
Using new data from the FBI, Mayors Against Illegal Guns updated its comprehensive study of mass shootings. The 25 percent increase in incidents — to a total of 56 over the last four years, more than one per month — strengthens its conclusions about where mass shootings occur, what weapons are used, and what other factors are at play:
- Less than 1% of gun murder victims were killed as part of incidents with four or more victims.
- In at least 57 percent of the... (GunPolicy.org)
How the Gun-Control Movement in America Got Smart
7 February 2013
Atlantic (USA)
Here is how advocates of gun control used to talk about their cause: They openly disputed that the Second Amendment conferred the right to own a gun. Their major policy goals were to make handguns illegal and enroll all U.S. gun owners in a federal database. The group now known as the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence was once known as Handgun Control Inc.; a 2001 book by the executive director of the Violence Policy Center was entitled Every Handgun Is Aimed at... (GunPolicy.org)
US Author: Australian Gun Deaths Fall After Ban, Buybacks
31 January 2013
PolitiFact
Author Stephen King once asked his publisher to pull one of his novels off the shelves.
Six people had died — in real life.
Four boys in 10 years brought guns to school. One killed a teacher and two students. Another shot five members of a prayer group, killing three. All four teenagers had read Rage, a book King wrote when he was a teen himself and published under another name.
King, in a blunt, impassioned essay, wrote that when he learned of the copycat crimes,... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Lobby Plans 'Gun Appreciation Day' as Tougher Controls Debated
15 January 2013
Time (USA)
Well, this is awkward: Some Americans are celebrating Gun Appreciation Day on Jan. 19 — two days before President Obama's second inauguration, nine days after a teenager opened fire at a California high school, the same week as the one-month anniversary of the Newtown, Conn. school shooting and the same month as the second anniversary of the Gabrielle Giffords shooting in Tuscon, Ariz.
But Gun Appreciation Day isn't a long-standing tradition with poor timing. Nope,... (GunPolicy.org)
US Vice-President to Lead Meeting on Gun Control Measures
9 January 2013
New York Times
WASHINGTON — President Obama is planning a comprehensive effort to pass legislation and use executive orders to prevent gun violence, representatives of about a dozen gun control organizations were told Wednesday at a White House meeting.
"The president and I are determined to take action. This is not an exercise in photo opportunities," Vice President Joseph R. Biden said as photographers were given a chance to take pictures before the closed-door meeting.
During... (GunPolicy.org)
Africa,United States,Americas,Oceania,Europe,Asia
US Gun Lobby Accused of Lying to Public About UN Arms Trade Treaty
28 December 2012
Reuters
The leading U.S. pro-gun group, the National Rifle Association, has vowed to fight a draft international treaty to regulate the $70 billion global arms trade and dismissed suggestions that a recent U.S. school shooting bolstered the case for such a pact.
The U.N. General Assembly voted on Monday to restart negotiations in mid-March on the first international treaty to regulate conventional arms trade after a drafting conference in July collapsed because the U.S. and... (GunPolicy.org)
US Stings Show Need for Controls on Online Gun Sales, Family Sues Site
12 December 2012
Guardian (UK)
The family of a woman who was murdered last year by a stalker wielding a .40-caliber handgun bought illegally on the internet is suing the gun website through which the firearm was procured for allegedly causing the shooting.
The legal action against Armslist.com, a web listing site that specialises in firearms, is the first of its kind and opens up a new front in the ongoing battle to tighten America's loose gun controls. It was filed in an Illinois court on Wednesday... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Attack Suspect Able to Access Guns Despite Stalking, Psych Issues
21 November 2012
New York Times / Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Missouri — A southwest Missouri man accused of plotting attacks at a movie theater and Walmart store legally bought the guns he allegedly planned to use, despite being forced to undergo a psychiatric exam three years ago after stalking a store clerk he said he planned to kill, authorities said.
Blaec Lammers, 20, was arrested last week after his mother told police she feared he was planning an attack. Authorities say Lammers told investigators he planned... (GunPolicy.org)
Candidates Avoid Gun Questions Ahead of American Election
19 October 2012
New York Times, Opinion
Let's give a cheer for Nina Gonzalez, the woman who asked Mitt Romney and Barack Obama about gun control at the presidential debate.
People, have you noticed how regularly this topic fails to come up? We have been having this campaign since the dawn of the ice age. Why wasn't there a gun control moment before now?
True, the candidates were asked about it after the horrific blood baths last summer in Colorado and Wisconsin. But there have been 43 American mass... (GunPolicy.org)
America's Gun Industry Thrives Under Obama, Gun Lobby Remains Alert
19 October 2012
Newser (USA) / Associated Press
President Barack Obama has presided over a heyday for the gun industry despite predictions by the National Rifle Association four years ago that he would be the "most anti-gun president in American history." The president hasn't pressed such an agenda, but gun owners still are afraid that, if re-elected, an Obama who wouldn't have to face voters again would try to restrict firearms purchases.
An analysis by The Associated Press of data tracking the health of the gun... (GunPolicy.org)
Former Caribbean Diplomat Calls for Continued Arms Treaty Support
3 August 2012
Caribbean 360, Opinion
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries joined dozens of other nations in fighting for a robust and comprehensive Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) during negotiations at the United Nations headquarters in New York from 2 to 27 July, but their efforts were frustrated by President Barack Obama's re-election campaign team.
The Caribbean countries have very good reason for wanting a strong ATT. In recent years, these countries have become the hapless victims... (GunPolicy.org)
Asia,United States,Philippines
Call for 'Gunless Society', Tougher Penalties in Philippines
30 July 2012
Philippine Star, Opinion
The Colorado Movie Theater shooting tragedy where 12 people were killed and 58 were injured during a sold-out midnight premier of the new Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises" brought chills to many around the world. Imagine a 24-year-old man named James Holmes unloaded four weapons' full of ammunition into the unsuspecting crowd without any fear whatsoever. And here we are in our neck of the woods selling ammunition like hotcakes to any Tom, Dick or Harry.
Many... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Lobby Wins One, Beats Back UN Treaty to Slow World Gun Trade
29 July 2012
San Francisco Chronicle
When a global treaty to limit shady weapons sales gets swept up in the gun-control debate, it's clear that this country has a problem. A bloc of U.S. senators, chiefly Republicans with a sprinkling of Democrats, has managed to derail a U.N. treaty to restrict weapons sales between countries.
The reasoning is spurious and shameful, a political play on distrust of the United Nations and unfounded fears about a loss of domestic gun rights. But the threat was enough to... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Africa,Americas,Asia,Europe,Oceania
Fact Check: Arms Trade Treaty Unlikely to Curb US Gun Rights - AP
28 July 2012
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Negotiators at the United Nations are working to put final touches on a treaty cracking down on the global, $60 billion business of illicit trading in small arms, a move aimed at curbing violence in some of the most troubled corners of the world. In the United States, gun activists denounce it as an attack on their constitutional right to bear arms.
"Without apology, the NRA wants no part of any treaty that infringes on the precious right of lawful... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Lobby War on Research into Effects of Gun Violence Continues
26 July 2012
Salon (USA)
As the tragic shooting in Colorado last week has reignited the debate over guns, one key public policy question — does gun control save lives? — is almost impossible to answer thanks to a dearth of research on the subject. That lack of research is no accident. It's the product of a concerted campaign by the gun lobby and its allies on Capitol Hill to stymie and even explicitly outlaw scientific research into gun violence in what critics charge is an attempt to... (GunPolicy.org)
Oceania,Africa,Europe,Asia,Americas,United States
Gun Rights: Why UN Small Arms Treaty is Another Land Mine for Obama
26 July 2012
Christian Science Monitor
WASHINGTON - After last week's shooting in Colorado, President Obama's remarks Wednesday night about gun violence were a rare departure for a president who usually steers clear of the subject. Now another gun issue is coming to a head that the president likely would just as soon avoid: the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty. …
The treaty, whose final version is due out on Friday, aims to regulate the $60 billion international trade in small arms in an effort to keep... (GunPolicy.org)
Americas,Africa,United States,Asia,Europe,Oceania
US Senators to Block UN Gun Trade Treaty Over Right to Bear Arms
26 July 2012
Globe & Mail (Toronto) / AP
WASHINGTON - A bipartisan group of 51 senators on Thursday threatened to oppose a global treaty regulating international weapons trade if it falls short in protecting Americans' constitutional right to bear arms.
In a letter to President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the senators expressed serious concerns with the draft treaty that has circulated at the United Nations, saying that it signals an expansion of gun control that would be... (GunPolicy.org)
US Atty Gen Contempt Citation 'Hollow Political Theatre' - All About Guns and Fear
27 June 2012
Fox News (USA)
The Republican majority's vote to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of congress is historic. No Attorney General has ever been so explicitly condemned by the Congress.
But the contempt citation is a hollow political theater. It has no substance – zero.
It will not produce any more documents or evidence about the botched sting operation to halt gun-running between the U.S. and Mexico.
And after Obama Justice Department and White House lawyers offered to... (GunPolicy.org)
Vigilante Street Shooting a Turning Point in US Gun Control Debate?
19 April 2012
Christian Science Monitor
For years, gun laws had grown less restrictive. But some gun rights advocacy has been curtailed after the Trayvon Martin shooting, which has provided ammunition for gun control groups.
ATLANTA - Will Americans leery of a decade of gun rights expansions stand their ground over the Trayvon Martin case?
The Feb. 26 shooting of the unarmed teenager in Sanford, Fla., by neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman, and the initial police decision not to charge Mr.... (GunPolicy.org)
NRA Gunfest Focuses US Fight Over 'Shoot First' Hidden Handgun Laws
14 April 2012
CBS News (USA)
ST. LOUIS - Avid hunter Rob West drove from Chillicothe, Ohio, to St. Louis this week to join some 70,000 fellow National Rifle Association members at the organization's annual convention, where seven acres of guns and gear were on display and where politics was never far from anyone's mind.
For the NRA, which opposes any restrictions on gun ownership and President Barack Obama's re-election, the Second Amendment right to bear arms is sacrosanct.
"We don't want... (GunPolicy.org)
What a Nerve: Mexican President Suggests a US Role in Gun Running
10 April 2012
The Hill (Washington DC)
The nerve of President Calderon of Mexico. How dare he come to the United States and utter two words Americans are no longer allowed to speak? I heard them myself in the Rose Garden last week: gun control.
Calderon's comments came in response to a reporter's question about the ongoing drug wars in Mexico, in which 11,000 people were killed in 2010 alone. What are you doing about the guns?
He began by noting that the level of gun violence in Mexico began to escalate in... (GunPolicy.org)
Federally Funded Research on US Gun Violence Banned for 10 Years
5 April 2012
Sacramento Bee (California) / McClatchy-Tribune News Service, Opinion
Yet another senseless killing spree shocked America this week, as word spread of Monday's tragedy at Oikos University in Oakland, Calif.
The pattern is all too familiar: A shooter possessed by pent-up anger or resentment apparently sets out to kill - not necessarily the people who caused his misery, but anyone connected to a place or institution with which it was associated. All of these deaths are tragic, but there is something especially poignant when the setting is... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Sacramento Bee (California) / McClatchy-Tribune News Service
Rise in Justifiable Homicides Linked to Weak US Gun Control Laws
5 April 2012
Guardian (UK)
NEW YORK - Rising numbers of civilian justifiable homicides across the US are closely linked to states with both weak gun controls and stand-your-ground laws, according to a Guardian analysis of FBI and other data, which show a 25% increase in such killings since the controversial self-defence laws started being introduced around 2005.
Stand-your-ground (SYG) measures, which have attracted increasing scrutiny since the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Trayvon... (GunPolicy.org)
Florida Turns 'Gunshine State' After Years of Republican Control
29 March 2012
Bloomberg (USA)
For years, Florida Capitol Police asked gun owners to check their firearms at the door. Not anymore.
Since a law in October made it easier to carry concealed weapons into the 1.2 million-square-foot government headquarters in Tallahassee, Senate security relies on alert buttons installed on the phones of lawmakers and staffers that let them instantly listen in to events.
"I don't think panic buttons are going to be very helpful if somebody charges into your office... (GunPolicy.org)
In 23 Rich Nations, 80% of Gun Death, 87% of Kids Shot Are American
28 March 2012
New Jersey Today
In a report released this month, the Children's Defense Fund has analyzed recent national data on gunfire deaths and produced some alarming figures on child casualties.
The report also criticizes a wave of new state gun-rights laws that the Washington D.C.-based advocacy group argues put children in ever more peril.
The nonprofit advocacy group dedicated its report, "Protect Kids, Not Guns 2012,"to Florida teen Trayvon Martin, who was shot dead in February by a... (GunPolicy.org)
Nearly Twice as Many US Preschoolers Die by Gunshot Than Police
28 March 2012
New Jersey Today
In a report released this month, the Children's Defense Fund has analyzed recent national data on gunfire deaths and produced some alarming figures on child casualties.
The report also criticizes a wave of new state gun-rights laws that the Washington D.C.-based advocacy group argues put children in ever more peril.
The nonprofit advocacy group dedicated its report, "Protect Kids, Not Guns 2012,"to Florida teen Trayvon Martin, who was shot dead in February by a... (GunPolicy.org)
Hidden Handgun Permit Holders Killed 391 US Civilians, Police in 5 Years
28 March 2012
New York Times, Column
The debate over the shooting death of Trayvon Martin seems to be devolving into an argument about the right to wear hoodies, but it really does not appear to be a promising development.
Congress, which never draws any serious conclusions from terrible tragedies involving gunplay, did have time on Wednesday to fight about whether Representative Bobby Rush of Chicago violated the House dress code when he took off his suit jacket, revealing a gray sweater he was wearing... (GunPolicy.org)
'Desperate, Dangerous' US Gun Lobby Reaches New 'Levels of Craziness'
21 March 2012
New York Times, Column
There is nothing so dangerous as a lobbying organization that's running out of stuff to lobby about.
I am thinking in particular of the National Rifle Association. These people are really in desperate straits. The state legislatures are almost all in session, but some of them have already pushed the gun-owner-rights issue about as far as it can go. You can only legalize carrying a concealed weapon in church once.
This year, in search of new worlds to conquer — or... (GunPolicy.org)
Twelve American States On Path to Hidden Handguns with No Permits
7 March 2012
USA Today
Legislatures in a dozen states are considering laws that would eliminate requirements that residents obtain permits to carry concealed weapons.
Gun-control advocates view the efforts as part of a long-range strategy to eventually weaken gun laws across the country. But supporters say armed, law-abiding citizens prevent crime.
Andrew Arulanandam, policy director for the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action, which supports these legislative... (GunPolicy.org)
Super Bowl TV Ad Makes New York Mayor Bloomberg US Gun Control King
4 February 2012
Christian Science Monitor
The gun control movement has faltered in recent years. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has vowed to spend his own fortune to buck that trend, most notably with a Super Bowl ad.
ATLANTA - With little political capital to lose and millions of his own cash to spend, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is determined to check the role of guns in American society.
A 30-second Super Bowl ad featuring Mr. Bloomberg on a couch with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino will go a long way... (GunPolicy.org)
New York, Boston Mayors Lead Influential American Gun Control Group
4 February 2012
Reuters
NEW YORK - Among the slick, million-dollar ads for the likes of Pepsi and Honda during the Super Bowl this Sunday, viewers in Washington will see a far more modest spot. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino will be sitting on a couch touting an issue most politicians avoid like the plague: gun control.
The two mayors, whose local teams face off in the big game, are making the pitch for Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG), the organization they... (GunPolicy.org)
Record Numbers of US Gun Checks, Sales for Christmas
1 January 2012
Telegraph (UK)
According to the FBI, over 1.5 million background checks on customers were requested by gun dealers to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System in December. Nearly 500,000 of those were in the six days before Christmas.
It was the highest number ever in a single month, surpassing the previous record set in November.
On Dec 23 alone there were 102,222 background checks, making it the second busiest single day for buying guns in history.
The actual number... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Lobby Group Raises $200 Million a Year, Aims to Unseat Obama
29 December 2011
Bloomberg (USA)
A toaster that burns the National Rifle Association's logo onto bread fetched $650 at an auction last month, just one reflection of the money-making power in the gun group's brand.
The NRA, which began as a grassroots organization dedicated to teaching marksmanship, enters the 2012 election season as a lobbying, merchandising and marketing machine that brings in more than $200 million a year and intends to help unseat the incumbent president. From 2004 to 2010, the... (GunPolicy.org)
NYC Mayor Cites 'Rampant' Illegal Internet Gun Sales, Targets CraigsList
14 December 2011
Reuters
NEW YORK - Almost two thirds of a sample of private online gun sellers in the United States were willing to sell a firearm to someone who could not pass a background check, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Wednesday.
Bloomberg, who is leading a national campaign against illegal guns, said a national investigation into online gun sales by private investigators hired by New York City uncovered a "vast and largely unregulated market for illegal guns."
The... (GunPolicy.org)
US Handgun Production, Imports Double in 4 Years: Women Lead Trend?
11 December 2011
Sydney Morning Herald, Bloomberg (USA)
NEW YORK -- Robin Natanel picks up a compact black pistol, barrel pointed down range. Gripping the gun with both hands, left foot forward, she raises the semi-automatic and methodically squeezes off five shots. The first one creases the left edge of a red bull's-eye on a target 7.5 metres away. The four others paint a 7.5-centimetre pattern around the first. If the target were a person's head or heart, he would probably be dead.
Natanel is a Buddhist, a self-avowed... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Nuts Need Fear, Conspiracies, Obama to Hate, Flourish, Raise Money
1 December 2011
New York Times, Opinion
PHOENIX — When it became clear in the early fall of 2008 that Barack Obama, son of a Kansan and a Kenyan, would be the 44th President of the United States, many citizens rushed to their gun shops, stocked up on ammo and camo, and tried to fortify their nests with all manner of lethal weapons.
Though he had said nothing about gun control in the campaign, Obama, to a certain kind of person, appeared to be a grave threat to the Second Amendment. He was urban —... (GunPolicy.org)
Canada's Conservative Government to Ease Gun Laws
25 October 2011
Associated Press
TORONTO — Canada's Conservative government introduced legislation Tuesday to scrap a controversial law that requires the registration of rifles and shotguns.
Canada has long required registration of hand guns, but the long-run registry law passed in 1995 faced bitter opposition from rural Canada, the Conservative party's base, which considered it an overreaction to the problem of urban crime.
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said they don't want laws targeting... (GunPolicy.org)
US 'Gun Murder Capital of World' as 6 Shot Dead in West Virginia
8 September 2011
Charleston Gazette (West Virginia), Editorial
CHARLESTON, West Virginia - A troubled young Morgantown man, barely beyond teen age, used two rifles and a pistol in a stunning murder rampage Tuesday. After writing weirdo notes on Facebook, he killed five at a farmhouse near Morgantown, then wounded a service station worker in Roane County, then killed himself in Kentucky.
His bloodbath was just one of several gun killings in Wednesday's news. On the same day, a pistol-carrier pleaded self-defense after gunning down... (GunPolicy.org)
Well Over 16,000 Firearms 'Lost' by US Gun Manufacturers Since 2009
2 September 2011
CNN
WASHINGTON -- Thousands of firearms have gone missing from manufacturers' inventories since 2009 "without a record of being legally sold," according to a report released Thursday by a gun control advocacy group.
The report by the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence put the number of missing weapons at 16,485.
"It is shocking that gun makers are so oblivious to public safety that they lose track of thousands of guns every year," Henigan, acting president of the Brady... (GunPolicy.org)
400 Failing Court Cases Suggest US 2nd Amendment Ruling May Be 'Hollow Victory'
15 August 2011
Washington Post
A funny thing has happened in the three years since gun-rights activists won their biggest victory at the Supreme Court.
They've been on a losing streak in the lower courts.
The activists found the holy grail in 2008 when the Supreme Court's 5 to 4 decision in District of Columbia v. Heller said the Second Amendment guaranteed an individual right to own a firearm unconnected to military service. The court followed it up with McDonald v. Chicago two years later,... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Norway,United Kingdom,Africa,Afghanistan,Mexico
Gun Trade Inevitably Leads to the Sort of Atrocity Inflicted on Norway
31 July 2011
Independent (UK), Opinion
In discussion of the atrocity in Norway last week, there is one subject which has been notable by the almost total silence about it: guns. In response to recurring massacres in American high schools and British villages, in response to footage from Africa and Afghanistan showing ragged, untrained young men brandishing automatic small arms, in response to a man coolly murdering dozens of youngsters in an hour-and-a-half, funfair-like shooting spree on a Norwegian island,... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Control Activists Call for New Firearm Laws after Norway Massacre
28 July 2011
CBS News (USA)
Anti-gun violence activists in the U.S. are renewing their push for new gun laws in the wake of the revelation that the alleged Norway shooter claims to have purchased high-capacity ammunition magazines from a United States retailer.
Anders Behring Breivik, the alleged lone-wolf terrorist accused of shooting and killing 68 people at a youth camp in Norway and killing eight in an Oslo bombing last week, details purchasing the ammunition in his 1,500-page... (GunPolicy.org)
Largest Settlement Against Gun Maker, Says US Gun Control Group
26 July 2011
Reuters
WASHINGTON - A firearms maker has agreed to pay $600,000 to the family of a shooting victim in what a gun control group said on Tuesday was a record settlement in such a case.
A company employee with a history of assault and drug addiction stole the gun later used to kill a man, according to the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, whose Legal Action Project in 2002 brought suit against Kahr Arms over the incident.
The settlement on behalf of the deceased Danny... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Norway,Australia
Australian Gun Control Group Renews Its Call for Semi-auto Handgun Ban
26 July 2011
Herald Sun (Melbourne) / AAP
The National Coalition for Gun Control has renewed its call for a ban on semi-automatic handguns after the Norway massacre.
Coalition co-convenor Samantha Lee said semi-automatic longarms were deemed too dangerous and banned in 1996 after the Port Arthur massacre in which Martin Bryant shot dead 35 people.
But semi-automatic handguns remain available to sporting shooters.
"It only takes one person with a high-powered semi-automatic firearm and access to lots of... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Control Activists Mourn Norway Victims
25 July 2011
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — A leading US group which has long pressed for tougher gun control laws in America Monday said the massacre in Norway was a tragic reminder that "guns are the enablers of mass killers."
The Brady Campaign, set up three decades ago to work to cut the number of gun deaths and injuries in the United States, said it "joins the world in mourning the horrific loss of life in the Norway terrorist attacks."
"The staggering toll of young lives taken by a gunman... (GunPolicy.org)
Arizona Lawmaker Pointing Her Handgun at a Journalist Draws Fire
16 July 2011
New York Times, Opinion
While all the country gaped last week at the acrimony ensnarling the Federal government, Arizonans were treated to an additional, equally bizarre spectacle. You'll be shocked to hear that a firearm was involved.
It was a classic case of he said/she said, but of a particular stripe hard to imagine outside Arizona, where guns are so fervently embraced that I imagine they rank above waffle irons as popular wedding gifts and make the occasional appearance at christenings,... (GunPolicy.org)
New US Rule on Border Gun Sales is Drawing Both Praise and Criticism
12 July 2011
Fox News (USA)
The Justice Department's new policy on requiring all gun shops in four Southwest border states to report frequent buyers of semi-automatic weapons is drawing both praise and criticism.
Dennis Henigan, acting president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, is pleased with the new requirement.
"This new reporting rule will give law enforcement new capacity to interdict these deadly guns before they can be used against Mexican police and citizens."
But the... (GunPolicy.org)
After Mexican Scandal, Should US Feds Firearm Bureau Continue to Exist?
4 July 2011
New York Times
WASHINGTON — The last time the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was caught up in scandal, its director faced accusations of lavish spending on his new office. Before he resigned, Congress, flexing its oversight muscles, decided the Senate would confirm all future A.T.F. chiefs.
That was five years ago. Nobody has been confirmed, and the nation has been without a chief firearms inspector ever since.
Today, the bureau is again under... (GunPolicy.org)
Judges Giving Gun Rights Back to Americans with History of Mental Illness
2 July 2011
New York Times
PULASKI, Virginia — In May 2009, Sam French hit bottom, once again. A relative found him face down in his carport "talking gibberish," according to court records. He later told medical personnel that he had been conversing with a bear in his backyard and hearing voices. His family figured he had gone off his medication for bipolar disorder, and a judge ordered him involuntarily committed — the fourth time in five years he had been hospitalized by court order.
When... (GunPolicy.org)
Obama Offers No Change, 'No Leadership to Combat Gun Violence' in US
20 June 2011
Associated Press
More than five months after Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head, the White House has yet to take any new steps on gun violence, even though that's what President Barack Obama called for in the wake of the shooting.
The silence from the administration is drawing criticism from gun control activists and even some of Obama's Democratic allies. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., told the president in a letter last week that the administration "has not shown the... (GunPolicy.org)
Former Super Bowl Champion Joins Biggest US Gun Control Campaign
13 June 2011
Washington Post / AP
NEW YORK — Head down, eyes focused on the ground, Plaxico Burress swayed back and forth like a receiver in the huddle waiting for the next play.
He wasn't on a football field, hasn't been on one for more than two years. Burress was listening to an introduction at the National Urban League before he spoke his piece. When the time came, Burress couldn't have been more positive about rehabilitating his image.
"I'm a champion on the field, and my goal is to be a... (GunPolicy.org)
Kansas Received the 'Craziest Gun Laws' Award from US Gun Control Group
30 May 2011
Kansas City Star (Missouri) / AP
WICHITA - A national gun-control group has named Kansas as one of four states to receive its "Craziest Gun Laws" award because of a new measure the organization says allows guns in the state's schools.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence issued its annual ranking of gun laws earlier this month. Kansas, Virginia, Utah and Florida received the group's "Craziest Gun Laws" award.
The Wichita Eagle reports state and local officials say a bill signed by Gov. Sam... (GunPolicy.org)
The Campus Carry Movement Stutter-Steps Across US
10 May 2011
Atlantic (USA), Opinion
Last October, an email popped into my inbox from Mike Stollenwerk, co-founder of gun rights networking hub OpenCarry.org, which boasts the motto, "A right un-exercised is a right lost." He was responding to a question I had about the possible re-tabling of a bill in the Texas legislature which would, if passed, allow students to carry handguns with them to college.
At the time, only Utah allowed the carrying of concealed weapons into the classrooms of public... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Lobby Vies to Remain Relevant in 2012 US Presidential Election
2 May 2011
Washington Post
PITTSBURGH — The National Rifle Association is vying to remain relevant in the 2012 presidential election, with a Democratic president who has not made gun control a priority and many NRA members expecting gun issues to take a back seat to the economy, health care and foreign policy.
At the group's annual meeting in Pittsburgh this weekend, NRA leaders and potential Republican candidates warned members again and again from the stage that a second term would give... (GunPolicy.org)
US NRA Board Member: 'Turn Up Heat' Against 'America Hating' Obama
2 May 2011
Daily Mail (UK)
Rocker Ted Nugent got a standing ovation at the all-powerful National Rifle Association's annual meeting when he urged members to 'turn up the heat' on guns.
He said pro-gun supporters need to speak up more and win the public relations battle.
Mr Nugent told the crowd of more than 2,300 on Sunday: 'You need to fix everybody in your lives to be absolutely pro-gun.
'You need to talk guns all the time. You need to talk hunting all the time.
'The gun community should be... (GunPolicy.org)
Politicians 'Cowed' as US Gun Lobby Pursues 'Radical to Idiotic' Gun Laws
24 April 2011
USA Today, Editorial
When it comes to gun fights, things are pretty quiet on the Potomac these days. Democrats, cowed by the National Rifle Association's political clout, have no taste for pushing gun control up the agenda. And even if they did, the landmark 2008 Supreme Court ruling that the Second Amendment provides a right for individuals to own guns largely leaves them disarmed.
The states, however, are another matter. Gun rights activists have taken their national victories not as a... (GunPolicy.org)
Democratic National Party Boss Slams 'Outrageous' US Gun Sale Loophole
23 April 2011
New York Times, Editorial
Months after Al Gore's defeat in 2000, Terry McAuliffe, then the Democratic Party chief, urged Democrats to steer clear of gun control, warning of the "devastating impact on elections" wrought by the gun lobby's monied campaign attacks. Far too many Democratic politicians have since followed that cynical doctrine. The gun lobby's power has only grown while 30,000 Americans die each year by gun violence.
So it is heartening to hear an unwavering call for stronger... (GunPolicy.org)
Looking Down the Barrel of Debate - Oscar Winner's Take on Guns in USA
13 April 2011
New York Times, TV preview
Barbara Kopple's engrossing, frustrating documentary "Gun Fight" — it's not liable to inspire happy thoughts in people on either side of the gun-control debate — begins with eerie cellphone video footage taken during the Virginia Tech shootings in April 2007, and the aftermath of that rampage provides the film's emotional ballast.
But events have rushed along since Virginia Tech, and Ms. Kopple has had to account for, among other developments, the Supreme Court... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Control Group Airs TV Ad, Challenges Obama on Big Ammo Clips
12 April 2011
CBS News (USA)
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence released an ad today calling on President Obama to come out more forcefully in support of a ban on the sort of high-capacity ammunition clips used by alleged shooter Jared Loughner in the January Tucson massacre.
The 30-second spot, at left, features a narrator saying that "a magazine that allows a gun to fire 32 shots in 16 seconds is only good for one thing: killing a lot of people - fast."
A man is then shown shooting at a... (GunPolicy.org)
Shooting Tragedies Have Little Sway in Changing America's Gun Laws
11 April 2011
Houston Chronicle (Texas)
Emblazoned on the red billboard truck that motored through downtown Houston last week was this number: 2,995 — a tally of the people believed slain with guns since the Tucson, Ariz., shooting that killed six people and wounded 13, including Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
The truck started off in New York's Times Square and will traverse the U.S., keeping a running tab on gun deaths as part of an effort by 550 Mayors Against Illegal Guns to galvanize... (GunPolicy.org)
30 Years After Reagan Shooting, Jim, Sarah Brady Still Push Gun Control
1 April 2011
Christian Science Monitor, Opinion
Remember the Bradys? Not the bunch, but the dedicated couple that has pushed gun control for decades.
Thirty years ago, Jim Brady was shot in the head as part of the assassination attempt on President Reagan by John Hinckley. At the time, Mr. Brady was the president's press secretary. This week, Brady – in a wheelchair – and his wife, Sarah, visited the Capitol and White House to again advocate for restrictions on guns.
One marvels that they have not yet given up.... (GunPolicy.org)
After 30 Years, Jim Brady Continues to Push for Gun Control in America
30 March 2011
Reuters
WASHINGTON - Jim Brady, Ronald Reagan's former press secretary, on Wednesday marked the 30th anniversary of the presidential assassination attempt that left him in a wheelchair by urging congressmen to toughen gun control.
Thirteen years after the shooting, Brady's and his wife Sarah's advocacy of tightened gun controls resulted in the Brady bill, a law requiring an immediate background check for handgun purchases.
The Bradys say gun control has become more lax in... (GunPolicy.org)
Maryland 'Gun Pushers' Want Courts to Gut Hidden Handgun Restrictions
22 March 2011
Baltimore Sun
A national gun control advocacy group weighed in Tuesday on a federal lawsuit that challenges Maryland's handgun permit laws, saying that the changes sought would be "bad law and even worse policy."
In an amicus brief, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence urges the dismissal of a lawsuit brought last year by the Second Amendment Foundation on behalf of Hampstead resident Raymond Woollard, a Navy veteran who was denied a renewal of his handgun permit.
Brady Center... (GunPolicy.org)
In US Gun Control, 'NRA Has Shown, Once Again, That It Is the Problem'
17 March 2011
Huffington Post (USA)
President Obama has broken his silence on the gun issue. His opinion piece in Sunday's Arizona Daily Star is a meticulously worded effort to define a middle ground on the issue on the president's terms, and then to invite those serious about finding solutions to join him in that middle, where ultimate agreement is possible. Although one gets the distinct impression that the president would prefer not to receive a positive reaction from gun control advocates like myself,... (GunPolicy.org)
New York Mayor Scolds Nation for Not Standing Up to US Gun Lobby
16 March 2011
New York Daily News
Mayor Bloomberg scolded the nation Tuesday for failing to take on the gun lobby to restrict weapons sales.
"This is just no courage on the part of Americans to stand up and say 'Enough,'" Bloomberg said while joining members of Congress who support closing loopholes that allow criminals, drug abusers and the mentally ill to buy guns.
Legislation they proposed would strengthen reporting requirements on the National Instant Criminal Background Check system and impose... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Control 'No Longer a Dormant Issue' Following Obama's Editorial
14 March 2011
The Hill (Washington DC)
President Obama's new call for tougher gun rules following the shooting of an Arizona congresswoman has energized gun-control advocates, but one leading Democrat isn't holding his breath for reform.
Rep. John Conyers Jr. (Mich.), the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee and a long-time proponent of stronger gun laws, said it's unlikely any Second Amendment reforms will move through Congress while Republicans control the lower chamber. Obama's push for... (GunPolicy.org)
Obama Staff Meet Firearm Safety Advocates, Aim to Tighten Gun Control
14 March 2011
Huffington Post (USA)
WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration has conducted informal discussions with groups from both ends of the gun-policy spectrum, including law enforcement and gun-rights organizations, and is set to hold formal meetings as early as this week in an effort to chart out a set of new firearms policies, administration officials say.
Spearheaded by the Department of Justice, the talks were described by one individual involved in the discussions as a "feeling-out process."... (GunPolicy.org)
In Bid to Tighten US Gun Control, Obama Consults Both Sides of Debate
14 March 2011
Washington Post
The White House announced Monday that the administration is starting a series of sessions with leaders on both sides of the gun control issue to try to reach compromise on legislation to reduce gun violence.
White House Secretary Jay Carney did not announce which groups would be invited to the sessions this week, but he said the Justice Department is "meeting with stakeholders on all sides of the issue to look at ways we can find common ground." The meetings come after... (GunPolicy.org)
American Lawmakers, Industry, Lobby Push for More Guns on Campus
6 March 2011
ABC News (Australia), Transcript
ELIZABETH JACKSON: In the US, Texas legislators are considering giving college students the right to carry concealed weapons on campus.
Any changes to gun control in the US always sparks furious debates and this is no different.
Those pushing the move say it would help prevent massacres like Virginia Tech while others say it will only help increase the chances of yet another mass shooting.
Our North America correspondent Lisa Millar has been speaking to those on both... (GunPolicy.org)
Poll Commissioned by US Mayors Reports Arizona Voters OK Gun Control
3 March 2011
Arizona Republic, Poll
A poll commissioned by the group Mayors Against Illegal Guns says that sizable majorities of Arizona voters support several specific gun-control measures, similar to findings in four other states that also were surveyed.
Among the findings, 83 percent of the 600 registered voters polled in Arizona favor a law requiring all gun buyers to pass a background check.
Among gun-owners, the number was 75 percent in Arizona, the group reported.
The poll had a 4 percent margin... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Rights vs. Gun Control: Arizona Legislators Push to Weaken Gun Law
20 February 2011
Daily Star (Arizona)
It didn't take much effort for the accused gunman in Tucson's Jan. 8 mass shooting to buy a semiautomatic handgun and ammunition - quick trips to the Sportsman's Warehouse and Walmart near his home.
It didn't take long - 15 seconds - for him to shoot 19 people, killing six, when he fired 31 rounds using a high-capacity magazine. That's roughly double the standard number for the Glock pistol he used.
And even if police could go back in time, they wouldn't have been... (GunPolicy.org)
US Lawmaker, Victim of Gun Violence Presses Her Gun Control Campaign
15 February 2011
Associated Press
GARDEN CITY PARK, New York - Out of nowhere, a deranged gunman shoots into a crowd of innocent victims, firing until bystanders tackle him as he tries to load a new clip of ammo. Six people are killed and several injured; one person suffers a head wound but survives to face a long period of rehabilitation.
That shooting on a Long Island Rail Road train in 1993 inspired Carolyn McCarthy, who lost her husband and saw her son paralyzed, to run for Congress. And the more... (GunPolicy.org)
Arizona Governor Slams New York Mayor for Phoenix Gun Show Sting
3 February 2011
Fox News (USA)
Michael Bloomberg's undercover investigation at a gun show in Arizona must be a result of the extra time the mayor has on his hands from running the well-oiled machine that is New York City, says Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer.
The governor, appearing Tuesday night on Fox News' "On the Record With Greta Van Susteren," said it's "interesting" that Bloomberg chose to launch a sting operation in the Grand Canyon state.
"He's out here in Arizona solving our problems. I guess he... (GunPolicy.org)
Obama Could Move to Fix US Gun Sale Problem 'Right Away' - NY Mayor
2 February 2011
CBS News (USA)
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Tuesday challenged President Obama to "stand up" on gun control, an issue on which he has been largely silent in the wake of the tragic shootings in Tucson.
During an interview on MSNBC, the longtime gun control advocate argued that the White House, along with Congress, needs to be more vigilant in enforcing existing laws regarding the sale of firearms.
"The trouble is that the Congress has done this - and they do it repeatedly... (GunPolicy.org)
New York Mayor Challenges Obama to Enforce, Toughen Gun Control Law
2 February 2011
Washington Post
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is demanding the Obama administration increase enforcement of the nation's gun laws, escalating his longtime push on the issue in the wake of the last month's shooting rampage in Arizona.
The mayor's office hired private investigators to buy guns at a gun show in Phoenix, and Bloomberg then played video of the sting at a press conference on Monday in New York. It depicts a man who is sold a gun even after he acknowledges that he would... (GunPolicy.org)
New York Mayor Pleads with Obama to 'Stand Up' on Gun Control
1 February 2011
Politico (Washington DC)
New York Mayor Michael Michael Bloomberg talked tough on gun control, saying President Barack Obama should "stand up."
"The president should stand up and I will keep urging him to say so," Bloomberg told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Tuesday night. "We've got to stop all this carnage."
Bloomberg appeared on "The Rachel Maddow Show" to promote the quasi-sting operation where he sent undercover investigators to a Phoenix gun show, just 15 days after the Tuscon shooting that... (GunPolicy.org)
What Obama Can Do Right Now About Lax Gun Laws - Without Congress
28 January 2011
Salon (USA)
The new line coming from the White House -- first from senior advisor David Plouffe, then from political advisor David Axelrod -- is that President Obama will "address" the issue of gun control at some point.
Exactly what Obama will do isn't clear, though Plouffe mentioned as an example the president's support for renewing the assault weapons ban, which expired in 2004 and made it illegal to manufacture the type of high-capacity clip used in the Tucson, Ariz., mass... (GunPolicy.org)
Obama to Push Gun Control Soon: US Gun Laws 'Too Loose Too Long'
27 January 2011
Newsweek (USA)
At the beginning of his State of the Union address, President Obama tipped his hat to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who's now recuperating in a Houston medical facility. But throughout the hourlong speech, he never addressed the issue at the core of the Giffords tragedy — gun control — and what lawmakers would, or should, do to reform American firearm-access laws.
That was intentional, according to the White House. An administration official says Obama didn't mention... (GunPolicy.org)
New York Mayor, Relatives of Shooting Victims Push for US Gun Control
25 January 2011
New York Times
A man whose son was among the students killed at Columbine High School stepped up to the microphone at City Hall on Monday wearing the boy's sneakers. A pastor recalled a former congregant who was one of the people shot this month outside a supermarket in Tucson. And a woman told the story of her son, who died in 2007 in East Harlem.
The speakers were part of a procession of relatives and friends of victims of shootings whom Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg used at a City... (GunPolicy.org)
Can US Mayors Make Arizona Mass Killer the Poster Boy for Gun Control?
24 January 2011
Christian Science Monitor
NEW YORK - As Congress begins its new session, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants it to add one more piece of legislation: a bill to tighten up the nation's background checks on people buying a gun.
Mayor Bloomberg, who is co-head of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, says the no-buy registry is not up-to-date, and there are still loopholes that allow guns to be purchased without a background check.
Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which is made up of 550 mayors around the... (GunPolicy.org)
Surprise: The US Gun Lobby Has Actually Lost Influence on Gun Control
19 January 2011
Christian Science Monitor, Opinion
In the wake of the tragic shooting in Tucson, Arizona, earlier this month, the calls for gun-control legislation have already begun. But the National Rifle Association's traditional ability to shoot these bills down may be significantly reduced in the future.
ARLINGTON, Virginia - After the Virginia Tech shootings in 2007, when 32 people were slaughtered by a mentally disturbed young man wielding two semi-automatic pistols, calls for enhanced gun control were met with... (GunPolicy.org)
Governor of Virginia Quietly Allows Open Carry of Firearms in State Parks
19 January 2011
Washington Post
Gun rights advocates celebrated Wednesday -- and supporters of gun control grieved -- over news that Gov. Robert F. McDonnell has quietly lifted the ban against people carrying firearms openly in state parks.
Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, sent an e-mail blast to fellow gun-rights supporters with news that as of Tuesday people could carry openly. Gun owners with concealed weapons permits had the right to carry in Virginia State... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Lobby Bullies Make Cowards of US Lawmakers: Obama Should Lead
19 January 2011
CNN, Opinion
She is 40. Jim was 40.
She is one of the most prominent politicians in her state.
Jim worked for the most powerful political leader in the world.
She was shot in the head. So was Jim.
She initially was declared dead. So was Jim.
She is beloved. So is Jim.
A man who most people knew wasn't mentally stable easily got a gun and shattered her life.
A similarly troubled man shattered Jim's.
The doctors, the nurses, the hospitals; the prayers, the tears, the anger;... (GunPolicy.org)
Swiss Vote Pre-poll Leans Toward Banning Military Guns in the Home
19 January 2011
Miller-McCune (California)
While the assassination attempt on Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona revived a predictable and unchanging round of gun control debate in the U.S., a referendum in Switzerland — Europe's best-armed nation — is showing a shift of opinion away from private gun ownership.
Every third household in Switzerland has a firearm, normally government-issued, because every male citizen under about 50 is also a reserve soldier. Instead of a standing professional army, the government... (GunPolicy.org)
Virginia Tech Massacre Survivor Screens New Gun Control Documentary
18 January 2011
Richmond Times-Dispatch (Virginia)
Colin Goddard's life changed forever inside a Norris Hall classroom.
Goddard returned to the Virginia Tech building where he was shot four times to recount that fateful day for a camera crew.
"It's crazy being back here," Goddard says in the documentary "Living for 32," which follows his life from shooting victim to gun-law reformer.
It was his first time back to Norris Hall since it was renovated as the Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention. He talks... (GunPolicy.org)
New York Martin Luther King Day Event Put Focus on Gun Violence
18 January 2011
New York Times
Of the many events on Monday honoring the memory of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the gathering held by the Rev. Al Sharpton in Harlem was one with a wide audience and a narrow focus: the toll of gun violence, from a parking lot in Tucson to the streets of New York.
Senator Charles E. Schumer said that no constitutional amendment was sacrosanct and that "there's nothing wrong in putting reasonable limits on guns."
Alluding to the concern over the shooting of... (GunPolicy.org)
Arizona Shooting Fuels Debate About Open-Carry Gun Law in California
17 January 2011
Fox News (USA)
The mass shooting in Tucson last weekend is fueling the gun control debate in neighboring California, with an advocacy organization renewing a push to prohibit firearms in restaurants and state lawmakers taking up a bill that would end the state's open-carry law.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence launched a drive last week challenging restaurants and cafes to exert their private property rights and ban guns in their establishments.
The push formalized a... (GunPolicy.org)
US Lawmakers Duck Gun Control: Democrat Bill Unlikely to Reach Obama
16 January 2011
Courier-Post (New Jersey)
Of the handful of legislative responses to this month's tragic mass shooting that killed six and nearly claimed one of Congress's own, a bill co-sponsored by Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, D-N.J., is the toughest.
It is also unlikely to reach President Barack Obama's desk.
New Jersey's senior senator and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y. -- whose husband was slain by a gunman in 1993 -- plan to introduce a bill that would outlaw the manufacture and sale of high-capacity clips... (GunPolicy.org)
Arizona Shooting Energizes Push for More Hidden Handguns in Florida
15 January 2011
Miami Herald
TALLAHASSEE -- In the aftermath of Tucson's shooting rampage, lawmakers in Florida are ready to make their stand on guns clearer: They want more people to have the right to carry them in the open and fewer government restrictions.
All told, lawmakers have filed three separate bills that seek to restrict local governments from regulating firearms, stop doctors from even asking patients about them and that allow for licensed gun owners the right to wear firearms outside... (GunPolicy.org)
Catholic Church Firmly, Quietly, Globally Opposes Firearms for Civilians
14 January 2011
Catholic News Service (Washington DC)
VATICAN CITY - The Catholic Church's position on gun control is not easy to find; there are dozens of speeches and talks and a few documents that call for much tighter regulation of the global arms trade, but what about private gun ownership?
The answer is resoundingly clear: Firearms in the hands of civilians should be strictly limited and eventually completely eliminated.
But you won't find that statement in a headline or a document subheading. It's almost hidden in... (GunPolicy.org)
Five Reasons Why Gun Control Has Been Disarmed in the United States
14 January 2011
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
The long arm of the Bush-era Supreme Court
During the most recent Bush administration, the Supreme Court largely sided with gun proponents in its interpretation of the Second Amendment:
"A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed," it reads.
The gun-control lobby has always argued the second part of the amendment refers to the "well-regulated militia," meaning the... (GunPolicy.org)
Notion of Pulling Handgun, Shooting Assailant More Fantasy Than Fact
12 January 2011
Boston Globe, Blog
Because of their high-profile nature, mass murders are often exploited to advance some political agenda, and this is especially true when it comes to the role of firearms. Mass shootings have served as ammunition in the debate over gun control, but used, ironically enough, by advocates on both sides of the issue.
In the wake of particularly deadly and widely publicized shootings, gun control proponents have argued that the carnage would not be so great were it not for... (GunPolicy.org)
American Gun Control Advocates Disappointed with White House Silence
12 January 2011
The Hill (Washington DC)
The White House has disappointed gun-control advocates on and off Capitol Hill with its silence on the issue.
Although President Obama ran on campaign vows of reinstating the assault-weapons ban and closing the gun-show loophole, among other reforms, he's been all but mute on those issues since entering the White House two years ago — a silence that's continued in the wake of Saturday's shootings in Arizona.
Gun-control advocates, who are backing a series of reforms... (GunPolicy.org)
US Democrat, Gun Violence Victim Sees Uphill Battle for Gun Control Bill
12 January 2011
Salon (USA)
I just spoke with Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., about where things stand on the Hill on her proposed ban on high-capacity magazines. The takeaway: It's going to be a tough battle to get any sort of new gun legislation through Congress.
"The NRA is out there already saying it's a slippery slope -- that if we take away the large magazines we're actually going to try and take away their guns, forgetting to mention that the Supreme Court has already said that everyone has... (GunPolicy.org)
Will Tucson Tragedy Shift Gun Control Debate? Gun Control Chief Says Yes
12 January 2011
CBS News (USA)
In the wake of the tragic shooting in Tucson Saturday, pundits have spent countless hours debating the role of Sarah Palin in the story - despite the fact that there is no evidence that alleged shooter Jared Lee Loughner is a Palin supporter or had ever seen or heard her rhetoric.
What they have spent less time discussing are the tools that allowed Loughner to allegedly carry out the attack - the high powered weapon and ammunition that helped him do so much damage so... (GunPolicy.org)
American Lobby Groups Scramble to Control Narrative of Tucson Massacre
12 January 2011
National Public Radio (USA), Opinion
Gun rights advocates and right-wing radio talkers have accused their critics of exploiting the massacre in Tucson, Ariz., for political gain.
Firearms control activists have responded to the Saturday shooting by decrying the right's increasingly mainstream theme of "Second Amendment" solutions to "government tyranny" and Sarah Palin's online 2010 campaign map, which featured gun-sight cross hairs over targeted districts.
Mental health experts, cautioning against... (GunPolicy.org)
Arizona Shooting Strikes Chord in Mexico, Where Gun Violence Continues
12 January 2011
Christian Science Monitor
MEXICO CITY - The Arizona shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D) and the ensuing debate over gun laws is resonating in Mexico, where drug trafficking gangs, often armed with weapons smuggled from the US, are carrying out a violent campaign in which assassinations and mass shootings are all too common.
The governor of Sonora, the Mexican state bordering Arizona, said Monday that the shooting raises security concerns on both sides of the border. Gov. Guillermo Padrés... (GunPolicy.org)
Lax Gun Laws Prove Deadly in America, Where 80 Die by Gun Each Day
11 January 2011
Toronto Star (Ontario)
America has recoiled in horror over the shooting rampage in Arizona but throughout the country some 30,000 people die each year of gunshot wounds — about one-third of the 98,000 who are shot.
The most recent violence has turned the spotlight once again on a system that fuels gun crime and, say some, is giving in to an "extremist" minority of gun advocates at the expense of national safety.
"We need more sensible laws, and we need a change in social norms," says... (GunPolicy.org)
Focus Turns to Arizona's Gun Laws: 'More People Should Be Carrying'
10 January 2011
Los Angeles Times
TUCSON - It was a busy day at the Tucson Mountain Park shooting range Sunday, where the aroma of gunpowder filled the air one day after 20 people were shot, six fatally, at a shopping center.
Alex Anderson, 24, was armed with a 9-millimeter Taurus, the same caliber as the gun that authorities say Jared Lee Loughner used in the shootings. Anderson, who works at the Home Depot next to the Sportsman's Warehouse where the gunman's weapon was purchased, has a permit to... (GunPolicy.org)
How a 'Weapon of Mass Destruction' Became the US Handgun of Choice
10 January 2011
Huffington Post (USA), Blog
WASHINGTON - Is there a good reason to have 33 bullets loaded in a handgun?
This is the question being asked in the wake of the shooting of Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson, Ariz. over the weekend. The suspect, Jared Loughner, allegedly used a high-capacity 33-round magazine in his Glock-19 pistol. Without the need to reload as quickly, the shooter was able to effectively hold bystanders at bay, keeping them from intervening until 20 people had already been... (GunPolicy.org)
Arizona's Most Likely Response to Mass Shooting is Reduced Gun Control
10 January 2011
Slate (Washington DC)
Arizona's Legislature began its new session Monday, guns in tow. At a rally outside of the state Capitol, a 73-year-old Tea Party activist named Arthur Olivas Jr. was photographed wearing a holstered pistol. Anyone who blamed the Tea Party for the slaughter outside a Tucson Safeway, he said, didn't understand the movement and didn't understand gun rights.
"If you see 20 guns out there," Olivas told Politico, "you would not be stupid enough to hold up a bank or shoot... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Control Timeline: 7 Big Events in the Federal Gun Control Debate
10 January 2011
Huffington Post (USA), Blog
The deadly shooting at Rep. Gabrielle Giffords's political event in Tucson, Ariz. on Saturday is re-energizing gun control advocates. But Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said he fears there will be little legislative response from Congress.
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.), whose husband was killed and son was injured in a 1993 shooting on the Long Island Rail Road, took on the challenge on Sunday, promising to... (GunPolicy.org)
Mass Shooting Sparks Blip in America's Desultory Gun Control Discussion
9 January 2011
USA Today
The shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has sparked an inevitable debate about gun control.
Arizona has few restrictions on gun purchases and gun ownership. Giffords, a Democrat, was a strong supporter of the Second Amendment.
Rep. Raul Grijalva said "accessibility, particularly in Arizona" to guns have "to be examined." The Arizona Democrat said Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press that his home state has "highly permissible gun laws."
It is not clear how alleged Arizona... (GunPolicy.org)
In Wake of Arizona Mass Shooting, Philippine Lawmakers Talk Gun Control
9 January 2011
Manila Bulletin
MANILA, Philippines – Lawmakers Sunday called for tighter gun control and continued campaign against "gun-for-hire" and extra-judicial killings.
Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez, Party-list Reps. Rodel Batocabe of Ako-Bicol, and Antonio Tiñio of Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) and Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone scoffed at the Arizona shooting incident as they also expressed their sympathies with the families of the victims, including US federal judge John Roll. Six... (GunPolicy.org)
Virginia Tech Survivor Is 'Living for 32' Dead in War to Tighten Gun Laws
31 December 2010
AOL News
WASHINGTON - Surviving the deadliest shooting massacre in U.S. history wasn't enough to make Colin Goddard an advocate for stricter gun laws. Only when he watched another rampage play out on TV two years later did the Virginia Tech graduate realize he had to speak out.
"That took me back to the day like none other," Goddard said of another troubled gunman who killed 14 at an immigration center in Binghamton, N.Y. "I was watching the body count rise and I was like, this... (GunPolicy.org)
Ohio Supreme Court Upholds Law Which Prevents Gun Control by Cities
29 December 2010
Reuters
The Ohio Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld as constitutional a state law that prevents Cleveland and other cities from passing restrictive gun laws.
In a 5-2 decision, the court found that the 2006 law does not infringe on the "home rule" powers of Ohio cities.
The court ruled that the state statute "is a general law that displaces municipal firearm ordinances and does not unconstitutionally infringe on municipal home rule authority."
The ruling overturns a lower... (GunPolicy.org)
Texas Students Fight Gun Lobby Push for Teens to Carry Guns at School
29 December 2010
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal (Texas)
Several groups, including a university student government organization and a prominent gun-control lobby, this week filed a document in federal court asking a judge to uphold the current ban on handgun sales to people younger than 21.
The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Graduate Student Assembly and Student Government of the University of Texas at Austin, Mothers Against Teen Violence, Students for Gun-Free Schools in Texas and Texas Chapters of the Brady... (GunPolicy.org)
NRA-led Gun Lobby Wields Powerful Influence Over Feds, US Politics
15 December 2010
Washington Post
Behind the scenes, federal agents in charge of stopping gun trafficking to Mexico have quietly advanced a plan to help stem the smuggling of high-powered AK-47s and AR-15s to the bloody drug war south of the border.
The controversial proposal by officials at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives calls for a measure strongly opposed by the National Rifle Association: requiring gun dealers to report multiple sales of rifles and shotguns to ATF.
The gun... (GunPolicy.org)
Death of 8yr-old Becomes Symbol of Lost Struggle for US Gun Control
12 December 2010
Herald (Scotland)
Gun control campaigners in the USA are waving the white flag after a year of crushing setbacks.
Shocking mass murders and shooting accidents that would scandalise any other developed nation barely register in the public consciousness. As the death toll rises, the National Rifle Association's (NRA) string of legislative and legal victories continues.
Against this backdrop comes the latest gun-related horror story: a former police chief in Massachusetts is on trial for... (GunPolicy.org)
Pennsylvania Governor Calls His State's Gun Control Fight 'A Lost Cause'
30 November 2010
Philadelphia Inquirer
HARRISBURG - For eight years, Gov. Rendell has lobbied hard in the halls of the Capitol for what he calls "commonsense" handgun laws.
He wanted to limit sales to individuals to one handgun a month. He wanted owners to report lost or stolen weapons. He wanted to close a loophole in state law that he believes lets criminals use gun permits obtained in other states.
At each turn, the legislature - including some of his allies in the Democratic-controlled House - knocked... (GunPolicy.org)
Is Obama's New Choice for US Gun Regulator Chief an 'Antigun Zealot'?
19 November 2010
Christian Science Monitor
ATF special agent Andrew Traver, who last year let a TV reporter fire an AK-47 from her hip to demonstrate the weapon's lethality, is set to become America's chief firearms inspector. But Mr. Traver, currently the Chicago ATF chief, faces a tough nomination battle as gun-rights groups amass their forces in opposition.
The nomination of the Naperville, Ill., native to be top gun cop is applauded by gun-control activists, who say the 5,000-employee ATF has lost ground in... (GunPolicy.org)
Support for Gun Control Didn't Hurt US Election Candidates, Says Brady
4 November 2010
New Haven Register (Connecticut)
In the wake of an election that left Democrats in the control of the U.S. Senate and the Connecticut legislature, while Republicans took over the U.S. House of Representatives, gun control advocates with the Brady Campaign lauded victors from both parties, including state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.
Blumenthal won election to the Senate over GOP contender Linda McMahon, former chief executive officer of World Wrestling Entertainment, to replace retiring... (GunPolicy.org)
NY Mayor Funds 'Florida Gun Loophole' Attack on Pennsylvania Candidate
29 October 2010
Philadelphia Inquirer
An unlikely figure has thrown his weight and his wallet behind an attack ad in the Pennsylvania governor's race: New York's mayor, Michael Bloomberg.
The billionaire mayor put up $500,000 to underwrite a gun-control group's 30-second commercial urging voters to reject Republican candidate Tom Corbett, and to aid the group's efforts in other Pennsylvania races.
The anti-Corbett spot, financed via Bloomberg's donation to CeaseFire PA, began airing Monday on network and... (GunPolicy.org)
Candidate Says More Guns Could Have Prevented Virginia Tech Massacre
28 October 2010
Atlantic (USA)
Virginia House candidate Keith Fimian, who is challenging Democratic Congressman Gerry Connolly in Northern Virginia, said recently that looser gun laws could have prevented the Virginia Tech shooting, and his campaign is now walking back the comment.
Fimian told a local news anchor during a televised interview that the April 2007 shooting, which claimed the lives of 33 when a gunman opened fire in a classroom building, wouldn't have happened if students were allowed... (GunPolicy.org)
New York Mayors Pays for Gun Control Ads to Oppose Virginia Republican
28 October 2010
Washington Post
The debates over gun control and the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre are making a late entry into the heated contest between Rep. Gerald Connolly (D) and Oakton businessman Keith Fimian (R) in Virginia's 11th district.
A group called Americans United for Safe Streets is on the air with an ad -- funded by donations from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) -- featuring Omar Samaha, the brother of Virginia Tech victim Reema Samaha. The spot shows Omar Samaha castigating... (GunPolicy.org)
Excusable Homicides Soar in Wake of Florida's 'Stand Your Ground' Law
17 October 2010
St Petersburg Times (Florida)
TAMPA — Two men meet at a park one Sunday afternoon in September. One is playing basketball with his daughter. The other has a gun tucked in his pants.
The two men argue about a kid who's skateboarding. The man with the gun tries to enforce the rules. The other man lunges.
The unarmed man takes his last breath in front of his 8-year-old daughter. Two days later, authorities charge the gun owner with manslaughter.
Case closed? Maybe not.
If history serves, the... (GunPolicy.org)
Don't Water Down New Jersey's Tough, 'Unrivalled' Hidden Handgun Law
10 October 2010
Daily Record (New Jersey), Opinion
Few public policy issues in this country — and in New Jersey — are as controversial and poorly understood as gun control.
Despite an endless stream of senseless and horrific gun crimes in our state, some still vehemently oppose New Jersey's comprehensive handgun permitting scheme — and indeed any handgun regulation at all.
As professors at Seton Hall Law School who are distressed at the recent tragic shooting death of a Seton Hall college student, and as lawyers... (GunPolicy.org)
600 US Mayors Tie Lax State Gun Laws to Crimes in Other States
27 September 2010
New York Times
WASHINGTON — Nearly 600 mayors nationwide, led by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York and other city leaders, are mounting a new campaign to identify states with lax gun laws and push for tighter restrictions to prevent the trafficking of guns used in crimes.
A study due to be released this week by a coalition called Mayors Against Illegal Guns uses previously unavailable federal gun data to identify what it says are the states that most often export guns used in... (GunPolicy.org)
600 US Mayors Slam Lax Firearm Laws, Ease of Interstate Gun Trafficking
26 September 2010
New York Times
Nearly 600 mayors nationwide, led by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York and other city leaders, are mounting a new campaign to identify states with lax gun laws and push for tighter restrictions to prevent the trafficking of guns used in crimes.
A study due to be released this week by a coalition called Mayors Against Illegal Guns uses previously unavailable federal gun data to identify what it says are the states that most often export guns used in crimes across... (GunPolicy.org)
Obama's New Appointment 'Rubber Stamps UN Gun Ban Agenda'
16 September 2010
KIRO Radio News (Seattle), Blog
The "next big adventure," as he calls it, for Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels will be as an alternate representative to the United Nations General Assembly. Following President Barack Obama's nomination, he was sworn in earlier this week.
It sounds like an interesting position. It's certainly not a policy-making one, which is why an e-mail from the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms seems like a stretch to me. But, I could be missing something with their... (GunPolicy.org)
Prominent Pro-gun New York Senator Swaps Sides in Gun Control Debate
13 August 2010
Associated Press
ALBANY, New York — New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand been endorsed for election by a leading gun control group two years after earning a top rating from the National Rifle Association.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence notes Gillibrand had been an NRA favorite when she was an upstate congresswoman in a Republican district. But the group says in less than two years as an appointed U.S. senator she has become a leader in sensible gun... (GunPolicy.org)
Pro-Gun 'Extremist' Groups Bypass NRA, Push for More Guns on US Streets
3 August 2010
ABC News (USA)
The statistics tell the story: There are about 50 million gun owners in America. Close to half of all American households possess guns -- more than 200 million guns all told, and we buy 4.5 million more guns every year.
Whether you like it or not, for better or worse, it's a fact: America is an armed nation. And to gun owners -- the vast majority of whom are law-abiding citizens -- that's the way it was meant to be.
Now, more than ever, many gun owners are proudly,... (GunPolicy.org)
In Failure to Reject 2 Women Justices, US Gun Lobby Lost Battles, Clout
2 August 2010
The Hill (Washington DC)
The Supreme Court nomination of Elena Kagan presents a political conundrum to the National Rifle Association (NRA), one of the nation's most powerful grassroots lobbying groups.
Republicans lawmakers and conservative activists fear Kagan will emerge as a strong voice on the high court against gun-ownership rights.
But five Republican senators have pledged to vote for Kagan, making her a shoo-in for confirmation.
This puts the NRA in the tricky position of having to... (GunPolicy.org)
Moms, Police Chiefs, Churches, Mayors Join for Pennsylvania Gun Control
30 June 2010
Philadelphia Daily News, Opinion
A change has got to come.
We can't read another article about one more shooting in our neighborhoods or near our schools.
We can't watch another TV clip about a promising high school graduate murdered by a stray bullet shot from an illegal gun in the hands of a teenager.
We can't listen to another story about a 2-year-old struck fatally in the head when a gunman fired shots through the closed front door of his Chester home.
Guns take young lives from us every day.... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Controllers Twist Facts; America a Safe Place According to Statistics
25 June 2010
Washington Times, Editorial
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the Violence Policy Center (VPC) are peddling the notion that concealed-handgun permit holders are a danger to society. Last month, the center released a report claiming that in the past three years, 166 people were killed by holders of concealed-weapon permits. A closer look at the evidence suggests that many of the so-called victims of gun violence were criminals. Because more than 6 million Americans hold permits, it is... (GunPolicy.org)
Another Victory for Bulletproof NRA, Exempt US Campaign Finance Law
17 June 2010
Washington Post
Even with Democrats in control of Washington, the National Rifle Association usually gets what it wants.
Long regarded as one of the most powerful lobbying groups in town, the GOP-friendly NRA has had a remarkable series of political victories in recent months that underscore its continuing influence on Capitol Hill -- no matter which party holds the reins and no matter what policy issues are involved.
The latest example came this week, when House Democrats announced... (GunPolicy.org)
US Violence Policy Center Report: 'More Guns Mean More Violence'
4 June 2010
Daily News Tribune (Massachusetts), Editorial
In some states, gun owners and ideologues have convinced themselves that everyone would be safer if more people were packing heat. They are making concerted efforts to repeal laws against openly carrying weapons in churches, bars and other public places, with some success. They have embraced the romantic Old West idea of the straight-shooting civilian stepping up in an emergency to save the innocent from the bad guys.
They forget that the wild West was eventually tamed... (GunPolicy.org)
UN Gun Grabber: Global Arms Treaty Threatens US Right to Self Defence
27 May 2010
Washington Times, Editorial
American gun owners might not feel besieged, but they should. This week, the Obama administration announced its support for the United Nations Small Arms Treaty. This international agreement poses real risks for freedom both in the United States and around the world by making it more difficult - if not outright illegal - for law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms.
The U.N. claims that guns used in armed conflicts cause 300,000 deaths worldwide every year, an... (GunPolicy.org)
US Mayors Launch Gun Control Blitz in DC to Close Gun Show Loophole
20 April 2010
Roll Call (Washington DC)
Gun-control proponents, outspent and outmaneuvered on Capitol Hill, are pushing back this week using the anniversaries of two high-profile tragedies to make the case for legislation that would close gun show loopholes.
Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a group led by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I) and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino (D), is expected today to unveil a lobbying blitz to prod Congress to approve legislation that would require background checks on all... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Control, Pro-gun Groups Square Off Outside Philadelphia Gun Shop
3 April 2010
Philadelphia Inquirer
Gathering on Good Friday to show support for strict gun laws, several hundred protesters assembled outside a Kensington gun shop, urging the owner to sign a "code of conduct" to deter illegal firearms sales.
An attorney for Larry Haney, owner of the Shooter Shop at Allegheny Avenue and Emerald Street, gave reporters a copy of a letter from the District Attorney's Office thanking Haney for his cooperation in combating illegal gun trafficking.
"Your efforts have helped... (GunPolicy.org)
Bloomberg Coalition of US Mayors Asks White House for More Gun Control
30 March 2010
New York Post
President Obama is under the gun when it comes to Mayor Bloomberg and his crusade against illegal weapons.
Bloomberg, generally considered a White House ally, put Obama on notice after he fired off a letter to the White House this month where he reportedly accused the president of dragging his feet when it comes to gun control, according to a report today.
In the March 3 letter sent from Bloomberg's coalition, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the mayor points to a... (GunPolicy.org)
Starbucks Under Fire Again for Welcoming US Customers Carrying Guns
24 March 2010
Christian Science Monitor
SAN FRANCISCO - Outside the Starbucks annual meeting Wednesday in Seattle, Wash., Ralph Fascitelli was one of the antigun-violence advocates handing fliers to the company's shareholders. Some fliers showed a puppy, bare feet, and a gun.
Of the three, says Mr. Fascitelli, president of Washington Ceasefire, only firearms are allowed in Starbucks coffee shops.
The coffee chain remains caught in the crossfire of a dispute over so-called "open carry" laws, which give gun... (GunPolicy.org)
Campaign to Carry Handguns Poses Marketing Dilemma for US Starbucks
22 March 2010
New York Times Magazine
Starbucks has lately found itself in the middle of a debate between advocates of "open carry" gun rights and of gun control; the former have held armed meet-ups at several of its locations, and the latter have demanded that the coffee chain prevent this from happening. Seeking to duck these fresh salvos in the long debate over how firearms fit into American life, the company has issued a statement that such matters ought to be worked out "in the legislatures and courts,... (GunPolicy.org)
The Open Carry Debate: Should Customers Wear Guns at US Starbucks?
22 March 2010
Time (USA)
A typical frustration at Starbucks is when the guy next to you is hogging the electrical outlets. But what if he openly wore a gun, like someone lost from a Clint Eastwood set? What would you do: take a seat next to him or get that cappuccino to go?
The patrons of at least five Starbucks locations in California's Bay Area have faced this dilemma in recent weeks. Gun owners have walked into various Starbucks -- including in liberal enclaves like San Francisco, San Jose... (GunPolicy.org)
43 US States Now Allow Gun Owners to Carry Firearms Openly in Public
21 March 2010
Vancouver Sun
FALLS CHURCH, Virginia - About 60 gun rights activists gather in a pizzeria in the Virginia suburb of Falls Church, just outside of Washington DC, their firearms openly displayed in waist holsters.
They are celebrating what they expect will be the successful enactment in Virginia of legislation expanding gun rights for residents. Republican Governor Bob McDonnell has pledged to sign the measure.
With gun control legislation stalled at the federal level in Congress, a... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Owners Flaunting Weapons in Public 'Expose Rifts' in US Gun Lobby
8 March 2010
New York Times
For years, being able to carry a concealed handgun has been a sacred right for many gun enthusiasts. In defending it, Charlton Heston, the actor and former president of the National Rifle Association, used to say that the flock is safer when the wolves cannot tell the difference between the lions and the lambs.
But a grass-roots effort among some gun rights advocates is shifting attention to a different goal: exercising the right to carry unconcealed weapons in the 38... (GunPolicy.org)
Constitutional Bookends Close In, Corral US Gun Control Movement
3 March 2010
Atlantic (USA), Column
The second Constitutional bookend corralling the modern American gun control movement is just about in place. The Supreme Court's oral argument Tuesday morning strongly suggests that a majority of the justices intend to extend onto the state and local scene the Second Amendment's individual gun rights. Once such a ruling is in place (bet the house on the last week of June) we'll see a sea change in the way gun ordinances are written, enacted, defended, and judged.
A... (GunPolicy.org)
Effort to Tighten Minnesota's Gun Show Law Getting Folks Riled Up
3 March 2010
Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St Paul)
From Virginia to Arizona, federal and state gun laws are loosening everywhere from national parks to Amtrak trains.
But in St. Paul, a proposal that would send Minnesota in the opposite direction is headed toward its first hearing Friday -- a bill requiring background checks on the purchaser of any firearm sold at a gun show.
The proposal pits its DFL sponsor, St. Paul Rep. Michael Paymar, against the mighty arsenal of gun rights advocates and lobbyists who have... (GunPolicy.org)
Starbucks: Allowing American Customers to Wear Guns Is Just Business
2 March 2010
Associated Press
SEATTLE — Coffee chain Starbucks said Wednesday it's sticking to its policy of letting customers carry guns where it's legal and is asking not to be put in the middle of a larger gun-control debate.
The company's statement, issued Wednesday, stems from recent campaign by some gun owners, who have walked into Starbucks and other businesses to test state laws that allow gun owners to carry weapons openly in public places.
Now, gun control advocates are protesting the... (GunPolicy.org)
Virginia Allows Hidden Handguns in Bars - As Long As Owners Don't Drink
2 March 2010
Washington Post, Blog
Gun-rights supporters had reason to cheer Tuesday after the Virginia General Assembly gave final approval to a bill allowing concealed weapons permit holders to enter restaurants that serve alcohol. Two other bills friendly to gun owners also won final approval.
On a day when the U.S. Supreme Court was hearing perhaps the most widely followed Second Amendment case in years, Virginia's House of Delegates gave final passage to a Senate bill that opens bars to people... (GunPolicy.org)
Campaign Grows as More US Gun Owners Flaunt Handguns in Starbucks
28 February 2010
Associated Press
Dale Welch recently walked into a Starbucks in Virginia, handgun strapped to his waist, and ordered a banana Frappuccino with a cinnamon bun. He says the firearm drew a double-take from at least one customer, but not a peep from the baristas.
Welch's foray into the coffeehouse was part of an effort by some gun owners to exercise and advertise their rights in states that allow people to openly carry firearms.
Even in some "open carry" states, businesses are allowed to... (GunPolicy.org)
Is Barack Obama Really Anti-gun? No, He's Anti-gun Control
14 February 2010
Chicago Tribune, Opinion
Among the many groups that opposed Barack Obama's presidential race, few were more certain or vehement than gun-rights organizations. "Barack Obama would be the most anti-gun president in American history," the National Rifle Association announced. "Obama is a committed anti-gunner," warned Gun Owners of America.
So it's no stunner that after a year in office, the president is getting hammered by people who have no use for his policy on firearms. The surprise is that... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Control Group Petitions Starbucks to Ban Customers Carrying Guns
10 February 2010
CBS News (USA)
A national pro-gun-control organization wants Starbucks to take a firm stance on whether it allows customers to carry unconcealed firearms in its stores.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence wants its members to sign a petition telling the international coffee company to keep guns out of its locations, according to The Seattle Times. The petition has more than 15,000 signatures, the newspaper reported.
The petition serves as a response to recent demonstrations... (GunPolicy.org)
Starbucks Supports Gun Lobby, Allows Firearms in American Coffee Shops
5 February 2010
Contra Costa Times (California)
Starbucks has brushed aside a request from a gun control advocacy group to ban the display of guns in its retail locations, saying it will abide by laws that allow patrons to openly carry unloaded weapons.
The national Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence made the request in the wake of a series of meetings in local restaurants over the past few months by Bay Area Open Carry, a group that hopes to make it legal to carry loaded guns in California. Peets Coffee & Tea... (GunPolicy.org)
Colorado University Faces Fight for Banning Hidden Handguns on Campus
27 January 2010
Denver Post (Colorado)
A gun-rights group says it will fight Colorado State University's proposal to ban concealed weapons on the Fort Collins and Pueblo campuses.
Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, which is based in Fort Collins, claims the gun ban is a clear violation of Colorado law. On Monday, the group will announce its protest plans, which may include legal action.
"We are certainly going to pursue every opportunity to not let CSU wag its little finger and do whatever they want under state... (GunPolicy.org)
US Brady Campaign Accuses Obama of 'Running Away from Gun Control'
19 January 2010
The Hill (Washington DC)
President Barack Obama on Monday received a failing grade from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence for running away from gun control.
The group, which endorsed Obama in 2008, gave him an "F" on every issue it scored, including background checks, gun trafficking, guns in public, the federal assault weapons ban, standing up to the gun lobby and leadership.
"It's been a very disappointing year for us, especially considering what he campaigned on," the group's... (GunPolicy.org)
America's Law Enforcers Shift Focus from War on Drugs to War on Guns
10 January 2010
Christian Science Monitor
In the roll call room of Baltimore's Northwestern District Police Headquarters, a squat building in a neighborhood of liquor stores and crumbling row houses, photos of the city's most wanted suspects flash on a new, flat-screen TV.
They are not necessarily drug kingpins or murderers or even dealers. But to Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III, they are top priority in this city with one of the highest homicide rates in the country; a city that residents... (GunPolicy.org)
Tiahrt Defends Own Amendment, Attacks Bloomberg
10 January 2010
The Wichita Eagle (Kansas), Opinion
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg knows a lot, and what he knows has helped bring him success on many levels. But when it comes to federal firearm laws and the Second Amendment, Bloomberg is either uninformed or intentionally deceptive.
In recent weeks, Bloomberg and his organization, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, have used victims of the Fort Hood massacre as political tools to seek repeal of a law known as the Tiahrt amendment. This law protects the privacy rights... (GunPolicy.org)
Athletes Should Avoid Firearm Dispute-Resolution 2010
8 January 2010
New York Times, Opinion
In our search for comity and common ground this year, perhaps we can all agree that professional athletes should try to reduce the use of firearms to resolve personal disputes in 2010.
You may have heard that the Washington Wizards are engulfed in a crisis over Gilbert Arenas, one of the team's star players. His fight with a teammate over a gambling debt led to a display of handguns in the Wizards locker room.
Seldom have we seen so many words that do not belong in... (GunPolicy.org)
Most NRA Members Want to Close Gun Show Loophole to Curb Trafficking
16 December 2009
Los Angeles Times, Editorial
Gun control is one of those culture-wars issues on which liberals and conservatives often don't even seem to be speaking the same language, let alone coming to consensus. Gun owners -- especially the hard-core enthusiasts who belong to the National Rifle Assn. -- are often thought to oppose any restriction on their 2nd Amendment right to bear arms. Except that, according to a recent poll, they don't.
The gun-control debate is replete with suspect polls and fishy... (GunPolicy.org)
Smart Gun Control Proposals Could Deny Weapons to US Terrorists
6 December 2009
Washington Post, Editorial
Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a bipartisan coalition of roughly 500 U.S. mayors, has been pushing for smart and sensible law enforcement solutions to reduce the number of illegal guns obtained by criminals or would-be criminals. Last month the mayors renewed their call for adoption of two relatively modest but potentially powerful proposals.
The first aims to close the so-called "terror gap" in existing gun laws by prohibiting any one on the country's "no fly" list... (GunPolicy.org)
Fear, Fundraising Drive US Misinformation Attack on UN Gun Trade Treaty
5 December 2009
FactCheck.org (USA), Fact sheet
International Gun Ban Treaty?
Q: Has Obama found a "legal way around the Second Amendment"?
A: The administration's agreement to talk about writing a United Nations treaty to regulate arms exports and imports is a far cry from banning possession of firearms, which Obama says he doesn't want to do and the Supreme Court has said can't be done anyway.
FULL QUESTION
Is this correct?
Obama Finds Legal Way Around The 2nd. Amendment and Uses It. The Full Article Here... (GunPolicy.org)
60 Small-town Mayors Quit 'Mayors Against Illegal Guns,' But 110 Join Up
1 November 2009
National Public Radio (USA), Transcript
JACKI LYDEN, host:
This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Jacki Lyden.
Mayors Against Illegal Guns, led by New York's Michael Bloomberg, is losing members after the National Rifle Association mounted a campaign against the group. The NRA and other gun proponents contend that the mayors' efforts represent a slippery slope.
WNYC's Arun Venugopal reports.
ARUN VENUGOPAL: Pennsylvania has about 100 members in Mayors Against Illegal Guns, by far the most of any... (GunPolicy.org)
Obama, Clinton Stir 'Perfect Storm' at UN for Anti-US Gun Control Agenda
26 October 2009
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia), Blog
The folks at United Nations headquarters in New York City, and our "allies" at Number 10 Downing Street in London, must be rubbing their hands with glee. Gun control groups here and abroad likewise are at last quietly cheering. Why? After a decade and a half of pushing unsuccessfully to secure America's support for a legally-binding, international instrument to regulate the marketing, transfer and brokering in firearms, they are now on the brink of success. The process... (GunPolicy.org)
Vast Majority of Virginians Want to Plug the US Gun-show Loophole
21 October 2009
New York Times, Editorial
Lost in the public polling fine print of the Virginia governor's race is a strikingly vital statistic: a vast majority of Virginians want to plug the gun-show loophole that for years has fed the "Iron Pipeline" of weapons flowing into states and cities with stricter gun controls.
The issue of gun control has traditionally been a third rail in Virginia campaigning, and it still is. But a new poll for The Virginian-Pilot by Christopher Newport University found that 8... (GunPolicy.org)
NRA Has Yet to Explain Why It Wants to Help Killers, Criminals Get Guns
16 October 2009
Los Angeles Times, Editorial
For shock value, they may not rank with the videos released last month showing ACORN workers giving tax advice to a couple of undercover investigators posing as a prostitute and her pimp. But New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's covert recordings of what really goes on at gun shows are appalling nonetheless.
In the midst of a reelection campaign in a Democratic-majority city, the Republican (sort of) Bloomberg has latched on to an issue that appeals mainly to... (GunPolicy.org)
Ohio Gun Show Makes 'Educational' Changes, Short of Closing Loophole
14 October 2009
WHIO-TV News (Ohio)
DAYTON, Ohio — Some changes have been announced by the Bill Goodman's Gun & Knife Show that's been operating at Hara Arena for years.
Bill Goodman said he has conducted over 2,500 shows and he is looking into allegations by Mayor Michael Bloomberg's undercover operation and welcomes any law enforcement officials to take a closer look at his operation.
Just last week, the Mayor of New York said he uncovered illegal gun sales at several gun shows around the country... (GunPolicy.org)
Honest US Gun Owners Should Get Involved, Close Gun Show Loophole
11 October 2009
Commercial Appeal (Memphis), Editorial
Some of the most vocal defenders of private gun rights in Tennessee say that they don't want firearms in the hands of criminals.
With their help, perhaps a wide-open gun market for the crooks could be closed.
Any doubt that stricter regulation would be helpful was removed last week when the results of an undercover investigation of gun show sales in Tennessee and two other states was released by the office of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Carrying hidden... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Lobby Threatens the Only 'Mayor Against Illegal Guns' in Texas
8 October 2009
Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas)
He's been called "idiot mayor."
Worse, he's been called anti-gun.
But Hurst Mayor Richard Ward, a hunter and gun owner, knows how to pull the trigger himself.
"It's as if we're going to take their first born," Ward said of the National Rifle Association and other critics who don't like that he's joined a national mayors effort to tighten restrictions on some gun sales. "They've just been giving us fits."
Ward is in a Texas-style showdown with gun lovers for being... (GunPolicy.org)
NY Mayor's Interstate Undercover Stings Expose 'Gun Show Loophole'
7 October 2009
Associated Press
NEW YORK — New York City officials secretly videotaped dozens of firearm purchases they say were illegal at gun shows in states that have not closed the "gun show loophole."
The sting, described in a city report released Wednesday, was conducted at seven gun shows in Tennessee, Ohio and Nevada. Those states are among the many that permit private unlicensed dealers, known as "occasional sellers," to sell weapons at gun shows without conducting background... (GunPolicy.org)
Illegal US Gun Show Sales Caught on NY Mayor's $1m Undercover Video
7 October 2009
New York Times
In one video, a man trying to buy a gun at a gun show in Ohio tells the dealer that he probably couldn't pass a background check. The dealer, smiling, says that does not matter, "Because I wouldn't pass either, bud."
In another video, this time at a gun show in Nashville, a man asks a female friend to buy a Glock handgun on his behalf, in what appears to be violation of federal law. Instead of asking the actual buyer to fill out the paperwork, the dealer, who is aware... (GunPolicy.org)
NRA's 'Scandalous Fear-mongering,' Attacks on 450 Mayors Unjustified
1 October 2009
Orlando Sentinel (Florida), Editorial
Ormond Beach Mayor Fred Costello recently has weathered furious broadsides. More than 100 people have fired off e-mails calling him a "loser" and demanding that he "do the right thing."
His offense? Public malfeasance? Something more heinous. Mr. Costello had the brass to join Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a group that aims to keep criminals from unlawfully acquiring firearms.
Now, he and the other 450 mayors in the group stand in the crosshairs of the National Rifle... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Control Campaign Closes Notorious Philadelphia Crime Gun Dealer
26 September 2009
Philadelphia Inquirer, Editorial
Dozens of faith-based activists who had no more authority than the moral force of their cause deserve much of the credit for shutting down one of Philadelphia's worst sources of handguns used in crimes.
Given the carnage on city streets from illegal weapons, the apparent success of the daily protests by Heeding God's Call sure beats singing a few verses of "We Shall Overcome."
Not that protests should be needed to prompt federal enforcement of firearms laws. Nor... (GunPolicy.org)
Massachusetts Campaign Targets Interstate Gun Runners, Dealers
25 September 2009
South Coast Today (Massachusetts)
NEW BEDFORD — When a crime involving a firearm is committed, people focus their attention on the shooter. Rarely is thought given to how the criminal got the illegal gun in the first place. A workshop Thursday evening at Our Lady of the Assumption Church tried to change that.
The "Traffick Jam," as the event was called, was organized by Citizens for Safety, an organization that strives to "keep guns out of the hands of criminals and youth without abridging the... (GunPolicy.org)
Pennsylvania Mayor Won't Quit Leaders' Campaign to Curb Gun Running
25 September 2009
Pocono Record (Pennsylvania)
Most Americans probably are familiar with the philosophy, "If guns were outlawed, then only outlaws would have guns."
Stroudsburg Mayor Charlie Baughman has come under fire from the National Rifle Association and Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association for recently joining the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition. That's because both associations believe MAIG wants to take away Americans' right, guaranteed by the Second Amendment of the Constitution, to legally bear... (GunPolicy.org)
NRA Scares 69 of 463 US Mayors to Quit Campaign Against Illegal Guns
17 September 2009
Daily Journal (New Jersey)
VINELAND — Mayor Robert Romano has supported legal gun ownership most of his life.
He got his first pistol — a .38 special — when he joined the city's Police Department in 1974 and currently owns four registered handguns. He believes people have the right to own guns, but must do it legally.
Now, the cop-turned-mayor's stance on illegal guns is drawing fire from the nation's most active gun-rights group.
Shortly after taking office last fall, Romano joined... (GunPolicy.org)
NRA Scares 3 California Mayors to Quit Fight Against Illegal Gun Runners
17 September 2009
Modesto Bee (California), Column
As a longtime member of the National Rifle Association, Modesto Mayor Jim Ridenour certainly wasn't surprised to receive a recent hit-piece mailer on a local politician from the pro-gun organization.
The NRA routinely flexes its considerable muscle to combat anyone who advocates gun control in virtually any form.
Ridenour was surprised, however, to be its target.
[Graphic: A copy of the legislative alert addressed to Modesto mayor Jim Ridenour from the National... (GunPolicy.org)
Wisconsin Mayor, Police Chief Reject NRA Attack on Gun Control Group
12 September 2009
Rhinelander Daily News (Wisconsin)
Long-time Speaker of the House Tip O'Neil coined the phrase, 'All politics is local,' but increasingly national organizations have put its relevance in doubt by entering directly into the local political process.
Rhinelander Mayor Dick Johns found that out firsthand this week as he was beset with angry phone calls and e-mails generated by a National Rifle Association (NRA) mailing accusing him of belonging to "a national anti-gun group."
The mailing referred to Johns'... (GunPolicy.org)
NRA Targets Georgia Mayor for Joining Mayors Against Illegal Guns
11 September 2009
Valdosta Daily Times (Georgia)
VALDOSTA — The National Rifle Association has targeted Valdosta Mayor John Fretti as one of several American mayors linked to a national group concerned with the use of illegal guns.
The mayor said he is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns organization. But Fretti is also a member of the NRA.
He received one of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action flyers along with several other Valdosta-area NRA members and contributors.
The flyer states: "(New York... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Control Champion Well Endorsed in Election for NYC District Attorney
8 September 2009
Daily News (New York)
Richard Aborn, the son-in-law of film legend Ingrid Bergman, doesn't have the name recognition of his famous relatives.
Vying with two better-known foes to become Manhattan's next district attorney, Aborn concedes, "My name recognition has been the one burden we've had to overcome."
But Aborn, 57, doesn't shy away from challenge.
He was written off when he went head to head with the National Rifle Association on gun control in the 1990s, and he won.
This year, some... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Mexico,Central America,United Nations
Gun Treaty for the Americas Erodes US Sovereignty, Says Lobby Group
22 August 2009
Green Bay Gazette (Wisconsin), Opinion
DALLAS — CIFTA — the 1997 small-arms trafficking treaty drafted with the help of the Clinton administration — is bad as a matter of principle and policy.
When the United Nations tried to get the Bush administration to push the treaty through the Senate, it refused. John Bolton, then undersecretary of state for arms control, said the United States would reject any effort to regulate trade in non-military arms or any treaty that would "abrogate the constitutional... (GunPolicy.org)