Gun Policy News
Firearms on campus; guns, students and teachers
Australian MP Misfires With Wild Guns in School Quote
1 April 2022
Australian Associated Press / AAP
Federal independent MP Bob Katter has a reputation for shooting from the hip in media interviews but has badly misfired with a claim that Israel, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland provide schoolchildren with guns.
The claim is wrong. Government authorities in each of the four nations mentioned by Mr Katter have confirmed to AAP FactCheck that schoolchildren in their countries are not provided with guns and schools do not have armouries.
Mr Katter, who has been the MP... (GunPolicy.org)
Firearm Licences on the Rise in Czech Republic
10 January 2021
Zbrojnice.com (Czech Republic)
Gun stats 2020: number of legal owners up 0.63%, quarter of a million people allowed to carry firearms for personal protection
In 2020, the trend of a slight increase in the number of gun license holders continued to a total of 307,372 people. This is not a repeat of the fluctuations of 2013 (down nearly 5%) and 2016 (up 2.8%). Despite the existence of COVID restrictions, which brought with it repeated periods when proficiency tests were not conducted, slightly more... (GunPolicy.org)
Hidden Handguns on Campus Do Not Reduce Shooting Risk [ES]
24 October 2016
Voice of America
[Translated summary: A recent study conducted from Johns Hopkins University concluded that allowing people to carry hidden handguns on university campuses increases the risk of shootings, homicides and suicides. An FBI study found that, in 160 shootings, only once an armed civilian was able to intervene and stop it.]
Un reciente reporte concluyó que permitir el uso de armas de fuego dentro de las escuelas y universidades puede convertirse en un verdadero... (GunPolicy.org)
Hidden Handguns on Campus Will Increase Tragedies in Texas
21 October 2016
Washington Post, Opinion
Texas this year became the eighth state to require state colleges and universities to allow civilians with permits to carry concealed guns in public places. As a result, the University of Texas at Austin — a school that 50 years ago suffered the trauma of the nation's first campus mass killing — must allow guns to be brought onto campus.
To those behind the campus-carry movement making such inroads in Austin and other state capitals, that's a good thing. This... (GunPolicy.org)
US 'National Dialogue Has Changed' on Guns - 130 of the Worst
21 October 2016
New York Times
John R. Houser was dangerously mentally ill, too ill to carry a gun. Of that, there is little doubt.
Over 16 years, Mr. Houser, 59, had been charged with hiring a man to burn down a lawyer's office and named in a domestic violence complaint. In 2008, after Mr. Houser threatened to kill his daughter's fiancé, a judge issued a temporary restraining order and ordered him hospitalized for psychiatric evaluation. In 2014, he threatened to shoot law enforcement officers who... (GunPolicy.org)
One Great Way to Reduce Gun Violence? A Whole Lot of Data
15 October 2016
Wired (San Francisco)
At their core, data tell stories. They reveal patterns, show changes over time, and confirm or challenge our theories. And in cities across the country, mayors, police chiefs, and other local leaders are turning to data to help them understand and address gun violence, one of the most persistent crises they face.
Innovative, data-driven programs are showing encouraging results. To keep high school students on the right track, the city of Chicago scaled up a... (GunPolicy.org)
Shootings on US Campuses Doubled Over the Last Five Years
3 October 2016
New York Times, Reuters
Shootings on college campuses over the last five years have more than doubled since a similar period a decade earlier, according to a report released on Monday by a criminal justice reform organization.
The incidents have also grown more deadly, with three times as many people injured or killed during the most recent five-year period, the New York City-based Citizens Crime Commission said.
"It is now appropriate to call our nation's gun violence problem an epidemic,"... (GunPolicy.org)
Professors, Students' Opinions About Guns on Campus - NYT
27 August 2016
New York Times
As classes began here at the University of Texas this past week amid a new law allowing concealed handguns on college campuses in the state, an accounting student quietly strapped on a pistol and headed to class.
A pre-med sophomore joined a raucous protest against the law.
A professor who had sued to stop the law resigned herself to teaching with handguns in the classroom.
And the college president sought out ways to safeguard the campus culture that he cherished... (GunPolicy.org)
Teachers in California Allowed Hidden Handguns in Class [ES]
25 August 2016
Sputnik News
[Translated Summary: Starting with the new school year in September, high schools in three districts of California can employ up to five armed personnel. In case of a shooting, teachers will be authorized to use the guns before police arrive. Only trained personnel with a hidden handgun permit are allowed to carry firearms.]
A partir del año escolar que arranca en septiembre de 2016, en varios institutos de secundaria del estado norteamericano de California, los... (GunPolicy.org)
German Mass Shootings Tightened Gun Law, Gun Deaths Fell
15 June 2016
Los Angeles Times
Tough gun control laws in Germany that were rigorously tightened after two ghastly school shootings in 2002 and 2009 have helped cut the number of firearm killings in half to about 50 a year, according to experts.
Germans are known to admire America and its freedoms, but they were horrified by the arrival of distinctly American-style school shootings in their backyard in Erfurt in 2002 and Winnenden in 2009. They have been equally as shocked by the shooting deaths by a... (GunPolicy.org)
Preschoolers Handling Army Guns Cause Uproar in Germany
14 June 2016
Europe Online Magazine
Germany's armed forces will no longer allow visitors to handle weapons at open houses, following a scandal in which preschoolers were photographed playing with unloaded weapons, Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday.
The children got their hands on the guns while visiting a barracks in the southern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg on Saturday.
"To prevent something like this from happening again, I have decided that no weapons should be handled in future open... (GunPolicy.org)
Sandy Hook Gun Lawsuit Can Learn From 'Big Tobacco' Fight
14 May 2016
CNN
Families of the victims in the 2012 massacre by shooter Adam Lanza in Newtown, Connecticut, are no longer united only in their grief. Some of them are also now part of a potentially precedent-setting lawsuit seeking accountability from the gunmaker, Remington.
At issue are what the families allege are the manufacturer's marketing strategies and other trade secrets on military-style weapons.
Although the trial is not set to begin until April 2018, the case is moving... (GunPolicy.org)
Rifles on US Campus: College Police Forces Add Firepower
8 April 2016
Big Story, Associated Press
BOSTON -- Once a rarity on campuses, semi-automatic rifles are becoming a standard part of the arsenal for college police forces — firepower they say could make a difference the next time a gunman goes on a rampage.
The weapons are rarely seen in public and often stashed away in cruisers or at department headquarters, and many schools won't talk about them. But federal data and Associated Press interviews and requests for records reveal that over the past decade, at... (GunPolicy.org)
Missouri: Bill Would Allow Concealed Guns on Campuses
1 April 2016
San Francisco Chronicle
JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri -- A House committee has passed a bill that would allow concealed guns on college campuses.
The Columbia Daily Tribune (http://bit.ly/1Y3S5Og ) reports that the House Emerging Issues Committee passed the bill with an 8-3 vote Wednesday, winning unanimous support from Republicans.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jered Taylor, R-Nixa, would repeal the current guns-on-campus ban and replace it with language allowing people with concealed weapon... (GunPolicy.org)
UK Gun Control: Good Came from the Evil of Dunblane
13 March 2016
Guardian, Editorial
It is 20 years since Thomas Hamilton walked into Dunblane primary school carrying four handguns and murdered 17 people, 16 of them children only five years old. The response to this atrocity, from the heart of the British people, was two laws which between them banned the private ownership of handguns altogether. The year after Dunblane there were 59 killings with handguns in Britain; in 2014 there were only 29. Compare this with the situation in America, where, in... (GunPolicy.org)
The Right to Sue the US Gun Industry - NY Times
4 March 2016
New York Times, Editorial
The world recoiled in horror in 2012 when 20 Connecticut schoolchildren and six adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School by a deranged teenager using a military-style assault rifle to fire 154 rounds in less than five minutes. The weapon was a Bushmaster AR-15 semiautomatic rifle adapted from its original role as a battlefield weapon. The AR-15, which is designed to inflict maximum casualties with rapid bursts, should never have been available for purchase by... (GunPolicy.org)
In American Mass Shootings, Most Guns Were Quite Legal
26 February 2016
Washington Post
The death tolls change, the places change: Nine in a church, 23 in a restaurant, 26 in an elementary school, 14 at a holiday party. The faces in the memorial photos change the most.
But the weapons are the common denominator.
Mass killings in the United States are most often carried out with guns, usually handguns, most of them obtained legally.
There is no universally accepted definition of a mass shooting, and different organizations use different criteria. In this... (GunPolicy.org)
Canada: Four Dead in Separate Killings at School, Home
23 January 2016
Guardian
Four people have been killed and at least two others injured in shootings at a school and a property in northern Canada that prime minister Justin Trudeau described as "every parent's worst nightmare".
The gunman is suspected of first shooting his two brothers at home before opening fire at the remote community high school in La Loche, Saskatchewan, a family friend and the town's acting mayor said on Friday.
The school was sealed off and one male was later taken into... (GunPolicy.org)
Four Killed in Mass Shooting at a School in Canada
23 January 2016
BBC News
Police say a male suspect is now in custody and children have been moved to safety after the shootings at La Loche Community School and another location.
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau said earlier that five people had been killed, but this was later corrected.
The school shooting was "every parent's worst nightmare", Mr Trudeau said. "The community is reeling."
Mr Trudeau, who was speaking in Davos, Switzerland, also praised "the first responders who acted quickly and... (GunPolicy.org)
Donald Trump: 'I Will Get Rid of Gun-Free Zones on Schools'
8 January 2016
Washington Post
BURLINGTON — Donald Trump said Thursday that he wants to eliminate gun-free zones at schools.
"I will get rid of gun-free zones on schools, and — you have to — and on military bases," Trump said, to scattered cheers during a campaign rally on Thursday night. "My first day, it gets signed, okay? My first day. There's no more gun-free zones."
Trump has repeatedly said that gun-free zones are a magnet for mentally ill shooters and that the recent mass shootings in... (GunPolicy.org)
German Shooting Clubs Lobby Against EU Gun Control
21 December 2015
Deutsche Welle
German gun club lobbyists were invited to the German Interior Ministry (BMI) last week to discuss something that has been bothering them for a while - the European Commission's proposed plans to tighten Europe's gun laws, which were suddenly revived from legislative stagnation in the wake of the "Islamic State" attacks in Paris in November.
By all accounts, the visit was a success. "The proposal contains things that the BMI said would be difficult for them, and where... (GunPolicy.org)
How Many US Mass Shootings Are There, Really?
3 December 2015
New York Times, Opinion
On Wednesday, a Washington Post article announced that "The San Bernardino shooting is the second mass shooting today and the 355th this year." Vox, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, this newspaper and others reported similar statistics. Grim details from the church in Charleston, a college classroom in Oregon and a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado are still fresh, but you could be forgiven for wondering how you missed more than 300 other such attacks in 2015.
At Mother... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Yemen,Switzerland,Finland,Serbia
US Has 5% of World's Population, 31% of Mass Shootings
23 August 2015
EurekAlert! The Global Source for the Science News (USA) - American Association for the Advancement of Science
Chicago - Despite having only about 5 percent of the world's population, the United States was the attack site for a disproportionate 31 percent of public mass shooters globally from 1966-2012, according to new research that will be presented at the 110th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association (ASA).
"The United States, Yemen, Switzerland, Finland, and Serbia are ranked as the Top 5 countries in firearms owned per capita, according to the 2007 Small... (GunPolicy.org)
Studies on the Link Between Mental Health and Gun Violence
19 November 2014
New Yorker
On Friday, October 24th, during the busy lunch hour in the school cafeteria of Marysville-Pilchuck High School, in Marysville, Washington, Jaylen Fryberg opened fire on his classmates, killing one student and wounding four others, three of whom later died from their injuries. Then he killed himself.
Just a week earlier, Fryberg had been crowned prince of the school's homecoming court—he was a community volunteer, student athlete, and all-around "good kid." But within... (GunPolicy.org)
Estonia Student Shoots, Kills School Teacher With Father's Legal Revolver
27 October 2014
Associated Press / Yahoo! News
TALLINN — A 15-year-old student shot and killed his teacher during class Monday in a town in southern Estonia — the first known school shooting in the Baltic nation.
Four other students were in the classroom at Paalalinna School in the town of Viljandi, police spokeswoman Tuuli Harson said. She said the shooter was apprehended and no one else was injured in the early-afternoon attack at the school of 450 students.
Government officials said the victim was a... (GunPolicy.org)
Duo Jailed for Plotting Shooting Spree at University of Helsinki
29 June 2014
Helsinki Times
The District Court of Helsinki on Thursday sentenced a 24-year-old man and woman to prison terms for a conspiracy to carry out a killing spree at the University of Helsinki.
The male defendant was sentenced to a prison term of three years and one month for the preparation of an aggravated offence against the health and life of others, and the possession of sexually obscene pictures depicting children following the discovery of 28 videos on his computer of minors... (GunPolicy.org)
South Korean Soldier Captured After Shooting Five Others Then Himself
23 June 2014
Bloomberg (USA)
A South Korean soldier besieged by troops after gunning down five of his compatriots shot himself in the chest and was captured, a Defense Ministry official said.
The soldier was in a hospital in the border county of Goseong after a day long standoff with Korean troops, Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min Seok said at a televised briefing in Seoul. The soldier had been surrounded by hundreds of troops, with military personnel trying to convince him to surrender when he... (GunPolicy.org)
Op-Ed: The 'Have Gun, Will Shoot' Mindset in India and America
11 June 2014
Daily Pioneer (India), Opinion
In the US, powerful pro-gun lobbies have repeatedly sabotaged every attempt by lawmakers to make the possession of guns more difficult. In India too, it's not very difficult to secure a gun licence. This is a bad omen
Lawmakers in California in the United States are now mulling stricter gun control laws after a young man in the University of California killed six college students and himself. The young man was able to buy three guns and go on a rampage despite warnings... (GunPolicy.org)
President Obama Praises Australian Gun Control, 'Ashamed' of US Efforts
11 June 2014
News.com.au (Australia)
Australia has got gun control right, says US President Barack Obama, while his own nation "should be ashamed" at its inability to address a surge in school shootings.
The president vented frustration and disbelief that there was no momentum for gun reform in the wake of a recent spate of mass shootings, in impassioned remarks likely to touch off a new row with the powerful firearms lobby.
"Our levels of gun violence are off the charts, there is no advanced developed... (GunPolicy.org)
Obama Praises Australia's Gun Control, Brings Country into US Gun Debate
11 June 2014
Sydney Morning Herald
Even as police were still on the scene of yet another American school shooting – the 74th since the massacre of primary school children in Newtown – President Barack Obama praised Australia's gun laws in an online question and answer session.
"Couple of decades ago, Australia had a mass shooting, similar to Columbine or Newtown. And Australia just said, well, that's it, we're not doing, we're not seeing that again, and basically imposed very severe, tough gun laws,... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Violence at US Schools Continues to Grow Sharply
11 June 2014
Los Angeles Times
A fatal shooting in Oregon on Tuesday was the 31st firearms attack at a U.S. school since the start of the year, marking a sharp acceleration in the rash of violence that has occurred on campuses across the nation.
The incidents range from the 20 people shot near UC Santa Barbara less than three weeks ago to gunfire that resulted in no injuries at all.
The frequency of attacks has picked up since the December 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn.,... (GunPolicy.org)
Teachers in Sweden Get Training to Handle School Shootings
9 June 2014
Local (Sweden)
Swedish school teachers will soon be required to learn about school shootings, the National Agency for Education announced on Monday.
Following fatal school shootings in Germany, Finland, and the US, the Swedish National Education Agency (Skolverket) has decided to educate all school personnel about violence and weapons at work.
"It's critical that the faculty have thought through this and are prepared," Annika Hjelm, director of education at the agency, told... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia Proves It: National Gun Buybacks Reduce Mass Shootings
5 June 2014
Time (USA), Opinion
In the decade and a half since Australia initiated the policy, the number of firearms per person has stayed constant, and gun deaths have remained low.
Sometimes a tragedy is so awful that it changes the national debate. The 1996 Dunblane school shooting in Scotland and the 2011 Norwegian gun massacre all prompted an outpouring of anguish and a demand for changes in law. In Australia, that moment was the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, in which a gunman killed 35 people at... (GunPolicy.org)
NRA Slams Texas Gun Group as 'Downright Weird' After Restaurant Rally
2 June 2014
New York Daily News
Even the National Rifle Association thinks some Texas residents are taking public gun toting too far.
The notorious gun lobby has slapped members of Open Carry Texas as "downright weird" for their insistence on bringing loaded semi-automatic rifles, including AR-15s and AK-47s, into family-friendly establishments like Chipotle and Starbucks.
The statement, released Friday, came one day before a throng of some 150 people, some armed with semi-automatic rifles and... (GunPolicy.org)
Five Injured at Chinese Kindergarten in Police Gun Safety Display
30 May 2014
Standard (Hong Kong)
A policeman's handgun went off accidentally when two officers held a safety demonstration at a kindergarten in China to mark International Children's Day, injuring one child and four parents, authorities said.
A gun discharged accidentally and a bullet hit the ground, sending shards of cement flying into the air, wounding five people, said police authorities in Zhengzhou, in the central province of Henan.
They had injuries to their arms and legs and were rushed to... (GunPolicy.org)
More Firearms and Shotguns Legally Held in Scotland
30 May 2014
BBC News
There are about 84,000 guns and more than 141,000 shotguns legally held in Scotland, according to new statistics.
The numbers are up on the previous year's figures, with the increase the first seen in five years.
However, the rise in the number of certificates for guns is in part due to a change in what is recorded as a "firearm".
The number of shotguns held on certificate is the highest for the past 10 years.
Firearm and shotgun certificates must be renewed every... (GunPolicy.org)
We Need Better Data for a Serious Gun Control Debate in America
27 May 2014
Huffington Post (USA), Blog
Even before the massacre of six people in Santa Barbara had reached its bloody conclusion, the Great American Gun debate was taking shape. Some headlines described a deranged lunatic intent on retribution against women. Others honed in on the premeditated nature of the killing spree and argued that better armed civilians could have prevented the carnage. Still more highlighted how access to a semi-automatic pistol dramatically increased the number of dead and injured.... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun-Control Debate Heats Up Following California Shooting
26 May 2014
Time (USA)
The death of seven young adults, including the suspected shooter, in a Santa Barbara rampage Friday has once again made Americans take a painful look at the country's gun culture and laws.
During a press conference Saturday, Richard Martinez — the father of one of the victims, Chris Martinez — lashed out at the National Rifle Association and politicians who have continued to block tougher gun legislation.
"Why did Chris die? Chris died because of craven,... (GunPolicy.org)
How US Lobby Enables Gun Massacres, Other Nations Prevent Them
25 May 2014
Daily Beast
As a shooting spree leaves seven dead in California, the gun lobby is trying to thwart attempts to study gun deaths and officials who see gun violence as a public health crisis.
Yet another massacre occurred last night at an institution of learning, this time the University of California, Santa Barbara. The price we paid for the National Rifle Association's "freedom" was seven people murdered and seven injured at nine different crime scenes.
A young man who Santa... (GunPolicy.org)
US Shooting Renews Frustration Among Gun Control Advocates
24 May 2014
Los Angeles Times
Mixed in with prayers and sympathy after the Isla Vista shooting and stabbing rampage in Santa Barbara County were renewed calls Saturday to pass stronger gun control legislation.
"Although the circumstances of this attack are under investigation, we do know that real solutions exist to prevent most of the 90 gun deaths that happen in our nation every day, and that those solutions are supported by the overwhelming majority of Americans," said Dan Gross, president of... (GunPolicy.org)
South African Boy Held After Taking Gun to School
21 May 2014
Independent/IOL Daily News (South Africa)
Durban - A KwaMashu pupil is being investigated for taking a firearm and 16 bullets to school a day after an argument with a teacher.
The 15-year-old Grade 9 pupil was arrested at Sivananda High School on Friday and appeared in the Ntuzuma Magistrate's Court on Monday.
He was released into his parent's custody, but the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education does not want him back at school.
Police spokesman, Captain Thulani Zwane, said on Tuesday the police were... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Dies After Twentieth Shooting in Swedish City During 2014
18 May 2014
Local (Sweden)
A man was shot dead in the Backa area of Gothenburg in western Sweden on Saturday evening with a further man sustaining gunshot wounds, the 20th incident of its kind in the city so far this year.
Both men, who are 25-years-old, are previously known to police.
"Several spent shells have been found and the crime scene had been cordoned off for a technical forensic investigation," said Ulf Lörstad at Västra Götaland police.
The police have opened a preliminary... (GunPolicy.org)
Critics Claim Hypocrisy Over Gun Bans in US State Capitols But Not Bars
8 May 2014
Chicago Tribune
South Dakota lawmaker Steve Hickey has 17 guns, a National Rifle Association card and a faith that pistol-packing residents make public places safer — except for the one where he works.
"We have the most contentious issues being debated in public policy, affecting people in irate, angrily ways and affecting millions and millions of dollars," Hickey said of the copper-domed capitol in Pierre, where he sponsored a law allowing teachers to carry firearms in schools.... (GunPolicy.org)
Brazil,United States,United Kingdom,Australia
Lessons in Gun Control from Australia and Brazil
6 May 2014
Emergency Management
In the year and a half since 20 children were killed by a gunman at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., a handful of states have passed laws requiring universal background checks, bans on semi-automatic weapons and limits on high-capacity magazines. But the U.S. remains a patchwork of uneven regulations on firearms, ammunition and gun owners. Meanwhile, at least 44 school shootings have occurred since the Newtown tragedy.
If state leaders want to curb... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Culture 'Way Out of Balance': Rein It In, Says Hilary Clinton
6 May 2014
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday the nation's gun culture has gotten "way out of balance" and the U.S. needs to rein in the notion that "anybody can have a gun, anywhere, anytime."
The former secretary of state and potential 2016 Democratic presidential candidate said the idea that anyone can have a gun is not in the "best interest of the vast majority of people." But she said that approach does not conflict with the rights of people to own... (GunPolicy.org)
US Supreme Court Makes the NRA Miserable - Again
5 May 2014
Bloomberg (USA)
Presented with an opportunity to expand gun rights, the U.S. Supreme Court took a powder today. It refused to hear a challenge to gun regulation in New Jersey, repeating a pattern of declining every such opportunity since it decided major gun-rights cases in 2008 and 2010.
It wasn't supposed to go this way - not in the world according to gun-rights advocates. The New Jersey case arose from a decision by an appeals court panel, which had upheld the state's ban on... (GunPolicy.org)
In America, 'Scores of Bullying Victims Bring Weapons to School'
4 May 2014
Examiner (Denver)
Scores of bullying victims are bringing weapons to school, says new research offered in a presentation today. A recent study shows adolescents who are harassed in multiple ways most likely to carry gun or knife on campus, says the new study, "Exponential, Not Additive, Increase in Risk of Weapons Carrying by Adolescents Who Themselves Are Frequent and Recurrent Victims of Bullying." The abstract of the research is online. Bullying can take many forms. Students who have... (GunPolicy.org)
Framing Danger of Guns as Public Health Risk Will Change the Debate
3 May 2014
Washington Post, Opinion
When Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed his state's so-called guns everywhere law, it marked the latest in a string of legislative defeats for gun-control activists. Since the December 2012 Sandy Hook murders, 20 states have loosened gun laws. Georgia has now upped the ante with a bill that allows people to carry concealed weapons into bars, churches, schools and airports and prohibits law enforcement from requiring someone to show their gun owner's license .
To be sure,... (GunPolicy.org)
US States Changed Gun Laws Since Massacre: 4 Looser, 8 Tighter
2 May 2014
Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence
In April of this year, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal signed HB 60, a bill which expands the ability to carry firearms in public spaces such as bars and airports. The media was quick to report that this bill is evidence of a backlash against the many significant gun violence prevention laws enacted in the states last year, despite the media's predominant narrative from last year that, after Newtown, more states weakened gun laws and the gun lobby "won". The truth is that... (GunPolicy.org)
Maryland Gun Dealer Drops Smart Gun Sales Plan After Gun Lobby Pressure
2 May 2014
Washington Post
A Rockville gun store owner who said he would sell the nation's first smart gun — even after a California gun store removed the weapon from its shelves to placate angry gun-rights activists — backed down late Thursday night after enduring a day of protests and death threats.
Andy Raymond, the co-owner of Engage Armament, a store known for its custom assault rifles, had said earlier this week that offering the Armatix iP1 handgun was a "really tough decision" after... (GunPolicy.org)
NZ Man Arrested After Being Found Modifying Guns, Selling to Crime Gangs
29 April 2014
New Zealand Herald
An unemployed Auckland man spent $50,000 on firearms then sold them to gang members and other criminals.
Peter James Edwards purchased 74 rifles and shotguns in just 18 months, then "pimped" the weapons by cutting down the barrel or stock and adding pistol grips and silencers.
The pistol-sized firearms, which are easily carried and concealed, are highly prized in the criminal fraternity and the case has highlighted how easily guns can fall into the wrong... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Control Groups Raising More Cash than NRA Since Newtown, Data Shows
28 April 2014
Guardian
Political donations to groups supporting gun control have overtaken money raised by the National Rifle Association and its allies in the 16 months since the Newtown school shooting, according to latest filings with the Federal Election Commission.
Though campaign finance experts say officially-declared money is the tip of the iceberg for both sides, the limited public figures available suggest recent efforts to build grassroots organisations to rival the political... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Laws: How Key US States are Easing or Tightening Restrictions on Firearms
26 April 2014
Guardian (UK)
After Congress failed to pass gun reform last year, the debate over gun violence and Second Amendment rights has largely moved from Washington DC to state capitals. That debate heated up after the December 2012 shooting tragedy at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.
Last year, lawmakers in Connecticut and Colorado – another state rocked by a mass shooting in 2012 – passed sweeping new gun-control measures. In January 2013, New York enacted a law... (GunPolicy.org)
New York Times Quietly Outs 'Independent Scholar' as NRA-funded
23 April 2014
Progressive (Wisconsin)
Last Friday The New York Times finally addressed a conflict of interest that it had been ignoring for years. Although, among the powerful institutions that have long done so, the Times is hardly alone. The matter helps illustrate how the gun lobby has managed to shape the nation's gun debate without showing its hand. The news comes to light one day before the start of the National Rifle Association's annual convention in Indianapolis.
David Kopel is the Research... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Checks in America Miss Millions of Criminals, Fugitives
23 April 2014
USA Today
WASHINGTON — Millions of fugitives can pass undetected through federal background checks and buy guns illegally because police departments across the country routinely fail to put their names into a national database that tracks people on the run from the law.
Those background checks, conducted by the FBI, are designed to block fugitives, felons, the mentally ill and others who might be violent from buying firearms. They automatically bar sales to anyone identified... (GunPolicy.org)
Georgia Law Allows Guns in Many Public Places, Despite Opposition
23 April 2014
CNN
ELLIJAY, GA - Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed a wide-ranging gun bill into law Wednesday that has critics howling and proponents applauding.
House Bill 60, or the Safe Carry Protection Act of 2014 - which opponents have nicknamed the "guns everywhere bill" - specifies where Georgia residents can carry weapons. Included are provisions that allow residents who have concealed carry permits to take guns into some bars, churches, school zones, government buildings and... (GunPolicy.org)
US Doctor Funds Gun Injury Research with $1 Million of His Own Money
22 April 2014
ProPublica
Federal funding for research on gun violence has been restricted for nearly two decades. President Obama urged Congress to allocate $10 million for new research after the Newtown school shooting. But House Republicans say they won't approve it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's budget still lists zero dollars for research on gun violence prevention.
One of the researchers who lost funding in the political battle over studying firearms was Dr. Garen... (GunPolicy.org)
Republicans Say No to CDC Gun Violence Research
21 April 2014
ProPublica
After the Sandy Hook school shooting, Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) was one of a few congressional Republicans who expressed a willingness to reconsider the need for gun control laws.
"Put guns on the table, also put video games on the table, put mental health on the table," he said less than a week after the Newtown shootings. He told a local TV station that he wanted to see more research done to understand mass shootings. "Let's let the data lead rather than our... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Rights Advocates or Gun Advocates? US Gun Lobby Digs its Heels In
13 April 2014
Telegraph (UK)
The song blasts from two speakers placed either side of a beige canopy: "Guns, whether Remingtons and Glocks / Come on man it ain't like I'm a slingin' 'em on the block / I'm gonna tell you once, and listen son / As long as I'm alive and breathing, You won't take my guns."
Under the canopy is a table full of T-shirts and baseball caps embossed with the words "Open Carry Texas". And gathered around that are a handful of people with AK-47 or AR-15 semi-automatic rifles... (GunPolicy.org)
Germany,Bahrain,South Korea,Japan,United Kingdom,Italy,United States
Local Gun Control Laws Make Overseas US Military Bases 'Safer'
9 April 2014
Stars and Stripes (USA)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Strict gun laws in foreign countries mean many in America's overseas military communities feel safer than they would at home, although they're divided over whether tougher rules would reduce gun violence in the U.S.
"For the most part, I feel safer over here because we're not allowed to bring guns," Sgt. Roseann Baena, a 26-year-old soldier assigned to Europe Regional Dental Command in Sembach, Germany, said Tuesday.
Her comment was typical... (GunPolicy.org)
Italy,United Kingdom,Slovakia,Germany,Romania,France,Spain,Bulgaria,Croatia,Malta,Denmark,El Salvador,Estonia,Finland,Hungary,Ireland,Slovenia,European Union,Latvia
18 Countries Ratify UN Arms Trade Treaty
2 April 2014
Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS — Eighteen countries, including five of the world's leading arms exporters, ratified a landmark treaty regulating the multibillion-dollar global arms trade on Wednesday, giving a significant boost to the campaign for the treaty's entry into force.
The ambassadors of the 18 countries handed over the documents at a U.N. ceremony on the first anniversary of the General Assembly's adoption of the Arms Trade Treaty, which is aimed at stemming the global... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Madness in Georgia: New Law Allows Guns in Churches, Bars
27 March 2014
Los Angeles Times, Editorial
Fifteen months ago, as the nation recoiled in horror from the massacre of 20 children and six adults by a mentally ill man armed with three semiautomatic weapons, there were firm proclamations that this time would be different. The violence at that Newtown, Conn., elementary school, it was said, would finally lead the nation to come together and embrace some reasonable gun control laws.
Well, that didn't last long. If anything, the national gun frenzy, fueled by the... (GunPolicy.org)
Critics: Georgia's Stand-Your-Ground Gun Law 'Recipe for Unnecessary Killing'
27 March 2014
Guardian (UK)
A new Georgia gun law will extend the state's stand-your-ground legislation to protect convicted felons who kill using illegal guns, under what one criminal law expert calls a "recipe for unnecessary killing".
The bill, called HS60, was passed by the state legislature last week and is now awaiting governor Nathan Deal's signature. It was promoted by state Republicans for offering greater protection to law-abiding citizens. But lawyers, the state association of chiefs... (GunPolicy.org)
US State's Lawmakers Pass Controversial 'Guns Everywhere' Bill
23 March 2014
MSNBC News (USA)
The Georgia House passed a sweeping gun bill late Thursday night that allows firearms in bars, nightclubs, school classrooms and certain government buildings that lack security personnel or devices.
Lawmakers moved the bill through the House during the last hour of the night on Thursday, meeting their midnight deadline before the end of the current legislative session. If signed by the state's governor, the law will give religious leaders the option to "opt-in" to... (GunPolicy.org)
What the NRA's War Against Obama's Surgeon General Pick is Really About
21 March 2014
Talking Points Memo (USA)
With the White House and Senate Democrats in retreat, the National Rifle Association is winning its battle to scuttle President Barack Obama's nominee for surgeon general, but the group is escalating its war against him anyway.
The gun industry lobby issued a "special alert" to members on Wednesday with a call to action in bright red: "Please call your U.S. Senators and Ask Them to Oppose the Confirmation of Vivek Murthy for U.S. Surgeon General." The group provided a... (GunPolicy.org)
Opinion: The US Gun Lobby's Craziest Target Yet
18 March 2014
New York Daily News, Opinion
The latest casualty of the National Rifle Association's wag-the-dog sway over Washington politics is Dr. Vivek Murthy, President Obama's choice to be surgeon general.
He's a brilliant young Harvard- and Yale-educated physician and instructor at Harvard Medical School who has founded both a tech pharmaceutical startup and a charity focused on HIV education in his parents' home country of India.
Among the many groups endorsing Murthy for the post are the American Cancer... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun-Happy Georgia State Lawmakers Put Public Safety at Risk
18 March 2014
Washington Post, Editorial
The National Rifle Association calls it "the most comprehensive pro-gun reform legislation in recent state history." That's true, sad to say.
After the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012, gun-control advocates thought reasonable firearm restrictions might have a chance at enactment. They scored a notable victory in Colorado but mostly failed elsewhere and on the national level. Now the old political calculus seems to be back at work: The momentum... (GunPolicy.org)
Toddler, Mother Gunned Down in Italian Mafia Assassination
18 March 2014
Local (Italy)
The killing of a three-year-old toddler along with two adults in an apparent fight for territory in a violent drug war has sparked reactions of horror in Italy.
The victims - a convicted murderer on day release from prison, his partner and her young son - were killed in southern Italy late on Monday after the car they were travelling in was forced off the road by gunmen in a second car, who then fired more than 15 bullets through the windscreen.
Investigators said the... (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)
Gun Press, Arms Dealers Talk Up US/Russia 'Ammo Shortage' Sales Panic
11 March 2014
Washington Examiner
American gun owners are gobbling up cheap Russian ammunition in huge quantities, worried that President Obama's tussle with Vladimir Putin over Moscow's grab for Crimea will result in new trade sanctions cutting off imports of bullets.
"We've seen an ammo-hoarding effect," said Larry Hyatt, owner of Hyatt Gun Shop in Charlotte, N.C., one of the nation's biggest gun stores. "It's almost like milk and bread when it gets ready to snow: It's just a mass of people running... (GunPolicy.org)
Disarmed: How American Cities Are Losing the Power to Regulate Guns
6 March 2014
Atlantic (USA)
It was after midnight on February 15. Valentine's Day had ended, but there were still roses in the gift shop when two men hobbled into Via Christi Hospital St. Joseph in Wichita, Kansas, each with a bullet wound in the thigh. One of them explained to police that he had a concealed-carry handgun license, and that he'd been drinking at the Shot Time II bar when he'd accidentally fired a bullet through his own leg and into the leg of the man sitting next to him.
Kansas... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
Obama Asks US Congress for Money to Prevent Mass Shootings
4 March 2014
Reuters
U.S. President Barack Obama returned to the subject of mass shootings on Tuesday by proposing to spend millions of dollars more on gun safety programs, inspections of retailers and background checks for people buying firearms.
If enacted by a U.S. Congress that has been wary of gun control measures, the $182 million package would advance an issue that rose to the top of the national agenda after the December 2012 shooting of 20 children and six adults at a Newtown,... (GunPolicy.org)
Kentucky 'Outreach to Rednecks' Converts to Christ with Gun Giveaway
3 March 2014
USA Today
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — In an effort its spokesman has described as "outreach to rednecks," the Kentucky Baptist Convention is leading "Second Amendment Celebrations," where churches around the state give away guns as door prizes to lure in the unchurched in hopes of converting them to Christ.
As many as 1,000 people are expected at the next one, on Thursday at Lone Oak Baptist Church in Paducah, where they will be given a free steak dinner and the chance to win one... (GunPolicy.org)
Two Students Arrested in Kenya After Handgun Found in Schoolbag
1 March 2014
Standard (Nairobi)
Kajiado, Kenya - Police are holding two school boys after a gun was allegedly recovered inside a schoolbag belonging to one of the boys.
The two Form Four students at Ololua Secondary School were arrested on Friday by police after a teacher discovered the firearm inside the student's school bag.
According to Ngong Police boss Farah Mohamed, one of the boys arrived at the school late and was questioned by his teacher.
The teacher who realised the student was a... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun-Control Activists Cite Merits of Background Checks
28 February 2014
Christian Science Monitor
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. And again. And again. That appears to be the mantra of proponents of federal gun control legislation, who arrived on Capitol Hill Friday with new ammunition for their fight.
Though they were turned back last year on the issue of universal background checks, and neither the House nor the Senate has plans to revisit that issue, gun-control advocates came to Capitol Hill bearing … statistics. Assessing 20 years of the... (GunPolicy.org)
New Idaho Gun Law: Teachers Ask 'When May I Shoot a Student?'
27 February 2014
New York Times, Opinion
BOISE, Idaho — To the chief counsel of the Idaho State Legislature:
In light of the bill permitting guns on our state's college and university campuses, which is likely to be approved by the state House of Representatives in the coming days, I have a matter of practical concern that I hope you can help with: When may I shoot a student?
I am a biology professor, not a lawyer, and I had never considered bringing a gun to work until now. But since many of my students... (GunPolicy.org)
Could Technology be the Gun Control of 2014?
25 February 2014
MSNBC News (USA)
Smart guns similar to James Bond's pistol are marching closer to reality as manufacturers expect to continue testing prototypes throughout 2014 and a few politicians push for new technology to make firearms safer.
Manufacturers design "smart" guns, also referred to as "personalized" or "owner-authorized" firearms, to prevent intentional and unintentional shootings by children and other unauthorized users. The idea of incorporating technology into guns took hold during... (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)
US State Set to Allow Drinkers to Bring Handguns into Bars
19 February 2014
Daily Mail (UK) / Reuters
Georgia lawmakers on Tuesday voted to allow bars and churches to decide for themselves whether to let gun owners carry weapons into their buildings.
The measure heads for the state Senate after the members of Georgia's House of Representatives approved the legislation with a 119-56 vote, according to the chamber's Twitter account.
The rights of gun owners became a major political issue in 2012, when the United States experienced a rash of mass shootings, including a... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Sales in US Plunging But Female, First Time Buyer Numbers Up
14 February 2014
CNN
Sales of guns and ammo are losing steam after a frenzied run-up sparked by fears of greater restrictions in the wake of the Newtown shooting and other massacres.
Background checks by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, considered to be the most accurate means of tracking gun sales, plunged by a third in January compared to the year before. There were about 1.66 million background checks last month, and nearly 2.5 million in January the year before.
In the past two... (GunPolicy.org)
Over Three School Shootings a Month in US Since Newtown - New Analysis
13 February 2014
Washington Post, Blog
There have been at least 44 school shootings on K-12 or college campuses in 24 states — an average of more than three a month — since the deadly 2012 attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., according to a new analysis. Twenty-eight people have died and 37 have been injured.
Twenty children and six adults working at Sandy Hook were killed in the December 2012 assault in Newtown, leading to renewed calls around the nation for Congress to take action... (GunPolicy.org)
Pro-Gunners' Own Words: We Hit Women? Good. You Hit Us? Prepare to Die
13 February 2014
Huffington Post (USA)
It was National Rifle Association (NRA) CEO Wayne LaPierre who famously intoned that "the guys with the guns make the rules" during the 2009 Conservative Political Action Conference. I don't think I had ever fully understood the sheer arrogance and hypocrisy behind this belief, however, until pro-gun activists brought it into sharp relief for me recently.
Late last month, the president of the radical pro-gun group Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL), Philip Van... (GunPolicy.org)
28 People Killed in 44 US School Shootings Since Newtown, Study Finds
12 February 2014
Guardian (UK)
Gun violence is erupting in America's schools and colleges at a rate of more than three incidents a month, with 13 school shootings recorded in the first six weeks of 2014 alone, a new study on the impact of gun violence since the Newtown tragedy shows.
The analysis by groups campaigning for tighter gun controls in the US identifies at least 44 school and college shootings since Newtown in December 2012, when 20 children and six of their carers were killed in a... (GunPolicy.org)
Is School Shooting A Wake-Up Call For Russia?
4 February 2014
Bloomberg (USA)
Russians had considered their country immune to the kind of school violence that the U.S. has suffered in incidents such as the Sandy Hook Elementary shootings and the Columbine High School massacre. Now, 15-year-old Sergei Gordeyev has disabused them of that notion, killing a teacher and a cop at his school in northern Moscow.
News of the shooting, which occurred around midday Monday, immediately prompted comparisons to the U.S. "Have we caught the American disease?"... (GunPolicy.org)
Federal Judge Upholds US State's Ban on Semi-Automatic Weapons
30 January 2014
Wall Street Journal, Blog
A federal judge has upheld Connecticut's ban on many semi-automatic weapons as constitutional, a win for gun-control advocates who pushed for tighter firearm restrictions following the 2012 school shooting in Newtown, Conn.
U.S. District Judge Alfred V. Covello in Hartford ruled that Connecticut's 2013 prohibition, which expanded the definition of "assault weapon" under a 1993 law, does not violate the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The law currently... (GunPolicy.org)
Call for 'Peace Zones', More Gun Control in Venezuela
28 January 2014
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro has announced the creation of "peace zones" and his justice minister said the government should consider stricter gun control, a piecemeal approach in the face of rampant violence.
According to El Universal, Maduro said the zones will be enforced through participation from state institutions and citizens, and will be implemented in "public spaces," highways, hospitals, schools and universities.
"We have to create a system of... (GunPolicy.org)
Legal Shotgun Used in US Mall Shooting, Latest in Spate of Gun Violence
26 January 2014
Reuters
A gunman who shot and killed two people at a Maryland mall was a 19-year-old who lived with his mother in a nearby Washington suburb and arrived at the shopping center in a taxi about an hour before opening fire, police said on Sunday.
But a day after Saturday's shootings, police could provide no immediate insight into why Darion Marcus Aguilar killed a young man and a young woman at the mall in Columbia, Maryland, about 20 miles (32 km) west of Baltimore, before... (GunPolicy.org)
UK Candidate Suggests Relaxing Gun Ban, Opponent Labels Move 'Dangerous'
24 January 2014
Guardian (UK)
Nigel Farage has called for firearm laws to be relaxed, calling the current ban on handguns "ludicrous".
The Ukip leader criticised the "kneejerk" restrictions on handguns imposed after the 1996 Dunblane massacre in which Thomas Hamilton killed 16 schoolchildren and a teacher before shooting himself.
The laws were brought in by Sir John Major, the then Tory prime minister, and extended to a total ban by Tony Blair's Labour government in 1997.
Asked about gun... (GunPolicy.org)
Last US State Passes Concealed Carry Gun Law, Cops Wary of Changes
9 January 2014
JC Online (Indiana) / USA Today
CHICAGO - Illinois is now the last state in the U.S. to allow average citizens to carry around concealed firearms.
On Sunday, it joined a two-decade long parade of jurisdictions ranging from Arizona to Vermont that have loosened their gun laws at the same time violent crime rates were dropping across the country.
"For years, we heard from gun control groups that concealed-carry laws would result in an increase in crime," said Larry Keane, general counsel for the... (GunPolicy.org)
US Universities Using Threat Assessment Teams to Prevent Mass Shootings
8 January 2014
Nature
In many pictures of her online, Kayla Bourque looks like a typical college student: there are selfies of her on a coastal holiday, or smirking mischievously after an experiment in hair colour. But in 2012, Bourque, then a criminology student at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, told a classmate that she fantasized about killing a homeless person and that she was studying forensics so that she could get away with it. She also talked about killing her family... (GunPolicy.org)
US to Consider Gun Law Reform on Background Checks, Mental Health
3 January 2014
Reuters
The Obama administration on Friday proposed two new gun control regulations aimed at clarifying restrictions on gun ownership for the mentally ill and strengthening a database used for background checks before firearm purchases.
The measures are the latest step in a year-long push by President Barack Obama to tighten U.S. gun laws in the wake of a school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, where 20 children were killed.
Obama tried last year to bring in sweeping new gun... (GunPolicy.org)
The Year in Guns: In Wake of Tragedy, More American Government Inaction
22 December 2013
al Jazeera
In the United States, the pendulum swings wide bearing the weight of a gun.
Just one year ago, the nation found itself grappling with fresh grief following a mass shooting in which a gunman killed 20 children and six teachers in Newtown, Conn. It was another stroke in the drumbeat of tragedy ingraining a national vernacular centered on dateline — Columbine, Virginia Tech, Aurora. All were places where the semi-automatic weapon's innate purpose to briskly slaughter... (GunPolicy.org)
Unheralded FBI Unit Gets Mental Health Help for Possible Mass Shooters
16 December 2013
Republic (Indiana)
WASHINGTON — The FBI says it has helped to disrupt or prevent nearly 150 shootings and violent attacks this year, in part by steering potential gunmen toward mental health professionals. It's an achievement that stands out during a year when President Barack Obama made curbing gun violence a priority, yet has had little success in getting new restrictions enacted.
There have been hundreds of these disruptions since 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder recently told an... (GunPolicy.org)
US Mayors Group Says Thousands of Guns Sold Illegally Online
12 December 2013
Reuters
Thousands of guns are being offered for sale illegally by unlicensed firearms dealers on a single U.S. website, according to a report released on Thursday by a group of U.S. mayors campaigning for gun control.
Mayors Against Illegal Guns, founded and largely funded by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, examined sales on Armslist.com, a major gun-trading website that enables sales in all 50 states, over an eight-week period this year.
It said nearly a third of the ads... (GunPolicy.org)
More Than Half of Americans Now Have Tougher Gun Laws
12 December 2013
Mother Jones (USA)
An unthinkable massacre ignites an intense national debate. Then, Congress does nothing. The powerful gun lobby wins again. End of story.
[Interactive charts of US state gun laws are displayed in the original]
So went the popular narrative last spring with the collapse of gun control legislation on Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, scores of people have been wounded or killed in five new mass shootings and other gun rampages around the country, and an estimated 30,000 have... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun-Control Groups are Shifting Efforts and Resources to Handful of States
12 December 2013
Washington Post
DENVER — In Colorado, a state scarred by two mass shootings, Democrats passed some of the nation's toughest gun legislation this year. Gun rights supporters responded by recalling two state senators who had championed the bills.
Now gun-control advocates are plotting their revenge. Inside a hotel conference room here this week, 60 activists spent a day strategizing to defend the remaining legislators who voted for the measures and protect them from repeal efforts.... (GunPolicy.org)
Sandy Hook Massacre: US Gun Lobby Targets Australia, Cherry-Picks Data
12 December 2013
Sydney Morning Herald
As America prepares to mark the first anniversary of the murder of 20 children and six staff at the Sandy Hook elementary school, Australia has again become a focus of the increasingly bitter debate over gun control in the United States.
At issue for activists on both sides is the decision by former prime minister John Howard to ban a range of gun types in Australia following the Port Arthur massacre, in particular semi-automatic rifles. To gun control advocates in... (GunPolicy.org)
How US Gun Control Is Losing, Badly
11 December 2013
Washington Post, Blog
This Saturday marks the one-year anniversary of the massacre at Newtown, Conn.'s Sandy Hook Elementary School. Twenty children, six staff members, shooter Adam Lanza and his mother all died that day. The killings reinvigorated both sides of the gun-control debate, but gun rights advocates maintained the edge they've had for years.
[Interactive charts of US state gun laws and lobbying are displayed in the original]
An impressive (roughly) 1,500 state gun bills have... (GunPolicy.org)
In Year Since Newtown Massacre, US Tightens 39 Gun Laws, Loosens 70
10 December 2013
New York Times, Web page
In the 12 months since the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., almost every state has enacted at least one new gun law.
Nearly two-thirds of the new laws ease restrictions and expand the rights of gun owners. Most of those bills were approved in states controlled by Republicans.
Those who support stricter regulations won some victories — mostly in states where the legislature and governorship are controlled by Democrats — to increase... (GunPolicy.org)
Post-Newtown, US Gun Control Battle Moves to States
9 December 2013
Reuters
In the year since the massacre of 26 schoolchildren and adults in Newtown, Connecticut, efforts to pass gun legislation have stalled in the U.S. Congress but shifted to the states, helped by the deep pockets of outgoing New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
In scores of statehouse battles, both gun-control and gun-rights advocates have notched wins since a mentally unstable gunman killed 20 first-graders and six adults at Newtown's Sandy Hook Elementary School on December... (GunPolicy.org)
New US Poll Shows Support for Stricter Gun Control Fades
4 December 2013
CNN, Blog
WASHINGTON - As memories fade from last December's horrific school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, a new national poll indicates that support for stricter gun control laws appears to be fading, too.
According to a new CNN/ORC International survey, 49% of Americans say they support stricter gun control laws, with 50% opposed. The 49% support is down six percentage points from the 55% who said they backed stricter gun control in CNN polling from January, just a few... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun-Buying Spree Wanes After Post-Newtown High
28 November 2013
Washington Times
Federal gun-purchase background checks ticked up in October, but analysts say the surge in applications to buy guns, which peaked in the months after the Newtown school shootings in Connecticut, likely has leveled off.
After hitting an all-time high of 2.8 million in December 2012, checks run through the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System remained high through May when compared to previous year tallies. Sales then dropped for the next four months,... (GunPolicy.org)
Japanese Father Arrested After Son Takes Handgun to School
26 November 2013
Japan Today
FUKUOKA — Police have arrested the father of a student after the boy brought a handgun to school in Shime, Fukuoka Prefecture.
According to police, the boy's father, Takaki Wakisaka, a 41-year-old restaurant manager, was questioned about firing several live-ammunition shots from a revolver in a storehouse near his home in the middle of September this year, Fuji TV reported.
After bringing the same gun to school on Nov 20, his son had the firearm confiscated by a... (GunPolicy.org)
Report on Sandy Hook Mass Shooting Raises Questions
25 November 2013
Guardian (UK)
Adam Lanza, the 20-year-old who convulsed America when he shot dead 20 young children and six of their adult carers at Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut last December, was obsessed with mass murders in the run-up to his meticulously-planned attack and kept photocopies of newspaper articles on shootings of children dating back to 1891.
A 48-page summary of the official investigation into the tragedy in Newtown on 14 December 2012 has revealed new details about... (GunPolicy.org)
3D Guns Seen as Threat as 'Invisible' Gun Law Expires in US
15 November 2013
USA Today
WASHINGTON — When a decades-old law banning undetectable firearms expires less than a month from now, federal agents say a plastic weapon created on a 3-D printer could emerge as a national security threat.
The homemade plastic gun, known as the "Liberator .380" and made with a computer blueprint, a 3-D printer and plastic resin, could pass through security checkpoints without setting off metal detectors.
The gun uses only the smallest bits of metal for ammunition... (GunPolicy.org)
Two Dead, Two Injured in US School Shooting
21 October 2013
Guardian (UK) / Associated Press
Two people died and two others were injured in a Nevada school shooting on Monday.
Police said one of the victims was a staff member at Sparks middle school in Sparks, east of Reno. Police chief Mike Mieras said the other person to have died was the suspect, who was thought to be a student.
None of the victims have been identified, but officials said there are "no outstanding suspects".
Police said they received the first report of the incident at 7.16am local time... (GunPolicy.org)
South African Students In Court Over Crime Gun Possession
15 October 2013
Independent/IOL Daily News (South Africa)
JOHANNESBURG - Two high school pupils appeared in the Krugersdorp Magistrate's Court on Monday after being caught with a gun and live ammunition on Friday.
According to Kagiso police station commander Brigadier Sipho Ngubane, pupils at the Mosupatsela Secondary School reported to the deputy principal that Bongani Phapha, 19, and Joubert Tlou, 18, were in possession of a gun.
The deputy principal called the police, and the gun, which had been hidden on the school... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Lobby Rubbishes Conspiracy Theory That Threatens Gun Industry
9 October 2013
Huffington Post (USA)
The National Rifle Association gives one the immediate impression of an organization that never met an anti-government conspiracy theory it didn't like. After all, the NRA has been recruiting members and raising money with such absurd fantasies for years: The "mass confiscation" of privately-held firearms after Hurricane Katrina, the United Nations Small Arms Treaty "threaten[ing] individual firearm ownership with an invasive registration scheme," ATF's botched "Fast... (GunPolicy.org)
In Germany, Owning a Gun is a Privilege
9 October 2013
NPR Berlin, Series
Hardy Schober stops by the cemetery near his home in Winnenenden almost every day to visit the grave of his fifteen-year-old daughter. Jana was killed by a classmate four years ago in one of the most tragic school shootings in Germany's history.
"We don't live very far from the cemetery, and I stop there and talk with her," says Schober.
He visits Jana's grave to tell her about his day, or about what's going on with the rest of their family. When he talks about her,... (GunPolicy.org)
ATF Head Still Boxed in by Politics, Low Resources in America
6 October 2013
Minnesota Public Radio / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - When President Barack Obama picked B. Todd Jones to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, it looked like the moment had arrived when the beleaguered ATF would reassert itself as an agency with teeth.
It was January, and the nation was embroiled in a rare debate on gun control, the result of the massacre at a Connecticut elementary school the previous month. The White House pushed for tougher gun laws and Congress seemed unusually... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Brings Assault Rifle Into US State Capitol Building to Prove Point
25 September 2013
KOB Eyewitness News 4 (New Mexico)
A YouTube video of a man carrying a loaded rifle into the New Mexico Capitol is getting plenty of attention online. Not because he did anything wrong, but because he was making a point about his rights.
And his message certainly got state lawmakers' attention.
"I'm gonna go inside the state Capitol and see if I can educate a few people," the man says in the video, only identified by his YouTube account name of "martinrps13."
He walked into the east entrance lobby of... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia,United States,England & Wales
Obama Praises Australian Gun Laws After US Mass Shootings
23 September 2013
Australian (Sydney) / Agence France Presse
US President Barack Obama has used Australia as a positive example of a country that tightened gun laws after a mass shooting.
He was speaking at a memorial service for the victims of America's latest mass shooting and was making yet another impassioned appeal for the US to reform gun ownership laws.
"No other advanced nation endures this kind of violence. None," he declared, at a ceremony in the Washington Navy Yard, where a contractor killed 12 people in a gun... (GunPolicy.org)
NZ Kindergarten Issues 'Gun Licences' in Attempt to Teach Safety
18 September 2013
Stuff (New Zealand)
At Stratford's Avon Kindergarten kids can pick up a "gun" and shoot a possum any time they want - if they have a licence.
Head teacher Lynsi Latham-Saunders has introduced the gun-use policy after some of the 3- to 5-year-olds began using sticks as guns and pointing them at each other.
"They were using guns for what they see guns used for on cartoons and television. Children weren't too keen on guns being pushed in their faces," she said.
Now, if any of the... (GunPolicy.org)
There Will Be Another Mass Shooting in US According to Prediction
17 September 2013
Atlantic Wire (USA)
The next mass shooting will take place on February 12, 2014, in Spokane, Washington. It will be committed by an emotionally disturbed, 38 year-old white man who will kill seven people and wound six more at a place he used to work using a semi-automatic handgun he purchased legally in the state.
That, at least, is what a look at the data on past such shootings might indicate. We'll say at the outset: Every assertion in the first paragraph is a function of probability,... (GunPolicy.org)
US News Satire Show on Australia's Gun Control an Emmy Award Winner
16 September 2013
Age (Melbourne)
Former politicians John Howard, Tim Fischer and Rob Borbidge aren't the first names which spring to mind when you think of TV's annual Emmy Awards.
But a news segment featuring the three was a surprise winner at America's television gongs today.
The segment, titled Australia and Gun Control's Aftermath, was produced as part of the news satire, The Daily Show.
The segment, which was aired in three parts, followed comedian John Oliver as he investigated Australia's gun... (GunPolicy.org)
Study: Gun Ownership Linked to Increase in US Firearm Homicides
12 September 2013
al Jazeera
A new study published in the American Journal of Public Health on Thursday has found a "robust" relationship between rates of gun ownership and firearm homicide, challenging the National Rifle Association's assertion that more registered guns equal fewer firearm-related deaths.
However, the study noted that while gun ownership is a significant predictor of firearm homicide rates, the correlation did not necessarily mean that higher ownership directly caused more... (GunPolicy.org)
Colorado Politicians Ousted Over Gun Law Position
11 September 2013
New York Times
COLORADO SPRINGS — Two Colorado Democrats who provided crucial support for a package of state gun laws were voted out of office on Tuesday in special elections seen as a test of whether swing-state voters would accept gun restrictions after mass shootings at a Colorado movie theater and a Connecticut elementary school.
The vote, which came five months after the United States Senate defeated several gun restrictions, handed another loss to gun-control supporters and... (GunPolicy.org)
Two US Politicians Ousted as Gun Lobby Increases Pressure Over Laws
9 September 2013
Denver Post (Colorado)
DENVER — Two Democratic state lawmakers who backed tighter gun laws in the aftermath of mass shootings have been kicked out of office in a recall election promoted by both grassroots activists and the National Rifle Association.
Senate President John Morse lost by just 343 votes Tuesday in a swing district in the Republican stronghold of Colorado Springs but Sen. Angela Giron lost by a bigger margin in a largely blue-collar district that favors Democrats.
The NRA... (GunPolicy.org)
Pro-Gun Australian Politician Proposes Allowing Gun Carry for All
9 September 2013
ABC News (Australia)
The man elected to take one of six Senate seats in New South Wales says allowing the general public to carry weapons is one way of curbing gun crime in western Sydney.
Voters in New South Wales have chosen Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm for the Senate after the party appeared in the top left hand corner of ballot papers.
The seldom-mentioned party gained 8.89 per cent of the initial vote allocation, ahead of the Greens' 7.77 per cent.
The party, which believes in... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian PM Defends Sport Shooting Record Amid Gun Control Calls
3 September 2013
Herald Sun (Melbourne)
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has defended his clay pigeon shooting record after the anti-gun lobby called on him to set an example.
Gun Control Australia's Roland Browne has backed a Greens policy on banning semi-automatic handguns, and demanded Mr Rudd show leadership with his own sports shooting.
The prime minister revealed during his first stint as prime minister that he enjoyed shooting clay targets.
But he told reporters in Launceston he hadn't been clay pigeon... (GunPolicy.org)
US Introduces Two Gun-Control Measures as New ATF Director Sworn In
29 August 2013
BBC News
The White House has announced two executive orders on gun control, after a failed legislative attempt to pass firearms regulations.
Vice-President Joe Biden announced that the administration would end the import of military surplus weapons.
The second order aims to stop criminals registering guns to corporations or trusts to dodge background checks.
The gun-control debate was revived as a gunman killed 20 schoolchildren in Connecticut last December.
Gun rights... (GunPolicy.org)
Shooting Death Reveals Gulf Between US and Australia Over Guns
25 August 2013
Herald Sun (Melbourne), Editorial
The horrific and senseless shooting of baseballer Chris Lane in the prime of his life has again exposed the deep divide in gun culture here and in America.
As United States President Barack Obama sends his prayers to the popular athlete's loved ones, Australians can count our blessings we live in a different society.
Three teens are accused of randomly ambushing an innocent stranger who was jogging in daylight, shooting him in the back and leaving him for dead by the... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Permit Applications Increase in Newtown Since Sandy Hook Massacre
14 August 2013
New York Daily News
There has been a run on guns in the Connecticut town where a madman armed with a Bushmaster assault rifle turned a grade school into a slaughterhouse.
Requests for gun permits are on track to double this year over last year in heartbroken Newtown, where 20 first-graders and six staffers were massacred at Sandy Hook Elementary School last Dec. 14, police said.
And the surge appears to be fueled by worried residents like 66-year-old Nancy Ellis, a soon-to-be gun-toting... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Police Use Last Registry Data to Seize 180 Guns from Home
1 August 2013
Vancouver Sun (British Columbia)
MONTREAL - The federal gun registry may be dead in the rest of Canada but it was put to use this week during a high-profile standoff in Montreal.
Police carried 180 guns and 40 bayonets out of a residence on a quiet tree-lined street after the occupant was brought down by rubber bullets early Wednesday, ending the incident that had gone on almost a full day.
Montreal police have confirmed they consulted the registry during the standoff to learn about their suspect but... (GunPolicy.org)
South America,United States,Mexico,Central America,Caribbean,Brazil
Lax US Gun Laws Blamed for Worsening Latin American Violence
31 July 2013
Los Angeles Times
Lax U.S. gun regulations are enabling the international trafficking of high-powered weapons and fueling the spread of gun violence in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Council on Foreign Relations argues in a report urging President Obama to take action on initiatives that have foundered in Congress.
More than 70% of the 99,000 weapons recovered by Mexican law enforcement since 2007 were traced to U.S. manufacturers and importers, the council report said, citing... (GunPolicy.org)
American School Arming Teachers With Concealed Handguns
30 July 2013
Toronto Star (Ontario)
CLARKSVILLE, Arkansas — When classes at Clarksville High School resume in August assistant principle Cheyne Dougan will be among the more than 20 teachers, administrators and other employees in the school district carrying concealed weapons.
After a school shooting in Connecticut last December that left 20 children and six teachers dead, the idea of arming schoolhouses against gunmen was hotly debated across the country.
The National Rifle Association declared it... (GunPolicy.org)
Gunman Kills Six with Legal Handgun in US Mass Shooting
28 July 2013
Reuters
Miami police on Sunday searched for a motive for a shooting rampage in which six people were killed by a gunman who set his apartment on fire before shooting several neighbors and taking others hostage.
The police said they were investigating reports that the man, Pedro Alberto Vargas, 42, was in the process of being evicted and had prior disputes with the managers of the building.
The owner of the 90-unit apartment building was not immediately available for... (GunPolicy.org)
Hopes for Mandatory Insurance Law in US to Raise Cost of Gun Ownership
18 July 2013
Guardian (UK), Blog
When employees of American Family Insurance discovered earlier this year that Susie Salazar of Greeley, Colorado owned a pit bull, they did what company rules dictated: they cancelled her homeowner's policy. After all, they had done the same thing last year to Nebraska sheriff's deputy Andy Woodward, after they found out his police dog, a Belgian Malinois named Diezel, lived as his family pet when he wasn't on the job.
When it comes to dogs, American Family Insurance... (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)
11 People Shot at Pakistani University After Bombing
17 June 2013
BBC News
The women's university at the centre of Saturday's deadly twin attacks in the Pakistani city of Quetta has been shut down until further notice.
In the first incident a bomb on a university bus killed 14 women. Gunmen then killed 11 when they laid siege to the hospital treating the wounded.
Sardar Bahadur Khan University is the only all-female university in troubled Balochistan province.
The move is seen as a safety precaution in a city which has seen many... (GunPolicy.org)
Italian School Janitor Guns Teacher Down
17 June 2013
Local (Italy)
A 69-year-old school janitor in Sicily nicknamed "the poet" gunned down a religious education teacher on Saturday, shooting her dead before attempting to flee the scene, Italian media reported.
Giovanna Nobile, 54, had gone into the Pappalardo di Vittoria school in southern Sicily for a teachers' meeting and was confronted by Salvatore Lo Presti as she was leaving the building.
Lo Presti, known as "the poet" around school because of his passion for writing poems, shot... (GunPolicy.org)
How Gun Law Loopholes Tripled Canada's Rifle Magazine Limits
11 June 2013
Global News (Canada)
After a gunman armed with a semi-automatic rifle and 30-round magazine killed 14 women at Montreal's École Polytechnique in 1989, Canada's Parliament was plunged into a debate on how to stop it from recurring.
By the end of 1991, a package of gun legislation designed to respond to the massacre, backed by then-Justice Minister Kim Campbell, made it into law. One key part of the new law restricted the number of rounds rifle and pistol magazines were allowed to hold.... (GunPolicy.org)
Five Dead After Shooting at US Home, College Campus
8 June 2013
BBC News
At least five people are dead and several others injured after a gun rampage in the beachfront city of Santa Monica, California, police say.
The attack began at a house and ended on a college campus where police say they shot the gunman in the library.
Police initially put the death toll at six, but later revised it to five people dead, including the shooter.
The gunman was in his late 20s and had been carrying an assault-style rifle, say witnesses.
President Barack... (GunPolicy.org)
NRA-Backed Kansas Law Bans Government Lobbying on Gun Issues
6 June 2013
Washington Post
TOPEKA, Kansas — Fresh off a series of legislative victories across the country, the National Rifle Association has launched a new effort starting in gun-friendly Kansas seeking to clamp down on the use of government money to lobby on gun-control issues.
While it's not clear how the law would be enforced considering it includes no penalties for violators, critics argue the measure threatens to stifle debate and give the state government far more control over a local... (GunPolicy.org)
Expert Panel Says Better US Data on Gun Issues Needed
5 June 2013
New York Times
WASHINGTON — A panel of experts convened in response to the school shooting last year in Newtown, Conn., gave the federal government an ambitious set of priorities on Wednesday for research on guns, ending what experts said has been a 17-year hiatus in the study of gun violence after Congress took away federal money for the topic in the 1990s.
President Obama has included $10 million for gun-related research in his 2014 budget, the first federal financing for the... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Charge Gun-Runner in French Mass Shooting
3 June 2013
Local (France)
French police have charged a 30-year-old man with supplying weapons used by Islamist gunman Mohamed Merah when he killed seven people in and around the southern city of Toulouse last year.
Fetha Malki, a Toulouse resident with a history of petty crimes, was charged over the weekend with complicity in murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise and ordered held without bail.
He faces other charges of receiving stolen goods and selling illegal weapons.
Judicial... (GunPolicy.org)
Jordan Govt Endorses New Firearms Draft Law to Curb Violence
30 May 2013
Jordan Times / Zawya
AMMAN - A new draft firearms and ammunition law places further restrictions on the acquisition of automatic weapons, a top official said on Thursday, amid a significant increase in the use of guns and violence across the Kingdom over the past few years.
Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammed Momani told The Jordan Times on Thursday that the government will move to have the bill enacted by Parliament as soon as possible.
According to the draft... (GunPolicy.org)
New Gun Control Movement in America Making Real Strides
28 May 2013
New Republic
On April 17, the bill to expand background checks on gun buyers failed in the Senate, and the fatalistic shrugs in Washington were so numerous they were nearly audible. The legislation had been a modest bipartisan compromise, supported by 90 percent of the public and lobbied for hard by the president. A group backed by Michael Bloomberg had spent $12 million on ads pressuring senators to vote "yes." When the bill fell short — by just five votes — it seemed to... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Injured in Shooting at Swedish School
18 May 2013
Local (Sweden)
Panic broke out at a Gothenburg school on Friday evening as one man was injured in a shooting which could be linked to a violent robbery that took place in the area on the same day.
The man sustained light injuries and was admitted to the Sahlgrenska Hospital.
On Saturday morning, police had made no arrests but were treating the incident as attempted murder or attempted manslaughter after receiving around 30 calls from the public.
At least one cartridge case was... (GunPolicy.org)
US Pediatricians Take on Gun Lobby – Carefully
13 May 2013
NBC News (USA)
To pediatricians, gun control is a public health issue, not a political one. But they're treading a fine line, and they know it.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has begun a renewed push to try to get Congress to pass gun control measures, sending more than 100 pediatricians to Capitol Hill earlier this month. But others who have taken on the issue over the past decade have a warning for them: they can run afoul of the National Rifle Association and other pro-gun... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Homicide Falls, What Does This Mean for Gun Control?
9 May 2013
Economist, Blog
HOUSTON - Gun-control legislation fell short last month in a close Senate vote, but some spy flickers of hope in the "world's greatest deliberative body". However, the sense of urgency that followed the Newtown massacre has definitely faded, and new studies from the Department of Justice and the Pew Research Center showing an astonishing drop in gun violence over the past two decades seem to call into question the need for new, stricter regulations. Americans have been... (GunPolicy.org)
Report Shows Drop in US Gun Violence but Most Killings Still With Guns
8 May 2013
Washington Post
Gun violence dropped dramatically nationwide over the past two decades, but nearly three-quarters of all homicides are still committed with a firearm, the Justice Department said in a report released Tuesday.
The report, by the department's Bureau of Justice Statistics, painted an encouraging picture of long-term trends at a time of divisive political debate over guns and legislation to regulate them. Firearms-related homicides declined 39 percent between 1993 and... (GunPolicy.org)
More US Women Taking Up Guns, for a Variety of Reasons
1 May 2013
Korea Herald / Agence France Presse
FREDERICKSBURG, Virginia ― Proudly brandishing a target she had riddled with bullets, 62-year-old Sharon Schaefer could not hide her delight at joining America's growing number of gun-toting women.
"It was fun!" she exclaimed breathlessly, much to the approval of her instructor Teresa Ovalle.
"You did a good job, Sharon," said the former Marine, who had just given the senior citizen a crash course in pistols at the Fredericksburg Range, some 80 kilometers southwest... (GunPolicy.org)
Opinion: Gun Makers and the NRA Capitalise on Shooting Tragedy
1 May 2013
Guardian (UK), Opinion
After the Sandy Hook massacre when 20 school children were gunned down in their classrooms along with several of their teachers, many of us thought the country would finally wake up to the insanity of allowing civilians to arm themselves with weapons designed to inflict mass carnage. Instead, what we have seen is tragedy descend into farce as all efforts to pass sensible gun reform measures have collapsed and gun makers, their lobbyists and now security companies are... (GunPolicy.org)
2 Injured After Thai School Shooting
29 April 2013
SINA (China)
BANGKOK - Two people was hurt in a gun attack on a school in the restive southern province of Narathiwat late Sunday night [sic].
Police said a number of assailants arrived at Buke Bakong School in Narathiwat's Yingo district on a pick-up truck when seven people, including assistant teachers and members of village defense unit, were on security duty in front of the school.
One of the men fired three shots at them with a war weapon. One bullet grazed the ear of Amran... (GunPolicy.org)
Opinion: Easing Gun Rules Ignores the Pain of Those Grieving
26 April 2013
Sydney Morning Herald, Opinion
This Sunday marks the 17th anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, where 35 people were killed and 18 wounded by a lone gunman brandishing high-powered longarms.
In response to the killings, Australia's gun laws were significantly tightened. The prime minister at the time, John Howard, was able to gain bipartisan support from all state governments for a 10-point plan to regulate firearms - known as the 1996 Nationwide Agreement on Firearms.
This agreement... (GunPolicy.org)
GE Capital Joins Cerberus in Cutting Ties to Gun Industry in US
25 April 2013
Associated Press / NPR
NEW YORK — General Electric's finance arm is cutting ties with gun dealers, halting financing offers at about 75 gun shops across the U.S. in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., massacre that took the lives of 20 schoolchildren and six teachers and administrators.
The December school shooting ignited a national debate about gun laws and drove some companies to distance themselves from the gun industry. Private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management announced a few days... (GunPolicy.org)
GE Takes Further Steps to Stop Loans to Gun Shops, Industry in US
24 April 2013
Reuters
General Electric Co discovered it was financing a small number of firearm purchases in the wake of the Newtown, Connecticut, school shootings - despite deciding five years ago to avoid the practice - and moved to stop future loans, the company said on Wednesday.
Many of the conglomerate's employees live in or near Newtown, about 25 miles from GE's Fairfield, Connecticut, headquarters. Peter Lanza, the father of the Newtown gunman, is a GE executive.
The company's GE... (GunPolicy.org)
Dutch Police Arrest Former Pupil Over School Shooting Threat
22 April 2013
BBC News
Dutch police have made an arrest following a threat, posted on the internet, to carry out a shooting at a school in the city of Leiden.
The suspect is a former pupil of the British School, which has a site in neighbouring Voorschoten.
More than 20 schools were told to stay closed on Monday in response to the threat posted on internet forum 4chan.
The anonymous writer said they would shoot their teacher "and as many students as I can".
He or she said they would be... (GunPolicy.org)
Opinion: US Gun Lobby Rhetoric, Not Money, Blocking Gun Control
17 April 2013
Guardian (UK), Opinion
Of all the senators who attempted Wednesday to rally support for the doomed Manchin-Toomey background check amendment, Connecticut's Democratic freshman representative, Chris Murphy, probably faced the greatest temptation to borrow the moral authority of the Newtown families. They are his constituents and many were present in the chamber.
He's young – the youngest sitting senator, actually – and an early Obama supporter, given to occasional bouts of... (GunPolicy.org)
Mother of Newtown Victim Steps In for Obama, Pleas for Gun Control
13 April 2013
Edmonton Journal (Alberta)
WASHINGTON - The mother of a 6-year-old boy killed in the Newtown, Connecticut, school shooting made a deeply personal plea from the White House for action to combat gun violence, choking back tears almost from the start of her speech.
Francine Wheeler, whose 6-year-old son, Ben, was killed in the Dec. 14 attack inside Sandy Hook Elementary School, stepped in for President Barack Obama to deliver the president's weekly radio and Internet address. She is the first... (GunPolicy.org)
Toronto Artist's Bullet-riddled School Bus Turns Heads at White House
10 April 2013
Toronto Star (Ontario)
The torn up shell of a school bus, pockmarked with gashes and dents from 6,000 bullets, was paraded through the streets of Washington, D.C. this week, centre of the action in the swirling American gun control debate.
Was it the remains of an unspeakable horror? Some kind of war zone relic?
No. It's art, and in post-Sandy Hook America, where the bullet-riddled bus installation by Toronto artist Viktor Mitic is on display, the stark portrayal of the destructive power of... (GunPolicy.org)
CDC Ban on Gun Research in US Caused Lasting Damage
9 April 2013
ABC News (USA)
President Obama may have ended the 17-year ban on gun violence research at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but even if Congress restores research funds, experts say the damage runs deeper than funding cuts.
Since the 1996 ban, many of the leading researchers of the 1980s and 1990s have moved on to other specialties, and some said they've even discouraged students from specializing in gun violence research because the work doesn't pay. The ban also... (GunPolicy.org)
Legally-Owned Guns Weapons of Choice in Domestics in Canada
5 April 2013
Ottawa Sun (Ontario)
Police say it's nearly impossible to prevent domestic-related murders like the one that rocked a Gatineau daycare Friday morning.
Hunting shotguns similar to the gun used in Friday's incident can be legally owned but police no longer know who they belong to.
"Since the long gun registry was abolished, there's absolutely no way now for law enforcement to know who owns or possesses long guns," said Ottawa police weapons expert Det. Chris O'Brien.
Most often, it's women... (GunPolicy.org)
NRA Publishes Study Claiming US Schools Need Armed Guards
3 April 2013
Washington Post
A 225-page study commissioned by the National Rifle Association has endorsed and amplified the gun rights group's immediate response to the mass killing in Newtown, Conn.: that all schools in the United States should have police or armed staff members trained to confront a shooter.
Although ostensibly independent of the NRA, the examination of school safety issues, released Tuesday, provides the organization with an alternative narrative to the various gun-control... (GunPolicy.org)
US State Agrees to Tough Gun Law Changes After Mass Shooting
2 April 2013
BBC News
Lawmakers in the US state of Connecticut have agreed to a sweeping set of gun restrictions, including a ban on new high-capacity magazines.
The proposal requires background checks on all gun sales and expands the state's assault weapons ban.
It comes as new federal gun measures appear to have stalled in Congress.
Debate over US gun laws was reignited after a gunman killed 26 people, including 20 children, at a Connecticut primary school in December.
Tighter gun... (GunPolicy.org)
Venezuela Struggles With Guns, Violence in Schools
29 March 2013
InfoSur Hoy (USA)
CARACAS, Venezuela – Violence is becoming part of the school day for Venezuelan students.
Of the 289 educational centers surveyed by the Venezuelan Federation of Teachers (FVM), 85% reported acts of aggression in their schools. Six in 10 reported incidents of this type occur at least once a week.
On Jan. 8, Michelle Buraglia, a 15-year-old student, died after being shot by another child at Andrés Bello High School, one of the largest in Caracas.
After the murder,... (GunPolicy.org)
US Begins to Notice Scandal of Federal Ban on Gun Control Research
23 March 2013
Los Angeles Times, Opinion
Like a lot of people who follow the gun debate, I was surprised to learn earlier this year that for more than a decade, Congress has made it nearly impossible for our premier federal health research institutions to study gun violence.
That became evident when President Obama announced his series of executive orders in response to the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
In one of those orders, he directed the Centers for Disease Control and... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Law Heads to US Senate, Leader says Background Checks a 'Must'
21 March 2013
Reuters
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on Thursday any gun-control bill that passes his chamber can only be effective if it includes universal background checks, an embattled centerpiece of President Barack Obama's bid to curb gun violence.
Reid voiced hope an elusive bipartisan compromise could soon be reached on requiring virtually all firearm purchasers to be screened for possible criminal and mental-health records.
Republicans have voiced concerns that a proposed... (GunPolicy.org)
School Shooting 'Likely' in Sweden - Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency
21 March 2013
Local (Sweden)
There will likely be a school shooting in Sweden sometime in the foreseeable future, according to the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, which warned that local authorities are woefully unprepared to deal with such an event.
"Many people have access to hunting weapons, even if you can't go to just any store and buy a gun, access to them is nevertheless pretty wide," MSB risk analyst Magnus Winehal told the Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper.
In a report looking at... (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)
US Company Puts Plans for 3D Gun Parts Online to Bypass Laws
2 March 2013
BBC News, Video
As the gun debate around automatic rifles continues in the United States, one company has decided to combat possible legislation by designing a gun that can be made at home.
The design uses 3D printers and is being made available online for free.
Anti-gun advocates are worried about the future of gun... (GunPolicy.org)
American Doctors Beg Govt to be Able to Do Gun Research
28 February 2013
NBC News (USA)
Dr. William Begg wiped away tears as he pleaded with Congress on Wednesday to help rescind laws that limit medical research into gun deaths and that restrict doctors from asking patients about guns in their homes.
Begg's testimony highlighted a growing battle between some doctors and some gun advocates over whether federal health dollars should be spent on research into gun violence, and on whether doctors should counsel their patients about gun safety.
Medical groups... (GunPolicy.org)
A Guide to Mass Shootings in America
27 February 2013
Mother Jones (USA)
It is perhaps too easy to forget how many times this has happened. The horrific mass murder at a movie theater in Colorado last July, another at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin in August, another at a manufacturer in Minneapolis in September — and then the unthinkable nightmare at a Connecticut elementary school in December — are the latest in an epidemic of such gun violence over the last three decades. Since 1982, there have been at least 62 mass shootings* across the... (GunPolicy.org)
Shotguns Found Hidden at Irish Primary School
27 February 2013
Independent (Dublin)
Three shotguns and ammunition have been discovered hidden at a primary school.
Gardai recovered the firearms during a search of the school on Basin Lane in Dublin's south side.
The guns, which had been wrapped in plastic, were found on the roof of the building at around 11.30am on Wednesday.
Gardai carried out the search following reports of suspicious activity around the school over recent days.
The area was sealed off for a forensic technical examination.
Gardai... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Maker Threatens to Stop Police Sales if Gun Rights 'Infringed'
23 February 2013
Christian Science Monitor
ATLANTA - A growing number of firearms firms in the United States are vowing to reverse-boycott local and state governments that enact any new infringements on the Second Amendment.
Vowing to close what they're calling "the police loophole," at least 50 US companies, ranging from gun machinists to gun shops, are now saying publicly they'll refuse to sell weapons and gear to police in places where governments have banned the use of the same gear by civilians.
Quality... (GunPolicy.org)
German Teen in Court After Taking Gun to School to Impress
21 February 2013
Local (Germany)
A 15-year-old German boy who became embroiled in a tense armed stand-off with police after taking guns into his school has been sentenced to four and a half years in youth custody.
The boy, then 14, who was not named, was in a fragile state after splitting up with his girlfriend in May and took the weapons in to his classroom.
He did not go with the intention of creating a bloodbath, ruled the regional court in Memmingen, southern Germany, but rather of impressing his... (GunPolicy.org)
Ballistic Network Shrinks as US Police Don't Bother Tracing Crime Guns
20 February 2013
KING 5 News
Detectives from 31 police agencies packed a seminar this week at the Washington Criminal Justice Training Center in Burien to learn how ballistics testing can reveal links between guns in their evidence lockers to crimes that may have been committed in their jurisdiction or across the country.
"Is the gun from your murder case hiding in the evidence vault of a neighboring police department?" firearms expert Pete Gagliardi asked the group of detectives and personnel... (GunPolicy.org)
Proposed US Assault Weapon Ban Leaves Out Over 2,200 Guns
18 February 2013
Washington Post
WASHINGTON — Congress' latest crack at a new assault weapons ban would protect more than 2,200 specific firearms, including a semi-automatic rifle that is nearly identical to one of the guns used in the bloodiest shootout in FBI history.
One model of that firearm, the Ruger .223 caliber Mini-14, is on the proposed list to be banned, while a different model of the same gun is on a list of exempted firearms in legislation the Senate is considering. The gun that would... (GunPolicy.org)
Finland,United States,European Union,Germany,Switzerland,Russia,South Africa,Mexico
Registry Shows Germans Fourth in World for Guns
17 February 2013
Local (Germany)
Figures compiled for Germany's new National Weapons Registry reveal that there are 5.4 million legally owned guns in the country, making it the world's fourth most-armed nation per capita.
Der Spiegel magazine reported on Sunday that the state of Bavaria topped the list with 1.1 million, followed by North Rhine-Westphalia with 1 million and Baden-Württemberg with 700,000.
The new national gun register bundles together the data from over 500 local authorities, which... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia,Norway,United States
Former Australian PM on Gun Suicide Prevention, Mass Shootings
17 February 2013
CNN / Global Public Square, Transcript
Fareed Zakaria: On April 28, 1996, in Port Arthur, Australia, a man named Martin Bryant went on a killing rampage. In the first 15 seconds of his spree, Bryant killed 12 people and injured another 10, all with an AR-15 assault rifle. In the end, 35 people lie dead, men, women and children.
If his weapon of choice sounds familiar, it should. That's what Adam Lanza is believed to have used in the Newtown, Connecticut, massacre of 20 school children and six educators.
In... (GunPolicy.org)
Canada Govt Claim to Have Curbed Illegal Guns Falls Flat
16 February 2013
Yahoo (Canada) / Macleans (Canada)
As Americans debate their culture of guns with unprecedented intensity, concern in Canada about the spillover of firearms across the border might be expected to heat up too. Even before the school-shooting carnage at Newtown, Conn., which prompted U.S. President Barack Obama to propose a raft of politically contentious new gun-control measures, Canadian federal politicians regularly talked tough about the scourge of U.S. handguns turning up on Canada's city streets.... (GunPolicy.org)
Second US Teachers Pension Fund Drops Gun Shares
15 February 2013
Financial Times (UK)
A New York City teachers' retirement fund has withdrawn $13.5m in investments in gun manufacturers, in the latest move by a public pension fund to distance itself from the firearms industry after a mass shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school.
John Liu, New York City's comptroller who serves as investment adviser to the $46.6bn fund, said on Friday that the shooting that left 20 children dead in Newtown, Connecticut, and "the continued prevalence of gun violence... (GunPolicy.org)
US Pre-Teens Take Handgun, Knife to School, Plan to Kill Schoolmate
15 February 2013
Reuters
Two fifth-grade boys are in custody in Washington state after they brought a knife and gun to school with the goal of killing a schoolmate in a foiled murder plot that shocked their rural town because of their youth, prosecutors said on Friday.
The boys, accused of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder despite their tender ages of 10 and 11, also planned to harm other students by luring them away one at a time, said Tim Rasmussen, a Stevens County prosecuting... (GunPolicy.org)
Reducing Gun Access Could Lower US Suicide Rate
13 February 2013
New York Times
DAYTON, Wyoming — Craig Reichert found his son's body on a winter morning, lying on the floor as if he were napping with his great-uncle's pistol under his knee. The 911 dispatcher told him to administer CPR, but Mr. Reichert, who has had emergency training, told her it was too late. His son, Kameron, 17, was already cold to the touch.
Guns are like a grandmother's diamonds in the Reichert family, heirlooms that carry memory and tradition. They are used on the... (GunPolicy.org)
Female Gun Ownership in US About Protection, Power
10 February 2013
New York Times
PAINESVILLE, Ohio — Mary Ann Froebe stood feet apart with knees slightly bent and aimed the .22-caliber Ruger semiautomatic.
"You've got some adrenaline running through you right now," said Esther Beris, the coordinator of the northeastern Ohio chapter of A Girl and a Gun Women's Shooting League. "It's O.K., just relax."
Ms. Froebe, 42, a small-business owner who described herself as a "virgin gun shooter," concentrated and pulled the trigger. "It was awesome," she... (GunPolicy.org)
Switzerland,United States,France,Yemen
Three Dead, Two Injured in Swiss Shooting
8 February 2013
Washington Post
DAILLON, Switzerland — On Jan. 3, the day Sandy Hook Elementary students returned to school in Newtown, Conn., Florian Berthouzoz leaned out his window and opened fire on this tranquil Swiss village with an old military carbine and a 12-gauge shotgun.
By the time he finished shooting, three women were killed, apparently at random, and two men were wounded. Berthouzoz was brought down by a police officer's bullet in the chest.
The shooting in Daillon, on a steep... (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)
Australian Gun Crime Data Misused by US Pro-Gun Groups
5 February 2013
CNN / Global Public Square, Blog
I had a stark introduction to gun violence when I moved from Australia to Tucson, Arizona 12 years ago.
As I walked to my hotel room one evening, I passed some young people apparently holding a party in another room. They seemed mostly harmless, and I acknowledged them with a "g'day." A short time later, I heard a car pull up, followed by the sound of gunfire and screaming. The next morning I saw police tape and markers in the car park. There were bullet holes in a... (GunPolicy.org)
Tom Diaz on Converting to Gun Control and the Effect of Newtown
4 February 2013
Macleans (Canada)
Tom Diaz, 72, is one of the most prominent gun control advocates in the United States. A former senior policy analyst at Washington's Violence Policy Center — which considers firearms violence to be a public health issue rather than criminal issue — Diaz wrote Making a Killing: The Business of Guns in America in 1999. It explored the links between political lobbying by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and gun manufacturers. Last year, dismayed by a decade of... (GunPolicy.org)
Obama Speech Indicates Action on Gun Crime, Not Gun Control
4 February 2013
Guardian (UK)
Observers billed Obama's speech here in the Twin Cities Monday afternoon as the first stop for a White House road show promoting gun control legislation, but the event's tone, its location, and, yes, even its content signal that the White House has chosen a circuitous route in pursuit of its goals. The goals themselves have changed, too, as the White House shifts our attention away from the specific horror of Sandy Hook to the more mundane living nightmare of daily gun... (GunPolicy.org)
UK Officials Say Most Gun Crime Traced to Under 1,000 Illegal Guns
2 February 2013
Washington Post
LONDON — When police on a weapons raid swarmed a housing project after London's 2011 riots, they seized a cache of arms that in the United States might be better suited to "Antiques Roadshow" than inner-city ganglands. Inside plastic bags hidden in a trash collection room, officers uncovered two archaic flintlock pistols, retrofitted flare guns and a Jesse James-style revolver.
These days, that kind of antiquated firepower is about the baddest a British gang member... (GunPolicy.org)
12 Separate Polls Show Americans Support Gun Control
1 February 2013
Salon (USA), Poll
Another day, another poll showing a majority of Americans favor many of the proposed gun control measures being discussed in Congress right now. Today's poll comes from the University of Connecticut and the Hartford Courant, which found that majorities of American nationally favor requiring background checks on all firearm purchases, thus closing the so-called gun show loophole (84 percent); support reinstating the ban on assault weapons (57 percent); and back banning... (GunPolicy.org)
Russia,Afghanistan,Israel,Belgium,United States
How Video Games Fund Arms Manufacturers and Sell Guns
31 January 2013
EuroGamer
The American confectionery company Victoria Sweets claims to have invented the candy cigarette. A thin stick of chocolate, wrapped in edible paper and designed to impersonate a roll-up, it debuted in 1915 and soon became the accessory of choice for children keen to play grown-up. Hollywood star, GI Joe, team captain: the sweet gave kids the chance try out one of the vogue props of adulthood.
Within 20 years it was so popular that cigarette companies began to take... (GunPolicy.org)
Expert Clears Up 'Misrepresentations' of Australian Gun Data
31 January 2013
Courier-Mail (Brisbane)
With the debate raging in the US over firearms laws, several misperceptions are being aired in their media about guns and their relationship to crime in Australia.
Some misrepresentations are linked to reports and statistics published by the Australian Institute of Criminology.
Older data and findings from the early-2000s are being used to argue that the Howard government gun reforms had little effect on violent crime in Australia.
Australia is often cited in the US... (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)
Answers to Ending Gun Violence May Lie in Nonsmoking Campaigns
30 January 2013
Christian Science Monitor
For those looking for quick action by Congress to curb guns in America, here's a lesson from the effort to ban smoking in public places: An official curb on risky products or practice isn't nearly as powerful as a shift in public attitudes about what is acceptable.
Nonsmoking zones became commonplace in the 1990s, but not until public concern about the hazards of tobacco smoke to nonsmokers had doubled in the 1970s and the '80s. By the '90s, smoking was already in... (GunPolicy.org)
Hollywood Divided Over Effect of Movie Gun Violence on Reality
30 January 2013
Guardian (UK)
The Oscar-winning actor Dustin Hoffman has dismissed the depiction of gun violence in Hollywood as "fraudulent" and claimed that studios actively discriminate against actors who refuse to carry firearms onscreen.
Interviewed on National Public Radio in the US, The Graduate star became the latest high-profile figure to wade into the debate following the killing of 20 children and six adults at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012.... (GunPolicy.org)
Personalised Guns Delayed by US Gun Lobby Boycotts
28 January 2013
Washington Post / Associated Press
NEW YORK — It sounds, at first, like a bold, next-generation solution: personalizing guns with technology that keeps them from firing if they ever get into the wrong hands.
But when the White House called for pushing ahead with such new technology as part of President Obama's plan to cut gun violence, the administration did not mention the concept's embattled past. As with so much else in the nation's long-running divisions over gun rights and regulation, what sounds... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Lobby Funds Recruitment Drive for Kids Using Games, Peers
26 January 2013
New York Times, Series
Threatened by long-term declining participation in shooting sports, the firearms industry has poured millions of dollars into a broad campaign to ensure its future by getting guns into the hands of more, and younger, children.
The industry's strategies include giving firearms, ammunition and cash to youth groups; weakening state restrictions on hunting by young children; marketing an affordable military-style rifle for "junior shooters" and sponsoring... (GunPolicy.org)
US Could Learn from South Korea's Gun Control
25 January 2013
Korea Times
The recent shooting tragedies in the United States and ensuing debates on gun control are shocking and almost incomprehensible to South Koreans because they don't face such issues pertaining to firearms.
There are strict laws here regarding the possession of hand guns. Citizens can only buy hunting guns and air rifles after obtaining a license from the police. They are only allowed to use guns for a limited period of time, usually during the hunting season.
At other... (GunPolicy.org)
US Author Attacks 'Propaganda-Savvy Gun-Pimps', Gun Culture
25 January 2013
Guardian (UK)
Stephen King has entranced millions with tales of dread but his latest volume will read like a horror only to the National Rifle Association and other gun-rights advocates. The best-selling author made an unexpected charge into the national debate on gun violence on Friday with a passionate, angry essay pleading for reform.
King, who owns three handguns, aimed the expletive-peppered polemic at fellow gun-owners, calling on them to support a ban on automatic and... (GunPolicy.org)
US Senator Proposes Assault Rifle Ban, Gun Owner Registration
24 January 2013
Guardian (UK)
Senator Dianne Feinstein has introduced to Congress a revised assault weapons bill that would prohibit the manufacture or importation of 158 specific military-style assault rifles, ban large-capacity magazines of more than 10 rounds and possibly introduce a system of federal registration for all existing owners of such weapons and magazines.
The Feinstein proposals were unveiled at a Washington press conference in which several of the listed weapons were on display,... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Mexico,Venezuela
The Impact of Obama's Gun Control Proposal in Mexico
23 January 2013
InSight Crime (Bogota)
President Obama's push to enact stronger gun control measures answers a long-held wish from Mexican officials, but how likely is it to change the security dynamic south of the Rio Grande?
President Obama announced a new push to pass legislation limiting access to deadly weapons last week, adding, "I will put everything I've got into this." The proposal encompasses 23 executive orders, three of which Obama has already signed and went into effect immediately: an end to... (GunPolicy.org)
Three Shot and Injured at Texas University
23 January 2013
BBC News
Three people were injured as gunfire rang out during an argument at a college in the US state of Texas, say police.
A sheriff's official said both people involved in the altercation at Lone Star College in the Houston area were wounded and taken to hospital.
A college maintenance man was also injured in the cross-fire.
The latest in a series of US shootings, it comes amid a push for gun control by the Obama administration.
Hiding under table
Lone Star College's... (GunPolicy.org)
How the American Gun Lobby Abuses Australian Gun Crime Data
21 January 2013
Conversation (Australia)
The Sandy Hook massacre and President Obama's response to it has refocused attention on impact of regulation on American gun crime. Crime statistics before and after the implementation of gun laws provide a quantifiable measure of their impact. As a consequence, Australia's gun laws and their impact have become part of the American gun debate.
In the wake of the Port Arthur massacre and Monash University shootings, the conservative government of John Howard introduced... (GunPolicy.org)
Action on Bullets Missing from US Gun Debate, say Police
20 January 2013
Reuters
Bullets are one thing Sacramento Police Detective Greg Halstead can count on to root out weapons that otherwise would be impossible to find. They are also largely missing from the gun control debate in Washington.
Since 2008, California's capital has required ammunition dealers to take names and thumbprints of bullet buyers. They send the information electronically to police computers, which compare the names to an FBI criminal database.
Halstead begins his day... (GunPolicy.org)
US Teen Shoots, Kills Five as Gun Lobby Protests for Rights
20 January 2013
BBC News / Associated Press
A teenage boy in New Mexico has been arrested in connection with the fatal shootings of five people.
Two adults and three children were found dead with apparent multiple gunshot wounds at a house near Albuquerque on Saturday evening.
Bernalillo County sheriff's spokesman Aaron Williamson said it was not yet clear what the suspect's motive was, or his connection to the victims.
He faces two counts of murder and three of child abuse resulting in death.
Mr Williamson... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Lobby Uses Cable TV to Promote Gun Rights, Raise Money
20 January 2013
Yahoo! (America) / Reuters
LOS ANGELES - When President Barack Obama announced a raft of proposals in the biggest U.S. gun-control push in decades, Cam Edwards, host of Sportsman Channel's "Cam & Company" talk show, wasted no time siding with the National Rifle Association.
"Assault weapon is a made-up name for a gun I can ban," said Edwards, an avowed Second Amendment advocate, who later in the program read, word for word, the NRA's statement in response to Obama's announcement.
Edwards, whose... (GunPolicy.org)