Gun Policy News
Pistols, revolvers, firearm violence and gun control
Saudi Women Take Up Shooting After Gun Ownership Legalized
13 September 2022
Saudi Gazette
Saudi women can now legally lock and load. In barely two years, Saudi women have earned the right to both drive and to own a firearm. While women have been legally behind the wheel since 2019, it was only last year that they were allowed to own firearms.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, shooting became popular with many Saudis as a social distanced and outdoor activity. Yet, some women have been shooting for far longer.
"At a young age my father taught me how to use and... (GunPolicy.org)
Western Australia to Rewrite State's Gun Control Law
21 March 2022
West Australian (Perth)
Western Australia's outdated firearms laws will be completely rewritten by the McGowan Government, as shocking new maps reveal the true scale of gun ownership in suburban Perth.
The maps -- provided to The West Australian from the WA Police Force database -- show how prolific the potentially lethal weapons have become in every corner of the city.
Each green dot represents a house where a handgun - such as a revolver or pistol - is being stored, while the thousands... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Australia,New Zealand,United Kingdom,Falkland Islands,Mexico
How US Gun Culture Stacks Up With the World
26 November 2021
CNN
Ubiquitous gun violence in the United States has left few places unscathed over the decades. Still, many Americans hold their right to bear arms, enshrined in the US Constitution, as sacrosanct. But critics of the Second Amendment say that right threatens another: The right to life.
America's relationship to gun ownership is unique, and its gun culture is a global outlier.
As the tally of gun-related deaths continue to grow daily, here's a look at how gun culture in... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico Sues US Gunmakers to Stop Weapons Crossing Border
4 August 2021
Guardian
The Mexican government has launched legal action against US gunmakers in an unprecedented attempt to halt the flow of guns across the border, where US-made weapons are routinely used in cartel gun-battles, terror attacks on civilians – and increasingly to challenge the state itself.
The Mexican government is suing six gunmakers in a Massachusetts court, alleging negligence in their failure to control their distributors and that the illegal market in Mexico "has been... (GunPolicy.org)
The Legal Loophole of 'Ghost Guns'
8 April 2021
Al Jazeera
What you need to know about 'ghost guns' Biden wants to regulate
Biden aims to close loopholes in the production of untraceable firearms with kits and 3D printing after mass shootings.
US President Joe Biden has issued actions aimed at regulating "ghost guns" – weapons that can be produced without serial numbers and other identifiers making their tracking difficult – seen as a growing threat by US law enforcement and watchdog groups.
Ghost guns can be produced... (GunPolicy.org)
25 Years of Danish Shootings Mapped to the Smallest Detail
23 March 2021
Videnskab (Denmark)
Bang!
A man aged between 20 and 24 shoots and kills another with a shotgun or a pistol. He shoots the victim from the front, hitting him in the head or chest, and the killing takes place indoors.
If the victim is a man, it is probably gang-related; if it is a woman, it is probably the killer's wife or girlfriend.
The above is not a murder mystery, but an attempt to reproduce what the average shooting in Denmark might look like. The macabre facts about shooting... (GunPolicy.org)
Nearly 4,000 Legally-owned Handguns in Iceland
24 February 2021
RÚV (Iceland)
There are nearly 4,000 registered handguns in private ownership in Iceland. Icelanders own a total of close to 70,000 legal firearms, with shotguns the most popular by far. Seven guns were reported stolen last year, which was significantly fewer than in recent years.
Hunting and gun-related sports have been a popular pastime in Iceland for a long time. In order to own a gun, people must have a firearms licence, pass a test, fill out many forms – and adhere to all... (GunPolicy.org)
South Africa,United States,United Kingdom
Gun Trafficking from US to UK Increasing
12 August 2020
New York Times
Handguns are quietly being smuggled into Britain, despite tough gun-control laws. The police fear that the illegal weapons are contributing to a rise in gang-related crime.
NORTHAMPTON, England — Josh Bains was 28 when he was killed after an argument over a drug debt of about $50 just a few miles from the English village where he grew up — with a gun that had traveled thousands of miles from America.
His was one of a rising number of gun deaths in recent years... (GunPolicy.org)
Hungarian Gun Purchases Increase due to Pandemic Fears
23 March 2020
Reuters
Peter Rostas doesn't want to have any reason to use the gun he was buying, but the young Hungarian father of one was taking no chances with a coronavirus epidemic he fears may bring out the worst in some people.
"It's a precautionary measure," Rostas, 33, said as he lined up outside a small Budapest shop selling non-military grade weapons that require no license. "I'd rather be laughing later than find myself in a conflict with nothing but a broomstick."
Hungarians... (GunPolicy.org)
The Underlying Trends of the Korat Mall Massacre
17 February 2020
Channel News Asia
BANGKOK: The mass shooting at the Terminal 21 mall in Thailand's Nakhon Ratchasima (or Korat) over the weekend is unprecedented in Thailand.
It raises serious questions about the security of arms in the Royal Thai Armed Forces. It also sheds light on corruption in the armed forces and on Thailand's gun culture in general.
The assailant killed at least 29, including civilians, soldiers and police responders and wounded scores more with a staggering amount of firepower... (GunPolicy.org)
Record for private gun purchases in Austria
7 January 2020
ORF
Rekord bei privaten Waffenkäufen
Die Zahl der Waffen in privater Hand ist im letzten Jahr gestiegen. Selbst das „Rekordjahr" 2015 sei in den Schatten gestellt worden, hieß es am Dienstag. Mittlerweile sind in Österreich über eine Million Waffen in Privatbesitz registriert.
Es wurden 2019 sowohl mehr Neu – als auch Gebrauchtwaffen verkauft. Nach einem Minus im Jahr zuvor fiel das Plus mit 7,7 Prozent sehr deutlich aus. Insgesamt wurden laut Branchenradar... (GunPolicy.org)
Homemade Firearms, 'Ghost Guns' and Crime in the US
5 December 2019
The Trace
What exactly is a ghost gun?
The term "ghost gun" is used by media, police, and sometimes the firearms industry to describe homemade weapons devoid of serial numbers or other identifying markings that enable them to be tracked to their maker, seller, or original owner.
For years, law enforcement authorities referred to these weapons as simply "homemade" guns or "kit" guns. "Ghost gun" is a relatively new term.
How are ghost guns made?
A variety of ways.
The most... (GunPolicy.org)
NSW Authorities Collect 8,300 Firearms
25 October 2018
Advocate (Hobart) / Australian Associated Press
Police hope the 8300 weapons surrendered to NSW authorities during the latest gun amnesty will put a dent in the killing power of the state's criminals.
More than 1300 rifles, 400 shotguns and thousands of handguns were surrendered over the three months, NSW Police said on Thursday.
However, Australia-wide there are still more privately owned guns and illicit firearms in circulation today than ever before.
University of Sydney gunpolicy.org research estimates there... (GunPolicy.org)
Would-be Murderer Granted Special Gun Training Permit Despite Red Flags
10 July 2018
Sydney Morning Herald
John Edwards, the man who shot his two children dead last Thursday, was able to pursue his handgun training because he was granted a so-called "Commissioner's Permit", overriding red flags raised by his answers on declarations about his background.
It is understood this permit reassured officials at the St Mary's Indoor Shooting Centre that Edwards could legally undergo handgun training - the first step towards getting a handgun licence and then a permit in NSW -... (GunPolicy.org)
NSW Vetting Process in Question After Family Murder
9 July 2018
Australian (Sydney)
The man who shot his two teenage children dead before killing himself in Sydney's northwest last week would have been individually interviewed several times to get two "quite powerful" handguns, experts say, as the NSW Police Minister comes under pressure to review gun control laws.
John Edwards would have been interviewed by a shooting club, a pistol club and police before he could buy the two firearms he used in last Thursday's attack, in which the 67-year-old... (GunPolicy.org)
Hundreds of Guns Handed in During Scottish Amnesty
3 July 2018
BBC News
Hundreds of illegal firearms and air weapons have been handed in to police during a two-week amnesty campaign.
A total of 474 firearms, 690 air weapons and 337 lots of ammunition were received at police stations around Scotland.
These included a machine gun, an AK47 assault rifle, and a pistol dating back to World War One.
Supt Ronnie Megaughin said getting the weapons off the streets 'lowers the risk of harm within our communities'.
He said: "Although the surrender... (GunPolicy.org)
Europe's Flourishing Gunmakers
23 February 2018
Economist
It was a blunder by Heckler & Koch, a giant German gunmaker. On February 15th the agency apologised for a "mistake" after its American subsidiary posted a Valentine's picture exhibiting a handgun surrounded by ammunition organized within the form of a coronary heart. The picture went out to social media shortly after a lethal college capturing in Florida.
The put up was additionally a reminder that though Europeans typically criticise lax firearm-ownership legal... (GunPolicy.org)
Breakdown of NZ Firearms Endorsements
10 December 2017
Stuff (New Zealand)
Data From Infographic Showing Number of Endorsed License Holders
B (Pistol) category: 3,840
C (Collector) category: 4,003
D (Dealer) category: 462
E (Military Style Semi Automatic) category: 6,941
F (Dealer Restricted) category: 526
V (Visitor) category:... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Investigate Hack of Guns Database
18 November 2017
Age (Melbourne)
Police are investigating the hacking of a gun club database that may have exposed where more than 1500 semi-automatic handguns are stored.
The private details of 540 members from the Port Melbourne club, including the types of weapons they owned, is believed to have been compromised this month, potentially exposing them to the theft of guns worth at least $5000 each on the black market.
Most members own multiple guns, and store them in their homes.
One Melbourne... (GunPolicy.org)
2017 Australian Gun Amnesty Results by Jurisdiction - SSAA
9 November 2017
Sporting Shooters' Association of Australia
The inclusion of gun dealers and an option to register or sell legal firearms has paved the way for high participation rates in the national firearms amnesty. The SSAA successfully lobbied the Federal Government to base the three-month amnesty on the successful Queensland version, with most states and territories adopting this proven model.
From the available data, it is clear the jurisdictions that allowed dealers to process firearms at gunshops and enabled licence... (GunPolicy.org)
Illicit Indian Craft Firearms Smuggled to Bangladesh
4 November 2017
Daily Star (Dhaka)
In recent years, the country's northwestern border in Chapainawabganj has emerged as a major route for smuggling in arms. It has of late become militants' most preferred point for collecting illegal firearms and explosives. This is the route through which terror outfit "Neo JMB" smuggled in the guns and bombs used in last year's Gulshan café attack. With such chilling information surfacing, Shariful Islam visits the zero line area of Indo-Bangla border in the district... (GunPolicy.org)
Abuja Police Uncover Illegal Firearm Factory
14 August 2017
Premium Times (Nigeria)
The Commissioner of Police in the FCT, Sadiq Bello, said the Command has arrested three suspects in connection with an illegal firearm fabricating factory in Shenagu village near Zuba, FCT.
The suspects are: Philip John, owner of the factory, Onyegabueze Okpara, supplier of ammunitions and Joseph Bulus, distributor of the arms.
Mr. Bello made the disclosure while briefing journalists on arrest by operatives of the command on Friday in Abuja.
He said that items... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Gun Lobbyists Push for Higher Calibre IPSC Pistols
28 April 2017
Canberra Times (Australia)
A firearms group will lobby the ACT government to allow sport shooters to use larger calibre target pistols in official competitions.
Australian Firearms Management Lobby Group recently registered on the ACT's lobbyist register.
Its head, William John Wilcher said the registration was unrelated to the ACT's recent move to restrict rapid fire lever action shotguns.
"The lobby group is not engaged in an way, shape or form to lobby in respect to lever action shotguns,... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Shop Loses 130 Handguns to Thieves in Western Australia
24 March 2017
ABC News (Australia)
Western Australia's Police Commissioner is calling for tighter regulations affecting gun stores and owners following the "highly organised" theft of 130 handguns from a Perth store.
But gun lobby groups have dismissed his comments, saying WA is already the most regulated state in Australia and any further controls would be overkill.
It comes after police revealed 130 handguns including revolvers and semi-automatics were stolen from Barry and Son Firearms in Beckenham... (GunPolicy.org)
Firearm Dealer Theft Worth $650,000 on Black Market - ABC News
22 March 2017
ABC News (Australia)
More than 100 handguns have been stolen from a firearms store in Perth's southern suburbs, with police describing the theft as a highly organised heist and saying there could be "disastrous" consequences.
Police said 130 handguns including revolvers and semi-automatics were stolen from Barry and Son Firearms in Beckenham on the night of March 11.
The guns are valued at about $5,000 each on the black market, taking the total value of the stolen firearms to... (GunPolicy.org)
US Agencies Help Stop Smuggling of 5000 Guns to Australia
16 March 2017
News Corp Australia Network
The largest ever shipment of guns organised by bikie gangs and bound for Australia has been stopped in the US and seized by police as the crackdown on outlaw motorcycle clubs intensifies.
The almost 5000-strong shipment of handguns and automatic rifles was nabbed late last year before reaching Australian shores as part of a joint investigation between federal, state and international policing agencies.
News Corp Australia can exclusively reveal the operations leading... (GunPolicy.org)
Prominent Assassination with Military Firearm in Myanmar
2 February 2017
New York Times
YANGON, Myanmar — The soft-spoken rights lawyer had devised a plan to replace Myanmar's Constitution with one that would strip the military of its extraordinary political powers.
The lawyer, U Ko Ni, a top adviser to the governing National League for Democracy, had recently been working on a new draft, a colleague said, and he hoped to promote his project at a conference this month.
But when he returned to the Yangon airport on Sunday from a trip to Indonesia,... (GunPolicy.org)
29 December 2016
Deutsche Welle
"What do you mean, 'Where did I get the gun?'" Mladen can't really understand why I would ask that question. He is almost 30 and the pistol has been among the household effects of his Belgrade apartment since he can remember. It is an old Yugoslavian version of the famous Soviet Tokarev TT- 33, with a communist star engraved in the grip. "The pistol is from the front. My old man was in the army and got it as a present. He didn't have a gun permit, but who had something... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Owners' Addresses Revealed in Simple Privacy Blunder
28 December 2016
Sydney Morning Herald
Dozens of home addresses of gun owners have been easily obtained in a simple privacy blunder that a veteran police officer fears may be utilised by thieves.
The treasure trove of addresses has been discovered by simple online searches of publicly available information. It has prompted a warning from NSW Police's Firearms Squad to "use common sense when providing personal details in conjunction with information about firearms".
A gun owner and veteran police officer,... (GunPolicy.org)
Pennsylvania Lifts Ban on Hunting with Semi-automatic Guns
27 November 2016
Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh)
It isn't a sense of power in his hands, or the thrill of having the ability to kill. It's not even the ear bursting BANG, BANG, BANG at the shooting range.
"People who don't have guns never understand why we shoot," said Stephen Ambrose of Washington, Pa. "For me it's the accuracy, the control. When I can punch five holes within the size of a quarter with a semiautomatic tactical rifle, it's a skill most people don't have. I go out to the shooting range and work on it,... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Find '3D-Printed Submachine Gun' Factory in Australia
23 November 2016
Guardian, Australian Associated Press
A highly sophisticated weapons production facility using 3D printers and computers to make machine guns has been uncovered in a series of raids across the Gold Coast.
Police say they found four homemade automatic submachine guns, silencers, ammunition, a replica handgun, a .45 calibre pistol and equipment used to make weapons at two Nerang businesses, as well as a pill press.
The equipment used to make the weapons included computers, a 3D printer, drill presses and... (GunPolicy.org)
Trump's Victory Has Fearful Minorities Buying Up Guns - NBC
23 November 2016
NBC News (USA)
After Donald Trump's win, Yolanda Scott is upgrading the crowbar she keeps in her purse to a small-caliber pistol.
Scott, an African-American, is one of many minorities who have been flocking to gun stores to protect themselves, afraid Trump's victory will incite more hate crimes.
"You feel that racists now feel like they can attack us just because the president is doing it," one gun shop owner told NBC News.
Gun store owners told NBC News that since November 8... (GunPolicy.org)
Arms Dealers Say Trump Election Will Likely Slow Gun Sales
22 November 2016
USA Today
On Nov. 9, the day after Donald Trump had been elected president, a customer walked into the Phoenix Tactical gun shop here not to make a purchase but to cancel one.
The customer had put a Glock pistol on layaway, but wanted to void the purchase because Hillary Clinton had lost the election and a pro-gun Donald Trump had emerged victorious, Phoenix Tactical owner Bryan Bryner said.
"He said: 'The threat is gone,' " Bryner said.
That change of heart reflects a new... (GunPolicy.org)
Half of Toronto's Crime Guns Come from Local Dealers, Owners
19 November 2016
Toronto Star (Ontario)
Danny Santapaga, a self-employed financial adviser, bought 14 guns on 10 different occasions over seven months.
Plumber Graham Jovanovic purchased nine firearms over five weeks. University student Justin Green obtained 23 handguns during a 22-month period, including 15 from one store. Security guard Andrew Winchester acquired 47 handguns in a six-month buying binge.
These Toronto men have no apparent connection to one another. But they share a common thread.
Each... (GunPolicy.org)
Social Media Used for Gun Sales, Trafficking in Venezuela [ES]
18 November 2016
Entorno Inteligente
[Translated summary: Venezuelans now use social media like Whatsapp, BBM, Snapchat and Instagram to illegally buy and sell guns. A Beretta 92FS pistol can be purchased for 2.7 million Venezuelan bolivars (270,000 USD). Official data from 2012 calculates that the country has between 1.2 and 1.5 million unregistered guns. Until March, 2016, only 48,000 firearms had been destroyed.]
Los índices de violencia y criminalidad siguen en un preocupante ascenso. Para completar... (GunPolicy.org)
Why Is it so Easy to Openly Carry Loaded Rifles in Texas?
17 November 2016
KCBD (Texas), KFDA
Open carry has been legal in Texas for almost a year, but Amarillo law enforcement said they still see more long guns and rifles carried openly than hand guns and pistols.
The problem is the long guns and rifles don't require a license.
One of the most popular guns sold in Amarillo is the AR-15.
Gun experts tell us they're big sellers because they're versatile and can be used for sport and protection.
And unlike a handgun, they don't require any licensing or... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Man Charged With Smuggling Handgun Parts by Mail
17 November 2016
Sydney Morning Herald
A Mildura man has been charged with importing handgun parts in the mail.
Australian Border Force officers intercepted seven packages from the US and Hong Kong addressed to 34-year-old Hanh Truong between November 6 to November 9.
The packages were labelled as toys or model parts, but X-rays at the Australia Post gateway facility in Tullamarine revealed they actually contained firearm parts and handgun frames, a Border Force spokesman said.
Border Force and police... (GunPolicy.org)
Marianas to Register Firearms After Court Nixes Gun Controls
14 November 2016
Guns (US)
Despite a federal ruling issued in September that struck down a handgun registration scheme in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, local lawmakers have passed another.
After a series of lawsuits ended the U.S. territory's total ban on handgun ownership, the local government adopted the Special Act for Firearms Enforcement earlier this year. The law imposed sweeping gun control measures, licensing schemes and strict rules regarding how one carries and... (GunPolicy.org)
Violence in Jharkhand, India, Fueled by Handmade Guns
10 November 2016
India Today
It was a Wednesday morning late in June and Sudhanshu Kumar was in class joshing with friends. The class was to leave for the school assembly in a few minutes when the student of Dayanand Public School, Jamshedpur, heard a loud cracking sound and then felt an excruciating pain in his back.
It took the Class XI student a few seconds to realise he had been shot before he slumped on the desk, bleeding. Kumar had been shot by a classmate sitting two rows behind him. The... (GunPolicy.org)
US Coroner Leads Local Push to Remove Guns, Curb Suicides
10 November 2016
Public Source (USA)
Ken Bacha is no foe of the Second Amendment.
As coroner for Westmoreland County, he carries a Glock 23 pistol in a protective hip holster, almost casually, like an oversized smartphone.
He's fond of hunting. He enjoys shooting sports, gun bash fundraisers, and has about 15 guns at home. He shoots, his wife shoots, his daughters shoot.
That's pretty typical in the county, where gun sales are among the highest in the state, where hunting is a way of life and gun permit... (GunPolicy.org)
Bengal is Becoming Hub of Illegal Handguns and Ammunition
6 November 2016
Economic Times (India)
Meandering roads lead to chaotic lanes. Then the roads vanish, as do the lanes. What remains are muddled passages between cluttered households. Most of these lead to deadends and the rest, chock-ablock with not-so-friendly-looking people, are almost unapproachable. Unlike in most neighbourhoods, locals here don't guide visitors to addresses. Most of the queries go unanswered and are at best met with a reluctant nod. These inimical streets of Kankuli village in the... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Buyers Stockpiling Firearms Ahead of Election Day
3 November 2016
Salon (US)
With just days left before American voters decide who will replace President Barack Obama, many in the nation's gun-owning public seem to be preparing for a dystopian future of jackbooted liberal government thugs prying guns — as the popular slogan goes — from their cold dead hands.
On Wednesday executives at the country's top firearms manufacturer said they're adequately prepared to meet demand from a postelection gun-buying surge if Democrats make significant... (GunPolicy.org)
Gaps in Washington Gun Law: US Attorney General's Report
1 November 2016
Northwest News Network (US)
A new white paper by the Washington state attorney general's office finds the state's system of conducting background checks for gun purchases to be fragmented, complex and inconsistent.
In Washington, rifle purchases are fairly straightforward. A licensed gun dealer conducts an instant background check and if approved the sale can go through. But pistol purchases are different. That system relies on 260 local law enforcement agencies and can involve several databases... (GunPolicy.org)
US Senator to Halt Sale of 26,000 Assault Rifles to Philippines
1 November 2016
Guardian
The US state department halted the planned sale of 26,000 assault rifles to the Philippines' national police amid concerns about human rights violations there, Senate aides told Reuters on Monday.
Aides said Senator Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee, said he would oppose the transaction with the long-time ally of the US.
The relationship between the two countries has been complicated lately by President Rodrigo Duterte's angry... (GunPolicy.org)
What Conservatives Get Right About Guns - Guardian US Expert
28 October 2016
GQ (US)
I grew up in Connecticut, firmly on one side of the gun culture war. My parents thought it was wrong even to let kids play with toy guns. But I made a vow to myself when I started covering this debate: I would not be one one of those New York City journalists who writes ignorant, condescending stories about "gun nuts."
As it expanded into the United States, the liberal British newspaper The Guardian did something most media outlets haven't done: it assigned a reporter... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Raid Illegal Gun Makers in Moscow, 24 Russian Regions
25 October 2016
Tass (Russia)
MOSCOW -- Operatives of the Russian Interior Ministry's Main Criminal Investigation Department have liquidated a workshop of illegal arms producers in southwest Moscow, the ministry's press office told TASS on Tuesday.
"Operatives of the Russian Interior Ministry's Main Criminal Investigation Department and the Federal Security Service have carried out searches in Moscow and the Moscow Region at the places of residence of four lawbreakers to find and seize 22 pistols... (GunPolicy.org)
Spain Licences 8,000 Civilians to Carry Hidden Handguns
25 October 2016
El País (Colombia)
Sitting on a terrace having breakfast, Fernando glances around, and then opens his jacket to reveal a small pistol in a brown leather holster. It is a Glock 9mm and he carries it for protection. A jeweler by trade, he was the target of a number of violent attacks several years ago, and was subsequently declared "at risk" and issued a B license by Spanish police – a license that allows him to carry a firearm for self-defense.
Fernando is not particularly pleased to be... (GunPolicy.org)
New York Official Study: Weak-Law States Flood NY With Guns
24 October 2016
New York Times
The .40-caliber pistol used to kill a New York City police officer last year was bought in South Carolina on Feb. 28, 2008.
A 9-millimeter pistol used in a murder-suicide in a Buffalo neighborhood had been bought in Georgia on June, 12, 2010, just 102 days before the double shooting.
And a 9-milimeter pistol used to fatally shoot a couple on Long Island in 2010 was bought in South Carolina on April 10, 2009.
Those are among the 52,915 guns used in crimes that law... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Makers Ban New Handgun Sales in 'Too Strict' California
24 October 2016
LA Times, Editorial
When someone shoots up a neighborhood with a semiautomatic weapon, the shooter usually leaves evidence behind — not only the bullets fired, but also the spent casings ejected from the gun as a fresh round loads. Ballistics experts can match distinctive marks the firing process leaves on the bullets and the casings against fresh samples fired from a gun that investigators believe may have been used in the crime. But first, of course, they must have the gun.
But... (GunPolicy.org)
California on Brink of US Election Upset Over Gun Control
24 October 2016
Los Angeles Times
Proposition 63 would enact the toughest gun controls in the United States. But it also would do something else: represent an astonishing historical milestone.
And if passed as expected, the ballot measure would illustrate a textbook example of how public policy can be radically changed in a democracy laden with competing checks and balances.
How is that? Through the long, slow process of taking incremental steps over decades. By pushing hard and steadily, but with... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico Gun Law Inconsistent, Says Gun Rights Group [ES]
23 October 2016
Radio Formula
[Translated summary: The director of a Mexican gun rights forum explained that there are 5 million registered firearms and 15 million in total, but there are only 3,500 citizens with licences to carry. This is due to a 1972 law that limits citizens' right to self-defence.]
Luciano Segura Álvarez, director de la zona centro de "México Armado", afirmó que el foro está a favor de la iniciativa propuesta por el senador panista Jorge Luis Preciado, sobre permitir la... (GunPolicy.org)
Wanted Criminals Arrested, Arms Seized in Pakistan
22 October 2016
Business Recorder (Pakistan)
Police on Friday claimed that they have arrested 115 wanted criminals and recovered huge cache of arms and ammunition from their oppression during ongoing strike and search operations against anti-social elements in various areas of district Mardan.
Addressing a news conference in district Mardan, superintendent police (SP)- Operation, Shafiullah Khan Gandapoor said that on the special directives of district police officer (DPO) Fasial Shahzad, several crackdown team... (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)
German Arms Maker to Release Second Smart Gun in US
20 October 2016
Computer World (Singapore)
German firearms manufacturer Armatix LLC is planning to release its second smart gun in the U.S. next year after sales of its first model -- the .22 caliber iP1 -- were quashed by pressure from some gun owners and gun rights advocates who saw it as a threat to Second Amendment freedoms.
Unlike the iP1, which used RFID technology, the new iP9 9mm semi-automatic pistol will have a fingerprint reader. The iP9 will be available in mid-2017, according to Wolfgang Tweraser,... (GunPolicy.org)
New Gun Licence and Hidden Handgun Fees in Gabon [FR]
16 October 2016
Gabon Review
[Translated summary: There are an estimated 190,000 firearms (licit and illicit) in the hands of civilians in Gabon. Recently, the government adopted a new decree that sets the fee for firearm licences and hidden handgun carry permits. The aim is to reduce the number of homicides, which was 148 in 2012.]
L'utilisation des armes à feu par des civils dans certaines localités du pays lors des émeutes postélectorales fait réfléchir le gouvernement. Avec un arsenal... (GunPolicy.org)
At Least One American Child Dies by Gunshot Every Other Day
14 October 2016
USA Today, Associated Press
Hours earlier, he was a happy 4-year-old who loved Ironman and the Hulk and all the Avengers. Now, as Bryson Mees-Hernandez approached death in a Houston hospital room, his brain swelling through the bullet hole in his face, his mother assured the boy it was OK to die.
"When you are on the other side," his mother, Crystal Mees, recalls telling him, "you are going to see Mommy cry a lot. It's not because she's mad. It's because she misses you."
And this: "It's not your... (GunPolicy.org)
In Two Years, 295 US Children Under 13 Have Shot Someone
10 October 2016
The Trace (USA)
Christa Engles was shot in the head in November, 2014 by her 3-year-old son while changing her baby's diaper in her Tulsa, Oklahoma home. The boy had found the 9mm semiautomatic handgun on a living room table.
Two months later, in Elmo, Missouri, five-year-old Corbin Wiederholt used a .22-caliber handgun he picked up off the headboard of the grandfather's bed to shoot and kill his nine-month-old brother.
Not long after that, at a home in LeBleu Settlement, Louisiana,... (GunPolicy.org)
One US Gun's Journey: 42 Bullets Fired, 2 Killed, 5 Wounded
7 October 2016
Chicago Tribune
The young woman arrived home to find a footprint still visible on her front door.
Her South Shore apartment had been broken into, and the small safe she kept under her bed was missing, along with the black .40-caliber Glock handgun she kept inside.
Over the next year, that Glock would fire 42 bullets, leaving shell casings scattered on walkways, porches and side streets. In the hands of a street gang, the gun was used in at least five separate shootings that left two... (GunPolicy.org)
US Women Think They're Feminists If They Own Guns [FR]
5 October 2016
TV5 Monde (France)
[Translated summary: More American women are buying one or several firearms and seeing their ownership as a symbol of emancipation. Dealers say that 20% of their sales are to women, while a recent poll by the National Shooting Sport Foundation saw an increase of 15% between 2010 and 2013. The number of women who practice sport shooting increased from 1.8 to 3.3 million in the last 15 years.]
Mères de famille, vendeuses d'armes à feu et d'accessoires spécialisés,... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Gun Found Among Honduras Crime Gang Weapons [ES]
29 September 2016
El Heraldo (Honduras)
[Translated summary: Honduras police seized two AK rifles, one Beretta and one Taurus pistol left behind by criminals after an anti-drug raid. They also found grenades and bullets. One of the firearms had a National Police marking.]
La Fuerza de Seguridad Interinstitucional Nacional (FUSINA) decomisó este jueves armas y municiones que fueron abandonadas por varios sujetos.
El decomiso tuvo lugar la madrugada de este día en la comunidad de Raya, Puerto Lempira,... (GunPolicy.org)
Texas Spree Killer a Lawyer with Nazi Symbols, Legal Firearms
26 September 2016
New York Times, Associated Press
A disgruntled lawyer wearing military-style apparel with old Nazi emblems had two weapons and more than 2,500 rounds of live ammunition when he randomly shot at drivers in a Houston neighborhood Monday before he was shot and killed by police, authorities said.
Nine people were injured during Monday morning's shootings on the street in front of a condo complex; six were shot and three had eye injuries from flying glass. One person was in critical condition and another... (GunPolicy.org)
Texas Spree Shooter Was Lawyer with Legally Held Guns [ES]
26 September 2016
El Mexicano (Mexico), Associated Press
[Translated summary: The lawyer who shot people indiscriminately in Texas on Monday had two legally purchased firearms: a semi-automatic pistol and a semi-automatic rifle. He also had over 2,500 cartridges. The incident left 9 people injured, one in critical state.]
HOUSTON. — Un abogado disgustado que vestía ropa tipo militar con emblemas nazis antiguos tenía dos armas de fuego y más de 2.500 cartuchos cuando comenzó a dispararles indiscriminadamente este lunes... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia Prepares New Gun Amnesty as City Shootings Rise
26 September 2016
Nikkei Asian Review
SYDNEY -- A crazed gunman shot dead 35 people at Port Arthur, a historic tourist site in the Australian island state of Tasmania in April 1996, prompting then-Prime Minister John Howard to outlaw military-style assault weapons and introduce a gun buyback scheme as part of a tough set of national firearm laws.
Australia's gun homicide and suicide rates have both fallen markedly in the intervening 20 years and there have been no mass shootings (defined as five or more... (GunPolicy.org)
Study: 70m Guns Added to US Gun Stock Over Past 20 Years
26 September 2016
Northeastern University (USA)
The estimated number of privately-owned guns in America grew by more than 70 million—to approximately 265 million—between 1994 and 2015, and half of that gun stock is owned by only 3 percent of the population, according to a comprehensive national survey co-led by Northeastern University.
The survey, conducted in collaboration with Harvard University, is the first nationally representative survey of... (GunPolicy.org)
Growth Industry for US Gun Owners: Shooting People Insurance
26 September 2016
Toronto Star (Ontario)
WASHINGTON — James Cook, father of two young girls, has insurance for a house fire, insurance for a car accident, insurance for a health problem.
For the last two years, he has also had insurance for shooting someone.
Cook, a 32-year-old defence lawyer in Colorado, has no plans to shoot anyone. But he is armed with a concealed handgun everywhere he goes except court, and he wants to be prepared for the minuscule possibility he will have to fire it in... (GunPolicy.org)
Missouri Gun Law Eliminates Safeguards for Hidden Handguns
23 September 2016
Washington Post, Editorial
Most States require a person who wants to legally carry a concealed handgun in public to acquire a permit and, in most cases, receive firearms training. Giving law enforcement a say in who can carry guns in America's cities and neighborhoods, while ensuring they are properly trained, just makes sense. Unfortunately, that commodity is in short supply in Missouri, where lawmakers buckled to pressure from the national gun lobby and overrode the governor's veto of a bill... (GunPolicy.org)
Another Legal Hidden Handgun Holder Kills 2 in Tennessee
23 September 2016
ABC News (USA), Associated Press
A man who fatally shot two supervisors and then killed himself at an electrical components plant in eastern Tennessee had a state-issued permit to carry handguns in public, law enforcement officials said Friday.
Ricky Swafford, who had worked at the Thomas & Betts plant a more than 15 years, walked out of a meeting with the supervisors and returned with a pistol, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Susan Niland said. Swafford then shot supervisors Sandra... (GunPolicy.org)
Gender Gap Shrinks as American Women Join Gun Culture
22 September 2016
Christian Science Monitor
The stereotypical face of gun ownership in the United States has long been a white man, one who holds conservative political views and resides in a rural area. But that may be changing, according to an upcoming survey by public health researchers from Harvard and Northeastern universities.
The percentage of Americans who own guns decreased slightly between 1994 and 2015, dropping from 25 to 22 percent, and with it the proportion of male gun owners, the survey found.... (GunPolicy.org)
South America,Central America,Mexico
Latin America Recent Seizures Reveal Thriving Gun Trade [ES]
22 September 2016
InSight Crime (Bogotá)
[Translated summary: A series of recent raids and reports highlights the thriving arms trade in Latin America which continues to disrupt countries and entire regions. For example, a report by Prensa Libre found the 9mm pistol has been the weapon most commonly confiscated by Guatemala's National Police.]
Una serie de redadas e informes recientes ponen de relieve el floreciente negocio de armas en toda Latinoamérica, lo que sirve tanto para beneficio de los grupos... (GunPolicy.org)
Guns Are Stolen in America As Often As Once Every Minute
21 September 2016
The Trace (USA)
ATLANTA — Landen Boyd parked his Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck at a construction site south of downtown Atlanta and went to work, leaving his black Smith & Wesson 9mm in a case underneath the center console.
It was the fall of 2006, and Boyd, a 37-year-old construction superintendent, was overseeing the development of an apartment complex across the train tracks from Mechanicsville, a high-crime neighborhood. When noon came, Boyd hitched a ride to eat lunch with... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico,Central America,South America
Recent Seizures Point to Thriving Latin American Gun Trade
21 September 2016
InSight Crime (Bogotá)
A series of recent raids and reports highlights the thriving arms trade throughout Latin America, which serves to both profit illicit groups and to facilitate criminal violence in the region.
During a recent conference on armed violence in Central America, Ana Yancy Espinoza, academic director of the Costa Rican organization Fundación Arias, presented the results of an investigation on regional arms trafficking.
According to a press release from the Foundation for... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Owners Lose Up to 60,000 Firearms a Year to Thieves
21 September 2016
Guardian
Landen Boyd parked his Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck at a construction site south of downtown Atlanta and went to work, leaving his black Smith & Wesson 9mm in a case underneath the center console.
While Boyd was eating lunch at a nearby rib joint, someone chucked a brick through his truck's back window, crawled inside, grabbed his weapon, and fled.
The Smith & Wesson vanished into Atlanta's underworld for more than two years. The handgun resurfaced when police... (GunPolicy.org)
More US Urban Women Now Own Handguns for Protection
21 September 2016
Guardian
She only owns a handgun. She's more likely than male gun owners to live in an urban area, and less likely to have grown up in a gun-friendly household.
And regardless of how many and what types of guns she owns, she's more likely to report owning firearms for protection than men.
This is the portrait of the American female gun owner, as depicted by the most definitive survey of US gun ownership in two decades. While gun ownership has long been dominated by men in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia Mulls More Gun Control as Gun Crimes Spike - NRA
20 September 2016
America's First Freedom
Hillary Clinton has said Australia's 1996 gun ban—and subsequent confiscation and destruction of over 650,000 guns from pump shotguns to rimfire .22 rifles from lawful people like you—is an idea "worth considering on the national level."
Australians beg to differ.
Today, 20 years after Australia's gun ban, gun crime is skyrocketing in Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city. And now politicians are talking about passing new gun-control laws to further disarm... (GunPolicy.org)
Guatemala Why 9mm and .38 Illicit Handguns Proliferate [ES]
19 September 2016
Prensa Libre (Guatemala)
[Translated summary: The most common guns used in crimes in Guatemala, for their cheap prices and their characteristics, are the 9 mm pistol and the .38 revolver. According to the experts, the 9 mm can be disassembled in 5 pieces that are interchangeable with other pistols, as long as they are the same brand and calibre. Criminals use them so they can hide evidence by changing the barrels.]
Armas utilizadas en crímenes son desarmadas y sus piezas vendidas en mercado... (GunPolicy.org)
Main Motivation to Own a Gun: Fear of Other People - US Study
19 September 2016
The Trace (USA)
Amid a historic plunge in the national violent crime rate, more Americans than ever are arming themselves to protect against attack by other people, a new survey of U.S. gun ownership by researchers at Harvard and Northeastern universities reveals. Their weapon of choice is a handgun, which is portable and easily concealable, and in many states, can be carried in an increasing number of public places.
Pistols, revolvers, and other handguns account for a majority of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Study Shows 3% of Americans Own Nearly Half the Guns in US
19 September 2016
Guardian
Americans own an estimated 265m guns, more than one gun for every American adult, according to the most definitive portrait of US gun ownership in two decades. But the new survey estimates that 130m of these guns are concentrated in the hands of just 3% of American adults – a group of super-owners who have amassed an average of 17 guns each.
The unpublished Harvard/Northeastern survey result summary, obtained exclusively by the Guardian and the Trace, estimates that... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Dismantle Massive Online Gun Market in Thailand
18 September 2016
Bangkok Post
Police have cracked a massive online market in firearms, including high-powered war weapons and assault equipment, in a series of lightning raids across the country.
In early morning action on Saturday on 76 locations in many provinces, a combined taskforce of officers from three police divisions detained 20 suspects and seized 141 firearms.
The raids were launched after it emerged that teenage students were buying firearms through social media and then committing... (GunPolicy.org)
As Assault Weapons Surge, Canada Drafts Tougher Gun Laws
13 September 2016
National Post (Toronto)
OTTAWA — The drafting of tougher gun laws has begun, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said Tuesday on the day marking the 10th anniversary of the rampage at Montreal's Dawson College by a man firing a semi-automatic assault carbine still sold legally today.
Pressed by reporters as he headed into a cabinet meeting, Goodale deflected questions about the continued sale in Canada of the Beretta Cx4 Storm semi-automatic carbine, the restricted weapon used by Kimveer... (GunPolicy.org)
Chasing a Silver Bullet: How Melbourne Became a Gun City (3)
13 September 2016
Age (Melbourne)
He was 22 years old the first time he got caught with a gun. Police chased him down on foot and recovered a stash of drugs and a revolver. He was charged and released on bail.
Five months later, he would be caught with more drugs and another gun - this time a .22 calibre semi-automatic pistol.
For these crimes, he got nine months jail and a community corrections order.
Angelo's* next run in with the law - five months after his release from prison - would see the now... (GunPolicy.org)
El Salvador,Central America,United States
M16, AK Assault Rifles Often Used By Gangs in El Salvador
12 September 2016
InSight Crime (Bogotá), El Faro
The government of El Salvador's militarized campaign against the country's street gangs has been met by an increasingly heavily armed reaction. El Faro's investigation indicates that the gangs' growing use of assault rifles is an echo of the civil war that ended almost 25 years ago.
"Our presumption is that many are from the civil war," responds Mauricio Ramírez Landaverde, the Minister of Public Security, when questioned on the origin of the weapons that Salvadoran... (GunPolicy.org)
Suburban Gunslingers: How Melbourne Became a Gun City (2)
12 September 2016
Age (Melbourne)
Rachad Adra was lying in bed with his four-year-old son when bullets ripped through the front of his Thomastown house.
Fired from the street, they travelled through a window, a front room and through an inside wall before tearing into Adra's flesh, killing him. Neighbours heard the screams of his young son, who was seriously injured.
Ten months on, the rental house in Melbourne's north-west is vacant, and while the bullet-riddled glass has been replaced, the blinds... (GunPolicy.org)
Young, Dumb & Armed: How Melbourne Became a Gun City (1)
12 September 2016
Age (Melbourne)
Sunday at the south-side club is gangster night. The blokes in streetwear - G Star Raw, Adidas, Louis Vuitton man-bags - the women in not much.
It's an exhibition of murky trades: drug dealers, bikies, standover men, the underworld's rising stars and wannabes.
They come from across the city to party and be seen, sweeping into the sprawling neon-lit club like royalty.
The ones flush with cash can spend big to get a VIP booth above the action, while the up-and-comers... (GunPolicy.org)
Medical Marijuana Patients Can't Buy Guns, Says US Court
7 September 2016
Washington Post
An appeals court ruled last week that a federal law prohibiting medical marijuana cardholders from purchasing guns does not violate their Second Amendment rights, because marijuana has been linked to "irrational or unpredictable behavior."
The ruling came in the case of a Nevada woman who attempted to purchase a handgun in 2011, but was denied when the gun store owner recognized her as a medical marijuana cardholder, according to court documents. S. Rowan Wilson... (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)
United States,Afghanistan,Iraq
US Lost Hundreds of Thousands of Guns In Iraq, Afghanistan
24 August 2016
New York Times
Early this year, a Facebook user in Baghdad using the name Hussein Mahyawi posted a photograph of a slightly worn M4 assault rifle he was offering for sale. Veterans of the latest war in Iraq immediately recognized it. It was a standard American carbine equipped with a holographic sight, a foregrip that was military-issue during the occupation and a sticker bearing a digital QR code used by American forces for inventory control. Except for one detail — an aftermarket... (GunPolicy.org)
In Fear of Attack, Some Europeans Buy More Guns and Sprays
23 August 2016
New York Times, Reuters
Europeans in a number of countries are seeking to arm themselves with guns and self-defense devices in growing numbers following a series of attacks by militants and the mentally ill.
Some weapons sellers also link their increased business to the arrival of huge numbers of migrants in Europe, although a German police report stated that the vast majority do not commit crimes of any kind in the country.
The picture is patchy, with no up-to-date data available at a... (GunPolicy.org)
US Airport Security Seizes Record 81 Carry-on Guns in a Week
22 August 2016
The Trace (USA)
Usually, the loaded gun is stuffed in a carry-on bag or a purse. Almost always, the excuse is: "I forgot."
For the second consecutive week, the Transportation Security Administration confiscated a record number of firearms at security checkpoints at U.S. airports. Officers seized 81 guns between August 12th and 18th. Of the weapons, 70 were loaded, and 31 had a round chambered, meaning ready to fire at the squeeze of a trigger.
Last week's tally brings the agency's... (GunPolicy.org)
Cops Without Guns Dominate as London Awaits 'Likely' Attack
22 August 2016
NBC News (USA)
LONDON — Seconds after his police radio crackles into life, Inspector James Beattie kicks the squad car into gear, triggers its siren and roars the wrong way down a busy road.
Beattie and his partner, Constable Jill Simpson, are wearing stab-proof vests and carrying batons, canisters of mace and handcuffs. But like the vast majority of London cops, neither of them has a gun.
"I've never, ever felt the need to have a firearm," Beattie said while on patrol last week.... (GunPolicy.org)
Delhi's Authorities in a Fix Due to Illegal Firearms Market
21 August 2016
New Indian Press (India)
As it grapples with rising gun crime, procuring a firearm in Delhi is as easy as ordering takeaway. AK-47s, Chinese Star pistols, Walther PPKs and more are available for the gangster or terrorist who shops with ease in the city's gun bazaar. Incidents of gun-related deaths have gone up in Delhi.
A Delhi Police constable was shot dead over the weekend by bag snatchers, a first of its kind. Earlier, Delhi Police's Anti-Terror Unit busted an international gang of gun... (GunPolicy.org)
Illegal Gun Factory Dismantled, Weapons Seized in Spain
18 August 2016
Spanish News Today
The Guardia Civil has dismantled a major arms manufacturing and repair workshop in the town of Dos Hermanas, near to the city of Sevilla, in the Andalucía region, seizing a large quantity of weapons and munitions, as well as a quantity of marijuana in the same premises.
During the raid a 48 year old man was arrested and will face a number of charges including manufacturing arms and munitions, storing and owning firearms without a licence, selling illegal weapons and... (GunPolicy.org)
Armed and Aging: Should Seniors Face Tighter Gun Controls?
18 August 2016
New America Media
Richard Swift grew up in the era of John Wayne and Gene Autry, cinematic cowboys whose armed antics drove his daydreams. He had a BB gun years before the first whiskers sprouted on his chin. At 12, he got a .22-caliber rifle that he'd lug around the hills and fields of his rural southeastern Pennsylvania burg, shooting targets and learning to hunt.
"Mostly, I was just shooting things that were there, like a stick floating down the creek. I'd shoot bumblebees if they... (GunPolicy.org)
At Mexico's Lone Gun Store, Even the Boss Discourages Sales
17 August 2016
Times-Union (Florida), Associated Press
MEXICO CITY — There's just one place in all of Mexico where you can legally buy a gun. It's tucked away in an anonymous building on an army base in the capital, staffed by soldiers.
Those who enter must surrender any cellphones, tablets or cameras, remove caps and pass through a metal detector. Weapons are kept in locked glass cases, unlike many of the 50,000-plus U.S. gun shops where used-gun racks on showroom floors allow easy access and clerks are happy to let you... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia: Special Officers to Carry Guns After 10 Wks Training
17 August 2016
West Australian (Perth)
Armed special constables with the power to use "lethal force" will replace fully fledged police as the first line of defence at Parliament and other key State Government buildings.
WA Police is advertising for 40 so-called Protective Service Officers for the security role, freeing up highly trained officers who currently do the work to return to frontline duties.
The PSOs will wear uniforms similar to those worn by police and carry a full range of accoutrements... (GunPolicy.org)
Germans Arrest Suspected Supplier of Mass Shooter's Gun
16 August 2016
New York Times
BERLIN — The police have arrested a 31-year-old German man suspected of selling a gun and bullets to a teenager who killed nine people in a rampage last month in Munich, which sent the city into a panicky lockdown amid fears of a terrorist attack.
The man was detained on Tuesday in the central German city of Marburg after being lured into a weapons deal with investigators and boasting that he had supplied the gun and ammunition in the Munich rampage, the authorities... (GunPolicy.org)
New Hampshire Woman Supplied Guns to Boston Gangs
12 August 2016
Union Leader (New Hampshire)
WARNER – A gun used to shoot a Boston police officer in January was bought by a New Hampshire woman whom police believe was supplying them to gang members in Boston, according to an affidavit unsealed Friday.
The Glock 27 that wound up in the hands of Grant Headley is one of an estimated 30 to 63 firearms purchased by Sara Johnson of Manchester, according to authorities.
"At least four of the firearms purchased by Johnson were subsequently recovered on the streets... (GunPolicy.org)
US Traffickers Export Illegal Guns via Global Web 'Darknet'
11 August 2016
CNN
One day, Michael Andrew Ryan sat down at a computer, hopped onto a hidden part of the Internet known as the dark Web, called himself "Gunrunner" and opened for business.
His international weapons operation offered anyone a virtual laundry list of weapons with brand names that have become disturbingly familiar:
- Glock
- Beretta
- Uzi
- Highpoint
- Walther
To make these guns hard to trace, Gunrunner took off their serial numbers and shipped them to countries where... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Makers See Rush in Demand, Production and Exports
10 August 2016
Guns (USA)
New data released this week by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives shows FFL numbers rebounding, over 9 million firearms produced and healthy import and export activity.
The statistics are part of the agency's 2016 Annual Statistical Update of Firearm Commerce in the United States.
The report includes data drawn from ATF's Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Exportation Report (AFMER), which runs a year behind due to protections accorded under the... (GunPolicy.org)
US Hidden Handgun Permits Up 215% Since 2007 - John Lott
1 August 2016
Bearing Arms
According to John R. Lott, Jr. with the Crime Prevention Research Center, the number of concealed handgun permit applications [was] 14.5 million during President Obama's administration. That's a 215% increase since 2007!
Another key finding in Lott's research follows females with firearms. According to the CPRC report's findings, "the number of women with permits has increased twice as quickly as the number of men with permits."
Evidence also "suggests that... (GunPolicy.org)
Texas Law Allows Students to Carry Hidden Handguns in Class
1 August 2016
New York Times, Reuters
A new law went into effect in Texas on Monday that allows certain students to bring guns into classrooms, with supporters saying it could prevent mass shootings and critics saying the measure will endanger safety on campuses.
The so-called state "campus carry" law allows people 21 and older with a concealed handgun license to carry pistols in classrooms and most buildings throughout public universities, including the University of Texas system, one of the nation's... (GunPolicy.org)
Another US Startup Designs a Low-Tech 'Smart Gun' Pistol
28 July 2016
Forbes (USA)
On first glance, it looks familiar to anyone who has seen a version of the Glock 17 pistol, the sleek handgun popularized by law enforcement around the country. But behind the trigger is a multi-colored, six-digit keypad that looks more like something you'd find on a door alarm than a gun.
The keypad stands out on the otherwise black pistol, a visual cue that the SMART 2 is not your ordinary handgun. It's also the reason why, according to the weapon's makers, it isn't... (GunPolicy.org)
Germany Calls for EU-Wide Gun Control After Munich Shootings
24 July 2016
Telegraph (UK)
The German government has called for EU-wide gun controls in the wake of the Munich shootings, as it emerged the teenage attacker bought a gun on the "dark web".
One of the mysteries of the attack has been how Ali Sonboly managed to get hold of a Glock handgun and the 300 rounds of ammunition police found in his backpack.
Police now believe he bought the gun on the so-called "dark web", an area of the internet not accessible without special software, used by criminals... (GunPolicy.org)
Germany's Stringent Gun Ownership Rules - Reuters
23 July 2016
Reuters
BERLIN/FRANKFURT - An 18-year-old German-Iranian believed to have acted alone killed nine people in a shooting spree with a pistol at a busy shopping centre in Munich on Friday evening.
Here are some facts about acquiring and owning a gun in Germany.
1. Germany has some of the "most stringent" rules around gun control in Europe, according to the U.S. Library of Congress. (https://www.loc.gov/law/help/firearms-control/germany.php#t1)
2. To own a gun in Germany, it is... (GunPolicy.org)
Germany's Stringent Gun Ownership Rules
23 July 2016
Daily Mail (UK)
BERLIN/FRANKFURT - An 18-year-old German-Iranian believed to have acted alone killed nine people in a shooting spree with a pistol at a busy shopping centre in Munich on Friday evening.
Here are some facts about acquiring and owning a gun in Germany.
1. Germany has some of the "most stringent" rules around gun control in Europe, according to the U.S. Library of Congress. (https://www.loc.gov/law/help/firearms-control/germany.php#t1)
2. To own a gun in Germany, it is... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Verification Exercise in Tanzania Registers 14,000 Firearms
22 July 2016
Tanzania Daily News
Over 14,000 firearms have been verified in the past three months, the exercise that helped to collect 198.8m/- as fee for such weapons.
In March, this year, the Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner (RC), Mr Paul Makonda, issued a three-month ultimatum to owners of firearms in the regions to surrender their weapons to the police for verification.
During the exercise a total of 11,602 owners surrendered their weapons for verifications despite some challenges during the... (GunPolicy.org)
US Government Releases Proposed Guidelines for Smart Guns
15 July 2016
Engadget (USA)
Federal authorities have just released a set of recommended guidelines to define the minimum technical requirements that law enforcement agencies expect from smart guns. The proposed baseline specs cover just pistols for now, and are open for public input from now till September 13.
The biggest difference that the proposed smart gun would have from regular firearms is the addition of a so-called "security device." This is designed to prevent unauthorized use by... (GunPolicy.org)
Anaheim, California Buyback Collects 676 Guns in One Day
14 July 2016
The Orange County Register (USA)
ANAHEIM – They ran out of gift cards. An Anaheim Police Department gun buyback program was so wildly successful that officers had to hand out $48,000 in IOUs to those who turned in weapons.
Police were set to give out 190 $100 gift cards to Kohl's, Wal-Mart or Target for each weapon turned in Saturday, but the cards ran out in the first two hours of the event at La Palma Park.
The department is buying more cards, which it will distribute in the next 10 days, Anaheim... (GunPolicy.org)
Montenegro Destroys 1,140 Confiscated Guns
9 July 2016
SEESAC (Belgrade)
Montenegro destroyed 1140 pieces of small arms and light weapons (SALW) at a smelter in Niksic to mark the International Gun Destruction Day on 9 July, 2016, including 752 guns and one revolver, 7 automatic weapons, 381 rifles and 214 different part of weapons.
Minister of Internal Affairs Goran Danilovic, Head of European Union (EU) Delegation to Montenegro Mitja Drobnic, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative Fiona McCluney and... (GunPolicy.org)
Number of Gun Licences Has Soared in Italy [IT]
9 July 2016
Corriere Milano (Italy)
[Translated summary: A recent homicide with a legally carried 9mm pistol brings back the central issue of gun carrying permits and the spread of weapons. There are currently 774,679 permits to carry firearms for hunting purposes in Italy, along with 471,000 licences for sports purposes (in 2007, there were half as many). Figures from the Ministry of the Interior show an increase of 12.4% for hunting licences and 18.4% for sports shooting.]
Il recente omicidio a Dorno... (GunPolicy.org)
51 Times More Gun-Related Deaths In USA Than In Canada
8 July 2016
National Observer (USA)
Five police officers were killed in a Dallas mass-shooting Thursday night, blocks away from where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated 53 years ago.
Twelve police officers and two civilians were shot during the attack that saw one sniper — who targeted white police — open fire on officers working a peaceful protest in response to police shootings in Minnesota and Louisiana.
In Dallas, the shooter, 25-year-old Micah Johnson, was trained in the military and... (GunPolicy.org)
Texas Professors Sue Over 'Hidden Handguns on Campus' Law
6 July 2016
Dallas Morning News (Texas)
AUSTIN — Three professors at the University of Texas at Austin have sued the state over a new law that will allow the carrying of concealed handguns on campus starting Aug. 1.
Jennifer Lynn Glass, Mia Carter and Lisa Moore filed the lawsuit Monday in federal court. They've named Attorney General Ken Paxton, UT-Austin President Greg Fenves and the nine members of the UT System Board of Regents as defendants. They noted that the law takes effect on the 50th anniversary... (GunPolicy.org)
Fewer Than One in Five Canadians Say They Own a Gun
6 July 2016
CNews (Canada)
Less than 20% of Canadians say they own a gun, according to a new poll.
A Forum Research poll of 1,429 Canadians provided exclusively to the Toronto Sun found Ontario sits near the bottom of the pack of provinces when it comes to firearms ownership.
Overall, just 17% of those surveyed said they owned a gun of any kind. Less than one in 10 say they own a handgun.
In Ontario, just 15% said they owned a firearm of any kind and only British Columbia had a lower level of... (GunPolicy.org)
Brazil,South America,Argentina,Central America,Mexico
Handgun Trade Worth US$699 Million in Latin America [ES]
30 June 2016
Gestion (Peru)
[Translated Summary: According to a survey by a research team in Geneva, in the past year the three Latin American countries that exported most handguns were Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. The countries that imported most handguns were Mexico, Chile and Colombia. The US was the main buyer.]
La encuesta de armas pequeñas del 2015 reveló cifras de los principales países latinoamericanos exportadores e importadores de armas de fuego autorizadas. La encuesta fue... (GunPolicy.org)
US Supreme Court Hears 'Pro-gun' Argument in Abortion Case
28 June 2016
Weekly Standard (USA)
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer used logic frequently employed by pro-gun advocates to help justify his majority opinion in the Texas abortion clinic case decided Monday.
As John McCormack reported, the Court struck down a Texas statute that compelled, in part, abortion clinics to upgrade their facilities to match the standards of surgical centers. Such a requirement calls to mind the story of Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell, who operated a squalid... (GunPolicy.org)
Fear, Loathing and Guns: Sensory Overload at NRA Death Mall
25 June 2016
Guardian
"A frightened population is obedient."
– Hunter S Thompson
"I'm not scared about going to jail. Somebody's got to do something to knock the fear out of these negroes."
– Muhammad Ali
At the 145th National Rifle Association annual meetings and exhibits, you could see and purchase replica flintlock muskets like the kind Daniel Boone used, "wardrobe" handguns the size of a cellphone, a carriage-mounted 1883 Gatling gun, historic firearms from the Renaissance down... (GunPolicy.org)
JAMA's Article on Australia's Gun Control Fuels Controversy
24 June 2016
Medpage Today (USA)
Does Australia's gun control policy -- a government buy back of civilian-owned guns and strict laws limiting access to guns -- offer useful insights for the U.S.?
No, according Timothy Wheeler, MD, a retired Los Angeles head and neck surgeon, who played a role in Congress's decision to withhold funding for CDC studies of gun violence, who termed Australia's buyback "a full-fledged mass confiscation."
"The 1996 National Firearms Agreement's so-called 'buyback' of... (GunPolicy.org)
In One State, 53,000 Homes Have a Handgun in Mexico [ES]
23 June 2016
Puebla Online (Mexico)
[Translated summary: Despite a decrease in the purchase of arms, more than 53,000 households in one of Mexico's states still own handguns. The data comes from a study that considered legally purchased guns since 2012 in the whole country.]
La adquisición de armas de fuego en hogares poblanos como herramienta de autoprotección ha ido a la baja en los últimos años, según reveló el estudio "Compra de armas MX" realizado por el centro de estudios México Evalúa, no... (GunPolicy.org)
California Lawmakers Fund Centre for Gun Violence Research
23 June 2016
New York Times, Editorial
For two decades, Congress has effectively blocked federal money from being used for basic research on gun violence and its effect on public health. All efforts to lift this restriction have been repeatedly rejected by Republicans who seem to believe that the less people know about gun violence and how to prevent it, the better.
California lawmakers, faced with this failure by the federal government, are moving ahead to finance public research on their own. The... (GunPolicy.org)
Report Finds Australian Gun Deaths Slashed Since 1996
23 June 2016
9news (Australia), Australian Associated Press
Australian firearm deaths have fallen rapidly in the past two decades, and not a single mass shooting has occurred since the Port Arthur massacre, according to a new study.
There were 104 people killed and at least 52 wounded in 13 Australian mass shootings between 1979 and 1996, the study reports.
Its authors, including University of Sydney Emeritus Professor Simon Chapman, found not a single mass shooting death in the ensuing 20 years (defined as involving five or... (GunPolicy.org)
Tight Firearm Laws Reduced Gun Deaths in Australia - Study
23 June 2016
Guardian
Since major gun law reforms were introduced in Australia, mass shootings have not only stopped, but there has also been an accelerating reduction in rates of firearm-related homicide and suicides, a landmark study has found.
It has been two decades since rapid-fire long guns were banned in Australia, including those already in private ownership, and 19 years since the mandatory buyback of prohibited firearms by government at market price was introduced. A handgun... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia After Gun Reform: No Mass Shootings in 20 Years
22 June 2016
Science Daily
Since gun law reform and the Firearms Buyback program 20 years ago, Australia has seen an accelerating decline in intentional firearm deaths and an absence of fatal mass shootings, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reports in a landmark study.
"The absence of mass shootings in Australia in the past two decades compares to 13 fatal mass shootings in the 18 years prior to these sweeping reforms," says the University of Sydney's Emeritus Professor... (GunPolicy.org)
Free Handguns for 'At Risk' Americans: NRA, Smith & Wesson
22 June 2016
NRA-ILA, Media release
FAIRFAX, VA — American cities are hotbeds of crime, from gang violence to police brutality, but a major part of the problem is that the most vulnerable populations cannot afford to defend themselves. A new program from the National Rifle Association, in partnership with Smith & Wesson, seeks to change that.
Share the Safety is a revolutionary online store that will open its digital doors on July 4. Taking its cue from other "buy one, give one" retailers, customers of... (GunPolicy.org)
Mass Shootings in Australia Ceased After Gun Laws Tightened
22 June 2016
Wall Street Journal
The changes were also associated with an accelerated reduction in total firearm-related deaths from homicide and suicide, according to the study, published online Wednesday in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Mass shootings like the one in Orlando, Fla., have come to a halt in Australia in the two decades since the country adopted sweeping changes to its gun laws, researchers reported in a new study.
The changes were also associated with an... (GunPolicy.org)
No Mass Shootings in 20 Years: How Did Australia Do It?
22 June 2016
NBC News (USA)
Strict new gun laws passed after a mass shooting in Australia 20 years ago appear to have prevented any more such attacks there, researchers reported Wednesday.
And overall deaths from firearms have fallen since the 1997 law, which banned certain semi-automatic and pump-action weapons and forced owners to sell them back to the government, the team reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"Following enactment of gun law reforms in Australia in 1996,... (GunPolicy.org)
How Rare Illegal Firearms Find Their Way Onto British Streets
20 June 2016
The Conversation (UK)
How it is possible to get hold of weapons in Britain despite tough laws that restrict their ownership and use? This strict firearm legislation, enacted chiefly through the Firearms Act 1968 and amendments following the 1987 Hungerford mass shooting and 1996 Dunblane mass shoting, has reduced the number of purpose-made firearms in circulation. This has contributed to the number of firearms offences (including those using airguns and air rifles) falling from a high of... (GunPolicy.org)
How Illegal Firearms Find their Way Onto British Streets
20 June 2016
The Conversation (USA)
How it is possible to get hold of weapons in Britain despite tough laws that restrict their ownership and use? This strict firearm legislation, enacted chiefly through the Firearms Act 1968 and amendments following the 1987 Hungerford mass shooting and 1996 Dunblane mass shooting, has reduced the number of purpose-made firearms in circulation. This has contributed to the number of firearms offences (including those using airguns and air rifles) falling from a high of... (GunPolicy.org)
Seven Reasons It's So Easy to Buy a Gun In the US
20 June 2016
Teen Vogue
The monstrous shooting at Pulse, an LGBTQ nightclub in Orlando, Florida, two Sundays ago has brought America's lax gun laws back into tragic focus.
The killer, 29-year-old Omar Mateen, used a 9mm Glock 17 and a Sig Sauer MCX assault rifle that he purchased legally — despite investigations in 2013 and 2014 by the Federal Bureau of Investigations for his potential ties to terrorism.
The U.S. has the highest rate of gun ownership in the world, according to data... (GunPolicy.org)
Pink Pistols, the Pro-gun Group Arming Gay America
19 June 2016
Telegraph (UK)
Karen McCloud and her girlfriend fired round after round, the bullets hitting the human shaped silhouette down range in the head and chest.
A former soldier, Ms McCloud was a straight shot. Her hands steady, her breathing calm, she squeezed the trigger of her 9mm handgun, the hot casings falling to the floor.
"Bad people have guns, and the only people who can stop them are the good people with guns," she said, reloading her weapon. "And that's exactly what went wrong... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia is the World's Sixth Largest Importer of Firearms [FR]
18 June 2016
Les Nouvelles Calédonies (Nouméa)
[Translated summary: Australia is the sixth biggest importer of rifles, handguns and ammunition, according to a report by the Small Arms Survey. Australia doesn't manufacture many firearms, so they must be imported. Most are used for hunting, farming and sport.]
D'après le rapport de Small Arms Survey, l'île-continent serait le sixième plus gros importateur de fusils, de revolvers, de pistolets et de munitions.
L'Australie est le sixième pays importateur d'armes... (GunPolicy.org)
Shooting Death of MP Surprises UK With Its Strict Gun Laws
16 June 2016
Washington Post
Four days after the horrific mass shooting in Orlando sparked a fresh debate about gun control in the United States, a fatal attack on a politician in Britain is bringing attention to that country's gun control policies.
Jo Cox, a member of the British Parliament for the center-left Labour Party, was shot and stabbed while meeting with constituents near the northern city of Leeds on Thursday. According to police, the 41-year-old has died of her injuries.
Any physical... (GunPolicy.org)
Slaying of MP is Surprising Due to Low Gun Violence in the UK
16 June 2016
USA Today, Opinion
The Associated Press "Urgent" wire started flashing.
"British lawmaker Jo Cox has died after shooting attack in her constituency," it said in the usual dry language of such alerts.
And I felt my heart thumping.
How could this have happened in the land of my birth and upbringing? How could the American scourge of gun violence that had just killed 49 innocents in Orlando – and, to be honest, to which I have become almost numb – have spread there?
After all, in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Lobby, Gun Safety Group Head to Head in Sydney Debate
16 June 2016
9News (Australia), Australian Associated Press
Emotion must be stripped away from public debate around Australian gun controls, a national policing summit has heard.
Samara McPhedran, a Griffith University senior researcher and chair of Women in Shooting and Hunting (WiSH), says emotions have muddied the crafting of firearm regulations.
"Unfortunately, many decisions in this area seem driven by emotion rather than informed debate," Dr McPhedran told police forces and counter-terror experts in Sydney on... (GunPolicy.org)
US Debate: Would an Assault Weapon Ban Make a Difference?
13 June 2016
Guardian
In preparation for what would become the deadliest mass shooting in American history, Omar Mateen bought an .223 caliber AR-15-style assault rifle and a 9mm semiautomatic pistol, law enforcement officials said.
The shooters in December's San Bernardino terror attack also used AR-15-style rifles. So did the shooters in the 2012 attacks at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, and an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.
Critics call AR-15-style rifles the weapon of... (GunPolicy.org)
Assault Rifle the Weapon of Choice in US Mass Shootings
13 June 2016
Malay Mail (Kuala Lumpur)
WASHINGTON — When Omar Mateen entered an Orlando, Florida, nightclub yesterday to carry out the deadliest mass shooting in US history, he wielded a weapon that has been used in massacres from California to Connecticut: a military-inspired semi-automatic rifle.
Though so-called assault rifles account for a small fraction of the United States' 30,000 annual gun deaths, they have been used in at least 10 mass shootings since 2011, according to a database compiled by... (GunPolicy.org)
Easier to Buy Gun in US Than For a Gay Man to Donate Blood
13 June 2016
Huffington Post (USA)
America's gun laws are being challenged once more in the wake of the Orlando nightclub shooting.
More than 50 people were injured and 49 died after Omar Mateen opened fire at the Pulse nightclub in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Mateen, who was killed in a shootout with police, was armed with an AR-15 assault type rifle, a handgun and an explosive device.
The 29-year-old purchased at least two firearms legally within the last week or so, said Trevor Velinor of... (GunPolicy.org)
What We Know About the Pulse Nightclub Shooting in Orlando
12 June 2016
Everytown for Gun Safety
In the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, a gunman shot and killed at least 49 people and shot and injured at least 53 others inside Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, FL. According to a law enforcement source, the gunman had been a person of interest in two FBI investigations in 2013 and 2014 and at the time was placed on a terrorist watch list. Due to a loophole in federal law, the government is unable to block gun sales to people who have been investigated for... (GunPolicy.org)
AR-15 Assault Rifle the 'Signature Weapon of Mass Killers'
12 June 2016
Telegraph (UK)
Gunman Omar Mateen was armed with an AR-15-type assault rifle, which has become the signature weapon of mass killers in the US.
Known as "America's gun," it is owned by around 3.7 million American households, making it the country's most popular rifle.
The military-grade weapon was used by Adam Lanza in December 2012 to shoot dead 26 people at Sandy Hook in Newtown, while the San Bernardino terrorists used AR-15s when they killed 14 people in December 2015.
It was... (GunPolicy.org)
Growing Number of Firearms Among Criminals in Mayotte [FR]
12 June 2016
Mayotte 1ère
[Translated Summary: In one week, there were two cases of criminal activity with handguns in Mayotte. This raised concern about illegal firearms in the country.]
En une semaine, par deux fois des voyous ont agi, armes à feu au poing. Une escalade inquiétante qui confirme les rumeurs persistantes d'armes à feu introduites illégalement dans le département.
Mayotte est bel et bien face au développement d'une forme de grand banditisme. La semaine dernière, les... (GunPolicy.org)
Since 1934, US Gun Lobby Created Fear of the 'Slippery Slope'
8 June 2016
The Trace (USA)
For the first time in a decade, the firearms industry has become a primary target in the gun debate. The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton regularly hammered Bernie Sanders during the primaries over his vote for a 2005 law that grants gun manufacturers and retailers broad immunity from liability lawsuits. And the families of Sandy Hook victims are now challenging that legislation in a lawsuit against Remington, the parent company for the... (GunPolicy.org)
New Zealand Police Lose Control of 230,000 Unregistered Guns
3 June 2016
Stuff (New Zealand)
A firearms safety specialist says the tragic death of a two-year-old girl in Auckland should never have happened.
Counties Manukau police have charged a 26-year-old man with unlawful possession of a pistol after he was taken into custody in relation to a death at a house in Favona Rd.
He will appear in court on Friday.
Police said the youngster died at the property in Mangere on Thursday morning.
The oft-quoted figures of around 230,000 licence holders and around... (GunPolicy.org)
More Guns Make People Safer, Say US Gun Lobby Groups
29 May 2016
Washington Times
LOUISVILLE — Riots had broken out when Al Parsons was attending summer school at Louisiana State University soon after the Gun Control Act of 1968 passed, and someone was beating on his apartment door at midnight.
"I looked at my buddy. I said, 'None of my friends are coming this time of night,'" Mr. Parsons said. "He says, 'Mine either.'"
Mr. Parsons, a 67-year-old retiree from Indiana, said he had recently asked his father to purchase a pistol for him — a buy he... (GunPolicy.org)
US 3rd-Party Gun Sales Don't Require Background Checks
25 May 2016
WKRN TV Nashville
NASHVILLE – If you buy a hand gun from a gun shop in Tennessee, you need to pass a background check.
But if two private citizens buy and sell a gun, that transaction doesn't require a background check—and it is legal.
News 2's Andy Cordan was offered a chance to buy a gun on the street the other day from a man who first tried to pawn it.
It happened Monday about 5 p.m. when the man left the shop in South Nashville carrying a gun he later identified as a TEC-9, a... (GunPolicy.org)
Libya-linked Gun Trafficking Ring Dismantled in Algeria [FR]
23 May 2016
El Watan (Algiers)
[Translated summary: A network specialized in firearm trafficking has been dismantled in Algeria. Police arrested two people and seized 22 American pump-action shotguns, three Turkish shotguns, one handgun and ammunition, all from Libya.]
Un réseau spécialisé dans le trafic transfrontalier d'armes à feu a été démantelé en fin de semaine dernière. L'opération, menée par une brigade spécialisée de la sûreté de la wilaya d'Alger (SWA), a permis... (GunPolicy.org)
European Union Funds Push to Surrender Guns in West Africa
23 May 2016
Euractiv
A €5.6 million EU funded programme in West Africa is pushing for the voluntary surrender of small and light arms that are in the hands of civilians in exchange for incentives like social amenities and development activities for residents.
The Weapons Collection Programme is being chaperoned by the West African economic bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) within the broader context of "Disarmament and Community Development" or "Weapons for... (GunPolicy.org)
US Shootings With 4 Deaths or Injuries Are Invisible - NY Times
22 May 2016
New York Times
CINCINNATI — After the slaughter of nine worshipers at a South Carolina church last June, but before the massacre of eight students and a teacher at an Oregon community college in October, there was a shooting that the police here have labeled Incident 159022597.01. It happened on a clear Friday night at an Elks Lodge, on a modest block of clapboard houses northeast of this city's hilly downtown. Unlike the butchery that bookended it, it merited no presidential... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Trafficking, Home Made Firearms Worry Ghana Police
20 May 2016
Joy Online (Ghana)
The Small Arms Commission has warned of possible politically motivated violence during the 2016 elections after observing a trend pointing to stockpiling of weapons.
Executive Director of the Commission, Jones Applerh expressed fears that the elections could trigger a heightened demand for arms.
A number of arms seizures must have informed the fears of the Commission. There were seizures reported in the Western Region in February, 2016 where the police collected at... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Sales Trigger Craze for Secret Furniture Compartments
20 May 2016
Fox News (USA)
Rising gun sales have triggered a new trend in furniture fashion -- coffee tables, cabinets, headboards and hutches with secret compartments for firearms.
'Gun concealment furniture' sales, once the province of solitary craftsmen making custom goods have gone mainstream, allowing firearms owners to maintain easy in-home access to hidden handguns and rifles.
"There are a lot of people who don't want a big iron safe," said Dan Ingram, owner of NJ Concealment Furniture,... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Dealer Founds Movement to Prevent Firearm Suicides
18 May 2016
Scientific American
Ralph Demicco feels as though he has watched the 53-minute surveillance video 100 times, searching it for clues to preventing tragedy. He sees a young man walk into his gun shop in Hooksett, N.H. The man asks about buying a handgun. "He engaged the clerk in small talk, totally disarmed the clerk," Demicco says. "No way in heck that clerk would suspect that three quarters of an hour after the conversation that person would take his life."
And yet the 24-year-old man did... (GunPolicy.org)
US Man Brandishes Assault Rifle Near School: Court Says OK
17 May 2016
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wisconsin)
Advocates for the open carry of guns won another court victory Tuesday, when an appellate court threw out a loitering conviction against a man cited for walking around with an AR-15 rifle on his shoulder near a school.
"We are pleased the Court of Appeals recognized that merely carrying a firearm, with nothing more, cannot constitute an offense in Wisconsin," said John Monroe, who represented Mark Hoffman.
Hoffman is among those gun owners who actively test law... (GunPolicy.org)
America May Be Getting Ready For a Smarter Kind of Gun
17 May 2016
Huffington Post (USA)
Jonathan Mossberg has already made a smart gun — a shotgun that can only be discharged by someone wearing a ring that communicates with a chip inside the weapon, unlocking it.
The gunmaker's smart guns, there are about 25 of them, are nearly 20 years old. They have been tested repeatedly and kept in the homes of his friends and family for self-defense. But Mossberg's Florida-based company, iGun Technology Corp., has never scaled the high-tech components to a handgun.... (GunPolicy.org)
In Many US States the Mentally Ill Can Easily Buy Guns
16 May 2016
Union Leader (New Hampshire)
Despite a history of psychiatric illness, the man accused of shooting two Manchester police officers on Friday was able to walk into a Derry gun store and purchase the handgun linked to the shooting, according to court records released on Monday.
Police affidavits said Ian MacPherson, 32, purchased a .40-caliber Smith and Wesson handgun at Chester Arms on April 1, after successfully completing a background check through the New Hampshire State Police Gunline.
New... (GunPolicy.org)
Nine Illegal Firearms Seized in Spain
15 May 2016
Ziz Online
A community safety patrol by men of the Tactical Unit in Cayon has resulted in the seizure of a .40mm pistol and a magazine with fourteen (14) rounds of .40mm ammunition.
While patrolling to ensure citizen safety in the "shanty town" area of Cayon around 8.20pm on Saturday (May 14) the officers pursued an individual of interest which resulted in the seizure of the firearm.
One individual was arrested and is in custody. Charges are likely to be filed.
This is brings... (GunPolicy.org)
Women Shooters Lead Resurgence of Guns in Australia
14 May 2016
ABC News (Australia)
There has been a resurgence in recreational shooting and hunting in Queensland with the number of gun licence holders growing by more than 20,000 in the past decade.
The increase in gun licences is revealed in figures obtained by the ABC and is in line with similar trends in other states and territories.
Since 2005, the number of licence holders has risen 15 per cent to 179,184 and the number of registered firearms has jumped more than 40 per cent to... (GunPolicy.org)
Congo (DRC),North Korea,Rwanda,Burundi
North Korea Giving Guns to Congolese Police, Soldiers: UN
14 May 2016
Daily Mail (UK), Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS — U.N. experts say Congolese army officers and police reported receiving pistols from a group of 30 North Korean instructors training their presidential guard and special police forces, which would appear to be a violation of U.N. sanctions banning Pyongyang from exporting weapons or providing military training.
The panel of experts monitoring U.N. sanctions against Congo said they found that pistols similar to those produced in North Korea were issued... (GunPolicy.org)
Jamaica's 'Get the Guns Campaign' Seizes 234 Firearms
13 May 2016
Jamaica Observer
KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Police High Command is commending the St Catherine North Police for the seizure of several high-powered firearms in McCooks Pen, St Catherine on today. Nine people were taken into custody in relation to the seizure.
Reports are that following several months of intense investigations and intelligence gathering the police launched a special operation in an area called 'Gun Farm' in McCooks Pen, where the cache of weapons was seized.
The weapons... (GunPolicy.org)
The Easiest US States In Which to Buy a Gun
13 May 2016
Huffington Post (USA)
The second amendment, which was passed by Congress on September 25, 1789, states, "A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." The private right to own a firearm — for protection, for hunting, or for enjoyment — has remained central to the national ethos of the United States. Americans living in most states today would not have much trouble buying a gun.
In 36... (GunPolicy.org)
US 5-Year Old Kills Herself With Gun Under Gran's Pillow
11 May 2016
Washington Post
A 5-year-old girl was playing with her baby brother and 3-year-old neighbor early Wednesday when she found a gun, police said.
The revolver had been tucked under her grandmother's pillow in the Detroit home. It was loaded. And while in the hands of the little girl, the weapon went off, hitting her in the neck and killing her, Detroit police said.
"The grandfather went upstairs and found the baby, and immediately called 911," officer Jennifer Moreno, a spokeswoman for... (GunPolicy.org)
114 Rounds of Ammunition, 37 Guns Seized in South Africa
10 May 2016
East Coast Radio (KwaZulu-Natal)
Gun Free South Africa has welcomed a seven-day police operation in KZN in which 37 firearms and 114 rounds of ammunition were seized.
The organisation's Adele Kirsten says more intelligence driven operations, covering a greater number of areas, need to be carried out to remove illegal guns from the streets.
Kirsten says such operations also give them data on criminal activity and firearms, saying the majority of the weapons seized were handguns.
She says this could... (GunPolicy.org)
Convicted Australian Hoarder Ordered to Hand Over Guns
10 May 2016
Canberra Times (Australia)
A Canberra man with a hoarding disorder and a predilection for guns has been forced to relinquish a stash of rifles, a pistol and a shotgun seized from his home after he was convicted of firearms offences.
John Edward Mitchell last year pleaded guilty to numerous crimes after 133 items, including guns, ammunition and gun parts, were seized under a court-issued abatement order designed to manage the unsanitary conditions caused by the items he amassed at his... (GunPolicy.org)
California: Carrying a Loaded Gun in a Backpack Still Illegal
9 May 2016
San Francisco Chronicle
Carrying a loaded gun without a license is illegal in California even if the weapon is tucked inside a backpack, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday.
In a unanimous ruling Monday, the court allowed prosecutors to charge a man with violating California's open-carry law by carrying a loaded revolver that police said they found in his backpack.
The law makes it a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail, to carry a loaded gun "on the person or in a vehicle while... (GunPolicy.org)
In Two Weeks, 7 US Toddlers Shot Someone with a Gun
7 May 2016
News.com.au
It has been 10 days of "gut wrenching" carnage in the US, with a tragic number of toddlers being fatally shot or inflicting injury on a family member, simply because of an unsecured firearm.
In their own homes, in their cots or in the car — 2016 has seen a concerning spike in toddler related shootings than in the previous year.
As the second biggest killer in the country, 23 incidents of shootings that involve toddlers have already happened this year alone. That's... (GunPolicy.org)
Public Debate Over 87,671 Gun Deaths in Argentina [ES]
6 May 2016
Diario La Provincia (Argentina)
[Translated summary: According to a university study, there have been 87,671 firearm deaths between 1983 and 2012 in Argentina. The National Arms Registry's Director thinks the country needs to move forward with the civilian disarmament policy.]
Hugo Spinelli, investigador de la Universidad de Lanús (UNLa), realizó un informe en el que detalla que entre 1983 y 2012 hubo 87.671 muertes por armas de fuego en nuestro país.
Por su parte, el presidente de la Asociación... (GunPolicy.org)
Four US Toddlers Shot and Killed Themselves in One Week
5 May 2016
New York Times
KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Sha'Quille Kornegay, 2 years old, was buried in a pink coffin, her favorite doll by her side and a tiara strategically placed to hide the self-inflicted gunshot wound to her forehead.
She had been napping in bed with her father, Courtenay Block, late last month when she discovered the 9-millimeter handgun he often kept under his pillow in his Kansas City, Mo., home. It was equipped with a laser sight that lit up like the red lights on her... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Trafficking Gangs Arrested in Algeria [FR]
5 May 2016
Le Matin d'Algérie
[Translated summary: Every day in Algeria there are more and more cases of violence in which young people are involved. In Batna, a network of gun traffickers was stopped by the national gendarmerie and two shotguns, one revolver, 227 cartridges and 960 capsules were seized.]
Dans la journée de mercredi, la faculté de droit a organisé un séminaire national sur la délinquance juvénile à l'auditorium de l'université. Ce rendez-vous a été une occasion pour... (GunPolicy.org)
100s of Child Gun Deaths "Occasional Mishaps" - Gun Lobby
5 May 2016
Mother Jones (USA)
In an in-depth investigation in 2013, Mother Jones found that guns kill hundreds of children per year in the United States. Many die in homicides, and many others die in accidents—mostly when children themselves pull the trigger. The kids shooting themselves or others have often been as young as two or three years old. Invariably these "tragedies" result from adults leaving unsecured firearms lying around in their homes or, in some cases, in their cars.
Since our... (GunPolicy.org)
Australians Now Own More Guns Than Ever Before
28 April 2016
Sydney Morning Herald
Australians now own more guns than before the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, according to new research that shows firearm imports hit a record high in 2014-15.
[Charts, tables in the original]
The surge in gun-buying over the past 16 years, which has seen 1.02 million guns brought into the country, has been largely a "gun swap", according to Philip Alpers, a University of Sydney public health researcher, gun control expert and founding director of GunPolicy.org.
"The... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia's Gun Problem: Laws Weakened since Port Arthur
28 April 2016
Marie Claire
April 28 marks 20 years since the Port Arthur massacre and the implementation of Australia's groundbreaking gun legislation. But with gun ownership back to 1996 levels and firearm restrictions under threat, are our gun laws failing to protect us?
It was just after 5pm on a brisk winter Sunday in Sydney, and the sickening sense of worry was building in Michelle Fernando's stomach. She was due to meet her father, Vincent, that evening to attend a talk by a lawyer they... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia Vulnerable as States Flout 1996 Gun Control Accord
28 April 2016
Australian (Sydney)
Australia is again vulnerable to mass shootings because of a failure to fully enforce the 1996 national firearms agreement, say gun control advocates.
As the nation prepares today to commemorate 20 years since its worst modern mass shooting, Gun Control Australia and those who lost loved ones in the attack, are gearing up for a renewed fight to restore the spirit and intent of the 1996 National Firearms Agreement.
Gun Control Australia vice-president Roland Browne... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Advocates Ask for Tighter Regulation of Firearms
27 April 2016
Sydney Morning Herald
Gun control advocates have called for tighter regulation of firearms on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre, saying that landmark gun control measures passed in its wake have since been eroded.
"We don't want laws regressing but that is what I see in NSW and that is why my sister was able to access a firearm," said Michelle Fernando at NSW Parliament on Wednesday.
Ms Fernando's father, Vincent, was shot dead six years ago after his daughter -... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Company to Launch Local Semi-auto Pistol in #Malaysia
25 April 2016
Malaysia Chronicle
"Malaysia has the best gun control laws in the world", 80-year-old golf legend Gary Player said loudly at a press conference in Miami. That was after I identified myself as a Malaysian journalist before posing my questions.
The South African went on: "Malaysia has got it right on gun control. You don't simply issue gun licences to people. Don't tell me guns don't kill people and it is people who kill people…"
That was more than six year ago. We will soon manufacture... (GunPolicy.org)
More Than 800 Firearms Surrendered in UK Gun Amnesty
22 April 2016
BBC News
More than 800 firearms were handed in during a two-week guns amnesty launched after a spate of shootings in Salford.
Police urged people to "give up the gun" during the firearms and ammunition surrender across Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire, Cumbria, Lancashire and North Wales.
Rifles, handguns, air weapons and a number of imitation and antique firearms were collected.
Unusual items included a replica AK-47 and a Smith & Wesson pistol.
There has been a... (GunPolicy.org)
UK War Veteran Jailed for Illegal Possession of Guns
19 April 2016
Daily Caller (USA)
Next time someone tells you how "great" the gun control laws are in the United Kingdom and that "we should look at them," you might want to bring up Albert Patterson. Albert Patterson spent 22 years wearing the uniform of a British soldier. This included service with the Parachute Regiment and with the elite Special Air Service Regiment.
The 67-year-old veteran fought in the 1982 Falklands War, and a Browning High Power pistol surrendered to him by an Argentine officer... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Maker Criticised for Real Pistol Imitating a Toy
11 April 2016
San Francisco Chronicle
Old-school gamers once threw fits whenever the dog in the classic Nintendo game "Duck Hunt" laughed at them for missing the titular ducks.
Now, players can have their revenge.
Actually, not really.
But, someone at Odessa-based gun manufacturer Precision Syndicate seemingly gets that frustration, modifying a Glock to look like an old Nintendo gun controller.
"We were waiting for someone to let us do this," the company wrote in a Facebook post last week. "We weren't... (GunPolicy.org)
Punjabi Buyers Queue for New Lightweight "Ladies' Revolver"
8 April 2016
Times of India
KANPUR -- Eager buyers from Punjab are queueing up to buy 'Nirbheek', the light-weight revolver made by Kanpur's Field Gun Factory exclusively for women. Sales figures reveal that of the total number of applications received for the gun, almost three-fourth were from Punjab.
"Nirbheek, meaning 'fearless' in Hindi, is fast becoming popular among Punjab folks. About 70-75% guns are being sold to arms dealers from Punjab. However, Delhi women top the chart in purchase of... (GunPolicy.org)
Asia,United States,Africa,Libya,Yemen,Iraq,Syria
Middle East: Militias Use Facebook Groups to Sell Weapons
6 April 2016
New York Times
A terrorist hoping to buy an antiaircraft weapon in recent years needed to look no further than Facebook, which has been hosting sprawling online arms bazaars, offering weapons ranging from handguns and grenades to heavy machine guns and guided missiles.
The Facebook posts suggest evidence of large-scale efforts to sell military weapons coveted by terrorists and militants. The weapons include many distributed by the United States to security forces and their proxies in... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Micronesia (FSM),Oceania
US Rules Pacific Island Gun Ban Violates 2nd Amendment
30 March 2016
Guardian, Agence France Presse
America's heated gun debate has reached a remote Pacific territory, with a court overturning a ban on handguns in the Northern Marianas after ruling it breached the US constitution's second amendment.
In a ruling greeted with dismay by the island territory's leaders, the US district court found the right to bear arms enshrined in the second amendment also applied to the commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).
"The second amendment … [is] the law of the... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Micronesia (FSM),Oceania
Pacific Islands Rush to Replace Gun Laws Trashed by US
30 March 2016
BBC News
Lawmakers in the US commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are moving to enact "sweeping" gun control legislation, days after a court struck down its ban on handgun possession.
For decades the Pacific islands' laws have prevented handgun ownership and imposed strict regulations on other firearms. But on Monday, a US district court with jurisdiction over the territory ruled that the prohibition violates the US constitution's second amendment, which guarantees the... (GunPolicy.org)
Guns in New Zealand '95% Untraceable' by Police, Says Expert
29 March 2016
New Zealand Herald
Parliament woke with a start when a police bust in Takanini recently netted a handgun and 14 high-powered military style rifles. This firepower is about double what terrorists used in the attack in Paris at the end of 2015 in which 130 people were killed.
The Takanini bust followed police reports that pistols and military-style semi-automatics now make up 14 per cent of the illegal firearms they retrieve. Parliament is also nervous about the recent spate of gun-related... (GunPolicy.org)
Florida Officials Want to Charge Mother Shot by Her Toddler
25 March 2016
San Francisco Chronicle, Associated Press
PALATKA, Florida -- The mother of a 4-year-old boy who shot her as they were riding in a pickup truck should face a misdemeanour charge, authorities said Tuesday as they released details of the shooting for the first time.
The mother, 31-year-old Jamie Gilt, put a loaded .45-caliber handgun underneath the front seat of her pickup on March 8 and the weapon slid into the back seat where her son Lane was riding in a child booster seat, Putnam County Sheriff's Capt. Gator... (GunPolicy.org)
Off Duty Police May Soon Carry Hidden Handguns in Austria
23 March 2016
Local (Austria), Central European News
Austrian Interior Ministry officials are considering a plan to allow all police officers to carry handguns when off duty.
The announcement follows the news that gun sales in Austria have been booming, particularly of shotguns which can be sold without a licence. Breakdown of statistics revealed that most of the new buyers of guns were either women or police officers.
The revelation that men and women who are on the frontline fighting crime are buying guns is regarded... (GunPolicy.org)
The Myth of America's Rise in Female Gun Ownership
23 March 2016
Trace (USA)
A reporter in Morgan County, Missouri, recently caught wind of a trend that is purportedly gaining ground around the country. "More and more women" are buying firearms and practicing shooting, the Lake News reported on Monday.
The article echoed a story broadcast on CBS News earlier this month that reached the same conclusion. The report, featured on "CBS Sunday Morning," featured an interview with a woman who loves her pink pistol ("It is pink, I'm a girl!"), a gun... (GunPolicy.org)
Where, How US Criminals Get Their Guns
20 March 2016
Albuquerque Journal
When a computer check on the loaded 9mm Ruger pistol found near the body of 23-year-old Edgar Camacho-Alvarado after he was shot and killed by a deputy U.S. marshal came back showing it was stolen from a car almost a year ago, police were not surprised.
Nor were they shocked when a computer check on the handgun found near the body of 19-year-old Jose Rodriguez, who was shot by Albuquerque police officers in December, showed it was stolen from a car parked in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Purse Gun for Women Named for Famous India Rape Victim
19 March 2016
Times of India
KANPUR - The light-weight handgun made exclusively for women after the Delhi gang rape incident, Nirbheek, may soon be available in multiple colours.
"Market feedback has shown that women want Nirbheek in multiple colours. Though we are ready for the switch over, a final decision is yet to be taken," said Sanjeev Kumar, additional general manager of the Field Gun Factory, on the occasion of Ordnance Factory Day here on Friday. The Field Gun Factory is producing the... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Mexico,Honduras,Finland,Philippines,Thailand,United Kingdom
US Gun Smugglers Illegally Sent Firearms to 46 Countries
16 March 2016
Washington Post
Arms trafficking from within the United States, long thought to be relegated to gun-running for Mexican drug cartels, is far more extensive than previously thought, according to a new report by a weapons research group released Wednesday.
The report, published by the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey, examines more than 150 court cases involving arms trafficking from within the United States from 2010-2015. Spanning 46 countries and six continents, the report details... (GunPolicy.org)
'Uber Made Me Do It' Says Kalamazoo Mass Killer Cabbie
15 March 2016
Detroit Free Press
A Kalamazoo Uber driver accused of killing six people and wounding two others last month told police that the ride-sharing app took over his "mind and body" and made him carry out the rampage.
In a series of interviews with police in the hours after the Feb. 20 shootings, Jason Dalton, 45, blamed the killings on the Uber app, saying his iPhone directed him where to go and when to shoot people. Dalton said he would have gotten in a shootout with police when he was... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,United Kingdom,Japan,Australia
So, America, This Is How Other Countries Do Gun Control
14 March 2016
Guardian
Thirty people will be shot dead in America today. On average. It could be more. If it's less, then more will die tomorrow. Or the next day.
The United States's gun homicide rate is 25 times higher than other high-income countries, according to a recent study.
Americans are divided on whether the country's gun deaths could be reduced through tougher laws on gun ownership. Liberals argue that legal restrictions on gun ownership could save lives. Conservatives say that... (GunPolicy.org)
Macabre Truth: US Toddlers Shoot, Kill More than Terrorists Do
13 March 2016
Guardian, Opinion
This week, in my country, considered by some of its more embarrassing denizens to be the "greatest country in the world", an outspoken Florida "gun rights" advocate left a loaded .45 calibre handgun in the back seat of her car and was promptly shot and wounded by her four-year-old child. Truly a pinnacle of human potential, much like the invention of paper in second-century BC China, or Aristotle holding forth in the Lyceum, or whoever first pointed out that Florida... (GunPolicy.org)
Guns on Facebook a Problem Even Facebook Can't Solve
10 March 2016
Forbes (USA)
An AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. Ammunition for your concealed carry handgun. Your grandfather's hunting shotgun.
Virtually any gun, gun part or accessory you can think of is being sold or traded on Facebook today, in flagrant violation of the site's new policies.
In January, Facebook announced it was banning the private sale of guns and ammunition on its site and on Instagram, which it owns. The move was applauded by gun violence prevention groups that advocate for... (GunPolicy.org)
US Pro-gun Lobbyist Shot in the Back by Her 4-year-old Son
9 March 2016
Washington Post
Hours after gun-rights advocate Jamie Gilt bragged on Facebook that her 4-year-old son "gets jacked up to target shoot," the same child accidentally turned his mother into a target, shooting her in the back.
The 31-year-old Jacksonville woman was driving down a road in Putnam County, Fla., on Tuesday when her son managed to get hold of a gun while he was sitting in the back seat of the vehicle, according to a statement released by the Putnam County Sheriff's... (GunPolicy.org)
Pro-gun Florida Mom Shot by Her 4yr-old Son While Driving
9 March 2016
Daily Mail (UK)
Pro-gun Florida mom is accidentally shot by her four-year-old son while driving after the boy found her pistol in back seat - just a day after she bragged about his shooting skills
- Jamie Gilt, 31, was driving with her son, 4, through Putnam County, Florida
- The child picked up a loaded .45 handgun from the back seat and fired
- Gilt was shot and wounded after the round passed through the truck's seat
- She told deputies that she had been shot in the back by her... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Rights Advocate Accidentally Shot in the Back by Her 4-year-old Son
9 March 2016
Mashable, Associated Press
A north Florida woman is in the hospital after her 4-year-old son shot her in the back while sitting in the backseat of her pickup truck.
31-year-old Jamie Gilt is a self-described advocate for "gun sense" who posts enthusiastically on social media sites about firearms and protecting her right to bear arms. She appears to be the same Jamie Gilt who was hospitalized yesterday.
A Putnam County Sheriff's Office news release says a deputy saw Gilt behaving frantically... (GunPolicy.org)
Despite Firearms Act, Mauritius Has Free Flow of Guns [FR]
27 February 2016
Defimedia (Mauritius)
[Translated summary: In Mauritius, possession and use of firearms are regulated by the Firearms Act. Every year, the owners must renew their licences. Police accurately control a firearm's characteristics and the amount of ammunition the owner can have. Anyone who infringes the Firearms Act can be fined and face prison time.]
Des coups de feu à Goodlands après qu'un véhicule ait percuté un chien. En décembre, deux personnes ont été atteints par balles à... (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)
Tennessee's New Official State Rifle Can Destroy Aircraft
26 February 2016
Washington Post
The Barrett .50 caliber rifle is a powerful gun. Widely used in the military, its rounds can "penetrate light armor, down helicopters, destroy commercial aircraft, and blast through rail cars," according to a report from the Violence Policy Center, a gun safety group. The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence describes .50 caliber rifles like the Barrett as "among the most destructive weapons legally available to civilians in the United States."
And as of Wednesday, the... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico's Gun Dealers Are Unfazed by Obama
26 February 2016
Global Post (Boston)
MEXICO CITY — Javier scoots onto a plastic stool in a courtyard. He reaches beneath his shirt and pulls out a shiny Smith & Wesson semi-automatic pistol. He deftly spins it through his hands, ejects the magazine, and holds it out for inspection.
"This one's new, straight from its packaging," he says.
It will cost 15,000 pesos with a box of ammo, around $810.
Javier, who only gave his first name, operates this illicit little gun mart in Tepito market, a famed... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Charged in Michigan Attacks Had No Barriers to Guns
23 February 2016
Associated Press
PLAINWELL, Michigan — A man accused of randomly killing six people in Michigan had a personal cache of weapons that included handguns and long guns, but there was nothing in his past that prevented him from owning as many guns as he could afford.
Authorities seized the gun collection after the weekend attacks around the Kalamazoo area. With no criminal history or record of mental illness, Michigan residents who follow requirements can legally acquire any number of... (GunPolicy.org)
Swiss Soldiers Forget Assault Rifles, Leave Them on Trains
1 February 2016
Local (Switzerland)
Safety concerns have been raised after a report revealed that Swiss soldiers left behind 18 firearms on trains in the first nine months of 2015.
The soldiers of Switzerland's conscript army apparently forgot them in different carriages of Swiss Federal Railway (SBB) trains, according to an article in ASMZ, a review for Swiss army officers.
The finding was acknowledged by Christophe Schalbetter, interim commander of the military police in his annual report.
Soldiers... (GunPolicy.org)
Ted Cruz Australia Gun Law, Violence Claims Rubbished
25 January 2016
Washington Post
"And as you know, Hugh, after Australia did that [gun buyback program], the rate of sexual assaults, the rate of rapes, went up significantly, because women were unable to defend themselves." - Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), interview on "Hugh Hewitt Show," Jan. 12, 2016
We've heard politicians make all sorts of conclusions about the 1996 gun buyback program in Australia: that it worked, that it didn't work, that it brought crime rates down, that it made no difference on... (GunPolicy.org)
10 Americans Who Shaped the Gun Debate This Year
28 December 2015
Trace (USA)
Deborah Azrael, gun-violence researcher
Despite some 300 million guns in circulation in America, research on guns and gun violence remains seriously underfunded. Among the handful of public health experts helping to expand the available pool of data is Dr. Deborah Azrael of Harvard's Injury Control Research Center. Azrael co-authored a seminal study in 2015 that found firearm suicide rates are higher in states with higher rates of gun ownership, underscoring the... (GunPolicy.org)