Gun Policy News
Fully automatic firearms in the news
Bolsonaro's Gun Laws Arm Brazil's Brazen Bank Thieves
22 September 2022
Reuters
In August last year, Brazilian farmer Reinaldo Huijsmans reported a break-in at his house in the town of Maracaju, where thieves stole six legally registered weapons, including a T4 Taurus assault rifle.
Huijsmans, 39, is one of hundreds of thousands of Brazilians now registered to own guns, a group whose ranks have surged six-fold since far-right President Jair Bolsonaro was elected in 2018 and began loosening gun laws.
Two months later, Huijsmans' T4 turned up 1,300... (GunPolicy.org)
3D-printed Guns Becoming More Accessible
31 July 2021
Al Jazeera
There are mounting concerns over the proliferation of 3D-printed weapons amid growing arrests across Europe of people downloading and or trying to build their own guns.
"All you need is a weekend's worth of time and $50 for the materials".
That was the advice of Stephan Balliet, a German Neo-Nazi who has been sentenced to life in prison for killing two people after attempting to attack a synagogue in the city of Halle on October 9, 2019.
Balliet, 27, was referring to... (GunPolicy.org)
Azerbaijan Launches Production of Assault Machine Gun.
7 November 2018
Azer News (Azerbaijan)
Azerbaijan began the serial production of the HP-7.62 type assault machine gun with a caliber of 7.62 x 54 mm, created at the enterprise of the Ministry of Defense Industry. The assault machine gun, which was introduced in September 2018, during the third international defense exhibition ADEX-2018 in Azerbaijan, was developed by local experts and was successfully tested, the defense ministry told Trend. The HP-7.62 type assault machine gun is designed to destroy the... (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)
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)
Balkan Gun Trafficking Fears Grow Amid Major Security Alerts
20 November 2016
Irish Times (Dublin)
Serbia is urgently checking state arms depots after scores of guns were found to be missing from a military warehouse, fuelling concern over Balkan weapons smuggling amid a series of major security scares around the region.
Serbia's defence ministry said military intelligence, military police and other agencies were investigating the disappearance of weaponry including 70 semi-automatic pistols, five automatic rifles and two cases of ammunition.
Last week Serbia... (GunPolicy.org)
Record Seizure in Serbia, Source of Illegal Guns to Europe [FR]
16 November 2016
Le Parisien (France)
[Translated summary: Serbian police seized a record quantity of firearms, ammunition and explosives. Among the firearms were automatic and semi-automatic rifles, a machine gun, pistols and carbines. The Interior Minister expressed his concern at illegal firearms entering European capitals. Firearms from the Balkans are often found in the hands of Jihadist terrorists.]
C'est la plus importante saisie d'armes depuis le début du XXIe siècle en Serbie. La police locale a... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Dominican Republic
Many More American Guns Seized in Dominican Republic [ES]
4 November 2016
Acento (Dominican Republic)
[Translated summary: 115 firearms, 57,000 rounds of ammunition and military equipment of American origin were seized in the Dominican Republic in the last two months. Among the firearms were pistols, rifles, pellet guns, shotguns, revolvers and one automatic machine gun.]
SANTO DOMINGO -- Los esfuerzos de las autoridades de Estados Unidos por frenar el tráfico ilegal de armas de fuego y municiones desde su territorio hacia la República Dominicana hasta el momento han... (GunPolicy.org)
2,075 Firearms Seized by Police in El Salvador This Year [ES]
4 October 2016
El Mundo (El Salvador)
[Translated Summary: El Salvador Police have seized 2,705 firearms in 2016. In this cache, there were 318 rifles (AK-47 and G3), 279 shotguns, 1,872 handguns and one M 60 machine gun. 474 of them were seized from gangs during police operations. There has been an increase of 77% in the seizure of firearms in relation to last year.]
La Policía Nacional Civil (PNC) ha incautado 2,705 armas de fuego en el 2016, de las cuales 318 son fusiles AK 47, M16, G-3 y de otros... (GunPolicy.org)
Ukraine,Russia,Iraq,Syria,Libya
Ukraine Once Again a Trove for Black Market Gun Trafficking
25 July 2016
New York Times, Reuters
SLOVIANSK/MOSCOW — On Feb. 12 last year, the same day that a ceasefire ended the worst of the fighting in eastern Ukraine between rebels and government forces, a former rebel fighter seized a chance to turn his inside knowledge of the conflict into hard cash.
He traveled to a spot on the Russian-Ukrainian border where he retrieved a cache of weapons hidden there earlier by his comrades in the pro-Russian rebel movement.
Four days later, shortly before 6:00 p.m., he... (GunPolicy.org)
1934 US Firearm Law Shows How Well Gun Control Can Work
31 May 2016
New York Times, Opinion
For more than 80 years, the United States has enforced a tough and effective gun control law that most Americans have never heard of. It's a 1934 measure called the National Firearms Act, and it stands as a stark rebuke to the most sacred precepts of the gun lobby and provides a model we should build on.
Leaders of the National Rifle Association rarely talk about the firearms act, and that's probably because it imposes precisely the kinds of practical — and... (GunPolicy.org)
Buried Machine Gun Arsenal Seized from House In France [FR]
20 May 2016
MCETV
[Translated summary: Customs have seized assault weapons, machine guns, rifles, two bazookas, one rocket launcher and forty handguns from a house in the Picardy region. These were stored close to ammunition, shells, grenades and detonators. Two men were arrested.]
La douane a mis la main sur une quantité incroyable d'armes à feu dans une maison picarde… Une découverte qui fait froid dans le dos.
Ce sont des armes de guerre qui feraient frissonner n'importe quel... (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)
UK War Veteran Jailed Over Huge Stash of Illegal Weapons
30 April 2016
Daily Mail (UK)
A pensioner has been jailed for possessing a 'terrifying arsenal' of illegal weapons at his home in Greater Manchester - including guns, shells and a missile.
RAF veteran Harry Jones was secretary of the Tameside Gun Club for nearly 40 years and was a trusted authority on weaponry.
But his obsession with firearms led to him amassing the huge stash of weapons, including nine handguns and an Al Capone-style Tommy gun kept in a violin case - all in full working... (GunPolicy.org)
UK Teen Jailed After Ordering Assault Weapon Online, Delivered to Home
14 March 2014
Telegraph (UK)
A teenager who bought a machine gun online and had it delivered to his family home, along with hundreds of rounds of ammunition and nunchucks, has been jailed for six years.
Reza Khalilzada, 18, was caught hiding an assault rifle under his bed which he had ordered from a US website.
Police were alerted after suspicious customs officials in the US examined a heavy box destined for Khalilzada's address in Pinner, Middlesex, in August last year.
Instead of the ceramic... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Club Owner Found with Machine Gun, 13,000 Rounds of Ammo in Ireland
1 March 2014
Irish Examiner (Dublin)
Gardaí found more than 13,000 rounds of ammunition and a rifle that had been modified to fire like a machine gun, when they searched a man's home in Co Limerick, a court heard yesterday.
A vast array of ammunition and guns, as well as an army helmet, gunpowder, night vision scopes, crossbows and arrow heads were discovered in the home of gun club operator David O'Dea, aged 48, on June 20, 2011, Kilmallock District Court was told.
Gardaí said they also discovered a... (GunPolicy.org)
Paraguay Gun Seizure Linked to Brazilian Crime Gangs
10 February 2014
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Police in Paraguay have arrested three Brazilians after finding a cache of high-powered firearms, including a heavy machine gun, in a case highlighting both the migration of Brazil's criminals into Paraguay and the escalating conflict in that important trafficking corridor.
In a house in Ciudad del Este - located in the country's Triple Frontier region with Brazil and Argentina - Paraguayan police found the Brazilians, one of them an escaped convict, along with 8... (GunPolicy.org)
'Alarming' Cache of Illegal Assault Weapons Found in Australia
28 November 2013
Sky News (Australia)
A Queensland father and his two sons have been charged over an enormous cache of 328 illegal weapons and 4.2 tonnes of ammunition.
It's believed to be the largest haul of illegal weapons ever uncovered in the state.
Police raided their 800-hectare property at Moonford, near Monto, inland from Bundaberg, on Monday.
They found the enormous stockpile including automatic and semi-automatic firearms, many of which had been modified.
An MP5 navy sub machine gun used in... (GunPolicy.org)
German Police Find 200 Guns, Grenades in Pensioner's Home
12 November 2013
Local (Germany)
German arms experts unveiled one of the biggest private weapons hauls ever found on Monday. Examining the 200 firearms, which were found in a pensioners home and included grenades, a bazooka and machine gun, took hours.
Spread over four huge tables at the Hannover State Office of Criminal Investigations were 142 pistols, 29 automatic pistols, 28 revolvers, 11 hand grenades, two machine guns, two land mines, an Uzi, a Skorpion submachine gun, a Kalashnikov, a bazooka... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed Canadian Gun Owner Caught Selling Assault Weapons to Gangs
10 September 2013
Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Times (Canda)
It's a major cache of weapons that police believe was destined to fall into the hands of criminals in the Lower Mainland and beyond.
On Tuesday, Mounties showed off the major haul of guns and ammunition seized by Coquitlam RCMP's street enforcement team during a raid back in June.
And as a result, Marc Wisdom, 41, of Maple Ridge is facing 50 criminal charges including 26 counts related to firearms and ammunition, 20 counts for possession of prohibited devices, and... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Seize 183 Guns from Licensed Canadian Owner 'Supplying Gangs'
30 August 2013
Vancouver Sun (British Columbia)
Police have seized a 183-gun arsenal in a remote area of the B.C. Interior and arrested a man who investigators allege was purchasing assault rifles and other weapons legally and then selling them to the highest bidder, possibly to gang members and other criminals.
The province's Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit - an RCMP-led team that targets organized crime - announced the seizure.
Thursday, almost a week after raiding the home of a 63-year-old man in Tatla... (GunPolicy.org)
New York's 254-Gun Bust: All Smuggled from Lax Gun Law States
19 August 2013
BBC News
New York City police have arrested 19 people in what authorities are calling the city's largest-ever guns bust.
Police recovered 254 firearms, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.
The guns were brought to the city from the US states of North and South Carolina by traffickers travelling on buses, authorities said.
Mr Bloomberg is one of the most prominent proponents of strict gun control in the US, criticising the easy availability of firearms.
"Year after year guns flow... (GunPolicy.org)
'Pillar Of The Community' Lived Double Life as UK Gangland Gun Dealer
6 August 2013
Daily Mail (UK)
A Tory candidate has been jailed for 16 years for selling submachine guns he smuggled from Serbia to drugs gangs in Britain.
Marcus Simpson, who narrowly missed out on being elected to his local council, offered gangsters a 'menu' of weapons that included a Scorpion submachine gun, a laser-sighted assault rifle and Walther PPKs, plus silencers and ammunition.
Simpson, 42, was a Conservative candidate for Corby, Northamptonshire, in the 2011 local elections. He lost by... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Govt Budgets to Seize Rifles Easily Converted to Automatic
1 May 2013
Global News (Canada)
Six years after approving German-made rifles that can be converted to machine guns "in minutes" – guns that by law should have been prohibited to begin with – the federal government will spend up to $260,000 buying them from their owners.
In February 2007, the RCMP classified the SSD BD38, a semi-automatic replica of a German Second World War-era sub-machine gun, as a 'restricted' firearm, meaning that it had the same legal status as a handgun. That classification... (GunPolicy.org)
Switzerland,United States,France,Yemen
Three Dead, Two Injured in Swiss Shooting
8 February 2013
Washington Post
DAILLON, Switzerland — On Jan. 3, the day Sandy Hook Elementary students returned to school in Newtown, Conn., Florian Berthouzoz leaned out his window and opened fire on this tranquil Swiss village with an old military carbine and a 12-gauge shotgun.
By the time he finished shooting, three women were killed, apparently at random, and two men were wounded. Berthouzoz was brought down by a police officer's bullet in the chest.
The shooting in Daillon, on a steep... (GunPolicy.org)
Israel,India,Czech Republic,Switzerland,United States,Italy
Indian Factory to Make 1 Million Rifles for Army Upgrade
16 December 2012
Sunday Standard / New Indian Express (Chennai)
NEW DELHI - The Indian Army has half a million rifles and carbines it doesn't want, and now plans to junk them all over the next five years. The dark lining is that these infantry weapons were developed and manufactured in India to equip four lakh soldiers at an expenditure of Rs 25,000 crore over two decades. So far, so bad. Now add another Rs 50,000 crore that will have to be spent over the next decade to re-equip our soldiers with the four kinds of weapons that are... (GunPolicy.org)
Malaysia Cop Acquitted of Fatal Youth Car-Chase Shooting in Appeal
5 December 2012
New Strait Times (Malaysia)
SHAH ALAM - Police corporal Jenain Subi was acting within the scope of his duties when he opened fire at the Proton Iswara driven by teenager Aminulrasyid Amzah two years ago.
The High Court found that Jenain had only answered was only doing his duty when he tried to stop a speeding vehicle.
Judge Datuk Abdul Rahman Sebli said this yesterday before acquitting Jenain after allowing his appeal against his conviction and sentence of five years' jail for causing the... (GunPolicy.org)
SE Asian Soldiers Rent Army Machine Guns as Tourist Lure, Cash Cow
27 November 2012
New York Times
PHNOM PENH — Just after a Honda pickup truck screeched to a halt beyond the decommissioned Soviet-era Antonov aircraft, four resolute-looking Chinese men with a military escort climbed out, slammed the doors shut and neatly arranged a series of firearms they had been carrying on a nearby table.
Once the pistols' magazines were loaded with shiny golden bullets, they began emptying round after round into paper targets at a distance of 25 meters, or 82 feet.
Nearby,... (GunPolicy.org)
UK Police Recover 'Mini-Uzi' in Pursuit of Suspected Thieves
25 October 2012
BBC News
A mini-Uzi machine gun has been recovered in Greater Manchester by police in an "unusual" discovery that will have "saved people's lives".
The gun was found with live ammunition by officers investigating an attempted robbery in Broughton Park, Salford.
An incident was reported on Coke Street West, at about 22:50 BST on Wednesday.
As police arrived, two men fled and one dropped a bag containing the gun in an alleyway leading to Seymour Road, after officers gave chase... (GunPolicy.org)
Nigeria Authorities Seize Assault Weapons, Over 1,000 Bullets from Sect
13 September 2012
This Day (Lagos)
Operatives of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in Borno State Wednesday arrested 11 suspected members of the Boko Haram sect in an overnight raid.
The suspects were arrested in the Waka-Biu region of the state.
Recovered from them were automatic weapons, ammunition and several homemade bombs.
Confirming the arrest, the spokesman of the JTF, Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, listed the dangerous weapons recovered from the sect to include a sub-machine gun, seven AK-47s, 1,568... (GunPolicy.org)
51 Guns Lost or Stolen from South Africa's Defence Force in Last 3 Years
5 September 2012
Defence Web (South Africa)
The South African National Defence Force has lost or had stolen 51 firearms since 2009, including 38 assault rifles, according to the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans.
Defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula stated that 51 firearms, including a machine gun and a grenade launcher, have been lost by or stolen from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) since 2009. This emerged in response to a parliamentary question posed by Pieter Groenewald of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Loaded Sub-Machine Gun Seized in $2.5m Australia Drug, Weapons Bust
4 September 2012
Adelaide Now
Police have uncovered a fully-loaded Uzi sub-machine gun in Adelaide as part of a major ice ring bust, in which more than $2.5 million in drugs and weapons were seized. …
It is the biggest drug bust this year.
The rare gun - which was found alongside other purpose-made weapons such as handguns and a sawn-off shotgun - is unusual in South Australia and police are concerned about its origins.
Two men and a woman have been arrested after six house raids - on August... (GunPolicy.org)
US Courts Decide Against the 'Right' to Have a Machine Gun
9 August 2012
Wall Street Journal, Blog
Since the Supreme Court recognized an individual's right to keep and bear arms in 2008 — but declined to say which types of arms — several lower courts have had their say on whether Americans can own machine guns.
The U.S. courts of appeals for the Third, Sixth and Eighth circuits have all said, in so many words, no right exists to have a machine gun. You can add the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to the list.
In affirming the conviction of Alaskan... (GunPolicy.org)
Tampering With Guns Results in Hundreds of Casualties in Yemen
2 August 2012
Yemen Observer
Abdulkhaleq, 8-year-old child, was killed last Wednesday when he was tampering with Russian-made pistol in his district of al-Qaflah, Amran governorate. According to the police, the bullet lodged in his head and died on the spot.
In another accident, an 8-year-old child killed his father during his tampering with a machine gun in his home in Sabwah governorate.
According to the Ministry of Interior, the bullet launched from his fathers' gun that the child was playing... (GunPolicy.org)
US Killer Bought Assault Rifle, Pistols, Shotgun, 6000 Bullets Quite Legally
21 July 2012
CNN
Authorities in the Colorado movie theater massacre found an AR-15 rifle drum magazine Friday capable of carrying 100 rounds, and the police chief said thousands of rounds of ammunition for various weapons had been bought online in the weeks prior to the shooting.
Police took suspect James Holmes, 24, into custody Friday after they say he set off two devices and sprayed the theater with bullets from an AR-15, a 12-gauge shotgun and at least one of two .40-caliber... (GunPolicy.org)
Eastern Europe,United Kingdom,Germany
UK Gangs Use Fake Guns, Real Ammo, Police Blame Smuggling
17 July 2012
Manchester Evening News (UK)
A tide of converted replica firearms began flooding the underworld in the first decade of the 21th century.
In the late nineties and early noughties, the weapon of choice had been the machine gun, as automatic weapons, many of them from former Eastern Bloc countries, were smuggled to the port of Liverpool before washing up in Manchester's gangland.
The MAC-10 was a particularly deadly weapon favoured by the gangs of Longsight and Moss Side.
One Manchester gang... (GunPolicy.org)
Misclassified Handguns to Be Deleted with Canadian Long Gun Registry
19 June 2012
Global News (Canada)
A Global News investigation has found dozens more misclassified firearms which might be deleted with the long gun registry.
Yesterday, Global News reported finding 361 handguns and three automatic weapons classified as if they were mainstream rifles or shotguns, which, all other things being equal, means that their data will be deleted.
Since that story appeared, we have found more than 120 weapons in the firearms registry which aren't classified at all. They include... (GunPolicy.org)
Las Vegas Tourist Machine Gun Range Features Gun-toting Hostesses
5 March 2012
New York Times
LAS VEGAS — For Vegas die-hards bored with the $750 tasting menu at Guy Savoy, the $250 Elton John tickets at Caesars or the $200,000 baccarat bet at the Bellagio, this city is serving up a new way to find high-priced thrills.
Machine Guns Vegas — an upscale indoor shooting range complete with skimpily dressed gun-toting hostesses — opened last week a half-mile from the Strip with an armory of weapons and a promise to fulfill the desires of anyone wanting to... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Dealer Trapped After UK Police Set Up Fake Shop in Manchester
4 October 2011
Manchester Evening News (UK)
A gun dealer was trapped after police set up a fake shop selling combat clothing.
Undercover cops posed as shop workers who were looking for lethal weapons in the elaborate sting.
The store was set up after police became concerned at the number of firearms on the streets of Manchester.
After weeks at the store on Princess Road, Moss Side, a gang member customer introduced the plain clothes officers to Marc Billingham, who supplied them with two working guns, an air... (GunPolicy.org)
NZ Police Worker Hid Machine Gun, Other Guns, Lied to Cops, No Conviction
30 July 2011
Dominion Post (Wellington)
Military memorabilia enthusiast Patrick Phipps says he is giving up gun collecting after a judge discharged him without conviction for having two semi and fully automatic rifles hidden in plastic mannequins.
In the Wellington District Court yesterday Phipps was ordered to donate $3000 to the Starship Foundation, which Phipps said he was happy to do before leaving court.
"I would support that charity anyway, and I am happy to do it," he said after the hearing.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
Norway Shooter's Ruger Mini-14: Very Popular, 'Poor Man's Assault Rifle'
27 July 2011
Huffington Post (USA), Blog
The attack in Norway by Anders Behring Breivik, apparently involving a Ruger Mini-14 assault rifle, is only the most horrific of the mass shootings involving the company's products.
Founded in 1949, the "corporate motto" of Sturm, Ruger & Co. is "Arms Makers for Responsible Citizens." But Sturm, Ruger firearms are also often found in the hands of mass shooters: last year's attack at a Connecticut beer distributor, leaving eight victims dead and two wounded; the 1999... (GunPolicy.org)
Paranoid Survivalist and Former Militia Leader Sought in Montana Manhunt
14 June 2011
San Francisco Chronicle / AP
LOLO, Montana - A practiced survivalist and former militia leader whose mother said he slipped into paranoia after repeated run-ins with Montana law enforcement eluded authorities searching for him Tuesday in a remote mountain range near the Idaho border.
As the hunt for 47-year-old ex-convict David Burgert carried into its third day, court documents and interviews with law enforcement officials painted a picture of a well-armed "bully" who became convinced a decade... (GunPolicy.org)
Utah Booming Gun Markets Offer Hundreds of Rapid-Firing Military Guns
26 May 2011
Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
Hundreds of the weapons advertised on KSL.com classifieds are rapid-firing military weapons with pedigrees from around the world.
The proliferation of these weapons, based on military designs, including the ubiquitous AK-47 by Mikhail Kalashnikov, have become wildly popular among shooting enthusiasts. And that popularity is a grave concern to gun-control activists.
"I don't know how anyone can justify having one of those weapons," says Steven Gunn, a spokesman for the... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Owners Set Up Trusts to Avoid US Machine Gun Background Checks
25 May 2011
CNN
PRESTONBURG, Kentucky -- For Benjamin Ferguson, the Dewey Lake Fish and Gun Club brings back memories. As a child, Ferguson came to the modest gun range in rural Floyd County, Kentucky, to learn gun safety so he could go deer hunting with his family.
Now, the Army veteran and drug counselor has children of his own, six in total. He passes along knowledge about gun operation and safety and encourages his children to explore the guns -- safely, of course.
"It's... (GunPolicy.org)
Government Forces Raided an Illegal Gun-Making Facility in Philippines
22 May 2011
Philippine Daily Inquirer
GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines — Police and military forces raided here, on Saturday, a gun-making facility found illegally manufacturing, repairing or tampering with high-powered firearms.
Government forces seized several guns and paraphernalia and equipment for the repair and manufacture of, and tampering with high-powered firearms.
Recovered from the raid on the house of Gualberto Gonzaga in Doña Soledad Subdivision in Labangal village here, were barrels and... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexican Police Seize Arsenal of Heavy Weapons from Private Home
1 May 2011
Associated Press
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico — Mexican federal police said Saturday they discovered a basement arsenal hidden behind the mirrors of a home gym that included three anti-aircraft guns, dozens of grenades, a grenade launcher, AK-47s and other high-powered weapons.
The neatly ordered stockpile found in an upscale neighborhood in Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas, also contained several makes of machine guns, rifles, a shotgun and more than 26,000 ammunition... (GunPolicy.org)
Gang Gun Used to Shoot Innocent UK Girl Had Been in 6 Other Shootings
12 April 2011
BBC News
Two men have been been jailed for life for shooting dead a 16-year-old as she waited for pizza in an east London takeaway. What the jury did not know was the gun that killed her had been used in six other shootings.
On a Wednesday evening in April last year, Agnes Sina-Inakoju met two friends at a chicken and pizza shop in Hoxton, east London.
Agnes, who was described by her family as "charismatic, ambitious, loving and caring", had been doing well at school and had... (GunPolicy.org)
Dutch Mass Shooter Faced Gun Charge as Teen, Legally Owned 5 Guns
11 April 2011
Irish Times (Dublin)
As the death toll from Saturday's shooting by a 24-year-old gunman in a Dutch shopping mall reached seven last night, a heated national debate was under way about how he had come to have legal permits for five weapons.
"This will definitely be part of our investigation," said local prosecutor Kitty Nooy, as it emerged the gunman had had a number of previous run-ins with the police, including a weapons possession charge in 2003 when he was just 17. That charge was... (GunPolicy.org)
Deadly Arsenal of Self Confessed British 'Gun Fanatic' Jailed for 16 Years
8 April 2011
Daily Mail (UK)
It is a fearsome array of weapons including a Kalashnikov, Uzi sub-machine gun, shotguns and pistols.
But this astonishing arsenal was not seized from a gang of organised criminals, but the private collection of a fruit and veg trader.
David Evans had claimed he only bought replica weapons to use for 'war games' in his loft, where he kitted out mannequins with imitation guns to recreate scenes from war movies such as Saving Private Ryan.
But yesterday the... (GunPolicy.org)
Surge of Firearm Violence Puts Oregon City, State Gun Laws in Crosshairs
31 March 2011
Portland Tribune (Oregon)
The day after four people were wounded in a suspected Northeast Portland gang-related shooting, gun-control advocates rallied at City Hall.
Speakers at the March 21 event included Mayor Sam Adams, religious leaders and relatives of people killed by guns. They spoke passionately about the emotional and societal toll of shootings, including suicides.
"It is too easy for people to get guns. We're not safe as citizens," said Teressa Railford, whose nephew, Andre Payton,... (GunPolicy.org)
World War II Machine Gun Found in Lithuanian Mail, Bound for Germany
22 March 2011
Associated Press
VILNIUS, Lithuania — Lithuanian customs and postal officials say they have found a fully functional machine gun dating from World War II, complete with ammunition, in a package at Vilnius International Airport.
Officials said Tuesday that the German-made MG-42 machine gun was found after scanning a suspicious 20-kilogram (44-pound) package posted in Lithuania and bound for Germany.
Customs spokeswoman Asta Mikeleviciute says it was the first time that customs... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Inspector Smuggled Machine Gun Parts to Australia 'Under Stress'
14 March 2011
Courier-Mail (Brisbane)
A former senior policeman was suffering from undiagnosed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at the time he illegally imported machine gun conversion kits, a court heard today.
Commonwealth prosecutors were before District Court Judge Milton Griffin, SC, appealing the sentence of a discharge bond with no conviction imposed on Alan Magarry by a magistrate last year.
Barrister Stuart Shearer, for the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, argued the magistrate had... (GunPolicy.org)
Louisiana Police Chief Lied About Machine Gun Transfer, Got Prison Term
28 February 2011
Associated Press
SHREVEPORT, Louisiana - A former Louisiana police chief who pleaded guilty to lying to federal agents about his department's handling of firearms has been sentenced to six months in prison.
A federal judge on Friday also ordered former Vidalia Police Chief Ronnie "Tapper" Hendricks to pay a $3,000 fine and perform 1,000 hours of community service.
Hendricks pleaded guilty in November to lying to FBI and ATF agents when he denied transferring a machine gun owned by the... (GunPolicy.org)
Florida Gun Dealer Gets 3yrs Jail for Selling Illegal Machine Gun Parts
19 February 2011
Associated Press
FORT PIERCE, Florida - A Florida gun dealer has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for selling parts to convert weapons into fully automatic machine guns.
A federal judge in Fort Pierce imposed the sentence Friday on 47-year-old Edward Todd Basile of Okeechobee. Basile pleaded guilty to two federal firearms charges in December.
Prosecutors say Basile sold an informant parts to convert legal semiautomatic weapons such as an AR-15 rifle into an automatic... (GunPolicy.org)
Machine Gun Seized at US-Mexico Border Shows Strength of Drug Cartel
10 February 2011
Houston Chronicle (Texas)
An imposing .50-caliber belt-fed monster gun now sits on a tripod in a protected federal government office in Houston.
Instead of landing in the hands of Mexican drug cartel gangsters, it was captured by federal agents a few weeks ago when it was being delivered as part of a journey to the border.
Although no one has yet been charged in connection with the gun, it stands as a giant green reminder that a war is raging in Mexico and Houston remains a major staging... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Smuggling Machine Gun from US to Mexico Forced to Do It by Cartel?
8 February 2011
Houston Chronicle (Texas)
If a 21-year-old Texan is telling the truth, he was forced to try to smuggle a machine gun into Mexico to protect his family from being harmed by gangsters.
Julio Cesar Ramirez was caught in the border city of Pharr as he attempted to drive a Hummer sport-utility vehicle across a bridge over the Rio Grande, according to papers posted Tuesday in federal court.
On the back seat was a gun case with the .30-caliber weapon, one of the more powerful guns caught being... (GunPolicy.org)
US Customs Seize Tripod-mounted Machine Gun Bound for Mexico Cartel
8 February 2011
Reuters
EL PASO, Texas - U.S. customs agents in Texas seized a tripod-mounted machine gun they found on the back seat of a sport utility vehicle headed into Mexico and arrested the driver, authorities said on Tuesday.
Agents at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge found the .30 caliber browning machine gun on the backseat of a Hummer H3 headed to Reynosa, Mexico, last Friday and arrested the 21-year-old driver from Pharr, Texas, the Customs and Border Protection agency said... (GunPolicy.org)
Romanian Assault Rifles Modified in US, Flood South to Mexican Drug War
3 February 2011
Center for Public Integrity (Washington DC)
Camron Scott Galloway, 21, walked into X Caliber Guns in Phoenix, Ariz., on Jan. 30, 2008, and filled out forms for the purchase of six AK-47 rifles.
Reliable and powerful, and a bargain at about $500 each, the Romanian-made gun, a semiautomatic version of the iconic Kalashnikov assault weapon, had become popular with the drug cartels in Mexico.
Galloway, who eventually pleaded guilty to a forgery charge and became a cooperating prosecution witness in a broader case,... (GunPolicy.org)
Bedouin Boy Plays with Dad's Machine Gun, Kills Himself in Saudi Arabia
30 January 2011
Emirates247.com
A Saudi Bedouin boy killed himself by accident while playing with this father's machine gun, a newspaper reported on Sunday.
The boy was playing inside his father's car near their tent house in the southwestern desert village of Raniya when he saw the machine gun, Alriyadh Arabic language daily said.
"He mistakenly pulled the trigger while the gun was aimed at him… he died instantly and police later ruled out any criminal... (GunPolicy.org)
Charges Against 2 Remaining Defendants Dropped in US Uzi Death Case
18 January 2011
Associated Press
A Massachusetts prosecutor on Tuesday dropped involuntary manslaughter charges against two men in connection with the death of an 8-year-old boy who accidentally shot himself with an Uzi at a 2008 gun show, citing last week's acquittal of a third defendant.
Prosecutor William Bennett filed "nolle prosequi" - not prosecuting - motions in Hampden Superior Court in Springfield in the cases of Domenico Spano of New Milford, Conn., and Carl Giuffre of West Hartford,... (GunPolicy.org)
Ex-police Chief Acquitted in Machine Gun Shooting Death of 8yr-old Boy
15 January 2011
Boston Globe
The emotionally racked trial of a former Pelham police chief charged in connection with the accidental shooting death of an 8-year-old boy at a gun fair came to an end yesterday with a jury acquitting Edward Fleury, who cried at the verdict.
Fleury, 53, was found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter and multiple counts of furnishing a machine gun to a minor. Christopher Bizilj of Ashford, Conn., lost control of an Uzi submachine gun and shot himself in the head in... (GunPolicy.org)
US Police Chief Cleared in Fun Shoot Machine Gun Death of 8yr-old Boy
14 January 2011
BBC News
A Massachusetts jury has acquitted a man who organised a gun fair where a boy accidentally shot himself dead with an Uzi sub-machine gun.
Prosecutors said Edward Fleury, a former police chief, should have foreseen the risk in providing Christopher Bizilj, 8, with the gun.
He was found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter after showing the boy's father allowed him to fire the weapon.
The boy lost control of the weapon, which flipped and shot him in the head.
Mr... (GunPolicy.org)
Ex-police Chief Found Not Guilty in Machine Gun Death of 8yr-old US Boy
14 January 2011
Reuters
Jurors reached an acquittal verdict on Friday in the trial of a former police chief in the accidental fatal shooting of an 8-year-old boy at an October 2008 event at Westfield Sportsman's Club.
The shooting event had been organized and sponsored by former Pelham police chief Edward D. Fleury, who had been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
The child, Christopher Bizilj, was killed instantly by a shot to his head while firing a 9mm micro Uzi submachine gun. The... (GunPolicy.org)
Massachusetts Machine Gun Fun Shoot was 'Safe,' But 8yr-old Boy Died
10 January 2011
Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - A gun club where an 8-year-old boy accidentally killed himself with an Uzi first agreed to hold a machine gun shoot a decade ago when the organizer told club officials it was legal and safe, one of those officials testified Monday.
Steven Sklarski, recording secretary for the Westfield Sportsman's Club, testified on the fifth day of the manslaughter trial of former Pelham, Mass., Police Chief Edward Fleury.
The club had held the event for... (GunPolicy.org)
Teen Gun Supervisor Says He Warned Dad About Uzi Which Killed 8yr-old
7 January 2011
Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts — A teenager who supervised an 8-year-old who shot himself with an Uzi submachine gun at a 2008 gun fair testified Friday that he told the boy's father that "it wasn't a good idea" to let the child fire it.
Michael Spano was a witness in the trial of Edward Fleury, whose company co-sponsored the exhibition at the Westfield Sportsman's Club. Fleury has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and other charges in the death of... (GunPolicy.org)
Court: 'Reckless Behavior' Led to 8yr-old Boy's Uzi Death at US Fun Shoot
4 January 2011
Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - "Reckless and illegal actions" by a former police chief led to the accidental death of a boy who shot himself in the face with an Uzi submachine gun at a gun show, a prosecutor said Tuesday.
But others, including the boy's father, made the fatal decisions, a defense attorney said.
Former Pelham Police Chief Edward Fleury, whose company co-sponsored the event, has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and furnishing a weapon to a... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Collector Fires Machine Guns on Backyard Range, Irks Neighbours
27 December 2010
Charlotte Observer (North Carolina)
WESLEY CHAPEL -- Weekend mornings, John Famolari's two young children love to play baseball and soccer in their spacious backyard - at least until their neighbor across the creek breaks out his machine guns.
In a wooded lot about 500 feet away, Dr. Michael Land regularly uses a Thompson submachine gun and other automatic weapons for target practice. The racket often makes it hard for Famolari and his wife to talk - and even harder for them to entertain guests at their... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Mexico,West Asia
Navy SEAL Smuggled Middle East Machine Guns to US, Some to Mexico
23 December 2010
Las Vegas Review Journal (Nevada)
Two Las Vegas men pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday in a conspiracy with a U.S. Navy SEAL to sell machine guns and other weapons smuggled from the Middle East.
Andrew Kaufman, 36, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to sell machine guns, other firearms and explosives and illegal transfer of a machine gun.
Omar Aguirre, 35, who had not previously been charged in the case, pleaded guilty to a criminal information also charging him with conspiracy to sell the... (GunPolicy.org)
Machine Gun was 130th Firearm Seized This Year in British Columbia
17 December 2010
Province (British Columbia)
After a four-month investigation, anti-gang cops have seized a machine gun and semi-automatic pistol, bringing the number of firearms seized this year in B.C. to 130.
"We've seen numerous successes over the last year," said Sgt. Shinder Kirk, spokesman for the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit. "The indication to us is that we have had some impact, notwithstanding last weekend. We have seen a decline up to this point this year but we're not so naïve to think... (GunPolicy.org)
Death of 8yr-old Becomes Symbol of Lost Struggle for US Gun Control
12 December 2010
Herald (Scotland)
Gun control campaigners in the USA are waving the white flag after a year of crushing setbacks.
Shocking mass murders and shooting accidents that would scandalise any other developed nation barely register in the public consciousness. As the death toll rises, the National Rifle Association's (NRA) string of legislative and legal victories continues.
Against this backdrop comes the latest gun-related horror story: a former police chief in Massachusetts is on trial for... (GunPolicy.org)
Judge Will Let Jurors See Video of 8yr-old Being Killed by Uzi at Gun Show
8 December 2010
New York Times
BOSTON — A judge ruled Tuesday that jurors can be shown video of an 8-year-old boy accidentally shooting himself in the head with a submachine gun at a gun show, setting up an unusually grisly courtroom scene in the manslaughter trial of a former police chief who organized the event.
Judge Peter A. Velis of Hampden Superior Court in Springfield, Mass., is still deciding whether audio from after the shooting — in which the boy can be heard screaming and his father... (GunPolicy.org)
Trial Begins in Case of 8yr-old Killed Firing Uzi at Massachusetts Gun Show
5 December 2010
Associated Press
BOSTON - Eight-year-old Christopher Bizilj — 4-foot-3 and 66 pounds — stepped up to the firing range to shoot an Uzi as his father and 11-year-old brother watched from a few feet away.
As Christopher fired the 9mm micro submachine gun at a pumpkin, the weapon flipped backward and shot him in the head. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Prosecutors brought manslaughter charges against the gun club where the machine gun shoot took place, two men who supplied... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Shot by Canadian Police Had Secret Weapon Room, Machine Gun
2 December 2010
CTV News (Toronto)
Police in the B.C. Interior say they've uncovered a cache of weapons and body armour hidden inside a secret room in the home of a man shot by Mounties last week.
Two Kamloops RCMP members shot and injured 43-year-old Gregory McNeil at a home in the Sun Peaks resort on Thursday while responding to a threat complaint.
On Saturday, investigators searched McNeil's home, located in a rural area near Kamloops, and discovered a concealed room filled with guns, a huge... (GunPolicy.org)
Five Los Angeles Men 'Sold Machine Guns, Assault Weapons' in Fed Sting
1 December 2010
Los Angeles Times
Federal agents and Los Angeles police arrested five suspects Wednesday as part of an investigation into illegal firearms sales and drug trafficking.
The five people taken into custody were named by a federal grand jury in a 19-charge indictment alleging that members of the group sold machine guns, sawed-off shotguns and assault rifles to undercover officers from April 2009 to June 2010, authorities said.
The investigation was led by the federal Bureau of Alcohol,... (GunPolicy.org)
Is Obama's New Choice for US Gun Regulator Chief an 'Antigun Zealot'?
19 November 2010
Christian Science Monitor
ATF special agent Andrew Traver, who last year let a TV reporter fire an AK-47 from her hip to demonstrate the weapon's lethality, is set to become America's chief firearms inspector. But Mr. Traver, currently the Chicago ATF chief, faces a tough nomination battle as gun-rights groups amass their forces in opposition.
The nomination of the Naperville, Ill., native to be top gun cop is applauded by gun-control activists, who say the 5,000-employee ATF has lost ground in... (GunPolicy.org)
'The Gun': How Automatic Weapons, AK-47 Changed the Way we Kill
26 October 2010
Salon (USA), Book review
Few common objects are as shrouded in mystery as the gun.
I don't mean to suggest large numbers of people are unfamiliar with guns, because in this country, that's not the case. The long tradition of routine, practical gun ownership in the United States continues to this day, in rural areas especially. According to a regular Gallup poll question, somewhere between 38 percent and 42 percent of U.S. households contain at least one firearm. I visited many a firing range... (GunPolicy.org)
'Gross Negligence' Kills 2 Indian Students in School Machine Gun Demo
21 October 2010
Times of India
HYDERABAD - Gross negligence on the part of a cop proved fatal for two students during a demonstration of weapons held as part of the Police Commemoration Week at Velerupadu in the district on Wednesday.
Two school students lost their lives when a 9 mm carbine weapon of APSP (Andhra Pradesh Special Police) constable Srinivas Rao went off accidentally during the demonstration held at the local zilla parishad high school at the mandal headquarters town — 80 km from... (GunPolicy.org)
Indian Policeman Shoots 6 Teens, Kills 2 in School Machine Gun Demo
20 October 2010
Telegraph (India)
HYDERABAD - Little did the boys know what lay in store when they excitedly marched to school this morning to see a police demo of weapons used to fight Maoists.
Venkatkrishna and Sathyasai Babu, students of a school in Velerpadu town of Andhra's Khammam district, were killed today after the sten gun of a constable showing them how to use the weapon accidentally went off.
Police sources said the boys, students of Class X and Class IX respectively, had crowded around... (GunPolicy.org)
Everyman's Gun: Sheer Numbers Make AK-47 the World's Main Killing Tool
16 October 2010
Wall Street Journal, Book review
The AK-47 is the most numerous and widely distributed weapon in history, with a name and appearance that are instantly recognized worldwide. Designed in the late 1940s for the Soviet Army, the Avtomat Kalashnikova 47 ("Automatic of Kalashnikov 1947") became the universal weapon by the late 20th century, used by armies, militias and terrorists in practically every armed conflict, and by all sides in most of them. Even the United States has purchased mass quantities of... (GunPolicy.org)
Florida 12yr-old Dies, 17yr-old 'Fetish' Gun Collector Charged in Shooting
15 October 2010
Miami Herald
A 12-year-old Deerfield Beach boy shot by a neighborhood playmate earlier this week died of his injuries Friday.
Criminal charges against 17-year-old Jose Torres have been upgraded to felony manslaughter and tampering with evidence, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.
Anthony Alejandre was mortally wounded Monday while playing at next-door neighbor's house, in the 600 block of NW First Way.
Torres is accused of firing a .38 caliber pistol at Alejandre, at near... (GunPolicy.org)
Shooting of 12yr-old Reveals US Teen Shooter's Machine Gun, 'Arsenal'
15 October 2010
Miami Herald
While investigating the bizarre shooting of a 12-year-old, deputies say they found an arsenal of weapons under the 17-year-old suspect's bed:
A pair of nine-millimeter pistols, a .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol, a Tech 9 machine gun, a 12-gauge Mossburg shotgun, and a host of Chinese throwing stars, swords and other martial arts weapons.
And on Thursday, Jose Torres, a student at Deerfield Beach High School, was charged with shooting his neighbor, 12-year-old... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Opposition Leader Fires Army Guns, Then Buries the Videotape
13 October 2010
Australian (Sydney)
Tony Abbott's office requested that the Defence Department "vet" video images of the Liberal leader firing a Steyr assault rifle in Afghanistan.
This action ensured broadcasters were denied access to the pictures.
The Opposition Leader's office confirmed that the images captured by a Defence video journalist were not released "on our instructions", sparking claims by television broadcasters last night of censorship.
The Defence Department did not indicate the... (GunPolicy.org)
The AK-47: 'The Gun' That Changed the Battlefield - C J Chivers Book
12 October 2010
National Public Radio (USA)
The AK-47 was designed after World War II by the Soviets, who issued the guns to the communist army's conscripted forces. In the past few decades, the AK-47 has become one of the weapons of choice for many groups — and one of the most commonly smuggled weapons in the world.
One of the first true assault rifles, the AK-47, or Kalashnikov, was designed for soldiers who have to endure terrible conditions on the battlefield: It's light, it can carry a lot of ammunition,... (GunPolicy.org)
Book Review: 'The Gun' by C.J. Chivers, New York Times AK-47 Expert
10 October 2010
Dallas Morning News (Texas), Book review
April 2, 2002, 3:45 p.m. Three assassins emerge from a taxi in front of the house of Dr. Barham Salih, a prime minister in northern Iraq. The men are clean-shaven and neat. Hanging from their shoulders are AK-47s, ready to kill. At the touch of the triggers, the guards are shredded by a hellish storm of bullets, 15 rounds per second from each barrel, turning bones to shards and ripping muscles and organs apart.
After a few seconds, five guards and two of the assassins... (GunPolicy.org)
Slovakia Mass Shooting May Lead to Private Machine Guns Being Banned
2 September 2010
New York Times
PRAGUE — As Slovakia held a day of mourning Thursday to honor the victims of Monday's violent rampage in the Slovak capital, Bratislava, a picture began to emerge of the killer, an unemployed loner who the police said had participated in shooting contests and may have harbored resentment against his Roma victims.
The killing spree, in which six members of a Roma family were killed — including a 12-year-old boy — has shaken Slovakia, a small and predominantly... (GunPolicy.org)
Nevada Anti-government Extremist Gets 18mths for Illegal Machine Gun
25 August 2010
Associated Press
LAS VEGAS — A Las Vegas anti-government extremist has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for possession of an unregistered machine gun.
Federal prosecutors say Harold Call was sentenced Tuesday, despite the 68-year-old's attempt to withdraw his plea and fire his lawyer.
Call is one of four anti-government, anti-tax-movement followers arrested in 2009 after a three-year FBI investigation into a group who believed they were separate from the United States. Agents... (GunPolicy.org)
Pacifist Politician Accused of Illegally Selling Machine Guns in Germany
14 August 2010
Local (Berlin)
Germany's socialist party The Left, has been hit by an embarrassing scandal, with a mid-ranking functionary charged with illegal trade in military weapons.
Manfred Hämmerle, chairman of the party in Hückelhoven near the Dutch border, has been accused of illegally selling a submachine gun, and possibly a Kalashnikov AK47 as well as an Uzi machine gun.
Der Spiegel magazine, which reported the story on Saturday, said he could face at least a year in prison if convicted... (GunPolicy.org)
Gang's 'Communal' Submachine Gun Seized from Ontario Apartment
9 August 2010
Toronto Sun (Ontario)
A machine gun that was reportedly being passed between Hamilton gangsters was found by police during a raid of a local apartment, police said Monday.
Officers in the Gangs and Weapons Enforcement Unit (GWEU) had been getting information since November 2009 about a MAC-10 submachine gun "that was being passed around between numerous Hamilton gang members and associates," a Hamilton Police press release said.
The information culminated Friday when cops received further... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Seize Loaded Submachine Gun from Gang-linked Ontario Home
9 August 2010
Hamilton Spectator (Ontario)
Hamilton police have seized a nasty, fully-loaded 9 mm submachine gun from a Park Street South apartment.
The gangs and weapons enforcement unit seized the weapon Friday night after receiving information about a rapid fire weapon they've been hearing about on the street since November last year.
George Andrew Nossey, 46, of Hamilton, faces numerous weapons charges.
Sergeant Terri-Lynn Collings said word on the street was that someone had "a Mac 10" and it was being... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed Firearm Dealers Charged in Interstate US Machine Gun Scam
7 August 2010
Maryland Gazette
The owner of a Annapolis gun shop is one of six men named in a 107-count indictment filed in federal court in Phoenix, Ariz., last week.
Hal Goldstein, owner of The Armory, at 24 Defense St., off West Street at Solomons Island Road, along with Randoph Benjamin Rodman, owner of Silver Spring-based R&S Arms, and four Arizona men were charged with conspiring to commit fraud to possess and transfer machine guns in violation of the National Firearms Act, according to the... (GunPolicy.org)
Colorado Gun Owner Found Smuggling Machine Guns from US to Canada
5 August 2010
Calgary Sun (Alberta)
One of the biggest caches of smuggled firearms seized at Alberta's border with Montana included a troubling rarity — fully automatic weapons, say law enforcement officials.
Last Sunday, a Canadian resident of Colorado crossing into Canada at Coutts raised the suspicions of officers, said Gary Selk, chief of operations for the Canada Border Services Agency in southern Alberta.
"His story of his reason in coming to Canada was incongruent and the officers then did a... (GunPolicy.org)
Trinidad Police Submachine Gun 'Lost' by Elite-unit Officer, Found Buried
27 July 2010
Trinidad and Tobago Express
A police officer attached to the Witness Protection Programme lost a sub-machine gun in a weekend incident that investigators were still trying to unravel yesterday.
The gun and ammunition were found buried in Barrackpore yesterday and six people were arrested.
The police corporal had, at first, said he was robbed of the weapon in San Fernando, just before midnight last Saturday.
He later told a story about driving along a lonely road in Barrackpore, where he was in... (GunPolicy.org)
Elite-unit Trinidad Cop Charged After 'Losing' Police-issue Machine Gun
27 July 2010
Guardian (Trinidad and Tobago)
A police corporal assigned to an elite unit is expected to be charged after he reportedly "lost" a police-issued machine-gun on Saturday night.
After extensive searches headed by acting Police Commissioner James Philbert, the high-powered weapon was found in Princes Town late Sunday. The weapon, police said, was reportedly found in the possession of a man at the time of the search. It is reported that the officer in question fled from an unmarked police car after a man... (GunPolicy.org)
New Jersey Gun Owner Converts Assault Rifles to Machine Guns, Gets 5yrs
28 June 2010
Star-Ledger (New Jersey)
PARSIPPANY — A Parsippany man was sentenced today to five years in state prison for unlawfully possessing two machine guns.
Adam Coughlan, 29, was arrested May 21, 2009 after a raid of his Lake Hiawatha home turned up more than 40 firearms and ammunition. Authorities said he was converting weapons into illegal assault weapons, and was captured on electronic surveillance arranging to sell an AK-47 automatic firearm at a Quick Chek in Parsippany.
Coughlan faced a pair... (GunPolicy.org)
Calgary Police Find Machine Guns, Assault Weapons, Handguns in Raids
24 June 2010
Calgary Sun (Alberta)
The police seizure of 16 firearms — including a possible submachine gun — indicates the troubling scope of illegal weaponry on city streets, say cops.
Following a tip, plainclothes officers on Tuesday observed what appeared to be a weapons transaction involving a 9 mm Uzi submachine gun-style weapon in a parking lot on Heritage Gate S.E.
Three men were arrested at the scene and a 2004 Audi A4 seized.
On the same day, police raided a home in Edgemont where they... (GunPolicy.org)
Massachusetts House Approves Bill to Jail Illegal Gun Owners Prior to Trial
26 May 2010
Herald News (Massachusetts)
The state House of Representatives has given its approval to a crime bill that would, among other items, give prosecutors greater abilities to seek dangerousness hearings for suspects arrested while carrying illegal firearms.
According to Bristol County District Attorney's office spokesman Gregg Miliote, the House version limits district attorneys' opportunity to ask for dangerousness hearings to only those cases where the defendant is charged with carrying an illegal... (GunPolicy.org)
US Supreme Court Limits 30-year Penalty for Machine Gun Use in Boston
24 May 2010
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court has ruled that a minimum 30-year prison term for crimes involving a machine gun may not be imposed unless a jury specifically convicts a defendant of using a machine gun.
The court on Monday unanimously upheld a federal appeals court ruling that had been challenged by the government. The decision came in the case of Martin O'Brien and Arthur Burgess, who were charged in connection with a failed robbery of an armored car carrying $2... (GunPolicy.org)
Pro-gun Lawmakers Stall Bill to Restrict Machine Guns in Massachusetts
10 May 2010
Boston Herald
Machine gun ownership in the Bay State is booming, while a bill to tighten ownership and outlaw full-auto free-for-alls like the one that killed an 8-year-old boy two years ago is jammed on Beacon Hill.
Gov. Deval Patrick's bill, "An Act to Reduce Firearm Violence," is a controversial overhaul of the state's gun laws that would limit firearm purchases to one per month and ban anyone who is not a cop or the licensed owner from holding a machine gun.
The Bay State may... (GunPolicy.org)
Afghanistan,Iraq,United States
Blackwater President, Execs Indicted on 'Scofflaw' Machine Gun Charges
21 April 2010
Associated Press
RALEIGH, North Carolina - Federal prosecutors launched a scathing assessment of Blackwater Worldwide's former president Wednesday, declaring in an initial court appearance that he operated the security firm with "sheer arrogance" and a "scofflaw attitude."
Gary Jackson and four past colleagues indicted last week appeared Wednesday morning before a judge who allowed them to go free as they await trial. A magistrate judge denied a government request to place a bond on... (GunPolicy.org)
Kentucky Machine Gun Shoot Always Fascinates, Alarms Foreign Reporters
10 April 2010
New Zealand Herald
Every six months, 8000 Americans gather for three days in the hills of Kentucky with machine guns, sniper rifles and cannons to blast away a million rounds. Jonathan Franklin buys earplugs and ventures to the edge of the American psyche.
Anyone can attend the Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot.
Once you arrive it feels more like a pilgrimage for white American men and their kin.
Entire white families attend the event, including babies with earplugs and 10-year-olds with... (GunPolicy.org)
Arkansas Councilman Pleads Guilty to Possession of Illegal Machine Gun
31 March 2010
Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK — An east Arkansas city councilman pleaded guilty Tuesday to illegally possessing an unregistered machine gun, telling a federal judge that he had the weapon because he was working on it for the local police department.
John Henry Parker pleaded guilty to one count of illegally possessing a Glock machine gun. As part of a plea deal, federal prosecutors dropped a charge of illegally possessing a Ruger .22-caliber rifle equipped with a silencer.
Parker was... (GunPolicy.org)
Machine Gun-toting Gang of Robbers Raids Swiss Casino, Escapes
29 March 2010
Associated Press
BASEL, Switzerland - An armed gang of masked men raided a casino packed with about 600 guests early Sunday and made off with hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to Swiss prosecutors.
In a statement, prosecutors in Basel described a scene like an action-film heist: About 10 men dressed in black arrived in two cars at the Grand Casino near Basel shortly after 4 a.m.
One smashed the front door with a sledgehammer, and the others ran inside with machine guns and... (GunPolicy.org)
Judge Approves Washington, DC's Assault Rifle Ban, Gun Registration Law
26 March 2010
Christian Science Monitor
A federal judge has upheld the new regime of gun laws passed in Washington, D.C., after the US Supreme Court invalidated the city's handgun ban in a landmark Second Amendment ruling two years ago.
The plaintiff in the new case was the same man, Dick Heller, who brought the initial challenge to the handgun ban and won the historic 2008 ruling.
Mr. Heller did not fare as well in his latest round of legal challenges.
US District Judge Ricardo Urbina ruled on Friday that... (GunPolicy.org)
Montana Gun Collector Gets 6yrs for Unregistered Machine Gun Possession
23 March 2010
ABC News (USA)
HELENA, Montana - A 55-year-old South Carolina man has been sentenced to nearly six years in prison for possessing an unregistered machine gun.
Zollie L. Byrd was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Charles Lovell in Helena. Lovell ordered his sentence to be served after a four-year, three-month sentence Byrd received in South Carolina.
Byrd was convicted in January 2009 in South Carolina for possession of machine guns, a... (GunPolicy.org)
Toronto Gun Enthusiast Lost 50 Handguns, Submachine Gun to Thieves
17 March 2010
680 News Radio (Toronto)
TORONTO, Ontario - Six men now face more than 540 charges in connection with a break-and-enter investigation, according to Toronto police.
Last month, a downtown apartment was broken into at 59 Isabella St. The thieves were able to make off with 50 handguns, two shotguns and an Uzi sub-machine gun. The suspects also stole a large-screen television.
After executing search warrants in the GTA, Toronto police were able to recover 10 of the 50 handguns, the... (GunPolicy.org)
Tennessee Gun Collector, Drug Dealer Blows Whistle on US-Mexico Trade
8 March 2010
Scripps Howard News Service (USA)
The U.S. boss of a violent Mexican drug cartel who admitted ordering a hit on someone who ran afoul of him has been a busy man since authorities nabbed him and 34 kilograms of his cocaine at the border.
He's traveled to Williamsport, Pa., to accompany his son on a Little League baseball trip. He's attended his sister's graduation from Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. He's vacationed with his family in Panama City, Fla. He's trekked to Las Vegas twice, once... (GunPolicy.org)
Machine Gun Gang Invade Tanzanian Wedding Party, Kill 5, Steal Cattle
6 March 2010
Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
TERIME, Tanzania — A wedding party was thrown into disarray in Tarime district on Thursday night, when armed gangsters stormed a homestead and shot dead five people.
Six other people, including two children, were seriously injured in the attack that rocked Kimusi village, some 40 kilometres from Tarime Township.
However, the bride and bridegroom, whose big day had started on a brighter note, with hundreds of their relatives and other villagers enjoying the wedding... (GunPolicy.org)
Found with Machine Gun, AK-47s, Gun Owner Decries 'Most Wanted' List
2 March 2010
Daily Record (New Jersey)
PARSIPPANY, New Jersey - A lawyer defending a Parsippany man accused of owning illegal assault guns and trying to sell a machine gun wants prosecutors to reveal whether his client or the buyer were on any county-wide lists of targeted alleged criminals.
Filed on behalf of defendant Adam Coughlan, attorney Gregg D. Trautmann's motion was filed in Superior Court, Morristown, in response to a law enforcement initiative announced in January by the Morris County... (GunPolicy.org)
Philippine Election Gun Ban Yields More Arrests for Illegal Firearms
10 February 2010
Panay News (Philippines)
SAN JOSE, Antique – The effective implementation of the Antique Police Provincial Office (APPO) of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) gun ban has yielded positive results.
APPO Information Officer PO3 Rodelio B. Canja said that from January 10 to 28, three persons were arrested and one is at-large.
Confiscated on separate operations were five high-powered fire arms, two fragmentation hand grenades, two bladed weapons and 35 rds of assorted ammunitions.
In... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed US Machine Gun Owner Loses 13 Firearms in Domestic Dispute
9 February 2010
Milford Daily News (Massachusetts)
MILFORD, Massachusetts - A Milford man was arrested and police seized more than a dozen of his guns, including an M16 and AK47, after officers went to his home Saturday for a report of a domestic dispute.
Paul A. Delaney, 45, of 48 Harvard Drive, assaulted his wife during an argument about the music being so loud that it might wake their kids in the middle of the night, police said.
One of the children ended up trying to call 911 during the fight and Delaney stopped... (GunPolicy.org)
Pennsylvania Sheriff Probes Sale of Police Guns, Machine Gun to Dealer
26 January 2010
Times Leader (Pennsylvania)
Luzerne County Solicitor Vito DeLuca said he is investigating the possible sale of other sheriff's office guns and researching whether any guns that could have been sold to make money have disappeared.
DeLuca said he is basing his investigation on information he has received.
Sheriff's office gun sales are an issue because the county administration recently learned that former Sheriff Michael Savokinas had agreed to sell a Tommy machine gun, vintage 1928, to a... (GunPolicy.org)
Business Booming at Vegas Machine Gun Range
8 January 2010
Forbes (USA), Blog
LAS VEGAS -- Mining. Cattle-ranching. Machine gun rentals. If you're a Berkeley-bred crunchie that combination is the stuff of nightmares. If you're entrepreneur Billy Conn, however, it's a living. And, thanks to a weak dollar and ever-tightening firearms laws, business at the machine gun range is good.
Conn will only say that the privately-held Las Vegas Gun Range & Firearms Center is a "multi-million" dollar business. However tough firearms laws, a weak dollar, and... (GunPolicy.org)
7 Churchgoers Dead in 'Retaliatory' Egyptian Drive-by Shooting
6 January 2010
Associated Press
CAIRO, Egypt - Three men in a car sprayed automatic gunfire into a crowd of churchgoers in southern Egypt as they left a midnight Mass for Coptic Christmas, killing at least seven people in a drive-by shooting, the church bishop and security officials said.
Egypt's Interior Ministry said the attack Wednesday just before midnight was suspected as retaliation for the November rape of a Muslim girl by a Christian man in the same town. The statement said witnesses have... (GunPolicy.org)
No Right to Bear Unlicensed Machine Guns, Says US Federal Court
30 December 2009
Christian Science Monitor
A former commander in the Tennessee State Guard has lost an appeal to overturn his conviction for trying to provide his soldiers with homemade machine guns for possible use in defending the state.
On Wednesday, a federal appeals court in Cincinnati threw the case out of court.
"Whatever the individual right to keep and bear arms might entail, it does not authorize an unlicensed individual to possess unregistered machine guns for personal use," said the three-judge... (GunPolicy.org)
13 Firearms and a Parrot Stolen from a South Beach Apartment
29 December 2009
Miami News Times
Michael Beasley hobbled up the stairs leading to his second-floor apartment near the southern tip of Miami Beach. On the way home from Haulover Park, the 60-year-old Jacksonville native had purchased a couple of burgers for himself and his beloved green Amazon parrot, Seaweed. Then something startled Beasley. His front door had been pried open.
Normally, Seaweed would squawk the greeting, "Hey, how ya doing?" But this time there was silence.
Beasley, who walks with a... (GunPolicy.org)
Maguindanao Arms Seizure Recovers Number of Police-Issued M16s
28 December 2009
Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines — Several high-powered firearms seized in a series of raids in Maguindanao province over the past weeks were police-issued firearms, Philippine National Police Director General Jesus Verzosa said on Monday.
In an interview, Verzosa said that of the more than 800 firearms seized throughout the province of Maguindanao during and after the declaration of martial law there, more than 20 were PNP-issued.
He said most of those that were PNP-issued were... (GunPolicy.org)
Guns Seized in Maguindanao Massacre Raids Marked 'Dept of Defence'
7 December 2009
Philippine Daily Inquirer (Mindanao)
DATU HOFFER AMPATUAN, Maguindanao — Using sniffer dogs and shovels, troops dug up another arms cache on Sunday in a crackdown on suspects in the massacre of 57 people after the declaration of martial law in Maguindanao that has led to 62 arrests.
The seizure of 39 high-powered firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition came a day after police and military units uncovered 340,000 bullets for M-16 assault rifles in a warehouse reportedly owned by the Ampatuan clan,... (GunPolicy.org)
Family Sues Massachusetts Gun Club After 8yr-old Boy Died Firing Uzi
10 November 2009
Daily Hampshire Gazette (Massachusetts)
SPRINGFIELD — The Micro Uzi machine gun that killed 8-year-old Christopher K. Bizilj at a Westfield gun fair last October reportedly jammed twice and was inspected by a 15-year-old boy before it slipped from Christopher's grasp and discharged, according to a $4 million wrongful death lawsuit filed Monday.
Christopher was shot through the head at the "Great New England Pumpkin Shoot" last year, an event the suit alleges was advertised as "an opportunity to shoot... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Find Abandoned, Loaded AK-47 in King's Park, Belize City
4 November 2009
7 News Belize
Police on an operation found a machine gun along with live rounds at a north side residence this morning. The weapon is an AK-47 with 7 live rounds.
Police are tight-lipped but the head of Eastern Division David Henderson promised to provide more details after a few more pieces of the investigation fall into... (GunPolicy.org)
California 'Gun Collector' Gets Prison Term for Illegal Machine Gun Sales
30 October 2009
Contra Costa Times (California)
A federal judge sentenced a 69-year-old Crescent City man this week to serve 18 months in prison for illegally dealing machine guns.
According to a press release from the United States Attorney's San Francisco office, Donald E. Nuss pleaded guilty in June to illegally dealing in firearms, admitting selling five machine guns over a one-year period. According to the release, Nuss also admitted to converting two semi-automatic rifles into machine guns for a government... (GunPolicy.org)
Child Pornographer Allegedly Making Illegal .50cal Rifles, Machine Guns
28 October 2009
Nevada Appeal
CARSON CITY, Nevada — Machinery suspected in the illegal manufacture of weapons was removed by investigators Tuesday from the shop of a man also charged with possession of child pornography.
Detective Craig Lowe said a search warrant, filed last week in Carson City Justice Court, allowed for the seizure of about $12,000 in equipment that investigators suspect Glenn Ware used to manufacture two fully automatic .50 caliber rifles and a machine gun.
About 8 a.m.... (GunPolicy.org)
Britain Deploys Permanently Armed Police in London Gang Strongholds
23 October 2009
Associated Press
LONDON — Wielding submachine guns and pistols, British police are making rare armed patrols in crime-blighted London neighborhoods — a change in law enforcement tactics that may prompt calls for the wider use of weapons by the country's traditionally unarmed Bobbies.
London's police department said Friday that a new armed unit is carrying out regular sweeps of districts riven by gun battles between rival drug gangs.
Unlike typical police procedure, the team of... (GunPolicy.org)
Massachusetts Gun Clubs All Fired Up at Tough New Range Restrictions
22 October 2009
Boston Globe
BRAINTREE, Massachusetts — Once a month on a Saturday, the Braintree Rifle & Pistol Club hosts the Second Amendment Sisters, a national organization that advocates and provides firearms training for women.
Women who have never held a gun before are invited to learn to shoot. The club provides the weapons and ammunition, and the cost to the woman learning typically does not exceed $10.
The novices will have different goals: Some want to feel safer when walking... (GunPolicy.org)
NY Supreme Court to Hear Case of Cops Buying 'Souvenir' Machine Guns
20 October 2009
Albany Times-Union (New York)
ALBANY — The state's highest court has agreed to hear an appeal by the Hearst Corp., which owns the Times Union, on a state appellate panel's decision not to release the names of current and former Albany police officers who secretly purchased machine guns through the department.
The court case centers on the newspaper's challenge of arguments by the city and police officer's union that portions of the records are "personnel" records.
In June, a state appellate... (GunPolicy.org)
Rare US-Made Machine Gun Found in Canadian River Linked to Killings
8 October 2009
CTV-BC TV News
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — A fisherman in Richmond, B.C., recently reeled in a most unusual — and troubling — catch.
Bobbing down the Fraser River, encased in a black waterproof bag, was a rare MAC-11 machine gun equipped with a silencer.
Forensic tests have linked the illegal gun to a number of gang-related shootings in the Vancouver area, Vancouver police Insp. Brad Desmarais told reporters on Thursday.
"This is a very deadly weapon," he... (GunPolicy.org)
Aussie Gun Owner Faces 196 Charges, Machine Gun Trafficking Alleged
8 October 2009
ABC News (Australia)
A Wollongong man is now facing nearly 200 charges over the sale and possession of illegal guns in an alleged gun trafficking network in the Illawarra on the New South Wales south coast.
Wollongong Local Court has been told Aristos Dionys, 58, of Mangerton, is now facing 196 charges.
The charges come after police raids on two homes in Fairy Meadow and Cringila and at a storage unit at Padstow in Sydney in August.
During the raids, police allegedly uncovered machine... (GunPolicy.org)
US Political Candidate Launches Campaign with Assault Rifle Giveaway
25 September 2009
Greenville News (South Carolina)
A Greenville man plans to launch his political campaign for adjutant general Saturday by giving away an AK-47 assault rifle.
Dean Allen, 58, said he will give away the rifle in a free sweepstakes open to all. He said it's his way of celebrating the Second Amendment and showing solidarity against gun-rights opponents.
The winner will receive a gift certificate, Allen said. To take possession of the gun, the winner will have to pass an FBI background check, show... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed UK Public School Sport Shooter Gets 4yrs for Smuggling Guns
23 September 2009
BBC News
A student found with 200 weapon parts in his East Lothian home has been jailed for almost four years.
Ramsay Scott, 21, bought £20,000 worth of gun components on the internet using his mother's credit card.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how the former public schoolboy was interested in extreme violence and had trawled websites linked to massacres.
Scott, who was sentenced to three years and nine months in jail, earlier admitted breaches of the Firearms Act.... (GunPolicy.org)
Rash of Gun, Ammo Seizures in Trinidad Includes Uzi Submachine Gun
22 September 2009
Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday
Fourteen persons were arrested during the early morning hours of Sunday after being found with five firearms, including a high-powered Uzi sub-machine gun, and 137 rounds of assorted ammunition.
They are expected to all appear before a Port-of-Spain magistrate today to answer charges of illegal possession of arms and ammunition.
According to a police report, at about 2.30 am, Western Division Task Force officers raided a house at Morvant Old Extension Road, Morvant... (GunPolicy.org)
Machine Gun Death of 8yr-old Heralds Gun Club Curbs in Massachusetts
20 September 2009
Boston Globe
The Turkey Shoot at the Shirley Rod and Gun Club is not what you might expect.
First, the club buys some frozen turkeys at the supermarket. Then there are target-shooting competitions for hunting rifles, shotguns, and pistols. The winners take home the frozen birds. Last year, the club gave away about 300 of them.
Still, the club's Thanksgiving tradition, its largest fund-raiser of the year, has been around for as long as anyone can remember. But this year's Turkey... (GunPolicy.org)
US Police Chief Can't Avoid Charges in Machine Gun Death of 8yr-old Boy
3 September 2009
Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts — A judge has denied a former Massachusetts police chief's motion to dismiss some charges he's facing in connection with the death of an 8-year-old boy at a gun show.
Edward Fleury, who resigned as Pelham's chief in March, is charged with manslaughter and four counts of furnishing a machine gun to a minor in connection with the death of Christopher Bizilj of Ashford, Conn.
Bizilj lost control of an Uzi submachine gun and shot himself... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Sting Cracks Alleged Australian Gun Trafficking Ring
27 August 2009
Illawarra Mercury (New South Wales)
Wollongong detectives posing as weapons buyers spent tens of thousands of dollars on machine guns and pistols to take down a group of alleged firearms traffickers operating in the Illawarra.
The five-month investigation, known as Strike Force Bowl, featured six lead detectives from the Wollongong command and culminated in the arrests yesterday of three men, two from Fairy Meadow, aged 39 and 59, and a 55-year-old man from Cringila.
During the investigation police... (GunPolicy.org)
Machine Guns, 100 Illegal Firearms Taken from Australian Gun Traffickers
27 August 2009
Sydney Morning Herald / AAP
Police raids and an undercover operation have netted more than 100 illegal firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition in a crackdown on an alleged Wollongong-based gun trafficking network.
Three men — Michael Zarakas of Fairy Meadow, Aristos Dionys of Mangerton and Andrew Kafizas of Wollongong — face a total of 110 firearm trafficking charges between them.
The trio appeared before Magistrate Paul Johnson at Wollongong Local Court on Thursday but did not apply... (GunPolicy.org)
Machine Guns, Handguns Seized in Wollongong Weapons Cache
26 August 2009
NSW Police Force, Media release
Police in Wollongong have arrested three men over the sale and possession of illegal firearms, including a World War Two machine gun.
Strike Force Bowl was formed in April to investigate the supply of illegal weapons within the Wollongong Local Area Command.
Investigations over several weeks led detectives to seize a cache of 12 firearms, including:
- A World War II Bren Light Machine Gun
- A home-made machine gun
- A 12 gauge shotgun
- A number of pistols.
The Bren... (GunPolicy.org)
Law Abiding Gun Owners, Politicians Spray US Town with Machine Guns
23 August 2009
Grand Rapids Press (Michigan)
EVART — When Rudolph Tuten and his wife heard machine guns firing near their home July 18, they did not expect the bullet that hit the side of the garage.
"We thought the war was over here," said Tuten, who was standing in the backyard when a bullet pierced the vinyl siding. "All of a sudden: Kaboom! It could have killed someone. "
The bullet came from a shooting demonstration more than a mile away on a farm owned by Kent County Commissioner Dean Agee, R-Grand... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Terror Group 'Planned' to Find Automatic Weapons, Say Police
7 August 2009
ABC Radio News (Australia), Transcript
ASHLEY HALL — When police released the details of the alleged terrorism plot they foiled this week in Melbourne, they claimed that the would-be attackers were planning to use automatic and semi-automatic weapons.
Long-barrelled semi-automatic weapons were outlawed by John Howard after the Port Arthur massacre in 1996 and there was a crackdown on semi-automatic handguns after the Monash University shooting seven years ago.
Nonetheless, criminologists say there are... (GunPolicy.org)
Church Shooting Rampage Botched in Germany as Machine Gun Jams
31 July 2009
Associated Press
BERLIN — An 82-year-old man who planned a shooting rampage at a meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses was deterred because his submachine gun jammed, police said Friday. He was overpowered and arrested.
The man entered the group's meeting hall in the western city of Bielefeld on Thursday evening, wielding the weapon, police said in a statement.
The hall was evacuated and the man quickly left the building, waving the gun as he walked toward his car. He was then overpowered... (GunPolicy.org)
Masked 82yr-old Pensioner Waves Machine Gun in German Church
31 July 2009
The Local (Germany)
An 82-year-old man who entered a meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses armed with a submachine gun, three magazines, a Samurai sword and a knife has been arrested, Bielefeld police reported on Friday.
Some 81 members of the church were gathered in their Kingdom Hall on Dunlopstraße in the city's Sennestadt district when a congregation member noticed the masked elderly man enter the vestibule waving the machine gun around 8:45 pm on Thursday.
The witness quietly informed the... (GunPolicy.org)
Woman Robber Shot Dead, Safety-conscious Ex Gives Up Machine Gun
23 July 2009
Oklahoman
OKLAHOMA CITY — The female robber killed by a bank security guard had a machine gun in the main getaway vehicle and another machine gun in her 2007 truck, Oklahoma City police reported.
Barbara Sue Payton Lewis, 56, was shot and killed as she tried to rob MidFirst Bank at 2225 N May on Saturday morning, police reported. Her ex-husband, Samuel Booth Lewis, 56, was wounded by the guard during a shoot-out outside the bank, police reported. He is now in jail on a murder... (GunPolicy.org)
United Kingdom,England & Wales
London Schoolgirl, 13, Arrested After Assault Rifle Found in Her Wardrobe
22 July 2009
Daily Mail (UK)
A 13-year-old schoolgirl has been arrested by armed police — after they discovered a high-powered assault rifle in her wardrobe.
The teenager was taken into custody yesterday morning after the automatic machine gun — typically capable of firing up to 800 rounds-per-minute — was seized at a flat in Croydon, South London.
Around 15 officers carrying sub-machine guns, hydraulic battering rams and combat shields raced to the address after hearing reports of the... (GunPolicy.org)
What Assault Weapon Ban? Loopholes Have Weakened California Law
15 July 2009
San Luis Obispo New Times (California)
On paper, California has among the strictest prohibitions of assault weapon-style guns in the nation. First passed in 1989 in response to a mass murder of elementary school children involving an AK-47, the state law bans the sale of weapons with certain militaristic features and bans other weapons and parts specifically by name.
The law has been vilified by gun enthusiasts and heralded as an example to the nation by gun opponents.
But does the law still have... (GunPolicy.org)
Shoot 'em Up on the Fourth; Regular 4 July Machine Gun Shoot in Florida
4 July 2009
Hernando Today (Florida)
CHASSAHOWITZKA — They wore earplugs and had to scream over machine gun fire, but that didn't stop a couple of gung ho firearms enthusiasts from swapping a few jokes.
"Is this what July 4 is all about?" one guy screamed to another.
"If I heard (Thomas) Jefferson correctly, he said do this every 4th of July!" he answered.
Seconds later, someone fired off 100 rounds from a custom-made, chopped-down, .223-caliber HK53K.
The 4-inch barrel did nothing to muffle the... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Dealer Tells His Story After 3 Years' Jail in Zimbabwe Under Mugabe
3 July 2009
SW Radio Africa (London), Transcript
Violet Gonda: My guest on the programme Hot Seat is Michael Peter Hitschmann who was released from jail on Thursday. The former police constable was initially arrested for allegedly plotting to assassinate President Robert Mugabe at his birthday celebration in Manicaland in 2006. He served a total of 40 months for possessing dangerous firearms without a licence. I spoke with the firearms dealer on the day he was released and first asked him how he was feeling.
Michael... (GunPolicy.org)
Feds Seize 75 Weapons from Virginia Man Making, Selling Machine Guns
27 June 2009
Washington Post
Federal agents raided an Alexandria man's home and seized 75 guns after he sold three machine guns to an undercover agent beginning in April, authorities said yesterday.
John M. Walker, 50, was charged with illegally converting semiautomatic weapons into fully automatic ones, court records show. Fully automatic weapons are legal but heavily regulated. Walker was not a licensed dealer, according to Special Agent Mike Campbell of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms... (GunPolicy.org)
Insurrectionist Found with Machine Gun: US Gun Dealer's Range Closed
9 June 2009
KOMO-TV News (Washington)
MONROE, Washington — Special federal agents are investigating a local gun range suspected of serving as a militia training camp, according to court documents.
Owner Jim Faire says he can't afford to run a background check on every visitor because his outdoor gun range is a nonprofit business. As a result, he said, county officials and the FBI have begun cracking down on the range after a convicted felon was caught with guns and drugs there.
With thousands of shells... (GunPolicy.org)
Malaysia Probes Political, Crime Links to Illegal Submachine Gun Cache
27 May 2009
New Straits Times (Malaysia)
KUALA LUMPUR — A cache of weapons and ammunition found in Bercham, Perak, on Sunday night could be linked to the chaotic political situation in the state, police say.
This is one of the possibilities police are probing, besides the possibility of the cache being used for criminal or militant activities.
What is certain, though, is that the weapons and ammunition were brought in from a neighbouring country. Checks revealed that the cache was not from the armoury of... (GunPolicy.org)
Was 'Anti-aircraft' Gun Seized in Mexico a Big Police Hoax?
10 May 2009
Narcosphere, Web page
Mexican federal police commander Gen. Rodolfo Cruz Lopez described a weapon seized last month from one of the nation's deadly "drug cartels" as a .50 caliber anti-aircraft gun that fires 6-inch armor-piercing bullets at the rate of 800 rounds per minute.
The mainstream media coverage on both sides of the border trumpeted the capture of this Rambo-style machine gun as evidence of the increasing danger the drug-trafficking organizations pose to civil society.
A report... (GunPolicy.org)
Machine-guns, Assault Weapons, Handguns Found in Sydney Gang Bust
2 May 2009
Sydney Morning Herald
A Comanchero safe house containing machine guns, bullet-proof vests, a ramming device, a police badge and uniforms has been found after a federal drug investigation, police say.
As a result of information from the Australian Crime Commission, which has been investigating pseudoephedrine sales in Sydney, St George police raided an apartment in Belgrave Street, Kogarah, and said they found a cache of guns, ammunition and police gear.
Five automatic pistols, a Thompson... (GunPolicy.org)
Connecticut Senate OKs Machine Gun Ban for Children After 8yr-old Killed
30 April 2009
Associated Press
The Connecticut Senate on Thursday approved a measure that would ban children under 16 years old from handling or shooting machine guns.
The legislation, which passed on a 31-2 vote, stems from the October death of an 8-year-old Ashford boy who accidentally shot himself in the head with an Uzi at a Massachusetts gun show.
"For a young person, a minor, to handle an automatic weapon … it's like saying that it's OK to pick up a rattlesnake and that it is somehow going... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexican Arms Race: Ever-bigger US and Other Guns Reach Drug Cartels
19 April 2009
Associated Press
MEXICO CITY, Mexico — An escalating arms race among Mexico's drug cartels casts doubt on whether Mexico or the U.S. can stop the flow of weaponry, despite renewed vows last week from presidents of both countries.
Stockpiles captured by Mexican soldiers show that warring traffickers are now obtaining military-grade weaponry such as grenades, launchers, machine guns, mortars and anti-tank rockets.
Some drug gangs have even sought explosive material that some experts... (GunPolicy.org)
Sydney Gun Dealer, Collector Gives Up Illegal Automatic Assault Weapons
19 April 2009
Sydney Morning Herald
An alleged illegal gun dealer charged by police over a hoard of military firearms, including the first AK-47 assault rifle seized in NSW, has used the gun amnesty to surrender more firearms.
A solicitor acting for Allan Driver, 59, of Elanora Heights, stunned Firearms and Organised Crime Squad officers by surrendering six high-powered weapons and ammunition to Manly police on Wednesday.
Police said the weapons were inside a locked metal strongbox and included a 5.56mm... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Feds Seize 41 Firearms, .30cal Machine Gun in BC Drug Raid
10 April 2009
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
VICTORIA — A military-grade machine gun seized by Nanaimo RCMP this week is likely an army surplus weapon smuggled into Canada as part of the thriving illegal gun trade, a Vancouver-based firearms researcher said yesterday.
"It's almost certainly a smuggled weapon," said Gary Mauser, a retired Simon Fraser University business professor who has lectured extensively on the criminal use of firearms.
"Most of the illegal weapons like this are military surplus that... (GunPolicy.org)
US Judge OKs Doctor's 110 Machine Guns, Rifles, But Not 98 Grenades
9 April 2009
Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — A federal grand jury indicted an Arkansas doctor Wednesday for illegally owning military grenades, while issuing no charges over supposedly unregistered machine guns found his extensive weapons cache.
Dr. Randeep Mann, 50, of London faces a single felony charge after city workers stumbled across a stash of 98 high-explosive grenades in a wooded area near his home, said U.S. Attorney Jane Duke. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years... (GunPolicy.org)
Mounties Alarmed by Military Arms Cache, .50cal Machine Gun in BC
9 April 2009
United Press International
NANAIMO, British Columbia — The Royal Canadian Mounted Police expressed concern over the nature of heavy weapons they seized in a Vancouver Island raid.
Early Wednesday, RCMP officers stormed a large property with numerous buildings on it near Nanaimo and arrested four men and a woman after finding more than 1 pound of cocaine, at least $50,000 in cash and a total of 41 weapons, the Times Colonist newspaper in Victoria reported.
Constable Gary O'Brien said two... (GunPolicy.org)
Fear, Nazism, Racism, Obama Paranoia at Famous US Gun Club Event
7 April 2009
Washington Independent (Washington, DC)
WEST POINT, Kentucky — The sound of gunfire rumbles and echoes from half a mile away, long before anyone can see the entrance. The walk up to the Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot starts on the country road outside the range, lined with cars from Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and Georgia. Their occupants scramble for space before grabbing their ammo and starting uphill. They trudge through dirt that mostly, mercifully, has not yet turned into mud, and up to a gate where for $10... (GunPolicy.org)
Sydney Police Seize Machine Guns, .50cal Sniper Rifle, Assault Weapons
3 April 2009
Sydney Morning Herald / AAP
Among a stockpile of illegal weapons seized by police was a sniper rifle so powerful it could bring down a jet or penetrate a bulletproof car over two kilometres away, experts say.
A sniper standing on Sydney's Centrepoint Tower using the .50 calibre rifle could take out the engine of a car near the Opera House or stop a bus on the Anzac Bridge, such was its potency, they said.
Police yesterday showed off the weapons stash, which also included a Russian-designed AK-47... (GunPolicy.org)
Machine Guns, AK-47, .50cal Sniper Rifle Seized in Australian Police Raid
2 April 2009
Australian Associated Press
An AK-47 assault rifle, a high-calibre sniper rifle and machine guns are among a large cache of weapons uncovered by police in a sting operation culminating in a series of Sydney raids.
The Russian-designed Kalashnikov military rifle is the first recovered by New South Wales police.
Two men have been arrested after the year-long operation targeting the illegal supply of military-style firearms and other weapons, which culminated in raids yesterday and... (GunPolicy.org)
New Law Would Ban Machine Guns for Children Under 16 in Connecticut
1 April 2009
Hartford Courant (Connecticut)
Responding to the tragic death of an 8-year-old Connecticut boy at a Massachusetts gun club, a key legislative committee voted Tuesday on a measure designed to keep machine guns out of the hands of anyone under 16.
The judiciary committee passed the bill, which prohibits the physical transfer of such weapons to children, in response to the death of Christopher K. Bizilj, an Ashford boy who lost control of a Micro Uzi submachine gun and accidentally shot himself in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Stolen Guns Fuelled Bangladesh Border Guard Mutiny, Bloodbath
13 March 2009
Daily Star (Dhaka)
Daisy Ahmed missed a heartbeat when she saw something wrapped in BDR uniform lying abandoned at the entrance to her house in Ganaktuli, a locality adjacent to the fifth gate of border guards' headquarters.
After the February 25-26 mutiny that degenerated into a bloodbath at their HQ, most of the riflemen reportedly fled through the gate 5.
It was 9:00 in the night the next day when everybody thought the wrapped thing was a rifle. But the police discovered a... (GunPolicy.org)
Nevada Feds Seize 'About 40 Machine Guns' from Anti-government Group
10 March 2009
KLAS-TV News (Nevada)
Federal government documents detail why four men with anti-government beliefs were arrested in Las Vegas last week.
When federal agents pulled a machine gun out of a home near Charleston and Cimarron, it was just one part of a three-state investigation.
For three years, the Nevada Joint Terrorism Task Force had been using confidential informants to investigate allegations of money laundering, tax evasion, and the possession of unregistered machine guns.
Neighbor Jim... (GunPolicy.org)
British Police Find Uzi Submachine Gun Under Hut in Wolverhampton
10 March 2009
Wolverhampton Express and Star (UK)
An Uzi machine gun and ammunition has been discovered hidden under a hut in a Black Country residential street.
The find came at a house in the Merridale area of Wolverhampton after police received a tip-off.
Detectives are hunting for the gangsters who aimed to use it. The house owner had no idea that the weapon, which has been sent for forensic testing, was being concealed on his property. The gun was found by members of the West Midland Police Serious and Organised... (GunPolicy.org)
Arkansas Gun Dealer Loses Illegal Machine Guns, Grenades, Licence
9 March 2009
Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — The father of a doctor accused of stockpiling more than $1 million worth of machine guns, grenade launchers and grenades in and around his home is a known international arms dealer, and he and his son made frequent trips outside the country in the past two years, a federal agent testified Monday.
Prosecutors and an agent of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives offered no evidence tying Dr. Randeep Mann's weapons to his... (GunPolicy.org)
Machine Gun Stolen from Ontario Gun Owner Found in Toronto Drug Bust
1 March 2009
Toronto Star (Ontario)
Two men found with a machine gun and about 50 rounds of ammunition at the Yorkdale mall parking lot were arrested by Toronto police yesterday.
The Toronto police arrived at the parking lot at about 3:30 p.m. on Saturday to follow up on an ongoing investigation.
Police recovered the machine gun and ammunition along with cocaine and marijuana in the suspect's vehicle.
It was later determined the gun was stolen from Quebec in 2007.
Tohir Noorali, 23, of Toronto and... (GunPolicy.org)
Las Vegas Airport Baggage Handler Jailed for Stealing Police, Military Guns
26 February 2009
Associated Press
LAS VEGAS — A former baggage handler at McCarran International Airport has been sentenced to five years and three months in federal prison for stealing guns from checked luggage and selling at least one of them.
Salvatore Lanzafame pleaded guilty last September in U.S. District Court to possession and sale of a stolen firearm, theft of government property and unlawful possession of a machine gun.
The 21-year-old Lanzafame worked for TGS Aviation Services.
He... (GunPolicy.org)
Recoilless Auto-shotgun Key to an Appalachian Gunsmith's Robot Army
23 February 2009
New Yorker, Vol 85, No 2
At the age of seventy-four, Jerry Baber has winnowed his primary interests in life to four subjects: shotguns, robots, women, and cars. When Baber is holding forth — his default mode of communication being the filibuster — his conversation tends to fall somewhere among these categories. Often his passions intersect, as in the question of whether or not a Corvette is an ideal car for picking up women. (It is.) Similarly, Baber might be discussing his love of robots... (GunPolicy.org)
Boston Traffic Stop Yields Crime Gun Trafficker, AK-47 Machine Gun, Colt .45
23 February 2009
Daily Item (Massachusetts)
REVERE — A man who allegedly tried trafficking weapons to a high-crime neighborhood in Boston was found in possession of an AK-47 among other weapons after State Police pulled him over on Saturday for running a red light on Route 60, police said.
Paul Leggio, 24, of 7 Crestway Road, East Boston, was arrested on a long list of charges, including possession of a machine gun, possession of a high-capacity firearm and driving with a revoked license.
State Police say... (GunPolicy.org)
US: 'Great Neighbour' Charged with Illegal Possession of Machine Guns
17 February 2009
Telegram & Gazette (Massachusetts)
AUBURN — While local police will huddle with the district attorney today to figure out what charges to bring against the owner of a Rochdale Street house where 85 weapons, about 800 pounds of ammunition and two boxes of suspected explosives were confiscated on Thursday, Anthony Simulynas' neighbors said he was a very good man who has lived in the area for years.
"I've known Tony for a long, long, long time," said Douglas Stewart, 77, of 412 Rochdale St., "and he's a... (GunPolicy.org)
US Carry Permit Holder Caught with Illegal Machine Guns, 100 Firearms
10 February 2009
Telegram (Massachusetts)
WORCESTER — Heavy machine guns, shotguns, pistols, large boxes of ammunition and a how-to book on bomb making rested on the floor of a room in the Police Department yesterday.
Police don't know why 54-year-old Paul D. Mateiko kept more than 100 guns and some explosives in his 184 Highland St. home. He hadn't shown any signs of aggression in the past, nor had he been arrested for weapons violations.
Authorities discovered the weapons during a medical call Saturday... (GunPolicy.org)
Illegal Assault Weapons Now Incur 5-10 Year Prison Term in New Jersey
5 February 2009
Star-Ledger (New Jersey)
People caught with machine guns or other illegal assault weapons will face harsher penalties under a bill signed into law today by Gov. Jon Corzine, who used the occasion to push for another bill that would restrict handgun purchases in New Jersey to one per month.
Under the new law, the unlawful possession of a machine gun or assault firearm is classified as a second-degree crime, carrying a penalty of five to 10 years in prison or a $150,000 fine. It was previously... (GunPolicy.org)
Rush to Buy Guns Includes More Women, Say Florida Gun Show Dealers
28 January 2009
Florida Trend
MIAMI — It was a tough day for Victor Bean. Typically, a weekend in September would find 3,300 people at his Victor Bean Southern Classic Gun and Knife Show in Miami. But the threat of a hurricane had people in line at Home Depot and Publix, making for a very slow day for Bean, a friendly 49 year old. "When things are slow, we joke, 'Where's Bill Clinton when you need him?' "
Many a true word spoken in jest. Two months later, Barack Obama won the presidency, and... (GunPolicy.org)
US Police Chief Charged in Boy's Machine Gun Death Resigns
27 January 2009
Associated Press
PELHAM, Massachusetts — The Massachusetts police chief who is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of a boy at a gun show has resigned.
Pelham Chief Edward Fleury's resignation was accepted by the Board of Selectmen on Monday, three months after 8-year-old Christopher Bizilj accidentally shot himself with an Uzi during a Westfield gun fair.
Fleury's company, COP Firearms & Training, sponsored the event. He has pleaded not guilty.
The boy, from... (GunPolicy.org)
Underworld Trade in Smuggled Guns Said to Be Thriving in Ireland
25 January 2009
Sunday Times (UK)
"It's new and has never been used. It's a clean gun," said the underworld arms dealer, as he handled the .357 Magnum revolver that he was offering to sell.
"This baby will set you back a few grand. If you want something different or more powerful, I can get you an AK-47, or a machine-gun pistol, but it will take time. There are a few AKs knocking about, but these will cost more and attract a lot of attention if found by the police."
The asking price for the... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago Pair Planned to Use .50cal Machine Gun in US Terror Plot
16 January 2009
Lake County News-Sun (Illinois)
A North Chicago man accused of terrorist conspiracies against Americans and U.S. military personnel pleaded guilty Thursday in Ohio.
Zubair A. Ahmed, 29, and his cousin, Khaleel Ahmed, 27, of Chicago, also pleaded guilty before U.S. District Chief Judge James Carr in Toledo to one count of conspiracy to provide material support and resources, including the defendants themselves as personnel to terrorists.
The Ahmeds face a statutory maximum of 15 years in prison and a... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Chief Pleads Not Guilty in Uzi Death of 8yr-old Boy at US Gun Club
23 December 2008
Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts — A police chief in western Massachusetts pleaded not guilty Monday to involuntary manslaughter in the death of an 8-year-old boy who accidentally shot himself with an Uzi at a gun show.
Pelham Chief Edward Fleury owns COPS Firearms & Training, which promoted the October show where Christopher Bizilj shot himself in the head.
Fleury's lawyer, David Kuzmeski, also entered not guilty pleas on Fleury's behalf to four counts of furnishing a... (GunPolicy.org)
Some Machine-gun Shoots in Texas Let Children Attend, Fire Weapons
22 December 2008
Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas)
Chris Hipes enjoys the challenge of a shooting match so much that he started the North Texas Submachinegun Match about five years ago.
But he isn't sure he wants his daughter to participate.
She's only 7 months old now, but he said she'll have to be well-trained — and ready both physically and mentally — before she can take part in these events.
"It's an inherently dangerous sport," said Hipes, a 35-year-old maintenance supervisor in Denton. "It's like NASCAR. If... (GunPolicy.org)
American Gun Clubs Tout Safety Record After 14yr-old Boy's Uzi Death
12 December 2008
Associated Press
BOSTON — Gun control advocates are hoping that manslaughter indictments in the death of an 8-year-old boy who was allowed to fire an Uzi during a gun fair will have a chilling effect nationally on gun shows that encourage the participation of children.
But enthusiasts say gun ranges are remarkably safe and that most shows do not feature live shooting like the one in Westfield where Christopher Bizilj, of Ashford, Conn., lost control of the powerful automatic weapon... (GunPolicy.org)
UK Grandmother 'Petrified' After Receiving Police Machine Gun in the Mail
10 December 2008
Telegraph (UK)
Catherine Roots had been expecting a horse harness in the post, instead she opened her package to find a Heckler & Koch black submachine gun.
The package was delivered by a courier to Mrs Roots when it should have been sent to firearms officers at the nearby police headquarters.
She called the station and two armed officers turned up and took it away.
Police later explained a gun supply company made a mistake with the postcode when they sent it to Dorset Police in... (GunPolicy.org)
8yr-old Dies at Gun Club: Massachusetts May Ban Machine Guns for Kids
5 December 2008
Republican (Massachusetts)
BOSTON — State legislators called for tightening laws on gun clubs and the use of weapons by minors, following the criminal charges issued on Thursday in the death of an 8-year-old Connecticut boy who accidentally shot himself with a submachine gun at the Westfield Sportsman's Club.
State Rep. Michael A. Costello, co-chairman of the Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, said he would hold an oversight hearing and take testimony to determine what laws... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Chief, Gun Club Charged in Connecticut Boy's Machine Gun Death
5 December 2008
Hartford Courant (Connecticut)
A Massachusetts grand jury has indicted a police chief, two Connecticut men and a gun club in the Oct. 26 death of an 8-year-old Ashford boy who shot himself in the head at a machine gun event in Westfield, Mass.
Christopher K. Bizilj lost control of a 9mm Micro Uzi at the Machine Gun Shoot and Firearms Expo at the Westfield Sportsman's Club. The two-day event was sponsored by the club and COP Firearms & Training, a business owned by Edward B. Fleury, a firearms... (GunPolicy.org)
Death of 8yr-old Boy in Uzi Pumpkin Shoot Brings Calls for Gun Club Law
8 November 2008
Boston Globe
The micro Uzi machine pistol placed in the hands of an 8-year-old at a Westfield gun club's pumpkin shoot last month is so hard to handle that it has earned a nickname among gun enthusiasts: the "Fifty-fifty."
"That means there is a fifty-fifty chance that you'll either kill whomever or whatever you're aiming it at or kill yourself," said Steve Traver, owner of D&S Gunworks, a firearms company in Hancock. "That machine gun should have never been at that shoot. It... (GunPolicy.org)
US Town Abandons Police Chief Who Ran Fatal Machine Gun Shoot
31 October 2008
Springfield Republican (Massachusetts)
PELHAM — Caught in the glare of the media spotlight over the accidental death of an 8-year-old boy at a gun show in Westfield on Sunday, selectmen distanced the town Thursday from Police Chief Edward B. Fleury and his company that sponsored the event.
Christopher K. Bizilj, of Ashford, Conn., died after losing control of the 9 mm Micro UZI machine gun he was shooting Sunday during a firearms expo at the Westfield Sportsman's Club. COP Firearms & Training, a private... (GunPolicy.org)
Not First Shooting Mishap for US Cop Who Ran Fatal Machine Gun Shoot
31 October 2008
Amherst Bulletin (Massachesetts)
SPRINGFIELD — The Hampden County district attorney has undertaken a criminal investigation of a Westfield firearms fair at which an 8-year-old boy died Sunday after accidentally shooting himself in the head with a machine gun.
Meanwhile, Pelham Police Chief Edward Fleury, whose organization co-sponsored the event, continues to decline to answer questions about his involvement in the Machine Gun Shoot and Firearms Expo.
He did, however, issue a statement Wednesday... (GunPolicy.org)
Senseless Death of 8yr-old US Boy Firing Uzi with Dad: 'Legal, But Insane'
30 October 2008
Boston Globe, Editorial
Eight-year-old Christopher Bizilj, who accidentally shot himself to death Sunday with an automatic Micro Uzi, is a tragic example of how something can be legal and still insane.
Christopher was taken by his father to an annual machine gun shoot at the Westfield Sportsman's Club. According to advertising for the event, no minimum age and no licenses were required to shoot machine guns at pumpkins and "other fun stuff we can't print here." The advertisement boasted,... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Control Advocates Ask Why Dead 8yr-old Was Allowed to Fire Uzi
29 October 2008
Hartford Courant (Connecticut)
A Massachusetts county prosecutor overseeing the criminal investigation into the shooting death Sunday of an Ashford third-grader at a machine gun shoot said he could find "no lawful authority" for the boy, 8, to possess or fire a machine gun.
Hampden County District Attorney William M. Bennett said Tuesday that the criminal investigation is focused on two questions: whether there was a violation of Massachusetts gun laws at the "Machine Gun Shoot and Firearms Expo" at... (GunPolicy.org)
US Authorities Hunt for Charges to Lay in Shooting Death of 8yr-old Boy
29 October 2008
Boston Globe
Two days after an 8-year-old boy fatally shot himself with a machine gun at a weapons exposition in Westfield, the Hampden district attorney launched a criminal investigation yesterday into the incident.
In a press release, District Attorney William M. Bennett said he has found "no lawful authority" or law that would allow an 8-year-old to possess or fire a machine gun.
The investigation is expected to focus on whether any state laws that govern the use of firearms... (GunPolicy.org)
Uzi Recoils, Questions Echo: US Boy's Death Spurs Gun Law Scrutiny
28 October 2008
Boston Globe
WESTFIELD — As his father raised his camera, an 8-year-old boy aimed an Uzi at a pumpkin set up at a shooting event. Before his father could focus, the third-grader from Connecticut squeezed the trigger, and the high-powered weapon recoiled and fatally shot the boy in the head.
The death of Christopher Bizilj at the Westfield Sportsman's Club Sunday has raised questions about how someone so young could be allowed to shoot an automatic weapon, which can fire hundreds... (GunPolicy.org)
8yr-old Firing Machine Gun 'Beyond Comprehension,' Says Police Chief
28 October 2008
Xinhua
BEIJING — The death of an 8-year-old U.S. boy who accidentally shot himself in the head with an Uzi at a gun fair has raised many questions again about the country's gun control system, according to media reports.
On Sunday, Christopher Bizilj of Ashford, Conn., lost control of the submachine gun while firing it with an instructor watching at the Machine Gun Shoot & Firearms Expo at a sportsman's club in Westfield, Massachusetts, police said.
As the third-grader... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Safety Experts, Enthusiasts Wonder Why 8yr-old Was Firing Uzi
28 October 2008
Associated Press
WESTFIELD, Massachusetts — With an instructor watching, an 8-year-old boy at a gun fair aimed an Uzi at a pumpkin and pulled the trigger as his dad reached for a camera.
It was his first time shooting a fully automatic machine gun, and the recoil of the weapon was too much for him. He lost control and fatally shot himself in the head.
Now gun safety experts — and some gun enthusiasts at the club where the shooting happened — are wondering why such a young child... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Fun Days, Machine Gun Shoots Attract Kids, Adults Across America
28 October 2008
Boston Herald
Machine gun "shoots" such as the one that unfolded tragically in Westfield on Sunday are rare throughout the country — and often controversial.
A similar firearms fest is hosted by the Hanson Rod and Gun Club, which was criticized in 1999 for allowing children as young as 6 to shoot automatic weapons.
Months later, a special town meeting voted to ban anyone younger than 21 from pulling the trigger at the event.
The Knob Creek Gun Range Machine Gun Shoot in Kentucky... (GunPolicy.org)
Letting an 8-year-old Play With a Loaded Machine Gun; Are You Crazy?
28 October 2008
Boston Herald, Opinion
Yesterday afternoon I watched my neighbor's 8-year-old, barely 4 feet tall, his backpack half as big as he is, walking home from school.
Handing a fully loaded, 9 mm Micro Uzi machine gun to any child, particularly a child that age, letting him pull a trigger that sets off one automatic round after another after another?
You've got to be out of your mind.
Yet apparently that's what they've been doing for years now at the Westfield Sportsman's Club, where a Web site... (GunPolicy.org)
8yr-old Boy Shot Dead with Uzi: Police Chief Ran US Machine Gun Shoot
28 October 2008
Boston Herald
A leading gun control advocate says tougher laws are needed in the wake of a "machine gun shoot" that allowed an 8-year-old boy to pull the trigger on an Uzi, accidentally killing himself with a bullet to the head.
John Rosenthal, founder of the nonprofit Stop Handgun Violence, considers the ability of gun clubs to hold machine gun shoots a "loophole" in the federal assault weapons ban that former Gov. Mitt Romney made permanent in the Bay State.
"There ought to be a... (GunPolicy.org)
Dad Stood Behind 8yr-old as He Fired Uzi, Killed Himself at US Fun Day
27 October 2008
Republican (Massachusetts) / Boston Globe / AP
WESTFIELD, Massachusetts — An 8-year-old boy who accidentally shot himself to death Sunday had his father's permission to participate in a machine gun shoot at the Westfield Sportsman's Club.
Christopher Bizilj, of Ashford, Conn., was firing a 9 mm Micro UZI machine gun at a pumpkin around 2 p.m. when he lost control of the automatic combat-type weapon and shot himself once in the head.
He died at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.
"I gave permission for... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Probe US Machine Gun 'Fun' Event After 8yr-old Boy Dies Firing Uzi
27 October 2008
Reuters
BOSTON — Authorities in Massachusetts are investigating a gun fair where an 8-year-old boy died after accidentally shooting himself in the head with an Uzi submachine gun while under adult supervision, police said on Monday.
Christopher Bizilj lost control of the weapon on Sunday at the Machine Gun Shoot & Firearms Expo at a sportsman's club in Westfield, a city about 96 miles west of the state capital Boston, police said.
He was rushed to hospital, where he was... (GunPolicy.org)
8yr-old American Boy Dies Firing Submachine Gun with Dad at Gun Club
27 October 2008
Boston Globe
An 8-year-old boy died yesterday at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield after he accidentally shot himself in the head at a Westfield gun club, Westfield Police reported.
Police said the child's death, caused by a fully automatic Uzi machine gun, appears to have been an accident, but it remains under investigation.
The Westfield Police Department released a statement about what they described as a self-inflicted, accidental shooting, which occurred at 2 p.m. at the... (GunPolicy.org)
Gendarmes Steal, Sell Police Machine Gun, Confiscated Rifles in Algeria
11 October 2008
El Khabar (Algeria)
2 National Gendarmerie agents have been arrested after being charged of stealing 2 weapons a National Gendarmerie brigade in Oum Bouaghi province eastern Algeria.
Both defendants have stolen PA arms, and several rifles. These arms have been withdrawn from citizens in the 90's, while one gun machine belonged to the National Gendarmerie, a local source said.
According to the investigation clues, the arms have been sold for an amount exceeding 100 thousand AD each. They... (GunPolicy.org)
Illegal Handguns in Britain: Cheap, Easy to Get and on a Street Near You
31 August 2008
Guardian (UK)
[Photo: A Webley revolver pistol. [sic.]]
The gun shown here, a Webley, is up for sale in London for £150, one of hundreds of such weapons that are easily and cheaply available on the streets of the UK's big cities, a Guardian investigation can reveal.
The variety of weapons on offer in Britain is extensive and includes machine guns and shotguns, as well as pistols and converted replicas. A source close to the trade in illegal weapons contacted by the Guardian listed... (GunPolicy.org)
UK Machine Gun Factory Mastermind Linked to 9 Murders, Jailed for Life
28 August 2008
Agence France Presse
LONDON — A man was jailed for life Thursday for running the country's biggest-ever gun factory which converted dozens of replica submachine guns into deadly weapons used in nine gangland murders.
Grant Wilkinson, 34, legally bought 90 replica Mac-10s in 2004, saying they were for use on the set of the James Bond film "Casino Royale" and paying 55,000 pounds in cash.
But instead, he converted them into live firearms in two sheds — one of which was a soundproofed... (GunPolicy.org)
Despite Restraining Order, Massachusetts Man Asserts Right to 50 Guns
6 August 2008
Bourne Courier (Massachusetts), Column
CAPE COD — Last week police confiscated a small arsenal of illegal guns, ammunition and other assorted weapons from the Marstons Mills home of Kenneth Webster. On July 1 police also removed several guns and knives that had been on his person and in his car. In total, more than 50 weapons were taken from Webster including a sawed-off shotgun, an M14 automatic rifle and a sniper rifle.
When he was arrested on July 1 Webster reportedly told police that he had a... (GunPolicy.org)
US Man Had Machine Gun, Assault Weapons, Handguns, Mental Illness
31 July 2008
Cape Cod Times (Massachusetts)
MARSTONS MILLS, Massachusetts — Under an unrelenting sun, a massive collection of deadly weaponry was displayed yesterday afternoon at 3640 Falmouth Road in the woods overlooking Mill Pond.
More than 50 handguns, shotguns, rifles, high-powered assault rifles, hundreds of rounds of assorted ammunition including a case clearly labeled "NATO," throwing knives, bayonets, an inert bomb, and a 50-pound bag of black powder were laid out on a green tarp in front of the house... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed Machine Gun Collector Admits Selling 30 of 130 'Lost' Firearms
22 July 2008
New Zealand Herald
A man who claimed 130 guns, including automatic rifles and sub-machine guns, had been stolen from his home has pleaded guilty to illegally selling 30 of them.
John Noel Mabey, 43, told police that the guns had been stolen from his Hot Water Beach home in a burglary in July last year.
Police charged Mabey with giving a false statement to police. Only nine of the guns have been found so far.
Mabey will reappear in the Hamilton District Court on September 5.
Waikato... (GunPolicy.org)