Gun Policy News
American gun maker, firearms in mass media
Mexico Sues US Gunmakers to Stop Weapons Crossing Border
4 August 2021
Guardian
The Mexican government has launched legal action against US gunmakers in an unprecedented attempt to halt the flow of guns across the border, where US-made weapons are routinely used in cartel gun-battles, terror attacks on civilians – and increasingly to challenge the state itself.
The Mexican government is suing six gunmakers in a Massachusetts court, alleging negligence in their failure to control their distributors and that the illegal market in Mexico "has been... (GunPolicy.org)
Over 60,000 Registered Firearms in NZ
14 February 2018
Scoop (New Zealand)
Address to Otago University Public Health Summer School, Wellington
By Chris Cahill
President, NZ Police Association
The Police Association welcomes the timing of this symposium because it is clear to us that New Zealand needs to have a co-operative, common sense conversation about firearms.
We need to avoid resorting to extremes which we see paralysing jurisdictions such as the United States.
It has to be noted that the NRA has even inserted itself into our firearms... (GunPolicy.org)
Pennsylvania Lifts Ban on Hunting with Semi-automatic Guns
27 November 2016
Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh)
It isn't a sense of power in his hands, or the thrill of having the ability to kill. It's not even the ear bursting BANG, BANG, BANG at the shooting range.
"People who don't have guns never understand why we shoot," said Stephen Ambrose of Washington, Pa. "For me it's the accuracy, the control. When I can punch five holes within the size of a quarter with a semiautomatic tactical rifle, it's a skill most people don't have. I go out to the shooting range and work on it,... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Background Checks Work, May Hamper Suicide Prevention
17 November 2016
Channel News Asia (Singapore), Reuters
Gun control laws that mandate a background check before a gun can be temporarily transferred to a friend or family member may interfere with suicide prevention efforts, researchers say.
The research team looked at what happens when people want to temporarily remove firearms from their home because they fear someone in the house might be considering a suicide attempt. In some states, they found, gun control laws may actually hamper the ability to easily transfer a gun... (GunPolicy.org)
US Document Trove Shows Remington Gun Model Is Unsafe
15 November 2016
CNBC (US)
Owners of Remington's popular Model 700 rifle can now examine for themselves literally millions of pages of internal company documents that have led critics to conclude that the guns are unsafe.
The documents — more than 130,000 files in all — have been assembled in a searchable online database by the advocacy group Public Justice. The organization, which battles against secrecy in the courts, fought successfully last year to make the documents public.
"These... (GunPolicy.org)
Honduras,United States,South America
Firearm Trafficking Soaring in Honduras - Customs [ES]
11 November 2016
La Tribuna (Honduras)
[Translated summary: Every month, Honduran customs seize an average of 35 to 40 firearms of US and South America origin. Among the seized arms are pistols, shotguns, hunting rifles and ammunition. Police say the increase in crime is the reason Hondurans want to arm themselves, and trafficked guns cost one fifth of legal guns.]
Un promedio de 35 a 40 armas de fuego o municiones provenientes de Estados Unidos y de Suramérica decomisan al mes funcionarios de Aduanas de... (GunPolicy.org)
Sudden Spike in US Gun Sales Down to 'Fear of Clinton Victory'
2 November 2016
Independent (UK)
One of the biggest manufacturers of hand guns and assault rifles in the United States is reporting soaring sales in the run-up to the presidential election as enthusiasts fear that a Hillary Clinton victory over Donald Trump could lead to restrictive new gun-control measures.
Sturm, Ruger, maker of AR-type assault rifles as well as an array of other rifles and pistols, said in an earnings call that sales rose by one third, to $161.4 million, in the quarter that ended 1... (GunPolicy.org)
NYT Book Review: 'Another Day in the [Gun] Death of America'
27 October 2016
New York Times, Book review
In 2013, between the wee hours of Nov. 23 and the wee hours of Nov. 24, 10 American children and teenagers were killed by guns. The youngest, Jaiden Dixon, was 9, shot by the deranged father of his eldest brother. The oldest, Kenneth Mills-Tucker, was 19, shot in a car under circumstances that are still unclear.
The number of fatalities that day exceeded the national daily average of 6.75. Then again, averages are almost always misleading — murders of this kind tend... (GunPolicy.org)
Landmark US Mass Shooting Gun Maker Law Suit Dismissed
14 October 2016
New York Times
A Connecticut judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School attack, delivering a blow to an ambitious effort to hold accountable the makers of the assault rifle used in the 2012 massacre before the case ever went to trial.
The judge, Barbara N. Bellis of State Superior Court, had surprised even some of the plaintiffs by allowing the case to move toward trial this year, despite a 2005 federal law that offers firearm... (GunPolicy.org)
Smuggled US Assault Rifles Seized in Dominican Republic [ES]
14 September 2016
Proceso (Dominican Republic)
[Translated summary: A shipment of assault rifles, a shotgun, ammunition and accessories was seized by custom officers of the Dominican Republic. The Sandy Cargo Express ship in which they were found came from Florida. In the last few weeks, Dominican customs seized several guns and ammunition coming from New York, New Jersey, Miami and Puerto Rico.]
Un cargamento de fusiles de asalto, municiones, percutores y cargadores, así como una escopeta calibre 22, fueron... (GunPolicy.org)
Pink Pistols: Gun-Toting Gay Americans, Trained and Armed
12 September 2016
Philadelphia Inquirer
Gwen Patton does not carry a gun specifically because she is a lesbian. She carries a gun because she believes random evil can put its hand on you at any moment - and gay people face additional danger.
"Yeah, because someone mugs you on the street, they want your wallet, they want your watch, they want money. A woman might also face a threat of rape," she says. "Another level is when they don't like you for what you are. There's a quantum leap in danger."
That's why... (GunPolicy.org)
El Salvador Criminal Gang Uses Mostly US-Made Rifles [ES]
7 September 2016
El Faro (El Salvador)
[Translated summary: "Maras" gangsters in El Salvador use assault weapons. The authorities, former soldiers, experts and even gang members confirm that most of them come from the civil war of the 80's. Police seize at least one rifle every 3 days and the most common are the M-16, the AK-47 and the Galil.]
El gobierno del FMLN combate contra mareros equipados con fusiles de asalto. Autoridades, excomandantes, excombatientes, académicos, expertos y los propios... (GunPolicy.org)
More 'Assault Rifle' Firearm Models Join Police Guns in Canada
3 September 2016
Guns (USA)
Canadian police are integrating the controversial AR-15 into the hands of patrol officers as firearm related crimes more than triple in some provinces.
According to several Canadian news outlets, the cities of Winnipeg, Regina and Toronto steadily added the carbine to their arsenal for use in high risk vehicle stops and home entries this year.
"We're seeing stuff we haven't seen before," Sgt. Derek Lamer told the Regina Leader-Post. "We've gone to gun calls and (the... (GunPolicy.org)
Admirable People at US Federal Bureau of Way Too Many Guns
30 August 2016
GQ (USA)
Say there's a murder. Blood everywhere, a dead guy on the floor. The cops come in with their yellow tape, chalk line, the little booties, cameras, swabs, the fingerprint dust. One of them finds a gun on the floor. The gun! He lifts it with his pinkie, examines it, takes note of the serial number. Back at the station, they run a trace on the gun. A name pops up. It's the wife! Or: It's the business partner! It's somebody's gun, and this is so exciting because now they... (GunPolicy.org)
Sweden Allows Only Responsible People to Have a Gun Licence
8 August 2016
Vox (USA)
Twenty years ago, I headed to Sweden for a sabbatical year to study the country's attitudes toward hunting. As a responsible hunter, I brought my own guns — an old 12-gauge shotgun and a Remington .30-06 — because I didn't want to miss a shot or wound an animal using unfamiliar, borrowed firearms.
As a sociologist I thought that bringing my own firearms would give me some firsthand experience with European gun laws. That happened sooner than I expected.
My... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Lose 60 Pistols, Rifles, Machine Gun in Canada [FR]
7 August 2016
La Presse (Montréal)
[Translated summary: Between 2008 and March 2016, agents of the Canadian Mounted Police have lost 48 firearms. Another 12 were stolen from them. Types include rifles, shotguns, pistols and one machine gun. Police must store their arms safely; they can face criminal charges if they are responsible for the loss or theft.]
Une adolescente de Winnipeg atteinte par balle a frôlé la mort l'an dernier. Le pistolet de son assaillant s'est révélé être une arme de service... (GunPolicy.org)
One Million Illegal Guns, 6,700 Seized in Honduras [ES]
4 August 2016
Radio HRN (Honduras)
[Translated summary: Honduras confiscated 6,700 firearms in the last two years, most of them from gangs. Types include AK-47 and AR-15 rifles, .45, .38 and 9 mm handguns, shotguns and handmade guns. It is estimated that the cost of the arms seized since 2014 exceeds 100 million lempiras (4.38 million USD). About 1 million illegal firearms circulate in Honduras and 400,000 are legally registered.]
En lo que va del año van más de 1,400 armas de fuego incautadas lo que... (GunPolicy.org)
Fear, Loathing and Guns: Sensory Overload at NRA Death Mall
25 June 2016
Guardian
"A frightened population is obedient."
– Hunter S Thompson
"I'm not scared about going to jail. Somebody's got to do something to knock the fear out of these negroes."
– Muhammad Ali
At the 145th National Rifle Association annual meetings and exhibits, you could see and purchase replica flintlock muskets like the kind Daniel Boone used, "wardrobe" handguns the size of a cellphone, a carriage-mounted 1883 Gatling gun, historic firearms from the Renaissance down... (GunPolicy.org)
Assault Rifles, Handguns Transform US Firearm Industry
21 June 2016
New York Times
At one time, military-style assault rifles like the ones used at a nightclub in Orlando, Fla., and in other mass shootings represented a relatively small segment of sales for gun manufacturers.
But in recent decades, such guns serve as one of the two financial pillars of the firearms industry, along with smaller handguns that are designed to be concealed, which have been the biggest driver of sales.
Together, the popularity of the assault rifles and small handguns... (GunPolicy.org)
US Debate: Would an Assault Weapon Ban Make a Difference?
13 June 2016
Guardian
In preparation for what would become the deadliest mass shooting in American history, Omar Mateen bought an .223 caliber AR-15-style assault rifle and a 9mm semiautomatic pistol, law enforcement officials said.
The shooters in December's San Bernardino terror attack also used AR-15-style rifles. So did the shooters in the 2012 attacks at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, and an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.
Critics call AR-15-style rifles the weapon of... (GunPolicy.org)
AR-15, the Most 'Domestic' Weapon of War in America [ES]
13 June 2016
El Mundo (Spain)
[Translated summary: After a mass shooting, fear causes Americans to acquire more and more firearms for "self-defense". Some seem even more deadly, like the AR-15, an assault rifle. It is estimated than in the last five years, civilians have bought more than 1.5 millions guns. Prices start at 500 dollars.]
Cualquier vendedor de armas en EEUU sabe que un tiroteo masivo es una buena noticia para el negocio. Y más si es la mayor matanza en la historia del país. Lejos de... (GunPolicy.org)
Assault Rifle the Weapon of Choice in US Mass Shootings
13 June 2016
Malay Mail (Kuala Lumpur)
WASHINGTON — When Omar Mateen entered an Orlando, Florida, nightclub yesterday to carry out the deadliest mass shooting in US history, he wielded a weapon that has been used in massacres from California to Connecticut: a military-inspired semi-automatic rifle.
Though so-called assault rifles account for a small fraction of the United States' 30,000 annual gun deaths, they have been used in at least 10 mass shootings since 2011, according to a database compiled by... (GunPolicy.org)
Since 1934, US Gun Lobby Created Fear of the 'Slippery Slope'
8 June 2016
The Trace (USA)
For the first time in a decade, the firearms industry has become a primary target in the gun debate. The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton regularly hammered Bernie Sanders during the primaries over his vote for a 2005 law that grants gun manufacturers and retailers broad immunity from liability lawsuits. And the families of Sandy Hook victims are now challenging that legislation in a lawsuit against Remington, the parent company for the... (GunPolicy.org)
Sandy Hook Gun Lawsuit Can Learn From 'Big Tobacco' Fight
14 May 2016
CNN
Families of the victims in the 2012 massacre by shooter Adam Lanza in Newtown, Connecticut, are no longer united only in their grief. Some of them are also now part of a potentially precedent-setting lawsuit seeking accountability from the gunmaker, Remington.
At issue are what the families allege are the manufacturer's marketing strategies and other trade secrets on military-style weapons.
Although the trial is not set to begin until April 2018, the case is moving... (GunPolicy.org)
Lawsuit by Newtown Families Could End US Gun Sales
16 April 2016
Detroit News, Opinion
Perhaps the biggest threat ever to the Second Amendment is working its way through the state courts in Connecticut.
A judge there is allowing a wrongful death lawsuit to proceed against Remington Arms Co., which made one of the weapons used by Adam Lanza to kill 26 children and staffers at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.
The lawsuit, filed by nine victim families, claims Remington is liable for making and selling to the public a rifle unfit for civilian... (GunPolicy.org)
Court Refuses Immunity for US Massacre Gun Maker
14 April 2016
Newsweek (USA)
In a major blow to gun companies, a judge in Connecticut on Thursday denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by 10 families affected by the December 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School against the maker of the Bushmaster AR-15 rifle used in the shooting.
The three gun companies named in the case had argued for the lawsuit to be dismissed under the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), or PLCAA for short. It's a 2005 federal law that provides... (GunPolicy.org)
Sanders Admonished for Supporting Gun Maker Immunity
5 April 2016
San Francisco Chronicle
The air of collegiality between two of the Senate's most liberal members — Connecticut's Chris Murphy and Vermont's Bernie Sanders — is turning frosty over a Newtown wrongful death lawsuit.
Murphy admonished his colleague on Twitter Tuesday for saying that the families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims shouldn't be allowed to sue the manufacturer of the Bushmaster AR-15 assault rifle used to kill 20 first-graders and six educators in... (GunPolicy.org)
World's Most Violent Country Registers 30 New Guns a Day
10 March 2016
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Between 2010 and 2015, Salvadorans were registering firearms at a rate of 11,000 per year. This suggests 30 new firearms were registered every day in a country where the vast majority of crimes are committed with guns. In a market that had sales of almost $2 million in 2014, four firms dominated gun imports.
The inhabitants of the world's most violent country have been spending more than $1.5 million on guns annually. Although the market's total size and the number of... (GunPolicy.org)
Firearm Industry Wants Looser Rules on Gun Silencers
8 March 2016
Reuters
The U.S. gun industry is trying to shake off the Hollywood hitman image of the gun silencer and rebrand it as a hearing-protection device in a campaign to roll back regulations that date to the 1930s.
Industry lobbying has led to more than a dozen states legalizing silencers for hunting since 2011. Now gun advocates are pressing Congress to repeal a Depression-era law that requires a months-long screening process for silencer buyers - far more scrutiny than gun buyers... (GunPolicy.org)
The Right to Sue the US Gun Industry - NY Times
4 March 2016
New York Times, Editorial
The world recoiled in horror in 2012 when 20 Connecticut schoolchildren and six adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School by a deranged teenager using a military-style assault rifle to fire 154 rounds in less than five minutes. The weapon was a Bushmaster AR-15 semiautomatic rifle adapted from its original role as a battlefield weapon. The AR-15, which is designed to inflict maximum casualties with rapid bursts, should never have been available for purchase by... (GunPolicy.org)
How US Mass Shooters Got Their Guns
3 October 2015
New York Times
The vast majority of guns used in 15 recent mass shootings, including at least two of the guns used in the San Bernardino attack, were bought legally and with a federal background check. At least eight gunmen had criminal histories or documented mental health problems that did not prevent them from obtaining their weapons.
- DEC. 2, 2015: Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, husband and wife, killed 14 people at a holiday office party in San Bernardino, Calif. Four... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Officials Recall Rifle That Could Fire 'Without Touching the Trigger'
16 May 2014
Canberra Times (Australia)
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is alerting shooters to the recall of two popular models of rifle - one of which a Perth-based shooter describes as "the most prolific bolt-action firearm in the world".
The two rifles of concern are the Remington Model 700 and the Model Seven with X-Mark Pro triggers, manufactured between May 1, 2006 and April 9, 2014 and sold nationally by licensed dealers.
The ACCC understands that more than 21,000 of these rifles... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia,Norway,United States
Limits of Neutrality: How Wikipedia Avoids Identifying Mass Shooting Guns
18 March 2014
Action on Armed Violence (London)
On 22 July 2011, Anders Behring Breivik took a boat to the small island of Utøya on a Norwegian lake not far from Oslo. Dressed as a police officer, he claimed to be checking on the safety of a Labour party youth camp after an explosion in downtown Oslo hours earlier. The campers did not know that Breivik was not a police officer, that he was responsible for the blast, or that he viewed them as traitors. When they gathered around, Breivik, armed with a Ruger Mini-14... (GunPolicy.org)
Absentee Australian Landholders Warned About Securing Guns Against Theft
12 March 2014
ABC News (Australia)
People who have to leave rural properties for extended periods of time are being warned they could face prosecution for not taking reasonable precautions to secure guns.
It comes as police in the Walgett area investigate the theft of guns from a property at Burren Junction, that could have been stolen any time between late 2012 and when the owner returned last week.
The seven stolen firearms included Remington, Winchester, Erma, Eddystone and Swedish Mauser rifles and... (GunPolicy.org)
US Journalists Banished for Questioning the Gospel of Guns
4 January 2014
New York Times
BARRY, Illinois — The byline of Dick Metcalf, one of the country's pre-eminent gun journalists, has gone missing. It has been removed from Guns & Ammo magazine, where his widely-read column once ran on the back page. He no longer stars on a popular television show about firearms. Gun companies have stopped flying him around the world and sending him the latest weapons to review.
In late October, Mr. Metcalf wrote a column that the magazine titled "Let's Talk Limits,"... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Control Prevented US Navy Yard Shooter from Buying Assault Rifle
17 September 2013
New York Times
WASHINGTON — The suspect in the killing of 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard on Monday test-fired an AR-15 assault rifle at a Virginia gun store last week but was stopped from buying one because state law there prohibits the sale of such weapons to out-of-state buyers, according to two senior law enforcement officials.
Instead, the suspect, Aaron Alexis of Texas, bought a law-enforcement-style shotgun — an 870 Remington pump-action — and used it on Monday as... (GunPolicy.org)
Bangladesh Civilian Gun Imports Dodging Taxes
26 August 2013
New Nation (Dhaka)
Some individuals are importing light guns, particularly pistol, revolver, shotgun and rifle, in the country in under invoiced price depriving the government a huge amount of revenues taking the advantage of relaxed mood of the National Board of Revenue [NBR], sources said.
The non-prohibited bore of arms mainly permitted for the civilians - point 22, point 25, point 357 and point 32 caliber - are being imported from Singapore under the baggage rule. As per the rule,... (GunPolicy.org)
Profits Soar as Fear of Gun Control Feeds US Gun Maker's Expansion
13 August 2013
Montreal Gazette (Québec)
RALEIGH, N.C. — Sturm, Ruger & Co. said Tuesday that it aims to keep up with demand for its guns by opening a new factory in the small North Carolina community already home to America's largest firearms maker.
Southport, Conn.-based Sturm, Ruger says it will open a new factory in Mayodan to meet firearm demand that has spiked since the U.S. Congress and some states sought to toughen gun controls. The community is already headquarters to Freedom Group Inc., which owns... (GunPolicy.org)
Recovered Guns Form a Sea of Steel in US
29 May 2013
Washington Post
Every few hours, in a routine that is sometimes grim but more often mundane, local police take a gun off the streets. Since 2000, nearly 50,000 guns have been recovered by authorities in the District and Prince George's County. That is enough to arm every law enforcement officer in Maryland, the District and Virginia, with a couple of thousand guns to spare.
Police confiscate guns after drive-bys, drug raids and traffic stops. They find them tossed on roofs and thrown... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Maker Threatens to Stop Police Sales if Gun Rights 'Infringed'
23 February 2013
Christian Science Monitor
ATLANTA - A growing number of firearms firms in the United States are vowing to reverse-boycott local and state governments that enact any new infringements on the Second Amendment.
Vowing to close what they're calling "the police loophole," at least 50 US companies, ranging from gun machinists to gun shops, are now saying publicly they'll refuse to sell weapons and gear to police in places where governments have banned the use of the same gear by civilians.
Quality... (GunPolicy.org)
US Pre-Teens Take Handgun, Knife to School, Plan to Kill Schoolmate
15 February 2013
Reuters
Two fifth-grade boys are in custody in Washington state after they brought a knife and gun to school with the goal of killing a schoolmate in a foiled murder plot that shocked their rural town because of their youth, prosecutors said on Friday.
The boys, accused of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder despite their tender ages of 10 and 11, also planned to harm other students by luring them away one at a time, said Tim Rasmussen, a Stevens County prosecuting... (GunPolicy.org)
How the AR-15 Became the Most Wanted Gun in America
2 February 2013
New York Times
PASADENA, Maryland - The phone rings again at Pasadena Pawn and Gun, and a familiar question comes down the line: "Got any ARs?"
The answer is no. Pasadena Pawn and Gun, a gun retailer and pawnshop 15 miles south of Baltimore, is pretty much sold out of America's most wanted gun, the AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle. Since the massacre in Newtown, Conn., in December, the AR-15, the military-style weapon that the police say was used in the shootings, has been selling... (GunPolicy.org)
Russia,Afghanistan,Israel,Belgium,United States
How Video Games Fund Arms Manufacturers and Sell Guns
31 January 2013
EuroGamer
The American confectionery company Victoria Sweets claims to have invented the candy cigarette. A thin stick of chocolate, wrapped in edible paper and designed to impersonate a roll-up, it debuted in 1915 and soon became the accessory of choice for children keen to play grown-up. Hollywood star, GI Joe, team captain: the sweet gave kids the chance try out one of the vogue props of adulthood.
Within 20 years it was so popular that cigarette companies began to take... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Lobby Uses Cable TV to Promote Gun Rights, Raise Money
20 January 2013
Yahoo! (America) / Reuters
LOS ANGELES - When President Barack Obama announced a raft of proposals in the biggest U.S. gun-control push in decades, Cam Edwards, host of Sportsman Channel's "Cam & Company" talk show, wasted no time siding with the National Rifle Association.
"Assault weapon is a made-up name for a gun I can ban," said Edwards, an avowed Second Amendment advocate, who later in the program read, word for word, the NRA's statement in response to Obama's announcement.
Edwards, whose... (GunPolicy.org)
9 US States Gave Millions in Tax Breaks to Support Assault Rifle Makers
2 January 2013
Pine Tree Watchdog (Maine)
Taxpayers across the country are subsidizing the manufacturers of assault rifles used in multiple mass killings, including the massacre of 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn. last month.
A Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting examination of tax records shows that five companies that make semi-automatic rifles have received more than $19 million in tax breaks, most within with the past five years.
"I feel horrified at the power of... (GunPolicy.org)
Investors Turn Against Gun Manufacturers after US Massacre
19 December 2012
ABC News (USA) / AP
Investors shunned some of the nation's largest gun makers Tuesday, putting up for sale the manufacturer of the Bushmaster semiautomatic rifle used in the Connecticut school shooting and worrying that the attack could soon bring stricter gun laws.
Stocks of other gun companies fell, and one sporting-goods chain said it would temporarily stop sales of military-style firearms. In Washington, some former opponents of gun control signaled that they may change their... (GunPolicy.org)
Big US Gun Company Up for Sale Under Ethics Pressure from Investors
18 December 2012
New York Times
Sitting in their offices high above Park Avenue late on Monday, the private equity executives who own the country's largest gun company received a phone call from one of their most influential investors.
An official at the California teachers' pension fund, which has $750 million invested with the private equity firm, Cerberus Capital Management, was on the line, raising questions about the firm's ownership of the Freedom Group, the gun maker that made the rifle used... (GunPolicy.org)
American Gun Laws: Guilty by Reason of Insanity - Guardian (UK)
26 July 2012
Guardian (UK)
James Holmes, the alleged shooter in the massacre in Aurora, Colorado, reportedly amassed his huge arsenal with relative ease. Some of these weapons were illegal as recently as eight years ago. Legislation now before Congress would once again make illegal, if not the guns themselves, at least the high-capacity magazines that allow bullets to be fired rapidly without stopping to reload. Holmes bought most of his weaponry within recent months, we are told. Perhaps, if... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Gun Laws Prevent Purchase of US Mass Shooting Guns
24 July 2012
ABC News (Australia)
The awful shooting tragedy in Colorado last week happened in Aurora, 30kms from Bega's sister city of Littleton, in turn adjacent to the scene of the 1999 Columbine school massacre. The Bega-Littleton Exchange was the first Australia-US sister city relationship, developed from the two communities recognising shared characteristics and values. Over the fifty years of the relationship many things have changed, particularly in Denver's satellite communities like Littleton... (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)
Promising Crime-busting Technology Blocked by US Opponents of Gun Safety
12 June 2012
New York Times
Identifying the firearm used in a crime is one of the biggest challenges for criminal investigators. But what if a shell casing picked up at a murder scene could immediately be tracked to the gun that fired it?
A technique that uses laser technology and stamps a numeric code on shell casings can do just that. But the technology, called microstamping, has been swept up in the larger national debate over gun laws and Second Amendment rights, and efforts to require gun... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Lobby Group Raises $200 Million a Year, Aims to Unseat Obama
29 December 2011
Bloomberg (USA)
A toaster that burns the National Rifle Association's logo onto bread fetched $650 at an auction last month, just one reflection of the money-making power in the gun group's brand.
The NRA, which began as a grassroots organization dedicated to teaching marksmanship, enters the 2012 election season as a lobbying, merchandising and marketing machine that brings in more than $200 million a year and intends to help unseat the incumbent president. From 2004 to 2010, the... (GunPolicy.org)
Iraq,Afghanistan,United States
Conspiracists Chatter as Secretive US Company Buys Up Gun, Ammo Makers
26 November 2011
New York Times
SCARBOROUGH, Me. - Lined up in a gun rack beneath mounted deer heads is a Bushmaster Carbon 15, a matte-black semiautomatic rifle that looks as if it belongs to a SWAT team. On another rack rests a Teflon-coated Prairie Panther from DPMS Firearms, a supplier to the United States Border Patrol and security agencies in Iraq. On a third is a Remington 750 Woodsmaster, a popular hunting rifle.
The variety of rifles and shotguns on sale here at Cabela's, the national... (GunPolicy.org)
'Burden of Proof' Should Be on Gun Suspects, Say Cayman Police
11 October 2011
Cayman Compass (Cayman Islands)
Cayman's top cop is advocating a major change in the way the 'burden of proof' is applied in court with regard to firearms possession cases.
Expanding and clarifying comments made on the subject by Governor Duncan Taylor last month, Police Commissioner David Baines said Friday that what's being reviewed with the attorney general's office now is essentially a "reversal" in the burden of proof for people found in possession of unlicensed guns in their homes or vehicles.... (GunPolicy.org)
Major Seizures of Guns Mainly Firearm Dealer Imports - Australia Customs
14 September 2011
Daily Telegraph (Sydney)
December 23, 2008
Sydney
Huge haul of weapons including:
Assault rifles: Steyr F88, Norinco SKS, Marlin 60 and ADI SLR L1A1
Handguns: Beretta 92FS and Remington 870 Wingmaster
Shot guns: Mossberg 500A
Teargas
16cm rifle silencer
Pistol scope
Megatron Transformer
December 8, 2009
Sydney
980 rounds of FMJ green tip M855 Penetrator armour piercing bullets
July 25, 2006
Brisbane
Steyer tactical scout elite .308 calibre rifle, with telescopic sight
May 30,... (GunPolicy.org)
In America's Gun Battle, Both Sides Have Distorted History and the Law
9 August 2011
Atlantic (USA)
The Ku Klux Klan, Ronald Reagan, and, for most of its history, the NRA all worked to control guns. The Founding Fathers? They required gun ownership — and regulated it. And no group has more fiercely advocated the right to bear loaded weapons in public than the Black Panthers — the true pioneers of the modern pro-gun movement. In the battle over gun rights in America, both sides have distorted history and the law, and there's no resolution in sight.
THE... (GunPolicy.org)
Cayman Island Man Gets 9yrs Jail for Possession of Unlicensed Gun
11 July 2011
cayCompass.com (Cayman Islands)
Richard Joseph Parsons, 22, was sentenced on Thursday to nine years' imprisonment for possession of an unlicensed 12-gauge Remington shotgun. Defence Attorney Kerrie Cox told the court Parsons found the gun and kept it because there had been a shooting in his neighbourhood and his own residence had been burgled twice.
He submitted there were exceptional circumstances in this case that would not require the court to impose the otherwise mandatory minimum sentence of... (GunPolicy.org)
Judges Giving Gun Rights Back to Americans with History of Mental Illness
2 July 2011
New York Times
PULASKI, Virginia — In May 2009, Sam French hit bottom, once again. A relative found him face down in his carport "talking gibberish," according to court records. He later told medical personnel that he had been conversing with a bear in his backyard and hearing voices. His family figured he had gone off his medication for bipolar disorder, and a judge ordered him involuntarily committed — the fourth time in five years he had been hospitalized by court order.
When... (GunPolicy.org)
Influence Game: Gun Manufacturers Battling over US Military Rifle Market
25 May 2011
San Francisco Chronicle / AP
WASHINGTON - For nearly a decade, Colt Defense went without a lobbyist. The legendary gun maker based in West Hartford, Conn., had an exclusive deal to provide combat rifles to the U.S. military and didn't need a hired gun looking out for the company's interests in Washington.
Times have changed. After buying more than 700,000 Colt M4 carbines, the Defense Department has started a search for the rifle's successor, giving Colt's competitors the long-awaited chance to... (GunPolicy.org)
US NRA Board Member: 'Turn Up Heat' Against 'America Hating' Obama
2 May 2011
Daily Mail (UK)
Rocker Ted Nugent got a standing ovation at the all-powerful National Rifle Association's annual meeting when he urged members to 'turn up the heat' on guns.
He said pro-gun supporters need to speak up more and win the public relations battle.
Mr Nugent told the crowd of more than 2,300 on Sunday: 'You need to fix everybody in your lives to be absolutely pro-gun.
'You need to talk guns all the time. You need to talk hunting all the time.
'The gun community should be... (GunPolicy.org)
Utah First US State to Adopt Official State Handgun: Arizona Aims for 2nd
17 March 2011
Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
Utah is the first state in the country to have a state-designated firearm, after Gov. Gary Herbert signed legislation recognizing the Browning M1911 as the official gun.
"The governor has said previously, and still feels, this isn't about a gun," said Herbert's spokeswoman, Ally Isom. "It's about honoring John Moses Browning and paying tribute to the man as an innovator and entrepreneur and someone who has given a lot to the state of Utah."
The measure, HB219, adds... (GunPolicy.org)
Utah Senate Approves M1911 Semi-auto Pistol as 'Official State Firearm'
10 February 2011
Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
The Utah Senate passed legislation Thursday that would make the Browning-designed M1911 — a sidearm carried by U.S. military since World War I — the state's official gun.
"This is a substantially historic firearm," said Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Eagle Mountain. "As Utahns, we can claim a connection to its inventor and designer that no other state can claim."
In designating the gun, the Senate added a recognition that firearms in the wrong hands have been the source of... (GunPolicy.org)
Illegal Assault Rifle, Handguns Seized from Canadian Federal Police Officer
21 December 2010
Surrey North Delta Leader (British Columbia)
A Surrey RCMP officer has been charged with 15 criminal offenses, including breach of trust, possession of property obtained by a crime and multiple firearms offences.
Const. David Clarke, an RCMP member with four-and-a-half years service, was formally charged late Monday, and made his first appearance in court Tuesday morning.
All 15 charges relate to offences that allegedly took place in Chilliwack. Police were alerted to it on Oct. 1, 2010.
"These situations,... (GunPolicy.org)
Michigan Gun Dealer Acquitted on Federal Charge 'Linked to Extremists'
13 December 2010
Daily Telegram (Michigan)
ADRIAN, Michigan — A federal jury has acquitted firearms dealer Walter L. Priest of Adrian of a felony rifle charge that Priest said he believes resulted from legal sales to members of a local militia group involved in federal raids earlier this year.
Priest's attorney said the jury in Detroit took less than three hours to return its verdict on Thursday.
Priest, 53, had been accused of illegally possessing a rifle with an altered or obliterated serial number.... (GunPolicy.org)
More US States Add Youth-only Hunting Seasons, Encourage 12yr-olds to Shoot
1 November 2010
USA Today
HELENA, Montana — When Knox Semenza headed into the Highwood Mountains of north central Montana with his father last month, he had visions of shooting his first mule deer buck.
Knox, 12, a first-time deer hunter from Great Falls, Mont., took advantage of the state's first youth-only hunt, a special two-day deer season open only to hunters ages 12 to 15 who had passed a hunter safety course and were accompanied by an adult mentor who is not hunting.
A few minutes... (GunPolicy.org)
Remington Deny World's Most Popular Bolt-action Rifle Fires On Its Own
28 October 2010
Portland Press Herald (Maine)
PORTLAND - The Portland Police Department's special reaction team has stopped using its Remington 700 sniper rifles, because one of them started firing unpredictably and a network news report said similar problems elsewhere have caused injuries and prompted lawsuits.
A program on CNBC last week highlighted several reports that Remington 700 rifles -- a mainstay for the U.S. military, law enforcement and gun enthusiasts -- had fired when the trigger had not been... (GunPolicy.org)
Deaths, Injuries and Lawsuits Raise Questions about Popular Gun's Safety
20 October 2010
CNBC News (USA)
The manufacturer of the world's most popular hunting rifle has been wrestling for decades with a critical safety issue, and at least twice considered a nationwide recall of the gun, according to corporate insiders and internal documents revealed in a ten-month CNBC investigation.
But the Remington Arms Company has never alerted the public to the internal concerns, and insists the gun is free of defects, despite thousands of customer complaints.
The controversy over... (GunPolicy.org)
In Kennesaw, Georgia it is Compulsory - Everyone MUST Own a Firearm
16 October 2010
Mirror (UK)
The manicured lawns and pristine sidewalks offer a gentle hint of small-town America.
But behind the net curtains in this city there's an arsenal of weapons big enough to take on an army.
Every householder - from the old lady who runs the sweet store to the teacher down the road - is armed to the teeth.
Welcome to Kennesaw, Georgia - otherwise known as Gun Town USA - where if you cross a threshold to commit a crime you could be filled full of lead.
Here a unique law... (GunPolicy.org)
Remington Model 700 Rifle 'Unsafe,' Under Fire: CNBC Airs Investigation
14 October 2010
NBC News (USA)
On Wednesday, October 20th at 9PM ET/PT, CNBC will air, "Remington Under Fire: A CNBC Investigation," reported by Senior Correspondent Scott Cohn.
The Remington Model 700-series rifle — with more than five million sold — is one of the world's most popular firearms. Famous for its accuracy, the rifle is now the target of a series of lawsuits alleging that it is unsafe and susceptible to firing accidentally.
This CNBC piece examines allegations that the Remington... (GunPolicy.org)
Hidden Handgun Permit Holder Shoots Doctor, Mother, Self at US Hospital
17 September 2010
Baltimore Sun / AP
Paul Warren Pardus spent restless nights with his ailing mother at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and when he believed doctors had failed her, the 50-year-old shot her physician before killing his mother and himself.
Pardus was a fixture in the room since last week, after his 84-year-old mother, Jean Davis, was brought there for surgery related to cancer treatment. While speaking to Dr. David B. Cohen around 11 a.m., Pardus pulled a semiautomatic handgun from his waistband,... (GunPolicy.org)
US 'Garden & Gun' Magazine Draws Wrath of NRA for Turning Down Ad
10 August 2010
Folio (USA), Blog
Recently, the National Rifle Association's member magazine America's First Freedom took Garden & Gun to task for not accepting an ad from the organization. The NRA claimed it was a politically-motivated decision that doesn't stand up for a demographic Garden & Gun claims to serve. According to Garden & Gun, the magazine has a policy of not accepting political ads of any stripe.
"We regret that they chose to write about us without checking their sources with us and were... (GunPolicy.org)
Philippine Gun Lovers Celebrate Newly Elected President as 'One of Us'
31 July 2010
Agence France Presse
MANILA — Standing amid an array of foreign assault rifles and local shotguns at one of the Philippines' largest shopping malls, firearms aficionados celebrated the rise of the nation's new president.
Benigno Aquino, who took office on June 30, is an avid sports shooter and clips on YouTube show him using a semi-automatic pistol with great skill at a target shooting competition.
"The feeling is that he is one of us. He also inhales gunpowder," said Johnmuel Mendoza,... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Control Senator Champions Remington in US Army M4 Rifle Contract
28 June 2010
Observer-Dispatch (New York)
Remington Arms and other manufacturing companies are now eligible to compete for the U.S. Army's contracts for M4 rifles – a change that could lead to a boost in business at the Ilion plant, officials said Monday.
Jim Rabbia, the Ilion plant manager, said Remington Arms is interested in applying for the work. Such contracts could require the production of thousands of units per month and result in the company hiring new workers in Ilion to meet the demand, he... (GunPolicy.org)
New York Handgun Ammo Microstamping Bill Dropped for Lack of Support
16 June 2010
Press & Sun-Bulletin (New York)
The controversial "microstamping" legislation that could have effectively ended the manufacture and sale of semiautomatic pistols in the state was pulled from the Senate calendar Tuesday after supporters failed to garner the 32 votes necessary to pass.
As they came to the end of the roll call, leaders asked for the bill to be "laid aside," which means that it is still a threat.
Nevertheless, Sen. Jim Seward, R-Oneonta, lauded its demise, particularly as it pertained... (GunPolicy.org)
Remington Hopes Bill Will Send More Revenue to US Military Gun Makers
23 April 2010
WKTV-TV News (New York)
ILION, New York - Remington Arms could be getting a new multi-million dollar contract if new legislation is passed in Washington, D.C.
Congressman Michael Arcuri was in Ilion on Friday to introduce a new bill called the "Small Arms and Innovation Act." According to Congressman Arcuri, bill will allow company to compete for additional federal defense contracts. Currently, just a few companies are making firearms for the military.
Arcuri said a bill will help companies... (GunPolicy.org)
As US Gun Ownership Falls, Arms Industry, Gun Lobby Recruit Children
28 November 2009
Guardian (UK)
In the distance, there is snow on the ridges of the Rocky Mountains, but down here in the plains of Colorado there is only dust and sweat. In a layby just south of Denver, Texas Marshal is standing in the sweltering heat preparing for the showdown. He tips back his black felt bronco hat, pulls out his .45 Colt revolver and gives the barrel a slow, deliberate spin. Five brass bullets sink into the chambers and the gun goes back in its holster, ready to draw, his hand... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun, Ammo Sales Peak on America's Rising Fear of Crime, Terrorism
16 November 2009
Times (UK)
Smith & Wesson, the famed American gunmaker once owned by Tomkins, the British conglomerate, expects to nearly double its annual sales in the next three to five years as demand for its firearms soars in the recession. It is not alone.
All over America demand for firearms and ammunition is rising amid concerns that rising unemployment, which passed 10 per cent this month, will lead inexorably to higher rates of crime. Fears of terrorism have also helped to lift demand,... (GunPolicy.org)
Sturm, Ruger Post-Obama Sales Up 60%, Profit Up 83%, Crash to Follow
10 November 2009
Motley Fool (USA) / MagicDiligence
Sturm, Ruger & Company (RGR) is a firearms manufacturer that makes and markets four different kinds of firearms: rifles, shotguns, pistols, and revolvers. The company also produces investment castings for third-party sale when there is excess capacity not needed for its own products. Products are sold mainly to independent wholesale distributors, who then resell to retailers primarily in hunting and sporting markets. Ruger is basically a U.S.-only company, with less... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed Canadian Gun Dealer Convicted for Illegal Possession, Import
22 October 2009
Tri-City News (British Columbia)
The former owner of a Port Coquitlam gun store received two years' probation and a 10-year firearm ban for illegally possessing a prohibited weapon without a licence.
Several other charges against Shahriar Tavazoie and his common-law wife Maryam Behagh were stayed by the Crown.
Tavazoie and Behagh, who operated Sureshot Hunting and Tactical on Prairie Avenue in PoCo, were arrested in February and initially charged with importing firearms knowing it is unauthorized... (GunPolicy.org)
Washington Snipers' Gun Dealer Can't Trade, But His Shop Still Sells
28 September 2009
Associated Press
SEATTLE — A Tacoma gun shop linked to the D.C. sniper case isn't getting its firearms license back.
U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez ruled Friday the government properly revoked the license of Bull's Eye Shooter Supply, where John Allen Muhammad and teen accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo obtained weapons. The judge's ruling dealt with Brian Borgelt and Charles Carr, doing business as Bull's Eye Shooter Supply.
A Tacoma gun shop called Bull's Eye Shooter Supply LLC,... (GunPolicy.org)
US Buys 9 Billion Bullets as 'Obama Effect' Drives Fearful Gun Owners
23 September 2009
Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS — Bullet-makers are working around the clock, seven days a week, and still can't keep up with the nation's demand for ammunition.
Shooting ranges, gun dealers and bullet manufacturers say they have never seen such shortages. Bullets, especially for handguns, have been scarce for months because gun enthusiasts are stocking up on ammo, in part because they fear President Barack Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress will pass antigun legislation —... (GunPolicy.org)
Louisiana Holds '2nd Amendment Weekend' Sales Tax Holiday for Guns
5 September 2009
Los Angeles Times
ATLANTA — Happy 2nd Amendment Weekend Sales Tax Holiday, everyone!
An observance of that name is underway this weekend in Louisiana, thanks to a law signed by Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal in July. It decrees that each year, on the first Friday through Sunday in September, shoppers in the Bayou State shall be exempt from paying state or local taxes on firearms, ammunition or hunting supplies.
The law was sponsored by state Sen. Robert Marionneaux Jr., who said in a... (GunPolicy.org)
To Meet 'Skyrocketing' Demand, US Will Sell 9.5 Billion Bullets This Year
30 August 2009
Los Angeles Times
There's a bull market for bullets.
Stacks of ammo, once piled high at gun shops across America, have dwindled. Prices paid by consumers for much-sought-after Winchester .380-caliber handgun bullets have doubled. At weekend gun shows, trailers loaded with boxes of ammunition are drained within hours.
Budget-pressed police departments, which can't be caught short, have increased their orders just to be safe, and the U.S. military, fighting two wars, has seen its need... (GunPolicy.org)
Colt Loses Monopoly on M4 Assault Rifle, US Army Takes Design Rights
6 July 2009
Army Times (USA)
As of July 1, the Army has taken control of the design rights to the M4 carbine from its sole maker, Colt Defense LLC. Translation: With an uncertain budget looming, the service is free to give other gun companies a crack at a carbine contract.
The transition of ownership of the M4 technical data package marks the end of an era and Colt's exclusive status as the only manufacturer of the M4 for the U.S. military for the past 15 years.
In late November, Army senior... (GunPolicy.org)
Google Bans Gun, Ammo Sales on US Shopping Center
29 June 2009
Daily Caller (USA)
Google is banning the sale of weapons and ammunition within its shopping center, causing firearms owners to second guess their use of the search giant.
The company announced on May 31 that it would be changing its product search policies for Google Shopping.
"All of the items in your feed must be in compliance with Google Shopping policies," the company said on the site's support center. "In particular, all items have to be family safe."
The company listed "guns,... (GunPolicy.org)
Camping? Don't Forget to Bring Your Gun: Obama Relaxes Park Gun Law
30 May 2009
Miami Herald, Column
Like many other Americans, every time I take my family to a national park I find myself thinking: Wow! If I only had a gun …
Now, thanks to Congress and President Obama, all of us will soon be able to carry loaded firearms into national parks and wildlife refuges. Even concealed weapons will be allowed, for those who have state permits.
It's about time. The one element that's been missing from the outdoor experience in Yellowstone and Yosemite was the adventurous... (GunPolicy.org)
New York State Pays Gun Maker Remington Arms $2 Million to Stay Afloat
2 April 2009
Herkimer Evening Telegram (New York)
HERKIMER, New York — In an attempt to show county commitment to keeping the Remington Arms plant in the village of Ilion, the Legislature on Wednesday authorized spending up to $2 million for future equipment purchases by the firearms manufacturer.
The budgetary impact of the amount serves as sufficient proof of legislator loyalty.
The size of the allocation totals roughly 25 percent of the county's contingency fund, according to County Administrator James... (GunPolicy.org)
Assault Weapons, Submachine Gun, Handguns Seized in Jamaica
16 March 2009
Jamaica Observer
Police in St Andrew South seized 10 firearms and recovered 77 rounds of ammunition during raids conducted in several hot spot communities in that division since the start of this month.
Among the seizures the cops mentioned were an M15, a Remington, and an SK assault rifle, while an Intratec Submachine Gun, several 9mm pistols, revolvers and home-made firearms completed the haul.
Deputy Superintendent Lennox Harper of the Hunts Bay Police Station could not say exactly... (GunPolicy.org)
Alabama Mass Shooting Re-ignites America's Assault Weapon Debate
15 March 2009
Montgomery Advertiser (Alabama) / Gannett Newspapers
Last week's horrific killings in south Alabama put the state in the crosshairs of the ongoing national debate about gun control.
An e-mail from five gun-control organizations arrived at the Montgomery Advertiser less than 24 hours after Michael Kenneth McLendon, 28, of Coffee County killed 10 people and himself in an hour-long bloody spree last Tuesday afternoon.
He was armed with a semi-automatic SKS rifle, a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle, a shotgun and a .38-caliber... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Montgomery Advertiser (Alabama) / Gannett Newspapers
Panic Buying of 'Pre-ban' Guns, Ammo Merely 'A Blip' in US Gun Market
5 March 2009
LewRockwell.com (USA), Web page
Since Obama's victory in November, Smith and Wesson and Ruger, the only two publically traded US gun makers, have experienced major increases in their stock prices. Ammo manufacturers are running 24/7 attempting to keep up with demand. Military-pattern semi-automatic rifles, including AR-15's and AK-clones are expensive, stocked-out, or both.
Are these price increases "gouging," as some would say, or are they a natural response to the forces of supply and demand? If... (GunPolicy.org)
BC Gun Dealer Surrenders Submachine Gun, 'Armour-piercing Ammo'
3 March 2009
Chilliwack Times (British Columbia)
Sgt. Rob Tan of the Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team stood just 10 metres away from a dummy made of coiled fire hose that was wrapped in a vest of body armour and he repeatedly fired .223-calibre bullets out of his C7 rifle.
The shooting wasn't a training exercise, it was a demonstration of the power of some of the guns currently in the hands of criminals on the streets of the Lower Mainland.
The bullets — which are legal to own and which were shot out of a... (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)
US Gun Shows, Dealers, Citizens Supply Most Mexico Drug War Guns
27 November 2008
Federal Government, United States of Mexico, Fact Sheet
How does arms trafficking operate in Mexico?
According to the legal definition, arms trafficking consists of illegally bringing into the country weapons, ammunition, cartridges, explosives or materials that are reserved exclusively for use by the Army, Navy or Air Force, or that are subject to controls. This regulation is explicit in article 84 of the Federal Firearms and Explosives Act (Ley Federal de Armas de Fuego y Explosivos).
Based on investigations carried out... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Maker's 35% Sales Drop Kills Imports of Serbian Firearms
19 November 2008
B92 Radio/Tanjug (Belgrade)
KRAGUJEVAC, Serbia — U.S. gunmaker Remington has suspended until further notice its cooperation with the Zastava Oružje (Zastava Arms).
The decision came due the global financial crisis and the U.S. company's 35 percent sales drop, Zastava Oružje Director Rade Gromovic told Tanjug on Wednesday.
"Remington informed us that they cannot meet their contractual obligations and proposed that we continue exporting to the U.S. market via their partner, European America,... (GunPolicy.org)
Idaho Election Swings on Size, Purpose of Candidates' Gun Collections
29 October 2008
Associated Press
BOISE, Idaho — Democratic candidate Walt Minnick leads Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Sali by a seven-to-five margin in one of the most telling polls of Idaho's 1st Congressional District race: a tally of the two rivals' personal firearms.
In Idaho, gun ownership — especially in tight elections - can be a way for candidates to communicate shared values with residents, many of whom hunted before they could watch PG-13 movies.
Minnick owns seven guns: three pistols, a... (GunPolicy.org)
Ammo Maker Fears Iraq War Profit Slide, Aims for US Hometown Hunters
22 September 2008
Business Week (USA) Vol. 4100
In a recent TV ad for Black Cloud ammunition, a frantic flock of ducks darts around an orange sky as a heavy-metal guitar riff chugs ominously in the background. Cut to black. A slogan pops up, each word punctuated with a shotgun blast: Drop. Ducks. Like. Rain.
The spots, currently airing on Versus cable network, are remarkably brash for the otherwise moribund ammunition market. The goal for Black Cloud's maker, the $4.6 billion defense contractor Alliant Techsystems... (GunPolicy.org)
Visiting Columbine High: Gun Control Now a Silenced Issue in America
29 August 2008
National Post (Toronto)
The long, low halls of Columbine High School are lined with blue lockers and crimson history, decked with hand-drawn posters for Bible Study and the Knitting Club, cruised by laughing teens in Hollister and Aeropostale, then eerily silent when the classroom doors swing closed. We are nine years removed from the mass murder-suicide that happened here, and 10 miles south of a national political gathering at which the quieting of America's guns has never been... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Seller Banned After Unrecorded Rifle Sale to New Zealand Reporter
17 August 2008
Sunday Star-Times (New Zealand)
A TradeMe user has been banned from the site in the fallout from last weekend's Sunday Star-Times investigation into the ease of buying a gun online.
Last week the paper bought a .22 rifle from a private seller through online auction site TradeMe with less than $100 cash, no licence and on the first attempt. The privately listed Remington bolt action rifle, similar to the one used to kill South Auckland liquor store owner Navtej Singh, was one of about 550 guns for... (GunPolicy.org)
School Shooter Killed 6 in Illinois: Here's the Real Story [Part 3 of 3]
16 July 2008
Esquire (USA)
[Continued from Part 2]
Halloween 2007.
Steve stands in his bedroom dressed all in black, with white gloves. He takes the Jigsaw mask down from his bookcase, carefully holds it to his left side, face turned toward him, a puppet, a piece of himself, his alter ego. White face, red-target cheeks, the sadistic killer-narrator from Saw. He and Jessica aren't going anywhere tonight. She's busy with work, and there's no love after his night away with "Tracy."
Everything... (GunPolicy.org)
School Shooter Killed 6 in Illinois: Here's the Real Story [Part 2 of 3]
16 July 2008
Esquire (USA)
[Continued from Part 1]
The following February, Thresholds, the agency that runs Mary Hill, decides to transition Steve out of the residential program into an SRO, a single-room occupancy. He has his own room now in a broke-down building, and they all share a bathroom. This is an even worse neighborhood. "His first night in the SRO was rough," says Jessica. "I remember him telling me about how he heard gunshots and someone was pounding on his door, thinking that Steven... (GunPolicy.org)
School Shooter Killed 6 in Illinois: Here's the Real Story [Part 1 of 3]
16 July 2008
Esquire (USA)
By the end, there is no night or day. No sleep. Just time, waiting.
He sits on the end of his bed in a broken-down Travelodge. Smokes a Newport. Stale smell of old cigarettes, of all the lives that have passed through this room. Across his lap, a Remington 12-gauge shotgun, the barrel sawed off. His hands on it, one on the stock, one on the barrel. He can't sit still, though. Always fidgeting.
Waiting. He's been in this room for almost three days, calling people,... (GunPolicy.org)
Delaware Man with 10 Loaded Guns, Assault Rifle Shoots at Police, Dies
9 June 2008
News Journal (Delaware)
The man shot and killed by a state trooper after a lengthy standoff south of Milford had ten loaded guns in his possession, police said Sunday.
Delaware State Police homicide detectives recovered the weapons from the home of Richard D. Redmond, a 52-year-old former California Highway Patrol officer who was killed early Saturday.
The guns found were: a Smith and Wesson 10mm Pistol, Glock 26 pistol, Glock model 17 pistol, Smith and Wesson .38 revolver, Bushmaster... (GunPolicy.org)
To Buy a Gun in Michigan, Mentally Ill Rampage Killer Merely Lied on a Form
22 April 2008
Detroit Free Press
Three days before he went on a shooting spree at the Troy office building where he had been fired, Anthony LaCalamita went target practicing at a local gun range, using a Remington shotgun, the kind of gun he then bought and used to shoot three of his former colleagues.
"He was normal customer, a nice guy, nothing out of the ordinary," said Roy Jihad, manager of Target Sports, a Royal Oak gun shop and range told jurors in the second day of LaCalamita's murder... (GunPolicy.org)
Shock, Anger, City/Rural Conspiracy Seen in Wal-Mart Gun Sale 'Blindside'
16 April 2008
Outdoor Wire (USA)
Across the shooting industry, a universal expression of shock, anger and surprise at Wal-Mart's announcement yesterday that it had agreed to a 10-point code of business conduct called the Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership.
The responsible-sounding Partnership is a creation of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns organization, the group founded and co-chaired by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
In signing the document, Wal-Mart has dealt the firearms industry —... (GunPolicy.org)
America's Founders Didn't Foresee Bloodshed, Mass Murder on Campus
31 March 2008
Austin American-Statesman (Texas), Opinion
"Who are the militia? Are they not ourselves? [T]he unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of the government, but in the hands of the people." — Federalist Tench Coxe proposing the Right to Bear Arms in 1791
Today gun legislation is plagued by loopholes and lack of information, the power of the sword is, unfortunately, increasingly to be found in the hands of our children and mentally ill. Two centennials ago, Coxe could not foresee his beloved law... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Park Wardens Lost 21 Rifles, Shotguns in a Single Gun Theft
16 March 2008
Canadian Press
OTTAWA — Thieves nabbed 12 gauge shotguns and scores of rifles in a massive heist at one of Canada's national parks, says a newly released document.
Parks Canada's inventory of items stolen from Manitoba's Riding Mountain National Park lists 21 guns — and the agency says the Mounties have recovered just two of them.
An official from Parks Canada says the weapons, stolen in November 2006, were not kept in special gun lockers or monitored by surveillance... (GunPolicy.org)
Serbian Arms Industry Expects to Thrive on Major Gun Making Deal with Iraq
10 March 2008
BBC Worldwide Monitoring / Beta News Agency, Transcript
The contract on exporting weapons and military equipment to Iraq, worth 236m dollars, which the Serbian arms trading company Jugoimport SDPR signed with the government of Iraq, is the most significant deal the Serbian military industry has made since the end of 1990, when a contract was signed with Kuwait about the exports of 175 domestically produced M-84 tanks.
The first instalment, adding up to 20 per cent of what the deal is worth, was paid into the accounts of... (GunPolicy.org)
Illinois May Need to Tighten New Law on Mental Health of Gun Buyers
18 February 2008
Associated Press
CHICAGO — Illinois lawmakers moved swiftly after last year's massacre at Virginia Tech to make it harder for anyone with a history of mental illness to buy guns, fortifying what were already some of the nation's toughest weapons laws.
But the new measure does not take effect until June. And whether it would have prevented last week's bloodbath at Northern Illinois University is far from clear.
Steven Kazmierczak, the 27-year-old grad student who bought an arsenal of... (GunPolicy.org)
Silence on U.S. Domestic Gun Terrorism: Let's Fight the Enemy Within U.S.
18 February 2008
Chicago Tribune, Column
If a man or woman campaigning to be the next president of the United States didn't have a detailed plan to fight foreign terrorists, we'd think he or she was wasting our time.
So why is it that we aren't demanding the Democratic presidential candidates, Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and Republican front-runner Sen. John McCain have a plan to fight homegrown terrorists?
Why does it take the type of violence that occurred Thursday at Northern Illinois... (GunPolicy.org)
Outstanding, Polite Illinois Student Gave No Indication He Was Troubled
16 February 2008
San Francisco Chronicle / AP
DEKALB, Illinois — If there is such a thing as a profile of a mass murderer, Steven Kazmierczak didn't fit it: outstanding student, engaging, polite and industrious, with what looked like a bright future in the criminal justice field.
And yet on Thursday, the 27-year-old Kazmierczak, armed with three handguns and a brand-new pump-action shotgun he had carried onto campus in a guitar case, stepped from behind a screen on the stage of a lecture hall at Northern... (GunPolicy.org)
How a Top US Student Turned Into Mass Killer in Land of 270m Guns
16 February 2008
Scotsman (Edinburgh)
"At first everyone thought it was a joke," said one student. It wasn't. Within minutes, five people were dead and many more seriously injured.
On Thursday, Stephen Kazmierczak, a 27-year-old former student at Northern Illinois University, went on suicidal gun rampage. It was just the latest in a series of such attacks on the premises of US educational institutions.
Allyse Jerome, 19, a second-year student, said the gunman burst through a stage door in a lecture... (GunPolicy.org)
US Lawmakers Jump on Illinois Shooting to Urge More Guns on Campus
16 February 2008
State Journal-Register (Illinois)
A state lawmaker and congressional candidate says recent shooting sprees that killed people at Northern Illinois University and a Chicago-area shopping center might have had "different outcomes" if Illinois law allowed citizens to carry concealed firearms.
Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Peoria, has proposed the Family and Personal Protection Act, which would require individuals to complete a training course in handgun use, safety and marksmanship before they could get a... (GunPolicy.org)
Illinois Campus Killer Legally Bought 3 Pistols, Shotgun at Local Gun Shop
16 February 2008
New York Times
DeKALB, Illinois — The day after five students were gunned down in an afternoon science class on the campus of Northern Illinois University here, survivors struggled to manage their grief as the authorities released more details about the shooting and the gunman.
The few students who remained on campus began to formally memorialize the dead, and a silence fell over the university, broken only by the hum of news trucks and the activity of scattered police officers.
A... (GunPolicy.org)
Excellent Student, Ex-US Army Campus Gun Killer Had 'Boy Next Door' Face
16 February 2008
Chicago Sun-Times
DEKALB — Those closest to Steve Kazmierczak saw 2 sides — a gifted, dedicated student, but beset by behavioral problems
Steve Kazmierczak had gone more than a dozen years without talking to his godfather, Richard Grafer.
Until about a month ago. That's when Grafer got a call from his 27-year-old godson with the boy-next-door face.
"It was like he was reaching out for someone to talk to, someone he could confide in," Grafer said during an interview at his Des... (GunPolicy.org)
Illinois, Virginia Campus Killers Both Supplied by Same Licensed Gun Dealer
16 February 2008
Chicago Sun-Times
The Green Bay, Wis., gun dealer who sold Northern Illinois University killer Stephen Kazmierczak empty magazines and a holster for a semi-automatic pistol also sold a gun to the killer in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
"I was just shocked," said Eric Thompson, 34, whose company TGSCOM Inc. sells weapons over the Internet. "There are over 90,000 licensed dealers in the U.S."
Thompson's company sold a Walther .22-caliber handgun to Seung-Hui Cho, who... (GunPolicy.org)
Illinois Student Killer Legally Bought Shotgun, Glock Pistol a Few Days Before
15 February 2008
Northwest Herald (Illinois)
More about the shooter from Thursday's rampage at NIU, Stephen Kazmierczak, 27, who shot and killed five students before killing himself.
- Graduated from NIU in 2006 and was a graduate student at the university as recently as last year.
- Two of the weapons — the pump-action Remington shotgun and a Glock 9mm handgun — were purchased legally less than a week ago, on Feb. 9, authorities said. They were purchased in Champaign, where Kazmierczak was enrolled at the... (GunPolicy.org)
Ex-NRA Board Member, Dealer Sold Assault Rifles to Cop Shooter, Got 5yrs
14 January 2008
Baltimore Sun
A Baltimore County gun dealer charged with illegally providing weapons to a man who died in a firefight with police last year has received a five-year suspended prison sentence and one year of probation.
Sanford M. Abrams entered an Alford plea today in Baltimore County Circuit Court, in which he did not admit guilt but conceded that the state has enough evidence to convict him. The judge then entered a guilty plea for unlawfully selling a restricted firearm.
The plea... (GunPolicy.org)
Remington USA Buys Marlin Firearms in Rifle, Shotgun, Ammunition Merger
27 December 2007
Newsday (New York) / AP
HARTFORD, Connecticut — Remington Arms Co. Inc. will acquire Marlin Firearms Co. in a deal that brings together two firearms companies founded in the 19th century that serve a range of customers from police to hunters.
Remington, bought by Cerberus Capital Management in April, manufactures guns and ammunition for hunting, law enforcement, security, government and the military. The privately held Remington reported third-quarter sales of $157 million.
A spokesman... (GunPolicy.org)
Wealthy US Gun Lobby's Main Target Is Members' Cash, Says NRA Insider
16 December 2007
Washington Post, Opinion
The bulletin came over the radio as I was driving home on Dec. 5: "Nine dead, five wounded in shooting massacre at an Omaha mall."
It was tragic news. But even as I lamented the lives lost, I was hearing the questions I knew would immediately arise as the two sides in the endless debate on guns in America squared off once again. "Why don't we ban all military-style rifles?", one side would ask, while the other would demand, "Why did the mall prevent law-abiding... (GunPolicy.org)
Vancouver Gang, Drug Sweep Nets Licensed Gun Owner With .50cal Rifle
22 November 2007
Vancouver Sun (British Columbia)
Gang members appear to be lying low since a regional anti-gang squad hit the streets a week ago to suppress gang violence, the commander of the new police team said Wednesday.
Vancouver police Insp. Dean Robinson said the new Violence Suppression Team has checked almost 300 people in its first week and observed a noticeable absence of gang members in their normal haunts.
"They aren't as thick as they usually are in the places we would normally find them hanging out,"... (GunPolicy.org)
Brief Guide to the World's Best Known Guns and Major Gun Makers - BBC
12 November 2007
BBC News
The global trade in small arms is big business — 1,250 companies in at least 92 countries produce weapons, parts or ammunition. But who are the big players?
ARMALITE
Makers of the M4 and M16 assault rifles, which are popular with the US armed forces and soldiers from many other nations. The design was quickly bought by Colt.
Armalite weapons were also popular with the IRA, hence the republicans' long-time policy of the "Armalite and the ballot box", meaning... (GunPolicy.org)
Serbian Gun Maker 'Back to Old Glory' in Deals with US Remington, Others
6 November 2007
B92 Radio (Belgrade) / Beta, EM Online
KRAGUJEVAC — Zastava Arms plans 2008 exports to reach USD 20mn, the best result for the Kragujevac-based company in more than a decade.
The factory has, according to Danas newspaper, made deals to export infantry armaments, including rifles, automatic rifles and military equipment worth USD 15mn.
However, a new business arrangement is expected this month, worth some USD 3 to 4mn. A part of this contract will be with the countries that are seen as global hotspots,... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Police Seize Submachine Gun, Handguns in 'Routine' Home Visit
30 October 2007
Chilliwack Progress (British Columbia)
A submachine-gun, a pistol fitted with a silencer and a three rifles were found among a cache of nine weapons seized at a Shaw Avenue home by Chilliwack RCMP officers investigating a stolen vehicle report Sunday.
"We'll never know what their intended use was, but obviously it was no good," Const. Lea-Anne Dunlop said yesterday.
"Anytime we can take one gun off the street it's a success," she said. "To take this many certainly puts a dent in criminal activity."
Three... (GunPolicy.org)
Wisconsin Has No Way of Preventing Felons Getting Guns, Licences
30 October 2007
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wisconsin)
Dozens of convicted felons in Wisconsin were issued gun deer hunting licenses in 2006 despite a state law that bans them for life from possessing firearms.
The state, meanwhile, does not prohibit felons from buying gun hunting licenses and makes no effort to monitor if felons are purchasing them, the Journal Sentinel found.
An analysis of records from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections and Department of Natural Resources shows that at least 77 felons bought deer... (GunPolicy.org)
Baltimore Gun Dealer, Ex-NRA Board Member Faces 10yrs Jail in Gun Trial
17 October 2007
Baltimore Sun
The early-morning call from a Parkville condominium sounded dire. A woman said her estranged boyfriend had a rifle and was threatening to kill himself.
Officers responded to the scene after 2 a.m. on Feb. 18 and tried to persuade Keith J. Showalter to surrender, but he refused, according to a police account. The 25-year-old then came out of the building on Lowell Glen Road brandishing a Yugoslavian military-style rifle and fired seven rounds at police just yards away.... (GunPolicy.org)
To Attract Women, Girl Shooters, Wisconsin Gun Shops Sell Pink Weapons
23 September 2007
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wisconsin)
WAUKESHA — As Gary Goessner, his buddy and their two pre-teen daughters shopped the Gander Mountain store hunting department in Waukesha Friday afternoon, the two girls were immediately drawn to a rifle and a youth shotgun.
Buy a link hereBut it wasn't the firepower of the guns that attracted the girls' attention. It was a color: Call it blaze pink.
The .22-caliber Crickett rifle ($169.99) has a bright pink stock, and the Remington Express Jr. .20 gauge shotgun... (GunPolicy.org)
'Obsessed' Nevada Collector Left 3,800 Guns, 250,000 Rounds of Ammo
21 September 2007
Las Vegas Sun / Scripps News Service
It's Christmas Day, Jerry Darnell is about to die and he's at Wal-Mart buying rifles. Four of them.
Darnell's cousin finds these firearms in early January, when he travels to Pahrump, Nev., to make the after-death arrangements. Darnell had died of natural causes at 66.
His cousin finds the new rifles unwrapped, price tags affixed, packed in with the rest of the collection. A gun hoarder's last grasp, the end of the Darnell Weaponry Estate.
It's an arsenal, really,... (GunPolicy.org)
US/Serbia Gun Deal Under Cloud, Privately Funded by 'George Bush Himself'
10 September 2007
Tanjug / B-92 Radio (Belgrade)
KRAGUJEVAC — Zastava Arms and U.S. gunmaker Remington may have to change their cooperation deal, it was annouced Monday.
A recent change in the ownership structure of the U.S. company through whom Zastava Arms has been exporting hunting rifles for the past two years to the U.S., Canada and Mexico, might affect their partnership.
Zastava Arms workers' union said it was not yet known whether the business cooperation contract on exports in 2008 would be signed by... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Culture a 'Prescription for Mayhem' - Who Needs Assault Rifles?
2 September 2007
Oakland Tribune (California), Opinion
There is no other way to say it, our current gun culture is leading the country down a path to mayhem.
According to the Small Arms Survey 2007 by the Graduate Institute of International Studies, U.S. citizens own 270 million of the world's 875 million known firearms — that translates to roughly 90 guns for every 100 Americans. Moreover, the survey estimates that 4.5 million of the 8 million new guns manufactured worldwide each year are purchased in the United States.... (GunPolicy.org)
Ammunition Shortages, Soaring Costs Bite Gun Owners Across America
31 August 2007
Ithaca Journal (New York), Column
If you are a shooter, the skyrocketing price of ammunition is hitting home every bit as hard as the gasoline pumps.
It's nothing new. The price increases began after 9/11, then were compounded by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — which pushed up overall demand — and growing industrial powers such as China and India, which either gobbled up or bid up the cost of raw materials.
Chinese and Indian rampant construction not only ate up prodigious amounts of raw... (GunPolicy.org)
Americans' Love Affair with Guns is Fairly Recent
1 July 2007
Huntington Herald-Dispatch (West Virginia), Opinion
The Second Amendment to the Constitution reads as follows: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
In his book "Frontier Violence: Another Look," W. Eugene Hollon writes that the murder weapon most preferred by Americans before the Civil War was the knife or the bludgeon. After the war, the weapon of choice was the gun. The change occurred for several reasons.... (GunPolicy.org)
America's Hot-selling Weapon is Now the 'Black' Assault Rifle
3 June 2007
New York Times
Last February, Jim Zumbo, a burly, 66-year-old outdoors writer, got a phone call at his home near Cody, Wyoming, from the rock star — and outspoken Second Amendment champion — Ted Nugent. "You messed up, man," Mr. Zumbo says Mr. Nugent told him. "Big time."
Two days earlier, Mr. Zumbo, a leading hunting journalist, outraged Mr. Nugent and many other gun owners when he suggested in a blog post that increasingly popular semiautomatic guns known as "black rifles" be... (GunPolicy.org)
About 200 US Gun Companies Share a $2 Billion Firearm Market
6 April 2007
Observer-Dispatch (New York)
ILION — Although Remington Arms Co. posted a profit last year after several years of losses, it still faces an increasingly competitive market, analysts said Thursday.
Cerberus Capital Management LP, which is buying Remington, said it saw "tremendous value" in the company.
"Cerberus sees tremendous value in Remington: a world-famous brand name, market-leading products, strong management team and an unsurpassed team of employees," said Peter Duda, spokesman for... (GunPolicy.org)
Remington Arms Long Gun Maker Sells to Private Equity Firm for US$370m
6 April 2007
Associated Press
ILION, New York — The $370 million acquisition of historic Remington Arms by a New York City-based private-equity firm has left this upstate community feeling somewhat unsettled — but also hopeful for a better future.
The 191-year-old gun maker was purchased Thursday by Cerberus Capital Management. Cerberus is buying Remington for about $118 million and taking on its $252 million in debt.
While Cerberus officials said they saw "tremendous value" in Remington, they... (GunPolicy.org)
We Should Admit That Hunting With Assault Rifles Can Harm Our Image
24 March 2007
Fremont Tribune (Nebraska), Opinion
When Outdoor Life icon Jim Zumbo recently made disparaging remarks toward semi-automatic rifles such as the AK-47, he touched off a powder keg of reaction that cost him many of his major sponsors and much of the high regard with which he was held in the sporting community.
For those unaware of the controversy, Zumbo stated, "(Hunters) don't need to be lumped into the group of people who terrorize the world with (assault rifles), which is an obvious concern."
Zumbo... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Enthusiasts Mobilize in Blogosphere in New Era for Grassroots
23 March 2007
Fox News (USA)
WASHINGTON — A massive and seemingly mobilized online community has sprung among gun rights advocates readying for any possible action by the Democratic-led Congress to limit an individual's right to bear arms.
While activity on gun issues has been light in recent years — no Million Mom march or action to renew the assault weapons ban that expired two years ago — an explosion of activity among Web loggers shows Second Amendment purists are anything but complacent... (GunPolicy.org)
American Love Affair With Guns is Not About to End Any Time Soon
19 March 2007
Sydney Morning Herald, Opinion
For almost 40 years, Jim Zumbo was one of America's best-known hunters and gun enthusiasts, a cult figure among the millions of Americans who have what amounts to an almost mystical relationship with guns.
Zumbo had his own cable television program, wrote a regular column for the hunting magazine Outdoor Life and was the recipient of sponsorships from the powerful National Rifle Association and clothes makers specialising in hunting gear, as well as the Remington Arms... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Lovers Banish One of Their Own Icons for Being Sensible
14 March 2007
Journal Gazette (Indiana), Editorial
It's official: Add gun control to the ranks of issues where no middle ground is permitted. The room for reasonable debate has been pushed out by gun-rights advocates. You're either with them or against them.
Jim Zumbo is now counted against them. An accomplished big-game hunter, a 40-year member of the National Rifle Association and a writer for Outdoor Life magazine for almost 30 years, Zumbo touched off a firestorm when he dared to suggest on his online blog that... (GunPolicy.org)
'Rabid' 2nd Amendment Supporters Shred 2 Gun Experts for Honest Opinions
8 March 2007
Austin American-Statesman (Texas), Column
Two gun guys — Jim Zumbo and Leon Measures — got their pink slips in the past week.
Zumbo publicly was gutted and quartered after he questioned in a web log if anyone should even own an AR-15 or other military style rifle, much less hunt with one. He lost his job at Outdoor Life magazine, lost an association with Remington and has been disowned by the National Rifle Association.
Measures, who teaches basic shotgun shooting with air rifles, was quietly uninvited... (GunPolicy.org)
American Outdoors Icon Didn't Have Chance Against Gun Zealots
8 March 2007
Spokesman-Review (Washington), Column
None of my outdoor experiences has left a more vivid memory than watching four coyotes, who were unaware of my close proximity, as they attacked a frantic fawn mule deer.
Within seconds after fleeing into the open, the young deer was hamstrung, eviscerated and brought down before my eyes. One coyote raised its bloody muzzle to the sunset and yodeled in triumph as the others began ripping into the still-twitching carcass.
Unnerving as it was, that attack was no more... (GunPolicy.org)
Reasonable Debate, Saner Gun Laws Pushed Out by US Pro-gun Advocates
7 March 2007
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (Indiana), Editorial
It's official: add gun control to the ranks of issues where no middle ground is permitted. The room for reasonable debate has been pushed out by gun rights advocates. You're either with them or against them.
Jim Zumbo is now counted against them. An accomplished big-game hunter, a 40-year member of the National Rifle Association and a writer for Outdoor Life magazine for almost 30 years, Zumbo touched off a firestorm when he dared to suggest on his online blog that... (GunPolicy.org)
Oregon Hunters Mostly Back US Outdoor Writer's Stance Against AR-15s
4 March 2007
Oregonian (Portland), Column
There is certainly no lack of support for Jim Zumbo in Oregon.
Last week's column about Zumbo following his comments on an Outdoor Life blog comparing AR-15s and other "black rifles" with terrorist assault weapons pulled the scab off a fresh wound.
Unlike the cyber backlash from gun enthusiasts that shot Zumbo out of the saddle, most of those who wrote The Oregonian were appalled (the word appeared several times) by the reaction of Outdoor Life, the National Rifle... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Lobby Response to US Outdoors Hero's Views 'Astonishing in Its Fury'
4 March 2007
Register-Guard (Oregon), Editorial
Listen up, ladies and gentlemen. The Word of the Day is "zumbo." It can be either a verb or a noun.
As a verb, "to zumbo" means to annihilate the reputation of anyone who suggests that there is any class of firearm that doesn't directly contribute to the preservation of American liberty. As a noun, a zumbo is someone who commits professional suicide by saying something that angers the "pry my gun from my cold dead fingers" Second Amendment shock troops.
This... (GunPolicy.org)
Even Alaskan Outdoors Columnist Shows Some Sympathy for Jim Zumbo
4 March 2007
Anchorage Daily News (Alaska), Column
Gun writer Jim Zumbo www-shot-his-mouth-off and ended up in a raging, national blogoversy earlier this month. Now the 67-year-old shooting editor for "Outdoor Life" is out of a job.
All of this for penning these words in a blog on www.outdoorlife.com:
"The guides on our (coyote) hunt tell me that the use of AR and AK rifles have a rapidly growing following among hunters, especially prairie dog hunters. I had no clue. I call them 'assault' rifles, which may upset some... (GunPolicy.org)
Most-admired American Hunter Now Gun Zealots' 'Second Most Hated Man'
3 March 2007
New York Times, Editorial
A famous hunter and outdoorsman recently voiced misgivings about people who use assault rifles to kill prairie dogs.
Everyone knows what a prairie dog is: a chubby North American rodent that lives in a communal burrow and grows to be about a foot long. "Assault rifle" is a much touchier term. It is generally understood to be the kind of gun that soldiers use in wars and terrorists use on the evening news. But the gun lobby despises "assault rifle," considering it a... (GunPolicy.org)
US Outdoors Writers Back Fallen Colleague Against Gun Lobby 'Fanatics'
2 March 2007
Ithaca Journal (New York), Column
The biggest news in the outdoors world right now is the fall of Jim Zumbo, the world's most-famous hunter, who fell victim to the Pro-Gun Right's double standard in his ill-thought Feb. 16 blog on the Outdoor Life's Web site.
Associated with the famed outdoors publication for three decades and Hunting Editor since 1979, Zumbo had the audacity to say in print (actually, cyberspace) that rifles patterned after assault weapons had no place in hunting. He called them... (GunPolicy.org)
Hunting With Assault Rifles? US Outdoors Writer Zumbo Was Right to Scoff
1 March 2007
Post-Bulletin (Minnesota)
I canceled my subscription to Outdoor Life magazine this week.
I've been a subscriber for at least 15 years, and although I can't say I read each issue cover-to-cover, there were two writers I read religiously: Patrick McManus and Jim Zumbo.
McManus made me laugh, and Zumbo made me jealous. What a great life he had. Travel the world, hunting every big-game animal you could think of, and get paid to do it. Although it's unlikely I'll ever find myself facing a charge... (GunPolicy.org)
NRA's Bully Tactics to Silence Differing Views is Shameful - US Editorial
27 February 2007
Union-Bulletin (Washington State), Editorial
The leaders of the National Rifle Association are so obsessed with the perceived threat to the Second Amendment's right to keep and bear arms that they won't tolerate anyone who strays from NRA doctrine — even if it's one of the NRA's most famous and loyal members.
Jim Zumbo, a 40-year NRA member, has made a name for himself as host of a TV show about big game hunting in the West and as a writer for Outdoor Life magazine. He also had endorsement deals from gun... (GunPolicy.org)
NRA Fosters Fear and Paranoia Among Gun Owners, Says US Gun Writer
26 February 2007
Corvallis Gazette-Times (Oregon), Opinion
Something very strange happened in the world of outdoor communication this week. One of America's best known hunting writers slipped and metaphorically cut himself — so a few thousand of his closest friends ate him alive.
Jim Zumbo, who made a name for himself — and developed a large following — writing about big game hunting for the past 40 years, was on a Remington Arms-sponsored Wyoming coyote hunting trip. He learned during a conversation with one of his... (GunPolicy.org)
Famed US Outdoors Writer Pans Assault Rifles, Gun Lobby Kills His Career
24 February 2007
Washington Post
SEATTLE — Modern hunters rarely become more famous than Jim Zumbo. A mustachioed, barrel-chested outdoors entrepreneur who lives in a log cabin near Yellowstone National Park, he has spent much of his life writing for prominent outdoors magazines, delivering lectures across the country and starring in cable TV shows about big-game hunting in the West.
Zumbo's fame, however, has turned to black-bordered infamy within America's gun culture — and his multimedia... (GunPolicy.org)
US Outdoor Life Writer Pans Assault Rifles, Loses Job, Sponsors
22 February 2007
Lake County News-Sun (Chicago)
There is a bit of a rift going on in the outdoor sporting world between hunters and gun enthusiasts, which sometimes are one in the same.
The raucousness started when longtime outdoors writer Jim Zumbo of Outdoor Life magazine posted a story online that said assault rifles — he also called them terrorist rifles — had no place in the hunting community, even suggesting that game departments ban them from the prairies and woods.
According to The Shooting Wire web... (GunPolicy.org)
Popular Assault Rifle Lookalikes Designed to Evade Canadian Gun Bans
12 February 2007
Ottawa Citizen (Ontario), Series
Its name alone evokes images of guerrilla resistance fighters or Iron Curtain military might. With its wooden pistol grip and distinctive banana-shaped magazine, the AK-47 is the world's most recognizable assault rifle.
From the jungles of Africa to the streets of Baghdad, the low cost, deadliness and reliability of Mikhail Kalashnikov's rifle have made it a favourite of conventional armies and insurgents alike.
Although the AK is prohibited in Canada, inexpensive... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed Gun Dealers, Ex-officers, Gun Nuts Led Aussie Crime Gun Racket
12 February 2007
Sydney Morning Herald
A former Queensland prison officer, John Glaister, had guns to sell, in particular a .38-calibre Smith & Wesson pistol for $2000. His mistake was trying to sell it to undercover NSW police posing as illegal arms traders, using weekend markets in Brisbane to ply their trade.
Operation Talamanca had already uncovered one big fish — the Queensland gun dealer Frank Curr. It was about to pull in Glaister and broaden the net in another direction.
Detective Inspector... (GunPolicy.org)
Shooting Sports Still a Powerful Economic, Political Force in America
6 February 2007
Morning Call (Pennsylvania), Column
Sometimes I think sportsmen are a bit too pessimistic.
Certainly, there are serious challenges before us — not the least of which is a slow but steady decline in our ranks. Hunting license sales have been falling nationwide for decades, largely from societal changes that have reduced people's connection to nature and rapid land development that makes finding a place to enjoy the outdoors more challenging than ever.
On top of that, sportsmen face constant legal and... (GunPolicy.org)
Submachine Guns, 5 Other Weapons Stolen from FBI SUV in Washington
19 January 2007
Washington Post
Seven weapons, including two submachine guns, were stolen last weekend from an FBI agent's vehicle in Southwest Washington, the agency said yesterday.
Also taken were ammunition, a police radio, bullet-resistant vests, body armor and photography equipment, the FBI said.
The theft triggered an intensive search for the property and whoever took it. The FBI decided yesterday to seek the public's help by offering a $25,000 reward.
"We understand the seriousness of those... (GunPolicy.org)
Smith & Wesson Takes Shot at Hunting Market, Buys Long-Gun Maker
18 December 2006
Boston Herald / AP
SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts — Long associated with the likes of Dirty Harry and real-life police officers, Smith & Wesson is now taking aim at a new market: hunters.
In a $100 million deal announced Monday, the Springfield gun maker said it is buying Thompson/Center Arms, a privately held Rochester, N.H.-based company that specializes in muzzleloaders and rimfire rifles.
The move lets Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. target the $1.1 billion long gun market, which is... (GunPolicy.org)
Serbian Factory to Export Record Shipments of Remington Rifles to US
17 December 2006
B92 Radio (Belgrade)
KRAGUJEVAC — Zastava-Weapons and U.S. gunmaker Remington signed an annex to their business cooperation agreement.
The annex states that the Kragujevac-based factory will in the first nine months of next year export 20,000 hunting rifles worth 3.2 million dollars to the U.S.
The shipment will also include 6,000 stainless steel rifles, manufactured in Kragujevac using Remington technology.
Remington will in the coming year start the transfer of additional technology... (GunPolicy.org)
Arkansas Political Candidates Scrap Over 'Best Friend of Gun Lobby' Badge
23 October 2006
Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK — While Arkansas' attorney general is the state's top law enforcement official, it doesn't mean he walks around with a gun and a badge.
However, with all their talk of gun rights and hunting, attorney general hopefuls Dustin McDaniel and Gunner DeLay would have you think otherwise.
Voters have been caught in the crossfire of words between McDaniel, a Democrat, and DeLay, a Republican, over gun rights, gun control and the purpose of the Second... (GunPolicy.org)
Serbian Gun Maker for Tito Troops Attracts US Import Partners
7 September 2006
Bloomberg (USA)
U.S. companies are jostling to set up a joint venture with the Serbian arms producer that made rifles and pistols for the military under Yugoslav leaders including Josip Broz Tito and Slobodan Milosevic.
The state-owned company, Zastava Oruzje, plans to pick a partner by the end of this month to form a unit that will sell revolvers, hunting guns and long-range sniping rifles in the U.S., General Manager Dragoljub Grujovic said today. Seven U.S. companies have... (GunPolicy.org)
Spate of Police Gun Thefts Embarrasses Detroit Area Police
24 June 2006
Detroit News
A Monroe County deputy has joined an expanding — and embarrassed — law enforcement fraternity struggling to answer the question: Where's my gun?
When the unnamed, eight-year deputy noticed that his submachine gun, $3,500 police radio, uniform and 20 rounds of ammunition had been swiped from his unlocked pickup truck on Thursday morning, he joined two other officers in just over a week whose powerful firearms were stolen or missing.
Last week, a 9 mm Colt... (GunPolicy.org)
In US States With More Guns, More Children Get Shot
5 June 2006
Lahontan Valley News (Nevada), Opinion
I am on record as saying the world would be better off without guns. Actually, I'm really not anti-gun, I'm just fed up with reckless and ruthless gun owners. Collectors and sportsmen don't generally fall into either category.
I think hunting is a wonderful activity as long as it's not just for trophies. It should be done in the wild and not on a game ranch stocked for hunters and it should be done on foot and not from a motor vehicle, and with a hunting rifle and not... (GunPolicy.org)
US NRA Boss Sandy Froman Pushes More, Better Fitted Guns for Women
18 May 2006
Associated Press
MILWAUKEE — Kay Clark Miculek is a champion shot, especially with a handgun. Though she may be pretty deft with a shotgun, she's got to put some work into using that weapon. That's because this gun shop owner in Louisiana usually must get shotguns shortened to fit her 5-foot-3-inch frame.
"Any shotgun I get, I have to get cut off. Not a lot of lady models are shorter," said Clark Miculek, 49, who owns Clark Guns, in Bossier City and runs camps throughout the country... (GunPolicy.org)
Canada Post Leaves Parcel of Mail-order Guns on Porch: Guns Stolen
12 May 2006
Toronto Star (Ontario)
Did you know you can order guns by phone and Canada Post will deliver them?
And did you know that if you are not home, Canada Post may leave them on your doorstep?
Well, that's exactly what happened last month in Oshawa.
And guess what? The guns are missing and presumed stolen, leaving Durham Region police scrambling to retrieve a Remington Super Mag Combo 12-gauge shotgun, a Ruger Deluxe .22-calibre rifle, and ammunition-assembling equipment.
Although the... (GunPolicy.org)
Wal-Mart Decision Will Have Huge Effect on Reeling US Gun Industry
18 April 2006
Press & Sun-Bulletin (New York), Column
There has been a fear in the firearms industry for several years that a new CEO or a slight change in the makeup of Wal-Mart's Board of Directors would lead to the retail giant dropping guns and ammunition from its inventory.
The world's largest retailer is also the leader in firearms sales, and is thus a major target of lawsuits. Having counter clerks administer the complex paperwork and procedures involved in firearms registration is not only seen as cost-inefficient... (GunPolicy.org)
Serbian Gun Maker Sells 15,000 Assault Rifles to Unnamed US Client
2 March 2006
SEESAC (Belgrade) / VIP / Politika
The Zastava Arms factory got a contract to export 15,000 Kalashnikov system rifles to the US for 2.6 million USD at the Las Vegas arms fair, Belgrade daily Politika quoted Zastava Arms director Dragoljub Grujovic as saying on February 21. The deal will be realized early in 2007.
To date, Zastava has sold its Kalashnikov system rifles in semi-automatic version in parts on the US market. Now the Kragujevac based company will export finished weapons to the US. The... (GunPolicy.org)
Americans' Fanatical Contempt for Gun Control Perplexes Foreigners
1 March 2006
Telegraph (UK)
We live in the heart of American gun country. A local farmhouse I have visited near here has a gun rack that would not disgrace a decent infantry battalion's guard room.
In Houston British expatriates still speak of the drunken Scotsman coming back late one night over ten years ago in one of the smarter parts of town. When he knocked on some stranger's door at 3am, the homeowner shot and killed him believing his life to be in danger. The homeowner was within his legal... (GunPolicy.org)
It's All About Guns: Looking, Buying, Selling at Annual Gun Show
5 February 2006
Times Argus (Vermont)
BARRE — Vinnie Miragliotta was armed and semi-dangerous on Saturday as he stood on the back steps of the Barre Municipal Auditorium sucking on a cigarette with a Swedish Mauser slung over his shoulder.
The antique rifle was harmless — loaded only with a wooden dowel poking out of its polished barrel, with a small square of cardboard duct-taped to the tip. The makeshift sign put Miragliotta's asking price at "$175," and as the Virginia man prepared to duck back into... (GunPolicy.org)
Toronto Street Gun Dealer Reveals Prices, Prosecutor Seeks 12 Years Jail
3 February 2006
Toronto Sun (Ontario)
The outrage of the Boxing Day bloodbath that took the life of Jane Creba is coming into Toronto courtrooms.
A 12-year sentence sought for a "major gun dealer" was questioned yesterday by Justice Ramez Khawley, who asked if it was that high because of the death of the 15-year-old on a Yonge St. crowded with shoppers.
"Let's deal with the elephant in the room. If this incident in December had not happened, would you be asking for 12 years today?" Khawley asked Crown... (GunPolicy.org)
Serbian Arms Factory Making Guns for US Remington
26 December 2005
Serbiana / AP
BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro — Serbia's only arms factory, Zastava, will produce 24,000 weapons for U.S.-based Remington Arms Company, Inc., next year, the factory manager said Monday.
Dragoljub Grujovic said that the production is part of a US$3.2 million (€2.7 million) deal with America's oldest gunmaker.
The first shipment of 3,000 carbine rifles and small-caliber guns is ready to go in January, Grujovic said. Another is planned for February and six more for... (GunPolicy.org)
Tiny Woman Teaches Shoot-to-kill at Arizona Gun Academy
12 December 2005
San Francisco Chronicle, Column
PRESCOTT, Arizona — The gunman slinked up a ravine, hunting for Cape buffalo amid the junipers. A single bead of sweat trickled from his right temple and down his cheek. At his shoulder, Il Ling New, the shooter's mentor, crept alongside, unconsciously fingering the exposed tips of rifle cartridges slotted in her gun belt. "See him?" she whispered. The gunman hesitated for a moment and then dropped to prone. "Got him."
New locks in with a rangefinder: "398 yards."... (GunPolicy.org)
Boston is Under the Gun, So Let's Register Them
5 December 2005
Boston Herald, Opinion
Gun homicides in Boston are up by a few; shootings are up even more; and fear of violence is running rampant. City leaders, in response, have proposed a variety of gun control initiatives — some good, some bad and some unproven.
Mayor Tom Menino wants to set up anonymous tip lines to encourage residents, particularly youngsters, to "drop a dime" if they are aware of someone packing heat. Whether they would trust the protection of anonymity against being labeled a... (GunPolicy.org)
'Gun Libraries' Target the High End of the Firearm Market
7 November 2005
Wall Street Journal
When Junius Morgan, a great-great-grandson of J.P. Morgan, wanted to sell a pair of custom-made shotguns that had been in his family for generations, he turned a couple of months ago to an increasingly popular venue: the gun library.
Gun libraries are high-end gun stores, often with leather chairs, dark wood and Old World art. Some of the guns are new, and some, like Mr. Morgan's, are "previously owned," traded in or sold by other owners. But all have a certain cachet... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Control Groups Vow to Challenge Constitutionality of New Bill
20 October 2005
Washington Post
The House of Representatives today passed legislation to protect the U.S. gun industry from lawsuits by crime victims, and President Bush said he looks forward to signing it.
The House voted 283-144 to approve the "Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act," which passed the Senate in late July by a similarly lopsided margin of 65-31.
The National Rifle Association, which pushed hard for the bill as its top legislative priority, hailed it as vital to protect the... (GunPolicy.org)
Hurricane Katrina and Gun Ownership [A more balanced version]
12 October 2005
All Things Considered, National Public Radio (USA), Transcript
MICHELE NORRIS, host: Guns became a prized commodity in the wake of Hurricane Katrina when New Orleans descended into lawlessness. Police sought additional firearms to put down anarchy. Many civilians wanted guns for personal protection, buying and sometimes stealing them. Some of the accounts of civil unrest that prompted the scramble for firepower have turned out to be false. But as NPR's John Burnett reports, the rumors have taken on a new life.
JOHN BURNETT... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: All Things Considered, National Public Radio (USA)
Remington, Zastava to Sell 20,000 Ex-Army 'Hunting Carbines' in US
30 September 2005
SEESAC (Belgrade) / VIP - Defence and Security
The US company Remington will be strategic partner to Serbia's largest firearms production plant — Zastava-Firearms in the city of Kragujevac, Belgrade daily Danas said on September 26.
The daily said that the management at Zastava decided to establish a strategic partnership with Remington and would ask the American company's management to specify a date to sign the contract on a strategic partnership between the two companies which would take effect on January 1,... (GunPolicy.org)
Mother Shot in Face While Bringing Home 10yr-old Runaway Boys
27 September 2005
Ledger (Florida)
LAKELAND, Florida — A woman was accidentally shot in the face with quailshot Monday night after her husband took several shotguns away from their son and three other young boys, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
Monday evening, four young boys in North Lakeland, all about 10, decided to run away from home, according to Polk County sheriff's spokeswoman Carrie Rodgers.
The boys each got a backpack, and one of them went to his parents' house and got three... (GunPolicy.org)
New Lawsuit Shield May Save Gun-maker Remington Arms
26 August 2005
Winston-Salem Journal (North Carolina)
U.S. Senate passage of a bill that shields gun-makers from certain lawsuits is viewed as a boost for the industry, including Remington Arms Co. Inc., based in Madison.
The bill's passage in the Senate by a 65-31 vote last month was "a watershed event for Remington — and the entire firearms industry," Remington's chief executive, Tommy Millner, said, according to a transcript of a recent earnings conference call.
Millner said that the law would provide a legal shield... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Cite 'United Nations Convention' in Decision to Destroy Rifles
24 August 2005
New Zealand Herald
Police will destroy $200,000 worth of firearms when they upgrade to semi-automatics because of a UN convention designed to prevent the illicit trade of weapons.
During the next 12 months police will spend $3 million replacing 880 Remington rifles with semi-automatics.
NZ First MP Ron Mark, and the Sporting Shooters Association have criticised the decision to destroy the Remingtons, saying it's a "politically correct move" that wastes taxpayers' money.
However, police... (GunPolicy.org)
In New York State, Handguns Legal for Hunting
4 August 2005
Albany Times-Union (New York)
Hunters, by the nature of the sport, love a challenge.
Bowhunters get most of the credit for doing it the hard way, but there is a group of firearms hunters who should get the same accolades.
Handguns, like bows, are a close-range weapon and require the same kind of accuracy. You need a lot of patience to develop the shooting skills necessary to master the heavy-caliber handguns used for hunting.
Handguns are legal for hunting in New York, provided they meet the... (GunPolicy.org)
With NRA, Help Women Set Sights on Growing Shooting Sports
10 July 2005
Detroit News
MARION TOWNSHIP — Donna Van Buskirk decided to try her hand at blasting away at clay targets with a shotgun last year after she saw an ad in a woman's magazine.
Now, she's hooked. The 45-year-old mother of two visits the Howell Gun Club in Marion Township twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays, to blow apart airborne targets with her 12-gauge Remington 1100.
"I enjoy coming out here and all the people I've met," Van Buskirk said. "It's a good way to work out your... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Spend $146,000 Drug Money in Gun Buy-back
8 June 2005
Baltimore Sun
After gathering more than 1,700 guns, including 32 assault weapons, city police announced yesterday that they had ended their gun buyback campaign after six days.
"What I see here is community support," said Baltimore Police Commissioner Leonard D. Hamm, speaking during a news conference in a room where many weapons were displayed. "The participation from the community was absolutely incredible."
During the anonymous turn-in program started last week, police... (GunPolicy.org)
Destroying Police Guns Under United Nations 'Convention' Deplored
28 May 2005
Hawke's Bay Today, Editorial
Being a good global citizen sometimes demands that we yield to international conventions that bind the hands of government.
However, United Nations decisions are being enshrined in New Zealand law to the extent that their literal observance makes one wonder just who is supposed to be running the country. It is not surprising that conspiracy theories about ambitions of a big-brother, one-world government have taken root.
The Government can, of course, defy the United... (GunPolicy.org)
'Right Wing' Teacher Told He is 'Unfitted' to Keep Firearms
12 May 2005
Strathspey & Badenoch Herald (UK)
A Grantown Grammar School teacher, feared by police of being capable of a Dunblanestyle massacre, has been allowed to keep his shotgun certificate.
But a sheriff has also ruled him to be not of suitable character to be permitted to keep other guns classified as firearms, such as rifles and pistols.
Stewart Nicoll of Munro Place, Aviemore, had his shotgun licence and firearms certificate revoked by Northern Constabuluarly last spring.
Around the same time, the... (GunPolicy.org)
'Business is Booming Nicely' for .50-cal Gun Sales
29 April 2005
St Petersburg Times (Florida)
TOWN 'N COUNTRY — For a company that packs so much heat, Serbu Firearms keeps a low profile.
There's no sign on its front door. The place is unobtrusively tucked in a row of auto body shops in a no-frills industrial park next to the Veterans Expressway.
Nothing would tip you off that, behind that unmarked door, local entrepreneur Mark Serbu and his crew are manufacturing powerful .50-caliber rifles, right on the edge of what's legal.
"This is the biggest, baddest... (GunPolicy.org)
Tacoma Buyer of Gun for DC Sniper Admits Misstatements
2 April 2005
Washington Post
A Tacoma, Washington, man who bought a high-powered rifle for sniper John Allen Muhammad in 2001, but who claimed it was for himself, has pleaded guilty in federal court in Tacoma to making a false statement while acquiring a firearm.
The $800 rifle that Earl L. Dancy Jr., 36, bought in November 2001 was not the gun that Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo used to shoot 13 people, 10 fatally, in the Washington region in fall 2002. But during Muhammad's capital murder trial in... (GunPolicy.org)
Tacoma Man Pleads Guilty to Buying Rifle for D.C. Snipers
31 March 2005
Associated Press
TACOMA, Washington — A 36-year-old Tacoma man pleaded guilty Thursday to a charge that he bought a rifle for the Washington, D.C.-area snipers.
Earl L. Dancy Jr. faces a maximum 10 years in prison when he is sentenced before U.S. District Judge Franklin D. Burgess on June 24. He pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement in connection with the acquisition of a firearm.
On a federal form when he bought a .308-caliber Remington rifle from Bull's Eye... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun-Law Questions Raised in Texas Shooting
1 March 2005
Associated Press
When gunfire erupted in the Tyler town square, Mark Alan Wilson didn't hesitate: He grabbed a Colt .45 handgun and charged downstairs from his apartment to confront the shooter.
David Hernandez Arroyo had just killed his ex-wife and was turning on his 21-year-old son when Wilson arrived and fired his weapon at Arroyo, saving the young man's life. But Arroyo's body armor deflected Wilson's bullets, and Arroyo fatally shot Wilson with an AK-47 semiautomatic weapon.... (GunPolicy.org)
Russian Shotgun Imports 'Beginning of the End' for Remington?
9 February 2005
Observer-Dispatch (New York)
ILION — Company officials may say otherwise, but employees at the local Remington Arms factory are fearful the production of a new line of shotguns in Russia could be the beginning of the end for a relationship that dates back nearly two centuries.
At the beginning of the year, Remington, one of the oldest and largest domestic firearm producers, announced the formation of a new division, Spartan Gunworks by Remington, an imported line of affordable break-action... (GunPolicy.org)
NRA to Counter Kerry Gun Ploy, Fight United Nations Gun 'Treaty'
19 October 2004
Washington Times
Sen. John Kerry has been "extremely effective" in portraying himself as a gun enthusiast and hunter in the 2004 campaign, said Kayne B. Robinson, president of the National Rifle Association, whose group is preparing a push against the Democratic candidate in the final two weeks before Election Day.
The Massachusetts Democrat is "the most anti-gun candidate we've ever had," Mr. Robinson said during an hourlong interview with editors and reporters at The Washington... (GunPolicy.org)
Unleaded Ammo for 'Fewer Health and Environmental Risks'
27 July 2004
Associated Press
BRUNSWICK, Georgia — Officers aim their submachine guns at small steel targets and fire short bursts of bullets that, on impact, disintegrate into copper-colored dust.
So-called "green ammo" — bullets made of iron, copper and other metals less toxic than lead — has become the norm at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, essentially the nation's largest police academy.
Responsible for training the employees of 76 federal agencies, from the Secret Service... (GunPolicy.org)
New Massachusetts Gun Laws Ease Restrictions on Gun Owners
6 July 2004
Sentinel & Enterprise (USA)
Massachusetts — Lawmakers and gun advocates say several new reforms will make it easier for responsible Massachusetts citizens to own guns.
Christie Caywood of Leominster believes the law, which extends the duration of a gun license and eases other rules, is a victory for the right to bear arms.
Caywood may not be everyone's idea of the stereotypical gun owner.
"A friend of mine in college took me to the (shooting) range during finals — a bit of a stress... (GunPolicy.org)
Million Moms Roll Into Virginia, Spark Debate
19 May 2004
CNS News
Gun control activists have launched a coast-to-coast tour intended to generate support for an "assault weapons" ban that is scheduled to expire in September — unless Congress passes an extension of the ban.
The Million Mom March's "Big Pink Rig" (a pink recreational vehicle) rolled into Richmond, Virginia, on Tuesday, motivating people on both sides of the gun issue to speak up.
While gun control activists want to extend the ban on certain semi-automatic weapons,... (GunPolicy.org)
Senate Action on Gun-Industry Immunity Looms
12 February 2004
Join Together Online gun violence web site (Boston)
The National Rifle Association has stated repeatedly that a bill to provide the gun industry broad immunity from lawsuit is one of its top current legislative priorities. In early March, the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on whether or not the NRA gets its way.
If the Senate passes the bill, it will hand the gun industry "a level of protection that is literally unprecedented," according to Dennis Henigan, director of the Legal Action Project at the Brady Center to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Join Together Online gun violence web site (Boston)
Museum Displays Firearms at NRA Building in Fairfax
1 February 2004
Washington Post
Virginia never had a lot of cowboys.
So at first glance, the larger-than-life bronze statue of a cowboy — complete with billowing chaps, Stetson hat, looped lariat in one hand and rifle dangling casually from the other — looks oddly out of place in the lobby of a glass office building off Interstate 66 in Fairfax County.
But the face, all craggy and handsome, seems familiar.
Then a glance at the accompanying plaque evokes an "of course" moment: It's Charlton... (GunPolicy.org)
Faulty Remington Rifles Shatter Lives
14 December 2003
Detroit News
Lloyd Woods is a Vietnam veteran and longtime hunter who has spent much of his life handling and using guns.
But when he bought a used Remington 700 bolt action hunting rifle in 1988, he had no way of knowing that the sleek, carefully finished exterior hid a dangerous design flaw — a defect that has injured more than a hundred people.
The series of small, metal parts that control the gun's firing mechanism were prone to failure, making the rifle accidentally... (GunPolicy.org)
Remington Workers Furloughed for Christmas
31 October 2003
Utica Observer Dispatch (New York)
More than 900 employees at Remington Arms in Ilion were given a month off for Christmas, without pay, according to an announcement made to the workers Thursday, Remington Arms officials said.
This is the third time in the gun factory's history that officials have resorted to an unpaid furlough for employees at Herkimer County's largest company, company spokesman Paul Gallagher said.
In similar circumstances in 1996 and 1997, he said, all of the employees returned to... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Show Exhibitors on the Increase
26 October 2003
Buffalo News (New York)
A gun show is a great place to go.
A leisurely stroll around exhibit tables at an area gun show can dispel fears and misconceptions many harbor about gun shows and the people who exhibit goods and services at these shows.
Jim Buck of Frewsburg, Niagara Frontier Collectors Shows chairman, took me on a walk around the NFCS show at the International Agri-Center at the Erie County Fairgrounds on Oct. 18, offering introductions to new and old friends involved in shooting... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Sued Over Failure to Check Gun Owner's Background
25 August 2003
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
SKAGIT COUNTY — Three small American flags, stuck in a barbed wire fence, wave over the roadside memorial on state Route 20.
Scott Kinkele's climbing ropes are draped on the wooden cross below. An ice pick and a dusty old sailor's hat rest on his memorial stone, along with a dried-up spray of carnations.
The 23-year-old Navy officer was dead at the wheel, shot by a convicted felon out cruising the highways with two friends. They had been drinking and were looking... (GunPolicy.org)
12 June 2003
Asia Times (Hong Kong)
Smith & Wesson, perhaps America's oldest and most respected maker of handguns, has learned the secret that a flock of tobacco manufacturers learned in Asia as long ago as the 1980s: There is a fortune to be made in licensing a powerful name.
Cigarette brands such as Dunhill, Kent and Camel long ago branched out into safaris, clothing shops and travel agencies as a new way to evade the ban on cigarette advertising that spread across global television. For Smith &... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Firms on Verge of Winning New Shield
5 May 2003
Washington Post
The gun industry, demonstrating its resurgent influence over Washington politics, is on the cusp of convincing President Bush and Congress to protect it from pending and future lawsuits.
Under pressure from the National Rifle Association and a lesser-known organization funded with $100 million from gun manufacturers, Bush and a majority of lawmakers are on record supporting significant new legal protections for companies that make and sell guns. The legislation would... (GunPolicy.org)