Gun Policy News
Firearm violence, gun control and small arms
Serbia,Australia,United States
Serbians Hand In Thousands of Guns After Two Mass Killings
12 May 2023
Washington Post
Serbians handed in thousands of guns in the first three days of an amnesty aimed at disarming the country following two mass killings last week, including one targeting schoolchildren.
Almost 6,000 unregistered weapons, 300,000 rounds of ammunition, and 470 pieces of mines and explosive devices have been voluntarily surrendered nationwide since Monday, the country's interior ministry said Thursday in an Instagram post promoting the measure.
President Aleksandar Vucic... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Mexico,Guatemala
Only Three Countries Have a Constitutional Right to Bear Arms
23 November 2022
Business Insider
- Only three countries in the world currently have a constitutional right to own a gun: the US, Mexico, and Guatemala.
- Six other countries used to have a constitutional right to bear arms, but they've since repealed those laws.
- The US is the only country with a right to keep and bear arms with no constitutional restrictions.
The right to keep and bear arms is a longstanding, often glorified right protected by the US Constitution.
Americans own nearly half of all... (GunPolicy.org)
The Shoddy Conclusions of the Man Shaping the Gun-Rights Debate
3 November 2022
New Yorker / The Trace
In 1957, the small-arms manufacturer Armalite created the AR-15—short for Armalite Rifle—at the invitation of the U.S. Army, which was seeking an effective lightweight combat weapon. When the Department of Defense reviewed a version of the rifle in 1962, during the early stages of the Vietnam War, its report stated that the gun's "lethality" and "reliability" were "particularly impressive." From forty-nine feet away, it noted, an Army Ranger fired a round into a... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico's Bold Move Against Gun Companies
1 September 2022
Arms Control Association
Of 193 member states of the United Nations, Mexico has the fifth-largest number of unregistered firearms in civilian hands, behind the United States, India, China, and Pakistan.(1) This availability of firearms and the violence it enables have major destructive consequences. In Mexico, guns are the weapon of choice in 70 percent of total homicides and 60 percent of homicides committed against women. Guns are also the main tool in homicides of young people.
Gun violence... (GunPolicy.org)
Jamaica and Haiti Swap Drugs and Guns
30 August 2022
InSight Crime
Criminal gangs in Jamaica and Haiti are engaged in a deadly trade: the exchange of marijuana for guns.
Boats loaded with up to 3,000 pounds of cannabis take off from Jamaica's coastline, speeding across the Caribbean to nearby Haiti, where the drugs are swapped for handguns and high-powered assault weapons. The boats return with the firearms, which are then sold off piecemeal or in bulk.
The guns-for-drugs trade, as it is known in Jamaica, is greased by traffickers... (GunPolicy.org)
Dozens of 3D-printed Firearms Sold at Buyback in Houston, Texas
2 August 2022
Fox 26 Houston (Texas)
Houston leaders say they will no longer accept 3D-printed firearms, also known as ghost guns, at future gun buyback events after one man allegedly exchanged dozens of them over the weekend.
"We're going to exclude those next time around," said Mayor Sylvester Turner. "This is a program designed for people who want to voluntarily relinquish their guns."
On Saturday, city officials held their first gun buyback event in Houston. The mayor's office says more than 840... (GunPolicy.org)
Scandal at Haiti Customs After Over 100,000 Rounds of Smuggled Ammunition Seized
8 July 2022
InSight Crime
Haiti's Customs Agency has seized an extremely large quantity of illegally imported ammunition the same day that its director was replaced on suspicion of arms trafficking, highlighting the Caribbean nation's struggle in combating weapons flows.
On July 1, customs and police authorities interdicted roughly 120,000 rounds of ammunition on board a container ship at Port-au-Paix wharf. The illegal cargo, which had come from the US state of Florida, was almost entirely... (GunPolicy.org)
Dominican Republic,United States,Haiti
US Guns Fuel Arms Trafficking in the Dominican Republic
3 June 2022
InSight Crime
Seizures of military-style assault weapons in the Dominican Republic are raising concerns that criminal groups are accessing powerful firearms smuggled from the United States and elsewhere.
On May 26, Dominican customs and police authorities launched a sting operation to dismantle an arms trafficking ring smuggling weapons into the Caribbean nation from the United States, according to a news release by the nation's customs authority.
During the raid at Haina Port,... (GunPolicy.org)
United Kingdom,Australia,United States,New Zealand
Australia, UK, New Zealand Tackled Mass Shootings
1 June 2022
CNN, Opinion
A man – almost always a man – commonly with no criminal history and no diagnosis of mental illness, armed with a lawfully obtained semiautomatic 'assault' weapon, kills and injures a large number of innocents in a place they imagined to be safe.
It happens around the world, but horrifyingly more and more often in the United States, most recently in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York.
To those of us who live in culturally similar nations, but where the... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,El Salvador,Venezuela,Guatemala,Colombia,Honduras,Brazil
On Gun Violence, the United States is an Outlier
31 May 2022
Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation
Among 64 high-income countries and territories, the United States stands out for its high levels of gun violence. The US ranks eighth out of 64 for homicides by firearm (age-adjusted). Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, two US territories, rank first and third on that list. Firearm injuries tend to be more frequent in places where people have easy access to firearms, according to findings from the 2018 Global Burden of Disease study published in the Journal of... (GunPolicy.org)
Former Honduran President Pleads 'Not Guilty' to US Federal Trafficking Charges
10 May 2022
CNN
Former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández on Tuesday pleaded not guilty in US court to federal drug trafficking and firearms possession charges.
The indictment in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York charges Hernández with cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
"As is charged in the indictment, Hernández abused his position as... (GunPolicy.org)
What Weapons Will Us Give Ukraine - And How Much Will They Help?
19 March 2022
BBC
The burnt-up wreckage of a Russian tank lies in the dirt, while in an accompanying photo next to it, a Ukrainian soldier carries the armaments said to have caused the destruction.
The images posted to Twitter by the Ukrainian Armed Forces are labelled with a triumphant caption, declaring that this was the result of "hits from Javelins on [Russian] military equipment".
The Javelin, a shoulder-held anti-tank weapon that shoots heat-seeking rockets hurtling towards... (GunPolicy.org)
Ukraine,United States,Russia,Turkey,Germany,United Kingdom,Poland
What Weapons Have Other Countries Supplied to Ukraine?
17 March 2022
Guardian
The US president, Joe Biden, has announced an $800m (£610m) package of arms to Ukraine as the west steps up military aid against invading Russia forces.
The west's military assistance to Ukraine began cautiously with helmets and flak jackets but now includes drones that can destroy Russian tanks and artillery from 50 miles away.
The west has repeatedly refused to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine but is now supplying a range of powerful weapons. They... (GunPolicy.org)
Ukraine,Netherlands,Sweden,Finland,Germany,Poland,United States,Russia
NATO Countries Pour Weapons Into Ukraine
2 March 2022
New York Times
The Dutch are sending rocket launchers for air defense. The Estonians are sending Javelin antitank missiles. The Poles and the Latvians are sending Stinger surface-to-air missiles. The Czechs are sending machine guns, sniper rifles, pistols and ammunition.
Even formerly neutral countries like Sweden and Finland are sending weapons. And Germany, long allergic to sending weapons into conflict zones, is sending Stingers as well as other shoulder-launched rockets.
In all,... (GunPolicy.org)
Murder-Suicide by Gun is an Everyday Occurrence in America
13 February 2022
Trace
Through the first six weeks of 2018, there were at least 76 incidents and 171 deaths.
On Saturday, a 45-year-old man fatally shot his parents at their home in eastern Kentucky and then drove to an apartment where he shot and killed his girlfriend and her mother before turning the gun on himself.
Joseph Nickell, the gunman, had a history that included domestic violence and substance abuse charges. But the grisly murder spree still came as a shock to some who knew the... (GunPolicy.org)
Dominican Republic,United States
A Rhode Island Man was Arrested for Trafficking the Firearms to the Dominican Republic
9 January 2022
CNN
A Rhode Island man was arrested in New York Thursday for allegedly selling or attempting to sell more than 100 guns that he produced at his home, according to the US Attorney's Office Southern District of New York.
Most of the guns were untraceable "privately made firearms" (PMF's), known as "ghost guns."
Robert Alcantara, 34, was charged with one count of conspiracy to traffic firearms and one count of making false statements, the US Department of Justice said in a... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Australia,New Zealand,United Kingdom,Falkland Islands,Mexico
How US Gun Culture Stacks Up With the World
26 November 2021
CNN
Ubiquitous gun violence in the United States has left few places unscathed over the decades. Still, many Americans hold their right to bear arms, enshrined in the US Constitution, as sacrosanct. But critics of the Second Amendment say that right threatens another: The right to life.
America's relationship to gun ownership is unique, and its gun culture is a global outlier.
As the tally of gun-related deaths continue to grow daily, here's a look at how gun culture in... (GunPolicy.org)
China's position on Gun Control
20 September 2021
CNN
Last week, a 47-year-old man stormed into a law firm in China's Wuhan city and shot dead a lawyer who he had 'some disputes with,' according to Chinese state media. He then stuffed his gun, just under 20 inches (50 centimeters) long, into a tennis racket bag and left.
The fatal shooting shocked many in China, which has some of the world's strictest gun control laws -- so much so, that some people thought initial reports were about yet another American shooting.
'When... (GunPolicy.org)
US Spike in Gun Violence Continues
19 September 2021
CNN
So far, 2021 is on pace to be the worst year for gun violence in decades, surpassing even the high levels last year.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, from January 1 to September 15, a total of 14,516 people died from gun violence in the US. That's 1,300 more than during the same period in 2020, a 9% increase. Mass shootings are also on the rise. Through September 15, there have been 498 mass shootings across the US, or an average of about 1.92 per day. That's 15%... (GunPolicy.org)
Alarm Over Growing Use of Weapons at Rallies
27 August 2021
Guardian
A gunfight in Portland, Oregon, last week is intensifying concerns over escalating violence during contentious rallies in the city, as far-right demonstrators and anti-fascist counter-protesters have repeatedly faced off.
The Portland police bureau charged a 65-year-old man from Gresham, Oregon, over a gunfight in the city's downtown during violent clashes on Sunday. Authorities say Dennis Anderson drew a concealed handgun and shot at a group of anti-fascists who were... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico Sues US Gunmakers to Stop Weapons Crossing Border
4 August 2021
Guardian
The Mexican government has launched legal action against US gunmakers in an unprecedented attempt to halt the flow of guns across the border, where US-made weapons are routinely used in cartel gun-battles, terror attacks on civilians – and increasingly to challenge the state itself.
The Mexican government is suing six gunmakers in a Massachusetts court, alleging negligence in their failure to control their distributors and that the illegal market in Mexico "has been... (GunPolicy.org)
Pandemic gun violence surge was not linked to rise in gun sales, study finds
9 July 2021
Guardian
Gun homicides surged across the United States during the coronavirus pandemic, in the same year that Americans bought a record-breaking number of guns.
But some of America's leading gun violence researchers have concluded that what might seem like an obvious cause-and-effect – a surge in gun buying leads to a surge in gun violence – is not supported by the data.
Through July of last year, there was no clear association between the increase in firearm purchases and... (GunPolicy.org)
New York Defines Illegal Firearms Use as a 'Public Nuisance'
7 July 2021
Conversation
Could calling the illegal use of firearms a "public nuisance" bring an end to the gun industry's immunity from civil lawsuits?
New York will soon test that notion. State lawmakers recently amended New York's public nuisance statute to specifically include marketing and sales practices that contribute to gun crimes. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the bill on July 6, 2021, after declaring gun violence a "disaster emergency."
I've been researching lawsuits against the gun... (GunPolicy.org)
How Bad is the Rise in US Homicides?
30 June 2021
Guardian
There's been a wave of media coverage this summer about an increase in homicides across the United States, with attention often focused on the same political question: will Americans still want to defund or even reform the police if "violent crime" is on the rise?
Anxiety about violent crime is often used to win elections. Police and politicians routinely share misleading, out-of-context crime statistics to advance their agendas. Fearmongering about rising crime has... (GunPolicy.org)
More Guns at the Root of 2020 Murder Increase in US
12 June 2021
Vox
The year 2020 saw the largest recorded increase in homicides in United States history — an increase likely propelled by a complex mix of factors, from more guns to stresses of the pandemic to fewer police officers on the streets to a crisis in relations between police and citizens.
But one persistent theory is that a change in policing last summer primarily drove increased gun violence. This is an especially popular explanation among law enforcement figures. Former... (GunPolicy.org)
The Many Ways Domestic Violence Foreshadows Mass Shootings
9 June 2021
Trace
The San Jose transit shooting is the latest to illustrate the deadly connection between intimate partner violence and mass murder. How are these seemingly separate issues intertwined, and what can be done to save lives?
More than a decade before a San Jose, California, transit employee killed nine co-workers on May 26, an ex-girlfriend accused him in court of physical abuse and sexual assault. The case did not lead to a criminal conviction or a permanent restraining... (GunPolicy.org)
What the Overturning of California's Assault Weapons Ban Means for America
8 June 2021
Guardian
In a polarizing decision on Friday night, a federal judge struck down California's 32-year-old ban on assault weapons, ruling that it violated Americans' constitutional right to own guns for self protection. In the 94-page decision, Judge Roger Benitez compared an AR-15 rifle to a "Swiss army knife" and falsely claimed that more Californians had died from the Covid-19 vaccine than from mass shootings. [See footnote]
Although the decision has sparked outrage in... (GunPolicy.org)
The Deadly Toll of California's Craft Weapons
18 May 2021
Guardian
When Brian Muhammad, a program manager at a gun violence prevention group in California, asked a 16-year-old boy in 2018 how young people were getting guns, he assumed the answer would be Nevada, the neighboring state with looser gun laws.
"Who would waste time going to Nevada when you can just get them in the mail and put it together?" the Stockton teen nonchalantly replied.
Three years later, homemade weapons known as "ghost guns" have risen to the top of the Biden... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Mexico,Central America,Honduras
US-made Guns are Active in Central America
16 April 2021
The Guardian
The stray bullet from the gang fight struck Katery Ramos when she was 12 years old, playing on the dirt street in the poor Planeta neighbourhood of San Pedro Sula, Honduras. "I was standing up for a moment, afterwards I fell," she told me, sitting with her mother in a scrubby field near her home.
The bullet entered just above her waist and didn't hurt, she said. But when she arrived at the hospital, the doctor announced that it had cut through her spine. She was... (GunPolicy.org)
The Legal Loophole of 'Ghost Guns'
8 April 2021
Al Jazeera
What you need to know about 'ghost guns' Biden wants to regulate
Biden aims to close loopholes in the production of untraceable firearms with kits and 3D printing after mass shootings.
US President Joe Biden has issued actions aimed at regulating "ghost guns" – weapons that can be produced without serial numbers and other identifiers making their tracking difficult – seen as a growing threat by US law enforcement and watchdog groups.
Ghost guns can be produced... (GunPolicy.org)
California Lawmakers Seek to Force Gunmakers to 'Microstamp' Bullet Casings
23 March 2021
Guardian
Gun control advocates are making a new attempt to force the gun industry to comply with a unique California law that requires bullet casings to be "microstamped", a measure that has been toothless since it was approved more than a decade ago.
California's 2007 law requires gun manufacturers to adopt microstamping technology on new types of handguns introduced in the state. The intent was to imprint a unique set of microscopic characters on all cartridge casings when... (GunPolicy.org)
Reports indicate financial costs of gun violence, MA gun laws effective
25 February 2021
Boston Globe
For gun-safety activists or everyday Massachusetts citizens concerned about gun violence, it doesn't get much better than this.
Newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show Massachusetts is the state with the least amount of gun violence per capita, while a new study by Everytown for Gun Safety concludes that the Commonwealth has the lowest-in-the-nation per capita costs from gun violence. Building on that good news, US Senator Ed Markey... (GunPolicy.org)
Azerbaijan,Armenia,Russia,Israel,Turkey,United States,United Kingdom
Arms Supplies to Armenia and Azerbaijan
17 February 2021
EVN
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been embroiled in an intense and violent ethnic conflict over Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) for over three decades. The conflict is at the very core of the modern statehoods of both countries. It has resulted in two full-scale wars in 1992-94 and 2020 and regular skirmishes, with the most significant one being the 2016 Four Day April War. The conflict has led to both countries becoming among the most militarized countries in the world. A 2019... (GunPolicy.org)
Americans Have Bought Record 17m Guns in Year of Unrest
30 October 2020
Guardian
Americans have bought nearly 17m guns so far in 2020, more than in any other single year, according to estimates from a firearms analytics company.
Gun sales across the United States first jumped in the spring, driven by fears about the coronavirus pandemic, and spiked even higher in the summer, during massive racial justice protests across the country, prompted by police killings of black Americans.
"By August, we had exceeded last year's total. By September, we... (GunPolicy.org)
Biden pushes the most expansive gun regulation in US history
26 October 2020
Trace, Media release
Joe Biden's Evolution on Guns
Early in his career, Biden said gun regulation was ineffective. Several decades — and one notorious crime bill — later, he's pushing the most expansive reform platform in history.
On the night of August 25, 1994, a complicated package of legislation championed by then-Senator Joe Biden looked like it had gathered enough votes. Along with Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, Biden stood in front of television cameras and reporters... (GunPolicy.org)
More Than 100,000 Californians Have Bought A Gun In Response To Covid-19 Crisis, Report Finds
20 October 2020
Guardian
More than a hundred thousand Californians have bought a gun since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, a new report has found, in a surge of gun sales that has experts worried about the risk of suicide and deadly instances of domestic violence.
Researchers at the University of California, Davis, found that 110,000 people in California purchased a firearm in direct response to the coronavirus. About 47,000 of the buyers were first-time gun owners. Buyers cited... (GunPolicy.org)
South Africa,United States,United Kingdom
Gun Trafficking from US to UK Increasing
12 August 2020
New York Times
Handguns are quietly being smuggled into Britain, despite tough gun-control laws. The police fear that the illegal weapons are contributing to a rise in gang-related crime.
NORTHAMPTON, England — Josh Bains was 28 when he was killed after an argument over a drug debt of about $50 just a few miles from the English village where he grew up — with a gun that had traveled thousands of miles from America.
His was one of a rising number of gun deaths in recent years... (GunPolicy.org)
Certain Laws Could Reduce Gun Deaths by More Than 10%
15 June 2020
Science
Nearly 40,000 people were killed by firearms in the United States in 2018, but curbing these numbers has been a statistically tricky—and politically fraught—problem. Now, a study that tracked individual gun laws over time suggests states can reduce gun deaths significantly by doing three things: limiting children's access to guns, restricting concealed-carry permits, and restricting "stand your ground" policies.
The study isn't without its flaws, but the basic... (GunPolicy.org)
Pandemic Fears Cause Spike in U.S. Gun Sales
1 April 2020
New York Times
Americans bought about two million guns in March, according to a New York Times analysis of federal data. It was the second-busiest month ever for gun sales, trailing only January 2013, just after President Barack Obama's re-election and the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
With some people fearful that the pandemic could lead to civil unrest, gun sales have been skyrocketing. In the past, fear of gun-buying restrictions has been the main driver of spikes... (GunPolicy.org)
Select US Gun Violence Statistics
27 December 2019
The Trace (USA)
- 26 percent: The increase in intimate partner homicides by shooting since 2010[…]
- $911 million: The annual cost of gun injury hospitalization[…]
- 30 percent: The share of firearms recovered by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in California that are unserialized ghost guns[…]
- 3.3m? 8.5m? 17.7m? The hard-to-quantify number of assault weapons in... (GunPolicy.org)
Homemade Firearms, 'Ghost Guns' and Crime in the US
5 December 2019
The Trace
What exactly is a ghost gun?
The term "ghost gun" is used by media, police, and sometimes the firearms industry to describe homemade weapons devoid of serial numbers or other identifying markings that enable them to be tracked to their maker, seller, or original owner.
For years, law enforcement authorities referred to these weapons as simply "homemade" guns or "kit" guns. "Ghost gun" is a relatively new term.
How are ghost guns made?
A variety of ways.
The most... (GunPolicy.org)
Colt Will No Longer Sell Assault Rifles to Civilians
19 September 2019
Colt News
WEST HARTFORD, Connecticut – There have been numerous articles recently published about Colt's participation in the commercial rifle market. Some of these articles have incorrectly stated or implied that Colt is not committed to the consumer market. We want to assure you that Colt is committed to the Second Amendment, highly values its customers and continues to manufacture the world's finest quality firearms for the consumer market.
The fact of the matter is that... (GunPolicy.org)
Bygone US Assault Weapon Ban Was Effective
4 September 2019
New York Times, Blog
Recent mass shootings have revived demands for meaningful gun control. But many opponents of a renewed federal ban on assault weapons, led by the National Rifle Association, say the earlier ban, from 1994 to 2004, made no difference. Our new research shows otherwise.
We found that public mass shootings — which we defined as incidents in which a gunman killed at least six people in public — dropped during the decade of the federal ban. Yet, in the 15 years since the... (GunPolicy.org)
How American Gun Laws Are Fueling Jamaica's Homicide Crisis
29 August 2019
New York Times
She came to Jamaica from the United States about four years ago, sneaking in illegally, stowed away to avoid detection. Within a few short years, she became one of the nation's most-wanted assassins.
She preyed on the parish of Clarendon, carrying out nine confirmed kills, including a double homicide outside a bar, the killing of a father at a wake and the murder of a single mother of three. Her violence was indiscriminate: She shot and nearly killed a 14-year-old girl... (GunPolicy.org)
More Than 2 Million Illegal Weapons Enter Mexico in the Last Decade
14 August 2019
Universidad de Guadalajara T.V
The Mexican government has records of 2,12,573 weapons that entered the country illegally in the last decade, and a large percentage of them have still not been recovered, Defence Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said today.
Since this is a clandestine activity, the Mexican authorities rely on data provided by the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the minister explained at a press conference accompanied by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López... (GunPolicy.org)
PM Ardern on Gun Control in US and NZ
15 May 2019
Washington Post
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke out this week about a matter that has long puzzled many foreign observers of the United States: the country's inability to rein in gun violence.
Speaking to CNN's Christiane Amanpour, the prime minister said: "Australia experienced a massacre and changed their laws. New Zealand had its experience and changed its laws. To be honest with you, I do not understand the United States."
Ardern was referring both to a 1996... (GunPolicy.org)
Trump ATT Decision Was Built On an NRA Lie
29 April 2019
Washington Post, Opinion
President Trump announced on Friday — during a speech that pandered to special-interest groups and was symbolic of his administration's disdain for multilateral agreements — that the United States would "unsign" the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), a landmark agreement that regulates the international trade in conventional arms.
It took more than five years of negotiations to develop the ATT, and I spent those years as a consultant in the treaty process, working with... (GunPolicy.org)
How a Delco Man Sought to Use Stolen U.S. Military Weapons to Wage War in Liberia
28 June 2018
Philadelphia Inquirer
As federal prosecutors in Philadelphia wrapped up their case this week against Thomas Woewiyu – the Collingdale man on trial for allegedly lying to U.S. immigration authorities about his role in Liberia's first protracted and bloody civil war in the '90s – they shifted focus toward examining the part he played in arming rebels led by warlord Charles Taylor.
The deal was negotiated over years in a seedy Miami warehouse, a historic Washington hotel, and even the... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia's Gun Laws Can't Work in America – For Now
30 March 2018
Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
Thirteen mass shootings in 18 years, 112 victims shot dead. While this may seem to describe contemporary America, it actually describes a late 20th-century period in Australia. The country's final slaughter occurred in Tasmania in 1996 – the Port Arthur massacre. A lone, "pathetic social misfit" – as described by the judge – killed 35 people. The first 29 bullets from this young man's AR-15 rifle ended the lives of 20 innocents in just 90 seconds.
For... (GunPolicy.org)
Repeal the Second Amendment - John Paul Stevens
27 March 2018
New York Times, Opinion
Rarely in my lifetime have I seen the type of civic engagement schoolchildren and their supporters demonstrated in Washington and other major cities throughout the country this past Saturday. These demonstrations demand our respect. They reveal the broad public support for legislation to minimize the risk of mass killings of schoolchildren and others in our society.
That support is a clear sign to lawmakers to enact legislation prohibiting civilian ownership of... (GunPolicy.org)
Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,Yemen,China,Israel,Russia,Brazil,United Kingdom,Germany,India,Canada,Austria,Australia,Mexico,United States,Japan,South Africa
How to Buy a Gun in 15 Countries
2 March 2018
New York Times
Many Americans can buy a gun in less than an hour. The process takes months in some countries. Here are the basic steps for how most people buy a gun in 15 of them. Many countries have exceptions for specialized professions, and local laws vary.
United States
1) Pass an instant background check that considers criminal convictions, domestic violence and immigration status.
2) Buy a gun. Many states have additional buying restrictions, including waiting periods and... (GunPolicy.org)
Europe's Flourishing Gunmakers
23 February 2018
Economist
It was a blunder by Heckler & Koch, a giant German gunmaker. On February 15th the agency apologised for a "mistake" after its American subsidiary posted a Valentine's picture exhibiting a handgun surrounded by ammunition organized within the form of a coronary heart. The picture went out to social media shortly after a lethal college capturing in Florida.
The put up was additionally a reminder that though Europeans typically criticise lax firearm-ownership legal... (GunPolicy.org)
Trump & Turnbull: US to Consider an Australian Model on Guns?
23 February 2018
New York Times
WASHINGTON — One of the most powerful moments during President Trump's meeting with survivors and relatives of the Florida school shooting this week came when a student pleaded with the president to do what Australia did after a similar tragedy.
As it happened, Mr. Trump had an opportunity on Friday to get a firsthand report on Australia's crackdown on guns when he hosted the country's prime minister at the White House. But both men quickly discounted any... (GunPolicy.org)
Florida Shooting Survivors Are Fighting Back
21 February 2018
Guardian
The students who survived a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school are aiming to reshape America's gun control debate.
"You're either with us or against us," senior Emma González told politicians on Sunday, following a viral speech to gun control advocates the day before when she promised, "We are going to be the last mass shooting."
Many people see the American gun control debate as a helpless stalemate dominated by the intransigence of the National Rifle... (GunPolicy.org)
How the AR-15 Became The Most Popular Rifle In America
14 December 2017
CNN
Larry Hyatt had never seen such a frenzy.
The lines at Hyatt Guns, his shop in Charlotte, North Carolina, snaked out the door. The deep, green-walled warehouse bills itself as the largest gun shop in America, but even then Hyatt had to stretch to meet the demand.
At one point, he dispatched 37 salespeople to man the cash registers. He put up velvet ropes and hired a police officer. He even put a hot dog stand outside.
It was just after the Sandy Hook massacre -- and... (GunPolicy.org)
US Virgin Islands Shows Registration-Confiscation Link
30 October 2017
NRA Publications (USA)
If there were ever a perfect example of the endgame of the gun-ban crowd and their ultimate weapon -- registration of firearm owners -- it comes with the order by the governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands to confiscate registered firearms from law-abiding citizens as a response to the impending devastation of Hurricane Irma.
Gov. Kenneth Mapp, in a toxic Sept. 4 order, proclaimed that the activated National Guard "is authorized and directed to seize arms,... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Botswana,Cook Islands,Fiji,Iceland,Ireland,Kiribati,Malawi,Marshall Islands,Nauru,New Zealand,Niue,Norway,Samoa,Solomon Islands,Tonga,Tuvalu,United Kingdom,Vanuatu,Virgin Islands (US)
The 19 Countries That Do Not Arm Their Police Officers
19 July 2017
CNN
A woman who called 911 to report a nearby crime was killed by a US police officer last weekend. The circumstances surrounding her death are still unclear.
The fatal shooting of Justine Ruszczyk, a dual Australian-US national who had settled in Minnesota in 2014, has made headlines in both her native Australia and her adopted home in Minneapolis – once again reigniting the all too familiar debate surrounding the role that firearms play in both law enforcement and in... (GunPolicy.org)
Mechanic Smuggled Thureon 'AR-15s' from US to Australia
14 July 2017
Herald Sun (Melbourne)
A black market weapons dealer who imported lethal US machine guns police say are designed for killing people is staring down the barrel of a lengthy jail term.
Paul Munro, 63, pleaded guilty to importing Thureon fully automatic rifles — which can fire 1000 rounds per minute — and firearms parts and frames into Australia in the two years to March 2015.
The County Court heard on Friday that the weapons the former mechanic imported landed in the hands of violent... (GunPolicy.org)
US Agencies Help Stop Smuggling of 5000 Guns to Australia
16 March 2017
News Corp Australia Network
The largest ever shipment of guns organised by bikie gangs and bound for Australia has been stopped in the US and seized by police as the crackdown on outlaw motorcycle clubs intensifies.
The almost 5000-strong shipment of handguns and automatic rifles was nabbed late last year before reaching Australian shores as part of a joint investigation between federal, state and international policing agencies.
News Corp Australia can exclusively reveal the operations leading... (GunPolicy.org)
At Least 508 People Were Shot in America Over Thanksgiving
28 November 2016
The Trace (USA)
The streets of New Orleans's French Quarter had swelled with tourists after the annual Bayou Classic football game early Sunday when shots rang out. An argument that started somewhere else washed up on Bourbon Street and became a gun battle. One person died, another nine were wounded. None of the victims were the intended targets.
Demontris Toliver was a 25-year-old a tattoo artist from Baton Rouge who was visiting the town where he grew up to celebrate his birthday.... (GunPolicy.org)
Record Number of Gun Background Checks on US Black Friday
28 November 2016
The Trace (USA)
Hillary Clinton lost her bid for the White House, and the National Rifle Association's 2016 champion Donald Trump is almost certain to leave firearm regulations alone. But America's appetite for guns is more voracious than ever.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Instant Criminal Background Check System processed more background checks for gun transactions on Black Friday — 185,713 in total — than on any single day since the system launched nearly two... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Sales Soared, No Panic Buying on US 'Black Friday' [ES]
27 November 2016
CNN
[Translated summary: Buyers crowded gun shops during 'Black Friday' in the US. The law bans gun buying as a gift, so big discounts were the main factor boosting sales. Some gun dealers had stocked up before the elections in the hope of panic buying if Hillary Clinton won.]
Multitudes de compradores llegaron a las tiendas de armas durante el pasado viernes negro, el gran día del año para este negocio.
Ciertamente, las ventas de armas en el viernes negro no están... (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)
Why Not Smart Guns in This High-Tech Era? - NY Times
26 November 2016
New York Times, Editorial
The Department of Justice has issued official guidelines for the manufacture of smart guns — weapons that, like smartphones, have technology to allow only the rightful owners to use them. The guidelines aim to "shape the future of gun safety technology," as called for under an executive order issued in January by President Obama, in the face of Congress's refusal to deal with the nation's horrendous toll of gun deaths.
Nearly 7,000 children committed suicide with... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Sales Boom in America's 'Black Friday' Shopping Spree
25 November 2016
CNN
The Black Friday weapon sales are not driven by the Christmas spirit since gun laws in many states prohibit buying guns for someone else. The sales are driven by sharp discounts.
Not far from New York City, hundreds of shoppers packed into RTSP, a gun shop and firing range in Randolph, New Jersey, lured by Black Friday discounts of 5% to 10% for guns, ammunition and accessories.
Dr. Joseph Feldman, a surgeon from neighboring Montville, was buying a $500 Sig Sauer... (GunPolicy.org)
US Needs Better Laws to Protect Mentally Ill from Guns [ES]
24 November 2016
El Nuevo Herald (US), Editorial
[Translated summary: Loopholes in US law allow mentally ill people to purchase firearms. Most gun shops operate with caution but some don't perform background checks. It is urgent to reinforce background checks for all transactions, but, at the same time, it is necessary to not generalise saying that all mentally ill people are violent.]
Hace cuatro años, una mujer que padece esquizofrenia paranoide llamada Colby Sue Weathers mató a su padre disparándole por la... (GunPolicy.org)
Trump's Victory Has Fearful Minorities Buying Up Guns - NBC
23 November 2016
NBC News (USA)
After Donald Trump's win, Yolanda Scott is upgrading the crowbar she keeps in her purse to a small-caliber pistol.
Scott, an African-American, is one of many minorities who have been flocking to gun stores to protect themselves, afraid Trump's victory will incite more hate crimes.
"You feel that racists now feel like they can attack us just because the president is doing it," one gun shop owner told NBC News.
Gun store owners told NBC News that since November 8... (GunPolicy.org)
Pentagon Beats Trump to Allow Private Guns on Military Bases
23 November 2016
The Trace (USA)
As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump vowed to use his executive authority to immediately scrap a longstanding rule that bars military personnel from carrying their own firearms on bases and at recruiting centers. Late last week, the Department of Defense took its own steps to loosen restrictions on private gun carry in new rules issued by the Pentagon.
A November 18 directive, approved by Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work, says base commanders "may grant... (GunPolicy.org)
How America's Gun Violence Research Ban Hurt Science
23 November 2016
Huffington Post (USA)
In 1996, Congress passed the Dickey Amendment, effectively banning government research on gun violence. But these days, former Republican representative Jay Dickey sees his namesake amendment for what it was: A mistake.
"I wish we had started the proper research and kept it going all this time," Dickey told The Huffington Post last year. "I have regrets."
Now, a research letter published as part of a series on firearm violence in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine... (GunPolicy.org)
Traffickers Flood Mexico with Easily Bought American Guns [ES]
22 November 2016
Vice News (US)
[Translated summary: Although Mexico has some of the strictest gun legislation in the world, with only one shop where guns can be bought legally, there are more than 15 million guns in circulation and 85% are illegal. One of the main reasons is the proximity of the USA, where guns are easily available. Almost 100,000 Mexicans died of gun wounds in the last decade.]
Es casi la media noche del 11 de octubre y la policía recibe una llamada de emergencia alertando de una... (GunPolicy.org)
US National Institute of Justice Encourages 'Smart Guns' [ES]
22 November 2016
Actualidad Gadget (Spain)
[Translated summary: Although 'smart guns' are already on sale in the US, the National Institute of Justice has just created specific regulations for this kind of firearms. The specifications are not mandatory, they are designed to boost the growth of gun safety technology.]
Aunque parezca que el desarrollo de sistemas de inteligencia artificial básicamente se está llevando a cabo por empresas como Google, Microsoft, Amazon, IBM… lo cierto es que cada vez hay más... (GunPolicy.org)
Pentagon Relaxes Gun Carrying on US Military Premises [FR]
22 November 2016
Le Journal de Montréal
[Translated summary: The Pentagon has softened the rules that restricted military personnel carrying guns, as a consequence of a shooting in Chattanooga that left five soldiers dead. According to the new rules, military officers will be able to carry a private gun on their base or place of work but they will need authorisation from their superiors.]
Le Pentagone a assoupli les règles restreignant le port d'armes des militaires sur le territoire américain, une... (GunPolicy.org)
Arms Dealers Say Trump Election Will Likely Slow Gun Sales
22 November 2016
USA Today
On Nov. 9, the day after Donald Trump had been elected president, a customer walked into the Phoenix Tactical gun shop here not to make a purchase but to cancel one.
The customer had put a Glock pistol on layaway, but wanted to void the purchase because Hillary Clinton had lost the election and a pro-gun Donald Trump had emerged victorious, Phoenix Tactical owner Bryan Bryner said.
"He said: 'The threat is gone,' " Bryner said.
That change of heart reflects a new... (GunPolicy.org)
Private Gun Carrying Rules Eased on US Military Premises [ES]
22 November 2016
La Información (Dominican Republic)
[Translated Summary: After a fatal shooting at a recruiting centre, the Pentagon has softened its regulation of gun carrying by military personnel in American territory. The new regulation will allow commanders to authorize military personnel to carry "personal firearms (hidden or in sight) for protection and when the firearm is not linked to any official duty or activity."]
El Pentágono flexibilizó las reglas que restringían el porte de armas para los militares en... (GunPolicy.org)
Women Are Gearing Up! More Women Getting Guns in US [ES]
22 November 2016
Telemundo (USA)
[Translated Summary: According to an American news channel, more women are applying for background checks; gun shop owners also note that more and more women are purchasing firearms. The owner of a shooting range says 80% of the students are women. In addition, gun advocates point to statistics showing that, every year, 200,000 women are using firearms to defend themselves from a sexual assault.]
A pesar de que hoy en día los controles para la compra de armas son más... (GunPolicy.org)
American Women Buying More Guns Than Ever, Claims Dealer
22 November 2016
Opposing Views (Canada)
National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NCIS) numbers indicate that 2016 is on pace to have the highest number of background checks for guns on record.
Up until the end of October, NCIS conducted 22,206,203 firearm background checks, which is less than 1 million away from the record year of 2015, which ran 23,141,970 firearm background checks. With two more months left to report, 2016 will likely surpass 2015 when the November numbers come through.
NCIS... (GunPolicy.org)
Florida Airport Screeners Report Seized, Loaded Guns Up 55%
22 November 2016
ABC News (USA)
TAMPA -- Security screeners at Tampa International Airport are seeing record numbers of deadly weapons and guns coming through. It's a growing problem for them and you when it comes to wait times in lines.
"We're number one in the state for the number of deadly dangerous items that were finding" says TSA's Federal Security Director Lee Kair.
Kair tells us some items are obvious weapons, but some are hard to spot, like lipstick that's really a knife, or credit card... (GunPolicy.org)
Background Checks May Affect Suicide Prevention Efforts in US
22 November 2016
The Trace (USA)
There is one question Carol Runyan considers vitally important to ask the parents of suicidal teens: Is there a gun in the house?
Runyan, the director of Program for Injury Prevention, Education, and Research at the Colorado School of Public Health, knows the presence of a firearm in a home increases the odds that someone who lives there will take his or her own life. Guns are reliably lethal — research indicates that suicide attempts involving a firearm result in... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Owners Plan to Eliminate Curbs on Ownership - NYT
22 November 2016
New York Times
HOUSTON — Before the election, gun rights activists were so worried Hillary Clinton would win the presidency that some of them bought extra ammunition and guns, fearing a crackdown on certain weapons, bullets and magazines.
They're not worried now. Instead, since the election of Donald J. Trump, gun advocates have been rejoicing, crowing about their political clout and plotting ways to eliminate many remaining curbs on gun ownership and use as they await one of the... (GunPolicy.org)
After Trump's Victory, Gun Sellers Rely On 'Black Friday' [FR]
21 November 2016
Les Echos (France)
[Translated summary: After the election of Donald Trump, one of the main American gun manufacturers, Smith & Wesson, saw its stock price fall by 15%. The reason is that gun enthusiasts were buying more firearms in case Hillary Clinton won. Now, sellers expect to recover during the 'Black Friday' but estimate that they have little chance of repeating the record numbers of last year.]
Il y a quelques semaines encore, nous étions dans une Amérique démocrate, ou le... (GunPolicy.org)
Trump Softens Gun Promises, Gun Rights Not a Priority [ES]
18 November 2016
Newsweek (USA)
[Translated Summary: During his presidential campaign Donald Trump promised to swiftly "unsign" the executive actions President Obama issued in January regarding background checks and to abolish gun-free zones at schools and on military bases. In addition, he promised to allow Americans to carry hidden handguns across all 50 states. However, after the election he softened his tone and it now appears that gun rights are mo longer a priority.]
A lo largo de sus casi 17... (GunPolicy.org)
Connecticut's Gun Seizure Law Prevented Suicides: Study
18 November 2016
CT Post (US)
Dozens of suicides have been prevented by the state's 1999 gun-seizure law, according to a new study by researchers from Duke, Yale and the University of Connecticut.
The 17-year-old law allowing for the temporary removal of firearms from potentially suicidal or violent people is a model for the nation, based on the review of 762 gun seizures through 2012.
The study's authors, speaking Thursday to the Connecticut Criminal Justice Policy Advisory Commission in the... (GunPolicy.org)
NRA Fuels Gun Paranoia in the Age of Trump - Chicago Tribune
18 November 2016
Chicago Tribune
There were plenty of agitated and even hysterical reactions to Donald Trump's election victory, but none more surprising than the one expressed in a direct mail letter I got a couple of days afterward.
"Our worst nightmare is staring us right in the face," it declared. "The attacks will be hitting everywhere, every day." It invited me to fill out a survey. "By answering this survey today, you're drawing a line in the sand — making it clear to politicians across... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Policy Pointless Without Funds for Public Health Research
17 November 2016
Dallas Morning News (Texas), Editorial
To make an informed decision, you need information. And that's exactly what everybody involved in America's bitter gun debate doesn't have.
Guns kill more than 33,000 Americans a year, yet the clock stopped on government research into this epidemic two decades ago. As is frequently noted, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has funded no in-depth studies of gun violence, its causes, or proposals for its reduction since 1996. That's when the so-called... (GunPolicy.org)
Why Is it so Easy to Openly Carry Loaded Rifles in Texas?
17 November 2016
KCBD (Texas), KFDA
Open carry has been legal in Texas for almost a year, but Amarillo law enforcement said they still see more long guns and rifles carried openly than hand guns and pistols.
The problem is the long guns and rifles don't require a license.
One of the most popular guns sold in Amarillo is the AR-15.
Gun experts tell us they're big sellers because they're versatile and can be used for sport and protection.
And unlike a handgun, they don't require any licensing or... (GunPolicy.org)
US Justice Department Issues 'Smart Gun' Specifications
17 November 2016
FCW (US)
The Justice Department has issued a final set of baseline specifications for how "smart gun" technology could enhance firearm safety.
In a Nov. 16 blog post, Justice officials said the specifications contain "a detailed description of the minimum technical requirements that law enforcement agencies expect from smart gun technology" and mark a significant step forward in the Obama administration's efforts to combat gun violence.
During his State of the Union address in... (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)
Attempted Illegal Gun Possession Unpunished in Washington
16 November 2016
King 5 (US)
Thousands of people attempted to buy guns this year in Washington state, even though court orders prohibited them from owning firearms.
In all of these cases, the attempt to purchase a firearm was halted because the buyers failed the required background check.
But none of those people needed to fear punishment; their gun crime was one the justice system will let them get away with.
An investigation by KING 5 shows that police and prosecutors rarely pursue criminal... (GunPolicy.org)
Education to Reduce Gun Incidents in US Instead of Regulation
16 November 2016
Dallas Morning News (Texas), Opinion
I have had the privilege of competing in shotgun clay target tournaments across America and Europe for the last 40 years. I'm routinely in the company of hundreds of people, all carrying firearms and ammunition. I've fired several hundred thousand rounds in practice and competition. In all that time and experience, I have never seen nor heard of anyone being injured in a firearm- or shooting-related incident.
National data reflects that there are rarely firearm-related... (GunPolicy.org)
Stricter US Gun Laws Linked to a Reduction in Homicide [FR]
16 November 2016
Tribune de Genève
[Translated summary: An analysis of 30 studies published since 1970 has concluded that stricter gun laws are linked to a reduction in homicide in the United States. Background checks and licensing are specially effective. Another study published by JAMA linked a Florida law that gives citizens the right to use a firearm if they feel in danger to an increase of 24% in the rate of homicide.]
Des lois plus strictes sur le contrôle de la circulation des armes à feu sont... (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)
Stronger US Gun Laws Linked to Lower Gun Homicide Rates
14 November 2016
EurekAlert (New York)
Stronger firearm laws are associated with reductions in firearm homicide rates, concludes a narrative review published in the November 14 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine.
Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital reviewed all available articles published in peer-reviewed journals from January 1970 to August 2016 that focused specifically on the connection between firearm homicide and firearm laws. Of the 582 abstracts found, only 34 met the criteria for inclusion.... (GunPolicy.org)
US States with Tighter Gun Laws Have Fewer Homicides [ES]
14 November 2016
La Información (Dominican Republic)
[Translated Summary: According to a US study, states with tighter firearms laws show a higher decrease in firearm deaths. The most successful laws are those ones which improve background checks for potential buyers and require a permit to buy a firearm, among others.]
Leyes más estrictas para controlar la circulación de armas de fuego están relacionadas con una reducción de los homicidios en Estados Unidos, concluye un análisis de más de 30 estudios publicados... (GunPolicy.org)
Florida 'Shoot First' Law Saw 31% Jump in Gun Homicides [ES]
14 November 2016
W Radio (Colombia), EFE News Agency
[Translated Summary: According to a new study by the Journal of the American Medical Association, the firearm homicide rate in Florida increased by 31.6% since the implementation of 'Stand Your Ground' laws. The law allows citizens to use lethal force to defend themselves if they imagine themselves in danger, or to prevent death or physical damage.]
La tasa de homicidios mensuales con armas de fuego se incrementó más del 30 % en Florida (EE.UU.) desde que entró en... (GunPolicy.org)
Florida's 'Stand Your Ground' Law Linked to Homicide Increase
14 November 2016
Time (USA)
Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law, which gives widespread legal immunity to people who use lethal force in self-defense, may be responsible for an increase in homicides in the state, according to a new study released Monday.
Since the controversial law was implemented in 2005, Florida's overall monthly homicide rate has increased 24.4% and the homicide by firearm rate is up 31.6%, according to the study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun-carrying Restrictions May Be Wiped Out Under Trump
14 November 2016
Guardian
With Donald Trump in the White House, tourists from other states may soon be able to bring their guns to shops of Fifth Avenue, the plaza at Rockefeller Center and other New York City sights.
Advocates say they expect Congress to finally pass a sweeping gun rights law that could dismantle local gun-carrying restrictions in states including New York, New Jersey, Maryland, California and Hawaii.
These changes could come soon. If Congress passes a federal right-to-carry... (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)
South America,Central America,United States,Mexico
A Third of the World's Gun Deaths Are In Latin America [ES]
11 November 2016
La Jornada (Mexico)
[Translated summary: International reports show that with 8% of the global population, Latin America has 33% of the world's firearm homicides. Violent deaths in Mexico, Colombia and Brazil represent 20% of the total, Brazil having the highest numbers. The US has 70 times more homicides and 35 times more suicides than the UK.]
Ciudad de México. En el foro "El Control de Armas y su Gestión de la Violencia y la Delincuencia, una Mirada desde Brasil y México", la... (GunPolicy.org)
US Coroner Leads Local Push to Remove Guns, Curb Suicides
10 November 2016
Public Source (USA)
Ken Bacha is no foe of the Second Amendment.
As coroner for Westmoreland County, he carries a Glock 23 pistol in a protective hip holster, almost casually, like an oversized smartphone.
He's fond of hunting. He enjoys shooting sports, gun bash fundraisers, and has about 15 guns at home. He shoots, his wife shoots, his daughters shoot.
That's pretty typical in the county, where gun sales are among the highest in the state, where hunting is a way of life and gun permit... (GunPolicy.org)
US Halts Gun Exports to Jamaica as Irregularities Emerge
10 November 2016
Jamaica Observer
KINGSTON — The United States Embassy says that in light of recent events concerning Jamaica's Firearms Licensing Authority (FLA) they will be reviewing the firearm export licensing approval process.
In a release this afternoon, the embassy said that during this review, there will be a temporary pause on firearm exports as they request further guidance from Washington on the long-term status of export licenses for firearms from the US destined for Jamaica.
Earlier... (GunPolicy.org)
Nevada, California, Washington Voted for Stronger Gun Control
9 November 2016
Time (USA)
Nevada, California and Washington all voted in favor of enhanced gun control on Tuesday, while Maine narrowly rejected universal background checks for private gun sales despite millions of dollars spent there by national gun control advocates.
Maine's rejection of the gun control ballot measure, and the narrow support for a similar measure in Nevada, showed the limits of well-funded national organizations pushing for expanded background checks around the country.... (GunPolicy.org)
Why Trump's Victory Just Wounded US Gunmakers
9 November 2016
Bloomberg (USA)
For all of President-Elect Donald Trump's warnings that Hillary Clinton was coming for America's guns, it turns out that it was his surprise victory that came with immediate pain for the firearm industry. Shares of gunmakers were tanking on Wednesday morning as investors prepare for a gun-friendly Trump presidency. The somewhat counterintuitive thesis goes like this: With the threat of stronger gun control laws fading under a Trump administration, fewer people will rush... (GunPolicy.org)
President Trump: What Can He Do About US Gun Laws? [FR]
9 November 2016
La Croix (France)
[Translated summary: Trump has said that he supports more freedom in the purchase of firearms. But, there already are specific gun control laws in several states, and it is not going to be possible to decree "total freedom" in purchases on a federal level. For example, California has just passed a law that makes background checks mandatory for buying ammunition.]
Ce qu'il a dit
Donald Trump a défendu une liberté totale sur les ventes d'armes, quitte à exercer son... (GunPolicy.org)
Donald Trump's Election is a Disaster for US Gunmakers. Really
9 November 2016
Vox (US)
Most Democrats want stricter gun laws, and most Republicans oppose them. So you might expect the election of Donald Trump and a Republican-controlled Congress to be great news for the nation's gunmakers. But surprisingly, the opposite turned out to be the case.
Two of the nation's biggest gun manufacturers, Smith & Wesson and Sturm Ruger, saw their stock prices fall by double digits this morning in the wake of Trump's election victory.
Here's one theory for what's... (GunPolicy.org)
Background Checks on All Gun Sales Now to Be Law in Nevada
9 November 2016
Las Vegas Review Journal (Nevada)
Nevadans voted in favor of expanded background checks for private gun sales by the thinnest of margins Tuesday.
The "Yes" vote on Question 1, which would require in-person background checks for all guns sold among friends, online and at gun shows, was approved by a 50.45 percent to 49.55 percent margin, which amounted to less than 10,000 votes statewide.
Starting Jan. 1, Nevadans looking to conduct a private sale or transfer of a gun will have to go to a federally... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Control Measures Expected to Win in Four US States
8 November 2016
Reuters
Gun control-related ballot measures in four states are expected to pass on Tuesday, opinion polls showed, after gun safety advocates poured a massive amount of money into backing the initiatives.
In Maine and Nevada, residents are voting on whether to mandate universal background checks for firearm sales, including private handgun transactions.
If those two measures pass, half of all Americans would live in states that have such expanded checks. Eighteen states and... (GunPolicy.org)
California to Pass Background Checks for Purchase of Ammo
4 November 2016
New York Times, Editorial
While Congress shamefully fails to face up to the toll of gun carnage, California's lawmakers and voters are forging ahead with innovative safety measures, including mandatory background checks for the purchase of ammunition, not just guns.
The focus on ammunition sales, for which there are no federal controls, is a creative addition to Proposition 63, a ballot initiative that polls indicate should pass on Tuesday. It is being watched as a barometer of the re-emergence... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Dominican Republic
Many More American Guns Seized in Dominican Republic [ES]
4 November 2016
Acento (Dominican Republic)
[Translated summary: 115 firearms, 57,000 rounds of ammunition and military equipment of American origin were seized in the Dominican Republic in the last two months. Among the firearms were pistols, rifles, pellet guns, shotguns, revolvers and one automatic machine gun.]
SANTO DOMINGO -- Los esfuerzos de las autoridades de Estados Unidos por frenar el tráfico ilegal de armas de fuego y municiones desde su territorio hacia la República Dominicana hasta el momento han... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Makers, FBI Data Point to US Firearm Sales Increase [ES]
4 November 2016
HispanTV (Iran)
[Translated summary: Due to the tense political climate, American firearm manufacturers report a strong increase in sales. A report by the FBI shows that gun sale background checks grew 18% in October. One of the main firearm manufacturers in the US, Sturm, Ruger & Co, registered an increase of 34% in sales in the third trimester of 2016.]
Los fabricantes de armas de fuego estadounidenses reportan un fuerte crecimiento de sus ventas de armas en el país por el tenso... (GunPolicy.org)
Philippines,United States,Russia
Philippines Will Buy Guns from Russia if US Won't Oblige [FR]
3 November 2016
TRT (Turkey)
[Translated summary: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he'll turn to Russia if the United States refuses to sell M-16s to his country. The declaration was made after the US cancelled an order of assault rifles intended for Philippine Police, citing concern about violations of human rights.]
Le président philippin Rodrigo Duterte a déclaré, mercredi, qu'il solliciterait la Russie si les Etats-Unis refusent de vendre des armes à son pays.
La déclaration de... (GunPolicy.org)
Washington's Gun Control Initiative Is Unfair to the Mentally Ill
3 November 2016
Crosscut (US), Opinion
It was with mixed emotions that I approached the writing of this article against Initiative 1491, a measure that seeks to limit gun violence but does so at the expense of stereotyping the mentally ill and unnecessarily short-circuiting due process under the law. I knew, when Crosscut requested it, that it would be the last I would write for this campaign. Honestly, I had become very discouraged with the media bias I had encountered and felt like I was living the story... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Buyers Stockpiling Firearms Ahead of Election Day
3 November 2016
Salon (US)
With just days left before American voters decide who will replace President Barack Obama, many in the nation's gun-owning public seem to be preparing for a dystopian future of jackbooted liberal government thugs prying guns — as the popular slogan goes — from their cold dead hands.
On Wednesday executives at the country's top firearms manufacturer said they're adequately prepared to meet demand from a postelection gun-buying surge if Democrats make significant... (GunPolicy.org)
New Research Confirms Guns on Campus Don't Stop Shooters
2 November 2016
Mother Jones (USA)
Eight states currently have laws that allow people to carry guns on college campuses. In 24 others, individual colleges can decide whether to allow firearms on the premises. The primary rationale for these laws, according to their supporters, is safety: School shooters, they say, are less likely to succeed in their attacks if students and teachers are armed and able to fight back.
But a new study from Johns Hopkins University shows that campus carry laws are unlikely... (GunPolicy.org)
Philippines,United States,Russia
Philippines Will Turn to Russia if the US Won't Sell Them Guns
2 November 2016
CNN
Outspoken Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte had a blunt message for the United States after reports emerged of a potentially blocked arms sale.
"They're blackmailing me that they won't sell weapons? We have lots of explosives here," Duterte said, according to CNN Philippines.
And suggested, the country would turn to Russia for its weapons.
"[I] remember what the Russian diplomat said: Come to Russia, we all have here anything you need."
The comments were in... (GunPolicy.org)
US$ Millions Spent to Expand Gun Sale Background Checks
2 November 2016
New York Times, Reuters
Gun safety advocates are pouring tens of millions of dollars into Maine and Nevada to support ballot initiatives that would mandate background checks for gun sales in an effort to clinch state-level victories after years of failed drives in Congress.
The avalanche of money spent on supporting such initiatives ahead of the Nov. 8 vote could hand gun control organizations their biggest win since they failed to secure the passage of federal legislation after the massacre... (GunPolicy.org)
Five US Gun Violence Researchers Get $3.3 Million in Grants
2 November 2016
The Trace (USA)
Federal dollars for research into gun violence are hard to come by, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reluctant to step over a 20-year Congressional restriction on funding firearms studies.
A rare bright spot emerged last week, however, when the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) awarded more than $3.3 million to five private institutions for firearms research. The funding will support inquiries into some of the most pressing questions regarding gun... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Control Groups Aiming Their Money at State Ballots
2 November 2016
NPR (USA)
Gun control has been a minor theme of this year's presidential election, as Hillary Clinton promises to close "loopholes" in the background checks for gun purchasers, and Donald Trump pledges "unwavering support" for the Second Amendment.
The real battle over guns, though, has been waged at the state level this year — with a new emphasis on ballot initiatives.
Washington is a prime example. Like many western states, it has a tradition of permissive gun laws; there's... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Maker Sees Firearm Sales Soar as US Election Looms
2 November 2016
CNN
Sturm, Ruger (RGR) reported that sales jumped by a third, to $161.4 million, in the quarter ended Oct. 1 compared with the same period last year. Earnings rose 66%. The company's stock rose 2% in early trading Wednesday.
The company said sales are up across the industry, based on FBI data on background checks, which tend to rise and fall along with sales.
Sales were "likely bolstered by the political campaign for next week's election," Chris Killoy, the Sturm, Ruger... (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)
Gaps in Washington Gun Law: US Attorney General's Report
1 November 2016
Northwest News Network (US)
A new white paper by the Washington state attorney general's office finds the state's system of conducting background checks for gun purchases to be fragmented, complex and inconsistent.
In Washington, rifle purchases are fairly straightforward. A licensed gun dealer conducts an instant background check and if approved the sale can go through. But pistol purchases are different. That system relies on 260 local law enforcement agencies and can involve several databases... (GunPolicy.org)
US Senator to Halt Sale of 26,000 Assault Rifles to Philippines
1 November 2016
Guardian
The US state department halted the planned sale of 26,000 assault rifles to the Philippines' national police amid concerns about human rights violations there, Senate aides told Reuters on Monday.
Aides said Senator Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee, said he would oppose the transaction with the long-time ally of the US.
The relationship between the two countries has been complicated lately by President Rodrigo Duterte's angry... (GunPolicy.org)
Clinton #2 Tim Caine: US Gun Violence Is a Public Health Crisis
1 November 2016
Time (USA)
In every elected office I have held over the past 20 years, gun violence has been a serious issue. When I was mayor of Richmond, Virginia, our city had one of the highest homicide rates in the country. When I was governor, our commonwealth experienced the worst campus shooting in U.S. history. And as I serve in the U.S. Senate and our country falls victim to one mass shooting after another, Congress has yet to pass any commonsense gun safety legislation. Like many... (GunPolicy.org)
California Gun Control to Licence All Ammunition Buyers - NYT
1 November 2016
New York Times
California has the nation's strictest gun laws. There is a waiting period, a written test and a number of restrictions on guns and gear. Some voters pondering Proposition 63 have asked: Haven't we done enough?
Gavin Newsom, the lieutenant governor, says no. He's developed the initiative that would push the state's gun limits even further.
Under Proposition 63, ammunition purchasers would be treated similar to gun purchasers. Before a Californian could buy even a... (GunPolicy.org)
Stricter Gun Control is America Is Inevitable, Says Researcher
1 November 2016
Guns (US)
It doesn't matter which candidate is elected the next leader of the free world next Tuesday, stricter gun control is inevitable — at least according to one onlooker.
Philip Alpers is the founding director of GunPolicy.org, an organization devoted to publishing facts and figures on gun violence and gun control. It's hosted by the Sydney School of Public Health at the University of Sydney in Australia. Alpers says it doesn't matter what Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump... (GunPolicy.org)
A Clever, Voluntary Waiting Term to Curb Gun Suicides - Study
31 October 2016
Forbes (USA)
What if I told you there was an easy way to save thousands of U.S. citizens from death each year that was entirely voluntary and would not infringe on Second Amendment rights? Earlier this month, researchers at the University of Alabama-Birmingham published the feasibility of such an approach to address this public health problem.
The problem? Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. The U.S. experienced 42,773 suicide deaths in 2014, the most... (GunPolicy.org)
Why US Domestic Abusers Often Get to Keep Their Guns
31 October 2016
The Trace (USA)
Last month, Rashied Mitchell shot and killed a Seattle mother, Tabitha Apling, in front of their two young children. At the time, Mitchell was subject to a court order barring contact with Apling, his ex-girlfriend. Mitchell had a rap sheet of at least 12 prior similar convictions, and had been arrested for an alleged domestic violence attack against Aplin just days before her death.
This scenario is not unusual. Under federal law, anyone convicted of domestic violence... (GunPolicy.org)
Too Bad, NRA: Even Your Members Want Background Checks
31 October 2016
Las Vegas Sun (Nevada), Editorial
When you see a political ad that opens with a burly guy cleaning a pistol with a rack of rifles in the background, you'd be excused if you braced yourself for yet another blast of NRA paranoia.
The Second Amendment is under fire! Don't let the government infringe on your rights by _________ (fill in the blank with any action aimed at reducing gun violence, regardless of how pragmatic it might be.)
We've heard the NRA's over-the-top rhetoric for years, and the result... (GunPolicy.org)
900 Firearms Stolen from Gun Shops in US Carolinas This Year
31 October 2016
WSOC/TV (USA)
CHARLOTTE -- There have been 900 guns stolen from stores in the Carolinas in 2016 and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives officials said it's the fastest rate in the U.S.
Federal agents are working around the clock to solve the cases but the connection between the crimes isn't clear.
Guns have been stolen from 81 firearms shops in the Carolinas since January.
"We've had approximately 900 that have been taken through burglary, larceny or robbery," ATF... (GunPolicy.org)
Four Election Day Ballots to Advance Gun Control in US States
31 October 2016
Christian Science Monitor
Voters in four states will decide on Election Day whether to enact more stringent firearms laws, as gun control activists outspend gun rights groups in an aggressive policy-shaping strategy that some have likened to the nationwide push for same-sex marriage.
Unlike past elections, there are no state initiatives to expand gun rights anywhere in the United States. The only ballot measures are designed to keep firearms away from people deemed dangerous in Maine, Nevada,... (GunPolicy.org)
Trump or Clinton, Stricter Gun Control Is Inevitable in America
31 October 2016
CNN, Opinion
It's impossible to run for President without having a firm position on gun control. For every candidate in every election campaign, it inevitably becomes a dividing line.
And 2016 is no different. At various stages, Donald Trump has held differing positions on the matter, but has been sufficiently in favor of protecting the second amendment to secure the support of the NRA. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton, while claiming to respect the second amendment, has made clear that... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Iraq,Afghanistan
US Lost Track of Millions of Guns Sold to Middle East After 9/11
30 October 2016
The Washington Diplomat (US)
The United States has flooded Iraq and Afghanistan with billions of dollars worth of small arms since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and has lost track of millions of them, according to a recently published report on 412 Department of Defense contracts by the London-based advocacy nonprofit Action on Armed Violence.
People often associate U.S. military assistance with heavy hardware such as armored fighting vehicles, anti-tank weapons and attack helicopters.... (GunPolicy.org)
4 US States to Weigh Tougher Gun Control in Nov. 8 Election
30 October 2016
Fortune (USA), Associated Press
The last time voters in Maine were asked about gun rights, they easily passed a constitutional amendment creating a right to own firearms that "shall never be questioned."
Three decades later, the state known for its hunting tradition will vote on whether to tighten restrictions on gun sales and transfers.
Maine is one of four states, along with California, Nevada and Washington, where voters will decide Nov. 8 whether to enact tougher firearms laws. In a change from... (GunPolicy.org)
What Conservatives Get Right About Guns - Guardian US Expert
28 October 2016
GQ (US)
I grew up in Connecticut, firmly on one side of the gun culture war. My parents thought it was wrong even to let kids play with toy guns. But I made a vow to myself when I started covering this debate: I would not be one one of those New York City journalists who writes ignorant, condescending stories about "gun nuts."
As it expanded into the United States, the liberal British newspaper The Guardian did something most media outlets haven't done: it assigned a reporter... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
In a Life, 99.9% of Americans Will Know a Shooting Victim [ES]
27 October 2016
Huffington Post (USA)
[Translated summary: A report from Boston University in the Journal of Preventive Medicine estimates that 99.9% of Americans will know a victim of gun crime in their lifetime. According to the study, African Americans are more likely to know at least one gun violence victim who died than whites or Hispanics.]
Nadie está seguro en Estados Unidos. Y esto no es una frase hecha. Un estudio de la Universidad de Boston publicado en la revista Preventive Medicine ha puesto... (GunPolicy.org)
Support for Assault Weapon Ban at Record Low in US - Gallup
26 October 2016
Gallup (US)
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The fewest Americans in 20 years favor making it illegal to manufacture, sell or possess semi-automatic guns known as assault rifles. Thirty-six percent now want an assault weapons ban, down from 44% in 2012 and 57% when Gallup first asked the question in 1996.
Assault rifles have been a contentious issue in American life for decades. Two years after President Bill Clinton signed a federal assault weapons ban in 1994, Gallup found that a solid... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Saudi Arabia,South Korea,United Kingdom,Germany,Algeria,Switzerland,Netherlands,United Arab Emirates,Turkey,France
Germany Defends Its Sudden Leap in Gun, Ammo Exports [ES]
26 October 2016
Deutsche Welle
[Translated summary: Between January and June 2016, Germany exported firearms and military equipment amounting to €4 billion; an increase of 500 million in relation to the same period in 2015. The government defended its firearm export policy, saying that it's restrictive and transparent and assuring that they give a "special relevance" to the respect of human rights.]
Entre enero y junio de 2016 Alemania concedió permisos de exportación de armas y equipamiento... (GunPolicy.org)
NY Police Destroy Thousands of Crime Guns: NRA Protest [ES]
26 October 2016
El Diario (US)
[Translated summary: The New York Police Department announced a plan to melt and recycle thousands of firearms seized from crime. Chief of Department Carlos Gomez says that each gun represents a potential victim. In 2015, they destroyed around 7,000. The NRA protested, arguing that seized firearms should be resold on the legal market and that police could use the money for new equipment.]
Este miércoles el comisionado del Departamento de Policía de Nueva York... (GunPolicy.org)
In a Lifetime, 99.9% of Americans Will Know a Shooting Victim
26 October 2016
Quartz (US)
Victims of gun violence are not just the people in direct range of bullets. They're also those on the periphery.
Almost every single American—99.85%—will know at least one victim of gun violence during his or her lifetime, a recent analysis in the journal Preventive Medicine estimates.
Around 30,000 gun-related deaths and 80,000 non-fatal injuries occur annually in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A study published in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Vital Details Missing from New York's Gun Trafficking Report
26 October 2016
The Trace (USA)
A new analysis of the provenance of 53,000 crime guns by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office is a stark reminder of the limitations of state firearm restrictions — and of the public's ability to obtain detailed information about the flow of guns within the United States.
The report, released Tuesday, reveals that three out of four firearms recovered by police in the Empire State were purchased somewhere else — most often, Virginia, the Carolinas,... (GunPolicy.org)
NYPD Has Seized 15,000 Crime Guns in New York Since 2013
26 October 2016
New York Post
This mountain of nearly 2,000 guns was amassed by the NYPD during a collection of street stops, gang takedowns, search warrants and other forms of old-fashioned police work.
The heaving pile of pistols, rifles and shotguns that cops showed off Wednesday at One Police Plaza represents just a fraction of the approximately 15,500 firearms seized or confiscated since 2013.
"To my left is obviously a lot of guns," Police Commissioner James O'Neill said at a press... (GunPolicy.org)
In New York, 74% of Crime Guns Come from Other States [ES]
25 October 2016
El Diario (US)
[Translated Summary: Although New York has strong gun control legislation, other states have less restrictive laws. As a result, 74% of the seized guns in New York come from the "Iron Pipeline" states. Authorities seized nearly 53,000 guns from crime between 2010 to 2015. The firearms most used by criminals are handguns, 83% of those seized.]
Pese a que el estado de Nueva York tiene leyes de control de armas muy fuertes, estas no frenan a los traficantes que facilitan... (GunPolicy.org)
New York Official Study: Weak-Law States Flood NY With Guns
24 October 2016
New York Times
The .40-caliber pistol used to kill a New York City police officer last year was bought in South Carolina on Feb. 28, 2008.
A 9-millimeter pistol used in a murder-suicide in a Buffalo neighborhood had been bought in Georgia on June, 12, 2010, just 102 days before the double shooting.
And a 9-milimeter pistol used to fatally shoot a couple on Long Island in 2010 was bought in South Carolina on April 10, 2009.
Those are among the 52,915 guns used in crimes that law... (GunPolicy.org)
Hidden Handguns on Campus Do Not Reduce Shooting Risk [ES]
24 October 2016
Voice of America
[Translated summary: A recent study conducted from Johns Hopkins University concluded that allowing people to carry hidden handguns on university campuses increases the risk of shootings, homicides and suicides. An FBI study found that, in 160 shootings, only once an armed civilian was able to intervene and stop it.]
Un reciente reporte concluyó que permitir el uso de armas de fuego dentro de las escuelas y universidades puede convertirse en un verdadero... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Makers Ban New Handgun Sales in 'Too Strict' California
24 October 2016
LA Times, Editorial
When someone shoots up a neighborhood with a semiautomatic weapon, the shooter usually leaves evidence behind — not only the bullets fired, but also the spent casings ejected from the gun as a fresh round loads. Ballistics experts can match distinctive marks the firing process leaves on the bullets and the casings against fresh samples fired from a gun that investigators believe may have been used in the crime. But first, of course, they must have the gun.
But... (GunPolicy.org)
California on Brink of US Election Upset Over Gun Control
24 October 2016
Los Angeles Times
Proposition 63 would enact the toughest gun controls in the United States. But it also would do something else: represent an astonishing historical milestone.
And if passed as expected, the ballot measure would illustrate a textbook example of how public policy can be radically changed in a democracy laden with competing checks and balances.
How is that? Through the long, slow process of taking incremental steps over decades. By pushing hard and steadily, but with... (GunPolicy.org)
Trump Supporters Plan to Flaunt Their Guns at Polling Booths
21 October 2016
The Trace (USA)
Eddie Fulmer will cast his ballot for Donald Trump on Election Day with a .45-caliber pistol visibly strapped to his hip. Though he thinks voter fraud is a problem, Fulmer will not be monitoring the polls, and he doesn't believe that other voters in his pocket of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, will recoil at the sight of his gun.
"People are going to vote just like they walk around in daily life," said Fulmer, president of the gun rights group BamaCarry. "It may seem... (GunPolicy.org)
Hidden Handguns on Campus Will Increase Tragedies in Texas
21 October 2016
Washington Post, Opinion
Texas this year became the eighth state to require state colleges and universities to allow civilians with permits to carry concealed guns in public places. As a result, the University of Texas at Austin — a school that 50 years ago suffered the trauma of the nation's first campus mass killing — must allow guns to be brought onto campus.
To those behind the campus-carry movement making such inroads in Austin and other state capitals, that's a good thing. This... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago Isn't Even Close to Being the US Gun Violence Capital
21 October 2016
The Trace (USA)
People are getting shot in Chicago in alarmingly high numbers: 3,500 as of mid-October, 1,000 more than at the same time last year. Almost 600 of the victims died.
Chicago has become synonymous with gun violence, attracting attention from the press, politicians, and advocates on both sides of the gun debate. Opponents of look at Chicago's level of gun violence and the relatively strict gun laws in place in the city and the state of Illinois and see proof that tighter... (GunPolicy.org)
US 'National Dialogue Has Changed' on Guns - 130 of the Worst
21 October 2016
New York Times
John R. Houser was dangerously mentally ill, too ill to carry a gun. Of that, there is little doubt.
Over 16 years, Mr. Houser, 59, had been charged with hiring a man to burn down a lawyer's office and named in a domestic violence complaint. In 2008, after Mr. Houser threatened to kill his daughter's fiancé, a judge issued a temporary restraining order and ordered him hospitalized for psychiatric evaluation. In 2014, he threatened to shoot law enforcement officers who... (GunPolicy.org)
German Arms Maker to Release Second Smart Gun in US
20 October 2016
Computer World (Singapore)
German firearms manufacturer Armatix LLC is planning to release its second smart gun in the U.S. next year after sales of its first model -- the .22 caliber iP1 -- were quashed by pressure from some gun owners and gun rights advocates who saw it as a threat to Second Amendment freedoms.
Unlike the iP1, which used RFID technology, the new iP9 9mm semi-automatic pistol will have a fingerprint reader. The iP9 will be available in mid-2017, according to Wolfgang Tweraser,... (GunPolicy.org)
Saudi Arabia Biggest Weapon Buyer in US Proxy War [ES]
18 October 2016
Hispan TV (España)
[Translated Summary: Since 2010, Saudi Arabia has acquired arms worth US$1 billion to be used in the US Middle East proxy war. In 2014, Saudi Arabia became the biggest arms importer by buying military equipment, mainly from the US, with a total value of US$6.4 billion.]
Un alto cargo militar iraní dice que la venta de armas a Arabia Saudí se produce en el marco de la guerra subsidiaria de EE.UU. en Oriente Medio.
"Desde 2010 hasta hoy, Arabia Saudí ha adquirido... (GunPolicy.org)
Why US Gun-Control Movement Fails: Focus on Wrong Victims
18 October 2016
Nation (USA)
On the evening of November 22, 2013, as the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination drew to a close, Kenneth Mills Tucker, 19, sent a tweet letting the world know his plans for the night: "Out with the gang Dooney Wayne n Rell what's going on tonight. My last weekend being a teenager." It was to be Kenneth's last weekend ever.
Shortly after 3 am on November 23, a residential area of northwest Indianapolis crackled with gunfire from an automatic... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Industry Wakes Up, Begins to Fear Trump Threats
17 October 2016
Guns (USA), Opinion
On the opening night of recent gun writers' conference in Orlando, Jason Wilson, founder and CEO of Wyoming-based Lucid Optics, made a statement that would be brought up in quiet, side discussions for the duration of the event.
"No matter who wins, it will cost the industry," said Wilson, whose once-small business now has distributors in 14 countries. He might be onto something.
Wilson isn't shy about saying that some components of his products are made overseas.... (GunPolicy.org)
'Guns Don't Kill People; Toddlers Kill People' - Brady US TV Ad
17 October 2016
USA Today
In a nation where someone utters the phrase "guns don't kill people, people do" in nearly every gun debate, a new gun control campaign agrees and goes a step further: It's not just people that kill people, but toddlers.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence released a satirical video Monday calling for the deportation of toddlers, who obtained firearms and shot people on a weekly basis in 2015. The ad begins with a barrage of images showing children holding... (GunPolicy.org)
US Dilemma: Destroy or Recirculate Guns Seized in Crime?
17 October 2016
WFMY News
GREENSBORO -- Some police departments across the state are facing a gun dilemma and it's not what you might think.
The recent uptick in violent crimes and more aggressive police initiatives to curb it, means some, like the Greensboro Police Department, are taking a lot of guns off the streets.
But a state law is presenting a dilemma where some of those departments can't decide what to do with the guns once a case is over and they no longer need the gun for... (GunPolicy.org)
One Great Way to Reduce Gun Violence? A Whole Lot of Data
15 October 2016
Wired (San Francisco)
At their core, data tell stories. They reveal patterns, show changes over time, and confirm or challenge our theories. And in cities across the country, mayors, police chiefs, and other local leaders are turning to data to help them understand and address gun violence, one of the most persistent crises they face.
Innovative, data-driven programs are showing encouraging results. To keep high school students on the right track, the city of Chicago scaled up a... (GunPolicy.org)
At Least One American Child Dies by Gunshot Every Other Day
14 October 2016
USA Today, Associated Press
Hours earlier, he was a happy 4-year-old who loved Ironman and the Hulk and all the Avengers. Now, as Bryson Mees-Hernandez approached death in a Houston hospital room, his brain swelling through the bullet hole in his face, his mother assured the boy it was OK to die.
"When you are on the other side," his mother, Crystal Mees, recalls telling him, "you are going to see Mommy cry a lot. It's not because she's mad. It's because she misses you."
And this: "It's not your... (GunPolicy.org)
US Agency Badly Undercounts Children Killed with Guns [ES]
14 October 2016
Euronews (France)
[Translated Summary: The real number of children killed with guns is underestimated in US official statistics. According to research, between January, 2014 and June this year, there have been 326 deaths by accidental shooting related to children. Yet only 74 were documented by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the agency responsible for keeping count.]
Es la cara oculta de la proliferación de armas de fuego en Estados Unidos: el numero real de niños muertos por... (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)
326 US Children Unintentionally Shot, Killed in 2014-2016 [FR]
14 October 2016
Euro News
[Translated summary: In the US, between January 2014 and June 2016, there have been 326 fatal, but unintentional shootings and thousands of gun injury incidents involving children, according to a research by USA Today and the Associated Press. In 2014 the Centers for Disease Control only found 74 of those.]
C'est la face cachée du boom inédit du marché des armes à feu aux Etats-Unis : le nombre réel de morts par balle impliquant des enfants.
Bryson... (GunPolicy.org)
Amazingly, There Is No US Federal Law Against Gun Trafficking
13 October 2016
Mother Jones (USA)
Rep. Caroline Maloney (D-N.Y.) first learned that there is no federal law against gun trafficking at, of all places, a Fast and Furious hearing. In June 2011, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform convened to scrutinize the gunrunning sting known as Fast and Furious, which had flown off the rails when agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) allowed assault weapons to land in the hands of Mexican drug cartels. Much of... (GunPolicy.org)
Confronting Gun Violence in America - New Book, Good Reviews
13 October 2016
Palgrave Macmillan, Author Thomas Gabor, Media release
Each year, over 100,000 Americans are killed or seriously injured by gunfire. This book critically examines the link between guns and violence and suggests a bold national strategy to reduce gun violence in the United States.
Criminologist and international consultant Thomas Gabor has been conducting research on gun violence for 25 years. The book presents the most current data and trends on gun violence and mass shootings, including recent attacks in Orlando and... (GunPolicy.org)
Higher Rates of Gun Death in US States with Weaker Gun Laws
12 October 2016
Mother Jones (USA)
The rates of gun violence in the 10 states with the weakest gun laws are more than three times higher than those in the 10 states with the strongest gun laws. That's one of the major findings of a new report from the Center for American Progress (CAP) that analyzes 10 indicators of firearm violence—including suicide, murder, fatal gun accidents, and mass shootings—in all 50 states and finds a "strong" correlation between gun violence and weak gun laws.
The states... (GunPolicy.org)
Ballot Looms to Reduce Gun Death Risk in Washington State
11 October 2016
Kiro7 (Seattle)
The citizen sponsor of Washington state ballot Initiative 1491 believes her son and daughter would still be alive if "extreme-risk protection orders" had been legal two years ago.
When Marilyn Balcerak's mentally ill son became increasingly violent and potentially suicidal, she repeatedly asked the police how she could keep guns out of his hands. She was told she could get a restraining order or wait until he committed a felony, which would make it illegal to buy a... (GunPolicy.org)
US Groups Push New Gun Control Evidence, Election Sways
11 October 2016
New York Times
With guns emerging as a major flash point in the presidential race and campaigns nationwide, gun-control advocates are spending tens of millions of dollars on a central message: Stronger firearms laws can reduce gun violence.
Although the National Rifle Association has long rejected that assertion, a growing body of evidence from academics, advocacy groups and others supports the link between gun restrictions and a reduction in violence.
The latest analysis comes out... (GunPolicy.org)
Spain,United States,Greece,Italy,Turkey,France,Syria
Europol Dismantles Spain/Syria/Libya Gun Trafficking Network
11 October 2016
EFE News Agency
A huge haul of arms and drugs was seized from a trafficking network run by Syrian nationals, Spain's police said Tuesday.
A total of 109 people were arrested and 100 tons of hashish, 11,400 firearms, over a million ammunition rounds and 10 tons of explosives were seized in an international operation against a trafficking network that sold drugs to arm jihadist groups in countries like Libya.
The joint operation was carried out by security forces from Spain, Italy,... (GunPolicy.org)
In Two Years, 295 US Children Under 13 Have Shot Someone
10 October 2016
The Trace (USA)
Christa Engles was shot in the head in November, 2014 by her 3-year-old son while changing her baby's diaper in her Tulsa, Oklahoma home. The boy had found the 9mm semiautomatic handgun on a living room table.
Two months later, in Elmo, Missouri, five-year-old Corbin Wiederholt used a .22-caliber handgun he picked up off the headboard of the grandfather's bed to shoot and kill his nine-month-old brother.
Not long after that, at a home in LeBleu Settlement, Louisiana,... (GunPolicy.org)
US State Encourages Hidden Handguns, Gun Crime Rises
10 October 2016
Urban Milwaukee (US), Opinion
In July of this year, I criticized Attorney General Brad Schimel for insisting that Wisconsin was safer because of concealed carry becoming law in 2011.
"Hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites hold a concealed carry license, making our state a safer place to live, work, and raise a family," he said then.
I pointed out that his assumption was flawed — the state wasn't safer under the recent years of concealed carry. FBI data for the years 2011-2014 showed that... (GunPolicy.org)
Most Americans Support Common-Sense Gun Regulation - NYT
10 October 2016
New York Times, Editorial
The vast majority of Americans — about nine in 10 — support reasonable, common-sense gun regulations. The numbers are only slightly lower among gun owners and members of the National Rifle Association. And yet, year after year, lawmakers in Congress and in statehouses across the country, all beholden to the gun lobby, act as if the opposite were true.
They reject even mild, sensible laws — such as background checks and bans on gun ownership by domestic abusers or... (GunPolicy.org)
US NRA Spends Near Record Millions to Support Trump
7 October 2016
Reuters
The National Rifle Association is on track for record spending this year on U.S. political campaigns, including Missouri's U.S. Senate race where a gun-owning Democrat is waging a tough fight against an incumbent Republican backed by the gun rights group.
Democrat Jason Kander, an Afghanistan war veteran, is running just 2.5 percentage points behind Republican U.S. Senator Roy Blunt in opinion polls in Missouri, despite the NRA's expenditure of $1.8 million so far... (GunPolicy.org)
One US Gun's Journey: 42 Bullets Fired, 2 Killed, 5 Wounded
7 October 2016
Chicago Tribune
The young woman arrived home to find a footprint still visible on her front door.
Her South Shore apartment had been broken into, and the small safe she kept under her bed was missing, along with the black .40-caliber Glock handgun she kept inside.
Over the next year, that Glock would fire 42 bullets, leaving shell casings scattered on walkways, porches and side streets. In the hands of a street gang, the gun was used in at least five separate shootings that left two... (GunPolicy.org)
A British Journalist Grapples With US Gun Culture - The Atlantic
6 October 2016
Atlantic (USA)
In 2003, the British journalist Gary Younge moved from a country with roughly seven firearms per 100 people to a country with around 101 firearms per 100 people, from a country with an annual rate of .04 gun homicides per 100,000 people to a country with an annual rate of 3.43 gun homicides per 100,000 people, and from a country with strict gun laws and unarmed police to a country with neither. Younge, who writes for The Guardian, had relocated to the United States.... (GunPolicy.org)
Tech to Fight US Gun Crime Hobbled by Skepticism, Disuse
6 October 2016
Washington Post
On a humid day in April 2009, the sound of gunfire drew police to a suburban home in Jefferson Parish, La. Officers found no shooters or victims — just an empty back yard littered with shell casings. In an area with the nation's highest gun-death rate, the incident seemed pretty minor. "Garden-variety case" is how one detective described it.
Still, the casings were taken to the crime lab and entered into a huge federal database run by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,... (GunPolicy.org)
Four Key US States Will Vote Pro/Con Stricter Gun Control
6 October 2016
USA Today
WASHINGTON — Voters in four states will decide on proposed gun restrictions next month, as gun-safety proponents, often rebuffed by Congress and state officials, increasingly turn to ballot initiatives to push passage of stricter firearms laws.
Voters in Maine and Nevada will decide whether to expand background checks for gun buyers. In Washington state, where activists passed a background-check measure two years ago, voters will decide whether judges can temporarily... (GunPolicy.org)
US Women Think They're Feminists If They Own Guns [FR]
5 October 2016
TV5 Monde (France)
[Translated summary: More American women are buying one or several firearms and seeing their ownership as a symbol of emancipation. Dealers say that 20% of their sales are to women, while a recent poll by the National Shooting Sport Foundation saw an increase of 15% between 2010 and 2013. The number of women who practice sport shooting increased from 1.8 to 3.3 million in the last 15 years.]
Mères de famille, vendeuses d'armes à feu et d'accessoires spécialisés,... (GunPolicy.org)
Debate: Safe Guns Before Mental Treatment to Prevent Suicide
5 October 2016
International Business Times (USA)
A new study published in the American Journal of Medicine suggests the way to prevent suicide may be by placing the emphasis on guns. The study reports that differences in suicide rates across America lie not in different rates of mental illness or depression, but in levels of gun ownership.
Suicide is the leading cause of injury death in the United States and the rate has increased in recent years. Although only one percent of suicide attempts are with guns, half of... (GunPolicy.org)
Research: 4.5 Million US Women Bullied with Guns by Partners
5 October 2016
The Trace (USA)
The least understood aspect of the role of guns in abusive relationships is also the most pervasive.
An estimated 4.5 million women in the U.S. have been bullied or coerced with a firearm by an intimate partner. Another 1 million have survived a gunshot wound or been shot at. Those are the central findings of the first systematic review on the nonfatal use of firearms in domestic violence.
"There hasn't been much research on guns and women in the first place," Susan... (GunPolicy.org)
4.5 Million US Women Threatened With Guns by Partners [FR]
4 October 2016
BFM TV (France)
[Translated summary: About 4.5 million women have been threatened with a firearm by their partners in the US, according to a report by the US National Library of Medicine. Another 1 million have survived a gunshot wound or been shot at. As the study explains, if the gun is used to threaten, it can create an intimidating environment.]
Une étude menée par des universitaires américains pointe l'usage "non mortel" des armes à feu par les hommes sur leurs partenaires.... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gunsmiths Want Dept of State Out of Arms Export Controls
4 October 2016
Guns
A bipartisan group of lawmakers have debuted a proposal that would transfer export oversight for most gunsmiths from the State Department in an effort to curb a possible $2,250 annual fee to stay in operation.
The bicameral bill, introduced on Sept. 27 by lawmakers that include two Texas Democrats as House sponsors, would transfer regulatory responsibility on the export of non-military firearms to the U.S. Department of Commerce and comes in response to a change by the... (GunPolicy.org)
Five Amazing Reasons Americans Got Shot, Killed Last Month
3 October 2016
The Trace (USA)
In a country that put 75 million additional guns into circulation over the past two decades, routine altercations can turn deadly. When fear drives firearms ownership, it can lead to unsafe gun handling that ends in unintentional shootings. As an exclusive for our Bulletin subscribers, The Trace's Jennifer Mascia culled September's headlines for the latest examples of the myriad ways that gun violence can erupt in the United States.
- Because a man's credit card was... (GunPolicy.org)
Shootings on US Campuses Doubled Over the Last Five Years
3 October 2016
New York Times, Reuters
Shootings on college campuses over the last five years have more than doubled since a similar period a decade earlier, according to a report released on Monday by a criminal justice reform organization.
The incidents have also grown more deadly, with three times as many people injured or killed during the most recent five-year period, the New York City-based Citizens Crime Commission said.
"It is now appropriate to call our nation's gun violence problem an epidemic,"... (GunPolicy.org)
American Deaths in Terrorism vs. Gun Violence in One Graph
3 October 2016
CNN
In his nearly eight years in office, President Obama has formally addressed the nation on the subject of gun violence 25 times: on average, every 112 days.
But in the last year alone, he has made such statements roughly every 36 days.
In October 2015, after a gunman opened fire at Oregon's Umpqua Community College, killing nine people and injuring seven, a visibly upset Obama said the shootings were becoming all too routine.
He then asked news organizations to tally... (GunPolicy.org)
Most of the Seized Firearms in Mexico Come From US [ES]
2 October 2016
La Opinión (USA), EFE News Agency
[Translated Summary: Firearms can easily enter Mexico and be smuggled to Central America; there aren't any control measures on the borders. According to a federal report, by the 31st of July, 2014, 8,540 rifles had been seized and over 70% of these came from the US.]
La llegada de armas de fuego y de dinero negro son dos grandes peligros provenientes de Estados Unidos que impactan a México, fortaleciendo los cárteles de la región y su estela de violencia, y probando... (GunPolicy.org)
Why Such Different Gun Ownership, Suicide Rates in US States?
29 September 2016
The Trace (USA)
Massachusetts and New Hampshire share more than a border, Puritan heritage, and the New England Patriots. Both states are prosperous, with median household incomes and state health care systems that rank among the top ten in the country. They're predominantly white and largely Christian.
Despite these similarities, the two states diverge drastically in a key public health metric. In 2014, the most recent year for which data is available, New Hampshire's gun suicide... (GunPolicy.org)
US Justice Dept Report Flags Gun Trade Weakness [ES]
28 September 2016
Noticias RCN (Colombia), Report
[Translated Summary: According to a report by the US Justice Department, there are flaws in the way authorities check the background of people who want to purchase a firearm. For example, if the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the FBI disagree on whether a person should be able to acquire a firearm, the ATF can authorize the purchase disregarding FBI's opinion.]
El reporte señala que hay falencias en la manera en la que las autoridades... (GunPolicy.org)
Record Number of Smuggled, Seized Guns 'Worrying' - UK Police
28 September 2016
Guardian
More guns are being seized in cities across Britain as the number of firearms being smuggled into the country increases, Britain's most senior police officer has said.
Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Metropolitan police commissioner, told a hearing at London's City Hall that a rise in gun crime in the capital was being put down to an increase in the number of weapons coming into the country.
The Met seized a "worrying" record number of weapons in 2015, including... (GunPolicy.org)
Interagency Wrangle Allows 2,000 Disputed US Gun Purchases
28 September 2016
USA Today
WASHINGTON — More than 2,000 disputed gun purchases were allowed to proceed during the past 15 years because of a long-standing disagreement between the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives over who qualifies as a "fugitive," an internal Justice Department review concluded Wednesday.
Fugitives are among those disqualified from purchasing firearms, according to federal law that governs gun transactions at federally licensed gun stores. Yet in... (GunPolicy.org)
Justice Dept Flags 'Deficiencies' in US Gun Sale System [FR]
28 September 2016
VOA Afrique (Africa)
[Translated summary: According to a report by the inspection service of the American Justice Department, the control system of gun buyers has 'deficiencies', specially regarding the update of data bases. For example, gun dealers need to send the clients' data to the FBI for them to perform a background check. If they don't receive results in three days, they are free to sell to that client.]
Le système de contrôle des acheteurs souffre de "faiblesses", notamment dans... (GunPolicy.org)
Texas Spree Killer a Lawyer with Nazi Symbols, Legal Firearms
26 September 2016
New York Times, Associated Press
A disgruntled lawyer wearing military-style apparel with old Nazi emblems had two weapons and more than 2,500 rounds of live ammunition when he randomly shot at drivers in a Houston neighborhood Monday before he was shot and killed by police, authorities said.
Nine people were injured during Monday morning's shootings on the street in front of a condo complex; six were shot and three had eye injuries from flying glass. One person was in critical condition and another... (GunPolicy.org)
Texas Spree Shooter Was Lawyer with Legally Held Guns [ES]
26 September 2016
El Mexicano (Mexico), Associated Press
[Translated summary: The lawyer who shot people indiscriminately in Texas on Monday had two legally purchased firearms: a semi-automatic pistol and a semi-automatic rifle. He also had over 2,500 cartridges. The incident left 9 people injured, one in critical state.]
HOUSTON. — Un abogado disgustado que vestía ropa tipo militar con emblemas nazis antiguos tenía dos armas de fuego y más de 2.500 cartuchos cuando comenzó a dispararles indiscriminadamente este lunes... (GunPolicy.org)
Increase in US Murder Rate Driven by Gun Homicide - FBI
26 September 2016
Guardian
Murders in the US rose 10.8% last year, the biggest single-year percentage jump since 1971, according to data released Monday by the FBI.
The rising violence was driven by an increase in the murders of black men, and by an increase in the number of gun murders. At least 900 more black men were killed in 2015 than in 2014, according to FBI data.
There were roughly 1,500 additional firearm murders in 2015. No other type of weapon saw a comparable increase. The number of... (GunPolicy.org)
Study: 70m Guns Added to US Gun Stock Over Past 20 Years
26 September 2016
Northeastern University (USA)
The estimated number of privately-owned guns in America grew by more than 70 million—to approximately 265 million—between 1994 and 2015, and half of that gun stock is owned by only 3 percent of the population, according to a comprehensive national survey co-led by Northeastern University.
The survey, conducted in collaboration with Harvard University, is the first nationally representative survey of... (GunPolicy.org)
Equality Florida Endorses Gun Policies Reforms
25 September 2016
LGBT Weekly
Equality Florida made a significant policy announcement to formally endorse common sense gun violence prevention policies in response to the hate-fueled attack in Orlando this past June, targeting the LGBTQ community at Pulse nightclub's Latin night.
The announcement includes a position paper detailing the deep history of hate violence against the LGBTQ people and Equality Florida's desire to partner with other marginalized communities to make all of our families... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Violence Kills, Injures 111,000 Victims Each Year [ES]
25 September 2016
Radio Nacional Venezuela
[Translated summary: According to violence prevention organisations, more than 17,000 minors are victims of firearms in the US every year. Furthermore, over 111,000 people are shot annually, resulting in death or serious injuries.]
De acuerdo a las organizaciones para la prevención de la violencia armada en Estados Unidos, cada año, más de 17.000 menores de edad son víctimas de las armas de fuego. Mientras que más de 111.000 personas anualmente reciben disparos,... (GunPolicy.org)
Clinton Doesn't Spur Gun Sales as Much as Obama Did
25 September 2016
Washington Post
Few people have sold more guns than Barack Obama. In March of last year, we looked at the effects of his presidency on the gun industry, estimating that the gun industry had seen about $9 billion more in sales during Obama's presidency than might otherwise have been expected. That's an estimate, but it's clear that the past eight years have been a boon for gun manufacturers. Half of the guns in the United States are owned by 3 percent of adults, suggesting that people... (GunPolicy.org)
Missouri Gun Law Eliminates Safeguards for Hidden Handguns
23 September 2016
Washington Post, Editorial
Most States require a person who wants to legally carry a concealed handgun in public to acquire a permit and, in most cases, receive firearms training. Giving law enforcement a say in who can carry guns in America's cities and neighborhoods, while ensuring they are properly trained, just makes sense. Unfortunately, that commodity is in short supply in Missouri, where lawmakers buckled to pressure from the national gun lobby and overrode the governor's veto of a bill... (GunPolicy.org)
Another Legal Hidden Handgun Holder Kills 2 in Tennessee
23 September 2016
ABC News (USA), Associated Press
A man who fatally shot two supervisors and then killed himself at an electrical components plant in eastern Tennessee had a state-issued permit to carry handguns in public, law enforcement officials said Friday.
Ricky Swafford, who had worked at the Thomas & Betts plant a more than 15 years, walked out of a meeting with the supervisors and returned with a pistol, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Susan Niland said. Swafford then shot supervisors Sandra... (GunPolicy.org)
US Police Kill 100 Times More People Than German Police
22 September 2016
Local (Germany)
According to the Washington Post's database of fatal police shootings, 990 people were killed in 2015. In Germany, ten people were killed by police last year, according to a report on Thursday by publishing group Funke Mediengruppe, citing figures from the German Police University.
That means that while the population of the US is roughly four times that of Germany, the number of fatal police shootings there is about 100 times greater.
So far this year, 706 people... (GunPolicy.org)
Gender Gap Shrinks as American Women Join Gun Culture
22 September 2016
Christian Science Monitor
The stereotypical face of gun ownership in the United States has long been a white man, one who holds conservative political views and resides in a rural area. But that may be changing, according to an upcoming survey by public health researchers from Harvard and Northeastern universities.
The percentage of Americans who own guns decreased slightly between 1994 and 2015, dropping from 25 to 22 percent, and with it the proportion of male gun owners, the survey found.... (GunPolicy.org)