Organizers of a Waukesha County gun buyback program this weekend found themselves in a duel Wednesday when a group calling for Y2K preparedness announced its own program offering bigger bounties. While the county program is aimed at destroying unwanted guns, the Y2K group plans to redistribute them to the public. "Let the insanity reign," blasted Pewaukee Police Chief Ed Baumann, upon hearing of the competing program planned for Y2K Family Preparedness Expo at the... (GunPolicy.org)

MONROVIA, Liberia — President Charles Taylor has announced that government will destroy arms and ammunition surrendered by former warring groups during the February 1997 disarmament. In a radio broadcast Wednesday night, he said the decision "followed consultation with the leadership of the legislature (parliament) and cabinet." Controversy has been brewing over the fate of the tens of thousands of assault rifles, artillery and millions of ammunition collected from... (GunPolicy.org)

Deaths caused by guns fell sharply after the Howard Government introduced tough firearm laws in the wake of the Port Arthur massacre, a new study shows. Gun deaths fell from 523 in 1996 to 438 in 1997, according to an Australian Institute of Criminology report into the effect of the Government's national uniform gun laws on firearm-related violence. The report says "the preliminary results seem to indicate that there has been an observed decrease in firearm-related... (GunPolicy.org)

TOKYO — Japan will host an international conference next week to discuss a proposed U.N. treaty that would require gun makers to use globally standardized manufacturing serial numbers, government officials said Thursday. Japan and 16 other countries on the Pacific Rim will take part in the gun control seminar next Wednesday and Thursday in Tokyo, to be hosted by the National Police Agency and the Foreign Ministry. Police and judicial representatives of... (GunPolicy.org)