A 1999 lawsuit just decided in favor of gun-control groups and money-grubbing trial lawyers could have dangerous implications for the Second Amendment rights of Americans across the country — as well as private industry and common sense. An Illinois state appellate court ruled Monday that the families of victims killed by gun-wielding assailants can sue firearms manufacturers. What the court has ruled was that the manufacturers set in motion a chain of events with... (GunPolicy.org)

The shooting of a young student in a street robbery illustrates the growing willingness of today's muggers to use guns. The number of people robbed of personal property at gunpoint rose by 53 per cent in the Metropolitan Police area between April and November last year, compared to the same period in 2000, a rise from 435 victims to 667. London and other inner city areas, including Birmingham, Manchester and Nottingham, have increasingly suffered from gun crime,... (GunPolicy.org)

Recycling is supposed to be a good thing, so you'd think that media organizations would be proud when they do it. But in fact, they tend to keep it quiet. I m not talking about aluminum cans here, but about the tendency of media organizations to turn press releases and written-to-order opinion pieces into apparently objective accounts. This happens all the time, partly because of media laziness, and partly because of ingenuity on the part of the various advocacy groups... (GunPolicy.org)

Muggers are increasingly turning to real or imitation guns to get their way on the streets of London. Only weeks ago Commander Alan Brown, head of Scotland Yard's Flying Squad, warned that muggings involving real and fake firearms had risen by 53 per cent in the past eight months. There were 667 cases between April and November last year compared with 435 for the same period in 2000. Although the use of a gun is still rare, the rise comes at a time when street crime... (GunPolicy.org)

Japan plans to launch a money-for-weapons aid project in Afghanistan that will help build social infrastructure, government sources said Wednesday. Through the project, Tokyo plans to set numerical goals of surrendered arms that, once met, would trigger official development assistance for the construction of schools, bridges and hospitals. Specifically, Japan would donate the money to build a school in a community that collects 200 small arms. By setting specific... (GunPolicy.org)

In a major victory for advocates of gun control, a state appellate court in Illinois has ruled that gun makers and dealers can be sued for distributing firearms in a way that makes it easy for criminals and juveniles to obtain them, a practice that creates what the court said could amount to a public nuisance. The decision is the first by an appellate court to uphold a new legal approach being taken by many cities, lawyers and victims of gun violence. The approach... (GunPolicy.org)

For the gun controllers, the year gone by was bleak. As 2001 began, their lawsuits against gun manufacturers were being dismissed in one city after another. An attorney general nominee they bitterly opposed was confirmed. Soon after, he wrote to the National Rifle Association, unequivocally backing its view that the Second Amendment guarantees the freedom of individuals (not just state militias) to own guns. Six months later, the 5th Circuit US Court of Appeals... (GunPolicy.org)

A Vietnam vet and mechanic, Dan Weiner admitted his bisexuality to himself only eight years ago, when he was 43. ( As a Libertarian, I should have known better, he jokes.) While he was closeted, Weiner heard his fair share of guy talk, and he knows violence against gays is nothing new. Weiner recalls one 70-year-old WWII vet recounting how upset his fellow soldiers were at the loss of extra spending money when the base cracked down on the routine beating and robbing of... (GunPolicy.org)

BALTIMORE — The seizing of 130 guns overnight on New Year's Eve is a clear indication that Baltimore has too many firearms on the streets — and too many in the hands of convicted felons, Police Commissioner Edward Norris said yesterday. Police arrested 100 persons they said were firing guns at midnight to celebrate the New Year. Officials tracking the criminal records of those arrested found that many violated their probation by having the guns, Commissioner Norris... (GunPolicy.org)

Police know the types of guns being circulated in the highlands region says deputy police commissioner operations Sam Inguba. Mr Inguba said this in response to comments by the Catholic Bishop's Council of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands which has warned leaders to answer to the problem of a dangerous gun society emerging in the Highlands region. He said police were putting measures into place to deal with the problem. Mr Inguba said: "Police are aware of the... (GunPolicy.org)