"It will make a statement if someone who has sworn to uphold the law, breaks the law." So said Alberta MLA Doug Griffiths, explaining why he intends to ignore the new federal gun law which came into force with the New Year. That disturbing quote does make a statement, although it may not be what Griffiths intended. He may believe he is standing up for his own beliefs and those of some of his constituents. But the effect of his stated action is an expression of... (GunPolicy.org)

A 7-year-old girl and the 6-year-old brother she shot to death in Mississauga on Friday had previously played with the gun used in the incident, police say. "It was easily accessible for the kids to play with," Peel Region homicide Detective Danny Valleau, the lead investigator in the case, said in an interview yesterday. The girl told investigators she and her brother played with the gun on at least one other occasion, Valleau said. "The little girl didn't know it... (GunPolicy.org)

A national hospital discharge database could be the best source yet in tracking gun-related injuries in the United States, says a new study. Researchers say information from a database called the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), which is part of a federal data collection effort, can provide details on everything from length of stay, hospital procedures, outcomes and costs. In looking at NIS data from more than 1,000 hospitals in 22 states reported for the year 1997,... (GunPolicy.org)

A NEW criminal offence of carrying replica guns is to be announced by Tony Blair after the shooting of the teenage cousins Charlene Ellis and Latisha Shakespear. Even before the two girls were shot dead in Birmingham on New Year's Day, the Prime Minister was planning a new offence of possessing an imitation gun in a public place. The move, which may also target air guns, is expected to coincide with figures showing that crime involving firearms has reached record... (GunPolicy.org)

Aboriginals account for just 3% of Canada's population, yet commit 25% of this country's murders. It wouldn't be illogical, then, for any federal gun control effort to focus on this small group of people. Instead, our Liberal government has done all it can to exempt natives from the standard provisions of the Firearms Act. Ottawa even gives away free ammunition to natives without valid firearms owners' licences, a transaction that could land a non-aboriginal Canadian in... (GunPolicy.org)

Canada's gun-control law has fired up a strange brew of urban legend, hysteria and constitutional confusion among extremist gun advocates. Wainwright MLA Doug Griffiths, for instance, says his constituents are phoning him in tears, terrified of registering their rifles and shotguns. Why? Because they've heard the underworld has gained access to the computerized gun registry. Thugs now have names, addresses and lists of firearms. "It's a virtual shopping list for... (GunPolicy.org)

David Blunkett is right to suggest a minimum five-year jail sentence for carrying an illegal firearm. The Home Secretary's response to increasing concerns about the gun culture in Britain is entirely appropriate, particularly after the brutal killings of two innocent teenagers, Charlene Ellis and Latisha Shakespear in Birmingham last week. There can be no doubt that gun-related crime is on the increase and firearms are more readily available. This is especially the... (GunPolicy.org)

If ever there was a case for the government to live up to its "tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime" election call it must be over gun crime. Despite all the measures taken after the Dunblane massacre seven years ago, the use of firearms in Britain has escalated. It was always feared that the post-Dunblane ban on hand guns might not address the real issue of the growth in the use of firearms — both legally and illegally held. A Fashion Accessory And, while... (GunPolicy.org)

LONDON — Britain will introduce a minimum five-year jail sentence for carrying an illegal firearm, a bid to stamp out a growing "gun culture" on the streets, the government said Monday. The decision — which would apply to handguns and automatic weapons, firearms most often used in crime — came as the shooting deaths of two teenagers last week reignited the debate on gun violence. A ban on replica guns that can be adapted to fire live bullets also is reportedly... (GunPolicy.org)

OTTAWA — Ontario's public security minister said Friday the federal government should halt its gun control program due to spiraling costs. The federal firearms program is a billion-dollar black hole," Bob Runciman, the Ontario official, said in reference to an auditor general's report that revealed a huge cost overrun in the 1995 program that took full effect Jan. 1. Runciman said the estimated C$1 billion (US$650 million) cost of the program that registers... (GunPolicy.org)

OTTAWA — Suspending the federal gun registry program is not the way to address the system's massive cost overruns, says the federal government. "It certainly wouldn't save any money, and it wouldn't serve any purpose whatsoever," Mike Murphy, a spokesman for Justice Minister Martin Cauchon, said Monday amid a growing provincial clamour to shut the program down. "The minister has already vowed the program is to run at minimum costs while a review is undertaken." New... (GunPolicy.org)

When Canada's auditor general tabled her December 2002 report, she set her sights on Ottawa's controversial gun registry program. Sheila Fraser blasted the federal government for exceeding its estimated budget, saying that, by the time the smoke clears and all gun owners and their guns are registered, the program will have cost taxpayers more than $1 billion. Opposition critics are quick to point out that figure is 500 times more than the original $2-million estimate. A... (GunPolicy.org)