Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula yesterday said he would allow a three-month extension to firearm licences on all applications that have still to be made. The Firearms Control Act requires all gun licence holders to re-apply for their licences. Applications have been divided into four periods, according to birthdates. Licence owners whose birthdays are in January, February or March were expected to re-apply by December 31 2005. Nqakula last month... (GunPolicy.org)

After several failed attempts to pass a statewide ban on assault weapons, Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley said Tuesday they will make the initiative a top priority in the current session of the state legislature. In a joint news conference, the two Chicago Democrats called on the General Assembly to support their proposal to ban the manufacture, sale and possession of semi-automatic and .50-caliber weapons. Blagojevich said his plan would do away... (GunPolicy.org)

Two Boston women have been arrested on charges of trying to smuggle guns into Massachusetts from Alabama, police and federal authorities said this afternoon. Niya Mills, 23, of Roxbury, and Sukia Omere, 20, of Boston, were charged with one count of unlawful transportation of firearms into the state. At a news conference, police said the pair bought six firearms in Bessemer, Ala., with the intent to sell them in Boston. US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan said the... (GunPolicy.org)

Gun owners and traders have lashed out at government for the new gun laws and lay blame for delays in renewal of firearm licences and appeals for renewal of licences squarely at cabinet's door. At a ministerial meeting in Pretoria on Tuesday the South African Gun Owners Association (SAGOA) and South African Arms and Ammunition Dealers Association (SAAADA) accused the department of safety and security of not having its "house in order". They said unnecessary red tape... (GunPolicy.org)

Some police officials fear a measure before the Legislature to ease restrictions on carrying loaded guns in cars would escalate road rage and officer shootings. A bill that would ease restrictions on carrying a firearm in an automobile has been delayed from committee debate until police groups can meet with advocates, Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Lehi, sponsor of Senate Bill 24, said Tuesday. Madsen is sponsoring the bill on behalf of pro-gun groups who believe the existing... (GunPolicy.org)

MADISON — The state Senate approved a Republican bill Tuesday that would let Wisconsin residents carry concealed weapons, setting up what could be a fierce political clash between the Legislature and Gov. Jim Doyle. The Senate's 28-5 vote sends the bill to Doyle, a Democrat who already has nixed one version of it and has vowed to veto this one. "The governor believes people carrying loaded weapons around will make Wisconsin less safe," Doyle spokeswoman Melanie... (GunPolicy.org)

MADISON — The Legislature for the second time on Tuesday sent Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle a bill that would legalize the carrying of concealed weapons, but the governor promised to again veto the measure. By passing the bill (SB 403) on a 28-5 vote, however, the Senate has far more than the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto. How a veto override would fare in the 99-member Assembly remains uncertain. On Dec. 14, the Assembly passed the measure 64-32, or... (GunPolicy.org)

HONOLULU — Hawaii police and prosecutors want lawmakers to give three-time violent criminals automatic life sentences, allow prosecution for violently killing a fetus and outlaw large machine guns. These were among legislation proposed by Attorney General Mark Bennett today. They will be taken up by the Legislature in this year's session, which starts tomorrow. Bennett says the proposal for mandatory life sentences for people who commit three violent felonies... (GunPolicy.org)

CITE SOLEIL — It was 1:30 in the morning and the sound was deafening — machine gun fire, the crack of rifles, and the boom of heavy artillery, as bullet tracers flew through the black sky like fireworks. Some 200,000 residents of Cite Soleil, a slum on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, heard the explosions and knew that even in their beds they were not safe. Across the city, fist-sized holes in building walls showed that bullets can penetrate thick cement. One... (GunPolicy.org)