Gun Policy News, 24 January 2006
Don't Put a Lid on Gun Sales Data
24 January 2006
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia), Editorial
Last year, Congress passed a law shielding firearms manufacturers and dealers from liability lawsuits involving the weapons they make and sell. But apparently that law didn't provide enough "stopping power," as they like to say.
New York City sued several gunmakers in 2000, seeking to force manufacturers to prevent illegal weapon sales by suspect dealers. Last month, a federal judge ruled that New York City's suit could proceed despite the shield law, which President... (GunPolicy.org)
Lire l'article complet : Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia)
South Africans Need More Guns, Says Visiting US Campaigner
24 January 2006
Star (Johannesburg)
South Africans should pack more guns — and the greater the firepower all the better to take on the criminals and lower the national murder and crime rate.
This is what Larry Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America, is preaching during his five-day whistlestop tour of South Africa. He is here for the launch of Gun Owners of SA on Thursday and also to research first-hand the country's Firearms Control Act which he believes is too strict and is allowing... (GunPolicy.org)
Wisconsin's Armed 8-Year-Olds Might Not Always Be With Daddy
24 January 2006
Wisconsin State Journal, Column
Is it really a good idea to start arming 8-year-olds?
The state Assembly, apparently, thinks it is. Sunday's newspaper carried a report that the Assembly, by a lopsided 74-19 vote, approved a bill introduced by Rep. Scott Gunderson, R-Waterford, to lower the hunting age in Wisconsin from 12 to 8. Before the bill becomes law, the state Senate would also have to pass it and Gov. James Doyle would have to sign it.
But why, in the name of all that's holy, would anyone... (GunPolicy.org)
Booming Business in Gaza: Tunnelling for the Gunrunners
24 January 2006
New York Times
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Yasser Qishta, 25, shows a visitor into his near-finished house, a two-story cinderblock structure with a pristine, pastel interior, all new paint and gleaming ceramic tile. The house cost him $32,000, a fortune for a man of his age in the Gaza Strip's troubled economy.
The house tells everyone in the neighborhood what he has been up to: burrowing beneath the border to help bring illegal arms into the Gaza Strip.
"I risked my life, but now I can... (GunPolicy.org)
South African Gun Control Laws Should Be Relaxed, Says US Lobbyist
24 January 2006
South African Press Association
Larry Pratt, the executive director of Gun Owners of America, says South Africa should not make it harder for good citizens to get firearms to defend themselves.
Pratt is in the country to research the effects of the Firearms Control Act. He is currently visiting Bloemfontein.
Pratt says there are not enough police to protect people. He says criminals just get guns and use them. "We have found actually in the United States that the easier we have made it for people... (GunPolicy.org)
Boy, 8, Shoots Girl, 7, at Maryland Day Care Centre
24 January 2006
Associated Press
GERMANTOWN, Maryland — A gun brought to a day care center by an 8-year-old boy accidentally went off Tuesday, wounding a 7-year-old girl in the arm, police said.
The boy had the gun in the backpack and was playing with it when it went off at the For Kids We Care center, Montgomery County police spokesman Derek Baliles said.
The girl was taken to Children's Hospital in Washington, he said. Her injury was not considered life-threatening. (Watch police activity at the... (GunPolicy.org)
Maryland Toddler Shooting Highlights Need for Gun Safety Awareness
24 January 2006
ABC News (USA)
Oh, no. Not again.
That was what some people thought and feared when they heard the first news reports that a 7-year-old girl had been shot at a day-care center in Germantown, Md. For a moment it sounded like other school tragedies in recent years in which gun-toting students took aim at teachers, administrators and fellow students.
But not this time. The Maryland incident was an accident. Germantown police spokeswoman Lucille Baur said the shooter was an 8-year-old... (GunPolicy.org)
Californian Man Poses as Gun Store Customer, Shoots & Kills Himself
24 January 2006
San Francisco Chronicle
SAN CARLOS — A man shot and killed himself outside a San Carlos gun store Tuesday after having posed as a customer and then stealing a weapon, police said.
Timothy Singler, 41, of Redwood City apparently brought ammunition for the weapon with him when he entered Imbert & Smithers Inc. at 1144 El Camino Real at 10:40 a.m., police said.
Singler asked to see a handgun and then ran outside with the weapon and shot himself, police... (GunPolicy.org)
Dad Arrested After Boy, 8, Brings Gun to Maryland Day Care, Shoots Girl, 7
24 January 2006
WJAC-TV News / AP
ROCKVILLE, Maryland — The father of the boy who allegedly shot a girl at a Maryland day-care center is under arrest.
John Lynwood Hall is charged with leaving a firearm in a location accessible by an unsupervised minor, as well as contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
According to police, the 8-year-old boy who brought the gun to day care is in their custody. He will undergo an evaluation and juvenile authorities will decide what to do with him.
Police said... (GunPolicy.org)
Trying to Cure Hiccups, Man Shoots, Kills His Nephew, Then Himself
24 January 2006
Reuters
BOGOTA, Colombia — A Colombian man accidentally shot his nephew to death while trying to cure his hiccups by pointing a revolver at him to scare him, police in the Caribbean port city of Barranquilla said on Tuesday.
After shooting 21-year-old university student David Galvan in the neck, his uncle, Rafael Vargas, 35, was so distraught he turned the gun on himself and committed suicide, police said.
The incident took place on Sunday night while the two were having... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Seize Assault Weapons in Winnipeg Gang House
24 January 2006
Canadian Press
WINNIPEG — Winnipeg police say they have seized a Tec-9 submachine gun along with three other firearms from a residence with links to the Hells Angels.
The raid on Friday night also netted hundreds of rounds of ammunition. A husband and wife, both 40, face numerous firearm offences.
Sgt. Rick Guyader told a news conference Monday that the guns show how some gang members are arming themselves to do battle with rival gangsters or even police.
"It's certainly not for... (GunPolicy.org)
Italy Approves Armed Self-Defence Law
24 January 2006
BBC News
The Italian parliament has passed legislation allowing people to shoot robbers in self-defence.
The law permits the use of guns and knives by people in homes or workplaces to protect lives or belongings.
The reform was introduced by the Northern League party, a right-wing member of the ruling coalition with a strong anti-crime platform.
The opposition voted against the bill, which critics say will encourage people to take the law into their own hands.
Controversy... (GunPolicy.org)
Georgia Should Not Be the State Where It's Legal to Shoot First
24 January 2006
Macon Telegraph (Georgia), Editorial
Watch out. Be careful. State Sen. Greg Goggans, R-Douglas, with a little help from the National Rifle Association, wants to make it legal for those who "reasonably" believe they are under attack to fight back, including the use of deadly force.
On the surface it's difficult to argue with a person's right to defend one's self or one's loved ones. In fact Senate Bill 396 is not much different from present law with a couple of notable exceptions. The present law limits to... (GunPolicy.org)