Occupation: Florida lobbyist, National Rifle Association. NRA president, 1995-98. Executive director, since 1978, Unified Sportsmen of Florida, an NRA affiliate. The Unified Sportsmen "has worked to defeat gun bans of every description, registration proposals, gun owner ID card proposals, one-gun-a-month purchase limits, gun taxes, ammunition bans, ammunition taxes, hunting bans, hundreds upon hundreds of restrictive gun control measures," according to the group's Web... (GunPolicy.org)

For nearly 19 years the names of people licensed to carry guns in Florida were public record. Then, in a matter of minutes last spring, the state Legislature declared the list a secret. To do it, lawmakers passed an exemption to the state constitution, undermining citizens' right to examine government documents. Now, you need a court order to get the names. Critics say the law, which took effect July 1, is overly broad and unconstitutional. "How do we know that the... (GunPolicy.org)

A 29-year-old Thorndike Street man, who was enrolled in a gun safety course at PSMG Gun Shop on Park Avenue, fatally shot himself at the business last Wednesday. Peter Hartzel, of 104 Thorndike St., was on his third day of training in the gun shop's course. The business' owner and gun safety teacher Paul Giragosian, 60, was standing beside the man when Hartzel put the handgun against his temple and fired the shot at about 3:30 p.m. last Wednesday. The bullet exited... (GunPolicy.org)

The wife of a notorious mobster with a colourful history of engaging in foreign military adventures was convicted yesterday of 30 counts of gun trafficking. Ingeborg Anna Richter, 62, was locked up yesterday as Justice Andromahi Karakatsanis concluded she and her husband, Charles "Chuck" Yanover, were involved in selling large quantities of World War I and II firearms, some of them to an undercover cop who posed as a biker. "We make a buck, you make a buck, who... (GunPolicy.org)

The Canadian Press article on the gun registry, "Tory pledge to kill gun registry fading", in the Jan. 24 edition of the Leader-Post, though well intentioned, needs some clarification. The Liberals created the long-gun registry, which proved to be wasteful, ineffective and hugely expensive. Also, worryingly, the Auditor General reported repeatedly that the long-gun registry often contains data that is unreliable. As a result, Canada's new government made a commitment... (GunPolicy.org)

Controversial reality show Armed and Famous has been axed by US broadcaster CBS. The series, in which five celebrities were trained by the police to use guns, then donned uniforms to take to the streets as police officers, has been canned due to poor ratings. It had been due to be shown in the UK this year, but it is not yet known if that will now go ahead. Armed and Famous began on January 10 on CBS, and featured celebrities including La Toya Jackson, Jack Osbourne... (GunPolicy.org)

The Fiji Military Forces is investigating reports that some senior police officers are carrying weapons for personal protection. Land Force Commander, Colonel Pita Driti confirmed they were acting swiftly to try and ascertain the reason behind this. "That is why we are curious about all that is going on." Col Driti made the comments as Assistant Police Commissioner Operations Samuela Matakibau was detained for the second time this week. The military alleged... (GunPolicy.org)