Consumer Protection: Gun control |
Regulation of gun sales; assault weapons bans; cultural emphasis on violent use of weapons in films, video games, etc.; political power of National Rifle Association; seller liability for illegal use of weapons.
11/23/08 Surge of gun buying in Jacksonville in anticipation of an Obama presidency as many are skeptical of his commitment to protect their 2nd amendment rights. http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/112308/met_358910637.shtml
INTERNATIONAL
Websites: Gun Control Australia:
Analysis & views: 11/17/08 Canada attempts to control gun smuggling from U.S. by bringing Chicago gun dealer to Toronto for trial. http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=965256 11/16/07 Six "rogue nations" continue to carry out executions despite efforts at the UN to stop them: Six nations account for 91% of the executions carried out in the world. They are China, Pakistan, Sudan, Iraq, Iran and...the United States. http://news.independent.co.uk/world/article3160630.ece 11/8/07 Teenage gunman in Finland posts a "Bolshevik revolution anniversary" video on YouTube and then "celebrates" by killing 8 students. http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20071108/twl-finland-crime-shooting-school-6b0205e.html 7/20/07 U.S. authorities increase efforts to staunch the massive flow of arms across the border to support the anti-drug crackdown in Mexico. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0720/p01s05-usfp.html 7/19/07 Mexican government is asking U.S. help in stopping the flow of "police killer" guns being imported into Mexico from the U.S., part of the arming of the drug war from American dealer sources. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0719/p01s01-woam.html 6/30/07 Nigerian columnist advocates for a vigorous gun amnesty program to retrieve some of the vast arsenal of weapons in the hands of militias who operated to intimidate voters in the country's recent elections. http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/editorial_opinion/article03 4/17/07 Canadian Parliament debating proposal that would increase criminal penalties against firearms offenders. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070417.wxcops17/BNStory/National/home 2/20/07 Gun control advocacy organization comments on the movement in Britain to strength anti-gun legislation after 3 young people are killed in street violence. In the U.S., by contrast, 5 killers are just a "good night in Philly" in a country in which there are 30,000 gun deaths per year. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1908 12/14/06 Gun buy-back program works in Australia: 700,000 guns have been removed from private hands since 1989 and there has been a substantial decline in gun deaths, both homicide and suicide. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1732 6/29/06 Kofi Anan receives a Million Faces Petition, representing number of people killed by hand guns since a Small Arms Convention program began in 2001, a program largely ineffectual. http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0629-06.htm 5/29/06 Gun possession, tightly regulated under Saddam Hussein, is less controlled today and the demand for guns for self-protection has greatly increased. http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0529-02.htm 4/28/06 Australia's Prime Minister calls for new and tighter gun control legislation: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1106AP_Australia_Massacre_Anniversary.html 3/30/06 Easing of South African gun laws bring protests: http://www.themercury.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=283&fArticleId=3183856
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Other Media:
NATIONAL
Websites: Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence: Gun Guys Blog Information on Assault Weapons: http://www.vpc.org/assaultweapons.htm Information on Pro-Gun Special Interests: http://www.vpc.org/pgtopic.htm States United to Prevent Gun Violence: Violence Policy Center:
Analysis & views: 8/27/08 Did Obama do something right (left) when he selected Joe Biden as his running mate? A gun control website thinks so, reprinting a column whose author praises Biden for standing up fearlessly against the pressure of NRA, one of whose spokesmen falsely blamed Al Gore's failure to pander to that lobby as the reason for his loss in 2000. Will Biden "stick to his guns?" ttp://www.gunguys.com/#post-3170 8/26/08 Security jitters hit Denver as Democratic conventioneers arrive; Nancy Pelosi evacuated from hotel after man carrying concealed weapon without permit checks into the hotel. http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_10292097?source=pop_section_news 8/18/08 Birmingham Alabama records its 55th homicide of the year as a 17-year-old black girl is cut down in a crossfire between two groups of disputing men. A Birmingham newspaper editorial calls for a “a simmering, determined, constructive anger” in a resolve to protect the city's children. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/18/us/18land.html?th&emc=th 7/29/08 Tennessee gunman: "Take that, you damned liberal movement!" Former paratrooper buys shot gun at local pawn shop, and expresses his hatred for a "liberal movement" which he blames for having denied him the opportunity of a job. He chooses as his target of assault a childen's play at a Knoxville United Univeralist Church because of its reputation for promotion of "liberal" causes like gay rights. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=3130 7/26/08 Mayor Daley of Chicago is fighting to maintain the city's handgun ban in face of adverse decision by Supreme Court. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-gun-turnin_jul26,0,6100999.story 7/16/08 D.C. hangs tough on its gun control laws. Although its comprehensive hand gun ban was overturned by the Supreme Court, the District tries to adapt to the court ruling by instituting stringent rules on qualification for gun licensing. http://www.gunguys.com/#post-3114 7/9/08 Marketing hand guns in Washington D.C.: All you need is a catchy motto and a snappy store title. In an article both satirical and grim-serious, columnist for the Washington Post speculates on the Supreme Court overturning of DC's handgun ban. Actual names of gun stores in other cities can provide inspiration, like "Smoking Barrels Guns" in Lutz FL or "Ready on the Right" in Kailua, HI. For a motto, they could study that of an Indianapolis gun shop: "It's better to own a gun and not need it than to need a gun and not own it." For a DC adaptation, given the hostility of Georgetown locals to rowdy behavior on Halloween, they could try this one: "Defend yourself against Dracula -- put a hollow point in your Halloween." Really, it's all a matter of marketing. 7/6/08 Bombs not just bursting in air on July 4 weekend in Boston as city residents are unnerved by a spate of "holiday violence" with several fatal and non-fatal shootings. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/07/06/holiday_violence_leaves_city_on_edge/ 7/4/08 Obama's position on gun control may be a key factor in his vigorous effort to put a traditionally strong Republican state, Montana, into the "blue" electoral column. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/07/04/obama_looks_to_turn_montana_blue_in_the_fall/ 7/2/08 Shoot-out at the Hartsfield-Jackson corral is diverted to a court battle. As a new Georgia law takes effect allowing concealed weapons carry in public places, manager of Atlanta airport claims an "exception" for the airport and bans such carry. Author of new legislation threatens to appear at the airport in defiance of the ban but instead files a suit against the manager and allows the lawyers to duke it out in court. 6/29/08 Barack Obama finds his inner Scalia and Lillian Segura breaks the Alternet barrier; all in one article: In a rare if not unique instance of Alternet.org publishing material critical of Obama, Segura condemns as an act of crass political opportunism his denouncing, as did Justice Scalia in his dissenting opinion, a Court decision that the death penalty for a child rapist is un-constitutional. http://www.alternet.org/rights/89573/?ses=60f7153e0b13b3652823a44cef94d6c 6/28/08 Supreme Court reaches landmark decision on Second Amendment. In 5-4 decision overturning Washington D.C's ban on hand gun ownership, Antonin Scalia pronounces for the majority the breath-taking intepretation that the amendment's statement of the citizen's "right to bear arms" in order to maintain a "well-ordered militia" was merely a "preamble" to the founders' intention to establish citizens' rights to own handguns for their personal defense. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/washington/27scotus.html?hp 5/28/08 Ohio newspaper editorial accuses Governor Strickland of "pandering" to NRA influence in proposal to loosen restrictions on possession of handguns. 4/29/08 "Just laying down, waiting to hear something "...a description of a Mt. Tahoma WA high school student among those put on lock-down and required to lie on the floor, as officials apprehended a 15-year-old boy with a handgun. (Her statement might be seen as epigrammatic of a terrorized world in which people watch or read "news" fearfully as they passively wait to "hear something" about global warming, the "threat" from Iran, the rising rate of housing foreclosures, etc.). http://www.kirotv.com/news/16035273/detail.html 4/25/08 Several U.S. states are considering legislation that would keep private the identities of persons holding concealed weapons permits. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-04-24-gunpermitrecords_N.htm 3/18/08 DC's hand gun ban, constitutionality of which is now being debated in Supreme Court, may go a long way toward determining who has the constitutional right to "bear arms:" individuals or "well-regulated militias" (police) http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-te.gunban18mar18,0,6159318.story 2/16/08 Small world of campus killers. Eau Claire Wisconsin TV station reports that a web-based gun supplier from Green Bay who had sold a gun to the Virginia Tech killer also sold gun accessories to the man who opened fire on students at Northern Illinois. http://www.weau.com/home/headlines/15673602.html 2/2/08 A gun control advocacy group alleges that the NRA is pushing an agenda of encouraging hunting as a recreation for children, as its earlier push to sell guns to women for "protection" has faltered. The group notes, as a sign of the danger of this agenda, that hunting accidents involving children have been rising in frequency when hunting overall has been declining. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=2810 1/16/08 .After having lost a Battle of the Titans against business interests in Florida over an effort to prevent employers from forbidding employees to stash guns in their cars in company parking lots, and a similar battle in Georgia, the NRA is taking another bite of the same apple in the Georgia legislature, threatening NRA-abetted political suicide for any legislators who oppose their staunch defense of the Second Amendment. http://www.alternet.org/rights/73899/ 1/10/08 Introducing the iTaser: Have a little music while you protect yourself. Industry convention unveils a hand-held stun gun with MP3 play capacity for those who like to listen to music as they jog. British columnist satirically suggests some titles you might want downloaded to your iTaser: like AC/DC's "You Shook me All Night Long" or anything by Frank Zappa. Public use of Tasers is lawful in the U.S., unlawful in UK. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jan/09/gadgets 1/6/08 A private company is marketing Taser guns for home use, touting their value in providing security from home invaders and using a "tupperware" style of sales promotion through living room parties. Left unsaid in these promotions is the possibility that Tasers may be used against recalcitrant children (or maybe spouses?) at home, as they have been used in some schools. http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/01/05/6196/ 12/22/07 Congress passes a bill, with "bi-partisan" support of NRA and the Brady Campaign, to "improve" the system of background checks for persons attempting to purchase firearms. The NRA touts this a "pro-gun" piece of legislation, since one of its "details" is that it greatly expands on a program by means of which people once ruled ineligible for gun purchases because they are "mentally defective" or guilty of felonies are able to obtain "relief" from the "disability" to buy guns imposed on them by the law. Critics suggest that, as usual, NRA has used the civil right of the 4th amendment "right to bear arms" as an excuse to endanger the public from the consequences of gun abuse. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=2740 11/30/07 Justice Department reports the FBI has greatly expanded its database of "mental defectives" ineligible to purchase guns following last April's massacre at Virginia Tech. Brady Campaign complains that these FBI lists still miss 4 out of 5 of the country's mental defectives 11/29/07 Sean Taylor's death "gives us a face of what goes on in America 24 hours a day" - The Washington Redskin safety's death at the hands of an unknown gun assailant highlights the national epidemic of gun violence as U.S. cities from Jacksonville to Philadelphia become shooting galleries in which by-stander victims are killed with a frequency which makes their deaths almost un-newsworthy. http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=105&ItemID=14402 11/21/07 Just in time for the '08 elections, the Supreme Court may give the U.S. body politic another wedgie: The court is expected to rule on the constitutionality of Washington D.C.'s extremely restrictive gun control law and however it rules, it would give a political leg up to conservative forces. If it sustains the law, those "activist judges" can be campaigned against as a threat to the peoples' constitutional privileges. If it shoots down the law (more likely?), it will give impetus to the NRA's nationwide campaign to attack gun control laws at the state and local levels. 11/7/07 Gun shows in America described as an "open market" for criminals. Report by the Coalition for Stop Gun Violence (linked from this article) describes the weakness of gun control measures as applied to sales at gun shows. Congressional action on the "gun show loophole" is impending. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=2623 10/7/07 Will your kid be the first in his/her class to bring a "Goody Gun" to school? Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership is selling a cookie cutter shaped like a gun with which a child can fashion cookies; the kit comes supplied with cookie recipes (kosher and non-kosher) and toothpicks with little flags to show the kids' patriotism. The motive (besides making a buck) of the JPFO is to counter the malicious propaganda propagated in the schools by those from the "victim disarmament" (gun control) crowd which is influencing young minds against the exercise of a basic constitutional right. http://www.goodyguns.com/about.html 9/7/07 Republican candidates not very reassuring to gun control advocates. Mayor Giuliana, responding to nouveau candidate Fred Thompson's claim that NYC is not a safe place because of gun violence there, cites his toughness on prosecution of crimes involving guns while throwing the mantle of "states rights" over the implementation of the 2nd amendment. Ron Paul, the "libertarian" among GOP candidates, asserts that 9/11 may never have happened had the federal government not limited the ability of the airlines companies to arm their employees to avert such attacks. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=2453 7/31/07 Idea being floated that, far better than the "ridiculous" idea of arming teachers to quell school violence, massacres like Virginia Tech could be eliminated or mitigated by the easy solution of putting locks on the insides of classroom doors to thwart violent intruders. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=2355 7/14/07 Teenagers attempted to purchase assault weapons for a Columbine-style attack on a Long Island school. http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-skul0714,0,5303938.story?coll=ny-linews-headlines 7/12/07 Gun violence in Philadelphia is featured in a series of articles in Philadelphia Inquirer. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/special/violence/ 7/3/07 Two shootings in Philadelphia raise this year's total of homicides to 202. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20070701_Two_men_killed_in_Phila__shootings.html 7/2/07 Gunfire violence hits Baltimore neighborhoods previously unaffected; beginning of Baltimore Sun series. 6/14/07 Big loophole in gun control is lack of regulation if sales at gun shows. While efforts are being made to increase the accountability of licensed gun dealers for screening people to whom they sell guns, many states have no regulation at all when it comes to sales at gun shows. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=2230 6/13/07 "They're quite a team " says a political analyst of the two negotiators of compromise legislation on gun control, the National Rifle Association and Democratic congressional powerhouse John Dingell. The legislation seeks to close important "loopholes" in the system of informing gun dealers when would-be gun purchasers are dangerous risks. The compromisers believe they have crafted a bill with a chance to become the first new federal gun control legislation since 1994, but critics say it leaves far too many "loopholes." http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0613/p03s03-uspo.html?page=1 6/4/07 As N.R.A. flexes its muscle in Washington and creates a vacuum in gun control efforts at the federal level, the action passes to the nation's big city mayors, headed by NYC's Mayor Bloomberg, "enemy no. 1" of the N.R.A. lobby. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/04/nyregion/04guns.html?pagewanted=1&th&emc=th 5/3/07 Congress "protects" the public from a gun control "agenda" of the police. The Tiahrt Amendment named after a Kansas congressman denies police access to information about gun possession. NYC Mayor Bloomberg and other mayors protest, but so far unsuccessfully. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=2119 4/28/07 Maine legislators are examining the issue whether they or university officials have control over regulations of guns on campus. http://www.bangordailynews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=149238&zoneid=500 4/21/07 Recent U.S. survey polls show a rising tide of public support for more stringent gun control. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0420/p03s02-ussc.html 4/20/07 What have we learned in 41 years? When it comes to mass killings, not much, says NYT columnist Bob Herbert, who notes the similarity between the VA Tech massacre and that engineered at the University of Texas by Charles Whitman in 1966...and the fact that we remain essentially clueless about how to deal with people suffering from shame and humiliation who engage in such acts in desperate attempts at self-redemption. http://gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070420/EDITORIALS/704200306/-1/editorials 4/19/07 Legislature in Tennessee reacts to VA Tech massacre by a surprise action that would rescind a state law against carrying weapons in public places. http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/state/article/0,1406,KNS_348_5492294,00.html 4/18/07 A legal-lethal gun purchase in Virginia. The gunman who terrorized the Virginia Tech campus made a "legal" purchase of the murder weapon at a local pawn shop, arousing political debate about the adequacy of gun control legislation in Virginia and elsewhere in the country. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/18/us/18pistols.html?_r=1&oref=slogin 4/18/07 Upsurge of permits for concealed weapons carries followed February massacre at a Salt Lake City mall, and the same might follow from this week's VA Tech incident. http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,660212830,00.html 4/17/07 When is enough..enough? As a Virginia college campus is devastated by a mass killer gunman, a gun control organization notes a situation of runaway gun violence in cities like Milwaukee and wonders "when will this tragedy end?" http://www.gunguys.com/?p=2071 3/28/07 National Rifle Association, already embattled against Chamber of Commerce in Florida on proposal to allow guns in parking lots of employees' workplaces, moves its focus to Georgia where similar legislation is being considered. In the Georgia case, the project is picking up opposition even from NRA-friendly legislators including one who has garnered A+ ratings for his support of gun rights legislation. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=2013 3/18/07 Another crime wave? Oh, my!: Alexander Cockburn sees the recent alarmist report by a D.C. police officers' think tank based on a one-year spike in a long-term decline in violent crime rates as an early indication that "law and order" rhetoric is going to dominate the 2008 political campaigns, as the gangster replaces the terrorist is the focus of public obsession. http://counterpunch.org/cockburn03172007.html 3/10/07 Report of Police Executive Research Foundation indicates rising incidence of gun violence in America, and blames the country's gun laws (easy accessibility to weapons and concealed weapons permits and "license to murder" permission for their use in self-defense) for much of this rise. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1964 3/2/07 Cops selling guns. As a fund-raiser, a Sheriff's Department in Michigan is auctioning off an assault weapon: what am I bid for this beauty, never used outside the firing range? http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1942 3/2/07 Locked in a chocolate factory: not a chocolahalic's fantasy but an experience of terror as a teenage gunman goes on a lethal rampage at a Salt Lake City shopping mall. http://www.sltrib.com/ci_5338144 3/1/07 Comedy Central's Colbert Report skewers Outdoor Life magazine for firing a writer who opposed use of assault weapons in shooting prairie dogs...and the NRA for supporting the action of OL. Link includes a video of the CC segment. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1936 2/27/07 In gun-violent Philadelphia, homicides for 2007 are up by 22% over those of last year at the same time. http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/16790497.htm 2/8/07 Ft. Thomas, Kentucky prohibits the discharge of firearms within city limits, even though state hunting license laws do not prohibit hunting in urban areas. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1886 1/25/07 New film deals with a Maine woman's attempt to get a stronger gun law to try to keep guns out of the hands of children. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1844 1/24/07 Philadelphia gun control advocates react to a national study of prevalence in the sale of guns to criminals by licensed gun dealers, with lack of criminal prosecution of the dealers. http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/16522087.htm 1/11/07 Study by Harvard School of Public Health shows that homicide rates tend to be higher in areas in which there is a higher rate of gun ownership. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1806 1/6/07 Ocean City Maryland revises its ban on carrying concealed weapons to allow this for retired police officers. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1793 1/3/07 AFT revoked gun licenses for 131, a sharp increase in revocations but still a small number compared to about 105,000 individuals and businesses that hold licenses. 1/1/07 Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams killed by a drive-by shooter who fired at a limousine in downtown Denver hours after Broncos eliminated from playoffs; no motives or suspects yet. 12/17/06 Column in Buffalo News discusses the impact of a dual cop shooting in that city and the identity of interest of business and community activists in gun control. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1742 12/13/06 Proposed Texas law would allow legally blind people to hunt if they use special sites and laser light equipment forbidden for the use of the sighted. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1730 12/7/06 Proprietor of Concealed Carry, Inc., a gun-advocacy operation in Illinois, closes shop following failure of Illinois legislature to pass a concealed carry law, moves to Florida. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1713 11/9/06 With the loss Tuesday on gun-related initiatives in states around the country, the loss of Republican control of Congress and in the defeat of many pro-gun local political figures, NRA suffers its "most devastating defeat" in 15 years. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1639 11/7/06 Brady Campaign files complaint with FEC alleging that the NRA has illegally used its website to promote the election of federal officials who are opposed to gun control legislation. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1633 11/4/06 NYC Mayor Bloomberg's aggressive action against the "scourge of illegal guns" has apparently helped drive higher the price of illegal guns in the city, an effect that will arguably decrease their use. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1629 10/28/06 Police chiefs around the country join in opposing NRA-backed legislation to limit police access to gun ownership information. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1607 10/24/06 Gallup poll shows large majority of people in the U.S. favor more stringent gun control laws. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1593 10/24/06 Gun violence is described as an "American way of death." http://www.capitolhillblue.com/news/publish/FUBAR_35/Gun_violence_death.shtml 10/17/06 One small step for gun control: state of Washington Supreme Court knocks down NRA-supported state law forbidding local communities from setting their own restrictions on gun dealers at gun shows. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1573 10/14/06 Yesterday Utah, today Wisconsin: legislator in Wisconsin wants to empower teachers to carry weapons to protect students, citing Thailand as a model of this: http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1568 10/13/06 Gun control movement in the U.S. faltered because of the movement's reliance on efforts to institute sweeping federal legislation and on their failure to organize at the state and local levels with the great majority of gun owners who support gun regulation. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1563 10/13/06 Over teachers' union objections, school officials in Utah are allowing teachers to have concealed weapon permits and conducting instruction on their use. http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650198346,00.html 10/12/06 Guns, what guns? President Bush holds an hour-long forum on school violence, invites no gun control advocates and never once uses the word "gun." http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1560 10/5/06 Recent school shootings raise again spectre of Americans' "love affair" with guns, and pose the question of whether there any effective antidotes to this addiction. http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1004-10.htm 9/28/06 Minneapolis Star-Tribune editorial reviewing Saul Cornell's new book A Well-Regulated Militia, showing that the Second Amendment was written into the U.S. constitution with full regard for the need for gun control. http://www.startribune.com/561/story/695627.html 9/9/06 U.S. House is set to vote on a bill that critics say would "gut" the ATF's ability to shut down illegal gun dealers. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1465 8/31/06 Virginia man illegally buys a gun for a bipolar friend who uses it to kill a former girlfriend and himself; is given a 10-year sentence but judge suspends all of it. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1432 8/30/06 Mark Fiore's video cartoon tribute to the NRA: America the Shootiful. http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0635,fiore,74276,9.html 8/12/06 BB gun bandits in Helena Montana who had committed a rash of vandalisms are broken up as police arrest two 17-year-old boys: http://www.helenair.com/articles/2006/08/12/helena_top/a01081206_04.txt 8/11/06 NRA's political power in Pennsylvania prevents the state from passing any meaningful gun control legislation as violence is rising in the state. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1365 8/10/06 Gentrified south Boston, a "hot spot" for young professionals as a place of residence, is also a hot spot of intensified gun violence. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/08/10/a_hot_spot_in_respects_good_and_bad/ 8/5/06 Live from Pahrump Valley (Nevada): local sheriffs arrest a man for possessing and shooting off a weapon, a Desert Eagle manufactured in Israel for commandos' use and easily available at gun stores, that military and terrorist groups have rejected as unreliable and dangerous: an eleven inch piece that appears to come off the set of a Hollywood shoot-em-up: http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1337 8/4/06 Detroit police continue "no questions asked" buy-backs of guns as homicide rate in the city rises by 17%. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MI_DETROIT_MURDERS_MIOL-?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT 7/26/06 Massachusetts officials complain that weak gun control laws in Maine and other New England states provide weapons for criminals who use them in Boston. http://www.bangornews.com/news/templates/?a=137856 7/23/06 Maryland gun dealer, a "serial violator" of gun seller regulations and an official of NRA cites his "Second amendment right to own and sell arms"; and Congress may pass legislation to make it harder for ATF to shut down such sellers. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/22/AR2006072201032.html?referrer=email Watch for Florida's Cliff Stearns to re-surface on this issue; he spent 6 years in getting Congress to pass a bill providing a liability shield for gun sellers from criminal misuse of their products. http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/10/21/news/guns.php 7/19/06 New York ethics panel rules that judges may carry pistols into court provided they treat those who appear in court in "patient, dignified and courteous" manner. Keep your piece inside your robe, your Honor. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Pistol-Packing-Judges.html?_r=1&oref=slogin 7/14/06 When it comes to gun ownership rights, Congress seems ever ready to defend the Constitution; Senate passes 84-16 a provision to prevent the confiscation of privately-held weapons during an emergency like Katrina. http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0714-06.htm The vote: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call00202 6/30/06 Weapons of mass explosion: Oakland Ca police bust a half ton of illegal fireworks. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/06/30/MNGSTJNFA15.DTL
6/29/06 Study shows most Iowa judges don't enforce federal law which prohibits gun ownership by people who have faced domestic violence charges. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1241 6/26/06 Law being considered in Pennsylvania that would limit handgun purchases to once a month, but a powerful lawmaker says he will support only if the ban is limited to the city of Philadelphia; should help gun sales in the rest of the state. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1227 6/7/06 Harvard study shows that children's suicides by gunfire are highest in states with highest frequency of guns in the home, and suggests that "safety education" programs like the NRA's Eddy Eagle aren't effective when "kids know where the guns are." http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1154. 6/5/06 In what looks like a stealth action, U.S. Senators quietly introduce a bill that would require states not allowing carrying of concealed weapons to permit people from those states that do allow CCW to carry them. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1143 6/5/06 Colorado Supreme Court, in 3-3 tie vote, upholds Denver's ban on assault weapons. http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=431640 5/27/06 National Rifle Association bankrolls the defense of a man in Arizona for shooting a "threatening" homeless man, apparently in hopes of promoting its agenda to get a "License to Murder" law passed in the state. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1115 5/17/06 New York City sues 15 gun dealers in sting operation in which enforcement agents were sold weapons illegally. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1080 5/14/06 New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch vetoes "License to Murder" bill supported written and suported by the NRA that mirrored those already in place in Florida and Georgia: http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1072 5/5/06 Philadelphia and Seattle are among American cities whose mayors are bringing home Mayor Bloomberg of NYC's campaign to curb gun violence in their cities: http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1031 and http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1030 4/26/06 Duelling gun lobby endorsements in Alabama's Governor's race in Republican primary: NRA for Bob Riley, Gun Owners of America for Roy Moore: http://www.gunguys.com/?p=992 4/26/06 NYC Mayor Bloomberg's illegal guns summit is having some impact on anti-gun activity in cities around the country: 4/20/06 Mayor Bloomberg of NYC to convene a meeting of mayors next week to discuss strategies for controlling gun violence in the nation's cities: http://www.gunguys.com/?p=970 4/14/06 "Basement tapes" of Columbine killers displaying their armaments and intentions before the massacre may be released in spite of resistance of Colorado officials: http://www.westword.com/Issues/2006-04-13/news/news.html 4/6/06 New concealed weapon permit law in Kansas seems to conceal applicants from public access to records of their applications: 3/31/06 Officials in Boston and elsewhere oppose bill in Congress that would limit access of police to information about gun crimes: 3/29/06 New Georgia Gun Law, modeled on Florida's, is described as a "License to Murder": http://www.gunguys.com/?p=889 3/25/06 Local municipalities' zoning and licensing regulations have produced a drastic reduction in the number of gun dealers in America: http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_8341.shtml 3/11/06 Stray bullet that killed Chicago girl highlights the political "corruption" that allowed Congress to fail to renew assault weapons ban: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0603100127mar10,1,855219.story?coll=chi-opinionfront-hed 3/1/06 Georgia Senate passes a bill that would legalize the use of a gun in any public area 2/24/06 "Shoot to kill" bill being debated in Michigan: http://www.zmag.org/content/newstandard.cfm?itemid=2845 2/13/06 Cheney's gun hunting accident raises questions of legality about the hunting that he was doing: http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0213-33.htm
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FLORIDA:
STATEWIDE
Websites: ShootFirstLaw.org The truth about Florida's "shoot first" law
Analysis & views: 11/19/08 Over the past 4 years, police and school officials have confiscated 3,000 weapons from school children in Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Many of these children seem to use weapons to counter the bullying by which they are victimized. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/schools/sfl-flbweapons1119sbnov19,0,7032242.story 6/11/08 "Illegal guns generally flow from states with weak gun laws to states with stronger gun laws." ... says Brady Center official. Weak gun laws? Yep, that would be Georgia and Florida, ranked #1 and 2 in the number of guns exported for criminal purposes, as guns join Georgia peaches and Florida oranges as major exports. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-flbgun0612sbjun12,0,6152648.story 5/5/08 Carl Hiaasen on Florida law allowing guns in employee parking lots: happiness is a warm gun in a hot steaming car, you no longer have to waste gasoline and your lunch hour if you want to get your gun and blow away your boss and fellow employees. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/columnists/carl_hiaasen/story/492387.html 4/22/08 Florida business groups suing state for new law giving employees right to have guns in their parked cars, claiming a violation of constitutional rights to private property regulation. http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/apr/22/me-business-groups-sue-state-over-gun-law/?news-metro 4/16/08 Gun-toting students on campus? Great idea, says a national organization devoted to promoting legislation permitting college students to carry concealed weapons for self-protection. Students on 13 colleges and campuses in Florida, including UCF at Orlando, agree as they form local chapters of the organization. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/education/orl-ucfguns1608apr16,0,5546598.story 2/16/08 Officials of Florida colleges and universities feeling a "new urgency" in plans to protect students from an incident like the massacre at Northern Illinois U. These plans range from sirens at FSU to text messaging at UF to training staff to recognize "troubled" students at Central Florida. This, too, will pass until a new "incident" creates another "new urgency." http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/education/orl-localshoot1608feb16,0,1029284.story 2/7/08 Bill in Florida legislature calls for mandatory life sentence for anyone using an assault weapon in a crime resulting in death or injury. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/florida/sfl-flfassault0207pnfeb07,0,5224783.story 12/22/07 Florida agency charged with determining eligibility of people to purchase concealed weapons is criticized for its alleged inefficiency. 9/20/07 South Florida police chiefs support call of International Association of Chiefs of Police for Congress to ban the sale of assault weapons. http://www.miamiherald.com/top_stories/story/243811.html 9/14/07 Fred Thompson's campaign is right on target for gun owners in Florida, as his pro-gun stance gains him exclusive right to advertise at gun shows. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/237311.html 4/19/07 Although Virginia and Florida have some of the nation's most lenient gun control laws, it's even easier to buy guns in Florida than in Virginia. 4/19/07 Business lobby beats gun lobby in Florida as House rejects a bill that would forbid employers from banning weapons from employee cars while their occupants are at work. http://www.miamiherald.com/884/story/78976.html 4/17/07 N.R.A. strength in North Florida may be shown in a survey that, unlike public opinion statewide, a majority of people here are opposed to allowing businesses to forbid employees to keep guns in locked cars in company parking lots. http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/041707/met_9285174.shtml 3/28/07 Gun rights and property rights; But whose property rights? The Florida legislature passes a bill which prohibits state employers from restricting the possession of guns (and pornographic materials) in the locked cars of their employees in company parking lots. In this controversy, the rhetoric over "property rights" flows thickly and freely. In opposing the measure, the Chamber of Commerce cites the right of business owners to regulate the use of their premises, citing among other things concerns about liability for gun use by employees as they are coming to or leaving work. Both labor unions and the NRA take the side of workers' individual constitutional right to "bear arms." Since the Chamber, the A.F.L.-C.I.O. and NRA are all major "players" (campaign contributors, lobbyists) in the legislature's "pay for play" system, the final outcome of this Battle of the Titans is yet to be determined. http://www.miamiherald.com/884/story/55072.html 3/27/07 N.R.A. and Chamber of Commerce about to square off again in Florida legislature over proposed legislation prohibiting employees from keeping weapons in their locked cars in work parking lots; N.R.A. opposing, CC supporting. http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBQF7QSRZE.html 2/16/07 "We're not waiting for any more tragedies to happen..." says the head of an anti-violence group in Florida, and law enforcement agencies throughout the state are joining in urging legislature to tighten regulations that would prohibit convicted criminals from carrying concealed weapons, a practice exposed in a recent article in Ft. Lauderdale Sun Sentinel. 2/2/07 Governor Crist responds to South Florida Sun Sentinel expose of numerous felons being allowed to carry concealed weapons by holding meetings with officials to discuss "loopholes" in the CCW law. 1/28/07 In Florida, having a criminal record doesn't stop you from getting a concealed wepons permit: Orlando Sentinel study uncovers at least 1400 cases of people with felony convictions being granted gun licenses. 1/24/07 Florida legislature is considering ways to establish "informal rules" for the use of stun guns in the state's schools. http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/012407/met_7535248.shtml 10/18/06 Increase in violent crime in Florida, especially among juveniles, has officials again considering plans to retrieve guns from the hands of those who use them for violent acts. http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15784076.htm 10/15/06 Gun muscle: proprietor of Gainesville rifle target range says: "We (NRA) are the strongest lobby in this country and they (political candidates) know it." He foresees that Crist with an A rating from NRA will defeat Davis with an F rating. Apparently the vaunted "strength" of the lobby is a little less apparent in the Florida Senatorial race, as Nelson with an F rating is heavily favored over Harris with an A. http://gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061015/LOCAL/210150325/1078/news 8/30/06 Florida's NRA-supported 2005 law allowing use of lethal force when a person or his possessions are "threatened" is producing a rash of incidents of questionable use of force in the state and an epidemic of misguided legislation which is spreading to other states. http://www.gunguys.com/?cat=44 8/1/06 Freedom States Alliance (anti-gun) singles out Florida for its "stand your ground" legislation on the use of lethal force and offers some postcards you can send to your friends on the order of "Welcome to Florida, Wish You Weren't Shot." 6/17/06 Florida's "license to murder" law, which began to be implemented last October, rescinded the "duty to retreat" when faced with lethal threat and replaced it with a "stand your ground" provision. Problem remains: what level of lethal threat constitutes a justifiable cause for lethal self-defense? http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1199 5/18/06 Orlando Sentinel editorial calls on Governor Bush to veto the legislature's bill concealing records of holders of concealed weapons permits. Kansas Governor being asked to veto a similar measure in that state: http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/legislature/14550920.htm 4/22/06 Florida House passes bill which would allow vendors issuing hunting and fishing licenses to register people to vote at the same time; parallel idea of doing this when teachers apply for teaching licenses is turned down as a "partisan" maneuver: http://www.gunguys.com/?p=981 4/13/06 Florida prosecutors concerned with practical application of the state's self-defensive "Right to Murder" law, which some call the "Shoot the Avon Lady" rule: http://www.gunguys.com/?p=945 3/31/06 NRA claims a "victory" in Florida on gun control regulation when in fact change in wording of Baxley's bill allows employers to issue regulations against employees keeping guns in the parking lot: 3/26/06 Reflexive assault on gun control: Ocala legislator, urged by double murder in Ocala National Forest, proposes allowing self-protective arming of users of the forest; little legislative opposition has appeared: http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060326/EDITORIALSeditorials 3/23/06 Gun control magazine, citing Florida's gun possession and use laws, says it's dangerous to come here: 2/8/06 NRA bill would allow guns in cars at work: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13816841.htm
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FLORIDA LOCALITIES
Webistes:
Analysis & views: Jacksonville: 11/23/08 Surge of gun buying in Jacksonville in anticipation of an Obama presidency as many are skeptical of his commitment to protect their 2nd amendment rights. http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/112308/met_358910637.shtml Jacksonville: 7/26/08 Sheriff of Duval County expresses exasperation in a press conference following a shooting which was the 10th homicide in Jacksonville in 8 days. http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/072608/met_309841269.shtml Levy Co.: 7/26/08 Levy County man exercises his right to have a handgun for his family's protection, shooting his wife in the leg as he uses his 22 rifle to kill a fox who was attacking her. Orlando: 7/9/08 Disney World claims an "exemption" from state law allowing employees to keep guns in parking lot vehicles (because the company "handles explosives" for its fireworks displays), fires a security guard who refused to allow gun search of his automobile. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-flfdisney0709sbjul09,0,2712575.story Palm Beach Co.: 4/16/08 In wake of Wendy's shooting, Palm Beach County offers certification for ex-cops to carry firearms, but the requirements are more stringent than for others who apply for concealed weapon permits. Palm Beach Co.: 3/4/08 Retrieving his child's toy from a kid's meal costs a Palm Beach FL para-medic his life as a gunman opens fire on a crowded Wendy's restaurant. http://www.miamiherald.com/457/story/442993.html Jacksonville: 3/3/08 Mayor Bloomberg of NYC in Jacksonville today for Florida conference of mayors against illegal guns Miami: 1/12/08 Another death follows an incident near the University of Miami in which a man who exhibited "disruptive behavior" at a party is taken down with a Taser gun and then dies. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking_news/v-print/story/375399.html# Orlando: 1/3/08 Guns are blazing for 2008 for Orange County as three shooting homicides are recorded in three days. Gainesville: 12/15/07 Gainesville arms race between police and criminals, the latter increasingly armed with assault weapons, leads police to consider increasing their own firepower. http://www.gainesvillesun.com/article/20071215/NEWS/712150322/1002/NEWS Gainesville: 11/29/07 Suspect in fatal shooting at downtown Gainesville parking garage after last Saturdays' UF/FSU football game says the killing was "accidental." http://www.gainesvillesun.com/article/20071129/NEWS/711290326 Jacksonville: 11/11/07 Shooting in Jacksonville brings the city to its 132nd homicide of the year http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/111107/met_216777316.shtml Jacksonville: 6/30/07 When police agencies clean out their evidence rooms of accumulated stashes of confiscated weapons, they are likely to dispose of them at a furnace in Jacksonville that specializes in this service. http://www.jacksonville.com/apnews/stories/063007/D8Q30S683.shtml Plantation: 6/29/07 Florida's "right to self defense without the duty to retreat" is tested by a Plantation case in which a man in a restaurant was held up by two men demanding his money and shot them with his concealed weapon. No charges are anticipated against him, but against one of the attackers who survived and could be charged as responsible for the death of the second. Orlando: 6/19/07 In second such incident in Orlando in two months, burglars drive automotive vehicles into gun stores with apparent attempts to rob them. http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_local_orlandocrime/2007/06/burglars_drive_.html Orlando: 3/19/07 "Security breach" at Orlando airport in which guns were smuggled aboard a flight to Puerto Rico is part of a wider pattern of importation of weapons from the U.S.to help support the drug war on the island. Jacksonville: 3/1/07 Gun violence in Jacksonville continues as a pregnant woman and her baby are killed by gunshot fired at them as she sat in a car. http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/030107/met_8300655.shtml Eatonville: 1/29/07 "Spray" of bullets injure four young friends in a carjacking attempt as they leave an Eatonville FL club in two cars. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/orl-cfbriefs29_307jan29,0,753038.story?coll=orl-news-headlines Palm Beach Co.: 1/28/07 "Insurgent" type assault weapons are hitting the streets in Palm Beach County as bystanders are being injured and killed as innocent victims of the use of these weapons in gang wars. http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2007/01/28/0128.html Orlando: 1/26/07 Burglary of a gun collector in Orlando uncovers one major source of weapons that get into the hands of criminals. Orlando: 1/20/07 As Orlando is described as "awash in firearms," city is offering $1000 bounty for any information leading to an arrest or a weapons confiscation. Port St. Lucie: 1/1/07 18 homicides occurred in area of Port St. Lucie FL in 2006, most of them involving guns used as weapons to kill or intimidate. http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/.html Jacksonville: 11/13/06 A year's training completed, corrections officers will now be able to use taser stun guns in Duval County jail. http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/111306/met_5934683.shtml Gainesville: 10/11/06 Love that 2nd amendment: numerous political candidates appear at a "forum" in Gainesville at a rifle range, the subject of discussion the "right to bear arms." Apparently the sponsors don't read the whole amendment which refers to the need for a "well regulated Militia," and they follow the NRA agenda of opposing almost any gun "regulation," including opposition to Florida legislature's allowing employers to ban employees' guns in parking lots. http://gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061011/LOCAL/210110352/1078/NEWS Ft. Lauderdale: 9/21/06 Gun shooting is replacing fist-fighting among embattled teenagers in some Ft. Lauderdale neighborhoods. http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15568900.htm Ft. Myers: 8/4/06 A "stand your ground" case in Ft. Meyers raises questions about Florida's law allowing lethal force in self defense: does one have to be on his/her own property when threatened, does the force have to be proportional to the threat? (the man killed was wearing a mask and waving a souvenir baseball bat). http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060804/NEWS0111/608040365/1075 Tampa: 7/31/06 Tampa man's upcoming trial for having used his automobile to run over and kill a man who just robbed him will test the "pro self defense" legal atmosphere that is said to prevail since legislative passage of "License to Murder" provisions for the use of deadly force. http://www.sptimes.com/2006/07/31/Tampabay/Will_the_jury_say_he_.shtml Miami: 7/30/06 Real terrorism continues in Liberty City, Miami as a young black girl in this "development" victimized neighborhood is gunned down in a spray of bullets from the small time drug dealers and thugs who terrorize the streets. http://www.miami.com/multimedia/miami/news/archive/sherdavia/index.htm Jacksonville: 7/13/06 Homicide rate is on the rise in Duval County and local prosecutors are noting the failure of Florida's "License to Murder" law in deterring crimes, citing the increased difficulty of prosecution of those who use lethal force. http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1284 Gainesville: 7/3/06 Warning: if you attend a rap concert in Gainesville don't piss off the performers. At a downtown club, musicians open fire on crowd of 1000 and five are wounded; four musicians arrested, promoter vows to "check their crates" before being allowed to perform. http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060703/LOCAL/207030332/1078 Jacksonville: 5/28/06 As Jacksonville Sheriff buys backs guns in private hands, black minister has a simpler solution to Duval County's burgeoning homicide rate: people should just say "good morning" to (be pleasant with) their neighbors. http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/052806/met_21984349.shtml Altamonte Springs: 4/21/06 Florida lottery winner pointed gun at deputies searching his property for burglary suspect; they shot and wounded him; was he (or did he think he was) exercising the "castle doctrine?" http://www.news4jax.com/news/8853958/detail.html
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