Anti-gun campaigners have reacted furiously to a proposal by the UK Government to ease restrictions for about 50 of Britain's top pistol shooters to hold and use their weapons on British soil for the first time in a decade, warning that they represented the "thin end of the wedge", and that the sport would use it to prise out permanent exemptions from the handgun ban.   

Comment: Anti-gunners reacted furiously? Well, since their needle is stuck on empty....

Melbourne man arrested over online threat

Jamaica: Army called on to stem soaring murder rate

Jamaica, with some of the world's most stringent firearms laws, has said that soldiers will join police on patrols on the Caribbean island in a new strategy to fight rising violence. Nearly 60 homicides over the last week have pushed the number of victims this year beyond 1,430, police spokesman Karl Angell said.

Comment: Jamaica has a population of 2,780,132 according to CNN, giving it a homicide rate of 51.44/100,000 compared to the US rate of around 5.5/100,000 and Australia's 1.9/100.000, but you won't read that on gunpolicy.org.

US: Media coverage of mall shooting is biased says Lott

A Google news search using the phrase "Omaha Mall Shooting" finds an incredible 2,794 news stories worldwide for the last day. From India and Taiwan to Britain and Austria, there are probably few people in the world who haven’t heard about this tragedy. But despite the massive news coverage, none of the media coverage, at least by 10 a.m. Thursday, mentioned this central fact: Yet another attack occurred in a gun-free zone. Surely, with all the reporters who appear at these crime scenes and seemingly interview virtually everyone there, why didn’t one simply mention the signs that ban guns from the premises?

NSW: Record fine for untagged kangaroos

A man caught with untagged kangaroo carcasses in Bathurst has received a record $3000 fine in Parkes Local Court for failing to comply with the conditions of his kangaroo trappers licence. Daniel Tanks failed to appear in court for the matter and the court convicted him in his absence on the basis of the court attendance notice. The charges were laid after Bathurst police stopped a man on August 22, 2006, who had a large number of kangaroo carcases in the back of his vehicle.

UK: Armed gang patrolling Manchester streets

A gang of up to 25 masked men, carrying guns and dressed all in black, were seen patrolling the streets of a Manchester suburb, police said. Armed officers were deployed to Moss Side on shortly before 1600 GMT on Tuesday afternoon after reports of shots being fired by the men. The gang was reported by five witnesses in Moss Side and Whalley Range. A police spokesman said officers searched the area but no further sightings of the gang were made.

US: Landlord's tells of phone call from shooter

Police in the United States are investigating why a 19-year-old man shot dead eight people in a busy shopping mall. The gunman's landlord, Debora Maruca Kovac, says Hawkins was clearly upset when he called her just before the shooting happened. "He just said that he wanted to thank me for everything I'd done for him and this and that and how he was sorry," she said. "So I was like, 'What's going on, Robby, did you get fired?' and he said he'd just gotten fired.

The French and their gun laws

Last year the president (of France) Nikolas Sarkozy, told French radio: "Security is the responsibility of the state. I am against the private ownership of firearms. If you are assaulted by an armed burglar, he will use his weapon more effectively than you anyway, so you are risking your life."

Comment: Why is it that some politicians believe criminals are smarter than non-criminals?

UK: Hunting ban left 'in tatters, unenforceable'

The ban on (fox) hunting has been left in tatters after a judge suggested it was virtually impossible to bring a conviction against those accused of breaking the law. Legislation introduced in 2005 to outlaw hunting with dogs is too difficult "to interpret or apply" said Judge Graham Cottle, as he upheld an appeal from the first huntsman to be convicted of breaching the Act. The pro-hunt lobby claims that the verdict has set a significant precedent that proves that the law is unenforceable.

US: Bans lead to an increase in violent crime

The problem with Washington, D.C.'s handgun ban -- as anyone who can look up the crime numbers will see -- is that D.C.'s murder and violent crime rates went up, not down, after the ban. Prior to the ban DC's murder rate was falling. After the ban, DC's murder rate rose, and only once fell below what it was in 1976, says John Lott, Senior Research Scientist at the University of Maryland.    w49

NSW: Wollongong Council rejects gun shop development

TWO months after residents attacked Ku-ring-gai Council over a decision to allow a gun shop near a Roseville Chase child-care centre, Wollongong City Council has rejected a similar proposal. At a packed meeting last night, the council refused a staff recommendation for Shane Simpson to open a gun and archery supplies shop on the Princes Highway at Fairy Meadow.

UK: Thieves steal the lock

The other week, in Wednesbury in the English Midlands, an unusual crime occurred. A thief passed down a residential street and methodically stole every single front door handle and house number. The victims discovered the burglary when they tried to leave their homes and found the door no longer opened. An Englishman’s home may be his castle but if you can’t let down the drawbridge it’s indistinguishable from a dungeon.

UK: Major crackdown on guns 'culture'

More than 100 arrests were made and more than 1,300 weapons seized in a major offensive against gun culture, the home secretary has announced. Co-ordinated raids in Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and London led to 118 arrests and the seizure of the weapons - most of them replicas. More than 1,000 officers were involved in the crackdown, which included work in schools and support for families.

Comment: They might be better off concentrating on gun crime.

Cessnock bomber holds town to ransom

The bomb squad has cordoned off the main street of Cessnock amid fears a crazed bomber plans a campaign of terror in the NSW town. The alarm was raised after a man phoned a real estate agency to warn staff he had planted a bomb in the office similar to the one that blew out a large window in a pub poker machine room on Monday. It is understood police have just found a bomb in the ceiling of Bairds Real Estate in the main street of Cessnock.

Girls with guns

I grew up in New Jersey, and was taught to hate handguns. Really. Shotguns and rifles were okay if you hunted (not that I ever had the desire to hunt), but handguns? Evil. Death machines. But I’m a woman alone, and my neighborhood has gone downhill considerably in the last two years. I’ve been thinking a lot about learning to shoot and buying a gun. Which is why I spent Sunday afternoon at the Blue Ridge Arsenal in northern Virginia learning to load, shoot, and unload four different kinds of handguns. Plus a rifle. Submitted by ChrisPer

Police Uzi sold to mob

A 9mm Uzi sub-machine gun was part of an arsenal of illegal firearms sold by Adelaide porn dealer, William Nash, to murdered mobster Mario Condello at the height of Melbourne's gangland war in 2003. The Israeli-made weapon was used by Victoria Police until the late 1990s, when it was decommissioned and sold at a public auction.

UN: Arms embargoes 'ineffective'

The first study of arms embargoes imposed by the UN Security Council has found they worked in only 25% of cases. Often arms embargoes completely failed to stop the flow of weapons into a country, with the report citing several West African conflicts. However, the report found that embargoes were more effective if UN peacekeepers were in place.

Japanese tighten gun laws

Japan already has strict gun control laws, and firearms crime is mostly perpetrated by "yakuza" gangsters, but this hasn't deterred Japanese lawmakers from further tightening gun legislation. The fatal shooting of the mayor of Nagasaki in southern Japan in April by a suspected gangster and an armed stand-off in which a policeman was killed in May had spurred calls for even tighter supervision.    Submitted by DG

US: Gun bans lead to increase in violent crime

The District of Columbia's request for cert made a simple argument: Whatever one thinks of the Second Amendment, banning handguns is a "reasonable regulation" to protect public safety. Indeed, most of the city's brief focused on public safety arguments. The problem for the city is that anyone who can look up the crime numbers will see that D.C's. murder and violent crime rates went up, not down, after the ban.

NSW: Army captain allegedly stole weapons

Dean Steven Taylor, an army colleague and relative of former weapons destruction specialist Shane Della-Vedova, is facing a committal hearing in Sydney's Central Local Court today. He is charged with receiving and possessing two rockets, two rocket launchers and five hand grenades stolen from the Commonwealth in 2002.

VIC: Duck season in doubt due to drought

Duck hunting in Victoria could be banned for another year, with an influential report likely to show that there are fewer active wetlands across the eastern states than there were last year. But Field and Game Australia's Rod Drew disputed the report, saying floods in Gippsland and increased breeding meant duck hunting should go ahead.

Costello won't lead Liberals

Peter Costello has announced his intention to refuse the Liberal Party leadership following the Howard Government's election defeat. Mr Costello made the announcement to journalists in Melbourne this afternoon. "I've given every waking hour to government and to the people of Australia over ... 11-and-a-half years and for me it's been a great privilege to serve with some wonderful people. I will not accept the leadership or the deputy leadership of the party.

Hunters: Stewards of the land

Every year, 15 million licensed hunters head into America’s forests and fields in search of wild game. In New York State alone, roughly half a million hunters harvest around 190,000 deer in the fall deer hunting season — that’s close to eight million pounds of venison. In the traditional vernacular, we’d call that “game meat.” But, in keeping with the times, it might be better relabeled  as free-range, grass-fed, organic, locally produced, locally harvested, sustainable, native, low-stress, low-impact, humanely slaughtered meat.

Push for gun control stems from urge to avoid responsibility

"If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun.” — the Dalai Lama, May 15, 2001.

Thank God Jean Assam, directly or indirectly, took this advice when she stopped the malevolent attack at the New Life Church in Colorado Springs. The former police officer and volunteer security guard who made the suggestion to beef up security at the church without question saved the lives of perhaps dozens of people.

We lost Howard battlers, Libs told

In the end it was the people who put John Howard into government in 1996 - the former Labor-voting Howard battlers - who tossed the Liberals out. Post-election Liberal Party research has found three main reason for the defeat: Work Choices, the rising cost of living and most importantly, the feeling of some voters that the Howard government cared more about itself than them. 

Comment: And not forgetting all the others, including shooters, that the Liberals alienated.

A Dirty Harriet saves the day in Colorado

Every time there are multiple shootings, like the one at the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, we are lectured about the easy access to firearms in the U.S. and the dangers it creates. But many are thankful today that Jeanne Assam, a volunteer security guard at New Life, had easy access to a gun when Matthew Murray entered the east entrance of the church and began firing his rifle. Murray was carrying two handguns, an assault rifle and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition.   Submitted by DG

Brumbies must go from Kosciuszko says green group

The Colong Foundation for Wilderness says trhere (sic) shgould (sic) be no backdown from tjhe (sic) pilicy (sic) of remoiving (sic) brumbies from Brumbies (sic) Kosciuszko National Park.

Hate campaign: PETA goes after the Olsen twins

Animal rights activists PETA are going after Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen because they refuse to stop wearing fur. The organisation has launched an entire website, Meet the Trollsen twins  - "Hairy-Kate" and "Trashley" which mocks the twins. They also made a video parody of a Full House episode which is re-edited with graphic shots of animal cruelty and have a special 'Fatal Fashion' interactive dress-up section, complete with pools of blood.   RELATED:  PETA hypocrisy  More PETA hypocrisy

WA: Stun gun importer shocked by $10,000 fine

A 23-year-old West Australian man has been fined $10 000 for importing a hand held electric shock device, following a Customs investigation. The investigation began in May this year when Customs officers at the Melbourne International Mail Centre intercepted a parcel addressed to the man from the United States. The parcel was found to contain one Cheetah Stun rechargeable hand held electric shock device. When fully-charged, the device has a charge of 850 000 volts.

SA: The Advertiser calls for more gun laws

Little more than a decade ago then Prime Minister John Howard implemented a tough national crackdown on firearms ownership in Australia. The move followed the murder of 35 people by gunman Martin Bryant in Port Arthur in Tasmania in 1996. Perhaps it is time for the Rudd Federal Government to consider similar gun-law reforms. Two mass shootings in the United States in the past week underline the dangers of guns being easily accessible in Australia. There must, of course, be exceptions - responsible gun clubs, licensed collectors and the need for firearms in rural Australia.

US: The hypocrisy of Sylvester Stallone

With the upcoming release of Rambo, it is important to remember the Hypocrisy of Sylvester Stallone. Judge Dredd, who is a big supporter of the Brady Campaign, has stated that: "I know we use guns in films," but insisted the time has come "to be a little more accountable and realize that this is an escalating problem that’s eventually going to lead to, I think, urban warfare."

Don't be so quick to condemn us

From a hunting point of view, cities are just places where game has been removed. Accordingly, not much hunting goes on there. In the country, where the game lives and the humans have not lost contact with nature, there is little opposition. This simple lack of experience -- or rather, this ignorance -- is not guaranteed to make urbanites anti-hunting, but it does make them vulnerable to corruption by the antiseptic violence of TV and video games and lets them think that the food chain begins and ends in malls. Such deprivations make people susceptible to all manner of anti-hunting messages.

Michael Clarke's outback adventure

Fresh-faced Australian 20/20 skipper Michael "Pup" Clarke pinpoints a pig-hunting and fishing trip to the Queensland bush with great mate Andrew Symonds as the moment he turned from a boy to a man.    Submitted by PC (Qld)

Comment: Eat yer heart out, John Howard!

US: Two killed at missionary centre; four later shot at church

A gunman killed two staff members at a missionary training center early Sunday after being told he couldn't spend the night, and about 12 hours later four people were shot outside a megachurch in Colorado Springs. It was not immediately known whether the shootings were related, but Arvada authorities said they were sharing information with Colorado Springs investigators. Howard declined to say whether the Colorado Springs suspect had been shot. Police sealed off the church, but it was not clear whether any parishioners were still inside.  RELATED: Armed self-defence saves lives

NSW: Residents oppose shooting range in Sthn. Highlands

The sister-in-law of serial killer Ivan Milat is supporting a controversial proposal for a giant shooting complex in the Southern Highlands, despite the objections of hundreds of residents. Opponents say the proposed Southern Highlands Regional Shooting Complex, on 1000ha of government land near the town of Hill Top, will turn the area into a "war zone", creating major noise, environmental and traffic problems. The complex is on the drawing board as the Federal Government proposes to close the southern hemisphere's largest rifle range at Malabar Headland in Sydney's east.

Gun buybacks good for activists but not much use otherwise

"We've had an awful lot of violence this year, and last year, with guns," said Newport News Police Chief James Fox. "So I'm willing to try this ... It will take guns out of our community that possibly could get into the wrong hands." But according to Randy Gainey of Old Dominion University there is no evidence that buybacks reduce the homicide rate. "There may be a symbolic value to hold a gun buyback event where anti-gun and anti-violence people can get together," he said.

US: No call for tighter gun laws

Once again there has been a mass shooting in the United States, this time in a Nebraska shopping mall. Once again there is no national outcry for gun control. A 19-year-old man shot and killed eight people and then himself in Omaha, Neb., Wednesday with a semi-automatic AK-47 that police say he stole from his stepfather. Leading presidential candidates for the November 2008 U.S. election issued statements expressing sorrow and support for the victims. None called for tighter gun laws, which are traditionally left to state and local authorities.

NSW: Police plea on cannon shot down

The NSW State Government was so determined to make a law-and-order splash after the Cronulla riots that it spent $700,000 on a water cannon despite police making it clear they wanted a more thorough review of its effectiveness. The Premier, Morris Iemma, was eager to announce the plan in the aftermath of the riots and ignored advice to carry out trials and conduct "broad research". Police had warned the cannon might not be effective without a second cannon, and suggested that the Government consider modifying an airport fire truck from AirServices Australia.

Remington to acquire Marlin Firearms

UK: Rules say homes must be safe for burglars

UK: Gun crime on the rise

Statistics released by the Home Office show the number of individuals found guilty of possessing weapons rose by 43 per cent from 2001 to 2005. Over the same period, the number of crimes involving firearms recorded by police rose by 11 per cent, from 10,023 in 2001 to 11,084 in 2005.  RELATED:  Caution for illegal possession quashed

1500 guns stolen each year

A report in Melbourne's Herald-Sun says, "The latest figures show about 1500 guns a year are stolen in Australia, and authorities fear many of them will be used to commit more crimes." An AIC report, Firearms Theft in Australia 2005-06, shows the actual figure to be 1445, from 634 reported incidents in the year. "Stolen firearms represent a very real source of weapons for diversion into the illegitimate firearms market and hence, potential use in criminal activities," institute director Toni Makkai said.

Comment: At a conservative estimate, there are about 2.5 million registered firearms in Australia. 1445 represents just .0578% of the estimated total, hardly a number that signifies a massive supply of stolen guns for criminals. Just six crimes were committed with stolen guns in the year covered by the report. In spite of the 'authorities fears and institute director Toni Makkai's comments, what the AIC actually said is; "Today's report also shows that of the two-thirds of cases where information is available, only a small number of reported stolen firearms were later used in illegal activities."  RELATED:  Latest AIC Report

Australia to honour soldiers denied VC's

Australia is to consider retrospectively awarding its own version of the Victoria Cross to war heroes it believes were overlooked by Britain. The newly elected Labor government will set up a special war medals tribunal to review cases of Australian servicemen who were denied VCs in both World Wars, as well as Vietnam. Nearly 100 Australians have received the VC in conflicts since the Boer War, but several others were rejected. In 1991, Canberra decided it would award its own version of the medal, rather than deferring to Whitehall.    w52

UK: New gun control plans 'paper over cracks'

The shadow home secretary, David Davis, today said government plans to ban deactivated guns by the end of the year would "do little more than paper over the cracks". His comments came after the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, speaking during a visit to Liverpool, said tough new laws would be brought in to target the supply of deactivated guns that were then reactivated and used in crime.

Shooters migrating south for duck hunt

Hundreds of duck hunters are expected to head for Tasmania this season. The Tasmanian Government is ignoring bans set by the mainland governments, and has declared a full 12-week duck-hunting season. Victorian shooters are tipped to make up most of those making the trip south in March, with the State Government last month cancelling this year's season due to low waterbird numbers.

US: CCW record proves anti-gunners lied

Many American states have introduced “concealed carry” laws. Since 1987 when Florida passed the now landmark concealed carry law, each of the anti-gun movements sacred cows has been destroyed. One by one, the falsified statistics and claims of blood running in the street proved to be untrue, leading the tide of public opinion to turn slowly against the anti-gun movement. Many have also realized what we knew all along: Laws that disarm the law-abiding will not disarm criminals.   Submitted by DG.  

 Related  Earlier news item 

UK: 1200 gun licences issued to under-18's last year

Nearly 100 gun licences have been handed out to teenagers or children in Cumbria during the past two years. Figures released by the county’s police force show 90 shotgun and eight firearm certificates were granted to under-18s. Nationally, forces granted more than 1,200 shotgun certificates to those aged 18 and under in England and Wales during the last year. The national figure has drawn criticism from the Gun Control Network, which campaigns for tighter controls.   Comment: Doesn't take much to upset some people.

Off Topic: Interfering zealots are legal overdose

While away last week, someone came in the night and put up a couple of hand-made road signs on the grass verge outside my house. They advertise a new website that encourages road users to report fellow citizens for dangerous or antisocial driving. I think it may be called www.interferingzealot.com. The idea is simple. If you are annoyed by someone's driving, you simply post the number-plate and a brief description of the crime in the hope the offender will log on and be so ashamed he or she will turn over a new leaf and become a vicar.

Yesterday, no crimes were committed by law-abiding shooters

Yesterday, millions of law-abiding citizens did not commit a crime with a gun. It’s not quite like reporting “no cats are stranded in trees tonight” but you get the picture. Once again, millions of law-abiding gun owners (legal ones) did nothing to warrant their being turned into criminals because some politician thinks passing firearms bans stops criminals.

US: Antique firearms targeted in New York State

A new measure being debated in the New York State Assembly would mandate that people who want to buy muzzle-loading pistols or muskets get a permit for "antique firearms." According to the bill, introduced by Assemblyman Michael Gianaris (D-Queens) on Nov. 30, the measure would eliminate the exemption of antique firearms from regulation and licensing. Gianaris pointed to two events in recent months that highlight the "danger" posed by these weapons.

SA: Bikies arrested on drugs and firearms charges

Adelaide police have arrested five members, two of them leaders, of the Rebels motorcycle gang over the alleged possession of firearms and drugs found at their homes. Police launched a series of raids just after 8:00am CDT on homes of Rebels members and at the clubhouse at Old Noarlunga. Police allege they found six pistols, ammunition, drugs and $17,000 in cash.

US: Candidates ignore Bloomberg's questions on guns

The Republican and Democratic candidates running for president have largely ignored Mayor Michael Bloomberg's anti-gun questionnaire despite his stated desire to influence the national debate on the topic. None answered the questionnaire that Bloomberg's anti-gun coalition released on Dec. 9 and paid $22,200 to publicize last week in full page newspaper ads in Iowa and New Hampshire.

US: Michigan sees fewer gun deaths — with more permits

Six years after new rules made it much easier to get a license to carry concealed weapons, the number of Michiganders legally packing heat has increased more than six-fold. But dire predictions about increased violence and bloodshed have largely gone unfulfilled. The incidence of violent crime in Michigan in the six years since the law went into effect has been, on average, below the rate of the previous six years. The overall incidence of death from firearms, including suicide and accidents, also has declined.

VIC: Keep firm grip on Taser guns

Should Victoria Police have Taser stun guns added to their growing arsenal? A working party is examining the possibility and appears set to recommend their widespread introduction. Proponents push the Taser as a vital addition to modern day policing, a safe and effective device that helps protect police and the public from dangerous offenders. The problem with trying to control people with conventional police handguns is obvious: alleged offenders are too often permanently stopped dead in their tracks. We have seen it time and again in Victoria.

UK: Govt. to crackdown on crime and deactivated guns

Jacqui Smith, the (UK) Home Secretary, will unveil plans for a new crime crackdown, only hours after the latest stabbing of a teenage boy. On Saturday, a teenager was stabbed to death, and two others injured, after an argument at a flat in Erith, south-east London. The dead male, said to be black and in his late teens, has not yet been identified. Police suspect the attack was a gang crime related to drugs. Ms Smith also promised to outlaw deactivated guns. "I will find a way effectively to ban those guns and get them out of circulation," she said.

New roo kill code targets joeys

Shotguns can now be used to kill kangaroo joeys at close range under proposed changes to the Federal Government's kangaroo shooting laws. The proposal has enraged animal welfare groups, including the late Steve Irwin's Wildlife Protection Association and RSPCA Australia.   Related:  Download the draft changes in PDF format.

WA: Police move to restrict farm handguns

Pastoralists are battling moves to stop them carrying handguns, claiming that they are an essential “tool of the trade” to shoot feral animals or injured livestock. A review of the State’s firearms legislation by WA Police has proposed changes which will allow only people in security-related occupations to own handguns.

NSW: Drugs, weapons, phones seized in jails

Ice, heroin, scales for measuring out drugs, cash, weapons and mobile phones were all seized by authorities after friends and family tried unsuccessfully to smuggle them into NSW jails over the Christmas holiday period. Twenty people have been banned from visiting correctional centres in NSW and 11 face potential criminal charges following a crackdown on jail contraband, NSW Justice Minister John Hatzistergos said today.

Missing persons may be serial killers' prey

Australia's notorious serial killers may have killed a lot more people than we think. One way to test the gruesome possibility is to compile detailed profiles of Australia's long-term missing persons and compare them with those who died at the hands of serial killers, according to senior Australian Institute of Criminology research analyst Jenny Mouzos. Dr Mouzos, who has just completed a study of 13 recent serial murderers, including the Snowtown killers and Ivan Milat, shows they claimed 52 known victims between 1989 and 2006.

Plans to filter Internet under fire

An Australian government plan to filter the Internet Wednesday drew criticism from privacy advocates who said it represented the start of state censorship. Communications Minister Stephen Conroy, a member of the Labor team which ousted conservative prime minister John Howard in a November election, wants filters in place to shield children from online porn and violence. Under the plan, Internet service providers would provide feeds filtered free of pornography and other inappropriate material to houses and schools.

NSW: Man threatened with firearm during home invasion

Police are appealing for public assistance following a home invasion in Glenfield overnight. About 10.30pm last night the sole male occupant of a house in Kitava Place answered the front door and was confronted by three armed men. The men entered the house and held a gun to the victim’s head before demanding that he open a safe. A sum of cash was stolen.

Police seize 1000 weapons

Police seized almost 1000 guns on Friday as they executed a search warrant. It is believed police applied for the warrant because the 59-year-old firearm dealer was the subject of a domestic violence report on Thursday. About 600 firearms were seized from his dealership while the rest were from a Peel property, near Bathurst, linked to the man.

US: My New Year's gun control resolution

Lately, liberals (read: statists) have been giving me a hard time about my opposition to a gun control initiative that would limit gun purchases to one per month per owner. Since I a) don’t like the government telling me how many guns I can own, and b) just hate having liberals (read: statists) mad at me, I’ve come up with a solution. It takes the form of a New Year’s resolution sure to make everyone happy (myself especially). I hereby resolve to help the cause of gun control in America by purchasing only one gun per month in 2008.

US: Deep divisions over gun control

For the last 31 years Washington DC has prohibited ownership of handguns in an attempt to curb high levels of violent crime. But security guard Richard Heller has challenged the law, claiming that it denied residents the right to defend themselves. "An event happened in 1997 when a young man defended his life with a handgun against a criminal who had gotten into his house, and the city prosecuted him," says Mr Heller. "This could happen to anyone and that's not what we have a government for.

Humane Society growth a threat to hunters

The voice of America's anti-hunting forces is trying to become more powerful. In what the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance is calling a "precisely-calculated effort," the Humane Society of the United States is attempting to consolidate all of the animal rights movement's political power under a single umbrella.

UK: Man shot dead by police in Kent

UK: Army pistol used in murder attempt on policewoman

A gun stolen from a British military base or smuggled by troops from Afghanistan or Iraq has been used in the attempted murder of a policewoman. PC Rachael Bown was seriously wounded after being shot in Nottingham with a Browning 9mm pistol, senior firearms intelligence officers have disclosed. The shooting is one of 40 separate investigations under way into weapons thefts from army garrisons.

UK: Toy weapons 'help boys to learn'

Boys in nursery schools should not be discouraged from playing with toy guns and other weapons, the government says. The UK Department for Children, Schools and Families says staff should resist a "natural instinct" to stop such play. It says role playing helps create the right conditions for boys' learning and could help them become more engaged in education in the future. 

QLD: Policeman hurt discharging gun

Police said a Brisbane officer was starting his shift at the Sandgate police station on the city's northern bayside about 10pm (AEST) yesterday when he put the weapon in its holster and it discharged.

NSW: Shot policeman had been stabbed three months ago

A POLICE officer shot in the stomach in Sydney's Centennial Park yesterday had been recovering from being stabbed several times in the arms and body three months ago outside his home, in a nearby suburb.The 48-year-old policeman and father of two, Senior Constable Ashley Don, is in a stable condition at St Vincent's Hospital after undergoing emergency surgery. Constable Don, who is understood to have been on leave for several months, was shot in the stomach with a rifle and has a severe wound to the lower abdomen. His family, who have been at his side, have refused to speak to the media.

UK: Cops check shops during amnesty on fake guns

Londoners are being urged to hand in realistic imitation guns during a four-week "Surrender" scheme being launched by the Met. Residents can hand the weapons in to any police station until February 17 without fear of prosecution for unlawful possession. Police in Lewisham conducted an operation on Thursday as part of Surrender, during which they visited more than 60 businesses to warn shopkeepers about the dangers of selling realistic toy guns.

WA: Police receive 500 submissions on Firearms Act

The Western Australian Police Department has received 500 submissions on possible alterations to the Firearms Act. Police say the Pastoralists and Graziers Association and the WA Farmers Federation are among the many to have made submissions. The police are conducting a review of 32 items in the Act, including limiting the number of firearms and amount of ammunition allowed by a licence holder.

US: Credit card company – No more buying guns

A major credit card company has issued a letter to a gun dealer canceling his payment processing services because of corporate concerns firearms were being sold to consumers in other states, in "a non face-to-face environment." Now the move has raised the ire of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. "Your anti-gun corporate policy is based on ignorance of the law applicable to the sale of firearms," wrote the NSSF. "It is perfectly legal, in fact commonplace, for a federal firearms licensee in one state to sell a firearm to a non-licensee (consumer) from another state," the foundation continued. "What you fail to appreciate is that the firearm is not shipped in interstate commerce directly to the consumer. Rather, as required by federal law, the firearm is shipped by the selling licensee to another federal firearms licensee in the state of residence of the consumer.

Police phone-in leads to arrests

Calls to South Australian police during this week's outlaw motorcycle gang phone-in have led to several arrests, and the seizure of drugs and weapons. Half of the nearly 90 anonymous calls related to drugs, including the making and trafficking of amphetamines, cannabis and ecstasy.

Japan's police are checking nation's gun owners

Japan's National Police Agency ordered checks on all registered firearms after two people were shot to death at a gym in southern Japan in December, the Asahi newspaper reported. Police departments plan to complete checks by the end of March, the newspaper reported, without saying who provided the information. Statistics show about 175,000 people in Japan had permits to own about 340,000 firearms as of 2006, the newspaper said.

UK: BBC presenter threatened with gun when testing safety 'on the streets'

BBC Radio Five presenter Shelagh Fogarty today described her terror at having a gun pointed at her face while filming in Liverpool on Saturday night. The breakfast show host was taking part in a special programme for the ITV1 Tonight programme to find out how safe Britain's streets are, to be aired tonight. She also revealed a gang of 40 thugs pelted her with glass bottles and stones in a frightening attack the previous night.

US: Mayor wants guns to automatically stamp bullets

UK: Replica guns and camouflage gear found in school hall

A major investigation was under way today after police discovered a haul of replica guns in a Glasgow primary school. Worried teachers raised the alarm after uncovering the fake firearms in a gym hall cupboard. More than 100 children were sent home from Blairtummock Primary in the Easterhouse area of the city after two bags with pistols and rifles were found along with balaclavas, ski masks, camouflage gear and white gloves.

Samoa: Police concerned about growing number of firearms incidents

Police in Samoa are concerned about the growing number of incidents involving firearms in the country. It follows the death of two men in shootings since Christmas Day last year one of which stemmed from a land dispute. Assistant Police Commissioner, Lilomaiava Fou Taioalo, has appealed to the public to be more patient, tolerant and control their anger.

Comment: Let's see; didn't John Howard try to impose Australian style gun control there?

UK Home Secretary: "I'm too scared to go out on my own at night"

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has admitted she does not feel safe walking the streets of London late at night. Her admission, days after three teenagers were convicted of the murder of Garry Newlove, who was kicked to death when he confronted rowdy youths outside his Warrington home, undermines Labour's claims to be tackling violent crime on Britain's streets.

US: A hasty decision by a judge is followed by a murder

D'Angelo Thomas, 18, was arrested in the early hours of Oct. 11 with three other men after D.C. police found five guns in the car they were riding in. Mr. Thomas had a previous gun conviction, but when he appeared the next day before a magistrate in D.C. superior court, the case was dismissed. Two weeks later, Mr. Thomas was arrested again, this time on a murder charge.

NSW: Rich Greens MP bails 'shooter'

Wealthy NSW Greens MP Sylvia Hale has come to the aid of a man who allegedly tried to shoot his neighbour - by putting up $250,000 of her own money to bail him out of custody. Ms Hale rushed to the defence of 58-year-old Ian Michael Fraser when he faced Parramatta Bail Court earlier this month charged with trying to inflict grievous bodily harm and firing a gun in a manner likely to injure a person. The police statement of facts tendered in court allege Mr Fraser had an "extensive criminal history for matters of violence and firearms".

 Related:  Greens MP puts up $250,000 for friend on firearms charge

Greens' Brown urges tougher gun control

"I would appeal to this government to look at the very lax handgun laws we have in this country," Senator Brown told reporters in Canberra. "It is another shooting massacre waiting to happen and we must not allow it in this country. "We need the same restrictions on handguns, automatic handguns, that the Howard government implemented on long guns after the Port Arthur massacre (in Tasmania) in 1996."

The Secret Haters

Some experts argue that even the most politically correct among us may harbor unconscious prejudices against ethnic groups, women, gays and others. Can these dark impulses shape our actions? A large and growing number of psychologists now argue that a welter of prejudices are simmering just below the surface of society: prejudices against many ethnic groups, against women, gays, the elderly, and outsiders like the homeless and drug addicts. The big question is whether these unconscious animosities are potent enough to actually shape our actions, to make us do things we ourselves find shameful. A new study suggests that, unhappily, the answer is yes.  Submitted by PC (NSW).

Comment: Could a hatred of gun owners be added to these prejudices?  

VIC: First compensation claim launched

A Victorian man is set to sue the State Government in a stolen generation claim that threatens to open the legal floodgates. Just a day after the Rudd Government's cashless apology, Neville Austin, a 44-year-old from the northern Melbourne suburb Reservoir, is launching the first stolen generation claim against the State of Victoria. The suit could trigger mass action by Aborigines around Australia and comes amid fresh calls for a state-based compensation fund.

Hunting bonanza triggers rifle rage

Japan: Gun owners pressured to surrender licences

Gun owners are turning in their licenses for thousands of weapons following public outrage over a shooting incident at a sports club in Nagasaki Prefecture last December that left two people dead, the National Police Agency said Thursday. The NPA said a total of 2,885 gun owners have opted to return their licenses for 4,467 weapons and have either sold or disposed of the guns. Of the total, 90 gun owners who had come to the attention of the police for instances of stalking or being violent toward their wives and other people close to them were told to turn in their weapons. The number of weapons in these cases totaled 145. The remainder are surrendering the licenses voluntarily. They have either sold or destroyed the guns and provided proof to police that the sale or destruction has been carried out.

SA: Opposition urges gun crackdown

The South Australian Opposition has called on the Government to crack down on the number of illegal weapons in the state. The Opposition's police spokesman, David Ridgway, says that criminology data shows about 200 guns were stolen in the state in the year to June 2006. Only 3 per cent of those weapons were recovered by police.

SA: Adelaide gun seller sentence laughable

Criminals will laugh at the "grossly inadequate" sentence imposed on an Adelaide porn dealer who sold guns to the Melbourne underworld, a court has heard. Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Pallaras, QC, today said William Nash should serve more time for selling a police-issue sub-machine gun to the Condello family. He told the Court of Criminal Appeal mobsters and gangsters would "be watching" Nash's six-month sentence and $56,000 fine.

Relatively speaking, the Liberals have lost more seats than the Nationals

This article examines why the conservative side of politics (in Australia) has changed from holding 329 seats at the end of 1996 to a relatively paltry 202 today. Labor on the other hand has increased its total seat holdings from 225 to 324 over the same period. Interestingly, the total number of lower house seats in these Parliaments has reduced from 566 in 1996 down to 549 today. Not only are the conservative side battling Labor and losing, but they’ve been taking the brunt of seat losses associated with the move towards smaller Parliaments

SA: Man shot 15 times in alleged bikie related shooting

A Yorke Peninsula man has been shot 15 times in what may be related to the shooting of a bikie at Wallaroo three years ago. Jesse Penhall, 30, of Moonta, is in a critical condition at the Royal Adelaide Hospital after staggering into the Paskeville Hotel just after lunchtime today.

Penhall had been called to Railway Tce, Paskeville, to deliver a load of steel meshing when he was confronted by four men in a green Holden VK Commodore sedan at 12.22pm.

VIC: 9000 visit Wodonga Hunting Expo

Just under 9000 people visited the expo at the Wodonga Sports and Leisure Centre across the weekend. Event organiser Peter Costin said stallholders were overwhelmed by the large number of people who attended the inaugural event. The expo featured about 250 exhibitions covering hunting and fishing’s biggest brands and featured taxidermy, four-wheel-drives, communications and optics. “It could be even bigger next time,” Mr Costin said. “I had several stallholders coming up to me saying that they wanted two or three stalls next year.

UK: Tales of the bizarre – Armed police called to water fight

Armed officers stormed a village following reports of a firearms incident - only to discover children playing with a water pistol. Gloucestershire Police received a call from a member of public who reported seeing three youths with a firearm in Churchdown, near Gloucester. However, when they arrived on the scene it became evident that the "gun" was a water pistol. Police said one 17-year-old boy from the village "apologised for his actions" and was advised by officers in relation to his future conduct.

Comment: Bizarre tales and true. They forced an "apology" from the teenager? Good grief!

SA: New laws target gun-toting criminals

Changes to South Australia's gun laws aimed squarely at bikie gang members will go before Cabinet tomorrow for a second time. First presented in October last year, they did not pass because of the concerns of several members who believed they would adversely affect sectors of the broader community.

SA: Homeowner shoots intruder

Police say a man was shot while trying to break into a house at Enfield in Adelaide's inner northern subrubs early this morning. The incident happened as the intruder broke in through the back door of the Eversley Avenue house.

 Related:  Homeowner charged after shooting intruder

VIC: Protesters shut down hunting show

Animal liberationists from three states today locked down Australia's first hunting expo at Wodonga, on the Victoria-New South Wales border. Activists made their way into the expo, then locked themselves onto the stage with heavy bike locks, and refused to move.   Submitted by PC (Qld.)

Judge: 'store keeper would have shot him' in US

WA: Directors cleared of animal cruelty

Emmanuel Exports directors Graham Daws and Michael Stanton were tried in the Perth Magistrates Court in February 2007 for breaching the West Australian Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The charges followed a complaint by animal rights group Animals Australia that more than 1300 sheep died and others were injured during the 16-day trip from Fremantle on the MV Al Kuwait.

Gun Control: Civil Society?

Ms. Peters’ career in gun control got its start in Australia, where she was an important contributor to that country’s current gun ban. By 2005, the rate of sexual assault in Australia increased 36% from its pre-ban 1995 rate, while the U.S. rate decreased 14.6%. Women are now raped over three times as often in Australia as they are in the United States.

The rate of sexual crimes against women in the UK increased 63.0% since pre-ban 1995. Women are raped and sexually assaulted nearly twice as often in the UK as the U.S. Yet according to Peters’ interpretation, Australia and Britain promote women’s rights better than the U.S.

Rebecca Peters writes the script for Hillary Clinton

As a major player in the Million Mom March, Ms Clinton followed another script--this one written by Soros protégé Rebecca Peters, who had come to the U.S. fresh from her 'triumph' of forcibly disarming peaceable Australians of long guns in her native country. Among the firearms Peters labeled as "weapons of war" that were destroyed were thousands of Ruger 10/22s, Browning Sweet 16 shotguns and Remington 760s. (Today, with hundreds of millions of dollars at her disposal as head of the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA), Peters is pressing for a worldwide United Nations gun-ban treaty that would trump U.S. law.)

US: animal liberationists firebomb professor's home

A statement issued today by the North American Animal Liberation Press Office said “animal liberationists” were responsible for placing the incendiary device at the house of professor of the University of California. The press office relays messages from the underground Animal Liberation Front, but is not officially related to the group.   

Submitted by CA.

 US: Drugs kill more Americans than guns

For the first time in modern American history, drug overdoses and other types of poisonings now kill more people than guns. Such deaths more than doubled between 1994 and 2004, according to data obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics in a joint Sunday Gazette-Mail/West Virginia Public Broadcasting investigation. The fastest-growing killers aren’t heroin and cocaine. They’re prescription painkillers. Nationally, more than 30,000 people died from poisoning in 2004, the most recent year for which nationwide data is available.

US: Churches win another round on gun law exemptions

Filling prisons only part of the crime cutting solution – Don Weatherburn

There are few things that set off alarm bells in a political party more readily than a public accusation that they have gone soft on crime. Both sides of politics scrupulously avoid doing anything that could leave them open to this. As a result, the last decade has seen a general toughening of law and order policy. One manifestation of this is a growing prison population. The Australian Bureau of Statistics says that between 1997 and 2007 the rate of imprisonment in Australia rose by 23 per cent. There are now more than 24,000 people behind bars.   Submitted by CE

Russia: Choosing a means of self defence

The situation with self defense in Russia changed radically when new amendments came into force in 2002. Before that, the country lived by a criminal code dating back to Soviet times, which contained such notions as "exceeding the necessary limits of self defense." It stipulated that the resistance had to match the level of aggression. In practice that meant that no one could use more power to resist an attack than the attacker was wielding and someone who used a knife or even a club (not to mention a firearm) to harm an unarmed assailant instantly became a suspect in the crime. The amended code states that anything can be used if the attack appears to endanger the life or health of the victim or of other people.

QLD: Gold Coast policeman accused of stealing handgun

A Gold Coast policeman who allegedly stole a police handgun and swapped it for surfboards has been charged and stood down from duty. Police internal investigators allegedly found two surfboards at his Gold Coast hinterland home last month. The officer, 41, was ordered to surrender his passport, not go within 100m of international departure points and report to Mudgeeraba police every Monday.   Submitted by PC (Qld)

UK: 'Teach children to shoot to cut gun crime'

Teaching children how to shoot would be the best way to combat the spiralling gun crime culture, according to Conservative peer Lord Tebbit. It would give teenagers the "violence and danger" they crave, while teaching them to take responsibility for their actions, he said."Boys would soon find themselves in a man's world and having to obey instructions."

US: Founders Award 'These are gun people'

Connecticut's rich heritage of firearms manufacture is rapidly fading from the national stage. But one manufacturer stands firmly planted in North Haven, its guns blazing. In 1919, the scene was different. Marlin Firearms had established itself as an innovative gun manufacturer. In Hartford, the Colt Revolver had celebrated its 75th birthday just a few years earlier. Sturm, Ruger had yet to open shop in Southport. But in New Haven, Swedish-born Oscar Mossberg founded O.F. Mossberg & Sons.

1000 evacuated after Sydney explosion

A powerful explosion tore through a building in inner-city Sydney on Monday, injuring two men and forcing the evacuation of 1,000 others, Australian officials said. Police said they were investigating the blast at the Quadrant Building in Ultimo which left a ground floor chicken shop ablaze and damaged some offices and residential apartments. Acting Commander of City Central Police, Superintendent Chris Keen, said an injured man was found near a lift with severe burns, while another man suffered smoke inhalation.

 Related:  Police seize blast victim's car     805

Germany tightens gun controls

The German parliament approved tighter gun-control laws on Friday in a move designed to stop the spread of violent crime. The new legislation bans the carrying of replica firearms and so- called airsoft guns as well as certain types of knives. There are around 3 million imitation and airsoft guns in circulation in Germany. It is often difficult for police to tell them from real ones when confronting suspects.

US: Handgun-banners oblivious to reality

Since 1976, the criminals of the city have carried handguns and killed with impunity, while the law-abiding have cowered in their midst. This is not what the D.C. Council imagined 32 years ago when it enacted what is regarded as the strictest gun-control measure in the nation. The law did not work out as envisioned, because criminals, serial killers and nut jobs who go postal do not follow the law. This elementary observation inevitably escapes the thought process of the well-meaning. Instead, the well-meaning point to the easy availability of handguns in Maryland and Virginia being the bane on the ban in the city, which is fair enough.

Federal minister says 'I have too much power'

Australia's new immigration minister, Chris Evans, surprised a senate committee on Tuesday by saying he had too much power and was uncomfortable "playing God" with people's lives. Evans said there had been a big increase in ministerial intervention during the Howard government and in some cases people had no right to appeal. "I have formed the view that I have too much power," he told the senate's legal and constitutional affairs committee.

Comment: The minister should be congratulated. This is a welcome change from the usual practice of seeking ever more draconian powers to control minor or nonexistent problems.  

It's official: liberals are 'clinically nuts'

Just when liberals thought it was safe to start identifying themselves as such, an acclaimed, veteran psychiatrist is making the case that the ideology motivating them is actually a mental disorder. "Based on strikingly irrational beliefs and emotions, modern liberals relentlessly undermine the most important principles on which our freedoms were founded," says Dr. Lyle Rossiter, author of the new book, "The Liberal Mind: The Psychological Causes of Political Madness." "Like spoiled, angry children, they rebel against the normal responsibilities of adulthood and demand that a parental government meet their needs from cradle to grave."

UK: Youth suicide – media "now part of the problem"

Media coverage of a spate of suicides around Bridgend could trigger more deaths, the parents of a boy who apparently killed himself have said. Vincent and Sharon Pritchard, whose son Nathaniel, 15, died in hospital on Friday, said reports "glamorised" ways of taking one's life to young people. Local MP Madeleine Moon said the media were "now part of the problem".

UK: Government plans tougher arms controls

The UK Government is to introduce tougher controls on exporting certain types of arms as the result of a Government review of the UK’s Export Controls, Business and Enterprise Minister, Malcolm Wicks, said today. Among the controls planned is a measure to apply the laws to any citizen of the United Kingdom anywhere in the world.

UK: Routine metal scans in knife crime crackdown

Millions of Britons will be subjected to routine metal-detector screening under a crackdown on knife crime. Airport-style surveillance "knife arches" will be installed in hundreds of public buildings - including pubs, bars, doctors' surgeries and schools. It is understood the police will make use of collapsible arches, small enough to be taken in the boot of a car, for use wherever there are fears that knives are present.      Submitted by DG.     Related:  Doctors' kitchen knives ban call

US: Don't mess with Texas!

Police said one man is in the hospital after an elderly North Texas man took action into his own hands when confronted by two armed brothers inside his home Saturday night. It all began Saturday night when two armed men forced their way into James Pickett's house. Pickett said he opened his door and two men barged inside. "He just come through that door stabbing and beating," Mr Pickett said. However,  just before he went to answer the door, he had first placed a pistol into his pocket. "And he jumped and turned, and I shot him there," he said. The two brothers, Paul and Holden Perry, ran, but didn't get far before calling an ambulance. One of the bullets just missed Paul Perry's spine. "He's my hero," said one neighbor of Pickett.    Submitted by DG.

Liberals – We should have forced Howard to quit

John Howard's cabinet colleagues should have forced him to quit to head off last year's disastrous federal election loss, a senior Liberal strategist says. Former minister Andrew Robb, who masterminded Mr Howard's 1996 election victory, is one of several senior Liberals to speak frankly of their attempts to convince the former prime minister to retire. A crisis meeting of cabinet ministers during the September APEC summit decided that Mr Howard should step aside but left the decision to him.

US: More guns on campus?

UK: Two men held after shooting at Birmingham restaurant

Two people have been arrested after a shooting took place at a Birmingham restaurant last night. Police were called to Café Lazeez, which is located in the trendy Mailbox local shopping complex, after gunshots were heard at one of the eatery's rooms. An investigation has been launched into the incident and a forensic examination of the scene has begun. Chief superintendent Malcolm Coall said the shooting took place during a meeting, adding that the incident was "not random".

US: Car hits street race crowd: eight killed

A car plowed into a group of street-racing fans obscured by a cloud of tire smoke on a highway Saturday, killing eight people and scattering bodies in the early morning darkness.At least five others were injured in the gruesome wreck along a flat, isolated stretch of highway about 20 miles south of Washington known for illegal races. "There were just bodies everywhere; it was horrible," said Crystal Gaines, 27, of Indian Head, whose father was killed.

US: Gunman stopped taking medication before rampage

The gunman who shot dead five people at a US university has been identified as an "outstanding" graduate student with no history of trouble but signs of erratic behaviour in the past two weeks. "He was a fairly normal, unstressed person," university police chief Donald Grady said. But he added that Kazmierczak's family reported the gunman had been on some unnamed medication and stopped taking it. "He had been somewhat erratic in the last two weeks," the police chief said, without elaborating.    806

US: Guns best crime deterrent  after all

When sexual assaults started rising in Orlando, Fla., in 1986, police officers noticed women were arming themselves, so they launched a firearms safety course for them. Over the next 12 months, sexual assaults plummeted by 88 percent, burglaries fell by 25 percent and not one of the 2,500 women who took the course fired a gun in a confrontation. And that, says a new brief submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court by police officers and prosecutors in a controversial gun-ban dispute, is why gun ownership is important and should be available to individuals in the United States.

SA: Sentence for gun supply increased

An Adelaide man who sold weapons to a Melbourne underworld figure has been jailed for three years after an appeal by South Australian prosecutors. William Nash, 62, was originally given a six-month sentence and a $56,000 fine. But the South Australian Court of Criminal Appeal on Friday upheld submissions from Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Pallaras that the penalties were grossly inadequate.

QLD: Drive-by victim not cooperating: police

Gold Coast Police say the victim of a drive-by shooting has not been cooperating with investigators. Seven shots were fired into a house and a car at the northern Gold Coast suburb of Paradise Point about 5:30am AEST today. Detective Inspector John Hartwell says the victim has links to an outlaw motorcycle gang and has been uncooperative with police.

VIC: Opposition to licence fee increases

Eighty per cent of Central Victoria gun dealers will be driven out of business and attempts by farmers to control vermin will be undermined if recommendations of a licence fee increase are accepted, dealers claim. The Regulatory Impact Statement is part of a State Government draft proposal on changes to firearm regulations recommending lowering some licence fees including rifles by 11 per cent, professional hand guns by 17 per cent, increasing others such as sporting hand guns by 97 per cent and firearm dealer licences by up to 647 per cent.

NSW: Bandits pick the wrong club to rob

Machete wielding masked bandits picked the wrong club to rob yesterday - 40 bikie club members were meeting there. Police said the robbers raided the Regents Park Sporting Club about 8.50pm yesterday, ordering people at the bar to lie on the floor. "The two guys burst in with machetes and started waving them around and intimidating people," bikie club founder "The Bear" said. "They walked in to try and do a robbery. But there were also 40 blokes there having a social night and it's come unstuck for them."

US: Do you have a legal right to own a gun?

Guns, and questions about how much power the government has to keep people from owning them, are at the core of one of the most divisive topics in American politics.  Nearly three out of four Americans — 73% — believe the Second Amendment spells out an individual right to own a firearm, according to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll of 1,016 adults taken Feb. 8-10.

US: CCRKBA suggests investigation of ammo coding campaign

An American gun rights organisation is today calling on lawmakers in the states of Washington, Arizona, New York, Illinois, Hawaii and several other states to scrutinize legislation that would require ammunition coding, because it mandates a sole-source monopoly for a Seattle-based company that owns the technology.    Submitted by DG.

UK: Gun attack 'like gangster film'

A court has been told a shooting in Glasgow in which one man died and two were seriously injured was like "something out of a gangster movie". The comment was made by Donald Findlay QC, defending James McDonald, 34. Mr McDonald and Raymond Anderson, 46, deny murdering Michael Lyons, 21, and attempting to murder Steven Lyons, 27, and Robert Picket, 42.

US: .50 calibre ban

A Hawaiian newspaper editorializes in favor of a .50 caliber ban. More nonsequiturs than I can easily count. The last one is simply, OK, it hasn't been used in crime, but we should ban it anyway rather than "wait for the carnage to occur."

VIC: Armed and above the law

A secret plan by the Victorian Government to give the Office of Police Integrity more powers would in effect create Victoria's untouchables, with OPI operatives to be armed, above judicial scrutiny and broadly immune from prosecution. A cabinet briefing  expresses alarm at plans to give OPI operatives access to guns without police approval, to restrict court access to OPI documents and to give unprecedented protection to its agents against being sued.

Gun control not likely to stop crime

After tragedies like the Virginia Tech shooting and the recent Northern Illinois University shooting, the discussion of gun control always comes up. Most people immediately say that if there was more control over guns and who could get them. these types of things would never happen. Most people are wrong.

QLD: State government extends veil of secrecy

The (Qld) Government has introduced legislation into Parliament after receiving Crown Law advice that questioned whether the current practice of hiding parliamentary secretary documents under the controversial veil of secrecy was legal. The move has been labelled "sneaky" by the Opposition after the legislation change was included at the back of law changes predominantly about professional engineers.    Submitted by PC (Qld).

 RELATED:  FOI dodge reeks of hypocrisy

US: School shooter studied Hamas, says friend

A former Northern Illinois University newspaper reporter says the killer who gunned down five innocent students in an apparently unprovoked attack liked to study Arabic and the terror group Hamas. "Unlike most of us, he started his research from day one, reading every book he could find on Hamas. He'd give me a status report when we saw each other in class. Steve said that his perception of Hamas changed with all the research he did," she said.

Submitted by DG.

What do we expect when we sell bullets by the bucket load

Rebecca Peters, writing in The Mirror, London, says: After the Dunblane massacre in 1996, the British Government banned handguns. That's because they are not hunting weapons; they are designed to kill humans and are the criminal's weapon of choice. Handguns were also chosen by the Illinois gunman this week and by the Virginia Tech killer. Ammunition is sold in petrol stations and corner shops, no regulation and no questions asked. Bullets are displayed in buckets like nails in a hardware store. Checking the Walmart website yesterday, I was invited to "fill in your firearm collection with one of these high precision semiautomatic rifles" - starting at around £100.

Gun buybacks a noble idea that always misfires

An authoritative study by the (US) National Academy of Sciences has reported that "the theory underlying gun buy-back programs is badly flawed and the empirical evidence demonstrates the ineffectiveness of these programs (in reducing crime)."   808

NZ: Police pistols go missing

The firearms went missing while being couriered in December from Warkworth police station, north of Auckland, to the police armoury in Wellington, The Weekend Herald reports today. Inspector Tom Ireland, police operations and projects manager, said police were not jumping to conclusions. "All we can really say is they are missing. Whether they have been misplaced or they have been targeted and stolen, we don't know.

VIC: Pair charged after weapons raid

UK: Police raid uncovers imitation firearms

Imitation firearms have been found at a Dundee flat which was at the centre of a police operation on Wednesday afternoon. The area around Buttars Road was closed at 1630 GMT for about 30 minutes as armed officers searched the property.

Kovco punished for pointing gun: inquest

Private Jake Kovco was reprimanded several times for his blasé gun handling, including pointing his weapon at others in his barracks, his former section commander told a Sydney inquest. Tyrone Eric Scott, who left the army last March, said Pte Kovco had become cocky in handling his pistol around others, including practising quick drawing. Pte Kovco was fatally shot in the head with his 9mm Browning pistol in his Iraq barracks room on April 21, 2006.

Palestinian gunman shot dead at Jewish school after killing eight

A Palestinian gunman opened fire in a Jewish religious school in Jerusalem on Thursday, killing at least eight people and wounding about 10 in the most lethal attack in Israel in two years, emergency services said. Yitzhak Dadon, who told reporters that he shot the gunman, said the attacker fired at the students with an AK-47 assault rifle. "I saw the gunman and he fired a long burst in the air. But then he disappeared," Dadon said. "I saw him again when he approached the door of the library. I shot him twice in the head. He started to sway and then someone else with a rifle fired at him, and he died." Some newspaper reports have identified Dadon as a student.

 UPDATE:  Yitzhak Dadon identified as a part-time student but MSM ignores that part.

Update submitted by DG.

UK: Police face new test: how to stop a child of 8 armed with a gun

It is only a matter of time before an armed officer is faced with having to shoot a child pointing a gun at them, a senior Home Office official has said. Children as young as 8 are growing up with guns in their lives and think nothing of storing or transporting firearms for gang leaders, said Jon Murphy, head of the gun crime task force.

Comment: Really? And they told us that gun bans would lead to the elimination of 'gun crime'.

U.S. joins study of arms trade treaty

All 28 countries invited to do so, including the United States, sent representatives to a UN-sponsored experts meeting in February to explore a global arms trade treaty (ATT). The United States originally voted against starting the effort, prompting many to believe it would not participate in the process.

US: Nat'l Academy of Sciences advises against ballistic images database

A national database containing images of ballistic markings from all new and imported guns sold in the U.S. should not be created at this time, says a new report from the National Research Council. The report recommends improvements to an existing database of crime-related ballistic evidence and urges further research on "microstamping."

Tough new gun laws for S.A.

South Australian police will be given more powers to act against people possessing illegal firearms under new laws announced by the State Government. The legislation is targeted at bikie gangs and violent gun crimes, such as a shooting last year at an Adelaide nightclub. Under the laws, police will have the power to put prohibition orders on people who use unlicensed firearms. A person subject to such an order could be stopped and searched for guns at any time.

Canada: Teen's death renews debate on pellet guns

Police confirmed over the weekend that Cody Shuya, 13, was shot and killed by a pellet gun. Police allege Cody and a 17-year-old youth broke into a garage in the rear of a residence in Winnipeg on Feb. 23 and stole a pellet rifle. Police said the rifle fired while the two youths were passing the gun between them, striking Cody "above the shoulders," and causing serious injury. The 17-year-old allegedly fled the area, leaving Cody bleeding in a snowy back lane, where police found him after a neighbour called 911. A youth has since been arrested and charged with criminal negligence causing death and break and enter.

 RELATED:  Mother says, "He must know kids break into garages all the time."

Latest AIC fact sheet – Crime facts info,  no. 165

The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) has released a fact sheet (cfi165) detailing the storage status of firearms at the time of theft in Australia during 2005-06. Stolen firearm numbers were down slightly during the year.

 Hundreds of kangaroos face cull in ACT

More than 400 kangaroos living on Australian defence department land face being culled after a plan to relocate them was blocked, a report said Tuesday. The ACT government has refused to grant export licences to move the eastern grey kangaroos to neighbouring New South Wales, The Canberra Times said. As a result, the department of defence had abandoned plans to move them from the former naval station in Belconnen in Canberra, leaving a cull as the only alternative, the paper said.

US: Virginia hits back at Mayor Bloomberg's 'meddling'

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg got fed up last year. Traces on crime guns kept leading to other states. Over and over, the trail led to some of the same gun shops in Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia. Convinced that illegal sales were taking place, Bloomberg hired private investigators, armed them with hidden cameras and sent them in teams of two to check out the gun shops. The commonwealth (of Virginia) was offended. Legislators said outsiders had no business conducting stings in Virginia. They passed a bill outlawing such operations unless they’re under the supervision of Virginia or federal law enforcement. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine signed the bill into law.

US: Luxury home fires were eco-terror

Over the past couple of years, the FBI has been warning that ELF and other environmental "terror" groups — including the Animal Liberation Front and the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty campaign — posed a growing threat to the public. Between 1990 and 2004, the two groups were responsible for more than 1,200 incidents involving tens of millions of dollars, officials said. A 1998 arson fire at a Vail, Colo. ski resort did $12 million worth of damage.    Submitted by DG.

Army ranges do not meet safety guidelines

Crack troops, including snipers and special forces, have been forced to practice with smaller calibre bullets in place of the standard-issue 7.62mm ammunition because Australian shooting ranges do not meet NATO safety guidelines. Australia's standard issue sniper rifle is the SR-98, which uses a 7.62mm. The SR-98 is in service with Australian, British and German snipers in Iraq and Afghanistan. But at least three ranges that cater almost exclusively to Australia's special forces community – including Special Air Service, commando and paratroop soldiers preparing to be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan – have had restrictions placed on the use of 7.62mm ammunition.

International workshop on civilian disarmament

An international workshop on the disarmament of citizens illegally owning firearms will be held from March 04 to 05, at the Palace of Congresses, in a promotion of the Angolan Home Affairs Ministry. The meeting will happen under the theme "Disarmed Citizen: Stability and Security for All" and will cover three panels dedicated to the international and regional dynamic on disarming the civil population.

Comment: The irony of the theme, 'Stability and Security for All', obviously eludes them.

Canada: Handgun ban won't work

Nearly 340,000 Canadians -- about 1% of the population -- were victims of violent crime in 2006, according to a Statistics Canada study released in late February. But just 8,100 were victims of a violent crime committed with a gun. So why do liberal-left politicians expend so much energy trying to restrict gun ownership or even ban guns outright? The principal reason, of course, is that modern liberalism is the victory of symbolism over substance. A public policy or law is seldom designed mostly to solve an identified problem. Its primary purpose is to reflect well on the good intentions of the person or group proposing it.

UK:  Help get fake guns off the streets

UK: Shock, Horror ! – Children under 16 get shotgun licences

Children as young as 10 are being issued with shotgun licences by Suffolk police, an EADT investigation has found. In the past five years 182 under-16s have received shotgun licences from Suffolk police which are valid for five years. Rebecca Peters, director of the International Action Network on Small Arms, said: “A child of 10 is by no means equipped to take on such responsibility. This is a legal loophole which the UK Government must close.” Richard Kennett, Suffolk police's firearms services manager, said: “People perhaps when thinking about young people and guns think about inner city crime which has got nothing to do with lawfully-held shotgun.”

UK: Home Secretary rejects Scottish firearm review call

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has rejected Scottish Government calls for a review of firearms laws, it was revealed. She has also declined an invitation to co-host a national firearms summit along with Scottish justice secretary Kenny MacAskill.

 RELATED:  Air gun ban takes a step forward

NSW: Shooters links fire up Greens

The Shooters Party's newest MP, Roy Smith, was executive officer of the Sporting Shooters' Association when the organisation donated $458,266 to the party before the last election. The revelation, in state electoral returns for the past four years, comes as Mr Smith's colleague Robert Brown prepares to sit on a parliamentary inquiry on political donations which is set to sit today. The Government last year voted against Greens MP Lee Rhiannon, the most outspoken MP in the Parliament on the system of donations, being on the committee in favour of Mr Brown and the Reverend Fred Nile. Mr Nile will chair the inquiry and has been previously accused by the Opposition of being a Government stooge.   Submitted by CE

US: Shot dad defending tot kills intruder in home invasion

NSW: Police no comment on reports man planned 'massacre'

Aussie gunners deployed to Afghanistan

SA: Rotating doors justice system

A 15 year-old "Gang of 49" member has gone on a crime spree after being released from jail only days ago. The Hope Valley boy was released from detention 10 days ago and started offending immediately, police say. Acting Assistant Police Commissioner Ferdi Pit said that "as soon he was released (the 15-year-old)he started re-offending in a dangerous manner". "It was very frightening for the victims, this offending is a very dangerous practice and one that needs to be managed".

Time to recall old attitudes about guns

Ralphie’s fondest wish that Christmas was to find a Red Ryder BB gun under the tree. And, after having been told by practically everyone, including Santa Claus, that “you’ll shoot your eye out, kid!” he finally finds it standing in a corner on Christmas morning. The problem is that the movie is set in the 1950s, when Red Ryder and Hopalong Cassidy, the Lone Ranger and the Cisco Kid, Roy Rogers and Gene Autry were the heroes of little boys across the country, their blazing six-guns stopping outlaws. Getting a Red Ryder BB gun was nirvana, but it wasn’t bad settling for a pair of cap guns and holsters.    Submitted by DG.

US: Thousands of gun activists march in American state

The issue of gun regulation excites thousands on either side of the debate, but lawmakers acknowledge political realities in Springfield mean changes in state gun laws could be tough to achieve this year. Tuesday brought thousands of activists to the Illinois State Capitol asking lawmakers to resist putting more restrictions on gun ownership. They also called for laws that would allow private citizens to carry concealed weapons. Dustin Meier of Decatur said he hoped the marching mass of activists got lawmakers’ attention. “It’s kind of a visual aid,” he said.

 WA: shotgun and drugs found in car

UK: Martial arts shops hands over imitation firearms

A martial arts shop has handed over more than 100 imitation handguns to police. Blitz Sport, on Duke Of Wellington Avenue, Woolwich, which sells martial arts clothing and equipment, agreed to hand over its entire stock of 145 imitation guns, which could be mistaken for the real thing.

US: To Revive Hunting, States Turn to the Classroom

VIC: Shooter fury at fee rises

US: Arizona weighs bill to allow guns on campuses

ACT: Roo cull fight goes global

US: Press 'ignore' terrorist stopped by armed student

US: Buy it yesterday, ban it today, get 10 years tomorrow

If you buy a lawful product that is later banned, should you go to jail for 10 years, even though you didn't know it was banned, and the government that banned it now criminalizes any method to dispose of it? In the world of gun ban extremist Bryan Miller of CeaseFire NJ, the answer to this question is yes.

Comment: Buy, ban, get 10 years? Sounds familiar!

US: Sheriff's Dept. ordered to pay L.A. man $1.3 million

A South Los Angeles man whose sport utility vehicle was peppered with dozens of deputies' bullets has been awarded $1.3 million by a jury. Winston Hayes, 46, won the excessive-force verdict against the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department on Friday after a four-week trial and 10 days of deliberations. Of the 120 shots fired, 66 hit Hayes' SUV, 11 hit patrol cars and 11 hit five homes.

Canada: Better to ban walks in the rain than pellet guns

Wendy Cukier, president of the Coalition for Gun Control, recently told the Winnipeg Free Press that pellet guns can kill and are a safety problem. She cites a 2005 Canadian Pediatric Society report entitled Youth and Firearms in Canada to prove her point, and says that the report details 11 deaths caused by pellet- gun injuries. A quick investigation of the report Cukier cites, however, reveals some surprising details. The death data were not compiled in 2005. Nor were they compiled by the Canadian Pediatric Society. And the data definitely doesn't come from Canada.

VIC: Police set to target firearm storage

Victorian police are planning a crackdown on gun owners. They are set to check whether 18,000 of the state's registered gun owners have stored their firearms properly. The crackdown comes as gun-related murders and gun theft have declined dramatically since the gun-law reforms after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. Police say the decline in gun thefts and murders is due to tougher laws on the use, ownership and storage of firearms. The planned crackdown is to ensure the trend continues, police say.   809