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July 23

British citizens get legal right to defend themselves

"New law backs 'have-a-go' heroes," the Ministry of Justice proclaimed in its press release. Much of the media followed with references to homeowners being given, for the first time, the legal right to defend their property and person with violence. A new law on that subject came into force last week - section 76 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008. But does it really give the householder a new legal right? That is how it is being presented. But it looks uncannily like the old law to me, now in a new act of parliament. The new law turns out to be the old law, thinly disguised. Force against an intruder must not be excessive or disproportionate in the circumstances, says the new act. In other words, reasonable. The old law, too, is based on the concept of "reasonable force".

London police under pressure at tube killing inquest

Scotland Yard officers are preparing to publicly blame each other for the mistakes that led to the death of Jean Charles de Menezes at Stockwell tube station, senior sources have told the Guardian. Allies of the commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, fear such a public falling out at the inquest into the killing, which starts in September, will lead to the jury returning an unlawful killing verdict. That, in turn, would put renewed pressure on Blair to quit over the shooting dead of the innocent man mistaken for a terrorist. At the inquest into the shooting, which happened three years ago today, members of the surveillance team and the firearms unit are expected to blame each other for blunders that led to the killing of the Brazilian electrician.

Police firearms officer shot in the hand

A firearms officer from Wiltshire Police is being treated in hospital after it is believed he shot himself in the hand while cleaning a weapon at Devizes Police Headquarters on Tuesday. A statement issued by the force said: "No one else was injured as a result of this incident. This incident occurred within a sterile safety area on police premises and no members of the public were endangered at any time."....

July 22

Home made guns easy to get in crime ridden Africa

"Yes, it's easy to get a gun here if you want one. They're not expensive – 10 dollars. Not pretty but very deadly." The type of gun in question bears little resemblance to factory-made weaponry such as the ubiquitous AK47 that has been used to prosecute ruinous conflicts across Africa. Nor indeed does it have much in common with the illegal handguns that account for more than 3,000 armed offences in Britain every month. Measuring a little more than 15cm from stock to barrel but weighing almost a kilogram, these lethal weapons costing as little as £5 each are rudimentary. Made from heavy cast-iron barrels, aluminium firing mechanisms and with rough wooden handles, they are the latest pride and joy of hundreds of blacksmiths and illicit co-operatives of craftsmen across Ghana, widely regarded as West Africa's most stable and prosperous democracy.

Charter Arms releases new Pink Lady* — (full story)

Charter Arms introduces a left hand version of their popular Pink Lady revolver in .38 Special +P caliber. This is the combination of two very popular revolvers that Charter Arms has recently introduced. The first being the world's first left hand revolver* the Charter Arms Southpaw and the second being Charter Arm's wildly popular Pink Lady revolver. Both the Southpaw and Pink Lady evolved from Charter Arms' popular compact ultra-lightweight Undercover Series. The left hand Pink Lady version is a true left hand revolver, it is a direct mirror image of its standard right hand cousin and weighs a feathery 12-ounces thanks its tough 7075 aircraft aluminum frame.

"Due to many requests for a left hand version of the Pink Lady from across the country we felt compelled to produce this new revolver." says Charles Brown of MKS Supply, the exclusive marketer for Charter Arms. Like its right hand cousin, the left hand Pink Lady is chambered for .38 Special +P, boasts an exposed hammer, 2-inch stainless steel barrel and 5-round stainless steel cylinder. Set off by black rubber grips, the overall package is a looker for folks who need reliable self-defense power in a stylish great-looking firearm.

*Not available to Australian shooters

July 21

Hard to avoid the conclusion that the UN's intention is civilian gun control

If one goes back to many of the broader documents that have been produced by the UN itself, it is pretty hard to avoid the conclusion that the intention over the long term is gun control at the domestic level. To refer to “this document,” while leaving aside all the other documents of which “this document” is one in a series is, well, not reportage as I understand it, but artful brief-writing. The article quotes Rebecca Peters, head of one of the leading international advocacy organizations favoring restrictions; but it does not quote perhaps her most famous comment in recent years that “we want to see a drastic reduction in gun ownership across the world.” (I’d like to invite someone who closely tracks this issue as a Second Amendment advocate - say, David Kopel or Glenn Reynolds or Eugene Volokh - to tell us in the comments where they think, if they do, that this article is more artful than informative, and please post to the comments.)

The Revenge of the Duck Hunter

Larry Hirsch got so fed up watching ducks get shot out of the sky that he hatched a plan to get rid of the hunter who hunkered down in the duck blind behind his Fairfax County home. He's not a hunter, but Hirsch acquired the right to build the only duck blind allowed in that spot on the Potomac River. Hirsch, 55, went out a few times and fired his shotgun, pretending to duck hunt and thereby fulfilling the requirement of his license. The plan worked, because Hirsch's landowner rights trumped those of the hunter, who had licensed the empty spot, and he was pushed out of his duck blind at least for a year.

This so miffed the hunter, Robert Bowe, who owns Bowe's and Arrows hunting shop in Fairfax, that Bowe finagled land rights from an absentee property owner down the block and built a new blind. He's been hunting there ever since, ignoring neighbors' complaints. "I tried to be respectful to them until they tried to keep me from there," said Bowe, 63. "I tried to be nice. Now I'm going to hunt."
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NZ Government: Hunters contributing to conservation

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Read how South Australia's hunters practice 'Practical Conservation'.

Conservation Minister Steve Chadwick last night thanked members of the New Zealand Deerstalkers’ Association (NZDA) for their contribution to conservation.

“Recreational hunters are working with the Department of Conservation (DOC) in a number of ways to advance conservation efforts throughout the country and I would like thank you for the role you play,” Steve Chadwick told members at the NZDA’s Annual Conference and AGM in Rotorua. “I am pleased to hear of the many examples of DOC and hunters working together, such as hunters maintaining huts, collecting litter, controlling weeds, fire-fighting and working on conservation projects.

“DOC also provides hunting information, including advising hunters of new opportunities in the new conservation parks, and has sponsored hunting competitions to encourage recreational hunting on conservation land.” Steve Chadwick told the Conference that she had asked DOC to reduce hunting permit requirements as far as possible within current laws, and that she was working towards reducing the overall legislative requirements. She went on to say she had instructed the Department to ensure that recreational hunting opportunities of tahr are maximised, as well as asking DOC to carry out a review of the use of deer repellent.

Suicides in Japan exceed 30,000 for tenth consecutive year

Over 33,000 people took their lives in Japan last year, the tenth consecutive year in which the 30,000 mark was reached, this despite a government campaign to reduce what is one of the highest suicide rates in the world. The information comes in a report issued by Japan’s National Police Agency on Thursday which showed that 33,093 people killed themselves in Japan in 2007—the second-largest number on record after 34,427 in 2003—mostly because of debt, family problems, depression and other health issues. Increasingly people use pesticides to poison themselves.

The Japanese suicide rate is 24 per 100,000. By contrast, in Australia it is 10.9/100,00, and in the United States 11/100,000, suggesting strongly that suicide has more to do with social factors than the availability of guns.

July 20

US position complicates global efforts on small arms control

Diplomats from the world’s governments met throughout this week on agreements to cut the global illicit trade in small arms, but their work was curtailed in part by the near-boycott of the meetings by the United States. The tone of the meetings underscored the political complexities of gaining full support for international small-arms agreements from the United States. The American view has balanced recognition of the dangers of illegal proliferation with the government’s own arms-distribution practices and with the American gun lobby’s resistance to the United Nations’ proposals.

Three journalists wounded at press conference on gun-control in China

Three journalists have been injured in a shooting accident at a media conference in southwestern China organised to highlight the success of a local gun-control campaign. Official media reports say a police officer dropped one of the weapons while attempting to display them to journalists, and it discharged by accident...

July 19

Heller's Fallout: Decision raises more legal questions than it answers

On June 26, the last day of the 2007-2008 term, the Supreme Court of the United States affirmed a lower-court ruling striking down a 33-year-old handgun ban in the nation's capital. District of Columbia v. Heller was the first Second Amendment case that the court has heard in 70 years and represents the first time the court has ever addressed the question of whether the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to bear arms for private purposes. In a recent interview with NationalJournal.com's Mary Gilbert, Adam Winkler, professor of law at University of California, Los Angeles, discussed the historical context and the practical and political implications of the Heller decision.

England and Wales experience 350 knife assaults a day

Thugs are committing more than 350 knife assaults every

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Public not likely to be convinced by fall in crime figures

day across England and Wales, latest crime figures reveal. Results from the British Crime Survey showed nearly 130,000 attacks took place last year - a figure which does not include those against under-16s. Separate figures recorded by police forces reveal 22,000 serious knife assaults including 231 attempted murders, almost 14,000 robberies and more than 8,000 woundings. Ministers welcomed the annual figures which showed a nine per cent drop in overall crime last year, and claimed the steady downward trend in recent years was the most impressive in modern times - including a 12 per cent fall in all violent crime last year. But they acknowledged serious public concerns over knife crime, following a spate of horrific murders in recent months, many involving young victims in inner city areas. Firearms offences recorded by police rose 2 per cent last year to reach a total of 9,803, while homicides were up three per cent to 784....

Using children for political ends

The death of a child is horrible and painful, and any decent person would do whatever it takes to save that life. How could an organization called the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) possibly have an agenda that could result in more child fatalities?

A recent report by the CDF leads with: 'Firearm Deaths Among Children and Teens Increase for the First Time Since 1994: 3,006 in 2005.' Insisting this ties into the now-defunct Clinton 'assault weapons' ban, CDF says:

According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 3,006 children and teens were killed by firearms in 2005, the first increase since 1994 and the first rise in gun deaths since Congress allowed the Assault Weapons Ban to expire in 2004.

Gun control organizations often insinuate that the assault weapons ban caused a decline in violent crime, but violent crime peaked in 1991 with an overall rate of 758.2 (per 100,000 population), while the murder rate peaked at 9.8. By 1994, when the 'assault weapons' ban went into effect, violent crime dropped 5.9% and murder decreased 8.2%.²

The Children's Defense Fund is correct on one point: The CDC reports that, for persons under age 20, the overall firearms death rate rose 5.8% for the 2004-5 time period. However, other categories saw increases as well: The drowning death rate rose 5.3% and struck by/against rate rose 21.8%. It is also important to note that since 1994, the drowning death rate decreased 19.8% and struck by/against dropped 20.1%, while the firearms death rate declined 52.0%. These data illustrate how one year's data trend may vary from the longer trend. This is why, in response to the preliminary report that crime decreased in 2007 after a two-year increase, an FBI spokesman stated: 'One preliminary report does not make a trend''....

July 18

Gunman and police in shootout on Tapleys Hill Road

Police believe they know the identity of the gunman involved in this morning's police shootout. Just after 6am, the general patrol sergeant from Henley Beach police pulled over the silver blue Ford Falcon sedan for a random check as it travelled along Tapleys Hill Rd at Fulham Gardens. The patrol car and the Falcon both pulled into the Fulham Shopping Centre carpark, off Valetta Rd. Detective Chief Inspector Brian Smith of Port Adelaide CIB said both men got out of their cars and the officer obtained details from the man. But the driver had "returned to his vehicle and pulled a firearm out and levelled it at the officer". The officer backed away behind the patrol car, unholstered his gun and firing two shots towards the offender, one hitting the car....

UPDATED: Initially identified as a handgun, TV reports say the offender's firearm is a sawn-off lever action .22 rifle.

UN Small Arms and Light Weapons Meeting, Day 2

GARY FLEETWOOD (Australia) said that his country had robust regulatory arrangements covering the use of firearms. Legally imported firearms must be marked with a serial number; in the absence of a number, the Government provided one. It was an offence to own firearms with defaced serial numbers. Each territory maintained a registry of firearms, and brokers must advise on all sales and purchases. That data was then submitted each month to a national database, which was managed by the Australian Crime Commission.

He said that the firearms database also contained information about firearms recently located in illicit markets, bringing the total number of recorded weapons to 700,000, in the space of 5 years. It cost AUS$800 to set up. He would be happy to discuss Australia's low-cost implementation of a record-keeping system.

Sharing the best practices gleaned by the country's experience with firearms information management, he said it was important to maintain a good relationship with the firearms industry. Gathering data on historical firearms sales was also helpful. Engaging in the covert marking of firearms was useful as well, since criminals tended to deface firearms' serial numbers, rendering them difficult to trace. Tracing firearms in the law enforcement arena could be different than in the military arena, and he was willing to discuss that issue with interested parties, as well....

Could the Heller case actually help gun control advocates?

Dennis Henigan of the Brady Center has a thoughtful essay up on Cato Unbound, in which he identifies what he calls the "Heller paradox." By shutting the door completely on the nightmare scenario of a total ban on guns, while at the same time declaring less draconian regulations "presumptively lawful," Heller could actually help generate momentum for such laws:

One of the gun lobby’s core arguments against reasonable gun laws is that every new restriction on guns is but a step down the “slippery slope” to gun confiscation and thus is a threat to ordinary gun owners. ... [T]he gun lobby needs the debate to be about banning guns that are commonly used by law-abiding Americans. By erecting a constitutional barrier to a broad gun ban, the Heller ruling may have flattened the gun lobby’s “slippery slope,” making it harder for the NRA to use fear tactics to motivate gun owners to give their time, money and votes in opposing sensible gun laws and the candidates who support those laws. This is especially true since the majority of gun owners support reasonable gun control proposals on their merits. A recent poll shows that 83% of gun owners support closing the “gun show loophole” by extending Brady background checks to private sales at gun shows....

July 17

British citizens get legal right to defend themselves

Home owners and “have-a go-heroes” have for the first time been given the legal right to defend themselves against burglars and muggers free from fear of prosecution. In practice, householders are seldom prosecuted if they harm or even kill an intruder but the Act will give them greater legal protection. They will be able to use force against criminals who break into their homes or attack them in the street without worrying that "heat of the moment” misjudgements could see them brought before the courts. Under new laws police and prosecutors will have to assess a person’s actions based on the person’s situation "as they saw it at the time” even if in hindsight it could be seen as unreasonable. For example, homeowners would be able stab or shoot a burglar if confronted or tackle them and use force to detain them until police arrive. Muggers could be legally punched and beaten in the street or have their own weapons used against them....

Routine traffic stop leads to gun seizure

A routine traffic stop led police to two guns inside a car in the northern suburbs yesterday. Elizabeth patrols stopped a car on Easton Rd, Davoren Park, at about 1.30pm Tuesday. Inside the car, they allegedly found a sawn-off .22 rifle and a semi-automatic handgun along with a container of ammunition in the back of the car....

Australia at the UN small arms and light weapons (SALW) meeting

SARAH PARKER (Australia) said the Programme of Action attached great importance to stockpile management, and the working paper presented earlier made a good “to-do” checklist. For its own part, Australia was actively promoting best practices in the Pacific region, including through simple measures that did not require much financial resources to implement. Such measures might include harmonization of policies among the military, police and collection services. Keeping a good record of weapons serial numbers was another important, low-cost measure that countries could take in managing their stockpiles; another was strict adherence to the two-person rule, whereby no person was authorized to enter an armoury alone, and a third was daily visual inspections of stockpiles.

Among the States of the Pacific region, numerical accounting for weapons was not particularly accurate, she said, adding that small arms “leaks” had the effect of impeding arms reduction and jeopardizing peacebuilding initiatives. Recently, Australia had begun working with Papua New Guinea to develop a defence force weapons standardization programme, under which surplus weapons were identified and destroyed. It was working with the constabulary on gun control and safety efforts, as well as building armouries which would ensure that weapons were securely contained. Similar work was being done in Samoa. Assistance with stockpile management had, to date, been undertaken through bilateral channels, but Australia was open to discussing partnerships with non-governmental organizations. The Australian Government was also interested in discussing the crafting of a protocol on that issue....

14 year-old boy arrested after attempted robbery in Kadina

A teenage boy accused of firing a handgun in an attempted robbery at a Kadina service station has been refused bail. The boy, 14, applied for bail in the Adelaide Youth Court today to live with his mother in an SA country town. However, the court was told home detention bail was not available in SA regional towns and the youth was remanded in custody to reappear in the Adelaide Youth Court next month. He was arrested overnight after allegedly firing one shot during the failed robbery attempted. Nobody was injured....

UPDATE: Unconfirmed reports say the boy, and his father, are known to police and the gun was a sawn-off .22 rifle.

July 16

UN bi-annual meeting on 'small arms and light weapons' (SALW)

High numbers of innocent civilians continued to fall victim to small arms, requiring joint action by all to halt their illegal proliferation, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a message delivered on his behalf today at the opening of the Third Biennial Meeting of States on combating the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.

Since 2003, Member States have gathered every two years to consider the implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects, which was adopted in 2001. The Programme of Action contains a number of measures to control the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, including legislation, destruction of confiscated weapons, and strengthening the ability of States to identify and trace those weapons. The Third Biennial Meeting of States runs from 14 to 18 July.

Bougainville weapons concern PNG government

The build up of small and light weapons in Papua New Guinea's autonomous island of Bougainville has raised some concerns for the national government. The PNG Justice Minister Dr Allan Marat raised the issue with his Commonwealth colleagues during a meeting in Edinburgh....

July 15

'Fearful' Star Group shot Mark Temple Deane-Johns five times

STAR Group police officers shot a man five times during a siege three years ago because they feared for their lives, the District Court has heard. Mark Temple Deane-Johns was seriously wounded when shot in the chest outside his house on Yarmouth Rd at Dover Gardens in October 2005. Deane-Johns, 34, has pleaded not guilty to threatening the lives of four STAR Group officers and to a charge of possessing a prescribed firearm. Prosecutor Emma Wildman told the jury that police went to Deane-Johns' home after reports he was in possession of a gun....

The fallacy of gun control

One of the gun grabbers' favorite "common sense" gun control measures is gun registration. As with other gun control schemes, the anti-gun crowd never considers whether or not the particular "common sense" law actually does anything constructive. In actuality, the "common sense" gun laws are grossly deficient in common sense. What contribution did the registration of handguns make to: Solving crimes; Denying guns to criminals; Reducing violent crime; Keeping guns off the street; Public safety?....

Children carrying toy guns could be at risk say Scottish police

Children as young as 12 are carrying more elaborate imitation firearms in school bags and more young girls are being reported with the guns believing they are a "cool" accessory, according to a survey by Scotland's biggest police force. Strathclyde police is now advising parents they should not allow children in the street with any kind of gun, no matter how harmless they think it might be.

Youngsters carrying even toy guns could be risking their lives, the force warns. The dangers were highlighted by Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill yesterday as he urged parents to hand over replica weapons or airguns if they found their children with them. Joining police to raise awareness of the problem, he said: "The age of those possessing and using them is frightening. Not simply for the danger they pose to others but the danger they pose to themselves. "They face not only the consequences if they use it, but also perhaps being shot by an armed forces officer who has to protect our communities."....

July 14

Is buying a gun a suicidal act?

Gun control advocates say that people who buy guns are inviting a bloody death by suicide. "If you bought a gun today, I could tell you the risk of suicide to you and your family members is going to be two to tenfold higher over the next 20 years," Matthew Miller, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, told the Washington Post

It's a rich irony - as though smoke alarms were increasing fire fatalities. But the argument raises two questions: Is it true? And, when it comes to gun control policy, does it matter? But the claims about guns and suicide don't stand up well to scrutiny. A report by the National Academy of Sciences was doubtful noting that the alleged association is small and may be illusory....

Shooting may be linked to home invasion

A man has been charged over the death of a 48-year-old man who was shot in the stomach and found on a Geraldton street yesterday morning. Police said the victim was shot after his Holden Commodore crashed into a Subaru in Green St, Spalding at about 3.30am yesterday. Minutes earlier, police had received a report of a home invasion in nearby Pollett St - just 100m from where the dying man was discovered slumped on the roadside. Police said the man appeared to have sustained a single gunshot wound to the stomach. He was rushed to Geraldton Hospital by paramedics but died on the way. Inspector Kim Travers yesterday said police had not yet established a conclusive motive and were investigating several "lines of inquiry''. She said it appeared the people at the two crime scenes were known to each other. "He (the deceased man) was identified by police. He is known to police and we were able to identify him,'' she said....

July 13

Five stabbings in one day: 'Shock tactics' to combat knife crime

UK Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is to unveil plans to shock young people who carry knives into a greater awareness of the impact of stabbing on victims. Her proposals include visits to hospitals where people are being treated for knife wounds. The measures form part of the government's response to a spate of knife attacks. A man in his 30s was stabbed to death at a pub in Bolton in the early hours of Sunday morning.

On Thursday, four men were stabbed to death in London and a

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Action pledged on knife crime after five killed in one day

fifth died after a knife attack in West Bromwich. On Friday a 16-year-old youth was found guilty of murdering schoolboy Martin Dinnegan, 14, who was stabbed near his home in Holloway, north London in June last year. Mrs Smith's proposals will see young people caught carrying knives being made to go to accident and emergency wards, to see for themselves the consequences of stabbings....

STAR Group draw blank after reported rifle threat

Police spent more than four hours staking out a house in Elizabeth North this morning, after a neighbour claimed to have had a rifle pointed at his face. Police STAR Group officers cordoned off the area but no-one was home at the address....

Police shoot at suspects during chase

Shots were fired by police at two men after an alleged armed robbery in Sydney. Cigarettes and a sum of cash were stolen in an armed holdup at a St Peters service station at about 1.30 am this morning before the robbers fled the scene the scene in a stolen Peugeot sedan. During a subsequent foot chase, police fired two rounds after one of the men allegedly pointed a firearm at officers....

July 12

The politics of gun control

The ballyhoo over the (US) Supreme Court's recent decision that declared Washington DC's handgun ban unconstitutional, and therefore implied the same for Chicago, didn't last through the holiday. Unfortunately, neither did five poor souls who fell victim to gun violence in downtown Chicago during the long weekend. “Why should our streets be open to someone carrying a gun?” Daley remarked after the Supreme Court handed down the ruling. “Do [people] have a right to carry a gun on the CTA?” Daley's theatric rant blamed the rich and the powerful for protecting themselves but not the poor. “Those who are rich always feel safe ... those who are in power always feel safe.” But after the violence this past weekend, Daley must face a stubborn fact: handgun bans don't actually prevent people from committing violence with hand guns. Handguns are illegal in Chicago, and yet on July 4th, four people were shot by handguns as they walked home from the fireworks display in Grant Park. Moreover, it is entirely likely these hand guns were brought to the fireworks show on CTA transportation. Fitting isn't it....

Pensioner arrested for chasing a gang of 'yobs' with a plank

Sydney Davis, a 65 year-old pensioner who used a piece of wood to chase away a gang of teenagers that had been throwing stones at his home is facing a jail term after being arrested and charged with possessing an offensive weapon. Police took two hours to respond to his 999 call and when they did finally arrive they arrested him while allowing the gang to run to safety.

Mr Davis, whose windows have been smashed five times in the last eight months, branded the law "a colossal ass". "This is Britain gone mad. Just what in the world is this country coming to when the police arrest people like me for protecting their own property? The police say they want to reduce crime, yet they let evil little toe-rags like this off. Then they prosecute hard-working, upstanding residents like me," he said. There is simply no way we can shake off this problem of 'Yob Britain' if the legal system fails to protect the everyday person"....

July 11

'Guns and Health'

The Supreme Court has launched the country on a risky epidemiologic experiment. The announcement by the Court last month of its decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, which struck down a ban on handgun ownership in the nation’s capital, has set the stage for legal challenges to gun regulation in other major American cities. Such challenges have already been introduced in Chicago and San Francisco. If there is a widespread loosening of gun regulations, we will learn over the next few years — in a before-and-after experiment — whether the laws we had in place had a significant impact in mitigating death and injury from handguns. In our opinion, there is little reason to expect an optimistic result; research has shown and logic would dictate that fewer restrictions on handguns will result in a substantial increase in injury and death....

July 10

British government relaxes firearms law ahead of 2012 Olympics

The British government has relaxed gun laws to allow shooting teams to prepare for the 2012 London Olympics. Britain banned handguns in 1997 after the massacre of 16 children and a teacher at a primary school in Dunblane, Scotland. The law includes a ban on guns for licensed sports, preventing domestic pistol events. But home secretary Jacqui Smith has invoked special exemptions in England and Wales. A similar exemption allowed pistols to come into Britain for the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. "(Smith) has agreed to use her powers under section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968 to allow a small squad of elite GB Olympic pistol shooters to train in this country ahead of the Olympics in 2012," Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe said in a written parliamentary answer. "Scottish ministers have agreed, in principle, to exercise their powers in a similar manner."....

US names team for 23rd World M-L Championships at Monarto

The United States International Muzzle-Loading Committee has announced its selections for the 2008 U.S. International Muzzle-Loading Team (USIMLT) that will represent the United States at the 23rd World Muzzle-Loading Championships to be held in Adelaide, Australia, 11-15 August 2008. The World Muzzle-Loading Championships, held under the auspices of the Muzzle-Loading Associations International Committee (MLAIC) since 1972, is the highest level of competition with muzzle-loading firearms. Thirty-two nations are either full or corresponding members of the MLAIC, and the only continent not represented in the MLAIC is Antarctica....

Gun control's newest champion – Disney

Gun control advocates are reeling after the Supreme Court struck down a 32-year-old D.C. handgun ban, essentially handing a victory banner to the NRA. But now there’s cause to take heart: Disney’s got your back, thanks to a technological loophole. While Florida recently enacted a law allowing residents with proper permits to keep guns locked in their cars at work, the state’s biggest corporate juggernaut has announced plans to exempt its 60,000 employees from the law. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the company has turned up its nose at lawmakers, circulating an internal memo advising employees that bringing unauthorized guns onto Disney property was grounds for termination....

July 9

Peer review: without specific knowledge, it may mean 'I like his conclusion'

The subject of "peer review" is covered in David Hardy's blog, "Of Arms and The Law". As the career of Mr. Bellesiles suggests, peer review doesn't prevent little things like wholesale invention of evidence or gross misreading of authorities. I suspect that, unless the peers have a lot of specific expertise in the subject, to where they know the evidence by heart, it's a bit more like "I like his conclusion."....

July 8

Drink and the internet blamed for rise in youth crime

A combination of alcohol abuse and the impact of websites such as Facebook and YouTube has generated behavioural changes that are at the heart of spiralling rates of youth crime. Analyses of police crime statistics from four states, will be presented at a conference in Brisbane tomorrow.

They show that the number of violent crimes committed by offenders aged between 10 and 19 in the four states -- NSW, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia -- rose from 17,944 in 1996-97 to 23,382 in 2005-06. Violent crimes were listed as homicide, assault, sexual offences, robbery and extortion. The proportion of violent young offenders who were female rose from 23 per cent to 26 per cent in the same period, and from 30 per cent to 37 per cent for those aged between 10 and 14....

Knife crime becomes top priority for London police

Knife crime has replaced terrorism as the police's highest priority, Scotland Yard said yesterday after six people were stabbed to death in just five days. The change was revealed by Deputy Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson as Shakilus Townsend became the 18th teenager to die on the capital's streets this year. Police believe the stabbing was gang-related. One police source told The Independent that youths were starting to wearing red bandannas, signifying that they had "blooded" their first victim. There are believed to be more than 250 gangs in the capital; violence can be triggered by someone being in the wrong postcode. Sir Paul said a 75-strong task force would be deployed to worst-affected areas with immediate effect, on a code "Blunt 2". "These measures reflect that tackling knife crime is the number one priority for the Met at this time." He added: "Sadly, in recent days, more young people have lost their lives to knife crime. This is not tolerable and clearly the message is not getting through."....

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July 7

Oxfam America quits arms control program

Less than two weeks to the third (conference) of the United Nations Biennial on small arms 14-18 July in New York, Oxfam America has ended its collaboration with the West African movement against small arms in the fight against the circulation of the small arms and light weapons (SALWs) in West Africa. The announcement was made by the executive director of the movement, Georges Ndiaye, at a workshop on the June2007/June 2008 review programme of its organisation (sic), held on Wednesday in Dakar, Senegal. After a year-long collaboration with the movement in the suppression of small arms and light weapons, advocacy for the drafting of an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) and ratification of the ECOWAS Convention, Oxfam is puling out for extractive industry financing, the movement's deputy Executive Director, Khoudia Diop, said....

Police marksman dubbed 'serial killer' gets compensation

A police marksman, who has shot dead several armed gunmen, has been awarded £5,000 in damages after a senior Scotland Yard officer jokingly called him a "serial killer". The payout came despite the fact that the officer from the crack SO19 firearms unit already had the accepted nickname "Killer" because of his shooting prowess. He has killed several people to end armed sieges.

But he took umbrage after Commander Sue Akers, who leads the Metropolitan Police fight against gun crime, made the comment at a social function. Akers, who is famous for helping Dame Helen Mirren prepare for her role in television drama Prime Suspect, made a formal apology to the unnamed officer when it became clear he was unhappy at the remark. He decided to take further action because it had been said in public. It is believed that the payout was hushed up to prevent knowledge of his real nickname coming out....

Gun control has failed in 'lawless and anti-social' Britain

Draconian gun control has achieved nothing but more liberal drinking laws have made alcoholism and drink-related crime figures escalate. Young girls, covered in vomit and unconscious in the street, are common at weekends and the enormous number of police cameras all over the United Kingdom record inebriated youths fighting and vandalizing to such a degree that the authorities are largely powerless to intervene.

But if booze and simple nastiness are some of the causes, they do not explain why a relatively privileged class of young people has become so lawless and anti-social. The genuine reasons concern massive societal and family breakdown. Marriage has now become as old-fashioned as a BBC costume drama, with the number for illegitimate births, single and teen mothers and the rate of promiscuity greater than any other country in Europe and one of the highest in the world....

July 5

Crowd shooting officers suspended

France has suspended five officers and two units from a barracks in the southwestern city of Carcassonne where 17 civilians suffered gunshot wounds in a botched open-day display, the defence ministry said. Among the officers are the former commander of the Third Marine Parachute Regiment, who resigned his commission days before the drama, his deputy and an officer in charge of maintenance and logistics.

The chief of staff of the French army, Bruno Cuche, resigned Tuesday over the incident, amid reports he had been stung into leaving by fierce criticism from President Nicolas Sarkozy. The 28-year-old sergeant who fired live ammunition held over from a previous exercise instead of blanks was suspended and charged Tuesday with breaching security regulations and causing "unintentional injuries"....

Another London teenager stabbed to death

A 16-year-old boy has died after being stabbed in a London street, the 18th teenager to be murdered in the capital this year. The victim, who has not been named, died in hospital overnight after the attack in Thornton Heath, south London, yesterday afternoon. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the teenager was stabbed during a fight. No more details were released. Police believe they know the victim's identity but will not release his name until all his family has been informed. His killing follows a spate of murders of teenagers in the capital this year....

WW2 rifle, inert grenades seized by Customs investigators

WW2 semi-automatic carbine and hand grenades have been seized by Customs at a house in Melbourne. A 46-year-old man from the suburb of Skye is expected to be charged following the seizure of the .30 calibre M1 carbine. Other military memorabilia including two inert and one replica hand grenades were also seized by Customs investigators. Customs was initially alerted to the haul on June 15 when investigators at Melbourne's international mail centre discovered a rifle barrel for an M1 carbine sent from the US...

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July 4

Tougher firearms laws passed in ACT

The Firearms Amendment Act will make it more difficult to obtain gun licences and increases penalties for firearms offences. Attorney-General Simon Corbell said the laws aim to prevent organised crime from obtaining weapons or becoming involved in gun dealerships. The laws create new offences for defacing serial numbers and give police greater powers to ensure gun owners stick to the conditions of their licences. They also impose tougher sentences on people convicted of gun offences. Owning a prohibited firearm, an offence which previously led to six months' jail, will now carry a 10-year sentence. People who apply for a gun licence will also have to provide 100 points of identification, including a driver's licence and rental agreements. The laws have been criticised by gun dealers who say they impose overly strict regulation on legitimate gun owners....

Man in siege at Seaton is 'known to police'

A man held police and Seaton residents at bay for almost five hours after allegedly arming himself with a firearm and refusing to come down off the roof of a house. The siege started at about 4.40am when a Seaton resident called police after a man was seen standing in a driveway armed with a gun. He was confronted by the resident but police said no threats were made and the offender quickly left. Superintendent Anthony Fioravanti said the man was eventually cornered on Cardiff St. "He was located on top of house roofs, jumped over two to three roofs and was cornered on one house roof," he said.

The man refused to come down off an adjoining carpark and local residents were forced to stay inside their homes. "Negotiations then commenced," Supt Fioravanti said. A team of four negotiators managed to convince the man to throw down the firearm as STAR Group officers surrounded the house. "At this stage we are unable to determine if it is a real firearm or a replica," Supt Fioravanti said.....

Audit faults Police Dept. for losing track of guns

Nearly one out of three handguns and rifles that had been turned in to the police could not be immediately accounted for in a Manhattan property clerk’s office, according to a city audit released on Tuesday that criticized the Police Department’s storage procedures. The audit, conducted by the office of William C. Thompson Jr., the city comptroller, examined the records of 324 weapons chosen at random out of thousands in storage in the Manhattan property division. Ninety-four of them could not be immediately found in their assigned storage areas.

After the initial search, it was determined that 70 of the 94 weapons had been returned to their owners or destroyed, Mr. Thompson said, while 24 “miraculously” turned up on shelves from where they had previously been missing after several attempts to find them. “At no time were we given a satisfactory explanation about where the firearms had been, how they had been located or how they had been returned to the same spot that the auditors and the property clerk staff had checked on at earlier dates,” Mr. Thompson said....

July 3

Roland Browne on the NSW Firearms Act amendments

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New gun laws have been introduced in the New South Wales Parliament that could unravel the strict measures brought in after the Port Arthur Massacre. The bill introduced by the Shooters Party removes the four week waiting period for people who want to buy a second gun. 2SER’s Glyn Cryer spoke to Roland Browne from the National Coalition for Gun Control....

Rabbit numbers building again

A rabbit control group says there is a risk rabbit populations could be on the rise. It's believed more rascally rabbits are building up immunity to rabbit haemorrhagic disease RHD, the disease previously responsible for controlling rabbits. David Lord is chairman of the rabbit management advisory group and is worried a plague may not be far away.....
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July 2

NRA plans $40M blitz on targeting Obama

The National Rifle Association plans to spend about $40 million on this year’s campaign, with $15 million of that devoted to portraying Barack Obama as a threat to the Second Amendment rights upheld last week by the Supreme Court. “Our members understand that if Barack Obama is elected president, and he has support in the Senate to confirm anti-gun Supreme Court nominees, [the District of Columbia v. Heller decision] could be taken away from us in the future,” said NRA's Chris Cox. “We look forward to showing him ‘bitter,’” Cox said, referring to Obama’s statement this spring that some in rural America “cling” to guns and religion out of bitterness.

The politically powerful gun rights group will split its message efforts between communicating with its 4 million members and the tens of millions more firearms owners across the country. This fall, NRA members will get automated phone calls, mail pieces and pre-election editions of the group’s three magazines making the case against Obama. More broadly, the group will use an independent expenditure effort to hammer the Democratic nominee via TV, radio and newspaper ads in some of about 15 battleground states in the Midwest and Mountain West....

July 1

The Advertiser: Today's editorial calls for tighter gun laws

"While most gun dealers are scrupulously honest, it is also possible to obtain weapons on the black market. One dealer appeared last week in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on charges of possessing illegal gun parts. The case has yet to be heard and the dealer has not entered a plea, but it is alleged he tried to sell gun accessories, including silencers, on the internet. We pass no judgment on this case but it is illustrative of possible activity in the broader gun trade in South Australia...."