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New Study Shows Importance of Getting the Facts Straight on Guns and Violence, Experts Say; Experts Available to Comment
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"Public health experts applauded 'Firearms and Violence,' a report released today by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). The report is a ringing endorsement of the public health approach to gun violence and a call to action for improving our nation's data and research on firearms." ...

"The NAS report calls for a major national effort to improve knowledge about firearms, including:

-- Giving researchers access to trace data, registration data, and manufacturing and sales data from firearm manufactures;

-- Collecting information on gun ownership and use - citing the inadequancy of this data as a critical barrier to understanding gun violence; and

-- Maintaining basic data collection systems on crime and violent death, such as the National Violent Death Reporting System and the National Incident-Based Reporting System."

Data found lacking on effects of gun control efforts
Submitted by: Michael Lewis

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"A new analysis of efforts to control violence by restricting guns says there is not enough evidence to reach valid conclusions about their effectiveness."

"The National Research Council said Thursday that a major research program on firearms is needed." ...

"Among the major questions needing answers are whether there should be restrictions on who may possess firearms, on the number or types of guns that can be purchased, and whether safety locks should be required, said Wellford, professor of criminal justice at the University of Maryland."

National Research Council Report Describes Clear Need for Information; Congress Systematically Blocking Data That Could Bring Gun Violence Solutions
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"A blue ribbon panel of scientists and scholars of the National Research Council today concluded a three-year-long review of data on gun violence in America, issuing a report that called for research to close enormous gaps in the knowledge base for making sound gun policy decisions."

"Unfortunately, the Federal government has been moving in the precise opposite direction. Congress has shut down sources of gun violence data and favors giving gun companies immunity from facing discovery in the courts."

SAF Blasts Proposed San Francisco Handgun Ban: 'We Beat That In 1982'
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"Calling it an 'ill-considered return visit of anti-gun bigotry,' the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) today blasted plans to put a handgun ban on the November 2005 ballot in San Francisco, Calif. reminding proponents of the measure that such a ban was declared illegal when first tried in 1982." ...

"In late June 1982, then-Mayor Dianne Feinstein pushed through a handgun ban in San Francisco that lasted only three months before it was overturned by the California State Court of Appeals. Twenty days after the ban was enacted, SAF took Feinstein and the city to court, ultimately beating the ban on Oct. 30 of that year. The city appealed that decision to the California Supreme Court, which allowed the Appeals Court ruling to stand in January 1983."

William Murchison: Praise the Lord, Pass the ammo
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Ive never quite fathomed the passion for guns that seems to inhabit Texas hearts, among so many others. The Second Amendment I support on principle, and on account of the dislike it excites on the part of people who seem to think of government regulation as the answer to all perils and vexations. Does a house full of rifles and so on guarantee your safety from unknown others who would take away your liberties at the drop of a hat? Do they reinforce sentiments of patriotism and self-sufficiency? I think they might, but I really wouldnt know. I havent a gun to my name or any plans to buy one. ..."

"You know what, though? I maintain now, as I have always maintained, that if you want to buy a gun, or a whole bunch of guns, thats your thing, not mine; not to mention your constitutional right. Its so red state! Thats what the blue-staters never will get..."

CA: San Francisco supervisors propose sweeping gun ban
Submitted by: Larry E. Bigham

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"San Francisco supervisors want voters to approve a sweeping handgun ban that would prohibit almost everyone except law enforcement officers, security guards and military members from possessing firearms in the city."

"The measure, which will appear on the municipal ballot next year, would bar residents from keeping guns in their homes or businesses, Bill Barnes, an aide to Supervisor Chris Daly, said Wednesday. It would also prohibit the sale, manufacturing and distribution of handguns and ammunition in San Francisco, as well as the transfer of gun licenses."

"Barnes said the initiative is a response to San Francisco's skyrocketing homicide rate, as well as other social ills. There have been 86 murders in the city so far this year compared to 70 in all of 2003."

AZ: Trail-shooting indictment attacked
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft
Website: http://home.comcast.net/~bruce.krafft/

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"If the grand jury had been presented the facts in a fair and impartial way, they would not have indicted Harold A. Fish for second-degree murder in connection with the May 11 shooting of a man at a trailhead north of Payson, says the defense."

"As it was, only 10 of 15 jurors voted to indict -- just one more than the minimum. So, Fish has formally requested the case be sent back to the grand jury."

"According to a motion prepared by Fish's attorney, A. Melvin McDonald, 'The remand motion is triggered as a result of multiple instances of grossly misleading testimony by the state's lead witnesses, and several instances of serious prosecutorial misconduct arising from the presentation of known misleading information intended to deny the defendant a fair and objective grand jury hearing.' "

MI: Both sides armed to the teeth in gun burglaries Submitted by: Newslinks Admin	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
"Of all the people who you'd expect to carry a concealed weapon, gun shop owners would top the list, right?" "Not necessarily, but some of them say they are packing heat now." "Local gun shops have become the targets of thieves so brazen that they have some store owners worried about what will come next."

NH: Clerks To Wear Guns In Wake Of Adult-Store Thefts
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"Employees of an adult store in Portsmouth are arming themselves with guns after two armed robberies in the area targeted adult stores."

"Police said it's unclear whether the robberies were related, but employees at Moonlight Reader said they will begin carrying guns to deter would-be thieves." ...

"According to New Hampshire law, carrying a gun is legal as long as it's not concealed. Legal or not, police said they are concerned about citizens potentially taking the law into their own hands."

" 'We don't want gun battles in the street over this,' Lt. Tim Brownell said. 'It's better if the employee and everyone else give up the money.' "

NY: Eastside Homeowner Shoots Intruder
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft
Website: http://home.comcast.net/~bruce.krafft/

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"Police say it appears to be a straight forward case of self defense that ended with a robber fighting for his life."

"Investigators say around 8:30 Wednesday night two armed robbers busted into the side door of a home on Best Street in Buffalo's east side. The homeowner, a man in his 40s, was eating dinner at his kitchen table, according to relatives. Turns out he also had a gun and fired at the two men. Police say he struck at least one of them."

"The robbers ran out of the house, say police, and the man who was shot collapsed around the corner on Meyers Street. He was taken to Erie County Medical Center where he is in critical condition, say police. The other robber escaped." ...

WI: Clerk chased off attacker after robbery, police say
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"A store clerk who was hit over the head with a bottle and robbed Tuesday pulled a handgun from behind the register and chased off his attacker, Milwaukee police said." ...

"According to Harris, the robber stole money from the cash register and grabbed the victim's car keys. As the robber went to get into the car, the clerk grabbed a gun, ran outside and confronted his attacker, who then ran. ..."

UK: Combating burglars
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft
Website: http://home.comcast.net/~bruce.krafft/

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FULL TEXT BELOW:

From Mr Frank Greaney

Sir, Calls for legislation allowing householders to take appropriate action in dealing with burglars (letters, December 11) are misplaced and unnecessary. Existing legislation is more than adequate. Such knee-jerk law-making is reminiscent of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, which turned out to be an unmitigated disaster. As a police officer at the time, I had great difficulty in confidently identifying a pit bull terrier or, for that matter, a Japanese tosa.

The current law on self-defence is clear and unambiguous.

Yours faithfully,
FRANK GREANEY,
145 Lonsdale Road, Formby L37 3HF.
fgreaney@aol.com
December 13.

Jamaica: Rid the community of guns, Phillips urges Grants Pen residents
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"NATIONAL Security Minister Peter Phillips, while hailing the reduction of violent crimes in the Grants Pen community in Kingston, yesterday pleaded to residents to move towards ridding their community of guns and ammunition in order to maintain peace in the area." ...

"Michael Lee-Chin, whose National Commercial Bank has donated $50 million towards the Grants Pen project, yesterday called for a concerted effort to break the back of crime which, he said, has been holding the country back. ..."

OH: The False Hope of Gun-Free Zones
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"Past instances of mass shootings, and common sense, teach us that when a victim resists with a firearm the violence ends quickly. Arguments claiming armed intervention by citizens leads to higher death tolls do not stand up to scrutiny. Death tolls are demonstrably higher when victims are unable to fight back as compared to cases where an armed victim resists."

"It's time to ask how many more people must needlessly die before gun control activists and legislators realize that disarming law-abiding citizens leaves them easy prey to criminals. The recent massacre at a Columbus, Ohio nightclub proves yet again that so-called gun free zones only benefit criminals."

UK: Mayor joins campaign to have fake guns banned
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"PARENTS at a primary school this week came out in force to rid our streets of imitation firearms, and Waltham Forest Mayor Michael Lewis has signed up to our Guns R4 Losers campaign."

"At least 200 signatures have so far been collected by children and teachers at Wellington Primary School, Chingford."

"Kim Adams, head teacher of the school in Wellington Aveune, said rumours were rife that pellet guns were being sold to children in parts of Chingford."

"The Guardian's campaign was launched after we were able to buy a realistic looking toy gun from a stall in Walthamstow Market."

VA: Capitol weapons measure panned
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"Gun-rights advocates want to change a new state regulation approved by senior Virginia lawmakers without fanfare that bars anyone without a concealed-weapons permit from openly carrying weapons into the state Capitol in Richmond."

"The restriction, approved by the Joint Rules Committee earlier this spring, went unnoticed by many for months because the measure was not subject to a vote by the full legislature."

"Advocates such as the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) yesterday called the committee's action a "stealth" change that could lead to a restriction of Second Amendment rights in local jurisdictions such as Fairfax County."

Trinidad & Tobago: Three run from bar owner's gun
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"WHEN three intoxicated customers at a bar began flirting with the waitress, she did not take kindly to their advances. Enraged, she reported the incident to the bar owner."

"He became even more incensed than she, pulled out his licensed gun and began shooting in the direction of the three inebriated patrons."

"They trio ran screaming from the bar with the owner on their trail, eyewitnesses told police." ...

"Oropouche Police visited the bar yesterday and questioned a man and a waitress. No charges had been laid up to late yesterday evening."

ID: Burglar makes off with cop's badge, gun
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"A burglar broke into a police officer's home Tuesday, making off with a Twin Falls Police Department-issued gun and badge, as well as approximately $500 worth of personal items."

"No one was home at the time of the theft, said Staff Sgt. Matt Hicks, adding that he wasn't sure if the burglar knew whose house he or she was breaking into."

"They rooted through the entertainment center, the bedroom closet... (The officer) had a little safe with his weapon and his shield. They took the whole safe."

IL: School takes action after gun found in student's locker
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"This afternoon's basketball game at Dirksen Middle School will be closed to spectators after a student brought a gun to the Calumet City school last week, school and police officials acknowledged."

"The publicly closed basketball game follows the cancellation of all after-school activities this week."

"School officials found a gun in an eighth-grade student's locker Friday afternoon after receiving an anonymous call from a parent, according to police and a letter sent home to parents Monday afternoon."

"The 13-year-old faces one count of unlawful use of a weapon after allegedly bringing a handgun to school Friday, Police Chief Patrick O'Meara said."

KY: Gun manufacturer donates $200,000 for Patton Museum upgrade
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"The Patton Museum Foundation received a $200,000 donation Wednesday to go into its general fund for expansion and renovation of the museum."

"Gaston Glock, president of gun manufacturer Glock Inc., presented a check to retired Maj. Gen. Richard D. Chegar, president of the Board of Trustees for the Patton Museum Foundation, at a ceremony in Abrams Auditorium."

"Fort Knox commanding general Maj. Gen. Terry Tucker and museum director Frank Jardim were on hand to represent the post and the museum."

MA: Air marshal loses badge, ID, gun license in bar
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FULL TEXT BELOW:

A federal air marshal reported his badge, gun license and government-issued cell phone were lifted at the Olde Magoun's Saloon Sunday.

The marshal, whose name was not released by Somerville Police, said several other items of his were stolen while he was at the saloon at 518 Medford St. at 10:25 p.m., including his wallet, credit cards, keys and identification, police record stated.

Federal air marshals respond to criminal incidents on U.S. air carriers and are authorized to carry firearms, according to the Federal Aviation Administration Web site.

CA: Student Who Brought Gun to School Pleads No Contest to Charges
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"A student who brought a shotgun to Sacramento's Rio Cazadero High School and held a teacher and several fellow students hostage has pleaded no contest to six felony charges."

"Mario Michael Rodriguez, then 19, brought a 12-gauge shotgun and a replica handgun to school shortly before 9 a.m. on October 1, 2003. He entered a classroom and held a teacher and several students at gunpoint. Shortly thereafter, Rodriguez was confronted by vice principal L.C. Browne. The two struggled over the gun and ended up outside the classroom."

Australia: Club that won't lay down arms
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Tenterfield Rifle Club is proof that you cannot keep a good club down."

"A small but dedicated group of shooters has been working away quietly making the necessary changes at Tenterfield Rifle Club to keep the 100 year old tradition alive."

"Things had been quiet out at the rifle range since the Manager of the Firearms Registry, Barney Jenkins, closed it to high velocity and bore rifle shooting in early 2004."

MT: Three basic rules ensure gun safety
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"Missoula Police are still investigating the unintentional wounding of one of its officers by a police shooting instructor during a training session in late October, but it doesn't appear there's much mystery. Unintentional shootings resulting in deaths or injuries always stem from failure to follow the three fundamental rules of firearm safety:"

"Treat every gun as loaded."

"Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction."

"Be sure of your target and what's beyond."

NY: Man Killed and Detective Wounded in Bronx Gun Battle
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"A gunfight in an apartment building in the Bronx yesterday left a man dead and the detective who shot him to death wounded, the police said."

"The detective, Romeo Baloy, 42, was driving on White Plains Road in the Wakefield section around 2:30 p.m. when he saw a gun in the back pocket or waistband of a man walking along the street, Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said. Detective Baloy followed the man, identified as Gayle Duran, 19, inside the apartment building, and a gunfight ensued on a second-floor landing, the police said."

"Detective Baloy, who was shot in the hand and thigh, was treated at Our Lady of Mercy Hospital in the Bronx. ..."

OK: Texoma Supt. Reacts to OK AG's Opinion on Guns
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"Earlier this week, Oklahomas Attorney General - Drew Edmondson - issued a legal opinion about allowing guns on school property. KTENS Emily Graham spoke with Durant's superintendent of schools about Edmondson's opinion."

"These words from Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson are just opinions. He says people might be allowed to carry guns onto school and prison property, in certain situations some might say are not merited."

"Edmondson says schools can't prohibit a person from carrying a gun or knife used for hunting or fishing if it's displayed in a car used to drive the student to and from school."

NY: In New York, Old-School Officers Swear By the Vanishing .38
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"Roughly 19 out of 20 officers in the New York City Police Department carry the semiautomatic pistols that have been standard issue for 11 years, a boxy handful of steel and polymer as clean and smooth as many of their young faces."

"This story is not about them. It's about the 1 in 20, and the old, heavy piece parked on that officer's hip like a jalopy at the top of the driveway. Wow, people say - look at that thing. Does it work?"

NH: Gun owners financially back yearbook lawsuit
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Last story on the page:

"High school senior Blake Douglass, an avid skeet and trap shooter, has won moral and financial support from gun shops across the state in his federal lawsuit to let his yearbook portrait show him in a trapshooting vest, holding his broken open shotgun over his shoulder."

"The school banned that photo from the senior portrait section as inappropriate, but offered to print it in a newly created community sports section as part of a collage. Douglass and his parents said no."

"School board chairman Anne Jacoby said officials suggested that compromise out of respect for the passion Douglass has for his sport." ...

"Penny Dean, the plaintiff's lawyer, said she won a grant last week from the Gun Owners of America. The national group asked her not to reveal the size of its contribution." ...

"Gun Owners executive director Larry Pratt confirmed the grant, and said it serves as a reality check for school officials so politically correct they think the word 'gun' is taboo in polite society."

OR: Airport gun incidents investigated
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"The government is investigating allegations that federal Transportation Security Administration employees brought firearms to work at the Medford airport on three occasions, once when President Bush visited in October."

"Moreover, two airport employees say they were disciplined for reporting one of the incidents. One worker was fired and the other remains on administrative leave, the Mail Tribune newspaper reported in its Thursday editions."

"The incidents are the latest in a string of problems with security personnel at the airport. Two guards hired by the airport were fired this year after they were found napping. Another worker was arrested after stealing a computer from the lost and found."

FL: Man dies after stun-gun shot Submitted by: Newslinks Admin	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
"A 36-year-old man died Wednesday night after a Hollywood police officer shot him with a Taser gun, police said." "The man, who was not identified, was pronounced dead at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, police Capt. Tony Rode said. Rode said he did not know whether the shock from the electronic weapon contributed to the man's death, but an autopsy would be conducted."

UK: Pair Held after Gun Attack Submitted by: Newslinks Admin	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
"Two people were arrested in Northern Ireland today following a gun attack on a house." "The 24-year-old man and male juvenile were detained in Craigavon, Co Armagh, a few hours after three people escaped injury when an address in the town was targeted."

NJ: Shots fired at Bayonne range prove smart gun technology works
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"Sixty people crowded last week into a small room at the Bayonne police firing range to witness smart gun technology. Donald B. Sebastian, senior vice president of research and development at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), stood near an oversized screen displaying a real-time video of an NJIT policeman shooting an experimental handgun in an adjacent indoor range. Although there was no applause as shots rang out, the action demonstrated that smart gun knew friend from foe."

"Twenty electronic computerized sensors embedded in the gun's grip distinguished known from unknown users. 'We've only just begun and we're pleased to say that we're getting 90 percent reliability when scanning users,' said Sebastian."

Australia: Gun amnesty deadline triggers reminder Submitted by: Newslinks Admin	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
"Illegal firearm owners have just two weeks left to surrender their weapons under the Queensland Government's firearms amnesty." "The amnesty finishes on December 31 and allows people to give up their firearms without penalty." "The Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier in north Queensland, Lindy Nelson-Carr, says there are no excuses not to comply."

IA: AHS student disciplined for pellet gun on grounds
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"An unidentified Algona High student received disciplinary action for bringing a pellet gun to school and showing it to his friends over the weekend."

"Algona Community Schools Superintendent Harold Prior said the student reportedly found a plastic 'powerline' CO2-powered pellet gun at a friend's house and brought it to AHS late Saturday afternoon to show it to two friends who are student maintenance workers at the school."

PA: Woman Shot In Head By Hunter Speaks Out
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"Casey Burns was 7-months pregnant when she became the accidental target of a hunter last month."

"As Burns recovers at home, she has two tough roles ahead of her -- becoming a first-time mother in February and becoming a crusader for stricter gun laws." ...

"On Wednesday, Burns' family handed Whitehall Township supervisors a petition with more than 700 signatures. The petition asks the township to limit the types of weapons hunters can use in a residential area."

IN: Student accused of gun threat allegedly references Valparaiso slashing
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"The Wheeler High School student accused of threatening to bring a gun to school allegedly referenced the Nov. 24 Valparaiso High School attack, where a freshman allegedly smuggled a machete and a tree saw into the school and slashed five of his classmates, according to Union Township Superintendent E. Ric Frataccia."

"The Wheeler High School senior allegedly stated that if 'the slasher wanted to hurt people, he should have used a gun,' Frataccia wrote in a letter to be released to the students, parents and community members. Frataccia added that he did not know the exact wording of the statement that the student made."

UK: Man is jailed for selling Uzi gun
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"A father-of-four from Leicestershire has been jailed for six years for selling an Uzi machine gun to an undercover journalist."

"Michael Patrick, 42, of Halter Slade, Wigston, was filmed by Sky News handing over an Uzi 9mm gun in May."

"Leicester Crown Court was told the former IT specialist sold the weapon for Ł2,000 in Chiswick, west London."

"The judge said there was a growing concern at how easy it was to buy illegal weapons."