Baltimore Sun Nov 20, 2009
Bill would give 100,000 mentally ill veterans access to guns
As President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, I wanted to respond to Sen. Richard Burr's defense of his bill, in the wake of the Fort Hood shooting, that would give immediate access to firearms to over 100,000 veterans who have been found by the Department of Veterans Affairs to be "mentally incapacitated, deemed mentally incompetent, or experiencing an extended loss of consciousness" ("Sen. Burr: Legislation doesn't exempt veterans from Brady Act," Readers respond, Nov. 17). Senator Burr argues that because the competence of these 100,000 veterans was determined by professional VA personnel, rather than a judge in a ...read the full article


Associated Press Nov 20, 2009
TN Guns-In-Bars Law Unconstitutional, Rules Nashville Judge
A Nashville judge has ruled a law that allows handguns in Tennessee bars and restaurants is unconstitutional. Chancellor Claudia Bonnyman ruled Friday that the law, enacted earlier this year over the veto of Gov. Phil Bredesen, is "fraught with ambiguity." She ruled in a suit brought by a group of Tennesseans, many of them restaurant owners. The law allowed handgun permit holders to take their weapons into places serving alcohol, providing the establishment makes more than 50 percent of its profits from food. There was no immediate word from attorneys for the state about an appeal. The measure took effect July 14. Thirty-seven states ...read the full article


Institute for Southern Strategies Nov 20, 2009
Virginia Tech Massacre Survivor Captures Shady Gun Dealers On Hidden Camera
Colin Goddard suffered four gunshot wounds when a fellow Virginia Tech student who was mentally ill opened fire at the Blacksburg campus in 2007, killing 32 people and wounding many others before turning the gun on himself. Determined to ensure something like that could never happen again, the 24-year-old Goddard began visiting gun shows this past summer -- and he took along a hidden camera to record just how easy it was for anyone to purchase a firearm. His goal? To get Congress to take action so people can't buy weapons at gun shows without a background check. "It is time -- actually, ...read the full article


New York Times Nov 19, 2009
A Bullet Takes A Toll In The Bronx
There were five young men in all, waiting on a street corner in the Bronx on Monday -- two on bicycles, two with guns, and all with a specific target in mind: a 19-year-old rival who was inside a bodega. As the target emerged, police officials said, a street version of "hot potato" unfolded: a .40-caliber pistol went from one set of hands to another, settling with the youngest among them: Carvett Gentles. Mr. Gentles was 16, and unlike the others did not have any prior arrests. "We believe that they attempted to get the weapon to the shooter," said Police Commissioner Raymond ...read the full article


Roanoke Times Nov 19, 2009
Exploiting The Gun Show Loophole
How hard is it to buy a gun from a private seller at a gun show? Can you buy it without an ID to prove your age or residence? Can you front money for a friend standing right next to you? Can you avoid any background check at all? You betcha. ...read the full article


Washington Times Nov 18, 2009
Bush Aide Urges Weapons Ban To Slow Mexican Drug War
The former head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection called Monday for the U.S. to reinstitute the ban on assault weapons and take other measures to rein in the war between Mexico and its drug cartels, saying the violence has the potential to bring down legitimate rule in that country. Former CBP Commissioner Robert C. Bonner also called for the United States to more aggressively investigate U.S. gun sellers and tighten security along its side of the border, describing the situation as "critical" to the safety of people in both countries, whether they live near the border or not. Mexico, for its ...read the full article


Des Moines Register Nov 18, 2009
Editorial: One More Way To Protect Abuse Victims
Court records show Randall Moore has a history of being violent. Over the past nine years, he had been the target of six restraining orders sought by five women. The most recent one was filed about a month ago by his estranged wife, TereseAnn Lynch Moore. But that didn't stop him from allegedly forcing her into a car at a mall last week. Though a judge had previously ordered him to surrender firearms, apparently he didn't. Police say he took his wife to an apartment and used a shotgun to kill her and wound a police officer. There is likely no law ...read the full article


WUSA-9 Nov 18, 2009
No License, No Problem At Gun Show
WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) -- Colin Goddard was shot four times and nearly killed at Virginia Tech. But he survived. And, this year, he set out on a very personal mission to show how easy it is to get an assault rifle or a semi-automatic pistol without anyone checking if you're a convicted felon, dangerously mentally ill, or an abuser. Colin and his friends bought a small arsenal of guns in Virginia and at gun shows around the country without ever showing so much as a driver's license. And they documented it all on hidden camera. "I went to multiple gun shows in ...read the full article


WJLA TV 7 News Nov 18, 2009
Virginia Tech Survivor Films Gun Show Loophole Campaign
A new video, made by a survivor of the Virginia Tech mass shooting, is becoming an internet sensation. It's also sparking a debate over how easy it is to buy a gun in the Commonwealth. Video clip ...read the full article


WJLA - TV 8 Nov 18, 2009
Mass Shooting Survivor's Gun Show Video Sparks Debate
ARLINGTON, Va. - A new video, made by a survivor of the Virginia Tech mass shooting, is becoming an internet sensation. It's also sparking a debate over how easy it is to buy a gun in the Commonwealth. He was shot four times and survived. Now, Colin Goddard has gone undercover to unveil the ease with which you still can buy a gun in Virginia. Goddard armed himself with a hidden camera to take aim at gun shows. He documents how easy it is to buy a gun from an unlicensed seller at gunshows across the country. If it's a private transfer, ...read the full article