New York Post Sep 19, 2007
Rudy Has Gun Foes On Edge
Gun-control advocates yesterday urged Rudy Giuliani not to abandon his years of support for federal firearms restrictions to satisfy the National Rifle Association. "I'd be very disappointed. I don't know anything that has happened that justifies a change in position," said Paul Helmke, head of the Brady Campaign. As mayor, Giuliani was an ardent supporter of gun control to help cut crime in the city - supporting a ban on assault weapons over the objections of many Republicans in Congress, as well as the NRA. In a 1995 interview, Giuliani blasted the NRA's opposition as "way overboard" and "what the ...read the full article


Baltimore Sun Sep 19, 2007
City might join suit to stem illegal guns
NEW YORK - Suggesting that she might consider joining a ground-breaking lawsuit to stem the flow of illegal weapons, Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon met yesterday with New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg - the architect of that litigation - to talk about ways both cities can improve education and fight crime. Dixon, who has unveiled a handful of novel approaches this year to deal with guns that enter Baltimore, said the city is collecting information on people who are convicted of gun crimes and will use the data to determine whether other measures, such as directly suing gun dealers, are ...read the full article


Miami Herald Sep 16, 2007
There's no good reason to have an assault rifle
Officer Jose Somohano, 37, father of two, was the 151st person in Miami-Dade shot dead this year. Outrage came quickly after Thursday's shooting. But it followed a numb, familiar pattern: Death followed by grief followed by some new atrocity that serves to inure us further to violence. By now, only the most sheltered television-bereft hermit would be shocked at the image of cops in fatigues and combat helmets going after a madman with an AK-47. Is this normal? A major American city that acts like it's at war? Is it right that a place with a population of just over two million should lose ...read the full article


Miami Herald Sep 16, 2007
Miami to give officers assault weapons
Patrol officers will have the option of carrying assault rifles as police try to combat the rise in the use of similar weapons by criminals, Miami's police chief said Sunday. Police Chief John Timoney approved the new policy last week, before a Miami-Dade police officer was killed in a shootout with an assault rifle-wielding suspect on Thursday. "This is something we do not do with any relish. We do this reluctantly," Timoney said. The policy had been under review for about a year due to officers seeing an increase in the weapons, Timoney said. Officers interested in the guns will have to undergo two ...read the full article


Miami Herald Sep 14, 2007
Cop-shooting suspect killed
The man suspected of killing one Miami-Dade cop and wounding three others in a shootout Thursday morning was cornered and shot dead in a Pembroke Pines condo complex sometime before midnight, authorities said. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez and Police Director Robert Parker, speaking at a news conference at about 12:30 a.m. today, told reporters police had shot Shawn Sherwin LaBeet at the Heron Pond Condos, 305 SW 85th Ave. ''He was armed with a loaded weapon and had additional ammunition,'' said Parker, who said LaBeet was wearing ``body armor.'' ''He had the mindset of surviving a confrontation with law enforcement officers,'' Parker added. Police ...read the full article


San Diego Union Tribune Sep 11, 2007
Handgun Stamping Bill Sent to Governor
SACRAMENTO - The Assembly sent the governor a bill yesterday requiring that the next generation of semiautomatic handguns stamp identifying serial numbers on spent shell casings. The legislation that would establish the first law of its kind in the nation could have a lasting impact on the war on crime, according to backers. But the limited application of the bill does not figure to be felt for several years. The bill covers only new models or brands of semiautomatic handguns approved for sale in the state after Jan. 1, 2010. That excludes nearly 1,300 different semiautomatics already sold in the state. Revolvers, ...read the full article


Philadelphia Inquirer Sep 10, 2007
Fashion statement for gun control
NEW YORK - After reading about yet another murder of a young girl last spring, aspiring designer Melanie C. Brandon wanted to find a symbolic way to dispose of the guns that she felt were the cause of Philadelphia's soaring murder rate. So she turned to what she knew: fashion. The spring 2008 collection of Brandon's clothing line Melani Von Alexandria, which debuted at a SoHo art gallery Thursday as part of New York's Fashion Week, featured items fashioned out of real guns that have been collected by Philadelphia sheriff's deputies, melted down and sculpted into cuffed bracelets, dangling necklaces and pendants. Her ...read the full article


United Press International Sep 10, 2007
Mich. proposal would give teachers guns
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Sept. 10 (UPI) -- A Michigan lawmaker has proposed arming teachers with handguns so they can defend their students against attack by students or terrorists. Rep. David Agema, a Republican from West Michigan, said he believes the measure would save lives, The Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press reported Sunday. The measure has gained the support of 15 other House members, but school officials said they are horrified by the suggestion that carrying a weapon is necessary to work with children. Agema's bill would not require teachers to carry a handgun, but it would give school administrators the option of allowing ...read the full article


International Herald Tribune Sep 6, 2007
11-year-old buried in Liverpool as Britain confronts youth violence and gun crime
LIVERPOOL, England: Thousands of mourners dressed in soccer jerseys packed a cathedral Thursday for the funeral of Rhys Jones, an 11-year-old shot dead coming home from soccer practice and buried in a coffin emblazoned with the crest of his favorite team. As Stephen Jones carried his son's small, blue coffin down the aisle -- his face etched with grief -- applause echoed through the church. Mourners wore their favorite soccer jerseys -- blue for Rhys' favorite of Everton, or red for Liverpool -- in a show of solidarity that transcended traditional soccer rivalries. "This is another unbearable loss for Liverpool," said John McMurray, ...read the full article


Reuters Sep 6, 2007
Handgun ban could lead to key ruling
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A case challenging the ban on private handgun ownership in the U.S. capital could lead to the first ruling by the Supreme Court since 1939 on the rights of Americans to bear arms. Officials from the District of Columbia government this week asked the high court to agree the city's 31-year-old law banning private possession of handguns is constitutional. Supporters and opponents of the law said the case could have far-reaching legal and political importance in affecting the nation's gun laws. D.C. officials said a U.S. appeals court was wrong in its precedent-setting ruling in March that broadly interpreted an ...read the full article