Firearms

Would make existing law apply to gun show purchases

January 8, 2008 -- RICHMOND – Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced a legislative proposal to close the gun show loophole in existing laws requiring instant background checks for firearms purchases. The Governor made the announcement standing with family members of students killed or injured in April’s Virginia Tech shootings, as well as legislators and members of the law enforcement community.    » read more »

December 19, 2007 -- Washington, D.C. - Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement this evening after the House passed Senate amendments to H.R. 2640, the National Instant Criminal Background System (NICS) Improvement Amendments Act of 2007, which will now go to the President for his signature:

“The tragic shooting at Virginia Tech in April starkly demonstrated that serious gaps exist in the transmittal of background records, allowing thousands of people who are barred from acquiring guns to escape proper background checks.    » read more »

20 December 2007 -- The deadly rampage in April on the campus of Virginia Tech left 32 people, and the gunman, dead. Among the victims was freshman Austin Cloyd, who was an active volunteer with the poor. As Faiza Elmasry tells us, this fall, Austin's parents have involved other Virginia Tech students in the volunteer program to carry on their daughter's legacy.    » read more »

Leahy-Schumer Led Amendment To Fix NICS System Unanimously Passes Senate

WASHINGTON (Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2007) – The Senate Wednesday unanimously passed legislation designed to improve the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), the country’s foremost background check system for gun purchases.    » read more »

Supreme Court to Rule on Interpretation of 2nd Amendment in District of Columbia v. Heller

December 18, 2007 -- Richmond- Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell announced today that Virginia will join an amicus brief supporting the individual rights interpretation of the right to bear arms confirmed in the Second Amendment.    » read more »

December 13, 2007 -- Seattle - Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna joined King County prosecutor Dan Satterberg, David Weston from the DSHS Mental Health Division and Chief Vicky Stormo from the University of Washington’s police department in releasing a report outlining necessary improvements to restrict access to firearms by persons with mental health commitments.    » read more »

Dec. 10, 2007 -- Colorado Governor Bill Ritter issued the following audio statement today regarding the tragic Sunday shootings in Arvada and Colorado Springs.

The text of the statement is:

"Today, Colorado is mourning the tragic loss of those killed in yesterday's senseless shootings. Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of the victims, and we are praying for the speedy recovery of the people who suffered injuries during the two incidents.    » read more »

December 10, 2007 -- LOS ANGELES – California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. and Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton today announced the seizure of 541 handguns, rifles and assault weapons during a “statewide crackdown” on 1,000 dangerous individuals barred from firearms possession because of violent felony convictions.    » read more »

Pilot Program Part of Governor’s Anti-crime Strategy For Safe Streets and Neighborhoods; Three Counties to Swiftly Move Serious Gun Cases Through the Courts

December 6, 2007 -- Trenton, NJ – New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine and Attorney General Anne Milgram today announced a pilot gun strategy that will streamline the process for handling serious gun cases in three major counties to move them as quickly as possible through the court system. The pilot program, designed with the cooperation of Essex County Prosecutor Paula T.    » read more »

December 6, 2007 -- (Lincoln, NE) Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman today ordered that all U.S. and state flags in Nebraska be flown at half-staff in honor of the victims of yesterday’s mall shooting in Omaha.

Flags were to be lowered for Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day on Friday, Dec. 7, following a proclamation signed earlier this week by President George W. Bush. Flags in Nebraska will be lowered today and remain at half-staff through Sunday, Dec. 9.    » read more »

06 December 2007 -- A 19-year-old man has killed eight people after opening fire with a rifle in a shopping mall in Omaha, Nebraska. Mike O'Sullivan reports, police say the gunman also injured five other people, two of them critically, before taking his own life.

Witnesses say the shooter fired on holiday shoppers from a third-floor balcony of a busy department store. Some people fled and others barricaded themselves in dressing rooms or hid beneath clothing racks.

One witness told NBC News what he heard.

"I heard bang, bang, bang. I probably heard 12 to 15 shots," he said.    » read more »

December 5, 2007 -- Lincoln, NE -- Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman issued the following comment on the shooting that occurred today in Omaha.

“This is a difficult night for the Omaha area and our entire state. Sally and I offer our condolences to the victims and their families. The thoughts and prayers of all Nebraskans are with the victims, their families and the entire Omaha community.    » read more »

More than 31,000 deer taken during second firearm deer season

December 5, 2007 -- SPRINGFIELD, IL – Hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary total of 116,708 deer during the seven-day firearm deer hunting season Nov. 16-18 and Nov. 29-Dec. 2, Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Acting Director Sam Flood announced today.    » read more »

December 4, 2007 -- PIERRE, S.D. – Chamberlain will soon be home to a division of A-Square Company, LLC, (A-Square), a Kentucky-based firearm and ammunition manufacturer. The company will create 24 jobs in the area, and should be up and running by March 2008.

“We are pleased to welcome A-Square to South Dakota,” said Gov. Mike Rounds. “This is a well established company, with a strong history of providing outdoor enthusiasts with the finest equipment available.” The company manufacturers sporting rifles, hunting ammunition, cartridge cases, and bullets for hunting ammunition.    » read more »

CHICAGO (November 27, 2007) -- Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., founder and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, is extending his condolences to the family of Sean Taylor, the Washington Redskins football family and the National Football League.

“The loss of life from a senseless act of gun violence is a tragedy,” says Rev. Jackson. “Sean Taylor was a father, brother, teammate, friend to many and a loving son. He will be greatly missed.”

Mr. Taylor died early this morning at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami after being shot on Monday during an apparent home invasion.    » read more »