Weapons

June 2008 -- The U.S. Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) Program successfully completed full prototype integration of the first FCS Manned Ground Vehicle (MGV) Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon (NLOS-C). The Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon, which has the ability to rapidly deliver precision munitions in both urban and conventional battlespace is the lead prototype in the Army's family of eight FCS Manned Ground Vehicles.    » read more »

Five Men Indicted on Gun Charges as a Result of New Jersey’s Historic Partnership With ATF to Trace Illegal Firearms

May 29, 2008 -- TRENTON - New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced that five men were charged today in separate indictments with illegally selling guns in Trenton.

Handheld weapons: Photo by Brian Bennett (CC)

The charges stem from the state’s historic partnership with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to trace guns seized in criminal investigations.    » read more »

Cluster Munitions Survivors Forum, World Conference On Cluster Munitions

Dublin, Ireland -- May 26, 2008 -- "I am grateful to be here with Lord Dubs, Ken Rutherford and Steve Goose. This is the third time Lord Dubs and I have had the pleasure of meeting, Steve played a critical role in the negotiations on the Ottawa treaty banning antipersonnel landmines, and Ken Rutherford is one of my heroes.

Ken testified in the United States Senate 15 years ago about losing his leg from a landmine in Somalia, in some of the most moving testimony I have heard.

The Ottawa treaty established a new international norm for landmines, just as the Oslo treaty will for cluster munitions later this week.    » read more »

21 May 2008 -- The U.S. State Department said Wednesday a pending international treaty banning cluster munitions could have unintended consequences for international military cooperation in such areas as disaster relief. The United States and several other major military powers are not taking part in the 100-nation treaty talks in Dublin.

B-1B Lancer releashes cluster munitions: Air Force photo

State Department officials say they share international concern about civilian casualties caused by cluster bomb munitions lingering in former battle zones.    » read more »

16 May 2008 -- Since the beginning of 2008, the nation's capital has seen a sharp rise in gun violence.

Republican Party Presidential candidate John McCain is set to speak to members of The National Rifle Association on Friday, May 16. The powerful pro-gun lobbying group is holding its annual convention in Louisville, Kentucky.

Its members are watching to see whether the United States Supreme Court will overturn a 32-year-old handgun ban in Washington, D.C. next month.

The high court's review of the case comes as gun violence is on the rise in Washington. Police and community groups are desperately looking for ways to curb the crime wave.    » read more »

18 May 2008 -- Pope Benedict XVI has urged diplomats at an international conference in Dublin to sign a treaty banning cluster bombs, which have killed or wounded thousands of civilians.

Benedict said Sunday it is "necessary to correct the errors of the past." He also prayed for the victims of the bombs and their families.

Cluster bombs are fired from the ground or dropped from planes. They explode in mid-air and scatter hundreds of smaller bombs over a wide area. The unexploded small bombs can stay hidden for months before blowing up.

The United Nations says the bombs have killed or wounded many children who step on them or pick them up mistaking them for toys.    » read more »

January 14, 2008 -- Washington, DC – Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) issued the following statement today after the Bush Administration announced that it would officially notify the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today of its intent to sell Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) to Saudi Arabia, as part of the much larger package of arms sales to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates:    » read more »

14 January 2008 -- The Bush administration officially notified Congress Monday of its intention to sell sophisticated precision-guided bombs to Saudi Arabia. The action, coinciding with President Bush's visit to Saudi Arabia, is part of a broader U.S. effort to bolster Gulf allies in the face of a more assertive Iran.

The Bush administration has already briefed Congress on its arms sales plans for Saudi Arabia. Monday's announcement sets in motion a 30-day period in which the House and Senate can block the plan with a joint resolution - action that appears highly unlikely.    » read more »

16 October 2007, Washington (By Ray McDonald) -- Grammy-winning rapper T.I. was arrested October 13 on a gun charge, just hours before he was to perform at the Black Entertainment Television Hip-Hop Awards.

The 27-year-old rapper - born Clifford Harris - is charged with possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers, as well as possession of firearms by a convicted felon.    » read more »

12 October 2007, Washington (By Ray McDonald) -- Snoop Dogg will pick up trash and perform park maintenance as part of his sentence for carrying an illegal weapon in an airport last year, said authorities in Santa Ana, CA.

The rapper, born Cordozar Calvin Broadus, will do "everything from raking leaves to painting benches" in order to complete his court-ordered 160 hours of community service, according to his attorney, Donald Etra.    » read more »

ST. LOUIS, Aug. 22, 2007 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] and partner Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Lead Systems Integrator for the U.S. Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) program, with industry teammates BAE Systems and General Dynamics, have selected Elgin, Okla., as a principal site for FCS Manned Ground Vehicle (MGV) integration and assembly work.    » read more »

August 15, 2007, ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), was recently awarded $15 million for Hi-G 4-Axis Control Actuator Systems as part of its continuing support of Raytheon’s Excalibur (XM982) Block 1a production program. This award brings the total Excalibur contract value for General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems to more than $30 million.    » read more »

Islamabad, 14 August 2007 (By Benjamin Sand) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spent the day in the Afghan capital, part of a three-nation tour of Central Asia. The visit comes as Afghanistan faces growing U.S. scrutiny over its relationship with neighbor Iran. From Islamabad, VOA correspondent Benjamin Sand reports the Iranian leader denied U.S. charges that Tehran supports Afghanistan's Taleban insurgency.

It was President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's first trip to Kabul and he used the occasion to highlight Tehran's support for its South Asian neighbor.    » read more »

CHICAGO-(July 3, 2007) – During this week’s live internationally-broadcast of the PUSH Saturday Morning Forum, Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., founder and president of Rainbow PUSH Coalition is calling for summer jobs and summer programs as a key to end gun violence.

“We have drugs and guns coming in,” Rev. Jackson said. “There are no jobs and job training coming in.”    » read more »

July 3, 2007 -- CAPE GIRARDEAU – Missouri Governor Matt Blunt today signed legislation he called for in his January State of the State Address clearly reinforcing Missourians' legal right to use force while defending themselves and their loved ones from attack.    » read more »