It's shocking enough that 90 people have been killed in mass shootings in the US in the past 2 years. But it's even more shocking that 44 of those deaths have occurred within the month since March 10, 2009, when Michael McClendon touched off a firestorm of violence that ended with the deaths of 10 people in rural Alabama. This has been a month of grave infamy in the United States. [more inside]
posted by baphomet on Apr 5, 2009 - 286 comments

There's something about Mary. Sarasota, Florida, resident Mary McFate was a prominent gun control activist, active in anti-gun groups around the country. Mary Lou Sapone was a freelance spy with an NRA connection. They are the same person.
posted by parmanparman on Jul 30, 2008 - 59 comments

Members of the Montana legislature (out of session) appear to be attempting to force the Supreme Court's hand in a fairly landmark gun-control case, Heller v. DC. Through an extra-session resolution, they are invoking contract law, by stating that the contract between the Montana people, through our Constitution, and the Federal Government will be ... ? ... if the Heller case is decided 'incorrectly'. What is at issue is one of the SCOTUS' seminal opportunities to rule concerning collective rights versus individual rights for firearm possession. [more inside]
posted by Wulfgar! on Feb 21, 2008 - 97 comments

In a lawsuit filed in Oregon, a local teacher with a permit to carry concealed is demanding the right to take her gun to school. The anonymous plaintiff's personal reasons claim a fear for her life from an abusive ex who works at the same school, however, as the argument takes a life of it's own, we can see echoes of Columbine(wikipedia link) and Virginia Tech. [more inside]
posted by softriver on Sep 19, 2007 - 16 comments

An average of 81 people die of gunshot wounds in the US each day. Most of them aren't who you'd expect.
posted by alms on Apr 22, 2007 - 149 comments

Recent MeFi threads have suggested how easy it is (or not) to build a gun. The comparison to dynamite or ANFO is made, frequently, in these sorts of discussions, supposedly to illustrate another "weapon" which is in the public corpus but largely outlawed. [more inside]
posted by avriette on Apr 22, 2007 - 34 comments

BULLSHIT! Penn & Teller present their rational, libertarian bent views on diverse subjects, now available for free download on Google Video ::: profanity; creationism; alien abductions; conspiracy theories; recycling; gun control; endangered species; religion; the bible; family values; the apocalypse; signs from heaven; the occult; 12-step recovery programs; exercise v. genetics; environmentalism; hypnosis; ghosts; the war on drugs; feng shui / bottled water; college; PETA; and abstinence.
posted by crunchland on Aug 11, 2006 - 114 comments

I don't own a gun, and I hope my neighbors don't either.
posted by jonson on May 23, 2006 - 226 comments

What the NRA wants the NRA gets. The Assault Weapons Ban ends Monday. In an election season where first responders have become an issue it seems odd that both parties are ignoring pleas like these, Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton: "Nobody has an inalienable right to run around with a machine gun. I'm sorry, that's insanity!" Also, check out this fun and informative "banned or legal" page explaining the 1994 ban. Ban FAQ here.
posted by skallas on Sep 8, 2004 - 62 comments

NRA Seeks Status as News Outlet Deciding that laws regulating campaign spending are simply in their way, the National Rifle Association thinks out loud about buying a radio or TV station and then filing a lawsuit so that money limits no longer apply to them. As we all know, federal gun regulations are a near-certainty without this effort.
posted by billsaysthis on Dec 7, 2003 - 23 comments

Ranch Rescue is a organization dedicated to the notion of preserving "Private property first, foremost, and always." Darlings of the far right-wing press, they are not anti-tax or anti-regulation of business, they are a group that exploits laws allowing landowners to apprehend or shoot trespassers by organizing armed expeditions of "concerned citizens" to hunt down undocumented border crossers. Begun in Arizona and Texas, they have recently expanded to all Mexican/American border states. Check out the different state pages to learn of their upcoming "operations". This site requires a lot of perusal to ascertain the reality of what these people are doing, but they do give you some insight as to what the hell they are thinking.
posted by Ignatius J. Reilly on May 21, 2003 - 30 comments

At 2:26 p.m. yesterday, the US House of Representatives was considering a gun control bill. In the process of complaining about "a failed Democratic amendment that would have banned gun sales to drug addicts or people undergoing drug treatment," Rep. Barbara Cubin (R-Wyoming) let slip this telling inquiry: "So does that mean that if you go into a black community, you can't sell any guns to any black person?"
posted by grrarrgh00 on Apr 9, 2003 - 61 comments

The Gun Industry Sins Exposed? (nyt - registration required)

But Mr. Ricker, who has been working for more than two decades in the gun industry, including a stint as a lawyer for the N.R.A., said the gun makers had long known that "the diversion of firearms from legal channels of commerce to the black market" takes place "principally at the distributor/dealer level."
(print friendly version)
posted by lilboo on Feb 4, 2003 - 19 comments

Canadian Liberals Discover Cost/Benefit Analysis
posted by ZenMasterThis on Dec 4, 2002 - 28 comments

Hundreds of people with criminal records in Maryland may have been allowed to purchase guns illegally this year because the state temporarily stopped conducting background checks for the FBI.[More Inside]
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood on Oct 16, 2002 - 18 comments

Bush skeptical of ballistic fingerprinting. This article talks about Bush's (and the NRA's) reluctance to set up a national ballistic fingerprinting system to trace bullets back to the guns which fired them. Some feel this technology could be helpful in finding the DC sniper. Apparently, legislation to set up this system has been in the works for about 2 years, but this is the first I've heard of it. Any MeFi people know more about this?
posted by botono9 on Oct 16, 2002 - 92 comments

In a major policy reversal, the Justice Department has officially endorsed an individual right to bear arms. In doing so, the Justice Department has abandoned its long-held position that the second amendment is limited in scope to protecting militia activities. Does this mean the Justice Department will stop enforcing federal laws that it sees as violating the 2nd amendemnt? Should it? If there is a individual right to bear arms, how far should it extend?
posted by boltman on May 8, 2002 - 65 comments

"From my cold dead hands." A vice-president of the National Rifle Association took credit for President Bush's election Saturday, saying that those who would restrict gun rights are engaged in "political terrorism." Hyperbole aside, is gun control a failure in the USA?
posted by tranquileye on Apr 28, 2002 - 32 comments

Sarah Brady, champion of gun control, buys a gun for her son. The Secret Service, who you can bet are armed, violate federal and state law to keep legally carried arms away from Dick Cheney in Utah. Kofi Annan gets in trouble for machine-pistol carrying guards shortly after the UN's international Small Arms Destruction Day. Diane Feinstein admits the need to feel armed. Rosie O'Donnell wants people to tote guns to protect her son. One of Ted Kennedy's guards brought a machine pistol into the Capitol. I'm not meaning to make a Memepool type linkfest, but these things are extremely under reported, and I'm interested in what people think of the apparent hypocrisy to be found in the people who want to make you defenseless but feel above their rules themselves. Is this defensible? How?
posted by jammer on Mar 30, 2002 - 60 comments

Britain's strict gun laws not really working. While Britain has some of the toughest firearms laws in the world, the recent spate of gun murders in London has highlighted a disturbing growth in armed crime. Could the NRA be correct? Should the Bobbies now be required to carry guns, something they have never done before?
posted by Rastafari on Jan 8, 2002 - 43 comments

How the Gun Industry Armed Osama bin Laden, Other Foreign and Domestic Terrorists, and Common Criminals with 50 Caliber Sniper Rifles. "Therein lies an object lesson in the danger of unrestrained civilian sales of weapons of war like 50 caliber rifles. Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda has acquired at least 25 Barrett 50 caliber sniper rifles. Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing how many more 50 caliber rifles Al Qaeda has obtained from Barrett or from its many competitors. No one keeps track of them." At the risk of chilling the patriotic rush to buy firearms, SUVs, gas masks, flags and Cipro (got to keep American rolling!), ya really gotta read this study of America's moral superiority in controlling "terrorism" around the world.
posted by fold_and_mutilate on Oct 16, 2001 - 60 comments

How the hell did the FBI LOSE 265 firearms? Love the line "lost OR stolen". A total of 449 pistols, handguns, rifles, shotguns and sub-machine guns are missing, a "small number" of which may have been used in local crimes, such as robberies. Glad to know CSIS isn't the only intelligence agency that screws up regularly. God bless america.
posted by drgonzo on Jul 17, 2001 - 19 comments

So, anyone can get a Nevada carry permit now? You'll have to scroll down a bit, so here's the quote: "On Wednesday, May 23, Governor Guinn (R) signed SB 20 and SB 172. SB 20 allows non-residents to apply for a Nevada Right to Carry permit starting October 1, 2001, and SB 172 abolishes the two-gun-per-permit limitation for Nevada Right to Carry permits beginning July 1, 2002, when the state's computer infrastructure is in place. " An article that explains, to some degree, what the law entails. I'm assuming that someone heading to Nevada to wear all his guns would still have to keep them locked up until he got there.
posted by Ezrael on May 30, 2001 - 6 comments

Feeling chest pains? Maybe it's that gun in your pocket! Physicians For Social Responsibility want all doctors to screen patients for gun ownership, ostensibly so that they can warn them about the physical hazards said ownership can cause. Hmmm...doctors don't do that for toasters, trampolines, hammers, paper, and other things that can harm you. I'm no gun lover - don't own one, never will, but this smacks of political agenda.
posted by davidmsc on Apr 25, 2001 - 20 comments

Gun control in Kennesaw City The Marrieta Daily Journal has an interesting article about gun control vs. crime control. "In 1982, the Kennesaw City Council unanimously passed a law requiring heads of households to own at least one firearm with ammunition. ...following the law’s passage, the crime rate dropped 89 percent in the city, compared to the modest 10 percent drop statewide." Unfortunately they don't include accident statistics so it's only half the picture.
posted by revbrian on Mar 14, 2001 - 17 comments

Gun control the smart way. I abhor the idea of people taking away my right to own guns or impinge on said freedom. However, this approach is much better than a nation-wide movement. We Texans get to keep our guns and you Californians can get rid of yours.
posted by CRS on Mar 14, 2001 - 49 comments

Well, here's a good Point/CounterPoint: The More Guns Bill / The Less Guns Bill. [ Courtesy of Cryptome, whence the Gilmore screed ]
posted by baylink on Jan 22, 2001 - 2 comments

Ted Nugent reccomends more guns for students. Through his new book, Nugent uses the Columbine massacre as a tool in pointing out the need for more people to be allowed to carry concealed weapons.
posted by tomorama on Aug 15, 2000 - 26 comments

Hmmm... perhaps I've been wrong. It would appear that the federal courts *have* been being strict about the 'militia' interpretation of the Second Amendment. That may change, however, thanks to a Federal Appeals Court judge from, no surprise, Texas.
posted by baylink on May 31, 2000 - 18 comments

"Would you like a bag of cold, dead fingers to go with that?" (Who says pro-gun people don't have a sense of humor...? :-)
posted by baylink on May 24, 2000 - 7 comments

Mothers day is on Sunday - support the Million Mom March against gun violence.
posted by aladfar on May 12, 2000 - 7 comments