Join hundreds of congregations and faith communities in the second annual National Gun Violence Prevention Sabbath Weekend, sponsored by the Washington National Cathedral and Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence.

March 13: Kickoff National Event at the National Washington Cathedral, Washington D.C.

March 14-16: Congregations and faith communities participate through prayer, reflection, service and action.

We invite your congregation to participate in one or more of these following ways:

• Pray for gun violence victims, families and communities
  
• Hold a candlelight vigil
  
• Provide a time of silence and reflection
  
• Share stories
  
• Deliver a sermon on gun violence
  
• Set up an information table or hand out information at the end of service
  
• Organize a service project
  
• Write letters urging policymakers to address gun violence

http://washington.mcc.org/gvp-sabbath-weekend

Principle.

The NFL hinted it would move the Super Bowl, and Apple said it could find a new place for a planned plant if Arizona legitimized discrimination most foul, most un-American, against gays and lesbians.

In a similarly principled stand, arms maker Magpul Industries has moved its plant to Wyoming.

The principle in question? People shouldn’t have to reload so often at target practice. That’s not what the gun lobby said, but . . .

http://www.summitdaily.com/news/10490792-113/gun-colorado-lobby-reload

Calling gun-show operators "our allies in the fight for gun safety," New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman visited a Long Island gun show Sunday to trumpet a safeguard intended to ensure background checks.

The procedures, developed by Schneiderman's office and gun-show operators last year, call for tagging guns brought into shows for sale by private owners. The tags are inspected as buyers leave to determine whether the gun was sold and that a state-mandated background check was completed.

Schneiderman's office reached agreements with 36 gun-show operators, which is nearly all of the known gun-show operators statewide.

The measures are not enforced by criminal penalties, but the attorney general's office said operators have complied in a collaborative effort.

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/schneiderman-touts-gun-show-checks-at-li-event-1.7335612

The announcement follows a month-long campaign by Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and talks between Facebook and Mayors Against Illegal Guns officials.

"Our campaign showed how easy it is for minors, felons and other dangerous people to get guns online -- that’s why moms and more than 230,000 Americans signed our petition, tweeted and used social media to ask Facebook and Instagram to do something about gun sales facilitated on their networks," Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts said in a news release.

"There’s still so much to be done -- by corporations, by Congress, and by local leaders -- to keep guns out of dangerous hands," she added. "Moms have momentum and we’re moving the country toward a culture of gun safety one company, one legislator, one law at a time. We’re going to keep applying pressure to corporations and political leaders until they do more to reduce the gun violence that plagues our country."

Mayors Against Illegal Guns chairman John Feinblatt said "the ‘private sale loophole’ allows anonymous parties to sell guns without background checks, and there are simply too many ways for criminals, minors and other prohibited gun purchasers to get them easily -- with just the click of a mouse. We are grateful that Facebook and Instagram are making major moves to prevent these sales from happening via their platforms."

http://www.berkshireeagle.com/business/ci_25305875/facebook-praised-gun-sale-crackdown?source=most_viewed

An Illinois lawmaker has filed legislation to create a statewide gun registry that would require every single gun in the state to be listed, and would even affect purchases of ammunition.

The bill would create the Firearms Registration Act, and the title is a fairly good description of what it does.

Every gun owner would have to register each and every firearm they own, and people wouldn't be allowed to buy ammunition unless they had a gun registered to them that takes that ammunition, or had applied to register a firearm in that caliber.

This bill was filed by Democratic Rep. Kelly Cassidy of Chicago. She declined to speak to us about her legislation.

http://www.wics.com/news/top-stories/stories/lawmaker-proposes-statewide-gun-registry-15951.shtml

A majority of registered voters in New Jersey, New York and Virginia support a national gun registry, according to a poll released on Tuesday.

In data from a poll (pdf) conducted simultaneously by Roanoke College, Rutgers-Eagleton and Siena Research Institute, between 63 and 74 percent of those surveyed would be in favor of “establishing a national gun registry.”

With respect to politicians and lawmakers, the poll found favorable opinions of President Obama, Hillary Clinton and Gov. Cuomo of New York, and less favorable opinions of both Rand Paul and Paul Ryan — which has some calling the veracity of the poll into question.

“Given the exceptionally high numbers of support for President Obama and Hillary Clinton in this poll, it isn’t surprising that there would be equally high numbers of support for draconian gun control proposals,” said NRA Spokesperson Andrew Arulanandam in a statement to Guns.com.

http://www.guns.com/2014/03/05/poll-majority-northeast-support-national-gun-registry/

BRIDGEPORT >> Two owners of a Newington business face a maximum of one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000 after pleading guilty Wednesday to violating federal firearms laws, the U.S. Attorney for Connecticut said in a press release.

Brian Vanacore, 48, of North Branford and Greg Bodytko, 54, of Northford ran a gun store located at 2585 Berlin Turnpike, called BMG LLC. The company is also known as BMG Guns & Ammo. According to the business’s Facebook page, the Newington store was closed in December 2013.

The two were accused of having shirked a number of federally mandated responsibilities, including improperly recording information and failing to conduct background checks on firearm sales.

“It’s been an awesome experience these last 4 years but do to the changes in the CT gun laws we are forced to close our Newington store due to lack of business,” a post on the page reads. “If you need to get in touch with us you can send us a message through Facebook.”

http://www.registercitizen.com/general-news/20140305/connecticut-gun-dealers-plead-guilty-to-federal-firearms-offenses

Responding to the question of how he would better implement current gun laws — and work to draft up new legislation to help keep illegal guns out of the hands of criminals, Malloy responded by pointing to the state's reduced crime rate last year.

"Point of fact: we've had our lowest crime rate in the last 46 years, this past year," Malloy said.

He said he understands some may feel the state's current gun laws are restrictive.

"But the people of Connecticut decided they wanted a different level of protection," the governor said, referring to the stricter set of gun control laws passed by the Generally Assembly last year in response to the Newtown school shootings.

http://guilford.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/gov-malloy-gun-control-community-forum-milford

Family says gun violence killed their innocent son

OMAHA, Neb. —The family of Omaha's latest shooting victim says their happy, beloved son and brother was taken by senseless gun violence.

Brandon Samuels was shot early Friday morning near 24th and Ida streets. The 21-year-old died on the way to the hospital.

Police have interviewed people who were at the party where Samuels was shot but have not named the gunman.

"It's not fair that an innocent person lost their life because somebody wanted to shoot," said Christine Partridge, Samuels' sister.

http://www.ketv.com/news/family-says-gun-violence-killed-their-innocent-son/24872272#ixzz2vN4WCy6H

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — The House of Delegates is considering a bill that would link Maryland's gun registry to its criminal database.

State law requires gun owners to surrender their weapons if they're convicted of felonies or any violent crimes, but Del. Luiz Simmons, D-Montgomery, said Maryland State Police lack a systematic way of enforcing this. They can't use their databases to identify gun owners convicted of crimes.

Simmons is chief sponsor of legislation to make that link.

State Police estimate that if they linked the databases, they would find 10 percent of registered gun owners — about 110,000 people — would be disqualified. They estimate a rate of 1 percent each year thereafter.

http://www.greenwichtime.com/news/crime/article/Md-House-bill-would-link-gun-criminal-registries-5288796.php