The national debate over firearms regulation is often presented as a battle of extremes: those who view any effort to tighten gun laws as an infringement of rights versus those who see guns as a menace to society.

But gun owners like Michael Kundu come from a largely unexplored middle ground — a place of nuance and contradiction.

Mr. Kundu is a master marksman from rural Washington who owns pistols and assault rifles for self-defense, all while claiming to detest the presence of guns in his life and in the broader American culture.

“I’d love to see all guns destroyed,” he said. “But I’m not giving up mine first.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/10/us/gun-owners-arent-always-gun-lovers.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Brazil has a gun culture, a gun industry and a gun problem -- much like the U.S. In fact, more Brazilians than Americans died of gunfire in 2010. Yet Brazil's 2010 tally, 34,300 deaths, was significantly lower than its gun fatalities in 2003 (39,284), when the government enacted major gun-control regulation. I asked Brazilian political scientist Antonio Bandeira, who coordinates the arms-control program of Viva Rio, a nongovernmental organization in Rio De Janeiro, how the campaign for gun regulation succeeded in Brazil.

Q: What strategy did you adopt?

A: We decided to work with civil society, to build pressure to apply to parliament. First, we had to prove in scientific terms that gun control was necessary to improve public security. Brazil had more deaths caused by firearms than any other nation. In Rio de Janeiro, my team of experts was able to access and evaluate data on 720,000 guns seized by the police.

Our analysis destroyed many myths. For example, most people believed that narcotrafficantes used mainly foreign guns. We proved that 90 percent of illegal guns were Brazilian-made. People believed criminals relied on high-caliber weapons. We proved that 88 percent of guns used in crimes were revolvers or pistols.We also demonstrated that guns are good for attacking, but not for self-defense. (The surprise factor is the attacker's advantage.)

In addition, we found that most gun deaths were committed with legal guns, by previously law-abiding citizens -- and not by organized criminals. The perpetrators of gun violence are husbands shooting wives, neighbors shooting neighbors, employees firing at bosses, children's accidents, suicides, etc. All put together, they largely surpass homicides perpetrated by organized crime.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-08/how-brazil-exploited-sexual-insecurity-to-curb-guns-an-interview-with-antonio-bandeira.html

Ex-Springfield Police Commissioner Edward Flynn has heated exchange on gun control with Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham

A Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this week on a proposed assault-weapons ban and gun control was expected to be emotional, considering the passion portrayed by people on both sides of the argument.

But when U.S. Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., and Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn got into a debate of sorts over the effectiveness of background checks, the result was a viral video of the exchange that has been talked about almost as much as the content of the conversation.

When interrupted by Flynn, Graham was in the middle of voicing concern over reports that although almost 80,000 people were denied gun permits in 2012 because they lied or provided incorrect information on their applications, just a handful were charged with a crime.

"When almost 80,000 people fail a background check and 44 people are prosecuted, what kind of deterrent is that? I mean, the law obviously is not seeing that as important," Graham began. "I'm a bit frustrated that we say one thing – how important it is – but in the real world, we do absolutely nothing to enforce the laws on the books.

"Now let's talk a..." Graham uttered before Flynn cut him off.



http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/03/ex-springfield_police_chief_ed.html

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A draft ordinance proposed by the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office would declare large-capacity ammunition magazines a “public nuisance” and authorize police to confiscate and destroy them.

In a report delivered to the City Clerk’s office, the proposed municipal ordinance would provide for high-capacity ammunition clips of more than 10 rounds to be taken off the streets by law enforcement, confiscated and destroyed as a public nuisance that threatens the public health, safety and welfare.

Trutanich filed the ordinance in response to a motion by City Councilmember Paul Krekorian and at the request of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee on Feb. 22 to draft a municipal law that would authorize a ban on large-capacity magazine clips.

Under California law, the manufacture, sale or exchange of large-capacity ammunition magazines of more than 10 rounds is prohibited.

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/03/05/report-police-can-confiscate-high-capacity-ammo-clips-as-public-nuisance/

Police pushing to get rid of the state Board of Firearms Permit Examiners say it too often overturns their careful decisions on whether someone should be allowed to have a pistol permit and carry a gun.
When considering appeals, the board has overturned permit denials and revocations in slightly more than half the cases in the past two years.

In 2012, the board overturned the police or first selectman's decisions 76 times, but upheld them in 70 cases, meeting minutes show. In 2011, the pattern was similar, with the board overturning 86 issuing authority decisions, and upholding 80.

Milford police Chief Keith Mello called these numbers "disturbing."

"Law enforcement agencies are putting in effort to determine someone's suitability," Mello said. "When we deny someone, it is because we have determined them to be unsuitable, so it is disturbing when the board overturns those."

http://www.gopusa.com/news/2013/02/06/ct-police-oversight-board-at-odds-on-firearm-permits/

DENVER - The suspended executive accused of harassing a Colorado lawmaker has been formally charged.

Franklin Sain, 42, was charged Monday with a felony charge of attempt to influence a public servant and a misdemeanor charge of harassment-ethnic intimidation.

Police said they found Sain after reviewing threatening emails and voice mails to Rep. Rhonda Fields, a Democrat from Aurora who is behind some of the gun control legislation being reviewed by the legislature.

Prosecutors said the charges allege that between February 13, 2013 and February 21, 2013, Sain sent numerous threatening emails and a voice mail message with the intent to alter or affect the Representative’s opinion or action.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/suspended-ceo-franklin-sain-formally-charged-for-alleged-threats-against-rep-rhonda-fields



Fields told 7NEWS that she was granted a restraining order against Sain. She added that Sain's weapons permit was revoked because of that order.

SPRINGFIELD -- As the state of Illinois continues to pile up unpaid bills, the agency responsible for creating Illinois’ first-ever process to issue concealed-carry permits estimates start-up costs will be $25 million.

The figure is based on the assumption that 300,000 people will apply for concealed-carry permits within the first year. Roughly 150,000 people applied for concealed-carry permits the first year after Wisconsin legalized concealed-carry in 2011, and Illinois has double the population, said Illinois State Police Lt. Darrin Clark.

“We don’t have the manpower or money right now. ... It’s really not going to be possible when we’re already facing a backlog of FOID cards,” Clark said.

A federal appellate court has ordered Illinois to enact legislation by June 8 that allows qualified people to carry concealed weapons.

http://www.dailyamericannews.com/article/20130304/NEWS/130309809

California is the only U.S. state where law enforcement officials confiscate guns from the homes of individuals not legally permitted to own them. The program, which takes guns away from criminals and the mentally ill, is being heralded as a model for the nation.

Individuals who legally purchased guns but are now disqualified are identified by analysts who match gun sales back to 1996 with databases listing criminal convictions, restraining orders and mental health detentions, UPI reports. Over the past five years, agents conducting twice-weekly sweeps have confiscated more than 10,000 guns.

However, there are still more than 19,700 individuals on the state's Armed Prohibited Persons list, and it would cost the state up to $50 million to hire more agents to catch up with the backlog, according to Attorney General Kamala Harris.

Because gun-confiscating agents do not obtain search warrants, their job involves convincing people to let them into their homes and hand over their guns, the Los Angeles Times reports. If an individual does turn over a gun, he can be arrested on suspicion of illegally owning a firearm.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/19/california-gun-confiscation_n_2717809.html

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It was after 2 a.m. when David Aller was thrown out of the Klub Cirok Nightclub & VIP Lounge for fighting. That's when police say the 26-year-old man retrieved a loaded handgun from his car in the club parking lot and returned to threaten patrons.

Aller, who was charged with aggravated assault for the Nov. 11 incident, was also a handgun carry permit holder.

Ever since lawmakers opened serious consideration of a bill to allow permit holders to store firearms in their vehicles — no matter where they are parked — backers have maintained security won't be threatened because gun permit holders are law-abiding citizens and unlikely to commit crimes.

Public records reviewed by AP show, however, that some incidents, like the one at Klub Cirok, have the potential to become violent when guns are drawn by permit holders in parking lots. And club promoter Joe Savage said the bill is misguided.

http://www.tricities.com/news/local/article_0033d896-813e-11e2-861a-001a4bcf6878.html

Williamson, 37, was showing the Taurus .45-caliber revolver to a co-worker at the KUAF radio station. The station is in Fayetteville next to the city library but is considered a campus facility.

Williamson said he didn’t touch the gun and did nothing to jar the handgun into firing. He said he has since done research that he said showed the revolver was prone to accidental firings.

He said he brought the gun because he had planned to take the revolver to a gun range after work to shoot it for the first time. He said he was a hurry that morning and didn’t check the gun thoroughly for a round before tossing it into his bag.

Williamson said he owns several guns but will sell them now, and was able to joke that he would need the money to pay for his medical bills. He said his accident shows that guns shouldn’t be allowed on campus.

http://5newsonline.com/2013/02/26/arrest-warrant-issued-for-ua-student-who-shot-himself/