Gun Rights

Enhanced checks blocked gun sales to youth, domestic abusers: White House

US surgeon general declared gun violence a public health crisis in June, calling for more research funding, better mental health access and other steps such as secure storage

Judge rejects Hunter Biden's bid to delay June trial on federal gun charges

Hunter Biden's federal gun case will go to trial next month, a judge said Tuesday, denying a bid by lawyers for the president's son to delay the prosecution. U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika rejected Hunter Biden's request to push the trial until September, which the defense said was necessary to give the defense time to line up witnesses and go through evidence handed over by prosecutors. President Joe Biden's son is accused of lying about his drug use in October 2018 on a form to buy a gun that he kept for about 11 days. Hunter Biden, who has pleaded not guilty, has acknowledged struggling with an addiction to crack cocaine during that period in 2018, but his lawyers have said he didn't break the law. His attorneys have argued that prosecutors bowed to pressure by Republicans, who claimed the Democratic president's son was initially given a sweetheart deal, and that he was indicted because of political pressure. But the judge overseeing the case last month rejected his clai

Gunmen in Ecuador kill 8, injure 8 others in attack on Guayaquil city

Armed gunmen attacked a group of people in Ecuador 's coastal city of Guayaquil killing eight people and injuring eight others, the Interior Ministry said, the latest in a string of violent incidents in the South American country. At around 7 pm local time on Saturday, armed men arrived in a vehicle in the southern neighbourhood of Guasmo, witnesses said. They shot at a group of people, killing two of them. Six others later died in a health center due to the seriousness of the wounds, the ministry told journalists. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. It was the second mass killing in as many days. On Friday, five people who had been kidnapped were killed execution style in the coastal province of Manabi by an armed gang. Police said there were signs the victims were tourists mistakenly caught up in a local drug-trafficking dispute. They didn't elaborate. In that incident, an armed group had kidnapped a total of 11 people. Police said the other six, including

Massachusetts House passes gun bill aimed at tightening firearm laws

The Massachusetts House approved a sweeping gun bill Wednesday aimed at tightening firearm laws, cracking down on unregistered ghost guns" and strengthening the state's assault-style weapons ban. The bill, which passed on a 120-38 vote, would also prohibit individuals from carrying a gun into a person's home without their permission and require key gun components to be serialized and registered with the state. The 125-page bill a priority for Democratic Massachusetts House Speaker Ronald Mariano is in part a response to a 2022 US Supreme Court ruling that US citizens have a right to carry firearms in public for self-defence. The proposal would create new laws that bar firing guns at or near homes and outlaw carrying firearms while intoxicated. It would also prohibit carrying firearms in schools, polling places and government buildings. The bill expands the state's ban on assault weapons by prohibiting new purchases of AR-15-style weapons. It would also ban someone from turning a

WH to announce first-ever federal office of gun violence prevention: Report

President Joe Biden is creating the first-ever federal office of gun violence prevention, according to two people familiar with the plans. The office will coordinate efforts across the federal government and will offer help and guidance to states struggling with increasing gun violence, while taking the lead on implementation of the bipartisan gun legislation signed into law last year. Biden tentatively plans to announce the new effort with an event Friday at the White House, said the people, who had direct knowledge of the plans and who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly. The office fulfils a key demand of gun safety activists who banded together as a coalition to endorse Biden for president in 2024, and is an effort by the White House to keep the issue front-and-centre as the president pushes for a ban on so-called "assault weapons" and urges Congress to act. "The creation of an Office of Gun Violence Preventi

New Mexico guv suspends right to carry guns in public; legal fight expected

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's emergency order suspending the right to carry firearms in public in and around Albuquerque will spur a legal fight but might also raise public awareness about gun violence, legal scholars and advocates said. "It's going to be challenged. But she's trying to move the debate," Jessica Levinson, a law professor at Loyola Marymount's Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said after Lujan Grisham announced Friday that she was temporarily suspending the right to carry firearms in her state's largest city and surrounding Bernalillo County. The 30-day suspension, enacted as an emergency public health measure, applies in most public places, from city sidewalks to urban recreational parks. "No person, other than a law enforcement officer or licensed security officer, shall possess a firearm... either openly or concealed, the governor's order states. Politically, a lot of people will react favourably," Levinson predicted during a telephone interview late .

US proposes rule to mandate background checks for more firearms dealers

The Biden administration is proposing a rule that would require thousands more firearms dealers to run background checks, in an effort to combat rising gun violence nationwide. The proposal comes after a mandate from President Joe Biden to find ways to strengthen background checks following the passage of bipartisan legislation on guns last year. People who sell firearms online or at gun shows would be required to be licensed and run background checks on the buyers before the sales under the rule proposed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The bureau estimates that the rule would affect anywhere from 24,500 to 328,000 sellers. It is aimed at those who are in the business of gun sales, rather than those dealing with their personal collections. Background checks help prevent guns from being sold to people convicted of crimes, teenagers and others who are legally blocked from owning them, said the agency's director, Steve Dettelbach. Federally licensed firearm

Mass shootings in US spur divergent laws as states split between gun rights

Tennessee's Republican-led Legislature is meeting in special session this week to consider a package of public safety proposals, including some stemming from a deadly shooting at a Nashville elementary school earlier this year. Though the session is not expected to result in any new firearms restrictions, it nonetheless highlights the widely divergent response among states to a spate of mass shootings across the US. More than half the states have enacted substantive new laws this year regarding gun policies or school safety measures most often tightening firearm restrictions in Democratic-led states and loosening them in Republican-led ones. Some states also have pumped money into efforts to secure schools or to train teachers and staff how to respond in shootings. WHAT IS TENNESSEE DOING? Republican Gov. Bill Lee has outlined an 18-prong agenda for Tennessee lawmakers to consider during their special session. The proposal that has gotten the most public attention also appears am

Biden urges tougher gun restrictions, a year after Texas school massacre

President Joe Biden made a passionate call for tougher gun restrictions Friday, celebrating the one-year anniversary of the first significant piece of federal firearms legislation in nearly three decades but declaring it was only an important first step. He urged voters to defeat lawmakers who resist. Prayers are fine. They're important ... but it's not going to stop it," Biden said, pressing Congress to take more aggressive steps to restrict access to guns. You have to take action. You have to move. You have to do something. If this Congress refuses to act, we need a new Congress. Biden applauded the crowd at a gun safety summit in Connecticut full of survivors of gun violence and family members of victims for turning your pain into purpose and vowed not to let up on his advocacy for tougher laws. He spoke on the anniversary of last year's legislation that tightened gun access, signed a few weeks after a gunman took the lives of 19 elementary school children and two teachers in

House passes resolution to overturn new gun regulation; Biden vows veto

House Republicans passed a resolution that would repeal a Biden administration rule tightening federal regulations on stabilising braces for firearms, an accessory that has been used in several mass shootings in the US over the last decade. The resolution passed 219-210 nearly on party lines and after a contentious floor debate where Republicans accused the administration of "executive overreach" and Democrats condemned a bill they said would "help kill people". Two Democrats voted in support and two Republicans voted against it. The resolution, which was introduced by Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga, will now go to the Senate, which could take up the measure as soon as this week. Should it pass, President Joe Biden has promised a veto. Overriding a presidential veto would require two-thirds majorities in the House and Senate. The new rule issued by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in January treats guns with the accessories like short-barreled rifles, a weapon that i

Florida Senate passes bill to carry concealed guns without a permit

Floridians will be able to carry concealed guns without a permit under a bill the Legislature sent to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. The governor, who is considering a presidential run, has said the issue is one of his priorities. The Senate passed the bill on a 27-13 vote. It will allow anyone who can legally own a gun in Florida to carry one without a permit. It means training and a background check will not be needed for people to carry concealed guns in public. The arguments over the legislation were divided on political lines, with Republicans saying law-abiding citizens have a right to carry guns and protect themselves and Democrats saying a state that has seen horrific mass shootings such as the Parkland high school and Pulse nightclub massacres will become even more dangerous. Nearly 3 million Floridians have a concealed weapons permit. While a background check and three-day waiting period will still be required to purchase a gun from a licensed dealer, they are not required

Biden mourns Mississippi mass shooting, emphasises need for gun law reforms

At least six people were shot dead in the Tate County after a series of shootings on Friday, CNN reported. One person has been arrested in connection to the incident

US House passes bill to ban assault weapons with narrow vote after 18 yrs

The US House of Representatives passed a bill to ban assault weapons with a narrow 217-213 vote, the first vote of its kind in 18 years amid the increase in gun violence across the country

Shooter warning signs in US get lost in sea of social media posts

The warning signs were there for anyone to stumble upon, days before the 18-year-old gunman entered a Texas elementary school on Tuesday, slaughtering 19 children and two teachers.

NY steps up policing at schools, mulls raising age limit to buy guns

New York Governor Kathy Hochul convened an emergency meeting of the school safety improvement team and directed New York State Police to enhance visibility at schools out of an abundance of caution

US states divided on gun control measures even as mass shootings rise

Apart from several Democratic-controlled states, the majority have taken no action on gun control in recent years or have moved aggressively to expand gun rights

An epidemic we can control: McConaughey on school carnage in his hometown

The 18-year-old gunman, armed with assault rifles and wearing body armour, opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde

18 children, 3 adults shot dead in Texas school shooting; several critical

The deceased children are in the second, third and fourth grades - aged between 7 years and 10 years

Biden urges unity to stem racial hate after Buffalo supermarket shooting

A white gunman in military gear attacked shoppers and workers at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday, killing 10 people

10 killed in shooting in New York's Buffalo supermarket, suspect arraigned

Police officials said the 18-year-old gunman, who is white, was wearing body armour and military-style clothing when he pulled up and opened fire at people