Us Gun Control

Climate, abortion, and gun control: Young women demand change in America

Young men have shown reluctance to embrace the liberal label, despite becoming more progressive on select issues, said a recent report

Hunter Biden to be sentenced on gun charges in Nov, may face 25 yrs jail

Hunter Biden is set to be sentenced on felony firearms charges in November under an order signed by a judge on Friday. The president's son could face up to 25 years in prison at sentencing set for November 13 in Wilmington, Delaware, but as a first-time offender he is likely to get far less time or avoid prison entirely. Hunter Biden is also facing another trial on tax charges in California set to begin in September. He's charged in that case with failing to pay USD 1.4 million in taxes. President Joe Biden, who dropped his reelection bid last month, has said he will not use his presidential powers to pardon his son or lessen his sentence. Hunter Biden was convicted of three felonies after lying on a federal form to purchase the gun by saying he wasn't a drug user in 2018, a period when he has acknowledged struggling with addiction. US District Judge Maryellen Noreika, who was nominated to the bench by former Republican President Donald Trump, will decide how much time, if any, Hun

TikTok collected data on issues like abortion, gun control: US Justice Dept

In a fresh broadside against one of the world's most popular technology companies, the Justice Department late Friday accused TikTok of harnessing the capability to gather bulk information on users based on views on divisive social issues like gun control, abortion and religion. Government lawyers wrote in a brief filed to the federal appeals court in Washington that TikTok and its Beijing-based parent company ByteDance used an internal web-suite system called Lark to enable TikTok employees to speak directly with ByteDance engineers in China. TikTok employees used Lark to send sensitive data about US users, information that has wound up being stored on Chinese servers and accessible to ByteDance employees in China, federal officials said. One of Lark's internal search tools, the filing states, permits ByteDance and TikTok employees in the US and China to gather information on users' content or expressions, including views on sensitive topics, such as abortion or religion. Last year

Officers looked for Trump rally gunman before shooting, says state police

Two local law enforcement officers stationed in the complex of buildings where a gunman opened fire at former President Donald Trump left to go search for the man before the shooting, the head of Pennsylvania State Police said Tuesday, raising questions about whether a key post was left unattended as the shooter climbed onto a roof. Pennsylvania State Police Col. Christopher Paris told a congressional committee that two Butler County Emergency Services Unit officers were stationed at a second-floor window in the complex of buildings that form AGR International Inc. They spotted Thomas Matthew Crooks acting suspiciously on the ground and left their post to look for him along with other law enforcement officers, he said. Paris said he didn't know whether officers would have been able to see Crooks climbing onto the roof of an adjacent building had they remained at the window. A video taken by a lawmaker who visited the shooting site on Monday shows a second-story window of the building

Hunter Biden seeks dismissal of tax, gun cases, cites Trump's verdict

President Joe Biden's son, Hunter, has asked federal judges to dismiss tax and gun cases against him, citing a ruling in Florida this week that threw out a separate prosecution of former President Donald Trump. The requests in federal court in Delaware and California on Thursday underscore the potential ramifications of US District Judge Aileen Cannon's dismissal Monday of the classified documents case against Trump and the possibility that it could unsettle the legal landscape surrounding Justice Department special counsels. Both Hunter Biden and Trump were prosecuted by special counsels appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland. In dismissing the Trump case, Cannon ruled that the appointment of the special counsel who prosecuted Trump, Jack Smith, violated the Constitution because he was appointed directly to the position by Garland instead of being nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Smith's team has said the Justice Department followed long-establishment

Shooting for safety

US badly needs stricter gun-control laws

Biden administration created atmosphere that provoked attack, claims Russia

We do not believe that the attempt to eliminate and assassinate Trump was organised by the current authorities, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters

Won't offer commutation to son Hunter after gun sentence, says Biden

President Joe Biden said on Thursday that he will not use his presidential powers to lessen the eventual sentence that his son Hunter will receive for his federal felony conviction on gun crimes. Biden, following the conclusion of a news conference held at the Group of Seven summit of the world's wealthiest democracies, responded he would not when asked whether he plans to commute the sentence for his son. Hunter Biden's sentencing date has not been set, and the three counts carry up to 25 years in prison. Whether Hunter Biden actually serves any time behind bars will be up to US District Judge Maryellen Noreika, who was nominated to the bench by former Republican President Donald Trump. Biden's remarks came one day after the White House declined to rule out a potential commutation for Hunter Biden. Both the president and the White House have said for months that Biden would not pardon his son. I'm extremely proud of my son Hunter. He has overcome an addiction. He is one of the ..

Jurors will resume deliberations in federal gun case against Hunter Biden

Jurors will resume deliberations on Tuesday in the criminal case against President Joe Biden's son over a gun Hunter Biden bought in 2018 when prosecutors say he was in the throes of a crack cocaine addiction. Jurors deliberated for less than an hour before leaving the federal courthouse in Delaware on Monday afternoon. They are weighing whether Hunter Biden is guilty of three felonies in the case pitting the younger Biden against his father's Justice Department in the middle of the president's reelection campaign. Prosecutors spent last week using testimony from his ex-wife and former girlfriends, photos of Hunter Biden with drug paraphernalia and other tawdry evidence to make the case that he lied when he checked no on the form at the gun shop that asked whether he was an unlawful user of, or addicted to drugs. He knew he was using drugs. That's what the evidence shows. And he knew he was addicted to drugs. That's what the evidence shows, prosecutor Leo Wise told jurors in his ...

YouTube toughens policy on gun videos in attempt to safeguard youth

YouTube is changing its policies about firearm videos in an effort to keep potentially dangerous content from reaching underage users. The video sharing platform owned by Google said Wednesday it will prohibit any videos demonstrating how to remove firearm safety devices. In addition, videos showing homemade guns, automatic weapons and certain firearm accessories like silencers will be restricted to users 18 and older. The changes take effect June 18 and come after gun safety advocates have repeatedly called on the platform to do more to ensure gun videos aren't making their way to the site's youngest users, potentially traumatising children or sending them down dark paths of extremism and violence. Katie Paul, director of the Tech Transparency Project, said the change was welcome news and a step in the right direction. But she questioned why the platform took so long to issue a new policy, and said her group will look to see how effectively YouTube enforces its new rule. Firearms

Hunter Biden's exes called as witnesses in gun trial to detail his drug use

Hunter Biden's ex-wife and a former girlfriend testified Wednesday in his gun trial about finding his crack pipes and other drug paraphernalia as prosecutors sought to show he still had a substance abuse problem when he filled out a form to buy a firearm. The courtroom grew quiet when Kathleen Buhle, who was married to Hunter for 20 years, walked in. She testified that she discovered her husband was using drugs when she found a crack pipe in an ashtray on their porch on July, 3, 2015, a day after their anniversary. When she confronted him, he acknowledged smoking crack, she said. The trial has quickly become a highly personal and detailed tour of Hunter Biden's mistakes and drug use. The proceedings are unfolding as the 2024 presidential election looms, and allies worry about the toll it will take on the president, who is deeply concerned about the health and sustained sobriety of his only living son. Prosecutors argue that the testimony is necessary to show Hunter Biden's state of .

Jury seated in Prez Biden's son Hunter Biden's federal firearms case

A jury was seated Monday in a federal gun case against President Joe Biden's son Hunter, after prospective candidates were questioned on their thoughts about gun rights and drug addiction while the first lady watched from the front row of the courtroom in a show of support for her son. Opening statements will begin Tuesday. A jury of 12 panellists and four alternates was selected in one day. Hunter Biden, who spent the weekend with his parents, has been charged in Delaware with three felonies stemming from a 2018 firearm purchase when he was, according to his memoir, in the throes of a crack addiction. He has been accused of lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false claim on the application by saying he was not a drug user and illegally having the gun for 11 days. More than 65 prospective jurors who were questioned and 29 had been dismissed by late afternoon. One who was sent home said she didn't know whether she could be impartial because of the opinion she had forme

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

Biden to travel to N Carolina to meet kin of officers killed in shooting

President Joe Biden is expected to travel to North Carolina on Thursday to meet with the family members of four officers killed earlier this week in the deadliest attack on U.S. law enforcement since 2016. The president is scheduled to visit Wilmington across the state that day and is planning to add a stop in Charlotte to meet with local officials and the families of officers shot Monday while serving a warrant, according to a person familiar with the matter. The four officers were killed when a task force made up of officers from different agencies arrived in the residential neighborhood in the city of 900,000 to try to capture 39-year-old Terry Clark Hughes Jr. on warrants for possession of a firearm by an ex-felon and fleeing to elude in Lincoln County, North Carolina. Hughes was also killed. Four other officers were wounded in the shootout, and an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, a 40-caliber handgun and ammunition were found at the scene. Those killed were identified as Sam Poloche

Colorado clears semiautomatic firearm ban; Bill sent to Senate for approval

Colorado's Democratic-controlled House on Sunday passed a bill that would ban the sale and transfer of semiautomatic firearms, a major step for the legislation after roughly the same bill was swiftly killed by Democrats last year. The bill, which passed on a 35-27 vote, is now on its way to the Democratic-led state Senate. If it passes there, it could bring Colorado in line with 10 other states including California, New York and Illinois that have prohibitions on semiautomatic guns. But even in a state plagued by some of the nation's worst mass shootings, such legislation faces headwinds. Colorado's political history is purple, shifting blue only recently. The bill's chances of success in the state Senate are lower than they were in the House, where Democrats have a 46-19 majority and a bigger far-left flank. Gov. Jared Polis, also a Democrat, has indicated his wariness over such a ban. Last year, a similar bill died in committee, with some Democratic lawmakers citing concerns ov

One killed, five wounded as shooters open fire on crowd in DC neighbourhood

A man was killed and five others including two children were injured in a barrage of gunfire on Wednesday in the nation's capital. The shooting happened just after 6 p.m. in the Carver Langston neighbourhood of Washington, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith said. Investigators believe the suspects exited a vehicle and then began shooting into a crowd of people on the street. Multiple people were shot. One of the victims, an adult man, was killed. Two men, a woman and a 9-year-old were taken by ambulance to local hospitals. A 12-year-old later arrived at a hospital with a gunshot wound and is also believed to be a victim in the shooting, Smith said. The shooting comes as the District of Columbia is struggling with a sharp increase in violent crime, which went up 39 per cent in 2023. The increase was largely fuelled by a 35 per cent rise in homicides and growth in carjackings, which nearly doubled. Smith has pushed lawmakers to pass legislation that would strengthen

At least 3 shot as gunfire erupts at Philadelphia Eid event, says police

At least three people were shot and injured Wednesday at an Eid al-Fitr event in Philadelphia, police said. The shooting occurred around 2:30 p.m., when police at the scene heard about 30 gun shots, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said at a news conference. Two groups of people started firing at each other, and people began fleeing the scene, he said. Officers took into custody four males and a female, and four weapons were recovered at the scene, Bethel said. One suspect, a 15-year-old boy who police said had a gun, was shot by police and sustained wounds to his shoulder and leg. A man also was shot in the stomach, and another juvenile had a wound to his hand. No one was killed, police said. It was not immediately clear what caused the shooting. Dozens of police officers responded to the shooting in the city's Parkside section. The shooting happened in an area where residents were celebrating Eid al-Fitr, the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Shooting in Washington leaves 2 dead, 5 injured; police on hunt for accused

Two people have been killed and five others injured in a shooting in the nation's capital early Sunday. Police were looking for a single gunman after the seven people were shot around 3 a.m. in the Shaw neighbourhood of Washington. The five people who were injured were all taken to local hospitals, said Jeffrey Carroll, the executive assistant chief of the Metropolitan Police Department. All of the victims are adults, he said. Police did not immediately provide details of the circumstances surrounding the shooting or the conditions of those injured. The District of Columbia is struggling with a sharp increase in violent crime, which went up 39% in 2023. The increase was largely fueled by a 35% rise in homicides and growth in carjackings, which nearly doubled. Police Chief Pamela Smith has pushed lawmakers to pass legislation that would strengthen penalties for gun offenses in the nation's capital.

Deaths of 2 in Colorado college shooting investigated as homicides: Police

The deaths of two people who were shot in a dorm room at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs will be investigated as homicides, police said. The victims, who were not immediately identified, were found dead when police responded to a report of a shooting around 6 am on Friday. At this point in our investigation, this incident does not appear to be a murder-suicide and both deaths are being investigated as homicides, the Colorado Springs Police Department said in a statement on social media on Friday evening. The coroner's office will determine how they died but each person was shot at least once in what appeared to be an isolated incident, police spokesperson Ira Cronin said at a briefing. A lockdown across campus lasted for about 90 minutes and later was isolated to a student apartment complex on campus, school spokesperson Chris Valentine said. Following the lockdown, the campus about 111 km south of Denver remained closed for the day. The university said the campus was

17-year-old kills sixth-grader, wounds 5 in Iowa school shooting: US Police

A 17-year-old opened fire at a small-town Iowa high school on the first day of school after the winter break, killing a sixth-grader and wounding five others as students barricaded in offices and fled in panic. The suspect, a student at the school in Perry, died of what investigators believe is a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and at least one of the victims is a school administrator, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official was not authorised to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to The AP on the condition of anonymity. Perry has about 8,000 residents and is about 40 miles (64 kilometres) northwest of Des Moines, on the edge of the state capital's metropolitan area. It is home to a large pork-processing plant, and low-slung, single-story homes spread among trees now shorn of their leaves by winter. The high school and middle school are connected, sitting on the east edge of the town. High school senior Ava Augustus said she was in a ...