California scrambles to ban ‘ghost guns’ as untraceable weapons’ popularity soars

Cities across California are ramping up efforts to try to stop the flow of so-called ghost guns into their jurisdictions, as the do-it-yourself weapons appear with increasing frequency at homicide scenes, traffic stops and community gun buybacks.

As state and federal laws meant to bring ghost guns into compliance with traditional firearm laws await implementation, local officials and prosecutors across California are increasingly resorting to bans and lawsuits to regulate the weapons in their cities.

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There Are Far More Defensive Gun Uses Than Murders. Here’s Why You Rarely Hear of Them.

While Americans know that guns take many innocent lives every year, many don’t know that firearms also save them.

On May 15, an attacker at an apartment complex in Fort Smith, Ark., fatally shot a woman and then fired 93 rounds at other people before a man killed him with a bolt-action rifle. Police said he “likely saved a number of lives in the process.” 

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David Frum is wrong: Guns save lives and sustain communities

From self defense to funding fire departments, they’re woven into the culture of red America

The debate over guns in the United States could, until recently, be divided into two extreme camps: the liberal elites (invariably protected by armed guards) who call for ever-more restrictive control of firearms, the basic functionality of which they cannot even begin to explain, and the uber-conservative right, for whom guns are a way of life and are ofttimes life-sustaining.

David Frum is evidently of the first faction, writing in The Atlantic this month about how ‘Responsible Gun Ownership Is a Lie.’ Gun sales – especially among first-time gun buyers – surged between 2019 and 2020, and continue to smash records. This trend has Frum worried.

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Investigation into hacked “map” of UK gun owners

I suspect this would be the reaction in the USA.

Authorities are investigating after a map claiming to show the addresses of thousands of firearms owners in the UK was published online.

Gun-selling site Guntrader announced a data breach affecting more than 100,000 customers in July.

This week, reports emerged that an animal rights activist blog had published the information.

The group had formatted the data so it could be easily imported into mapping software to show individual homes.

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CDC to Spend Millions of Taxpayer Dollars on Gun ‘Health Threat‘

Takes Covid vaccines for fun.

President Biden’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is gearing up to spend millions of taxpayer dollars fighting the “serious public health threat” posed by gun violence.

CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky referenced gun crime in various cities and said, “Something has to be done about this. Now is the time — it’s pedal to the metal time,” CNN reported.

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Alberta appoints first-ever chief firearms officer to takeover federal responsibilities

Firearms advocate and former member of the Alberta Firearms Advisory Committee Teri Bryant was appointed to the newly-created role.

“As a lifelong firearms collector and enthusiast, I could not be more excited for this opportunity to represent Albertans and stand up for our province’s way of life and lawful firearms culture. I cannot wait to meet with other passionate Albertans with Minister Madu on our tour to find out how we can get a fair deal for Albertans,” said Bryant.

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UK: ‘Force gun owners to face online hate trawl’

Police must trawl through the social media accounts of people applying for firearms licences to prevent those with extremist views from having access to deadly weapons, a former Metropolitan Police chief has said.

The call comes as ministers were urged to classify men who espouse hatred towards women online as potential terrorist threats because they embrace a radical and dangerous ideology.

On Saturday night, Jake Davison, the misogynist gunman who went on a killing spree in Plymouth, was hailed on websites used by incels – involuntary celibates – as a “saint”.  Others called for copycat killings on forums feared to be radicalising young boys as young as 13.

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Fed’s proposed gun-control rules endanger public safety, group says

A prominent gun-control group is accusing the federal Liberals of endangering public safety by backpedalling on a pledge to ensure firearm buyers have a valid licence.

In a written submission to the government, PolySeSouvient says proposed regulations to flesh out federal legislation do not go far enough to keep guns out of the wrong hands.

The group, which pushes for more stringent firearm controls, includes students and graduates of Montreal’s Ecole polytechnique, where a gunman killed 14 women in 1989.

I’m sure Justin will make a boatload of new promises.

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‘Grandmas buying shotguns’: US dealers see ammunition shortage as sales surge

The coronavirus pandemic in the US has been accompanied by soaring gun sales attributed to fears around social unrest and crime and, in some cases, people having more time for hunting.

But now ammunition has fallen into short supply.

Manufacturers say they are producing as much as they can but in many gun stores shelves are sparse and prices are concurrently rising.

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Trudeau government ‘buy back’ firearms plan may cost up to $6.7 billion

In May 2020, Prime Minister Trudeau issued an Order-In-Council immediately outlawing more than 1,500 makes and models of “military-style assault weapons,” which would be confiscated in due course. According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s recent estimate, it will cost between $47 million and $756 million to compensate or “buy back” now-banned firearms from legal owners. The wide range and higher estimate contrasts with estimates made in February by federal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair who said compensation costs would be between $300 million and $400 million. 

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No, the Second Amendment Isn’t Racist

Growing up in a decidedly left-wing household, I was lectured on a regular basis about the dangers and evils of firearms and the horrible kinds of people who own them. This despite the fact that my father kept a .22 rifle hidden in the basement. Granted, a .22 does not pack the firepower of most other guns, but on rare occasions when he thought he could get away with it, my dad would take me out plinking with the admonition that I keep it on the sly, since my mother would have, shall we say, “registered her disapproval.” Very adamantly.

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Despite What Biden Says, Guns Factor in Only a Small Percentage of Violent Crimes

In response to sharp increases in violent crime, President Biden stressed again last week that his administration is focused on “stemming the flow of firearms used to commit violent crimes.” But critics warn that this “guns first” approach ignores a basic fact—about 92% of violent crimes in America do not involve firearms.

Although firearms were used in about 74% of homicides in 2019, they comprise less than 9% of violent crimes in America.

The vast majority of violent offenses—including robberies, rapes and other sex crimes—almost always involve other weapons or no weapons at all.

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Were Strong Gun Sales to Blame for 2020’s Violence?

A new study suggests otherwise.

Gun sales in the U.S. exploded last year, first when the Covid-19 pandemic reached our shores and again when the death of George Floyd set off a wave of protests and violence in cities. Some commentators maintain that these sales in fact fueled the violence—a theory that fits nicely with some advocates’ preexisting priorities. President Biden and his team have been especially eager to turn the conversation about the abrupt crime spike into a conversation about guns and gun dealers.

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