Vitamin Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The powerful U.S. gun lobby seems poised for victory in a high profile battle to end a ban on some assault weapons and experts say it has also been piling up numerous quiet victories at the state level. A federal ban on certain military-style semi-automatic weapons enacted in 1994 is due to expire on Sept. 13. The Republican congressional leadership, backed by the National Rifle Association and other gun groups, seems determined to allow the law to lapse. Gun control groups say only vigorous intervention by President Bush (news - web sites) could change congres

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Gov. Jeb Bush signed bills Thursday that ban police from keeping comprehensive lists of law-abiding gun owners and give gun range owners almost total immunity from lead cleanup lawsuits. The National Rifle Association praised Bush for signing the bills, both of which were pushed hard by the gun-owners' group. Under the new law, police and government agencies could be fined $5 million if they keep a list of people who own firearms. The measure doesn't apply to lists created as part of a criminal investigation. The gun range bill arose out of a lawsuit that sought

L.A Times Friday, March 30, 2001 Others Fear Being Placed at the Mercy of Criminals by JOHN R. LOTT JR. Hardly a day seems to go by without national news coverage of yet another shooting. Yet when was the last time you heard a story on the national evening news about a citizen saving a life with a gun? Few people realize that civilians use guns defensively to stop about 2 million crimes a year, five times more often than guns are used to commit crimes, according to national surveys. Last week, a police officer received national attention for stopping a school shooting in El C