AK-47 is the most numerous and widely distributed weapon in history

AK-47 is the most numerous and widely distributed weapon in history, with a name and appearance that are instantly recognized worldwide. Designed in the late 1940s for the Soviet Army, the Avtomat Kalashnikova 47 ('Automatic of Kalashnikov 1947') became the universal weapon by the late 20th century, used by armies, militias and terrorists in practically every armed conflict, and by all sides in most of them. Even the United States has purchased mass quantities of AK-47s for friendly forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the armed services and the State Department train U.S. military and civilian personnel to handle and fire AK-47s in emergencies as part of their training for deployment to the war zones.
How did the AK-47 became as fundamental to contemporary warfare as Microsoft operating systems are to corporate computing? C.J. Chivers sets out to tell the story in 'The Gun.' A Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the New York Times and a former infantry officer in the Marine Corps, he has seen the AK-47 in action while covering wars from Iraq and Afghanistan to Chechnya and Central Asia, and his experiences enhance his account."

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BBC News - Arrest over attempted murder shooting in South Tyneside

BBC News - Arrest over attempted murder shooting in South Tyneside: "Officers were called to an address in Grasmere Road, Hebburn, on Monday night after reports of shots being fired.
They found a 27-year-old man suffering from gunshot wounds. He is being treated in hospital, but his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
Northumbria Police said a 36-year-old man had been arrested in connection with the attack and was in custody."

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Man shot dead in Sydney's west

Man shot dead in Sydney's west: "Shortly after 7.40pm (AEDT) police were called to a house in Russell Street, Mt Pritchard, following reports of a man that was seriously injured.
When police arrived they found the man who had serious head injuries consistent with a gunshot wound.
Ambulance treated the man however he died at the scene.
A crime scene has been established and inquiries into the incident are continuing, police say."

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Bermuda’s soaring gun crime

The Joint Select Committee will enlist the help of police and family groups to investigate the island’s growing gang culture.



It has not ruled out going into the communities most affected by the spate of shootings.



The committee will look at all aspects of Bermuda’s gun problem and report back to the House of Assembly with recommendations in 2011.



PLP MP Randy Horton was yesterday appointed chairman of the group during its first meeting.



He said: “Our first meeting was very much about housekeeping and getting ourselves organized as to how we are going to move forward as a group.



“The members will go off and come back in a few weeks with ideas about the kind of people we need to hear from.



“Some meetings will be in private and others will be in public as we look at the root causes of gun crime and violent crime.



“It is our intention to hear from a range of people who have expertise in different areas — from police to people who have been affected first-hand by the problems to family groups.”



Mr. Horton told the Bermuda Sun that the committee has the power to summon people to appear before it — but he does not expect to have to exercise this authority.



He added: “As we move forward and evolve we hope to be able to address and understand the increase in violent crime we have experienced in Bermuda. The committee is focused on violent crime and gun violence but there is no doubt that the whole question of gangs is a major part of that.



“By next year we hope to be in a position to provide the House with a detailed and concise list of recommendations that can be used to tackle this problem.”



The joint select committee is made up of Mr. Horton, Ashfield DeVent, Lovitta Foggo, John Barritt, Michael Dunkley, Walton Brown and Shawn Crockwell. It will meet again on October 14.

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TEENAGE girl has been arrested after a gun and ammunition were found in a Haggerston home.

Officers from Operation Bantam, Hackney Police’s unit tackling gun crime, raided the property on Kingsland Road on Thursday (Oct 7) night.



Using a search dog the team found a bag containing a black handgun and seven live bullets.



A 16-year-old woman was arrested at the address and taken to an east London police station for questioning.



Tests are currently being undertaken to establish, with the help of the NABIS (National Ballistics Intelligence Service) database, whether the firearm has been used in previous crimes.



Det Insp Rhys Willis, of Operation Bantam, said: “Gun crime has been reduced by 35 per cent in Hackney this financial year and seizures such as this one play an essential part in this reduction.



“We take all intelligence concerning firearms extremely seriously and are committed to removing them from the borough’s streets.”

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Ronald M. Chapman of Milton was sentenced in federal court Monday. Chapman pleaded guilty in July, admitting that he possessed six guns

Ronald M. Chapman of Milton was sentenced in federal court Monday. Chapman pleaded guilty in July, admitting that he possessed six guns and about 941 rounds of ammunition at his ex-wife's home while subject to a domestic violence protective order.




After his release, Chapman will serve 24 months on probation, including seven months of home confinement and electronic monitoring.

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gunman opened fire at an elementary school in Carlsbad, California,

gunman opened fire at an elementary school in Carlsbad, California, injuring two students who were outside during lunch Friday, police said.

The students, ages 6 and 7, were shot and suffered minor injuries, said Lt. Jay Eppel of the Carlsbad Police Department. Both were flown to Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego.

Construction workers at Kelly Elementary School detained a 41-year-old male suspect shortly after noon until officers arrived, Eppel said. Police do not suspect the man has a relationship with any students at the school.

Worker Carlos Partida told CNN affiliate KGTV that he got into his truck and was able to knock the gunman down with the vehicle. The man, dressed in black, was then tackled by other construction workers and witnesses.

The suspect's vehicle was parked near the school. Officers found a handgun and propane tank inside, police said. The bomb squad was called to the scene to conduct a more thorough search, Eppel said.

Students were taken to a local park to be picked up by their parents.

Pete Anderson, who operates a small research vineyard near the school, said he was tending vines when "I heard something like a gunshot, followed by another."

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gunman dressed in black and carrying a Halloween jack-o'-lantern or can of gasoline wounded two students at an elementary school in Carlsbad, Calif.

 gunman dressed in black and carrying a Halloween jack-o'-lantern or can of gasoline wounded two students at an elementary school in Carlsbad, Calif., before being tackled by construction workers.

Ed Willins, who was nearby when the incident occurred, said he saw the workers tackle the gunman. "They were on him immediately," he told The Times. "They administered a little street justice on him before the cops got there." 

Shortly after noon, the gunman rolled up to Kelly Elementary School in his car, said Lt. Kelly Cain of the Carlsbad Police Department. Armed with a .357-caliber handgun, Cain said, the assailant stepped onto the sidewalk next to the playground and started firing "wildly."

Two students suffered "non-life threatening" graze wounds and were being treated by doctors, officials said, and the bomb squad was called to examine a propane tank found in the gunman's car.

After the shooting, parents were notified and came to pick up their children at the school, located in an upper middle-class neighborhood with tall trees and a spacious park.

[Upated at 3:24 p.m.: Construction worker Carlos Partida said he saw the suspect firing his gun at the children. He said the gunman appeared to be reloading and trying to leave the scene when he jumped in his truck and rammed the man, knocking him down.

“My reaction was to get him. Get him away from the kids,” he said. Partida said he and two other construction workers held the gunman down until police arrived.

The two children were airlifted to Rady Children’s Hospital. Witnesses said they did not appear to be seriously injured as they were taken to the aircraft and that one of them even waved to onlookers.

It was an emotional scene outside the school as parents arrived to pick up their children. Many were sobbing. “I looked in his eyes and it was scary,” one little girl said of the gunman.]

Cain said the gunman, described as a white male in his 20s, has given three names, one of them a woman's name. Witnesses said the gunman was "ranting" and may have mentioned the president.

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