14 Dec Gun control notes from all over

In light of the seemingly imminent demise of Canada’s long gun registry, readers may be interested in the latest gun control developments in the United States, where the Associated Press reports that 24 states have passed 47 new laws loosening gun restrictions over the last two years.

• Arizona, Florida, Louisiana and Utah have made it illegal for businesses to bar employees from storing guns in cars parked on company lots.
• Tennessee and Montana have passed laws that exempt weapons made and owned in-state from federal restrictions. In Tennessee, this would include the .50-caliber shoulder-fired rifle made by Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, which the company says can shoot bullets up to eight kilometers.
• Tennessee’s new gun law, passed after lawmakers overrode a veto by the governor, also allows handguns in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol.
• A similar Arizona law that took effect in September allows people with concealed-weapons permits to bring their guns into bars and restaurants that haven’t posted signs banning them.

In 1959, 60 percent of respondents to a US Gallup survey said they favored a ban on handguns except for “police and other authorized persons.” Gallup’s most recent annual crime survey in October found 71 percent opposed such a ban.