• Arizona lawmaker tries to close gun show loophole

    Arizona state senator Steve Gallardo is introducing a bill to close Arizona’s gun show loophole; currently sellers at gun shows are not required to conduct background checks before selling weapons to individuals; a recent sting operation, led by New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, revealed that sellers at a Phoenix gun show sold weapons to under-cover investigators after the investigators declared that they could not pass a background check; federal laws prohibit individuals from selling weapons to people that they suspect could not pass a background check; terrorists and weapons smugglers often exploit this loophole to obtain weapons; the bill is likely to face opposition from pro-gun advocates like Arizona governor Jan Brewer

  • Free radiation monitors handed out in South Carolina

    Ionizing radiation, the most energetic form, is capable of removing electrons from atoms and damaging the DNA within living cells; widespread panic caused by a dirty bomb, small nuclear device, or nuclear fallout would leave people questioning whether or not they were exposed to a lethal dose of ionizing radiation; the RadSticker is an inexpensive citizen’s dosimeter which could minimize panic in the event of a radiological incident

  • Colorado education dept. to fund emergency comm. systems

    Colorado will use a $41.5 million fund tied to the National School Lunch Act could be used to purchase emergency communications systems; the technology will improve communication between schools and first responders during an emergency

  • U.K. police to use tasers on unruly rib-pokers

    Last December, some 180 protesters, most aged between 17 and 25, stood in front of the Royal convoy, and some protesters began to kick, hit, and hurl objects at the Royal car; as the Duchess of Cornwall sat in the vehicle, she was poked in the ribs with a stick through a window slit; demonstrators pursued the envoy, chanting “Off with their heads”; to prevent such occurrences in the future, the U.K .Diplomatic Protection Squad will be supplementing their conventional firearms with stun guns

  • Breakthrough in free-electron laser development

    Breakthroughs in Free-Electron Laser (FEL) technology could mean a virtually impenetrable defense system for Navy ships; the laser weapon has the capability to detect and engage incoming cruise missiles at the speed of light without running out of ammunition

  • Oregon’s new budget may kill interoperability system

    The goal of the $600 million Oregon Wireless Interoperability Network (OWIN) project is to design and construct a reliable public safety radio system for emergency responders, comply with the FCC’s 2013 deadline to transition state radios, consolidate four existing independent state radio systems, and create a network that all public safety radio users in Oregon can access; the governor proposes to halt the project for lack of money

  • N.J. county to purchase mobile morgue with DHS grant

    Burlington County, New Jersey officials plan to use this year’s DHS grant of $775,000 to purchase surveillance for the county’s radio communications towers, license plate readers, and a mobile morgue unit capable of transporting eight bodies; the mobile morgue is used to provide morgue support in a mass fatality event

  • Foreign orders for Mass.-built bomb-disposal robots

    Massachusetts-based robot maker received orders for twenty-seven additional bomb-disposal robots from unnamed international customers; the company has delivered bomb-disposal robots to more than twenty-five countries

  • ATF budget cuts hurt efforts to stop illegal guns heading to Mexico

    The proposed budget cuts for the ATF could seriously undermine Project Gunrunner, the Obama administration’s efforts to stem the flow of guns across the border to drug cartels; White House budget office proposed cutting nearly $160 million, or 12.8 percent, from the ATF’s budget; under federal rules, the last personnel hired are the first to be fired, and in the last several years the ATF has primarily focused on hiring for the border initiative; in 2009 alone, ATF agents seized 2,589 firearms and 265,000 rounds of ammunition headed across the border; so far, agents have traced more than 65,000 guns in Mexico back to the United States

  • iPhone app helps police "see" through walls

    Law enforcement officials are using SafetyNet Mobile, a powerful new iPhone app, to fight crime; the app allows police officers to quickly access all emergency dispatch information including maps, warnings, hazard information, and other critical data; to access the emergency dispatch database, the officer simply points the iPhone or iPad’s camera at a location; this technology allows police to “see” behind doors or walls by alerting them to any potential dangers inside; the app installs on any iPhone or iPad; SafetyNet Mobile has been successfully tested by three police departments in California and is currently being rolled out

  • N.C. law enforcement pistols no good

    North Carolina’s Alcohol Law Enforcement agency says 150 new pistols bought for their agents at $1,055 each were so unreliable they got rid of them; the Kimber .45-caliber pistols repeatedly malfunctioned during training exercises, with rounds jamming, sights breaking, and the weapons’ safety buttons sometimes falling off

  • New York cracks down on illegal gun sales

    An undercover operation by New York City investigators at an Arizona gun show highlighted the ease with which people with questionable backgrounds can purchase weapons; investigators were able to purchase several handguns despite clearly stating that they would not be able to pass background checks; federal laws do not require background checks at gun shows, but it is illegal for dealers to sell weapons to individuals who they suspect could not pass a background check due to mental instability or a criminal record; investigators were able to purchase a Glock and large capacity magazines, the same used in the Tucson shooting, without any background checks; terrorists seeking to obtain weapons have been found purchasing weapons from gun shows

  • ATF allowing guns into mexico

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) — the agency tasked with keeping U.S. guns from being smuggled to Mexico — has now come under fire for allegedly allowing firearms to cross the border into Mexico; Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) sent a letter to the ATF stating that his office had “received numerous allegations that the ATF sanctioned the sale of hundreds of assault weapons to suspected straw purchasers, who then allegedly transported these weapons throughout the Southwest border area and into Mexico”

  • Portland's police bureau reviews taser policies

    The Portland Police department has reviewed the use of taser stun guns by officers, and found that policies and practices could be improved; after examining fifty cases of taser use, the study found that in 80 percent of the cases, the use of a taser gun led to a resolution of the situation