Gun-maker wins: "An appeals court on Wednesday rejected a lawsuit that the widow of a teacher gunned down by a 13-year-old student had filed against a gun distributor. Pam Grunow's lawsuit argued that Valor Corp. was negligent in selling the cheap handgun used in the shooting and should be held liable for the May 2000 death of her husband, Barry Grunow. He was shot in the doorway of his middle school classroom by Nathaniel Brazill, who stole the gun from the man he considered to be a grandfather. "We certainly sympathize with Grunow and recognize the tragedy of the events that transpired. However, it was Brazill, his grandfather, and perhaps the school that were liable, not Valor," the opinion said. A jury that heard the case in November 2002 had ordered the company to pay $1.2 million, but the trial judge threw out the verdict and Grunow appealed. She could appeal to the state Supreme Court; her attorneys did not immediately return calls seeking comment Wednesday. Lawyers for Valor also did not respond to calls. Brazill was sent home on the last day of school for throwing water balloons, but returned with the gun. He shot Grunow because the teacher wouldn't let him speak to two girls in his class. Brazill was convicted of second-degree murder and is serving a 28-year prison sentence."


Guns = drugs?? "Law enforcement officials and community leaders gathered at a summit Wednesday to address illegal drugs and guns in Atlanta. The summit, called the CitySafe summit, included Mayor Shirley Franklin, Police Chief Richard Pennington, Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard, Fulton County Chief Judge Doris Downs, and federal officials. �We can act as if we don�t have a problem, in which case we�ll never solve the problem,� Mayor Franklin said. The summit called to immediately hire 100 more Atlanta police officers to work on the squad�s narcotics unit. Currently, there are about 20 in the unit. Pennington said they currently do not have the resources to conduct long-term investigations. �When you look at the magnitude of the narcotics in the city of Atlanta, we have a monumental task in front of us in going out and trying to eradicate the drug problems in all types of neighborhoods,� Chief Pennington said. �There�s no question that we cannot lick or kick illegal drugs and guns in our community without increased police officers,� Mayor Franklin said."


Gun dealer arrested in China: "A former judge from Langfang city in Hebei Province was reportedly arrested early last week in Beijing for allegedly selling guns and bullets illegally on the Internet. Forty-one-year-old Li Tongwen, a former judge in Yongqing County court, allegedly bought 30 guns and 1,000 bullets from Xining, capital of Northwest China's Qinghai Province, between last November and April, according to Yanzhao Metropolis Daily yesterday. He started the business last year after a trip to Xining, where Li met some people offering weapons. Driven by the huge profit generated from the illegal business, Li used the screen names "firearms" and "munitions factory" when he sold on the Internet. As a law enforcer, Li travelled safely with the lethal weapons from Xining to many cities across China. His job helped him evade security checks at airports and train stations. Li sold one type of gun for between 6,000 yuan (US$725) and 7,000 yuan (US$846) to Xu Guangquan and Zhang Haifeng in Changping and Chaoyang districts of Beijing. Li and 14 other suspects involved in the illegal trade were not discovered until an ex-soldier from Southwest China's Sichuan Province discovered Li's advertisement for guns on the Internet. The retired serviceman reported the matter to Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau. After investigation, the police arrested 15 suspects and confiscated 26 guns and over 460 bullets. Some suspects are still at large."