The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "gun control law" ...
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Gun Permit
In the state of Indiana, “no permit is required to possess a gun”. But to carry a gun outside of their homes or businesses, they must be issued a permit by the state police to make it legal. A few problems have arisen from this, which include the state issuing permits over the request of the local police not to and these permits being issued to convicted criminals or those deemed violent.
Tags: Indiana State Police; law enforcement; police department; public; safety; gun control; protection
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Police Illegally Buying Machine Guns
"An ongoing, in-depth investigation, coupled with ongoing Freedom of Information litigation, of the secret, illegal purchase of dozens of machine guns by officers of the Albany, NY Police Department who used their agency's authority to buy automatic weapons for official use only as a means to acquire restricted firearms for personal sport and amusement. Eventually, the guns began turning up for sale in at least two gun stores. To this day, several machine guns remain missing and unaccounted for while the department refuses to comply with New York's FOI Laws and has fought disclosure of the truth at every turn."
Tags: police; weapons; fireams; FOI; city government; law enforcement; gun control
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Errant gun dealer, wary agents paved way for Beltway sniper tragedy
This story deals with the gun dealer that supplied John Muhammad, and Lee Boyd Malvo with the military weapon used in the sniper shootings. Law enforcement sources say Lee Boyd Malvo told investigators he shoplifted the gun from the Bulls Eye firing range. The store has no sales record, and can't produce records for scores of other missing guns. Bull's Eye's negligent operation and the government's timid enforcement of errant gun dealers contributed to the tragedy according to released documents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and numerous interviews with current and former agency employees .
Tags: sniper; Bull's Eye's firing range; Lee Boyd Malvo; John Muhammad; Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms; gun supplier; ATF; ATF National Tracing Center; Bulls Eye Shooter Supply; Pacific Shooters Supply; 1968 Gun Control Act; Federal Firearms License; National Rifle Association
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Armed and Dangerous
WKMG found the State of Florida issuing concealed weapons permits to people who were prohibited by Federal and state law from even possessing guns because they were involuntarily committed by judges to mental institutions or drug-and-alcohol-treatment centers. The politically potent National Rifle Association and its allies have stifled any discussion in Florida about using public records to check on the mental health of the gun buyers. They claim the information is private, but this investigation shows how easily it could be done--if wanted to. This tape also looks at cases of mentally ill patients who have walked into public places like churches and opened fire to kill people.
Tags: TAPE; gun; National Rifle Association; NRA; mental; Florida; weapon; concealed weapon; permit; judge; mental institution; drug treatment; alcohol treatment; public records; mental health; gun buyer; privacy; concealed weapon permit; drug and alcohol treatment; psychotic disorder; concealed weapon permit holder; concealed weapon permit program; US Marshall Service; kill; concealed firearm; scheme; mental health record; health record; Florida legislature; gun control law; mentally ill; killing
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"A Hard Hit," "Living in Exile," "Trick of the Trade," "Between Rock and a Hard Place," "Trial and Tribulations"
Westword investigates crime in Colorado in a series of stories. The first profiles "Eric Scott, a former street kid turned mid-level marijuana dealer who ran a de facto homeless shelter out of his home. " The second article looks at a fierce crusade to prosecute violators of firearm laws. The third story reports on street prostitution along Colfax Boulevard in central Denver. The fourth story investigates crack cocaine trade in Denver's notorious Five Points district. The fifth story reports on a former Afghan Army officer who was charged with sexual assault.
Tags: drugs; gun control; Columbine shooting; police; courts; law enforcement
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Into thin air
This story highlights the problem of gun dealers selling weapons to people who use identification cards from someone else. This type of transaction, called straw sales, were recorded on camera by the Chicago police department, the Journal reports, but the lack of straw-sales prohibitions on federal and state levels allowed Chicago gun dealers to get away with it.
Tags: guns; gun laws; gun control; straw sales; weapons; firearms
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Bull's Eye: Brazil's Taurus Shows Why Gun Makers are Grateful to the U.S.
The Wall Street Journal reports how "the U.S. is just about the only good news in the global handgun business. The international financial crisis that enfeebled many of the world's economies last year has combined with increasingly restrictive gun-control laws across the globe to make the U.S. more important than ever to firearm manufacturers outside its borders."
Tags: gun manufacturers; Taurus; Baretta; Glock; Brazil
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Fire Sale: America's Unchecked Gun Market
A four-part series. 1.) Military Scrap Reborn as Firearms. Tens of thousand of rebuilt military weapons have been sold to the public. Some of the world's most powerful combat rifles can wind up in almost anyone's hands with a minimum of paperwork. 2.) Built for the battlefield, bound for the streets. Through the 94-year-old Civilian Marksmanship Program, thousands of obsolete military firearms are sold to private owners. Trouble is, there are no safeguards on the weapon's resale. 3.) Want to buy a weapon? Step right up. At poorly monitored gun shows -- as well as on the Internet -- buyers and sellers can undertake transactions that don't require background checks or paperwork. 4.) Assault gun 'ban' designed to backfire. With gaping loopholes the law is easily skirted.
Tags: Military; gun; gun control; weapon.
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The Gunrunners
"The Gunrunners" revealed how thousands of handguns purchased legally in Chicago's suburbs end up in the hands of gang members and felons in the city, where possession of handguns is illegal. The practice makes a mockery of Chicago's gun control laws. The story documented that suburban gun stores were the primary source of weapons for Chicago gangs.
Tags: TAPE
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No title (id: 12698)
The Los Angeles Times reveals the existence of little-known state law enforcement officers with little or no training, chosen by themselves or other private parties, with no governmental supervision. Animal control deputies may wear uniforms, carry guns and make arrests, but their ranks are virtually unregulated. The L.A. Times investigation details abuses, including stockpiling large numbers of assault rifles. (Nov. 6, 1994, Jan. 17 & 19, 1995)
Tags: Meyer Lax control over state humane officers Animal rights Contest entry 21. pgs.