GUNS

President Joe Biden is nominating an Obama-era U.S. attorney to run the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Good morning, Chicago. Here are some of the top stories you need to know to start your day.

The Bureau of Alchohol, Firearms, Tabacco and Explosives reports from 2016 to 2020, approximately 23,906 unserialized firearms were reported to have been recovered by law enforcement from potential crime scenes.

Deputies arrested a man and a teen following a traffic stop where they recovered three guns, including a stolen handgun and a "ghost gun" which had no serial number, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.

Firefighters battle a forest fire in Tristan Suarez, Buenos Aires province, outside of the capital. The origin of the fire remains unknown, and local firefighters say that the heatwave affecting the country makes their job more physically demanding.

During a briefing on Wednesday, White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said that the Biden administration will make an additional 10 million tests available for schools every month, including 5 million rapid tests and 5 million PCR tests.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp says he'll push for a new state law that would loosen the state's handgun requirements.

From elections to vaccines, state and federal courts are weighing major Florida lawsuits. Here are 10 big legal issues to watch in 2022.

The owner says people should look past the Hitler image to see the message conveyed.

An Oviedo High School student faces four charges after causing a scare at homecoming, police say.

The Supreme Court seems ready to strike down a restrictive New York gun permitting law.

Known by his tens of thousands of YouTube fans as "SoloYaker" and "The Armed Fisherman," 41-year-old Michael Taylor was arrested in late March for allegedly illegally recording a phone call with a Brevard Parks and Recreation employee.

The city of Chicago on Monday sued a northwest Indiana gun store, alleging it has sold hundreds of guns that wound up in the hands of gang members and felons.

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal to expand gun rights in the United States in a New York case over the right to carry a firearm in public for self-defense.

ORLANDO, Fla. – With more than 30 years of selling guns under his gun belt, John Lassiter, of Addison’s Gun Shop in Kissimmee, has seen his industry revolve between gun-lows and gun-highs. “I call this a ‘gun run.’ We have been through gun runs before,” Lassiter said. Using data from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the agency responsible for running firearm background checks for those purchasing guns, shows that in the first 10 days of 2021, background checks were up 71%. Industry leaders said the boost is driven by many first-timers: people buying guns for the first time. “A lot of people in the firearms business say 2021 is going to make 2020 look like a normal year,” Lassiter said.

OVIEDO, Fla. – Leaders in Seminole County on Wednesday are expected to unveil a new safety tool aimed at keeping students safe. The school district will take part in a pilot program called Zeroeyes. The weapon detection system uses artificial intelligence to detect guns quickly by using security cameras. District leaders say the pilot program will be conducted at Oviedo High School.

Three guns were recovered from the car, police said, adding that two of the suspects were taken to West Suburban Hospital in Oak Park “for what appeared to be shortness of breath.”

ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida set a record earlier this year when it comes applications for concealed weapons licenses. Statistics show there were 38,349 new CWL applications in October, in addition to 8,590 CWL renewal applications. There have been at least 36,000 new CWL applications every month since July 2020, with the department projected to process a record 305,043 new applications and 143,749 renewal applications in 2020. In 2019, Florida received 202,698 new CWL applications, and in 2018, there were 188,900 new CWL applications. That’s why we’re hiring more staff and further streamlining our processes to reduce both application review times and customer service times.

NEW YORK – Walmart says it has removed ammunition and firearms from displays at its U.S. stores, citing “civil unrest" in some areas. The nation's largest retailer, based in Bentonville, Arkansas, sells firearms in about half of its 4,700 stores. The discounter said the items remain available for purchase by customers. Last year, Walmart stopped selling handgun and short-barrel rifle ammunition while requesting that customers not openly carry firearms in its stores, even where state laws allow it. The company also ended the sale of handguns in Alaska, the only state where the discounter sold them.

TITUSVILLE, Fla. – Complaints from residents about a home in Titusville resulted in police finding drugs and stolen firearms, officials said. According to police, half of the seized firearms had been previously reported stolen to law enforcement. Latasha Lanette Staley, 39, of Titusville is charged with felony child neglect. “This collective effort from police and community members resulted in taking multiple guns and drugs off the streets of our city”, said SIS Sergeant Troy Barbour. “This incident remains ongoing investigation by the Titusville Police Department,” officials said.

(Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) Walmart is moving firearms and ammunition out of some U.S. stores. The company issued a statement saying, "As a responsible seller of hunting and sporting firearms, we have temporarily removed firearms and ammunition from the sales floor in some stores out of an abundance of caution.The move comes after nationwide protests against the death of George Floyd. Many businesses, including major retailers such as Target, were damaged or looted during the unrest.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A controversial measure involving guns at some churches in Florida is headed to the floor of the state House. The Judiciary Committee on Wednesday approved legislature that would allow people with concealed-weapons licenses to take their guns to churches, synagogues and other places of worship that share property with a school. State law generally allows guns at churches but bans residents from being armed on school property. They are a sitting target," state Rep. Ramon Alexander said. Opponents of the bill argue the move could lead to people having guns on school property when there is no religious meeting.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Orange County Sheriff John Mina on Monday joined two Florida lawmakers who are pushing to keep guns more secure. State Sen. Victor Torres and State Rep. Joy Goff-Marcil have filed bills that would require any business that sells guns to keep them secure during non-business hours. According to the bills, stores would either have to use a cable to keep guns in place or lock them in a cabinet or safe. Mina said the new law is needed because burglars are able to quickly steal guns.

In the wide-open spaces of the American West, guns are woven into the tapestry of life in ways city-dwellers may not understand. Ted Koppel visits the town of Cody, Wyoming, to find out how, for the majority of families, guns are inseparable from a way of life.

No other developed country has embraced guns more than the United States. Just how did firearms become such a big part of American culture? Lee Cowan reports.