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	The high price Americans pay for weak gun laws by New York Times USA   The high price Americans pay for weak gun laws — no matter where they live — is made painfully clear in a new study prepared by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a bipartisan coalition led by Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York and Mayor Thomas Menino of Boston.   The study examines the source of guns confiscated at crime scenes across the country during 2009. A large number of these guns, 43,000 in all, originated with out-of-state gun dealers. Among the states with the worst record of exporting crime guns were Georgia, Virginia, West Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi and Alaska.   Each of these states exports crime guns at a rate more than double the national average. All have weak gun laws. They generally fail to require background checks for handgun sales at gun shows. They tend not to require state inspection of gun dealers, or require owners to report lost and stolen guns to police.   The study finds that states that have enacted strong restrictions export crime guns at only about one-seventh the rate of those with lax laws. It relied on data available only after Congress loosened restrictions — put in place with support from the gun lobby — that barred public release of information tracing the flow of guns.   There are sensible steps that could help, like closing the loophole in federal law that permits gun traffickers and other unqualified purchasers from obtaining weapons without background checks at gun shows. The National Rifle Association persists in blocking that, and is pressing to loosen gun restrictions even further.   There are 12,000 gun murders a year in this country, many committed with guns flowing into states with the strongest gun laws from parts of the country with the weakest ones. Stanching that flow — with tough national and state laws — is a matter of life or death. Visit the related web page
	Peace is urgent and it is achievable by Catherine Ashton, Desmond Tutu International Herald Tribune & agencies Middle East   It is the process of entering the Gaza Strip that strikes you most. At the Erez checkpoint you go into what looks like a modern airport terminal. Leaving it you move through a winding maze of gates and walls and emerge, like a time-traveler transported backwards, on a dirt track. This is where the industrial center of Gaza used to be, before the shelling just over a year ago. Now, people with donkeys and carts carry stones from the rubble.   Moving from Israel into Gaza, you go from a 21st century country to a landscape that has been disfigured. Rebuilding is impossible while Israel blocks goods from entering. People have little more at their disposal than the ruins that surround them. An illegal system of tunnels provides vital goods for the people — and profits for criminal gangs.   I went to Gaza to see whether European assistance money has an effect on the ground. It does. Amid the bleak conditions, seeds of hope are flowering. I saw a school for girls where pupils receive a solid education, including on human rights. It is education like this that fights child labor.   I visited the Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children, a project to improve the lives of deaf people in the Gaza Strip. A workshop there gives more than 300 deaf and marginalized women and men the chance to earn a living by producing the most beautiful handicrafts.   These pockets of normality and hope show how human dignity survives, and, more importantly, an inspiring glimpse of what could be.   What I found in Gaza confirmed my strong view that we must act now — not just to end the violence, but because peace will bring prosperity in Gaza and in the region.   It will open up opportunities for growth and regional integration, the best antidote against the radical groups. That is the real prize.   Extremism grows in rubble and refugee camps. These provide fertile territory not just for local warlords but for all those in the region with their own agendas, who profit from instability and assist it with shipments of arms.   The Palestinians have to be able to control their own lives — to build a better future for themselves. When it comes to Gaza, Israel has legitimate security concerns. But for the Israeli people, only a lasting peace can bring sustainable security. That should be the first priority for any government. Making peace strengthens the weak and secures the strong. The moment to make peace is when you are strong.   Throughout the region, from Egypt to Syria, from Lebanon to Jordan, I heard the same message from presidents, prime ministers and a king, and from ordinary people, too — they want their economies to grow, their people to prosper, their children to be educated. To achieve that, we need peace in the Middle East.   We know what needs to be done — proximity talks now, leading quickly to real negotiations. The international community must offer its full backing. We cannot impose peace but we can offer support and incentives to the parties to make the difficult compromises.   We know the elements that are needed. The European Union set out its position in a statement of principles last December. A two-state solution with Israel and Palestine side by side in peace and security. A viable state of Palestine in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, on the basis of the 1967 lines.   A way must be found to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of both Israel and Palestine. We need a just solution for the refugee issue.   We need to move from conflict management to conflict resolution, involving the whole region. Peace is urgent and it is achievable.   Our Global Village, by Desmond Tutu, The Elders.   The Elders is founded on the idea that we now live in a "global village", an increasingly interconnected, interdependent world. We believe in listening to everyone, both critical and supportive, and encourage debate about the issues we work on.   Whether you are an activist, someone affected by conflict, or you want to share a message: use this space to hear from the people the Elders are working with, join the discussion and connect with other members of our community. Read dialogues on peace from Cyprus, Israel, Gaza, the Rio Earth Summit, the terrible effects of food shortages for North Korean children, ending child marriage and more.   The Elders are independent global leaders, brought together by Nelson Mandela, who offer their collective influence and experience to support peace building, help address major causes of human suffering and promote the shared interests of humanity. Visit the link below for more details: http://www.theelders.org/global-village Visit the related web page
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