Perhaps it is no surprise, given that 2012 was a US election year, but this year's Oscars crop includes a heavy dose of politics -- which has arguably influenced Hollywood's top awards race.

US President Barack Obama on Friday returned to his hometown of Chicago to bemoan the epidemic of murderous gun violence that took 443 lives in the city last year.

Charged with shooting dead his girlfriend, fallen South African athlete Oscar Pistorius has put a renewed spotlight on gun violence in a country where 42 people are killed a day.

South African police held Olympic amputee sprint star Oscar Pistorius in custody Thursday after charging him with the Valentine's Day murder of his model girlfriend, who was shot four times with a gun registered in his name.

As promised, rocker and gun enthusiast Ted Nugent was on his best behavior at President Barack Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday, but he let loose with some colorful criticism afterward.

As the world digests the proposals put forth by President Obama and his rival Republicans, AFP is closing its Live Report on the State of the Union.

Joining the White House in its demand for tougher gun laws, two dozen US lawmakers will host gun violence victims and relatives Tuesday at President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech.

Lawmakers from both parties unveiled a bill Tuesday cracking down on "straw purchasers" who traffic firearms to criminals, the first in a series of new gun control measures expected in Congress.

The endgame of the US gun control debate is coming into focus, with a consensus forming around steps likely to fall short of the sweeping reform vision favored by President Barack Obama.

A five-year-old boy held hostage in an underground Alabama bunker for almost a week was rescued Monday in a raid that left the kidnapper dead, authorities said.

A 5-year-old boy held hostage in an underground Alabama bunker for almost a week was rescued Monday in a raid that left the kidnapper dead, authorities said.

President Barack Obama Monday heaped pressure on Congress for action "soon" on curbing gun violence, flanked by uniformed police officers he said should not be outgunned on US streets.

An Iraq war veteran was facing murder charges Monday for allegedly gunning down two men, one of whom was a former Navy SEAL sniper whose exploits in the same conflict were detailed in a best-selling book.

An Iraq war veteran believed to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder has been charged with killing a former Navy SEAL whose exploits in the same conflict were detailed in a best-selling book.

The White House has released a photo of President Barack Obama skeet shooting in an apparent bid to allay concerns by gun owners that he opposes firearms following a school massacre in December.

Gun owners in the United States tend to be male, white, married and living in the south, according to a study published Friday by Gallup.

US President Barack Obama will hit the road Monday to appear with local leaders and law enforcement officials in Minnesota to push his plan to cut gun violence, which faces a tough road in Congress.

Ex-lawmaker and shooting victim Gabrielle Giffords made a dramatic appeal to Congress Wednesday, telling lawmakers "you must act" to find ways to reduce the epidemic of US gun violence.

Ex-lawmaker and shooting victim Gabrielle Giffords made a dramatic appeal to Congress Wednesday, telling lawmakers "you must act" to find ways to reduce the epidemic of US gun violence.

Ex-lawmaker and shooting victim Gabrielle Giffords made a brief but impassioned appeal in Congress Wednesday, telling lawmakers "you must act" to find ways to reduce gun violence.