Australia, Papua New Guinea
Australians in PNG Guns-for-Drugs Deals
Sydney Morning Herald
9 Sep 2000
An elaborate network of Australian and Asian criminals is smuggling thousands of automatic and semi-automatic weapons, some of which were hidden during Australia's 1996 gun amnesty, into the Papua New Guinea highlands in exchange for top quality marijuana. The weapons -- which include M-16s, AK-47s, SLRs and automatic shotguns -- are being used extensively in murderous tribal fights in and around the Western Highlands town of Mount Hagen, where police are fighting a losing battle against heavily armed criminal gangs and drug growers. PNG law enforcement bodies, Australian intelligence and defence sources, and regional diplomats have expressed concern... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Criticism Sparked by Brazilian Boy Marcher With Fake Gun
Associated Press
9 Sep 2000
SAO PAULO, Brazil -- A 4-year-old boy who marched alongside officers at a Brazilian independence day parade carrying a fake gun has sparked criticism from international children's rights leaders and local government officials. Brazil's Defense and Justice ministers received a letter from UNICEF official Reiko Niimi condemning the episode, saying it "sends out a sad image to parents and children that playing soldier is not only acceptable but celebrated," Folha de Sao Paulo news agency reported Saturday. The parade, which took place Thursday at the nation's capital Brasilia, was part of countrywide celebrations for Brazil's independence from Portugal... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Guns-and a Congress Unfazed
Washington Post, Editorial
9 Sep 2000
The 106th Congress, nearing adjournment, has failed to pass a single gun control measure of any consequence. The thousands of mothers and their families who gathered four months ago to try to jolt legislators into action are still waiting for a response. America's sad global leadership in gun violence, both criminal and accidental, remains unchallenged. And the list of sensible gun safety measures that deserve attention lies on the table untouched. For starters, Congress ought to establish minimum standards for licensing of handgun owners and registration of the handguns. It also should limit handgun purchases to one per month. Some states have enacted such a... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Lesson One - Go for Their Eyes
Times (UK) Weekend Magazine
9 Sep 2000
Tom Fitzpatrick, a burly, tattooed ex-Marine, had long regretted not qualifying for the corps' elite sniper unit. The programme, which trains soldiers to fire a bullet into an enemy's brain from more than a mile away, excludes smokers such as Fitzpatrick. Instead, the military taught him to install telephones. But several years later, Fitzpatrick, now a 30-year-old telephone repairman in Omaha, Nebraska, found a way to unlock his inner killer. He enrolled in "Basic Counter Sniper", a five-day course on deadly force offered by the Storm Mountain Training Centre. Getting into this Oxford for assassins in West Virginia's Allegheny Mountains was no problem. Fitzpatrick... ( gunpolicy.org )
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