Europe, North Africa, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Tunisia, Egypt
EU Pressures North Africa to Combat Gun Running, Tighten Arms Control
Agence France Presse
18 Dec 2008
RABAT -- European Union officials urged north African countries Thursday to abide by EU rules on arms trading to combat the spread of terrorism. At a meeting in Morocco, an envoy from the French EU presidency said the aim is to improve "logistical aid, inspector training, the development of national relations and support for the UN treaty on arms control." "This meeting on arms trading is the first one between the two sides of the Mediterranean," Jean-Luc Brunet added. EU representatives are holding talks with the five member countries of the Arab Maghreb Union -- Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia -- and Egypt in Rabat until Friday.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations
Flying Anything to Anybody: International Gun Runner, Man of Mystery Bout
Economist
18 Dec 2008
Viktor Bout knew, long before his plane lifted off from Moscow, that they meant to snatch him. For years he had hunkered down in the Russian capital, making only rare forays abroad. Western spies, the United Nations and do-gooder activists were after him. They said that he had smashed arms embargoes and struck deals with a remarkable axis of ne'er-do-wells: supplying weapons and air-transport to the Taliban, abetting despots and revolutionaries in Africa and South America, aiding Hizbullah in Lebanon and Islamists in Somalia. He also found time to supply American forces in Iraq, perhaps al-Qaeda too, and maybe even Chechen rebels. He denied all wrongdoing and,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations
Global Gun Violence Prevention Campaign Moves Steadily in UN Process
En la mira / Latin American Small Arms Watch (Brazil), Newsletter
18 Dec 2008
The calm atmosphere of the First Committee of the UN General Assembly can seem much distance away from the slums of Brazil or the refugee camps in East Africa. This is misleading -- since guns cross borders easily, global coordinated action is an essential part of the solution. Campaigners against armed violence had high expectations for the 2008 First Committee, which met during October in New York. All UN Member States participate in this Committee, which addresses peace and international security. This includes all aspects of disarmament (nuclear, biological, cluster bombs, conventional weapons etc.) Resolutions adopted at the First Committee are usually rapidly... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Gun Collector Jailed for Selling 30 Handguns, Machine Guns to Criminals
New Zealand Herald
18 Dec 2008
A gun collector who sold restricted firearms on the black market has placed the community at "grave risk" and created the potential for "long-term tragic consequences", a judge says. Coromandel collector John Noel Mabey was yesterday sentenced to 21 months in prison after pleading guilty to a charge of selling pistols, military-style semi-automatic firearms, and restricted weapons to unlicensed people. The 30 guns Mabey admitted selling included Browning and Glock pistols, and four machineguns capable of firing up to 250 rounds. The firearms are estimated to have fetched a total of $180,000 to $200,000, after a Colt 45 pistol from his collection... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Gun Control Group Says NSW Now Has 'Weakest Gun Laws in Australia'
ABC News (Australia) / PM, Transcript
18 Dec 2008
MARK COLVIN: Gangs and gun culture in New South Wales are in the headlines again with a home in Sydney's west being sprayed with bullets overnight. A toddler was injured when gunmen fired at his family's home during a late night drive-by shooting. It's the 14th incident in two weeks. Emily Bourke reports. EMILY BOURKE: Residents of western Sydney are growing accustomed to sounds of gunshots and reports of drive-bys. There have been 14 such incidents in as many days. Houses, cars and humans have been the targets. The concern is that the drive-bys are linked to a feud between bikie gangs and that the tension may escalate. Samantha... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Control Unlikely from Obama, Says US Senator, Montana Democrat
Associated Press
18 Dec 2008
HELENA, Montana -- U.S. Sen. Jon Tester says he understands there are plenty of gun owners worried that there could be new gun control measures coming from Washington, D.C. But Tester said Wednesday that he doesn't see it happening. The Democrat said it's a "pretty safe bet" that he would oppose any gun control measures that come forward. And he believes there are too many like-minded members of Congress to let such a bill advance. Gun stores reported booming sales following the election of Barack Obama. Many gun owners believe that the Democrat could support a crackdown on everything from ammunition to pistols to assault rifles. But... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
LA City Council Bans .50cal Ammo, Tightens Gun Laws; NRA Will Sue
Los Angeles Times
18 Dec 2008
The Los Angeles City Council approved a package of gun control laws Wednesday, placing new requirements on ammunition sellers and banning the sale of military-style ammunition in the hopes of further reducing the city's gun and gang violence. The measures ban the sale of .50-caliber ammunition, capable of penetrating a car's engine, and would require the city's ammunition vendors to be licensed, to sell ammunition face-to-face instead of over the Internet and require gun dealers to report a full accounting of their inventory twice a year to the Police Department. The council passed laws prohibiting the installation of secret compartments for guns in... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United States
Montreal Gunsmith Charged with Trafficking Guns to US Criminals
Montreal Gazette (Quebec)
18 Dec 2008
A gunsmith whose handiwork once linked him to the attempted murder of reporter Michel Auger is in trouble again. Charles Michel Vézina, 60, appeared in Montreal court yesterday on charges related to the illegal sale of firearms to the U.S. In the past, Vézina has been linked to firearms supplied to the Hells Angels. He is the only person ever to be charged with the attempted murder of Auger, who was working as a crime reporter for the Journal de Montréal in 2000 when someone shot him several times. When he was arrested in 2000, investigators described Vézina as someone who was renowned in Quebec for his ability to modify weapons and turn them into... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Queensland Cop, Drug Dealer, Pistol Club Member Traded Police Glock
Courier-Mail (Brisbane)
18 Dec 2008
A developer was fitted with a body wire to trap a drug dealer who traded a Gold Coast police officer two surfboards for a stolen police pistol, a court has been told. Gold Coast police officer Christopher Curtin is facing a committal hearing charged with stealing the Glock .22 handgun from the Surfers Paradise police station and swapping it for two surfboards with NSW drug dealer and surfboard maker Brian Kellway. He is also charged with possessing tainted property -- allegedly the two surfboards. Curtin allegedly gave the gun to his friend Kellway to go pig-shooting in return for the surfboards. The gun allegedly changed hands several times... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Sydney Shooting Shows Gun Owners Must Surrender Weapons - Greens
Sydney Morning Herald
18 Dec 2008
The latest domestic violence murder-suicide in Sydney should cause the Premier, Nathan Rees, to change gun laws immediately so that women at risk from their estranged partners are better protected, the Greens MP Lee Rhiannon said. Mr Rees met the National Coalition for Gun Control yesterday after agreeing to review gun laws that had made it easier for men who had been the subject of apprehended violence orders to regain their licences. "We've had a very useful discussion that canvassed a wide range of matters. We'll give a considered response to the Coalition. But I have agreed to keep up contact with them and meet with them on a regular basis," Mr Rees... ( gunpolicy.org )
Papua New Guinea
Youths Raid Police Armoury in Papua New Guinea, Steal 17 Shotguns
Post-Courier (Port Moresby)
18 Dec 2008
Police in Northern Province have arrested two suspects in connection witth the break in at the Popondetta police armoury where 17 shotguns were removed in the early hours of last Thursday morning. Provincial police commander Supt Micah Anaiwe has confirmed police recovered eight firearms the following day and they have stepped up operations and were on full alert. Supt Anaiwe said yesterday from Popondetta that of the 17 shotguns stolen, nine were operational while eight had defects. He said the recovery of the eight firearms was the result of a quick response by his officers by conducting a raid at Isivi Street at the Bottom Town, where eight... ( gunpolicy.org )
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