Canada, United States, Mexico
US Guns Fuel Both Mexican Drug Wars and Canadian Gang Violence
Canadian Press
4 July 2008
VANCOUVER -- Illicit guns that make their way across the U.S. border into Canada are a serious problem but a relative nuisance compared with the desperate battle being fought on the U.S.-Mexico border, say officials. More than 4,000 people -- including hundreds of police officers -- have died in the last 18 months as the Mexican government battles the country's powerful drug cartels. Border cities such as Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Firearm Task Force Seizes 75 Guns in Drug Bust: 8 Arrested
London Free Press (Ontario)
27 June 2008
Another big bust has been made in the local police battle against guns, drugs and gangs in a targetted crackdown. Eight men and teens have been charged with drug possession and trafficking, police said, adding drugs with a street value of about $36,000 have been seized along with $7,000 in cash as a result of the latest investigation of Project Disarm. Officers assigned to the project, supported by emergency response and... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Gun Show Loophole Lets US Weapon Dealers Arm Mexican Drug Wars
National Public Radio (USA), Transcript
26 June 2008
Violence across Mexico has intensified as the government has fought against the country's powerful drug cartels, often well-armed from the U.S. Host Bob Moon asks journalist James Verini what can be done to stem the cross-border arms trade. Text of Interview [Link to audio in the original] Bob Moon: It's now official: We've all got the right to own a gun. The Supreme Court settled the matter today for the first... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
US Gun Dealers Provide Smugglers with Weapons for Mexican Drug War
BBC News
18 June 2008
MEXICO CITY -- So far this year more than 1,400 people have died in Mexico as drug cartels battle one another for control of the illegal drugs trade to the US, and battle the authorities trying to stop them. The dead include more than 400 police officers and other public officials. This follows 2,500 deaths last year and the same number in 2006. Estimates by the US Drug Enforcement Agency suggest the drugs trade... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
15yr-old New York Youth Killed 10yr-old Girl with 'Neighbourhood Gun'
ABC News (USA)
17 June 2008
A teenager is expected to plead not guilty today to charges that he shot and killed a 10-year-old girl with a "community gun" that he allegedly claims was shared by "everyone in the neighborhood." Kathina Thomas was killed late last month after a stray bullet, allegedly fired by 15-year-old Jermayne Timmons, struck her in the back. The crime has shocked the city of Albany and prompted law enforcement to ramp up a crackdown on so-called... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Almost All Guns in Mexico's Drug Wars Are From US Dealers, Gun Shows
Portfolio (USA), July Issue
16 June 2008
The U.S. has pledged more than $1 billion to help Mexico win its war on drugs. But even as the body count rises above 10,000, most of the guns that do the killing -- Colt .38 Supers and big-bore Barrett rifles among them -- keep pouring in from the U.S. Alfredo Beltrán Leyva was arrested on January 21 in Culiacán, capital of the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The circumstances of his arrest lived up to his high standing in Mexico's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
US-to-Mexico 'Iron River' Provides 90% of Guns Used in Drug Gang Wars
El Paso Times (Texas)
15 June 2008
The rise in cartel violence in Juárez has made U.S. law enforcement officials all too aware that many of the weapons used for crimes in Mexico come from the United States. Insiders have come to describe illegal gun trafficking from the U.S. to Mexico as the Iron River, a trade route that extends well beyond the border as illegal gun dealers are pulling weapons from U.S. cities "The flow of weapons are going from the United... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Texans Fuel Mexican Drug Wars with 'Virtual Arsenals' of Easy-buy Guns
Dallas Morning News (Texas), Editorial
12 June 2008
For every ounce of cocaine and heroin smuggled through Mexico into the United States, an equally deadly instrument of death moves south. Each year, virtual arsenals cross illegally from Texas into the hands of murderous drug cartels. The illicit weapons trade provides the muscle behind the Mexican cartels' brazen campaigns of kidnapping, torture and murder on both sides of the border. While some weapons are swiped from... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United States
27 Handguns, Machine Pistols Seized from US-Canada Gun Runners
Windsor Star (Ontario)
11 June 2008
Police have severed the pipeline of an international criminal organization that was allegedly smuggling high-powered, illegal firearms into Windsor to trade them to Toronto gangs for ecstasy. The eight-month undercover investigation, which centred on Windsor and involved authorities on both sides of the border, has resulted in the arrest of five people in Detroit and a brother, 18, and sister, 21, in South Windsor. Investigators... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United States
Canada Cracks Smuggling Ring, Seizes US Handguns, Machine Pistols
Windsor Star (Ontario)
10 June 2008
Police have cut the supply line of an organized gun smuggling ring and arrested two Windsorites, following an eight-month joint investigation into the flow of high-powered, illegal firearms through Windsor. Investigators said the guns came from the U.S. and were funnelled through Windsor -- where police focused their investigation -- and destined for Toronto. Canadian investigators seized 27 firearms, ammunition magazines... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Unprecedented Policing Effort Tackles US-Mexico Gun Smuggling
Dallas Morning News (Texas)
10 June 2008
HOUSTON -- Tons of heroin and cocaine move north across the Southwestern border. And millions of dollars and truckloads of weapons move south -- feeding the escalating levels of violence that have turned parts of Mexico into war zones and spread as far as North Texas. At least 80 percent of all of the weapons used by drug traffickers in Mexico to kill one another as well as police and soldiers come from the U.S., Mexican officials... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United States
Canadian Dealers Import Guns as Movie Props, Sell to Gangs [Francais]
Presse canadienne
8 June 2008
[Translated summary: A Royal Canadian Mounted Police police report says gun dealers exploited a legal loophole to import handguns, assault weapons and machine guns from the United States as movie-props, then sell them to drug gangs]. OTTAWA -- Des armes à feu destinées à servir d'accessoires pour des acteurs de cinéma aboutissent entre les mains de véritables criminels à cause d'une "échappatoire" dans les lois canadiennes.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United States
Canadian Gun Dealers Exploit Movie-prop 'Loophole' to Arm Drug Gangs
Canadian Press
8 June 2008
OTTAWA -- Guns intended for make-believe action on the silver screen are winding up in the hands of real-life criminals due to a "loophole" in Canadian laws, says an RCMP intelligence report. Some firearms dealers in British Columbia have taken advantage of movie production companies filming in various Canadian locations, says the newly declassified report on trends in gun trafficking and smuggling. Special permits allow... ( gunpolicy.org )
Sierra Leone
Violence Prevention Groups in Sierra Leone Push Global Gun Trade Treaty
Concord Times (Freetown)
4 June 2008
FREETOWN -- National Chairman for Amnesty International Sierra Leone Tuesday disclosed that gun violence claims the lives of more than 350,000 people and injuring scores of others. Violet Kawa said the global trade that fuels the scourge of armed violence was yet to be internationally regularised. She said they would organise radio discussion programmes and quiz competitions in Bo and Kenema districts to observe the Global... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Oklahoma City Police Chief Wants Handgun Registration, Tighter Gun Laws
Tulsa World (Oklahoma) / AP
2 June 2008
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Police Chief Bill Citty called Monday for tighter gun control laws to curb the kind of gang violence that left six teenagers with gunshot wounds following a drive-by shooting in southeast Oklahoma City two days earlier. Citty, speaking at a news conference by a coalition of social services, clergy and community groups opposed to gang violence, said he believes in a citizen's right to carry firearms but that too... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Harlem Shootings: New York Calls Emergency Summit on Gun Violence
NY1 News (New York)
1 June 2008
In response to an increase in shootings throughout the five boroughs, Governor David Paterson attended a brainstorming meeting Sunday with leaders to see what can be done. When gunshots rang out through Harlem last Monday, they resonated all the way to the governor's office. "I wanted to come here today to send a message that government is listening and government is acting," said Paterson. Paterson joined dozens... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Licensed US Gun Dealer Admits Forging Papers, Selling Handguns to Felon
South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale)
31 May 2008
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida -- A Pembroke Park gun dealer who sold dozens of weapons to a convicted felon and forged paperwork to cover his tracks pleaded guilty Friday to federal weapons charges. Victor Needleman, owner of American Range and Gun, changed his plea in the face of overwhelming evidence, including audiotapes, sales records and statements by one of his customers and some employees, his attorney said. Sentencing is set... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
84yr-old Australian Gun Shop Owner Arrested, Hundreds of Firearms Seized
Australian (Sydney)
27 May 2008
A gang of alleged illegal firearms dealers, including an elderly gun shop owner, has been busted after the seizure of hundreds of weapons in a series of raids in central western NSW, police say. Five people were arrested today, including an 84-year-old licensed gun dealer from Forbes, in five raids in the town and one in nearby Peak Hill. Police said they seized more than 300 firearms, at least 200,000 rounds of ammunition... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Licensed Texas Gun Dealer Supplied Mexican Drug Wars - Feds [Part 2 of 2]
Laredo Morning Times (Texas)
26 May 2008
While hundreds of firearms are illegally shipped into Mexico from Texas every year, not all weapons are necessarily meant to cross the Rio Grande. In 2006, ATF agents in Laredo arrested two men, Roberto Lopez and Norberto Olivares, after undercover investigations yielded evidence they were heavily involved in weapons trading. ATF agents, Laredo Police Department officers, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents found... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Texas Gun Dealer Supplied Mexican Drug Wars - Feds [Part 2 of 2] [Espanol]
El Tiempo (Laredo, Texas)
26 May 2008
Mientras que cientos de armas son ilegalmente enviadas a México desde Texas anualmente, no todas las armas necesariamente cruzan el Río Bravo. En el 2006, agentes de la ATF arrestaron a dos hombres, Roberto Lopez y Norberto Olivares, después de que una investigación secreta arrojara evidencia de que se encontraban fuertemente implicados en el comercio de armas. Agentes de la ATF, oficiales del Departamento de Policía... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Yakuza Gangster Sentenced to Death for Shooting Mayor of Nagasaki
Associated Press
26 May 2008
TOKYO -- A court in Japan convicted an alleged gangster and sentenced him to death Monday for the fatal shooting of a popular mayor in a crime that stunned a nation that takes great pride in its rigid gun-control laws, media reports said. Tetsuya Shiroo, 60, who police say is a gang boss, was convicted of murder and sentenced to death Monday in Nagasaki District Court, according to Kyodo News and NHK TV. Court official Tomoya Nagata... ( gunpolicy.org )
Croatia, Sweden
57 Firearms, Explosives Seized from Croatia-to-Sweden Gun Running Gang
SEESAC (Belgrade) / BBC Monitoring Service / HINA, Transcript
25 May 2008
Zagreb police cracked down on a ring of arms producers and smugglers, and charged nine persons with having specialised in producing arms and explosives and smuggling them to western Europe, notably Sweden, the head of the Zagreb police, Marijan Tomurad, said at a news conference on Saturday. He stressed that the arms and bombs had been intended for clashed among underworld crime gangs and that the arms smugglers had no connections... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Texas in First Place for Gun Running to Mexico [Part 1 of 2] [Espanol]
El Tiempo (Laredo, Texas)
25 May 2008
Agentes federales que trabajan a lo largo de la frontera de Texas con México se han percatado de que los cárteles de drogas tienen una nueva afinidad para un tipo en particular de armas. "Es una 5.7 (milímetros)", informó Elias Bazan, agente residente responsible de la oficina de Laredo del US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. "En México ya la denominan 'mata policías'. Es una pequeña arma muy poderosa.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
US Gun Shows, Dealers Fuel Gun Running to Mexican Drug War [Part 1 of 2]
Laredo Morning Times (Texas)
25 May 2008
Federal agents working along the Texas-Mexico border have noticed drug cartels have a new affinity for a particular type of firearm. "It's a 5.7 (mm)," said Elias Bazan, the resident agent in charge of the Laredo field office of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. "In Mexico, they already call it the 'cop killer.' It's a very powerful little handgun. Here recently, that has been more a weapon of choice."... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
US Should Focus on Stemming Cross-Border Gun Running, Says Mexico
Reuters
24 May 2008
MEXICO CITY -- The chief of Mexico's war on drug gangs said Washington should concentrate on halting the flow of arms to Mexican drug cartels rather than haggle over how much aid to give Mexico's anti-smuggling operation. Reacting to a vote by U.S. lawmakers to trim an aid package for the drug war, Mexico's deputy attorney general, Jose Luis Santiago Vasconcelos, said an alternative would be to keep the cash in the United States... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United States
Drug Gangs Smuggle Guns from US as Armed Crime Grows in Vancouver
Vancouver Sun (British Columbia)
23 May 2008
VANCOUVER -- Last Dec. 9, an alert Vancouver patrol officer stopped a GMC SUV as it cruised through East Vancouver. As the vehicle was pulled over, a passerby noticed a loaded handgun being thrown from the passenger side. Two well-known gangsters were inside. But it was the modifications made to the 4x4 that surprised VPD Insp. Dean Robinson, head of the Uniformed Gang Task Force: The vehicle was fully armoured to deflect gunfire.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico, United States
US Guns, Demand Fuel Mexican Drug Wars: Casualty Rate Higher Than Iraq
Denver Post (Colorado), Opinion
23 May 2008
Only lightly noted on this side of the border, our neighbor Mexico is engulfed in bloody, violent combat with and between death-dealing drug cartels. In a stunning reversal for President Felipe Calderon's crusade to subdue the drug trade and its perpetrators, Edgar Gomez, the national police chief and lead anti-cartel crusader, was assassinated this month outside his Mexico City home. "This could have a snowball effect, even leading... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Assault Weapons, Gun Trafficking Spread Among Canadian Drug Gangs
Edmonton Journal (Alberta)
22 May 2008
An assault rifle, a money counter and weigh scales are just tools for the trade for a new gang cutting into Edmonton's drug market, say police who displayed a drug seizure Wednesday. The items were seized from two homes in Edmonton raided last week. Police also seized 800 grams of cocaine and $8,000 in cash. The rifle sat next to T-shirts and ball caps with the gang's name, Independent Soldier. "We're not sure how many... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
Britain Launches New Push Against Youth Gun Crime, Armed Violence
Guardian (UK)
22 May 2008
The government today began a new push against gun and knife gang crime. The initiative is intended to halt the increase in the number of people being killed in violent attacks throughout Britain. Addressing a conference in Birmingham, the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, said £5m would be committed to tackle gun and knife crime, while witnesses would be offered anonymity to encourage them to come forward. Smith called... ( gunpolicy.org )
Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Europe
Terrorists Said Moving Guns to Croatia for Easier Smuggling Into Europe
SEESAC (Belgrade) / Blic Daily
22 May 2008
Members and supporters of Al Kaida and vehabias from Bosnia and Herzegovina have been transferring large numbers of weapons and explosives to Croatia, as stated by the intelligence agencies in BiH. The information held by the Independent paper ("Nezavisne novine") of Banja Luka, reads that they are taking advantage of the current political situation in BiH and involvement of the government in the current reform processes in order... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Texas Gun Dealers Fuel Mexican Drug Wars with Pistols, Assault Weapons
El Paso Times (Texas)
22 May 2008
High-powered rifles and handguns used by drug cartel hit men waging a bloody war in Mexico have been traced to suspected gun smugglers in El Paso, an ATF agent testified Wednesday at a federal detention hearing in El Paso. Money and weapons flowing from the United States fuel drug trafficking and organized crime in Mexico, to the tune of about $10 billion a year, Jose Luis Santiago Vasconcelos, Mexico's deputy federal attorney general... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
Gun Injury Halved, Gun Crime Down as UK Cities Adopt Gang Violence Plan
Press Association (UK)
21 May 2008
An action plan targeting gun and gang violence in four of Britain's major cities has halved the number of firearms-related injuries, according to the Home Office. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said the Tackling Gangs Action Programme saw a 51% fall in gun injuries from 93 in October to 46 in February. There was also a 27% decrease in the overall number of gun offences in the four areas -- London, Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Mexican Drug War 'Hit Guns' Traced to Texas Gun Buyer, El Paso Gun Shop
El Paso Times (Texas)
21 May 2008
Guns recovered in a shootout in Chihuahua City in September 2006 were traced to an El Paso man, according to testimony by an ATF agent during a detention hearing today at the federal courthouse. Juan Carlos Meza is accused of buying several handguns and rifles at gun shops in El Paso that were then allegedly exported to Mexico, including buying weapons for a drug cartel hit man, testified Special Agent Frank Henderson in the U.S.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
Gun Massacre Brings Call for Blanket Civilian Firearm Ban in Philippines
Philippine Daily Inquirer (Manila), Editorial
20 May 2008
MANILA, Philippines -- The robbery-massacre at the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. branch in Cabuyao, Laguna last Friday has once again prompted Nandy Pacheco, proponent of the Gunless Society, to call for stricter gun control. Pacheco urged President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to ask Congress to increase the penalty for illegal possession of firearms to reclusion temporal (from 12 to 20 years imprisonment), without possibility of pardon... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago's Deadly Weekend: 40 Shot - A Chronicle of Gun Injury and Death
Chicago Sun-Times
18 May 2008
Angel Ramirez had Friday off, so he enjoyed a late sleep. At 10 o'clock, his mother called to make sure he was up in time to take his grandfather to the doctor as he promised. Angel jumped in the shower, had a bite for breakfast and by noon was on the way to Stroger Hospital with his grandfather in tow. It was already a beautiful day -- clear skies and bright sun that warmed the air enough to pull tulips from their beds... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
US-Canada Border Residents Outraged as 33 Alleged Gun Runners Freed
Saint John Telegraph Journal (New Brunswick)
16 May 2008
ST. STEPHEN -- A cry of frustration swept the room Thursday when police told the border community that the 33 alleged members of a gun-smuggling crime ring they arrested this week were set free. "We don't feel protected," yelled a member of the audience. "They are back on the street corners and you don't know what to expect. You are on pins and needles waiting. Put them in jail where they belong." Members of police organizations... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
Licensed Indian Gun Shops Accused of Selling Firearms to Gangs, Criminals
Times of India
12 May 2008
LUCKNOW -- Authorities in Etah have stepped upon a major expose involving licensed arms dealers trading illicit firearms from government ordnance factories to Naxalites and criminals. And all this was going on in connivance with licensing authorities. Investigations so far have revealed that as many as 30 firearms were found to be unaccounted for at a single arms shop in Etah within a period of three years. With a total of 166 such... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Licensed Arizona Dealer 'Knowingly' Sold 650 Guns for Mexican Drug Wars
Associated Press
6 May 2008
PHOENIX -- The arrest of a gun shop owner on Tuesday broke up a suspected firearms trafficking operation that supplied violent Mexican drug cartels, authorities said. Agents raided X Calibur Guns and arrested George Iknadosian after undercover agents bought guns at the store indicating they were to be trafficked to Mexico, said Carlos Baixauli, a special agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
US Gun Shop 'Knowingly and Willingly' Sold Assault Rifles to Mexican Gangs
ABC News (USA)
6 May 2008
Just hours after receiving a shipment of weapons allegedly intended for Mexican drug bosses, a Phoenix gun dealer and at least two alleged arms traffickers were arrested this morning in a series of raids by federal and local authorities. Authorities say the gun dealer sold more than 650 AK-47-type assault weapons to Mexican drug gangs responsible for recent shootouts that have claimed dozens of lives. Sources in Phoenix, Ariz.,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Porous US-Mexico Border Lets Slip Guns, Gun Runners, Money Every Day
Arizona Republic
23 April 2008
GREEN VALLEY -- Thousands of border agents, dozens of checkpoints and hundreds of miles of barriers are set up to stop contraband and illegal immigrants getting into the United States. But little more than a chance roadside inspection stops smugglers going the other way. That imbalance shows no sign of changing soon, but it has given rise to a novel experiment under way in Pima County. There, the Sheriff's Department has... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Nine People Shot Dead in 36 Shootings Over the Weekend in Chicago
Associated Press
22 April 2008
CHICAGO -- Nine people were killed in 36 shootings over the weekend in Chicago, reflecting what some community leaders say is a deadly breakdown in discipline among gang members after a crackdown over the past few years put many of their leaders behind bars. "The older guys in the past looked out for the little ones. Now they're all locked up," said Nick Stames, a social studies teacher at Crane Tech High School on the city's gang-ridden... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Shops, Gun Shows Knowingly Fuel Mexican Drug, Gang Wars - ATF
ABC News (USA)
22 April 2008
U.S. gun stores and gun shows are the source of more than 90 percent of the weapons being used by Mexico's ruthless drug cartels, according to U.S. and Mexican law enforcement officials. "It's a war going on in Mexico, and these types of firearms are the weapons of war for them," said Bill Newell, the special agent in charge of the Phoenix field division of the ATF, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Negative Publicity Pushes Canadian Gun Clubs Into Realm of Secret Society
CITY-TV News (Toronto)
21 April 2008
TORONTO, Ontario -- The first rule of gun club is, you don't talk about gun club. Ranges that cater to sport shooters are increasingly secretive and an outsider's attempts to gain access to a gun club, such as the one hidden in the rafters at Union Station, are difficult, if not impossible without an invitation from a long-standing member. Media attempts are even more vehemently thwarted, and Tony Bernardo, Executive Director of... ( gunpolicy.org )
Malaysia
Assault Rifle, Handguns Seized in Malaysian Robbery, Drug Gang Sweep
New Straits Times (Malaysia)
20 April 2008
KUALA LUMPUR -- Police scored two major successes over the past 48 hours, including solving the RM3.5 million robbery outside the main terminal building of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport earlier this month. Five men were arrested in Johor on Friday in connection with the April 9 heist which saw five people wounded in a shoot-out with the robbers. Sources said firearms were seized from the five men. However, it is... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Free After Gun Killing, Canadian Gangster Quickly Caught with New Arsenal
Vancouver Sun (British Columbia)
17 April 2008
VANCOUVER -- Months after finishing a two-year sentence for manslaughter, a Vancouver gangster is facing five weapons charges after allegedly being found in an apartment full of guns, including one with a silencer. Barry Gene Espadilla, 23, pleaded guilty in 2005 to a role in the slaying of Don Hill Tong Wong, 23, whose bullet-riddled body was found in the trunk of his own Lexus in Vancouver's West End in May 2003. Espadilla,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Toronto Mayor Joins 11yr-old Gun Victim's Family in Handgun Ban Petition
Grand Falls-Windsor Advertiser (Newfoundland)
17 April 2008
Verdon Brown, the uncle of 11-year-old Ephraim Brown, has found a new ally in his struggle to have handguns banned in Canada. The Peterview resident, like his brother Gerald and wife Lorna, the parents of Ephraim, was devastated when the little boy was shot to death at a neighbourhood birthday party for a relative, having the misfortune of being caught in the crossfire of a gang shoot out. Ephraim had been looking forward... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Stray Bullet Kills Innocent Californian Man as Gang Drive-by Sprays Street
Modesto Bee (California)
15 April 2008
A father of four visiting Modesto from Long Beach for the Cambodian new year died after being hit by a stray bullet fired Sunday evening during what police believe was a gang-related fight. Chanthol Ouk was an innocent bystander, Modesto police spokesman Sgt. Craig Gundlach said. Ouk, pronounced "oak," used to live in Modesto but moved to Long Beach 11 years ago, said his friend, Dottie Vath, 37, of Modesto. Ouk often visited... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Drive-by Gang Shooting Injures 23mth-old Girl in Canadian Tribal Settlement
CBC News (Canada)
14 April 2008
Local gangs are to blame for a drive-by shooting Sunday that left a 23-month-old girl in critical condition, the chief of the Samson First Nation said Monday. Marvin Yellowbird said gang violence has reached a crisis level in the Hobbema area, about 100 kilometres south of Edmonton, which is home to a number of First Nation groups. Yellowbird has called a special meeting of the tribal administration to discuss how to deal... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Man Killed by Stray Bullet, Playing with Young Sons in Front Yard
Associated Press
7 April 2008
SANTA ANA, California -- A 39-year-old man is dead after being hit by a stray bullet while his young sons played in their home's yard. Santa Ana police Cpl. Jose Gonzalez says Mario Jimenez was in front of his house late Sunday morning when a pedestrian down West Pine Street started arguing with people inside a car. The man pulled out a handgun and shot at them, continuing to fire as the car took off in Jimenez's direction.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
US Gun Shows, Dealers Supply Military-style Guns for Mexican Drug Wars
CNN Special Investigations Unit
26 March 2008
JUAREZ, Mexico -- A deadly trade is occurring along the U.S. Border with Mexico, federal officials say -- a flood of guns, heading south, used by drug thugs to kill Mexican cops. In Mexico, guns are difficult to purchase legally. So, officials say, weapons easily purchased in the United States are turning up there. "The same routes that are being used to traffic drugs north -- and the same organizations that have control... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Puerto Rico
Florida Gun Dealers, Gun Shows, Smugglers Fuel Puerto Rico's Drug Wars
Orlando Sentinel (Florida)
19 March 2008
More than 200 guns bought illegally from Central Florida shops went to Puerto Rico drug gangs responsible for scores of murders in recent years, according to a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday. Investigators predicted "Operation Tropical Firepower," as the investigation is known, will expand and link up to 800 weapons to more than a dozen suspects arrested this week and others still at large. Already, it is the region's largest... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United States
Guns, Drugs, Tobacco Enrich Smuggling Gangs at US-Canadian Border
Toronto Sun (Ontario)
16 March 2008
The scourge of gun violence plaguing Toronto streets is being fuelled by a cross-border guns for marijuana trade, law enforcement officials tell the Sunday Sun. A $2,000 half-kilo of Canadian marijuana trafficked into the U.S. jumps in value to around $4,000, double that if it's sold in southern states. Meanwhile, a handgun picked up for $250 in an American gun shop can fetch $2,000 on Toronto's streets. It's a... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
US Gun Shows, Dealers Fuel Mexican Drug Wars with Assault Weapons
Reuters
16 March 2008
PHOENIX -- The agent raised the machine gun to his shoulder and let rip a deafening hail of shots that smacked through a bullet proof vest, punched holes in a car door and spat up a plume of sand in the levee behind. Taking the plugs out of my ringing ears, I walked over the gritty desert firing range to look at the damage from the Kalashnikov. The traffic of guns of this type from the United States to the warring Mexican... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United States
US Handguns Smuggled to Canada, Used in Crime as Soon as 2 Days Later
Toronto Sun (Ontario)
16 March 2008
American handguns are ending up in the hands of Toronto street thugs within days of being purchased legally in the U.S. Just this week, Toronto Police seized four guns in two separate incidents including a fully-loaded .45-calibre handgun with its serial number scratched off. Police believe that gun was likely smuggled across the border. It's a familiar story repeated over and over as hundreds of handguns and other firearms... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Washington Police Go Door-to-door, Asking to Search Kids' Rooms for Guns
Washington Post
13 March 2008
D.C. police are so eager to get guns out of the city that they're offering amnesty to people who allow officers to come into their homes and get the weapons. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier announced yesterday the Safe Homes Initiative, aimed at parents and guardians who know or suspect that their children or other relatives have guns. Under the deal, police target areas hit by violence and seek adults who... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Police Seize 'AK-47', Handguns, Ammo in Crack Gang Bust
Prince George Citizen (British Columbia)
10 March 2008
Police are worried about their own safety and the safety of the public after seeing the kind of weapons local crooks are carrying, including an AK-47. In a recent crackshack bust, officers found a body armour vest similar to what police use for bullet protection. When they targeted a home and vehicle on the weekend they got an even bigger shock: three high-calibre handguns and an assault rifle, with plenty of ammunition.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Feds Tackle 'Unprecedented Surge' of Gun Smuggling from US to Mexico
Washington Times
5 March 2008
A flood of high-powered weapons purchased by Mexican drug smugglers from sellers in the United States has been targeted by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as part of a law-enforcement initiative aimed at stemming rising border violence. During the past two years, more than 125 ATF agents and investigators have been deployed along the southwest border in Project Gunrunner to increase "strategic... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
South Australian Gun Laws Tightened to Curb Armed Gang Violence
ABC News (Australia)
5 March 2008
South Australian police will be given more powers to act against people possessing illegal firearms under new laws announced by the State Government. The legislation is targeted at bikie gangs and violent gun crimes, such as a shooting last year at an Adelaide nightclub. Under the laws, police will have the power to put prohibition orders on people who use unlicensed firearms. A person subject to such an order... ( gunpolicy.org )
Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Caribbean, Brazil, Argentina
Women's Groups Demand to Know Where Caribbean Gangs Get Their Guns
Stabroek News (Guyana)
5 March 2008
A two-day meeting for parliamentarians and NGOs to review the impact and "responses to small arms diffusion and violence in the Caribbean" is set for Trinidad today and a women's group is asking where the gangs are getting guns and ammo for killings like those at Lusignan and Bartica . According to a press release the Women's Institute for Alternative Development (WINAD) said the meeting hopes to explore a Caricom instrument to... ( gunpolicy.org )
Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana
To Fight Gun Violence in Guyana, Trinidad Provides More Guns
Agence France Presse
21 February 2008
GEORGETOWN, Guyana -- Trinidad and Tobago is to provide "specialized weapons" and a helicopter to help Guyana combat a spate of violent mass-killings, Guyana's home affairs minister said Wednesday. "The government of Guyana has been making every effort to procure the said weapons from other sources but without success," said the minister, Clement Rohee. In the latest major violent incident in the South American country,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Netherlands
US National Arrested as Dutch Police Raid Uncovers Machineguns, AK-47s
Live Leak (Netherlands), Video
15 February 2008
This Wednesday a Dutch SWAT team entered a building in Amsterdam-Buitenveldert where they discovered a large weapons cache containing pistols, machineguns, uzi's, 2 AK-47's, an RPG, 20 granades and lots of ammunition. The suspect, a 29 year old male with an American passport, was apprehanded. The police thinks the weapons are meant for an extremely violent criminal organisation operating in the Netherlands, Great Brittain and Jamaica.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba
Cubans Catch Gang Accused of Haiti-to-Jamaica Gun, Drug Smuggling
Radio Jamaica
12 February 2008
The alleged masterminds behind the multi-million dollar guns for drugs trade between Jamaica and Haiti were offered bail when they appeared in the Half-Way-Tree Criminal Court on Tuesday. St. Elizabeth businessman Lumsden Legister otherwise called "Lazarus" and Luddy Banton were each offered $10 million bail. Five other men accused with the two chief suspects, Felix Dennis; Horace McKenzie; Richard Graham; Kenrick Bennett... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Illegal Gun Crackdown, Firearm Theft Prevention Mooted for South Australia
ABC News (Australia)
12 February 2008
The South Australian Opposition has called on the Government to crack down on the number of illegal weapons in the state. The Opposition's police spokesman, David Ridgway, says that criminology data shows about 200 guns were stolen in the state in the year to June 2006. Only 3 per cent of those weapons were recovered by police. While it is not known whether a stolen weapon was used in an apparently bikie-related... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia
Tough Anti-gang Gun Laws 'No Threat' to South Australian Firearm Owners
Sunday Mail (Adelaide)
10 February 2008
Changes to South Australia's gun laws aimed squarely at bikie gang members will go before Cabinet tomorrow for a second time. The amendments to the Firearms Act, which were announced in June, have been designed to close loopholes being exploited by gang members when they are caught with handguns. There have been several examples of high-profile gang members escaping conviction after being charged with possession of handguns... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
2,885 Japanese Gun Owners Surrender 4,467 Weapons After One Rampage
Asahi Shimbun (Japan)
8 February 2008
Gun owners are turning in their licenses for thousands of weapons following public outrage over a shooting incident at a sports club in Nagasaki Prefecture last December that left two people dead, the National Police Agency said Thursday. The NPA said a total of 2,885 gun owners have opted to return their licenses for 4,467 weapons and have either sold or disposed of the guns. Of the total, 90 gun owners who had come to... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico
Four Tons of Assault Weapons, Ammunition Taken from Mexican Drug Gang
Prensa Latina (Havana)
8 February 2008
The Mexican army confiscated four tons of weapons from a farm located on the border state of Tamaulipas, authorities confirmed Friday. The shipment, belonging to "Los Zetas" drug trafficking group, a military arm of the so-called Gulf Cartel, was stored along with nine tons of marihuana, the report stated. Federal officials revealed that among the confiscated arms there were plastic explosives, grenades, a 50-caliber machine... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
66 Shootings, Mainly Non-fatal, Across Japan in 2007 - Up From 53 in 2006
Reuters
7 February 2008
TOKYO -- The number of shootings in Japan rose in 2007 for the first time in six years, police said on Thursday, in a review of a year that included the assassination of a city mayor and gun use involving rival gangsters. Shootings rose to 66 compared with a record low of 53 in 2006, the National Police Agency said in a report. The figure was up for the first time since 2001. "There was an increase in confrontations between... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
New Zealand Police Say Black Market for Guns is 'Miniscule, Not a Problem'
NewsTalkZB (Auckland)
31 January 2008
Police say many illegal firearms are being rented or borrowed from secret stockpiles but they believe the black market for guns is miniscule and not a problem. Two men have been charged with unlawful possession of a firearm following Tuesday night's gun fight which broke out when a gang of armed youths turned up to a tinny house on Othello Drive, in the Auckland suburb of Flat Bush. Another two men are recovering in hospital from... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
'Boston Miracle' Reborn as Citizens Join to Fight Gun Trafficking, Gun Crime
Boston Globe
29 January 2008
Seventeen years ago, they banded together to combat violence. Former gang members, lawyers, school officials, and business owners, they sought to form truces between warring gangs and stem Boston's skyrocketing homicide rate. Today, Citizens for Safety will announce its rebirth and its new members, an eclectic group that includes mothers of homicide victims, religious leaders, a former policeman, and a suburban mom. They... ( gunpolicy.org )
China
China Tries 12 Men Accused of Manufacturing Firearms, Trafficking Guns
China Daily (Beijing)
24 January 2008
Twelve members of a notorious crime gang went on trial yesterday in the Guangdong provincial capital. Reading aloud from an 11-page indictment, the prosecution accused Deng Weibo and Gong Nanmin, the two leaders of the gang, and their cohorts of organizing secret societies, illegally producing, owning and trading weapons, gathering to engage in fights, injuring and blackmailing people and other serious crimes between the second... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Director of Los Angeles Antigang Group Sold Illegal Assault Weapons
New York Times
19 January 2008
LOS ANGELES -- The director of an antigang organization here that sought to reduce gun violence and received $1.5 million from the City of Los Angeles pleaded guilty on Thursday to charges that he sold illegal assault weapons to a federal undercover agent. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested the director, Hector Marroquin, in May after video surveillance showed him selling weapons and silencers... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Firearm Laws Not Being Enforced, Says Canadian Gun Control Activist
Toronto Sun (Ontario)
19 January 2008
There is no simple cure to the plague of gang-related gun violence on our streets, a leading gun control advocate said yesterday. "Every time a tragedy strikes people want a simple solution and there isn't one," said Ryerson prof Wendy Cukier. "You have to have a long-term view." Cukier, who heads the Coalition for Gun Control, said the idea of an outright handgun ban is tricky because there's no clear-cut definition of... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Atlanta Drug Gang Targeted Cops, Military, Stole Police SWAT Machine Gun
WXIA-TV News (Georgia)
17 January 2008
Patti Thompson said her neighborhood off of Jones Bridge Road in Alpharetta was a hub of gang activity last summer. "There were groups of guys walking down the street wearing all their gang clothing, guns hanging out of their pockets, dealing drugs in the street. It was horrible," she said. Thursday, the man investigators said led the gang known as the G-Squad and lived in the neighborhood, was arraigned in federal court... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Proliferation of Guns Blamed for Epidemic of Violence in San Francisco
San Francisco Chronicle, Column
17 January 2008
A lot has changed since San Francisco police Lt. John Murphy started working the drug and homicide beats in the 1980s. "In the '80s, we'd get one, two or three guns a week," Murphy said. "Now it's like -- who doesn't have one?" Just about everyone, it seems. Kevin Ryan, the former U.S. attorney who worked on federal law enforcement for the Bush administration, recently joined the staff of San Francisco Gavin Newsom as director... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Drug Gang Leader Targeted Cops' Homes, Stole Police Machine Gun
WGCL-TV News (Georgia)
17 January 2008
ALPHARETTA, Georgia -- The leader of a gang called the "G Squad" was in court Thursday on gun charges stemming from the burglary of a police officer's home. Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents said they hope that this case will put other agencies on alert. The pictures on Arrington Griffin's cell phone tell the story. They show the 18-year-old, who also goes by the name "Saint," holding a stolen machine gun.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Cop Dies as Man Sprays AK-47 Bullets in Miami Housing Complex Rampage
Orlando Sentinel (Florida) / AP
9 January 2008
MIAMI -- A gang member in custody for allegedly firing his AK-47 as he ran through a North Miami Beach apartment complex is considered the main suspect in the shooting death of a police detective, officials said Wednesday. Ricardo Ajuste, 21, has not been charged with Miami police Detective James Walker's death yet, as authorities continued building their case. He was being held without bond. Neither jail nor court records listed... ( gunpolicy.org )
Paraguay, Brazil
Paraguayan Military Men Arrested for Ammunition Theft, Gunrunning to Brazil
LatinNews Daily, Web Page
9 January 2008
The involvement of high-ranking Paraguayan military officers in the clandestine supply of arms to criminal gangs in Brazil appears to have been confirmed with the arrest of a colonel and a major in a case involving the theft of army munitions and their sale on the black market in Ciudad del Este, in the notorious Triple Border area. On 24 December an audit of the arsenal of the 3rd infantry division just outside Ciudad del Este... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Key Factors in US Murder Trends: Youth, Drugs, Gangs and Gun Trafficking
Christian Science Monitor
4 January 2008
NEW YORK -- Murders are down to a 40-year low in New York and Chicago. Yet homicide rates are on the rise in Baltimore and Detroit -- and dramatically so in New Orleans. In that variance is a positive story about cities' successful attack on crime and gun violence, but also an alarm about rising gang-related and youth violence, particularly within the African-American community. Across the US, the incidence of intentional... ( gunpolicy.org )
Bahamas, United States
US Touts Arms Control as Caribbean Gun Running Melds with Gangs, Drugs
Caribbean Nets News / BIS
4 January 2008
NASSAU, Bahamas -- The continued cooperation between the United States of America and its law enforcement agencies, other gun manufacturing countries and CARICOM, is critical to the region's ongoing efforts to combat the illicit trafficking of firearms across the region, the Bahamas Minister of National Security 'Tommy' Turnquest said last month. Turnquest said the illegal gun trade has created a "black market" for the sale of firearms... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago, New York Target Guns, Gangs: Homicides Drop to 40-year Low
International Herald Tribune / AP
28 December 2007
NEW YORK -- Chicago and New York are about to close out 2007 with the lowest number of homicides in more than 40 years, while cities such as Baltimore, Atlanta and Miami have seen killings go up because of what police say is a surge in guns and gang violence. New York City reported 488 slayings as of Friday, versus 596 for all of 2006. The city is on track to have the lowest number of killings since reliable record-keeping started... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Assault Weapons, .50 Calibre 'Military' Guns Smuggled from US to Mexico
Las Cruces Sun-News (New Mexico) / AP
27 December 2007
PHOENIX -- Spread across a conference table at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Phoenix are enough weapons to equip several car loads of drug runners. Agents said Thursday they found the 42 weapons in a storage locker about 10 days ago. The guns were worth $250,000 in all: Belgian-made "FN" handguns, semiautomatic AK rifles and other pistols. They also found four olive boxes loaded with 50-caliber bullets... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, United Kingdom
UK Police Visit Cincinnati to Take Gang Gun Violence Lessons from America
BBC News
20 December 2007
In the world of policing, news travels fast. So when the city of Cincinnati, Ohio managed to reduce its murder rate from 89 in 2006 to 55 in 2007, police forces in both America and the UK took notice. Officers with the Metropolitan Police, plagued by their own deadly gang problems, decided last summer to pay a visit to learn more. "They thought our methods were applicable to the violence in London, and took back the methodology,"... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Laws Need To Be Strengthened, Enforced to Disarm US Criminals
Cleveland Plain Dealer (Ohio), Editorial
18 December 2007
The gun lobby likes to say that guns don't kill people -- people kill people. That's why meaningful gun laws should target people inclined to kill and keep them from buying a gun with which to do it. That gun laws are far from meaningful was made clear by Plain Dealer reporters Rachel Dissell and Christopher Evans in their Sunday examination of why it's so hard to track the ownership of guns used in crimes. There are thousands... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
Britain Inches Closer to Banning Replica, Deactivated, Convertible Guns
Observer (UK)
9 December 2007
Three years after they were jailed, police are still unearthing the murderous legacy of Britain's most prolific gun barons. From their ramshackle store in the Derbyshire village of Little Eaton, an unlikely father and son duo presided over an underworld racket that provided Uzi sub-machine guns and AK-47 rifles to organised crime syndicates. They sold thousands of deactivated weapons -- guns that had been made safe -- but then included... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Shows Feed Mexican Crime Gangs: Feds Seize 62 'Military' Guns
KNXV-TV (Arizona)
3 December 2007
PHOENIX, Arizona -- ATF seized 62 guns that officials said were intended for Mexican and Los Angeles gang members. ATF officials told ABC15 the weapons were intended for the worst crimes imaginable. At a press conference in downtown Phoenix Monday evening, ATF presented four tables full of AK-47's, other assault rifles, handguns, and an Uzi. The ATF also recovered hundreds of rounds of ammunition and about... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
100 Arrests, 1300 Weapons Seized in Mass Gun Raids Around Britain
BBC News
29 November 2007
More than 100 arrests were made and more than 1,300 weapons seized in a major offensive against gun culture, the home secretary has announced. Co-ordinated raids in Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and London led to 118 arrests and the seizure of the weapons -- most of them replicas. More than 1,000 officers were involved in the crackdown, which included work in schools and support for families. Jacqui Smith said... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
British Police Raid Hundreds of Premises in National Gun Crime Crackdown
Guardian (UK)
29 November 2007
LONDON -- Hundreds of real and imitation firearms were seized during a nationwide "Day of Action" aimed at tackling violent crime among young people, the Home Office said on Thursday. About 1,000 police officers carried out raids and checks in Manchester, London, Liverpool and Birmingham as part of a continuing operation called the Tackling Gangs Action Programme. More than 1,300 real and imitation firearms were recovered... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Japan Will Jail Armed Gangsters, Owners of Multiple Guns for Up to 15yrs
Reuters
26 November 2007
TOKYO -- Japan's parliament on Monday passed legislation strengthening gun control following a spate of shootings by gangsters, including the assassination of a city mayor in April and the recent murder of a hospital patient in a case of mistaken identity. The revision of the firearms control law is the first since 1995, and imposes heavier punishments for gun crimes committed by members of organised crime gangs. After... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Licensed Connecticut Gun Dealer 'Illegally Sold Hundreds of Guns to Gangs'
Statford Bard (Connecticut)
23 November 2007
A national gun control group most famous for getting an assault weapons bill passed is using the case of a local gun dealer to attack the National Rifle Association. The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence Friday released a 33-page report titled "Guns for Gangs," detailing the case of Stratford gun dealer Frank D'Andrea, who is headed to prison for 3½ years for an assault weapon conviction. Federal prosecutors have alleged... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Vancouver Gang, Drug Sweep Nets Licensed Gun Owner With .50cal Rifle
Vancouver Sun (British Columbia)
22 November 2007
Gang members appear to be lying low since a regional anti-gang squad hit the streets a week ago to suppress gang violence, the commander of the new police team said Wednesday. Vancouver police Insp. Dean Robinson said the new Violence Suppression Team has checked almost 300 people in its first week and observed a noticeable absence of gang members in their normal haunts. "They aren't as thick as they usually are in the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Vancouver Gang Member Caught With .50cal Sniper Rifle, Assault Weapons
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
22 November 2007
VANCOUVER -- The Steyr Mannlicher .50-calibre rifle that Inspector Dean Robinson hefted yesterday looked like it was built for just one thing -- to kill people at long distance. So why would a Surrey man have sitting in his broom closet a sniper rifle that is so powerful it can penetrate a Humvee troop carrier from more than one kilometre away? That's exactly what Vancouver Police Department's Insp. Robinson and members... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Gang Member Filmed Buying Assault Rifle at Nevada Gun Show
KCRA-TV News (Sacramento)
20 November 2007
SACRAMENTO, California -- Illegal firearms are in our community right now. Police said these weapons are in the hands of gang members and criminals and are at the center of a majority of crimes. KCRA 3 asked Sacramento Police Chief Al Najera how big of an issue such guns are in the city. Sponsor "It's just about the most important issue we're dealing with right now," Najera responded. In an undercover... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
'Boston Miracle' Inspires Britain's Latest Push to Curb Youth Gun Crime
BBC News
16 November 2007
LONDON -- Scotland Yard's latest initiative to deal with youth gun crime is modelled on a successful gang-busting initiative in the US. Within two years of implementing Operation Ceasefire in 1995, Boston had reclaimed the streets from the gangs. The Boston Miracle, as it is known, reduced violent crime by about 50% in two years. During a 29-month period covered by the operation, not a single teenager died in gun... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
68 Arrested, 400 Guns Seized in Georgia Guns, Gangs, Drugs Bust
WAGT-TV News (Georgia)
14 November 2007
The Richmond County Sheriff's Office and The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives raided several south Augusta homes arresting dozens and confiscating more than 400 guns and boxes full of illegal drugs Wednesday. It was the fruit of a 16 month investigation. It all started in a Hephzibah tattoo parlor. Undercover investigators say they posed as employees interested in making illegal drug and gun purchases from gang... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
North Carolina Ranks High in Illegal Gun Trafficking: One Fed's Frustration
WRAL-TV News (North Carolina)
13 November 2007
North Carolina ranks No. 7 in the nation for illegal gun trafficking. Last year, more than 11,000 illegal firearms were recovered, many used in violent crimes. But why does the state carry that dubious distinction? A deadly drive by shooting on Raleigh's Beauty Avenue netted 15 arrests -- all of them gang members, or affiliated with a gang. "Violent crime and gangs and guns are synonymous," said Earl Woodham, an... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
Carry a Gun and You'll Either Shoot, or Get Shot - London Trauma Surgeon
BBC News
12 November 2007
Mike Walsh is a consultant who heads up one of the country's top trauma teams, based at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel. He has dealt with dozens of gun crime injuries. "It is not for me to judge if they are a 'goodie' or a 'baddie'," he said. He is the consummate professional who avoids making judgements when a patient comes in, and gets on with the job of trying to save a life. Because it is the home of London's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
With Gun Crime Still at Low Levels, UK Remains a Relatively 'Safe Haven'
BBC News
12 November 2007
The death of several young people in recent months has led to a great deal of soul-searching about Britain's gun culture. So what can be done to end gun crime in the UK? Drugs, urban decay, racism, "gangsta" rap and an absence of positive role models have all been blamed for the recent spate of gun deaths, with Tory leader David Cameron going so far as to blame a "broken society". But are things really that bad, and what... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canadian Victim of Unpunished Gangsters' Stray Bullet Launches Civil Suit
Vancouver Sun
10 November 2007
In her two-year battle to recover from a bullet to the head, Laurie Tinga has already shown the fighting spirit her friends and family admire. Now she has begun a different kind of battle with the filing of a civil suit against six gangsters who police believe were behind the shootout that left her an unintended victim. Police and academics say her lawsuit might be a first of its kind in Canada, where criminals are rarely... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Florida Teen Jailed for Killing 13yr-old Girl With Stray Bullet from Assault Rifle
WJXT-TV News (Florida)
9 November 2007
JACKSONVILLE, Florida -- Late Friday afternoon, a Duval County jury found Willie Tucker III guilty of second-degree murder in the death of 13-year-old Shenice Holmes, who was shot as she read inside her Northside apartment 18 months ago. Because Tucker did not target Holmes, he is only charged with second-degree murder. The jury also found Tucker guilty of three counts of attempted murder for firing at others in the parking... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United Kingdom, United States
Routine Firearm Policing Brings 48 Arrests In 3-Nation Drug, Gun Bust
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
31 October 2007
What began as a routine handgun recovery north of the city has led investigators from three countries to crack a major Canadian drug-trafficking ring. Police forces from York Region, Toronto, British Columbia, the United States and Britain collaborated in the nine-month investigation to arrest 48 people from the Toronto area and lay 175 drug and weapon charges. The narcotics seized include 6.7 kilograms of heroin, 1.5 kg... ( gunpolicy.org )
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