World, United Nations
Landslide UN Vote Sets Global Gun Control Process Back on Track - IANSA
International Action Network on Small Arms / IANSA, Media release
18 July 2008
UNITED NATIONS -- Campaigners welcomed the resurrection of the UN small arms process today, as states strengthened their commitment to work together to curb the illicit trade in small arms. 134 states voted for the agreement of the Biennial Meeting of States on Small Arms. No state voted against it. Iran and Zimbabwe abstained. The agreement provides guidance on several key areas of small arms control, including arms brokering... ( gunpolicy.org )
Papua New Guinea
PNG Police Chief Issues 'Shoot to Kill' Order, Urges Critics Not to Overreact
Post-Courier (Port Moresby)
15 July 2008
Police Commissioner Gari Baki made a call yesterday for the public and human rights advocates to not misinterpret his directions for police to shoot and kill criminals caught wearing police uniforms. "I do not want to be drawn into a media debate but the relentless sentiments and criticisms in the media has prompted me to clear the air on this issue," Mr Baki said. "By using police uniforms to carry out their evil acts... ( gunpolicy.org )
Yemen
209 Gun Shops Shut, 148 Dealers Jailed, 160,000 Guns Seized in Yemen
Yemen Post
30 June 2008
Two weeks ago, Yemen took its biggest step yet in fighting the existence of weapons as a nationwide campaign begun with a goal to close down all weapon shops throughout the country. Until today, 209 weapon shops have been closed down. The government's policy in its campaign was to close down the shops and reimburse weapons dealers by buying their weapons from them, therefore causing the dealers no losses. However, over 148 shop owners refused... ( gunpolicy.org )
Turkey
Celebratory Shooting, Stray Bullet Injury Require Urgent Action - Turkish MP
Today's Zaman (Istanbul)
27 June 2008
ANKARA -- A member of Parliament's Human Rights Commission has recommended that a parliamentary commission should be set up to address the problem of deaths and injuries caused by stray bullets fired into the air in celebration, a common problem in much of Turkey. Speaking to Today's Zaman, Democratic Society Party (DTP) Diyarbakir deputy Akin Birdal stressed that a cultural and social transformation was needed to prevent deaths... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Lobby Boss Warns: 'Monumental Decision Just Opening Salvo'
USA Today, Opinion
27 June 2008
The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm for any lawful purpose. Period. The Founding Fathers meant it, 4 million NRA members defend it, and the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed it. For three decades, lawful residents of the District of Columbia had no right to possess a handgun in their own homes. Today, they do. That's a good thing, because good people should be able to protect themselves, especially... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Thailand, Russia
Global Gun Runner Plays US-Russia 'Cold War' Card to Escape Prison
Sydney Morning Herald
16 June 2008
The Cold War has broken out again, and Thailand suddenly finds itself caught uncomfortably in the middle of competing US and Russian interests. At the centre of the conflict is the alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was arrested on March 6 in Thailand and is in detention in Bangkok. The US wants Bout extradited to stand trial in New York, where he has faces charges of conspiracy to provide weapons to a foreign terrorist... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
Global Gun Trade Treaty Needed to Curb the Spread of Weapons
Statesman (Kolkata), Opinion
12 June 2008
The campaign to reduce small arms and to eliminate the use of landmines and cluster bombs can save millions of lives. In addition, animals and birds can also be protected. Although attention is generally focussed on heavy weapons, greater destruction is caused by "small arms and light weapons", a technical term (generally abbreviated to 'small arms') which covers revolvers, pistols, rifles, carbines, machine-guns, ammunition, shells,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Malawi
Human Rights Campaign Urges Malawians to Give Up, Eradicate Guns
Daily Times (Malawi)
10 June 2008
A prominent human rights lobbyist has urged Malawians to help curb the use of small arms in order to enhance peace in the country. Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR), in a statement, urges Malawians to assume responsibility to tackle the proliferation of small arms by playing a proactive role and offer tips and information to police on anyone suspected to be illegally in possessions of firearms. "It is tragic... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, Zambia, Southern Africa
Gun Control Groups Urge Zambian PM to Cut Weapon Flow to Zimbabwe
Daily Mail (Zambia )
6 June 2008
The International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) has petitioned President Mwanawasa to immediately put in place a moratorium on the transfer of weapons to Zimbabwe because they can be used against the people. And Centre for Policy Dialogue executive director, Neo Simutanyi, has warned that violence in Zimbabwe could escalate to levels worse than what happened in Kenya if the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and... ( gunpolicy.org )
Namibia, Southern Africa
Southern Africa: 110,000 Sign Petition to Ban Gun Transfers to Zimbabwe
Namibian (Windhoek)
5 June 2008
Civil society in Namibia will today hand over a global petition of 110 000 signatures, which demands an immediate Southern African Development Community (SADC) moratorium on weapons transfers to Zimbabwe. The petition will be presented by representatives of the Legal Assistance Centre, the National Society for Human Rights, Breaking the Wall of Silence, International Action Network on Small Arms (Iansa) and Gun Free Namibia at 13h30.... ( 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 )
Sudan
Taking Civilians' Guns by Force Will Not Improve Security in South Sudan
Sudan Tribune (France), Opinion
2 June 2008
In response to decades of armed violence and cattle rustling, the Government of South Sudan (GoSS) is planning a campaign to forcibly collect firearms from southern citizens. Government officials' motivations are understandable. Endemic pastoralist violence is reaching dangerous levels and there are widespread suspicions of outside support for the perpetrators as part of efforts to scupper the fragile north-south peace process. But coercive... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, China, Southern Africa
Outrage Lingers Over Chinese Shipment of Guns, Ammunition to Zimbabwe
Arms Control Today (USA)
1 June 2008
In April, South African dockworkers refused to unload a Chinese cargo ship carrying more than 70 tons of small arms destined for Zimbabwe. The refusal set off international reactions that led to the recall of the shipment and calls for stronger international arms trade measures, such as a global arms trade treaty. The shipment, including three million rounds of ammunition for AK47s and 1,500 rocket-propelled grenades, was meant... ( gunpolicy.org )
Bahrain
Bahraini MPs Sign Petition To End Gun Violence, Support Global Gun Treaty
All Headline News (Florida)
30 May 2008
MANAMA, Bahrain -- Four Bahraini lawmakers have signed an international petition calling for an end to gun violence and urging the United Nations to push for an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) with all its members. Parliament member Jalal Fairooz, from Al Wefaq, the largest Shia bloc in the Bahrain parliament, is one of the signatories of the petition. He told AHN, "There have been several cases of shootings which are a matter of concern.... ( gunpolicy.org )
World
Global Gun Trade Treaty Next Step in Campaign to Curb Lethal Weapons
Scotsman (Edinburgh), Opinion
30 May 2008
The decision this week for a global treaty to ban cluster munitions in Dublin is a significant step towards reducing indiscriminate civilian deaths and making our world a safer place. But the world needs to do much more if we genuinely seek to stop civilians dying from weapons designed for war. This is because there is still a type of weaponry in the arsenals of every government on earth that continues to kill and maim... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Oakland is Drowning in Guns: California Women Fed Up with Gun Violence
Oakland Tribune (California), Column
26 May 2008
Consider the 127 people who were murdered in Oakland last year and one similarity leaps out: All but 20 were shot to death. It's hardly any secret to any of us who live in the city that Oakland is drowning in guns. And for all of you Second Amendment watchdogs, I'm not talking about guns like my late grandmother's .38 special, which she kept loaded in a nightstand by the side of her bed, despite the crippling arthritis... ( 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 )
United States
Relaxed Gun Controls, Unlicensed Sales Help Fuel California Gun Violence
Oakland Tribune (California)
22 May 2008
OAKLAND -- Seventeen-year-old Dominique Nubie stood on a West Oakland street corner talking about what matters in his life. "Guns "... everybody here has guns," he said, motioning around. Instead of the usual high school concerns about finishing homework or making the basketball team, Dominique worries most about survival in a neighborhood where many of his peers own guns. Oakland is teeming with guns. They're... ( gunpolicy.org )
Malawi
Malawian MPs Ignorant of Global Gun Trade Treaty - But All Intend to Sign It
Africa News (Netherlands), Blog
19 May 2008
Most Malawian Members of Parliament (MP) are unaware about the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), two years after 153 member states of the United Nations voted in its favour for sustainable world peace in 2006. UN member states agreed during that year, at the UN General Assembly, on the need to have a plausible world treaty regulating the sale of small arms and light weapons. It was hoped that this would help control the proliferation of... ( gunpolicy.org )
Nepal
Easy Access to Guns, Official Neglect Fuel Rising Armed Violence in Nepal
IRIN (UN News)
14 May 2008
KATHMANDU -- Civilians are becoming more vulnerable to attack by militant groups and criminal gangs in the Terai region of southern Nepal as a result of the apparent proliferation of small arms and improvised explosive devices, local analysts say. Easy access to guns has led to an increasing number of killings, abductions, attacks and cases of looting and extortion, they said. "The control of small arms still seems to be... ( gunpolicy.org )
Turkey
Celebratory Gunfire, Occasional Deaths Inexplicable Feature of Turkish Life
Today's Zaman (Turkey), Column
11 May 2008
I have always been awed by the inability of people around me to celebrate joyful events. Weddings and soccer games that end victoriously are celebrated with guns held aloft, fired incessantly into the air. Someone who is not familiar with the local culture may feel they have fallen into an ambush, just as the foreign guests did at the wedding ceremony of one of my younger family members last year. They gathered around me in bewilderment... ( gunpolicy.org )
World
China-Zimbabwe Gun Scandal Shows Need for World Treaty: Desmond Tutu
Australian (Sydney), Opinion
9 May 2008
In the present scandal of the attempt to ship tonnes of arms and ammunition to Zimbabwe, it is the Chinese who have spoken the most sense. China's foreign ministry said the country's shipment of mortar shells, rockets and bullets was perfectly normal trade. It certainly is. Shipping arms to African governments who could use them to abuse their own people is an abhorrent but almost daily occurrence. And at present there is nothing... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Colombia
Global Gun Runner Bout 'Conspired to Kill Americans,' Says US Indictment
Associated Press
6 May 2008
NEW YORK -- Prosecutors announced an indictment Tuesday against a reputed Russian arms smuggler who they say tried to sell weapons to a U.S.-designated terrorist organization with the goal of killing Americans. The indictment charges Viktor Bout with four terrorism offenses, including conspiring to kill Americans, conspiring to kill U.S. officers or employees, conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and conspiring to... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations
Ban Ki-moon Gives First Report on Global Gun Trade to UN Security Council
Associated Press of Pakistan
1 May 2008
UNITED NATIONS -- The uncontrolled trade in small arms and their excessive accumulation and proliferation poses a threat to international peace and security, a senior UN told the Security Council Wednesday. "We have all witnessed how these weapons have been used to maim and kill; plunder and rape; instil fear and insecurity; block humanitarian aid; hold communities at ransom; destroy the social fabric of entire countries; and how... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations
UN Security Council Holds Open Debate on Threat of Global Gun Trade
Xinhua
1 May 2008
UNITED NATIONS -- The UN Security Council held on Wednesday an open debate on the threat posed by the illicit flow of small arms to international peace and security. During the meeting, Hannelore Hoppe, deputy to the high representative for disarmament affairs, presented UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's first-ever report on small arms. In the report, the UN chief said that, while a build-up of small arms alone may not... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, China
Beijing Recalls Zimbabwe Arms Cargo: Speculation on Gun Airlift to Mugabe
Associated Press
25 April 2008
BEIJING -- A shipment of Chinese weapons headed for troubled Zimbabwe will be returned to China because there is no way to deliver it to the landlocked country in southern Africa, China said Thursday. Countries neighboring Zimbabwe refused to allow the Chinese freighter An Yue Jiang to dock at their ports. That followed heavy pressure from African unions, churches and human rights groups, bolstered by behind-the-scenes pressure... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, Zambia, United Kingdom, Canada, China, World
Chinese Gun Shipment to Zimbabwe Shines Spotlight on Global Gun Trade
Toronto Star (Ontario)
24 April 2008
When the Chinese freighter An Yue Jiang pulled into the South African port of Durban last week loaded with weapons bound for crisis-ridden Zimbabwe, it seemed to be just one more day in the lucrative arms trade that has engulfed the continent with deadly results. Instead the ship ran into a storm of protest -- with dock workers joining union leaders, church officials and the High Court to block the shipment -- until the vessel left... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, China
Praise 3 African Nations for Barring 'Ship of Shame' Gun Cargo to Zimbabwe
Los Angeles Times, Editorial
24 April 2008
It's a rare moment when three African nations, in an effort to forestall violence, block a shipment of weapons to a neighboring country in political turmoil. It's perhaps even a historic development when those weapons were sold by a great power and were bound for a government that is not under United Nations sanctions and has every legal right to buy arms -- though no moral right to do so. So let us praise the courageous peoples of South... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations
UN Chief Urges Countries to Enhance Data Sharing on Guns, Ammunition
Associated Press of Pakistan
24 April 2008
UNITED NATIONS -- UN Member States need to increase their collection, maintenance and sharing of data on small arms as part of measures to encourage disarmament, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says. These weapons are "cheap, light and easy to handle, transport and conceal," Ban wrote in his first-ever report on the topic. "While a build-up of small arms alone may not create the conflicts in which they are used, their excessive... ( gunpolicy.org )
Namibia, Zimbabwe, Angola, China
Cargo of Chinese Guns, Ammunition Visits Namibia on Way to Zimbabwe
Namibian (Windhoek)
22 April 2008
A Chinese ship carrying six containers of ammunition for Zimbabwe has applied to take on fuel at Walvis Bay this morning. The An Yue Jiang is carrying three million rounds of AK-47 ammunition, 1 500 rocket-propelled grenades and more than 3 000 mortar rounds and mortar tubes. Attempts to get comment from Government yesterday were unsuccessful. Messages were left for Minister of Information, Joel Kaapanda, but he... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, China, South Africa, United States, Mozambique, Angola, Namibia
China Says Ship Carrying Ammunition, Guns to Zimbabwe May Head Home
Associated Press
22 April 2008
HARARE, Zimbabwe -- A shipment of weapons to Zimbabwe may be returned to China, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Tuesday, after the troubled southern African nation's neighbors prevented the cargo from being unloaded. The Chinese freighter arrived in South Africa last week, and human rights groups and others said they feared the mortar grenades and bullets onboard could be used by President Robert Mugabe's regime to clamp down... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, China, South Africa, United States, Mozambique, Angola, Namibia
Gun Cargo Rejection 'Dramatic Turn' for Africa's Embrace of Zimbabwe
Washington Post
22 April 2008
JOHANNESBURG -- A Chinese ship carrying weapons and ammunition for Zimbabwe's military may be headed back home, reports said, after repeated attempts to deliver its cargo were frustrated by a coalition of legal activists, union workers and human rights groups. The region's resistance to the shipment, which drew praise from the United States on Tuesday, marks a dramatic turn from southern Africa's traditional embrace of Zimbabwe's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, Angola, China
Southern African Ports Shun Ship Carrying Guns to Zimbabwe; US Agrees
Los Angeles Times / Chicago Tribune
22 April 2008
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Public outcries have forced a rusty Chinese cargo ship to avoid South Africa, Mozambique and Angola, leaving it at sea Tuesday with 77 tons of munitions bound for Zimbabwe, where an election crisis has reportedly turned violent. The An Yue Jiang was carrying about 3 million rounds of Chinese ammunition, 1,500 rockets and 3,000 mortar shells. The State Department's top Africa envoy, who is to arrive... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, China
Under African Pressure, China Recalls Cargo of Zimbabwe Guns, Ammo?
SW Radio Africa (London)
22 April 2008
A controversial arms shipment from China, meant for crisis torn Zimbabwe, might have been recalled back to China following pressure from African countries that refused to allow it to dock at their ports. On Tuesday the China Ocean Shipping Company, owners of the An Yue Jiang ship, announced their vessel was coming back home. Despite Chinese claims that the delivery was 'normal military product trade,' Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, China, South Africa, Mozambique, Angola, Namibia
Zimbabwe Bristles at Southern Africa's Rejection of Guns, Ammo Cargo
News24 (Cape Town)
22 April 2008
HARARE -- Zimbabwe bristled at criticism for buying arms from China on Tuesday, as pressure mounted on its neighbours to keep a load of weapons from reaching their destination. China said a Chinese ship carrying the shipment might return home without offloading its cargo. The ship arrived in South Africa last week carrying Chinese weapons for landlocked Zimbabwe. South African human rights, union and others groups objected,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, South Africa, Angola, China
South African Court, Unions, NGOs Block Guns, Ammo Cargo to Zimbabwe
Scotland on Sunday
20 April 2008
Dockyard workers in Africa are refusing to unload a Chinese ship laden with weapons for Zimbabwe. The whereabouts of the vessel, the An Yue Jiang, were not known last night, although it was believed to be heading to Angola. Sources say the ship is carrying three million rounds of AK-47 ammunition along with 1,500 rocket-propelled grenades and several thousand mortar rounds. Dock workers in the region are expected to refuse... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, South Africa
Global Gun Control Group Seeks Court Order to Block Ammo to Zimbabwe
SW Radio Africa (London)
18 April 2008
The South African government has said that it is determined to allow the export of a consignment of Chinese weapons and ammunition to the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. AB Logistics is the state owned transport section of the South African Defence Forces, and they have been approached to handle this large shipment of weapons and ammunition to Zimbabwe. A number of private companies backed out of the contract. Not necessarily because of... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
NRA Executive Wayne LaPierre Blasts Obama, Clinton in Tennessee Visit
Kingsport Times-News (Tennessee)
18 April 2008
KINGSPORT -- National Rifle Association Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre took aim Friday night at Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's recent comment that people in small-town America are "bitter about their lives and that's why they cling to their guns and their religion." LaPierre, speaking to about 200 people at an event organized by the Tennessee Conservative Political Action Committee, claimed Obama's remark... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, South Africa
Shipload of Guns, Ammunition Heads to Zimbabwe Through South Africa
Daily Mail (UK)
18 April 2008
Fears of bloody crackdown in Zimbabwe grew last night as a shipload of weapons bound for the country docked in South Africa ready to be transported across the border. South Africa said if the papers were in order it had no plans to interfere with the shipment from China of 77 tonnes of weapons -- including mortars, ammunition and rocket-held grenades -- despite the growing international outcry over Zimbabwe's failure to declare... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, South Africa
South Africa Lets Pass 3 Million Rounds of AK-47 Ammunition for Zimbabwe
Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg)
18 April 2008
DURBAN -- The South African government is determined to allow the export of a large consignment of Chinese weapons and ammunition to the Zimbabwe Defence Force (ZDF). The Mail & Guardian has confirmed that AB Logistics, state-owned Armscor's transport arm, has been approached to handle the transport of the weapons to Zimbabwe, after several private logistics firms backed out of the transport contract because of the sensitive cargo... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Caribbean, Central America, South America
Guns and Gun Running: Small Arms Trade in Latin America - NACLA Report
NACLA Report on the Americas Vol. 41, No. 2
19 March 2008
Small arms and gun violence present the most dramatic threat to public safety in Latin America and the Caribbean. After decades of uncontrolled proliferation, at least 45 million to 80 million small arms and light weapons -- that is, weapons operated by an individual or small group, including handguns, assault rifles, grenades, grenade launchers, and even man portable surface to air missiles -- are circulating throughout the region. (1)... ( gunpolicy.org )
China, Sudan
China Denies Dramatic Increase in Assault Weapon sales to Sudan, Darfur
Associated Press
14 March 2008
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- A U.S.-based human rights group said China dramatically boosted small-arms sales to Sudan as violence escalated in Darfur. Beijing denied the group's report on Friday. The report released Thursday by Human Rights First said China is the biggest supplier of small arms to Sudan. It provided 90 percent of all the African nation's small arms acquisitions between 2004 and 2006, totaling more than $50 million.... ( gunpolicy.org )
China, Sudan
China Sold $55 Million Worth of Guns to Sudan, Says Human Rights Group
Agence France Presse
13 March 2008
BEIJING -- China is the biggest supplier of small arms to Sudan following three years of increased sales that helped fuel violence in the African nation's Darfur region, a US-based rights group has said. From 2004 to 2006, China sold over 55 million dollars worth of small arms to the Sudanese government, which then armed the Arab militias accused of genocide in Darfur, Human Rights First said in a report released on Thursday. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United Nations
Global Gun Trade Treaty Eludes Student Consensus in Canada's Model UN
South Asian Focus (Ontario)
13 March 2008
Leave it to our kids to make the rules, and the world could well become a better place. Resolutions they recently undertook as simulated United Nations members included far more rigorous regulation of the arms trade -- and in some instances an effective ban on arms transfer to potential global hot spots. The Sri Lankan delegation suggested a non-partisan body composed of 15 neutral third-party diplomats have to power to... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, China
Guns in US 'Serious Threat to Life, Security' - China's Human Rights Report
China View (Beijing)
13 March 2008
BEIJING -- The Information Office of China's State Council issued "The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2007" on Thursday, revealing about 30,000 people die from gun wounds every year in the United States. The United States has an estimated 250 million privately-owned firearms, the largest number in the world, according to the Chinese report. "Frequent gun violence poses a serious threat to people's life and... ( gunpolicy.org )
Liberia, Netherlands
Dutch Court Frees Timber Trader Accused of Gun Running to Liberia
New York Times
11 March 2008
PARIS -- A Dutch appeals court on Monday overturned the conviction of a lumber trader who had been found guilty of breaking a United Nations embargo and smuggling weapons for Charles Taylor, the former president of Liberia, during that country's civil war. Guus Kouwenhoven, 65, a Dutch trader and a business partner of Mr. Taylor, had been sentenced in 2006 to eight years in prison for selling Liberian lumber on the world market... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations, Africa, Middle East, World
Arrest of Notorious Gun Runner Highlights Need for Global Arms Trade Treaty
Guardian (UK) / Comment is Free, Web Page
10 March 2008
Viktor Vassilyevich Bout began his career transporting flowers and frozen chickens across Africa. He quickly moved on to diamonds, mining equipment, Kalashnikov assault rifles, bullets and helicopter gunships. Having evaded an international arrest warrant for more than five years, the notorious Russian arms dealer was finally arrested this week in Thailand. Dubbed the "merchant of death", Bout is regarded as one of the most prolific arms... ( gunpolicy.org )
Thailand, United States, World
Revealed: Trap that Lured the Merchant of Death, Gun Runner Viktor Bout
Observer (UK)
9 March 2008
His notorious expoits as an arms dealer have been captured in a Hollywood film. Now, after fuelling wars for a decade, Viktor Bout is behind bars. Here we uncover the elaborate sting operation that led to the downfall of the former Soviet officer with his own fleet of planes who evaded justice for so long. The war between Israel and Hizbollah was three days old when American intelligence spotted a bear-sized man with a moustache... ( gunpolicy.org )
Thailand, United States, Colombia, World
If Viktor Bout Did Not Exist, a Thriller Writer Would Have Invented Him
Guardian (UK)
7 March 2008
BANGKOK -- If Viktor Bout did not exist, a thriller writer would have invented him. A former Russian lieutenant, he became one of the world's biggest arms dealers, flying his ancient Soviet planes into battlefields from Liberia to Afghanistan. His clients have included the Taliban and the US government, African warlords and the UN. He has as many aliases as an AK-47 has rounds, and has acquired the nicknames Merchant of Death and... ( gunpolicy.org )
Thailand, United States, Colombia, World
Russian Arms Dealer Arrested, Accused of Gun Running in Africa, Mideast
Washington Post
7 March 2008
Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout was usually a careful man, dealing with customers through intermediaries and ordering subordinates to throw away cellphones, receipts and anything else that could be traced. After two buyers claiming to be Colombian guerrillas approached him last November, Bout tried to double-check their identities using photographs of known leaders of the group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Thailand, Colombia, World
'Lord of War' Gun Runner Viktor Bout Arrested in Thailand on US Charges
Times (UK) / Reuters
6 March 2008
A Russian arms dealer thought to have inspired the lead character in the blockbuster film Lord of War was arrested in Bangkok today. Viktor Bout, 41, was detained while allegedly attempting to buy weapons for Colombian rebels. Dubbed "the merchant of death", he has been accused of breaking UN embargoes since the early 1990s by selling arms to conflict-torn regions in Africa and around the world. Thai police said... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Russia, Thailand, Colombia, World
Russian Gun Runner Dubbed 'Merchant of Death' Arrested in Bangkok Sting
Associated Press
6 March 2008
BANGKOK, Thailand -- A suspected Russian arms dealer dubbed the "Merchant of Death" was arrested Thursday in Bangkok on allegations that he conspired to supply Colombian rebels with arms and explosives, Thai police said. Police Lt. Gen. Pongpat Chayapan said Viktor Bout was arrested in a hotel on a warrant from a Thai court following a monthlong manhunt. The warrant came out of an earlier one issued by the U.S. Drug Enforcement... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Thailand, Colombia, World
Viktor Bout Arrested in Thailand, Russia May Lift Him to Safety - Doug Farah
douglasfarah.com, Web Page
6 March 2008
Viktor Bout, the subject of my book with Steve Braun has been arrested in Thailand on charges of supplying weapons to the FARC in Colombia. It is a stunning blow to the world's "Merchant of Death," who has been responsible for fanning wars across Africa, as well as aiding and abetting the Taliban, and thus, indirectly, al Qaeda. Of course, this may finally stop the U.S. from carrying on dealing with him, despite his being... ( gunpolicy.org )
Burundi
Burundi Police Search House-to-house in Campaign to Disarm Civilians
Burundi Réalités (Bujumbura)
15 February 2008
BUJUMBURA -- The police have continued the ongoing process of disarming civilians in different quarters of Bujumbura. Today, the police carried out a house-to-house search in Buyenzi commune. The police caught two grenades and many smuggled objects. The police are determined to continue this disarmament although there is a commission with the same aims. This commission was set up in 2006 but the lack of funds thwarted its activities.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations, World
Experts Meet at UN for First Talks on Possible Global Gun Trade Treaty
Islamic Republic News Agency
12 February 2008
Experts have gathered at United Nations headquarters in New York to begin talks on a possible treaty governing the trade in conventional arms. UN Information Center in Tehran said that the five-day meeting brings together nearly 30 countries that are members of the Group of Governmental Experts examining the feasibility, scope and draft parameters for a comprehensive, legally binding instrument establishing common international... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya, Germany
German Gun Maker Heckler & Koch Supplied Weapons Used in Kenya Crisis
African Executive (Nairobi)
1 February 2008
Hundreds of people have been killed during the recent post-election unrest in Kenya, many of them from bullet wounds. The UN-news-agency IRIN reported that in Kisumu alone, 44 people were shot dead, some of them apparently in the back on escaping. Many pictures from the fighting scenes carry the G3 assault-rifle of Heckler & Koch (H&K), the standard weapon of the Kenyan army and police for more than thirty years. According to the well-informed... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, World
Growing US Gun Sales and the War on Terrorism: Questionable Rewards
Arms Control Today, Jan/Feb 2008
27 January 2008
In November 2007, Pakistan's president, General Pervez Musharraf, invoked emergency rule, suspended the constitution, and arrested thousands of opponents and human rights advocates. As other countries, such as the Netherlands and Switzerland, immediately suspended military aid and weapons deals, the United States, which has given Pakistan more than $10 billion in military assistance since September 11, 2001, decided it would review U.S.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, Saudi Arabia
Canada Pushes Global Gun Trade Treaty While Selling Arms to Saudi Arabia
Montreal Gazette (Quebec)
23 January 2008
Armed violence kills 1,000 people and injures another 3,000 people around the world every day. Unless steps are taken to bring the arms trade under control, the toll from armed violence is expected to surpass within a decade the devastation caused by diseases such as malaria and measles. Currently, 8 million new small arms flood the world market every year. According to a global movement against gun violence, the International Action... ( gunpolicy.org )
Burundi
Survey Estimates 100,000 Illegal Guns, Small Arms in Burundi
Burundi Réalités (Bujumbura)
17 January 2008
BUJUMBURA -- More than a hundred thousand small arms continue to flow into Burundi. This was reported in a study jointly carried out by leading local human rights organizations, Ligue Iteka, and the Small Arms Survey. In the study, these two organisations indicate that most of these arms come from the Democratic Republic of Congo where fighting continues. These weapons were carried into Burundi by civilians after the government... ( gunpolicy.org )
Burundi
In Burundi, 100,000 Homes Contain Illegal Guns - Small Arms Survey
Afrique en ligne / Panapress
12 January 2008
BUJUMBURA, Burundi -- About 100,000 Burundian households are thought to illegally hold small arms, light weapons or grenades, a joint report by the National Human Rights' League (called Iteka in the local kirundi dialect) and the Swiss NGO "Small arms survey", says. The report, titled "Small Arms in Burundi: after peace, the challenge of civil disarmament", is based on a survey conducted among 3,000 households in six of the 17 provinces... ( gunpolicy.org )
Uganda, United Nations, Myanmar
UN Gun Destruction Scheme Contributes to Human Rights Abuse in Uganda
America's 1st Freedom, Jan 2008 / National Rifle Association of America, Opinion
20 December 2007
While the United Nations works diligently to curb the Second Amendment rights of Americans, it is turning a blind eye to abused Karamojong tribesmen fighting a brutal government to keep their only means of self-defense. International gun prohibition groups are working hard and successfully to push an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) through the United Nations. They claim that the reason the treaty is needed is that arms are often used to... ( gunpolicy.org )
Africa, World, United Nations
Child Soldiers Master AK-47 in 30 Minutes, Can Kill As Effectively as Adults
Age (Melbourne)
16 December 2007
In just 30 minutes, a young boy can master the use of an AK-47 machine gun. And a split second can turn him into a killer. When Radhika Coomaraswamy first met a child soldier in Africa, she felt surprise and fear. "These boys come in with the swagger of grown men. They've been carrying guns, they have big shoulders, they act very masculine," she said. But meeting these battle-scarred fighters, aged between 10 and 15, she... ( gunpolicy.org )
Ghana
Spate of Gun Murders in Ghana Brings Call to Ban All Firearms
Joy Online (Ghana), Opinion
15 December 2007
Akosombo Continental Hotel is actually at Atimpoku, which is famous for the elegant Adomi Bridge. The bridge used to be a favourite excursion destination for generations of school children "on wheels" to places of interest. The hotel is a fine place for rest and work with the Volta River lapping at your feet, if you have a good reason to make use of the "Lovers' Lane". I was there to work but the setting also made for good after dinner conversation.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Nigeria
Guns, Armed Violence, Insecurity in Nigeria: The Niger Delta in Perspective
Relief Web / Small Arms Survey (Geneva), Web Page
5 December 2007
This report is based on field research that was carried out by the Small Arms Survey and our Nigerian partners from September 2006 to April 2007. Consequently, the analysis presented here reflects the situation in Nigeria during this period. While the report does address some key events that took place after April 2007 -- the inauguration of the new president, Umaru Musa Yar'Adua; the initiation of peace talks in the Niger Delta; and the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Uganda
Ugandan Police 'Untrained,' Carry AK-47s, Commit Human Rights Abuses
Monitor (Kampala)
19 November 2007
The 1,000-plus men and women wearing the monogrammed uniform and totting Kalashnikov assault rifles on Kampala's streets received inadequate training. They may not only be ill-equipped to protect human rights, but may also commit human rights abuses Against a backdrop of public anxiety, and anger in some instances, about the latest addition to the security forces, it has emerged that key observations about how the Special Police... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
More Burglars Shot as 20 US States Encourage Bullet Deterrence, Impunity
Clarion-Ledger (Mississippi)
5 November 2007
Kathy Adkins moved from target to target, using a .38 revolver and a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol with deadly efficiency, putting holes in the dead center of paper targets meant to look like people. Adkins, 48, owns a real estate firm in Jackson and has been taking firearms training since March. Instructor Cliff Cargill said he has had many new students since the Legislature passed a bill last year giving residents expanded legal... ( gunpolicy.org )
Sri Lanka
Shadowy 'KP' Runs Global Gun Running Enterprise for Sri Lankan Rebels
Associated Press
5 November 2007
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- He's known only as KP, and he runs a shadowy smuggling network that stretches from the skyscrapers of New York to the suicide bomber training camps of Sri Lanka. At 52, with a medium build, mustache, slight paunch and thinning hair, KP operates right under the nose of the West, which experts say is so preoccupied with al-Qaida that it largely ignores other terrorist groups, even ones as accomplished as Sri... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Mexico
Mexican Police Say '100%' of Drug-gang Killings Involve Smuggled US Guns
Washington Post
29 October 2007
TIJUANA, Mexico -- Assassins blasted Ricardo Rosas Alvarado, a member of an elite state police force, with a blizzard of bullets pumped out of AK-47 assault rifles. Alvarado crumpled at the wheel of his sedan, yet another victim of the weapons known here as "goat's horns" because of their curved ammunition clips, and which can fire at a rate of 600 rounds per minute. The killing, Mexican authorities said, was a panorama of blood,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, United Nations
US Presidential Candidate Decries UN Efforts to Curb Illicit Gun Trafficking
The Gun Nut (USA), Blog
29 October 2007
My Fellow Americans: I will be brief. Yesterday, I was contacted by a Mr. Paul Henke, who handles "new media" relations for Fred Thompson, the tallest Republican presidential candidate who is also an actor. Mr. Henke has sent us the following statement, which the Gun Nut is running as a public service. The statement is about the U.N.'s position on the individual ownership of guns: ++++ Last year, the United Nations... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, United Nations, Iraq, World
US Small Arms Policy: Having It Both Ways - Susan Waltz [Part 1 of 2]
World Policy Journal, Summer 2007;24:2:67-80 (USA)
19 October 2007
"An essential element of the success of the U.S. program is its export control laws and regulations. These laws are internationally recognized as the most robust and effective in the world.... [At the 2006 UN Review Conference on Small Arms] the United States will make the case that its laws, practices and enforcement procedures are effective models other nations should follow." -- Assistant Secretary of State John Hillen, Baltimore... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, United Nations, Iraq, World
US Small Arms Policy: Having It Both Ways - Susan Waltz [Part 2 of 2]
World Policy Journal, Summer 2007;24:2:67-80 (USA)
19 October 2007
[Continued from Part 1 of 2] Prying Open the Door Covert actions provide an additional, separate legal channel for shadow transfers. The statutory underpinnings for such operations, including weapons transfers, are found in the National Security Act, incorporated into Title 50 of the U.S. Code under the heading of War and National Defense. (The Arms Export Control Act and the Foreign Assistance Act, by contrast, are included... ( gunpolicy.org )
Papua New Guinea
PNG Gun Control Coalition Urges Politicians, Leaders to Give Up Their Guns
National (Port Moresby)
17 October 2007
Leaders, especially politicians who have guns have been called on to lead by example and surrender their guns in response to the campaign against guns violence launched early this year. The call was made by members of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence in Papua New Guinea during a press conference held in Port Moresby last week. The group, which is made up of women groups, help organisations, NGOs, church organisations,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Papua New Guinea, United Nations
I Watched a Gunman Shoot My Mother: PNG Survivor Lobbies at the UN
Age (Melbourne), Opinion
16 October 2007
My suitcase packed and airport taxi booked, I checked my wallet once again. I flicked through my passport with its newly stamped visa for the United States and the accompanying letter. It was addressed to Miss Vavine Gabi and invited me to attend the UN First Committee on Disarmament in New York. My task was to lobby diplomats from the Pacific region as they prepared to draft an international treaty on the arms trade. I would be... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom
Peter Squires, British Media's 'Favourite Expert' on Gun Crime, Gun Culture
Education Guardian (UK)
16 October 2007
Dominating one office wall is a large, dramatic and very bloody poster for the film Reservoir Dogs. On the desk lies what looks like a heavy-duty handgun. It turns out to be a plastic replica. "I use it as a prop for my lectures," says Peter Squires, professor of criminology and public policy at Brighton University. Squires is the country's most-quoted academic expert on gun crime, whose voice has been much in demand over recent... ( gunpolicy.org )
World, Kenya, Africa, United Nations, United Kingdom
Baby's Gun Death Sparks Family's Campaign to Curb Global Gun Violence
Scotsman (Edinburgh)
11 October 2007
Four years ago, on a warm summer evening in July 2003, a young Turkish woman was relaxing in a café in the fishing resort of Foca in south-west Turkey, her young son asleep in his pram beside her. Ozlem Grimason had been enjoying a family holiday in her native country with her Scottish husband, David, and their two-year-old son, Alistair. David had just gone back to the couple's home in East Kilbride -- a couple of days early,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Africa, United Nations, World
Devastating Cost of Africa's Gun Violence: £150bn and Millions of Lives
Guardian (UK)
11 October 2007
Conflicts in Africa since the end of the cold war have cost the continent £150bn, equivalent to all the foreign aid it has received over the same period, according to a report released by Oxfam today. The study, Africa's Missing Billions, says that almost half of the countries on the continent have been involved in some form of conflict since 1990 at a substantial cost to lives and development. The report compares African... ( gunpolicy.org )
Africa, United Nations, World
First Global Gun Trade Treaty Would Particularly Benefit Africa, Experts Say
IRIN (UN News)
11 October 2007
DAKAR -- The creation of a global Arms Trade Treaty currently being debated by the United Nations' first committee would particularly benefit Africa according to various arms control experts. "Arms don't necessary cause conflicts in Africa but they do fuel them and make them bloodier and more costly," Oxfam's Debbie Hillier, a policy advisor on small arms who spoke to IRIN. She is the lead author of a study released on... ( gunpolicy.org )
Africa, United Nations
Global Gun Trade a Big Contributor to Death, Poverty of Millions of Africans
Reuters
11 October 2007
JOHANNESBURG -- Wars stripped about $284 billion from Africa's economies between 1990 and 2005, roughly equal to the amount of aid money given to the world's poorest continent, according to a report on Thursday by Oxfam International. In the study "Africa's Missing Billions," the British aid group said the 23 conflicts engulfing Africa in the period had shrunk economies by an average 15 percent per year at a cost of almost $18 billion... ( gunpolicy.org )
Ghana, Africa, United Nations
Global Gun Trade Treaty: 15 Years of Gun Violence Have Cost Africa $300bn
Accra Daily Mail (Ghana)
11 October 2007
The cost of conflict on African development was approximately $300bn between 1990 and 2005, according to new research by Oxfam International, IANSA and Saferworld. This is equal to the amount of money received in international aid during the same period. The study "Africa's Missing Billions" is the first time analysts have estimated the overall effects of conflict on GDP across the continent and comes as diplomats from around the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations
153 Nations Call for a Worldwide Crackdown on the Illegal Trade in Guns
InterPress Service News Agency
10 October 2007
UNITED NATIONS, New York -- The demand comes as diplomatic talks start this week over the future of a proposed treaty that would require global rules and regulations to check the flow of illegal weapons. The proposal to create such a treaty was adopted by the General Assembly last year after more than 150 countries voted in its favour, 24 abstained and one opposed. Many among those that refused to endorse the resolution are large-scale... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations, United States, World
100 Governments Push for UN Global Gun Trade Treaty: Only America Stalls
Associated Press
1 October 2007
UNITED NATIONS -- Britain, Japan, Australia and others are pushing for an unprecedented treaty regulating the arms trade worldwide, in a campaign sure to last years and to pit them against a determined American foe, the National Rifle Association. In what U.N. officials say is an "overwhelming" response, almost 100 governments have submitted ideas for such a treaty, to be reviewed over the next year. There's an "extremely urgent"... ( gunpolicy.org )
Namibia, South Africa
Namibia Adopts 'Gun Free Zones' Campaign After South African Success
Namibian (Windhoek)
24 September 2007
WINDHOEK -- A campaign to have gun-free zones in large parts of Namibia will kick off today with 28 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the Council of Churches of Namibia declaring their premises free of firearms. Briefing media about the campaign on Friday, which was International Peace Day, Pauline Dempers of the Namibia NGO Forum (Nangof) said the 28 institutions would erect signboards at their entrances from today. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
Pakistan
Guns Proliferate Rapidly, 'Violence Impossible to Stop' in Outback Pakistan
Reuters AlertNet / IRIN
20 September 2007
PESHAWAR -- In the small town of Bannu, some 190km south of Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan's rugged North West Frontier Province (NWFP), an unusual sound sometimes rents the air. "The whiz and hiss of a missile being set off is both thrilling and terrifying," Mobeen Khan, a 40-year-old bus driver who regularly plies the dusty route between Peshawar and Bannu, told IRIN. "At first, we were unfamiliar with the sound. Now we are... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Iraq
US to Send Another $3-4 Billion Worth of Guns to Iraq: Who'll Get Them?
Salon (USA)
18 September 2007
WASHINGTON -- The grand debate about Gen. David Petraeus' Capitol Hill testimony last week on U.S. strategy in Iraq focused primarily on troop levels, withdrawal dates and whether Bush's so-called troop surge was succeeding. But widely overlooked was Petraeus' sales pitch to lawmakers for one initiative he said will help save the war-torn country: massive arms sales from the U.S. government to Iraq. "Iraq is becoming one of the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan, World
Gun Control in Afghanistan: UN/US-led Effort to Retrieve 10 Million Weapons
Ottawa Citizen (Ontario), Opinion
6 September 2007
Once heralded as a success story in the global war on terror, Afghanistan is reaching a tipping point. In spite of desperate efforts by western governments to contain spiraling violence outside of Kabul, more than 4,400 Afghans were killed in 2006, many of them by gunfire. Although NATO troops are struggling to put down the Taliban-led insurgency, efforts to regulate and collect the tools of war must be redoubled. Recent news that... ( gunpolicy.org )
Nepal, India
Nepal, India Urged to Do More to Curb 'Out of Control' Gun Smuggling
IRIN (UN News)
2 September 2007
KATHMANDU -- Activists and human rights campaigners in Nepal believe the government and political parties could do more to control small arms, which continue to maim and kill innocent people. "The flow of small arms is out of control and the government has failed to do anything. Arms continue to pose a huge threat to most civilians," arms control activist Bishnu Upreti told IRIN on 30 August. In 2007 over 135 people were... ( gunpolicy.org )
Guatemala
Guatemala Rides Wave of Gun Violence, Youth Shootings 'Worse Than War'
Reuters AlertNet / NCA (Guatemala)
31 August 2007
In Guatemala, over 25 people are involved in firearm attacks daily, and more than 80 per cent of Guatemala's over 4000 annual homicides involve the use of firearms. It's estimated that almost to million illegal weapons are in circulation in Guatemala. Young men are the most common victims, but an increasing number of women are also losing their lives to firearms. In many cases, this is due to a phenomenon called femicide. Since 2001 it is... ( gunpolicy.org )
World
Global Study: Civilians Hold 650 Million of the World's 875 Million Guns
International Herald Tribune / AP
28 August 2007
GENEVA -- Civilians now have access to 650 million small arms -- from handguns to semiautomatic rifles -- an arsenal that far outstrips that held by police forces and the militaries worldwide, according to a report released Tuesday. The annual Small Arms Survey estimates that civilians account for about three quarters of the 875 million such weapons in circulation today. The United States is the worldwide leader, with up... ( gunpolicy.org )
Switzerland, World
Switzerland Criticised for Poor Data On Gun Ownership, Weapon Exports
SwissInfo
28 August 2007
Civilians in Switzerland own an estimated 3.4 million guns -- putting the country in fourth place for weapons possession per capita, according to a report. The latest Small Arms Survey, published by the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International Studies (GIIS), criticises Switzerland's lack of transparency over reliable statistics on firearms. Switzerland ranks behind the United States, Yemen and Finland, but ahead... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, World
World Now Has 875 Million Private Guns: Also 9 Guns to Every 10 Americans
Charleston Daily Mail (West Virginia) / AP
28 August 2007
GENEVA -- There are nine guns for every 10 people in the United States, with about 270 million firearms in circulation, according to a report released Tuesday. Worldwide, civilians now have access to 650 million small arms -- from handguns to semiautomatic rifles -- an arsenal that far outstrips what is held by police and militaries, according to the annual Small Arms Survey. It estimates that civilians account for about three-fourths... ( gunpolicy.org )
Ghana, West Africa
Ghanaian Group Calls on ECOWAS to Ratify Gun Control Convention
Ghana News Agency
27 August 2007
The Ghana Action Network on Small Arms (GHAANSA) on Sunday called on ECOWAS member-states to show commitment to peace by ratifying the sub-regional Convention 2006 on the proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW). "There is no surer way of demonstrating our commitment to the tenets of the Convention and the respect for human rights, and the rule of law, than ratifying it," Mrs. Afi Yakubu, GHAANSA Coordinator told the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Burundi, Congo (DRC), United Nations, World
Burundi Massacre Reminds World of the Need for a Global Gun Trade Treaty
Nation (Nairobi), Opinion
17 August 2007
The events that happened exactly three years ago on that date will always haunt me. I was accustomed to starting the day with the morning radio bulletin -- which rarely bore good tidings in Burundi where I was working at the time -- but nothing prepared me for the bloody events that had occurred during the night. One hundred and fifty six refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, mostly women and children, including a three-month-old... ( gunpolicy.org )
Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands Man Gets Mandatory 10yrs Jail for Owning a .22 Rifle
Caymanian Compass
12 August 2007
A Grand Court judge was forced to sentence a man to 10 years jail for possessing an unlicensed firearm Friday, despite the judge saying the offence certainly warranted a lesser sentence. Maricelle Manahan, 27, of West Bay is just the latest person to receive a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years under an amendment to the Firearms Law passed by the PPM Government in 2005. "I have no option to give you any lesser sentence... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Control Back as US National Issue: New Laws, Martin Luther King's Gun
Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas)
12 August 2007
FORT WORTH -- Don Burrows needed some cash for a recent scuba diving trip. So the East Texan drove to Fort Worth, taped a "For Sale" sign to his back and walked around a gun show, hoping to sell extra ammunition he had stockpiled. "I needed some extra beer money," he said with a grin. There, he was among gun aficionados privately peddling guns and ammo, saying it's a good way to cash in on belongings they want... ( gunpolicy.org )
Ghana
Ghanaian Govt Urges Citizens to Stop Making and Misusing Illicit Guns
Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra)
30 July 2007
HO -- The minister for Interior, Mr. Albert Kan-Dapaah has called on Ghanaians to join the fight against the manufacturing and the use of illicit of small arms in order to protect the fragile democracy being enjoyed as well as to help sustain the country's development. The Minister noted that the proliferation of small arms and light weapons posed a threat to democracy and development in Ghana and the sub-region in view of the implications... ( gunpolicy.org )
Malawi
Malawi a Target for Gun Trafficking, Promises Curbs on Firearm Smuggling
Afrol News
27 July 2007
The geographical location of Malawi has threatened the country's peace and stability as evidenced by the proliferation of small firearms from its troubled neighbouring countries. And according to Malawian deputy Home Affairs of Malawi, Symon Vuwa Kaunda, this is the reason why the country has become a target route for small firearms trafficking and small firearms related crimes. Mr Kaunda delivered the speech during the commemoration... ( gunpolicy.org )
Spain, United States, World
US Feds Nail Syrian Gun Dealer - After He Hid in Plain Sight for 30 Years
Village Voice (New York)
24 July 2007
On February 6, two representatives from the infamous Colombian left-wing paramilitary and drug-trafficking group FARC arrived at a palatial Renaissance estate in Marbella, Spain. While their compadres squatted in the jungle, the two soaked up the Mediterranean opulence of the place, noticing the pool shaped like a four-leaf clover and the mastiffs that patrolled the grounds each night. Their host, a 62-year-old Syrian named Monzer al-Kassar,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya
Government Acknowledges 'Astronomical Proliferation' of Guns in Kenya
Voice of America
19 July 2007
NAIROBI -- Kenya's attorney general acknowledged Thursday that his country has seen what he called an astronomical proliferation of light weapons such as assault rifles and pistols. As Nick Wadhams reports from Nairobi, the trend in Kenya underscores the difficulty that African nations have had stemming the flow of small arms, which are used in conflicts across the continent. Attorney General Amos Wako made the remarks during a... ( gunpolicy.org )
Nigeria, West Africa
West African NGOs Call for Govt Collaboration on Global Gun Trade Treaty
This Day (Lagos)
3 July 2007
LAGOS -- Various stakeholders have called on the Federal Government to set up a Small Arms Working Group (SAWG) to meet on ways to check proliferation in the country. The committee, when convened, is also to discus a cross-regional methodology for data collection; information sharing between members, network and the Government without endangering the lives of members of the Working Group and other interested parties. Above... ( gunpolicy.org )
Nigeria, West Africa
Guns Prolong Nigerian Conflicts, Govt Should Push Global Gun Trade Treaty
Vanguard (Lagos)
29 June 2007
The West African Action Network on Small Arms (WAANSA), has called on the Federal government to address the issues that have given rise to the increase in demand for small arms in Nigeria, noting that it has fueled and prolonged conflicts in the country. WAANSA, a members of the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA), the global movement against gun violence, is a network of 700 civil society organisations working in... ( gunpolicy.org )
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