India
Religious, Peace Groups Hail Landslide UN Vote for Global Gun Control
Indian Catholic (New Delhi)
23 July 2008
NEW YORK -- Religious and peace groups heralded a nonbinding U.N. agreement on small arms that they said helps incremental efforts to curb the trade of illicit weapons. But disarmament advocates also said the action is part of a wider effort to curtail a serious international problem that is being fought by faith communities, such as parishes in Brazil. "The parish priest in the Rio (de Janeiro) favelas (slums) is part... ( gunpolicy.org )
China
Gun Briefing Backfires in China: Policeman Accidentally Shoots Reporters
BBC News
18 July 2008
Three Chinese reporters attending a police briefing on the success of an anti-gun campaign were accidentally shot, media reports say. An officer picked up one of the weapons on show -- a confiscated home-made gun -- but it went off in his hand. A reporter needed surgery for injuries to his ankle, crotch and chest, after being hit by what appeared to be pebbles fired by the gun. Two others were slightly injured... ( gunpolicy.org )
Pakistan
Buyback Saw 20,000 Guns Destroyed in Pakistan, Shootings Due to Politics
Daily Mail (Islamabad)
17 July 2008
UNITED NATIONS -- Reaffirming its determination to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, Pakistan on Wednesday called for addressing the root causes of conflicts to eliminate a major source of demand for such weapons. "Focus on conflict prevention and dispute resolution is thus a sine qua non for the attainment of the common goals of strengthening peace and security in conditions of economic... ( gunpolicy.org )
Pakistan
Gun Control: Pakistan Has 20 Million Firearms
Post (Lahore), Opinion
16 July 2008
LAHORE -- Pakistan, according to anti-arms campaigners, has one of the greatest per capita rates of gun ownership in the world. Though there are no official figures, rough estimates put the total number of small arms at large in the country at more than 20 million, with about half of them illegal. NWFP alone is believed to have nearly half a million illegal small arms and light weapons. How many more wake up calls do we need until... ( gunpolicy.org )
Iraq, Afghanistan, World, Bosnia, Serbia
Iraq, Afghan Wars, Exports from Bosnia, Serbia Hurt Bid to Destroy Guns
Zee News (India)
15 July 2008
UNITED NATIONS -- The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are undermining efforts to destroy surplus weapons by creating new markets for countries to sell their unwanted firearms, according to a survey published here. Although the world is witnessing "the largest systematic destruction of military small arms and light weapons since the end of World War II," countries that would normally have destroyed their surplus weapons are now being... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations, World, Iraq, Colombia, Afghanistan
Civilians Alone 'Lose' 650,000 Guns Each Year, Says Study Released at UN
Reuters
14 July 2008
UNITED NATIONS -- Every year hundreds of thousands of small arms go missing and many wind up in the hands of insurgents in countries like Iraq, Colombia and Afghanistan, a new survey published on Monday said. The annual report issued by the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey said that as many as 650,000 civilian-owned weapons go missing. This figure excludes the considerable amount of weapons that are diverted -- usually meaning stolen... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan, Albania
Pentagon's Afghan Army Ammo Sale Fraud Takes Political Twist in Congress
Los Angeles Times
14 July 2008
WASHINGTON -- A top-priority federal investigation of military procurement fraud in Afghanistan has been forced to shift direction because of a congressional panel's allegation that a senior U.S. diplomat sought to cover up the scheme. The accusation against the ambassador appears to be unraveling, however, and prosecutors are scrambling to assess the effects on a case involving what is considered to be one of the most serious procurement... ( gunpolicy.org )
Pakistan
Wedding Party Celebratory Shooting Kills Another Passerby in Karachi
International News (Karachi)
13 July 2008
KARACHI -- Two people were killed by stray bullets in separate incidents reported on Saturday in the Gizri and Baghdadi police limits. On Friday night, 35-year-old Mohammed Ashraf was passing through a lane near his house. A wedding ceremony was underway in the lane in the Gizri police limits. A stray bullet shot in the air hit Ashraf, and proved fatal. The police said that the deceased had been working as a cook for the past 15... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
Stray Bullet Kills Housewife Working in Kitchen in Philippines
Philippine Daily Inquirer
12 July 2008
MANILA, Philippines -- A 58-year-old woman was killed by a stray bullet while working in the kitchen of her house in Quezon City. Haydie Padilla of Evangelista Street, Barangay (village) Payatas A, succumbed to a bullet wound in the back while undergoing treatment at East Avenue Medical Center. Police Officer 3 Randy Bantillo of the Quezon City Police District Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (QCPD-CIDU) said Padilla... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan, Tajikistan
Central Asia's Guns-for-drugs Trade Helps Arm Insurgents Worldwide
Rome News-Tribune (Georgia) / McClatchy-Tribune News Service
7 July 2008
BADAKHSHAN, Afghanistan -- The bazaar sits on a small island in the middle of the Panj River, the shallow waterway that serves as the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan. On either side loom the Pamir Mountains, a range of high peaks that cuts the region off from the rest of the world. When the bazaar first opened five years ago, people on both sides of the border cheered the opportunity for commerce to flourish between the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
Philippines Ex-Chief of Marines Sought in Theft of 72 Submachine Guns
GMA News TV (Manila)
4 July 2008
MANILA, Philippines -- The Sandiganbayan on Wednesday ordered the arrest of a former commandant of the Philippine Marines and seven other co-accused over the loss of 72 units of Heckler and Koch MP5 sub-machine guns in 2000. Sandiganbayan's Fifth Division ordered arrested retired Brigadier General Percival Subala and seven other people -- including military and police officials, and civilian respondents -- who were charged with... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
Global Gun Trade Treaty Should be Actively Supported by India
My News Network (India)
3 July 2008
NEW DELHI -- India should become an active member the International Arms Trade Treaty to put a check on the illegal trade of weapons which is helping in fuelling armed violence that takes around 3,50,000 lives across the world, an International Affairs expert said today. "India should sign the "United Nations global Arms Trade Treaty' and become its active member to create a legally binding agreement to regularise arms trade," said... ( gunpolicy.org )
East Timor
Fight Over New Gun Law in East Timor Parliament 'Almost Physical'
Australian (Sydney) / AAP
2 July 2008
East Timor's Prime Minister is supporting a new law that would allow civilians to own guns, less than five months after illegally armed rebel soldiers tried to kill him and the president The proposal has sparked heated scenes in parliament, with MPs almost coming to blows over what some say is a dangerous development that could threaten the nation's fragile security. Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao last week introduced the... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
Gun Crime, Firearm Trafficking Reportedly on the Rise in New Delhi
Times of India / TNN
2 July 2008
NEW DELHI -- An illegal arms bazaar is thriving in the Capital. From the simple desi kattas to the sophisticated smuggled guns from China, Malaysia, Italy and Pakistan -- everything is available for a price, even on rent. According to the police, illegal weapons outnumber the legal ones by more than eight times in the city and more than 90% of crimes in Delhi are committed using unlicensed guns. Sources say these easily obtainable... ( gunpolicy.org )
Sri Lanka
Guns a Threat to Business, High Cost of Armed Violence in Sri Lanka
Lanka Business Online, Web Page
2 July 2008
The proliferation of illicit small arms in Sri Lanka not only fuels crime but has indirect costs on business as well as the environment, a new survey says. It said 9mm pistols were sold in the underworld for 15,000 rupees and T-56 automatic assault rifles for 50,000 -- 75,000 rupees while ammunition is also easily available, according to information from criminals and prisoners. Crimes using small arms can impact the local... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
US Army's $300m Ammo Deal 'Case Study' in Botched Military Contracting
New York Times
25 June 2008
WASHINGTON -- When the Army last year awarded a contract worth up to nearly $300 million to a tiny Miami Beach munitions dealer to supply ammunition to Afghanistan's security forces, it overlooked a very checkered past. A Congressional committee revealed Tuesday that by the time the Army awarded the bid, State and Defense Department officials had canceled or delayed at least six earlier contracts with the company, AEY Inc., for... ( gunpolicy.org )
Sri Lanka
Most Sri Lankans Say Abundance of Guns is a National Problem - Poll
ColomboPage, Web Page
24 June 2008
COLOMBO -- Latest survey on small arms revealed that over half of the population (54%) in Sri Lanka thinks that abundance of small arms is a national problem. This was revealed at a launching ceremony of the survey report on the "Prevalence of Illicit Small Arms in Sri Lanka" held at the Lakshman Kadiragamar Institute today. This is the first comprehensive assessment on the small arms problem in the country. The survey... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Albania, Afghanistan
US Ambassador to Albania Targeted in Illegal Afghan Ammunition Probe
Reuters
24 June 2008
WASHINGTON -- The State Department said on Tuesday it would review the conduct of the U.S. ambassador to Albania, after a congressman alleged the envoy knew about a case in which Chinese-made ammunition was falsely relabeled as manufactured in Albania and shipped to the Afghan army. In a hearing on Tuesday and a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice the previous day, Henry Waxman, chairman of the House of Representatives... ( gunpolicy.org )
Sri Lanka
35,000 Illegal Guns Said to Be in Sri Lanka, Most Held by Young People
Nation (Colombo)
22 June 2008
Nearly 35,000 illegal firearms are in circulation in Sri Lanka, disclosed South Asian Small Arms Network (Sri Lanka) (SASA Net) Chairman Kingsley Rodrigo, recently said. The situation, Rodrigo pointed out, was exacerbating the prevailing insecurity in the country. He added that majority of those who hold the illegal firearms were the youth. "Around 15,000 weapons had been given to politicians and their supporters during... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
Miami Gun Dealer Charged with Selling Chinese Ammo to Pentagon
New York Times
21 June 2008
WASHINGTON -- The 22-year-old president of a Miami Beach arms-dealing company and three other people were charged Friday with selling prohibited Chinese ammunition to the Pentagon to supply Afghan security forces, federal officials said. A federal grand jury in Miami indicted the munitions dealer, Efraim E. Diveroli, president of AEY Inc., as well as two former employees and a business associate, on charges of fraud and conspiring... ( 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 )
India
Calcutta Gun Shop Owner Faked Robbery, Sold Illegal Weapons - Police
Telegraph (Calcutta)
10 June 2008
PURULIA -- Police today accused the owner of a 190-year-old gun shop in Purulia town of "cooking up" a story of robbery to sell arms to people without valid licences. Shekhar Andia Mistri, 53, told the police seven men came "in the guise of customers" around 6.45am today. They allegedly woke him up for air guns and took away "five double-barrel guns, two revolvers and 20 air guns" after gagging him and tying him up at gun-point.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Pakistan
Pakistani Civil Society Groups Promote Global Gun Control Campaign
Post (Pakistan)
10 June 2008
PESHAWAR -- Concerned at the increasing number of fatalities by small arms, speakers at a workshop stressed the need to raise awareness about the threat to life posed by small arms and asked the government to regulate the inflow and use of firearms in Pakistan. There are about 20 million small arms in Pakistan, making it the country with the highest per capita guns in the world, the speakers observed. They said that an estimated... ( gunpolicy.org )
Pakistan, Afghanistan
Pakistani Gun Control Groups Target US, Afghanistan for Weapon Flood
International News (Karachi)
10 June 2008
PESHAWAR -- Highlighting case of Pakistan Raza Shah Khan, executive director of Sustainable Peace and Development Organisation (Spado) claimed that the problem of arms proliferation in the region was the result of Afghanistan war wherein the US provided about $2 billion in arms aid. "We had the greatest number of guns per capita in the world," he told a seminar, jointly organised by Spado, Community Appraisal and Motivation Programme... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
Get Tough on Guns, Get Serious About Crime Prevention in Philippines
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Opinion
9 June 2008
MANILA, Philippines -- The challenge before the President, Congress and the Philippine National Police is not to "get tough on crime" but to get tough on guns and to get serious about crime prevention. Guns were made for one purpose only: to kill. A gun is a tragedy waiting to happen. Each violent incident, each senseless killing (like the massacre at the RCBC branch in Cabuyao, Laguna), each tragic story muffles a moral voice that,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Bangladesh
Licensed Bangladeshi Gun Owners Rent 1 in 5 Legal Guns to Criminals
New Nation (Bangladesh)
9 June 2008
DHAKA -- Director of Bangladesh Development Partnership Centre (BPDC) on Sunday said more than 25,000 out of 1,30,000 licensed arms in the country, are being used in various illegal means. "We carried out a survey across the county which showed that around 25,000 to 30,000 arms under legal arms licences are being rented to criminals," BPDC director Sharif K Kafi said at a press conference. The press briefing jointly organised... ( gunpolicy.org )
Bangladesh
Independent Gun Control Body Needed in Bangladesh, Say Local NGOs
Daily Star (Dhaka)
8 June 2008
Speakers at a rally here yesterday urged the government to form an independent national peace and security commission for checking use of illegal arms and counter terrorism in the country. They also demanded formulating rules and regulations under the arms act to strictly implement it for controlling smuggling and trafficking of illegal arms. The anti-arms trafficking rally was jointly organised by Bangladesh Development... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
MPs, Gun Control Groups Pledge to Reduce Armed Violence in India
Kangla Online / Imphal Free Press (Manipur)
5 June 2008
NEW DELHI -- Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence was successfully observed on June 5, 2008 at the deputy chairman's hall, Constitution Club in New Delhi. The function was graced by Dr Thokchom Meinya, MP, Lok Sabha. Other MPs present included Francis Fathome and Dr Karan Singh Yadav of the Lok Sabha. The distinguished MPs commended the control arms movement that is going on in the country and reiterated that as parliamentarians... ( 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 )
China
Chinese Official Was Gang Boss 'With Crush on Guns' - Jailed for Life
Reuters
29 May 2008
BEIJING -- A gun-toting Chinese official who owned two Ferraris and liked driving around in an amoured personnel carrier has been jailed for life for illegal weapons possession and fraud, state media reported on Friday. Yang Shukuan, a former member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference for the northern city of Tangshan and the head of an organized crime ring, was arrested for extortion last year. "The... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
Illegal Gun Makers in Phillipines Now Want to Export Hand-made Firearms
Philippine Sun Star (Cebu) / DME
29 May 2008
A Congressman has recognized the potential of the firearms industry in Danao City to cater to the international market. Rep. Roilo Golez (Para-ñaque), in an interview with news reporters yesterday, said he also believes that legalizing gun manufacturing in Danao will deter the presence of illegal manufacturers. "The firearms (manufactured) in Danao City can substitute the imported ones," he said. He also said... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
Indian Authorities Award 'Status Symbol' Gun Licences to Empower Women
India News Portal / Sify
27 May 2008
BHOPAL -- Earlier, they were known as a broomstick weilding women in their villages, but now they are recognised as a gun-toting women in dacoity-infested Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh, where carrying a gun is considered a status symbol. "A total of 19 women -- nine belonging to 'Nirmal Grams' (clean villages) for their role in ensuring villages to be clean and hygiene under the 'Total Sanitation Campaign' and the rest members... ( 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 )
Japan
Doctor Faces Japanese Court Over 18 Guns, Home Made Ammunition
Mainichi Daily News (Japan)
22 May 2008
TSU -- A doctor accused of illegally possessing guns has been slapped with a new charge of manufacturing bullets without permission, law enforcers said. Mie Prefectural Police have sent to the Tsu District Public Prosecutors Office additional papers accusing Kenji Abo, 58, a doctor from Tsu, of violating the Ordnance Manufacturing Law. "I wanted to make (bullets) by myself," Abo was quoted as telling police as he admitted... ( 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 )
Philippines
Gunman Uses Assault Weapon to Kill 5 Children, 3 Adults in Philippines
BBC News
19 May 2008
A man has shot eight people dead, five of them children, in a village near the Philippines capital, Manila. The man, reportedly drunk, opened fire in Calamba with a M-16 rifle, and escaped from the scene before he could be arrested by police. Six other people were wounded, after two houses next door to each other came under fire. Five of the dead were under 12 years old, and police speculated that a family feud... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
Sleeping Children Killed, 9 Dead in Philippines Family Feud Mass Shooting
Australian (Sydney)
19 May 2008
Nine people, most of them sleeping children, were killed when a farming village was sprayed with automatic gunfire outside the Philippines capital of Manila, police said today. Police had earlier suspected a lone gunman was responsible for the shooting near Calamba town last night. But regional police chief Ricardo Padilla told Reuters several men were involved and that an old feud was believed to be the motive. "We... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
Militia Units, Civilian Guns Banned in Philippines Island Province of Sulu
Philippine Daily Inquirer
17 May 2008
JOLO, SULU -- An official of an international conflict-prevention group said the security situation in the province has become alarming because of the proliferation of firearms. But Cate Buchanan, program manager for violence reduction of the Geneva-based Center for Humanitarian Dialogue (CHD), said there is still hope for peace to reign in the island-province as the people have started working to combat the proliferation of firearms.... ( 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 )
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 )
Kazakhstan
Unregistered Rifles, Pistols Collected in North Kazakhstan Gun Buyback
BBC Monitoring Service (Astana) / Kazinform
11 May 2008
During a campaign to voluntarily hand in unregistered rifles, pistols and explosives to police in [Kazakhstan's northern] Pavlodar Region, people brought 611 weapons, a Kazinform [news agency] correspondent has reported. Police valued the arsenal at 3.79m tenge [over 30,000 dollars], Maskhat Yeshmuratov, deputy head of the public security directorate of the [regional] interior affairs department, said. The explosives, which were... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
Bollywood Film Star Faces Inquiry Into Illegal Use of Her Father's Gun
Times of India
8 May 2008
NEW DELHI -- A Gurgaon court on Thursday ordered an inquiry into Soha Ali Khan illegal gun licence case. The court has ordered an inquiry against Haryana police for concealing facts. Soha Ali Khan's gun was allegedly used by her father -- former cricketer Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi to kill a blackbuck in June 2005 in Haryana's Jhajjar district. Soha Ali Khan is accused of obtaining a gun license despite being under-age at... ( gunpolicy.org )
Pakistan
Pakistan Launches Campaign to Prevent Civilians Carrying Guns
International News (Karachi)
2 May 2008
ISLAMABAD -- The Ministry of Interior Wednesday directed all provincial governments to launch an immediate focused campaign against display, brandishing and carriage of small weapons, says a press release. The ministry underscored the fact that vast majority of the killings and casualties are directly attributable to the use of small arms, which are easy to carry and conceal therefore the provincial governments have been directed... ( gunpolicy.org )
World, United States, France, Canada, Germany, Angola, Thailand, Australia, Colombia, South Africa, Turkey, Pakistan, Russia, Brazil, United Kingdom, India, China
Guns Around the World: Civilian Firearms per 100 People in 16 Nations
Economist
30 April 2008
An estimated 875m small arms are in circulation worldwide: one for every seven people on the planet. Nearly three-quarters of these are owned by civilians. And about 80% of those guns in civilian hands are found in just 30 countries, according to the Small Arms Survey, a research group. Although America accounts for 40% of firearms in civilian ownership, people put them to more deadly use elsewhere. The gun murder rate in Colombia... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
In Philippines, Lawmakers Reject Total Gun Ban, Talk Regulation and Taxes
GMA News TV (Manila) / Business World
30 April 2008
MANILA, Philippines -- As far as the House of Representatives is concerned, there will be no gun ban law. This after the committee on public order and safety rejected a bill which seeks to impose a nationwide gun ban, except for policemen, the military, and members of certain law enforcement agencies. Nueva Ecija Rep. Edno Joson, principal author of House Bill (HB) 2206, said the committee decided to instead consolidate... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, China
Arms Cargo to Zimbabwe Exposes Mugabe's Link to Chinese Gun Maker
Sunday Times (UK)
28 April 2008
The boycott of a Chinese ship laden with weapons for Zimbabwe has cast new light on the connections between the African country's president, Robert Mugabe, and a secretive Chinese arms-trading firm with a controversial track record from the Congo to Darfur. The ship steamed towards China last week after dock workers in Durban refused to unload it and a South African court blocked the transit of its cargo of mortar and small arms... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan, Iraq, Albania
Inferior Ammunition to Afghanistan Leads US Army to Review Arms Policy
New York Times
27 April 2008
MOSCOW -- The United States Army has begun a broad review of procedures used to supply security forces in Afghanistan and Iraq with foreign arms, prompted by an allegation of fraud and questions about the competence of the main private supplier of ammunition to Afghanistan. The company, AEY Inc. of Miami Beach, was suspended last month after Army investigators accused it of shipping aged Chinese rifle cartridges and claiming they... ( 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 )
United Kingdom, Iraq, Afghanistan, Europe
Guns 'Commonly' Smuggled in UK Army Vehicles Crossing Europe from Iraq
BBC News
25 April 2008
Two former soldiers who were jailed for their involvement in a gun smuggling ring have said the practice is common in the British army. Shane Pleasant and Ben Whitfield were in the Third Battalion, the Yorkshire Regiment, when they helped to smuggle weapons from Iraq into Europe. They said if soldiers had the right contacts it was easy to smuggle weapons out of countries. The MoD said there was no evidence such... ( 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 )
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, Mozambique, Angola, Namibia, Zambia
Chinese Ammunition 'Ship of Shame' Adrift in Southern African Controversy
IRIN (UN News)
22 April 2008
JOHANNESBURG -- There were conflicting reports about the whereabouts of a Chinese ship, laden with a cargo of small arms destined for Zimbabwe, after it was turned away from South Africa's port city of Durban. According to some reports, the 150-metre multipurpose cargo vessel, the An Yue Jiang - registered in China and one of 600 vessels owned by the China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO), dubbed by South African media as the "Ship... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, China
Global Gun Control Campaign Protests Chinese Arms Shipment to Zimbabwe
New Era (Windhoek)
22 April 2008
WINDHOEK -- The Legal Assistance Centre (LAC) yesterday called on all Namibians to raise their voices in protest against the docking of the Chinese ship, An Jue Jiang, at a Namibian harbour. The ship is carrying arms bound for Zimbabwe, including three million rounds of ammunition and desperately trying to find a way to deliver the cargo to that country. After the International Action Network on Small Arms, IANSA, a global... ( 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 )
United States, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Angola, South Africa, China
US Seeks to Block Zimbabwe-bound Chinese Ammunition, Gun Shipment
Associated Press
22 April 2008
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is intervening with governments in southern Africa to prevent a Chinese ship carrying weapons for Zimbabwe's security forces from unloading its cargo, The Associated Press has learned. At the same time, the State Department's top Africa hand, Jendayi Frazer, plans to visit the region this week to underscore U.S. concerns about the shipment. Frazer also will try to persuade Zimbabwe's neighbors... ( 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, China
Campaign Against Zimbabwe Ammunition, Gun Shipment Gains Momentum
Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg) / SAPA
21 April 2008
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- A campaign to prevent arms currently aboard a Chinese ship from reaching Zimbabwe gained momentum on Monday with trade unions calling on their counterparts not to allow the vessel to dock at any African port. The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) called for an international boycott of the vessel. "Cosatu is doing everything possible to alert the international trade-union movement... ( 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 )
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 )
India
California Mother, Daughter Arrested Carrying Ammunition at Indian Airport
CNN-IBN (India)
15 April 2008
NEW DELHI -- Two American women were detained by the Siliguri police following the recovery of 11 cartridges and a magazine from their baggage at the Bagdogra Airport on Tuesday morning. A Siliguri court has rejected their bail pleas, remanding them in judicial custody till April 17. The women, identified as 57-year-old Monica Bond and her daughter 37-year-old Heather Bond, are residents of California. They were... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Coalition 'Error' Delivered Machine Guns, Assault Weapons to Taliban Leader
Associated Press
13 April 2008
KABUL, Afghanistan -- A coalition helicopter trying to supply Afghan police with munitions dropped them in the wrong location and Taliban fighters later recovered the weaponry, an intelligence official said Sunday. A member of parliament, however, said he did not believe the arms drop was an accident. Amrullah Saleh, the head of Afghanistan's intelligence service, told a parliament security committee "coalition forces"... ( gunpolicy.org )
Italy, Libya, Chad, Sudan, China
Libya Tried to Buy 1 Million Chinese Assault Rifles, Perhaps for Chad, Sudan
Associated Press
13 April 2008
PERUGIA, Italy -- The Libyan officer tried to cloak the purpose of his call to the Italian arms dealer. "A friend," he said, wanted to buy 1 million "pieces" and 50 million items of "food." But when that phone call was placed in 2006, Italian police were listening. They knew the meaning. Libya was shopping for guns -- lots of them. Authorities shadowed the negotiations between Libyan officials and a group of black-market... ( gunpolicy.org )
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan
Former Soviet States Plan Database of Gun Runners, Illicit Arms Dealers
BBC Monitoring Service / Interfax, Transcript
11 April 2008
A joint CIS database of transnational criminal groups involved in illegal arms trafficking will be created, the press service of the Minsk-based CIS Executive Committee has told Interfax. "This is stipulated by a draft agreement on cooperation in combating the illegal manufacturing and sale of firearms, ammunition, explosives and explosive devices, which has been discussed by the committee's expert group," the press service said.... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
Calcutta Police 'Stunned' to Catch Gun Runner With US Pistols, Ammunition
Telegraph (Calcutta)
10 April 2008
Police spotlight on Wednesday was fixed on central Calcutta, where a gun-runner was arrested and an armed gang robbed jewellery from a shop. Rafique Mistry, the arms dealer, had been on the wanted list for months and finally fell into the sleuths' trap on Bentinck Street on Wednesday evening. Nine pistols and six rounds of ammunition, all said to have been made in the US, were seized from him. The pistols -- seven... ( gunpolicy.org )
China
Debt, Domestic Stress Could See Chinese Police Stripped of Handguns
Reuters
10 April 2008
BEIJING -- Police facing emotional strains due to financial or romantic problems could be stripped of their department-issued handguns in China's Jiangxi province, a newspaper reported on Thursday. The public security bureau in the province will begin inspections this month to make sure officers who have received administrative punishments, or are under investigation, will not be able to carry firearms, the Southern Metropolis Daily... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Thailand, World
Thailand Drops Charges Against Global Gun Runner to Allow US Extradition
Associated Press
9 April 2008
BANGKOK, Thailand -- Thai police will seek court approval to extradite a Russian man accused of being one of the world's most prolific black market arms dealers to the United States. Intelligence officials say Bout shipped weapons to areas of civil war in Africa and Asia. Thai authorities had lodged charges against Viktor Bout related to his alleged arms smuggling activities, but are dropping them to process the U.S. request... ( gunpolicy.org )
Slovakia, United States, Afghanistan, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Czech Republic, Hungary
Slovakia Sold Ammunition to Miami Gun Dealer, Pentagon for Afghan War
SME (Bratislava) / BBC Monitoring Service, Transcript
8 April 2008
Slovakia has traded in arms with the AEY company, which is being investigated over fraud in the United States. The daily New York Times found out that the company had been selling old Chinese ammunition from Albania to the Afghanis for decades, claiming that it was from Hungary. It purchased other weapons and munitions for the Afghanis in Bulgaria, Romania, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. It is not clear what exactly happened... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
Street Shootings, Gun Culture Spread Rapidly in Indian Capital New Delhi
NDTV-News (New Delhi)
8 April 2008
NEW DELHI -- Three recent separate incidents of shootings in New Delhi underline the rapidly-spreading gun culture. At around 9 pm, four men in a Maruti Zen were stopped by three others in a Honda CRV at the Ashok Vihar market in North West Delhi. Five bullets were fired and two of them were in the air. Two men in the Zen ended up with bullet injuries. Police say personal differences triggered the violence. But both groups... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
Threatened Judges in Philippines Given Interest-free Loans to Buy Guns
Agence France Presse
6 April 2008
MANILA -- Judges in the Philippines are to be given interest-free loans to buy guns for self-protection, following a rash of attacks on members of the judiciary, the Supreme Court said Saturday. Under the guidelines, approved as part of new security measures, 10 million pesos ($240,000) has been allocated for the programme. Judges will be able to borrow up to 50,000 pesos and can pay it back in 36 monthly payments or forfeit... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
$298m Pentagon Deal: 'Fraudulent' Licensed Gun Dealer's Exports Blocked
New York Times
4 April 2008
The State Department on Thursday suspended the international export activities of AEY Inc., a Miami Beach arms-dealing company led by a 22-year-old man whose munitions procurements for the Pentagon are under criminal investigation, according to American officials familiar with the decision. The Army last week accused the firm's president, Efraim E. Diveroli, of fraud, claiming he shipped Chinese cartridges to Afghanistan after certifying... ( gunpolicy.org )
Pakistan
Punjab Issues Free Firearm Licences, Glock Handguns to Top Civil Servants
Daily Times (Lahore)
4 April 2008
LAHORE -- The Punjab Home Department has issued Non-Prohibited Bore (NPB) gratis licences (free of cost weapon licences) to 60 top bureaucrats from the administrative hierarchy of the province for their self-protection. The Punjab government will import Glock-17s, an Austrian-made handgun that costs between Rs 60,000 and Rs 70,000, to be given to the 60 officers. Of the 60, 15 are administrative and special secretaries... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Stalkers, Spouse Abusers, Bankrupts, Suicidal to Lose Their Guns in Japan
Asahi Shimbun (Japan) / IHT
4 April 2008
The National Police Agency plans to overhaul the gun control law for the first time in 28 years to keep firearms from stalkers, spouse abusers, bankrupt people and those with suicidal tendencies, sources said Thursday. The changes will also include a clause requiring a psychiatric check of applicants for gun permits "if necessary." The agency plans to submit a bill to revise the Firearms and Sword Control Law in the next... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan, Albania
US Congress Afghan Guns Inquiry Pins Albanian PM in Corruption Probe
Balkan Insight
4 April 2008
TIRANA -- The United States Congress has announced a probe into the arms deals between U.S.-based AEY and Albanian officials. The investigation was announced by U.S. Democratic Congressman, Henry Waxman (California) and will be conducted by the House Government Oversight Committee. The weapons involved were intended to supply the Afghan Army. AEY President, 22 year-old Efraim Diveroli, the company's 25 year-old... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Japan: Police Could Seize Hunting Rifles for Family Violence, Stalking, Debt
Mainichi Daily News
3 April 2008
The National Police Agency (NPA) is seeking a legal ban on those involved in stalking incidents or domestic violence from possessing hunting guns, agency officials said. The NPA is expected to submit a bill during the next Diet session to revise the Firearms and Swords Control Law to include involvement in stalking incidents and domestic violence as grounds for disqualification for possessing hunting guns. Under the current... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
Licensed US Gun Dealer Given 'Disadvantaged' Status in $300m Arms Deal
Government Executive (USA)
3 April 2008
A Miami-based defense contractor under investigation for delivering faulty munitions to Afghan security forces saw his business boom after being incorrectly labeled as a small disadvantaged business. Before the designation first appeared in the Federal Procurement Data System in mid-2006, AEY Inc., owned by 22-year-old Efraim Diveroli, had done $8.14 million in business with the federal government. Since the SDB label was applied,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
Pentagon Promised $300m for 'Barely Legal' Gun Dealer's Corroded Ammo
Taxpayer.net (USA) Vol. XIII No. 14, Web Page
3 April 2008
It sounds like the plot of a Tom Clancy thriller: A tiny company run out of an unmarked Miami Beach office by a barely legal troublemaker siphons hundreds of millions of dollars from the Pentagon by selling it rusting weapons from aged Communist stockpiles. A company called AEY Inc., run by 22-year-old Efriam E. Diveroli, managed to do exactly that for four years -- yet another example of unchecked corruption and incompetence in... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
Get a Vasectomy, Receive a Gun for Masculinity: Population Control in India
ThaiIndian News (Bangkok) / IANS
1 April 2008
BHOPAL -- Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri district has embarked upon a novel idea to promote male sterilisation -- the administration has decided to grant gun licences to those who come to family planning camps and offer to undergo vasectomy, a senior official said Tuesday. These camps are being held more and more frequently now. The last two-day camp in the district started March 27. It saw 37 people came forward for vasectomy; 23 of them have... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
India Among Most Heavily Armed Nations, Suffers 'Epidemic of Gun Violence'
Open Democracy (UK), Web Page
1 April 2008
I dedicate this article to the more than 5000 women who have lost their lives or been wounded by gun violence in my home-state of Manipur in Northeast India. As the world knows, India is the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, the land where non-violence was born. Last year the United Nations declared that his birthday, 2 October, would become International Day of Non-Violence. The India that existed at the time of independence championed... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
To Reduce Population Growth, India Encourages Men to Get a Gun
NDTV News (New Delhi)
1 April 2008
SHIVPURI -- What's the best way to get men to get vasectomies? Apparently it's to offer them gun licenses. That's a ploy which seems to be working in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri district. Family planning is being promoted with guns in Shivpuri. But it's not what you think, men are being lured with gun licenses to undergo vasectomies, and it's already showing results. Men are going for a vasectomy surgery but family planning... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
Celebrated Senior Indian Cop Killed with 'Lost' Police Handgun in Debt Row
Yahoo! News (India)
31 March 2008
In a startling disclosure on Sunday, the Gurgaon Police investigating ACP Rajbir Singh's murder claimed the .32 bore revolver with which the encounter specialist was killed by a property dealer was a service revolver and belonged to a senior police official of the Haryana Police. Police said the police official holding the rank assistant superintendent of police (ASP) lost it during an operation while chasing down criminals in Bhiwani... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
Gang of Home-made Gun Manufacturers Arrested in India, 8 Held
Times of India
31 March 2008
BELGAUM -- A gang manufacturing and selling country-made pistols at Raibag was arrested by a special police team of Chikkodi sub-division on Saturday. Six country-made pistols and 12 live cartridges were recovered from the gang. Eight persons along with two former Gram Panchayat members have been arrested. Based on a tip-off, the police arrested two persons, Tammanna Ningappa Sutar (65) and Sadashiv Ramappa Kamble (55), both of... ( gunpolicy.org )
Vietnam
Two Men Arrested for Trafficking Pen Guns, Handguns in Vietnam
Thanh Nien News
31 March 2008
Police in the northern port city of Hai Phong Saturday arrested two men and seized 24 guns, dozens of bullets, along with other gun parts, binoculars, and knives. Nguyen Minh Tri, 51, and Pham Cao Son, 42, who are permanent residents of the city, were caught carrying specialized arms in their pockets, a police source said. Authorities caught Tri with a pen-shaped gun and 12 bullets, while Son was nabbed carrying three firearms... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
Pentagon, Miami Beach Party Boy/Gun Dealer in $300m Afghan Ammo Deal
Miami Herald (Florida) / Knight-Ridder
30 March 2008
Certain words tend to pop up in stories about arms dealers. Invariably, they're "shadowy." As if international arms merchants come out of the box with the factory default set to "shadowy." Other words are just as inevitable. Figure on "AK-47" and "shoulder-fired missile" and "Miami." Though, in international arms trade parlance, the armament bazaar called Miami includes Fort Lauderdale, Key West, Hialeah, Sunshine Ranches and, of... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
US Grants 22yr-old Miami Gun Dealer His $300 Million 'Hallucinatory Dream'
Miami Herald (Florida) / Knight-Ridder
30 March 2008
To the young man, caught in the tawdry glamour of South Beach, it must have seemed a hallucinatory dream: millions in military contracts simply for the asking. So Efraim Diveroli asked, bidding for the right to supply munitions to the Afghan Army. Nevermind that Diveroli, president of AEY Inc., was barely out of his teens. Or that AEY 's specialty was not arms-dealing but scrap-brokering. What mattered is that AEY offered the winning... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
22yr-old Miami Gun Dealer Had $200m US Army Deal for Afghan War Ammo
Associated Press
28 March 2008
MIAMI -- Efraim Diveroli was barely old enough to buy alcohol. His MySpace page talked about mundane issues of youth like how he was "basically just working and chilling with my boyz when im not." Despite his age, the 22 year old from Miami Beach was also building a military weapons business with more than $200 million in U.S. government contracts. The Army now says he illegally provided Chinese-made ammunition to the Afghanistan... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan, Iraq, China
US Army Accuses Miami Gun Dealer of Fraud in $200m Afghan Ammo Deal
New York Times
28 March 2008
When the United States Army decided this week to suspend the main supplier of munitions to Afghan security forces from future federal work, it did so after a field investigation documented what it called an act of fraud. Last Nov. 25, the president of the company, Efraim E. Diveroli, signed papers certifying that 28 pallets of ammunition for Afghanistan had been manufactured by MFS 2000, a Hungarian company, according to the investigators'... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan
US Congress Probes Miami Gun Dealer Over Suspect $200m Ammo Deal
CNN
28 March 2008
Efraim Diveroli's father hoped his son would become a doctor or lawyer. What he got instead is a 22-year-old international arms dealer who faces a congressional inquiry for allegedly selling old Chinese ammunition to the U.S. military to equip allies in Afghanistan. Diveroli is president of AEY Inc., a South Florida company which, according to U.S. government documents, has done more than $10 million of business with the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan, China
US Suspends Miami 22yr-old in $200m China-Afghan Guns, Ammo Ripoff
CNN
28 March 2008
WASHINGTON -- U.S. investigators are looking into accusations that a company hired by the U.S. military supplied corroded and decades-old Chinese ammunition to the Afghan Army and police. The U.S. government has suspended AEY Inc. of Miami, Florida for violating its contract, according to U.S. Army documents obtained by CNN. And the House Oversight Committee plans to hold a hearing into the matter on April 17. "The... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
Marines in Philippines 'Diverted' 77 Brand New H&K Submachine Guns
Manila Standard Today
27 March 2008
A retired Marine commandant and seven other people were charged before the anti-graft court yesterday over the unexplained disappearance of 77 sub-machine guns in June 2000. The Ombudsman charged retired Brig. Gen. Percival Subala, now deputy administrator for port operations at the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority; Col. Cesar de la Peña, former Marines chief-of-staff; Navy Capt. Teodoro Briones; SPO4 Richard Zules; and private... ( gunpolicy.org )
Albania, Afghanistan, United States
US/Afghan Ammunition, Gun Trafficking Scandal Implicates Albanian PM
Balkan Insight (Sarajevo)
27 March 2008
TIRANA -- Albanian leaders are accused of profiting from a murky arms deal with a company whose contract with the U.S. Army was suspended this week. The allegations implicate politicians as high as Prime Minister Sali Berisha and former Defence Minster Fatmir Mediu, with corruption. The allegations were the subject of a heated debate in Parliament on Thursday. "You are thwarting our integration into NATO and should resign,"... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan, China, Albania, Iraq
US Offers 22yr-old Miami Man $300m for Old, Often Dud Afghan War Ammo
New York Times
27 March 2008
Since 2006, when the insurgency in Afghanistan sharply intensified, the Afghan government has been dependent on American logistics and military support in the war against Al Qaeda and the Taliban. But to arm the Afghan forces that it hopes will lead this fight, the American military has relied since early last year on a fledgling company led by a 22-year-old man whose vice president was a licensed masseur. With the award... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
Underage Indian Actor Granted Gun Licence in 'Gross Violation of Arms Act'
Times of India
19 March 2008
GURGAON -- Only months after a boy was shot by his classmate in a Gurgaon school, leading to a furore over the cavalier manner in which the Gurgaon administration issues gun licences, there seems to be fresh evidence of the authorities flouting rules. An RTI application filed by an animal rights activist Naresh Kadyan revealed that actor Soha Ali Khan was issued a gun licence when she was only 18 years old. The law stipulates that... ( gunpolicy.org )
Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, China
Demand for Guns Soars in Lebanon - Detailed Survey of Availability, Costs
Al-Hayat (London) / BBC Worldwide Monitoring, Transcript
18 March 2008
BEIRUT -- The Lebanese are talking these days about the phenomenon of the spread of weapons and the increasing trade in them. Many say this is a prelude to the ignition of rounds of warfare with the looming shadows of the sharp political and sectarian split seen on the Lebanese arena. Al-Hayat prepared a report on this phenomenon. It met weapons merchants, political activists, and civilians who revealed that the weapons market in Lebanon... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
Sterilised Indian Men Rewarded with 'Symbol of Manliness - a Gun Licence'
Agence France Presse
18 March 2008
NEW DELHI -- A bandit-infested region of India is trying to persuade men to undergo sterilisation by offering to fast-track their gun licence applications, an official said on Tuesday. Officials in central Madhya Pradesh state's Shivpuri district decided to adopt the policy -- already tried out by some neighbouring states -- to increase the low vascectomy rate. "I came to know that it had to do with their perceived notion... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
Gun Makers Arrested in Danao City, Hub of Philippines' Illegal Weapon Trade
Cebu Daily News
17 March 2008
DANAO CITY, Philippines -- Two gun makers were arrested and 11 high-powered guns were seized by policemen in Danao City, known as the gun-making capital in Central Visayas. Marlou Luga and Rene Caputolan, both of Barangay (village) Manlayag, were caught in the act of making guns by members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Central Visayas (CIDG-7). Seized from Luga's shanty were two improvised shotguns,... ( gunpolicy.org )
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