Thailand,North Korea
Thailand Drops Charges Against Crew of Plane Carrying N. Korean Arms
SEESAC (Belgrade) / Choson Ilbo (Seoul), Web page
11 February 2010
Thai prosecutors have dropped charges against the crew of a plane carrying North Korean weapons despite United Nations resolutions that bar Pyongyang from selling arms. The Attorney General's office in Thailand said Thursday [ 11 February] it will not prosecute the five-man crew, whose plane stopped in Bangkok with 35 tons of North Korean weapons on board. Thai authorities say the men - one from Belarus and four from Kazakhstan... ( gunpolicy.org )
Taiwan
Illegal Weapon Factory, 'Remodeled' Handguns Found in Taiwan Village
China Post (Taiwan)
27 January 2010
CHIAYI, Taiwan -- Chiayi Police yesterday crossed municipal lines to arrest a man who allegedly ran an underground weapons factory behind the facade of a registered green business in Chiayi County, local media reported. Kuo Wen-tsan was also suspected of illegal arms sale, given the sophisticated construction of six remodeled handguns found on scene, police were quoted as saying. But Kuo was cited as telling authorities that he... ( gunpolicy.org )
North Korea,New Zealand,Thailand,Kazakhstan,Iran
Complex International Web Entangles Weapon Cargo Seized In Thailand
Associated Press
22 January 2010
SHYMKENT, Kazakhstan - The trail of the plane seized in Thailand last month for reportedly smuggling North Korean weapons to Iran leads back to a small air freight company housed near an old Soviet airfield on the edge of the Kazakh steppe. The aging Russian plane's odyssey took it through a web of companies, financiers and air cargo carriers with addresses stretching from New York through the Persian Gulf to New Zealand, an Associated... ( gunpolicy.org )
Taiwan
Taiwan Threatens to Sue Client Countries Re-exporting Its Ammunition
Taiwan News / CNA
20 January 2010
TAIPEI -- The Ministry of National Defense (MND) will sue contractors if they have resold expired ammunition owned by Taiwan to an African country as has been reported, an official said Wednesday. "We have a detailed and sophisticated plan to oversee contracts on the destruction of outdated ammunition, " said Wang Kuo-wu, director of the military procurement center under the MND Armaments Bureau. "In terms of form and documentation,... ( gunpolicy.org )
China,India,Nepal
Police to Focus on Nepal-India Smuggling of Chinese Guns and Ammo
Hindustan Times (Delhi)
14 January 2010
Alarmed by the continuous seizure of huge quantities of arms and explosives, the Bihar police has decided to approach neighbouring state agencies to unravel the inter-state network of arms and ammunition peddlers and crime syndicate active on the Indo-Nepal border. "A meeting chaired by Director General of Police Anand Shankar decided to approach neighbouring state agencies to eliminate the inter-state network of peddlers of arms, ammunition... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Man Kills 2, Himself, in Rare Japanese Bar Shooting
Associated Press
12 January 2010
TOKYO,Japan - A man opened fire at a bar in western Japan on Tuesday, killing two people and wounding one seriously before taking his own life. Guns are strictly controlled in Japan, and shootings are rare. When such attacks do occur, they are often linked to gangsters known as yakuza. Police in Habikino City in Osaka prefecture were investigating the gunman's motive, police official Mitsuyuki Oda said. The Kyodo News agency... ( gunpolicy.org )
Belarus,North Korea,Kazakhstan,Ukraine,Serbia,Russia
Ex-Soviet Pilots, Aircraft Ship Weapons for Global Gun Running Networks
Time (USA)
17 December 2009
KIEV -- It was no ordinary smuggling bust. On Dec. 11, an old Russian plane landed in Thailand to refuel after taking off hours earlier from Pyongyang, North Korea. In its hull, police found 35 tons of explosives, rocket-propelled grenades and components for surface-to-air missiles, all being transported from North Korea in breach of U.N. sanctions. The captain and his crew were promptly arrested and charged with illegally transporting arms.... ( gunpolicy.org )
North Korea,Serbia,Thailand
North Korean Arms Plane Cargo Linked to East European Gun Traffickers
Times (UK)
15 December 2009
The weapons laden plane seized in Bangkok en route from North Korea at the weekend has been linked to two renowned East European arms traffickers by a respected Swedish think-tank in the latest twist in the mysterious saga. The Ilyushin-76 aircraft, which was found to be carrying 35 tons of weapons including rockets and grenades, was most recently registered under a company called Beibars, linked to Serbian arms dealer Tomislav... ( gunpolicy.org )
Russia,China,Pakistan
Russia Confronts Pakistan, China Over 'Illegally' Copied AK Assault Rifles
United Press International
16 November 2009
HONG KONG, China -- At a press conference held during an international exhibition of defense equipment in Turkey last summer, a Russian military delegation harshly criticized the Pakistan Ordnance Factories Company for copying Russian weapons systems. The Russians claimed that the POF's RPG-7P anti-tank rockets, 122-mm D-30 howitzer ammunition and PK-10 assault guns were 100-percent imitations of Russian systems. The PK-10 assault... ( gunpolicy.org )
India,China,South Asia
Chinese 'Big Smugglers' of Illegal Guns, Claims Indian Home Secretary
Times of India / TNN
9 November 2009
NEW DELHI -- The government on Sunday indicated that China might be a source of small arms for naxalites who may be procuring them through smugglers. "Chinese are big smugglers... suppliers of small arms. I am sure that the Maoists also get them," home secretary G K Pillai said when asked if the naxals had links with China. He, however, made it clear that the government had no information that the Maoists had any links... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Yakuza Gunman Dead, Three Injured in Rare Japanese Shooting
BBC News
6 November 2009
A gunman in Japan has taken his own life after wounding three people in Yokohama, outside Tokyo, police said. The gunman had taken refuge in a building in a residential area which the police surrounded. A police spokesman said one of the injured men was in a critical condition and the other two were lightly wounded. Japanese media reported the violence appeared to be gang related. Shootings are rare in Japan, where... ( gunpolicy.org )
India,United Nations,Russia,China
UN Gun Trade Treaty 'Likely Very Weak' as India, Russia, China Abstain
Times of India / TNN
2 November 2009
NEW DELHI -- Even as the crucial global arms trade and transfers (ATT) treaty, which seeks to regulate the $55 billion arms trade and promote democracy, found overwhelming support from 153 member countries at the UN on Friday, India was among the 19 who abstained from the meet. These 153 countries -- including top arms suppliers like US, Britain, Germany and France -- supported a UN disarmament committee resolution which will lead... ( gunpolicy.org )
Germany,United Nations,Russia,China
Germany Backs Global Arms Trade Treaty, China and Russia Abstain
Deutsche Welle
31 October 2009
Germany, along with other key United Nations members, has backed talks on a global treaty to regulate the global trade of weapons. Two major arms suppliers, Russia and China, refused to support the measure. The United Nations resolution calls for talks aimed at agreeing a treaty to police the world's $55-billion (37-billion-euro) arms trade. The UN General Assembly's first committee on disarmament and peace passed the resolution... ( gunpolicy.org )
Taiwan
Call for US-style Gun Law Rejected in Taiwan, Strict Controls to Stay
China Post (Taiwan)
23 October 2009
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The government has decided to maintain the present tight gun control despite a call for liberalizing the regulations on owning lethal weapons to help people defend themselves. Legislator Yu Tien of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party urged the government yesterday to follow the U.S. practice of easing the rules to allow law-abiding citizens to own handguns to protect themselves. Yu said that gun... ( gunpolicy.org )
Russia,China
Russia, China Near Copyright Deal to Licence Kalashnikov Production
RIA Novosti (Russia)
22 October 2009
KLIMOVSK -- Russia is working to reach an agreement with China on copyright protection of Kalashnikov assault rifles, the head of Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport said Thursday. "We have received China's national patent for Kalashnikov products. The documents have been handed to the Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation to prepare and conclude an intergovernmental agreement in the field," Anatoly Isaikin... ( gunpolicy.org )
Taiwan
Taiwan 'Will Not Consider' Increased Legal Gun Ownership, Says Minister
Taiwan News / CAN
22 October 2009
TAIPEI -- The government will not consider legalizing gun ownership by the country's citizens, Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah said Thursday. Jiang said the disadvantages of allowing gun ownership outweigh the benefits and that the ministry will only consider allowing security guards to carry firearms. He was responding to a call by opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Yu Tien to allow law-abiding... ( gunpolicy.org )
India,China,Myanmar,Laos,Cambodia,Thailand
China Small Arms Bazaar Fuelling North East Indian Insurgents, Maoists
Hueiyen Lanpao (India)
19 October 2009
DIMAPUR -- Small arms wielded by Northeast militants and Maoists invariably find their way in from Yunan province of southern China through the Chin people in Myanmar. But forces handling security this side of the India-Myanmar border have "no reasons yet" to suspect Beijing's official involvement in the gun-running racket. Chinese copies of weapons such as the American M-16 rifles and Russian Kalashnikovs -- AK-47s and AK-56s... ( gunpolicy.org )
Oceania,South East Asia,United Nations
Asia-Pacific Countries to Discuss Arms Transfers, Gun Trade Treaty
Bernama (Malaysia)
12 October 2009
KUALA LUMPUR -- Representatives of 28 Asia-Pacific countries will begin a two-day seminar here tomorrow to discuss global transfers of conventional arms as well as controls, according to a statement. The seminar will be officially opened by officials from the European Union and the United Nations, and will be attended by high-level representatives of the relevant ministries of the participating states, international and regional... ( gunpolicy.org )
Taiwan,Philippines,France,Italy,Germany,Israel,United States
181 Smuggled US, European Guns in Taiwan Seizure of Philippine Cargo
Central News Agency (Taiwan)
27 September 2009
Six suspects, including the ring's mastermind surnamed Ting, were arrested in what may be the largest arms smuggling bust ever in Taiwan, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said yesterday. CIB officials displayed their haul of 181 guns and 22,685 rounds of ammunition in the lobby of its crime-fighting center in southern Taiwan's Kaohsiung City. Powerful submachine guns, rifles, and expanding "dum dum" bullets were... ( gunpolicy.org )
Taiwan,Philippines,France
181 Weapons, Submachine Guns Seized from Taiwan-Philippines Fisher
Agence France Presse
27 September 2009
TAIPEI -- Taiwan police have cracked a major firearms smuggling ring, seizing five men and 181 guns -- the largest haul found in the island's history -- officials said Sunday. The police found the weapons in Hung Hsing, a fishing boat based southern Kaohsiung city, which had just returned on Friday from the Philippines, the officials said. The police immediately arrested alleged ring leader Ting Chen-hsiang, 53, and two... ( gunpolicy.org )
South Korea,United States
South Korea to Make Millions Selling US WWII Rifles to Gun Enthusiasts
ABC News (Australia)
23 September 2009
South Korea is planning to raise tens of millions of dollars by selling vintage US combat rifles to gun enthusiasts in the United States. The ageing M1 and carbine rifles were used by US troops in the Korean and Vietnam wars before being donated to the South Korean military. The rifles have been mothballed for years in military warehouses, but were occasionally used in drills by reserve soldiers. The defence ministry... ( gunpolicy.org )
South Korea,United States
South Korea to Sell 108,000 US Rifles Received for WWII - Back to USA
BBC News
23 September 2009
South Korea has come up with a novel way to boost its defence budget -- by selling a vast stockpile of old Korean-war rifles to collectors in the US. The guns were originally sent to Korea as military aid, and some were also used during the war in Vietnam. For more than five decades, they have been kept mothballed in warehouses. Most of those on offer are M1 rifles -- a weapon once described by US General George... ( gunpolicy.org )
China
Chinese Civilians Voluntarily Surrender 60% of 53,000 Guns Seized
China Daily / Xinhua
17 September 2009
BEIJING -- Chinese police have confiscated close to 53,000 guns by the end of August in a nationwide crackdown started in March this year, and 9,849 suspects involved in gun-related crimes were punished, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said Thursday. The ministry started the special crackdown on explosives and gun-related crimes in March, and said it would continue till China's October 1 National Day celebration. The... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Arab Emirates, India, China
Indian Army Grounds UAE Air Force Plane Carrying Guns to China
Times of India
8 September 2009
KOLKATA -- After trying to fob off Indian officials and investigators all of Sunday night, one of the pilots of the United Arab Emirates air force aircraft detained at Kolkata airport since Sunday finally admitted to the plane carrying a consignment of weapons. The C-130 Hercules among the biggest transport aircraft in the world was on its way to Xiangyang, China, from UAEAF's Western Air Command base in Abu Dhabi. Although the... ( gunpolicy.org )
China
China Seizes 19,000 Guns, 39,000 Imitation Guns in 'Stability Drive'
Xinhua
20 July 2009
BEIJING -- Chinese police have confiscated 19,000 guns and close to 500 tonnes of explosives in a crackdown on explosive and gun-related crimes in the last four months, the Ministry of Public Security announced here Monday. More than 5,200 people in connection with illegal production and sales of explosives and gun-related crimes were arrested during the campaign, which started in March and ends on Oct. 31, the ministry said on... ( gunpolicy.org )
North Korea, Myanmar, United States
Gun Running North Korean Freighter Turns Tail from Myanmar
BBC Worldwide Monitoring / Yonhap (South Korea)
4 July 2009
SEOUL -- The North Korean freighter that changed course after being tracked by the U.S. Navy appears to be carrying conventional small arms, including Soviet-era rifles and anti-tank launchers, a source said Saturday. "Most of its consignments are believed to be small-scale military supplies such as AK-47 rifles and RPG-7 anti-tank rocket launchers," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the information has... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Host Holds Unloaded Gun for 6secs on Japan TV Show, Police Pounce
Asahi Shimbun (Japan) / International Herald Tribune
2 July 2009
OTSU, Shiga Prefecture -- Given this nation's strict gun control law, were police overreacting when they swooped on a TV broadcaster that had allowed a celebrity to handle a hunting rifle during a live broadcast? The Shiga prefectural police insist they were perfectly within their rights, but TV networks are outraged, citing the fact the weapon was not loaded. The incident stems from a show aired Jan. 17 by Biwako Broadcasting... ( gunpolicy.org )
Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Asia, South East Asia
UN Seminar Tackles Gun Smuggling, Trafficking in South, Central Asia
Indopia / PTI
17 June 2009
KATHMANDU -- Delegates from 13 countries, including India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, today participated in a UN-brokered regional seminar in the Nepalese capital to combat arms smuggling in South and Central Asia. The two-day seminar, first in a series of three sub-regional meets on 'Illicit Brokering of Small Arms and Light Weapons' in Asia and the Pacific, began today with an aim to enhance cooperation among the states in the region... ( gunpolicy.org )
China
Public Security: China Begins Gun Crackdown to Ensure Social Stability
Xinhua
24 March 2009
China has launched a crackdown on gun crimes to ensure social stability, the Ministry of Public Security said Tuesday in an online statement. The campaign, which started March 20 and will end Oct. 31, includes confiscating illegal weapons, preventing gun crimes and supervising the use of guns. The ministry urged public security departments to confiscate illegally traded guns "and seize groups or individuals illegally making... ( gunpolicy.org )
China
China Mobile Phone Death Now Blamed on Homemade Cellphone Gun
Information Week (USA)
10 February 2009
Huang Heping, the Chinese man reported to have been killed Jan. 30 when his cell phone exploded, now appears to have been done in by a gun of his own making. Initial police reports, as conveyed by the Chinese press, attributed the man's death to severe arterial bleeding following the explosion of his mobile phone in an electronics store. But last week, Richard Spencer, reporting from Beijing for The Telegraph, said police... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Albania, Afghanistan, China, Iraq
US Repays Millions to Indicted Miami-Albania-Iraq-China Ammo Dealer
New Times (Florida)
3 February 2009
On March 15, 2008, a fireball shot into the midday sky over Albania's capital of Tirana. The blast echoed 100 miles away in Macedonia and Kosovo. Its force was comparable to that of a small nuclear weapon. But this wasn't atomic. It was an accident at an arms depot, where poor villagers had been hired to handle old ammunition and artillery shells. The explosion killed up to 26 people and injured hundreds. The village of Gerdec was obliterated.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Russia, Africa, China
Russia's 'Illegal' Gun Sales Arm Smugglers, Gangs - Accra Think Tank
Inter Press Service News Agency
29 January 2009
MOSCOW -- Russia's state arms exporter, Rosoboronexport, plans to grow the volume of Russian armament and military equipment to Africa over the next four to five years. This comes on top of allegations that Russia is selling arms to smuggling and contraband rings, thereby contributing to conflict on the war-torn continent. "We have revived our contacts with all African countries that used to be traditional buyers of Soviet weaponry,"... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan, China
US Govt Refunds Millions to Ammunition Dealer Charged with Fraud
Miami Herald
26 January 2009
A Miami Beach munitions dealer accused of defrauding the federal government is $4.2 million richer. Actually, the money already belonged to 23-year-old Efraim Diveroli. But the government froze it after Diveroli, his business, AEY Inc., and three co-workers were indicted last summer on charges of selling banned Chinese-made machine-gun rounds to the U.S. Army to supply allied forces in Afghanistan. Prosecutors recently... ( gunpolicy.org )
China
Gun Raids Yield 470 Suspects, 183 Firearms in Chongqing Province
China Daily
15 January 2009
Chongqing has become a passageway for illegal firearms trafficking through which guns can spread throughout the southwest or even the entire country unless action is taken, a senior police officer said. Deputy director of the Chongqing criminal police squad Wu Lixun told the Chongqing Times yesterday his team had learned online and inter-provincial gun trading were on the rise. The weapons included standard, knockoff and... ( gunpolicy.org )
Myanmar, China
Ethnic Army, Drug Traffickers 'Manufacturing AK-47s' in Myanmar
Irrawaddy (Thailand)
17 December 2008
The United Wa State Army (UWSA), an armed ethnic ceasefire group based in Shan State, northern Burma, is manufacturing arms and ammunition for use by its own battalions and to sell to other armed groups in the region, according to sources close to armed groups in Shan State. Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, Sai Sheng Murng, the deputy spokesman of the rival Shan State Army-South (SSA) said, "For more than one year now, the... ( gunpolicy.org )
India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, China
China Growing Illegal Gun Markets in Bangladesh, Myanmar Says India
United News of India
27 November 2008
MYANMAR SHILLONG -- Security agencies have expressed concern on the increasing number of illegal arms markets in Bangladesh and Myanmar, a top official said today. "The arms markets in both countries have been thriving with the proliferation of new arms and explosives in China after Beijing's decision to dispose of obsolete weapons. Not only in Bangladesh and Myanmar, but these illegal arms market are also flourishing in China,... ( gunpolicy.org )
China
Airgun Dealers 'Dealt Heavy Blow,' 1,000 Web Sites Shut Down in China
Chinadaily.com.cn
19 November 2008
A total of 381 people have been arrested and more than 1,000 websites have been shut down for advertising guns for sale on the black market, the Ministry of Public Security said yesterday. Also, about 120,000 related Web pages have been deleted, following a crackdown between August and October, it said on its website. Chinese law forbids any organization or citizen to purchase or trade in guns and ammunition. Such weapons,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Police Seize 800 'Lethal' Soft Air Guns from Japanese Airgun Maker
Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan) / AP
11 November 2008
The Metropolitan Police Department suspects that a Tokyo-based company's airsoft gun put on sale in July is powerful enough to injure or kill without any modifications to the body, sources familiar with the case have said. It is rare for police to recognize an unconverted airsoft gun as a lethal weapon. The MPD seized 800 units of the type of gun during an inspection of the manufacturer on suspicion of violating the Firearms... ( gunpolicy.org )
Pakistan, Iraq, China
Tens of Thousands More AK-47s Given to Tribal Fighters in Pakistan, Iraq
Australian (Sydney)
24 October 2008
Anti-Taliban tribal fighters in Pakistan's border region will be given tens of thousands of AK-47 assault rifles bought from China in a bid to replicate the success of the "Sunni Awakening" movement in Iraq. The deal to buy the weapons and other small arms was negotiated by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari when he was in Beijing this month, reports said yesterday. The Washington Post said the weapons would go to the... ( gunpolicy.org )
China
Gun Culture, Gun Crime on the Rise, But Still Officially Hidden in China
Wall Street Journal
13 October 2008
SHANGHAI -- China's weapons laws are among the world's toughest. Its blanket ban on private ownership of rifles, pistols and even gun replicas is a core tenet of social policy. Still, a gun culture is taking hold. China may be freer from gun crime than many nations, and official statistics show overall crime on a continuous down trend. Yet, these days, reports about gun crimes turn up as often as several times a week even in the... ( gunpolicy.org )
China
Weapons Trail: A Timeline of Major Events Involving Guns in China
Wall Street Journal
13 October 2008
China boasts one of the world's strictest gun-control regimes. But the restrictions are increasingly being undermined by criminals, hobbyists, hunters and enthusiasts (See related article.) Timeline: 10th-12th century: Among world's first guns are Chinese-made "fire spears," an armament that employs gunpowder, an earlier Chinese invention. 19th century: Guns become more prevalent as China goes through decades of... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Afghanistan, China, Albania
Miami Gun Dealer, 21, Caught in US$300 Million Pentagon Ammo Scam
New Zealand Herald
16 August 2008
When historians assess the Bush Administration's scandals, there is one that -- even by the era's exacting standards -- will amaze with its sheer chutzpah. The figure in the spotlight is Efraim Diveroli, 22. His Miami-Dade Police Department mug shot depicts a rather dazed, tussle-haired youth who looks like he might have spent a night clubbing. Instead, as the beneficiary of a US$298 million ($426 million) United States Army contract,... ( gunpolicy.org )
China, Sudan
Top Violator of Sudan Arms Embargo, China Swaps Gun for Oil - Report
Associated Press
6 August 2008
WASHINGTON -- China has been the "most egregious violator" of a worldwide arms embargo, providing Sudan with the vast majority of its small arms and weapons used for mass murder in Darfur province, a private study group is charging. The arms and also political support are being swapped for access to the African country's oil reserves, according to a report issued on the eve of the Summer Olympics in Beijing. A copy of the report,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations, China, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Myanmar
World's Human Rights Abusers Rely on China as Key Arms Supplier
Inter Press Service News Agency
6 August 2008
UNITED NATIONS -- As China tries to boost its international image, playing host to a summer Olympic games, the government in Beijing is being singled out as a key arms supplier to some of the world's worst human rights abusers, according to a new study released here. Although China controls only 2 percent of the global arms market, Beijing's impact "is measured less by the value of its sales than by the character of its clients,"... ( gunpolicy.org )
China
Chinese Journalists Wounded as Weapon Fires in Gun Control Display
Agence France Presse
19 July 2008
BEIJING -- Three journalists were injured in southwest China when a gun went off at a news conference called by Chinese police to highlight the success of a gun-control campaign, state media said Friday. The incident took place in Nanchong in Sichuan province to publicize the results of a campaign by the city's police to seize illegal weapons, the Beijing News reported. According to Zheng Chongjun, deputy head of the political... ( 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 )
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 )
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 )
United Nations, 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 )
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 )
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, United Nations
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 )
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 )
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 )
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 )
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 )
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, 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, 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 )
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 )
Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, China
Demand for Guns Soars in Lebanon - Detailed Survey of Availability, Costs
BBC Worldwide Monitoring / Al-Hayat (London), 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 )
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 )
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 )
Japan
Japanese Worry As More Licensed Guns Used in Murder, Family Violence
BBC News
27 February 2008
TOKYO -- Japan is not a country you associate with serious crime. It has one of the lowest crime rates in the world, but figures published recently suggest the number of shootings here rose by a quarter last year, the first rise in five years. Gangsters were blamed for two-thirds of the attacks but many Japanese are worried that, increasingly, licensed guns are being used for murder too. In 2006 just two people... ( gunpolicy.org )
Sudan, China, Chad, Austria
Guns, Grenade Launchers in Chad, Darfur Traced Back to China, Austria
Mother Jones (USA)
22 February 2008
My first glimpse into the flow of small arms into Darfur began at 4:45 on a February morning in 2006. The lights were off in the first-class Sudan Airways lounge at Khartoum International Airport. Sitting to my left was Abdallah, resplendent in white robes, sporting spectacles and a sharply trimmed goatee. Back then, Abdallah's younger brother, Mahamat Nour, was the leader of an 8,000-man rebel force sworn to overthrow the government of... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
2,885 Japanese Gun Owners Surrender 4,467 Weapons After One Rampage
Asahi Shimbun (Japan)
8 February 2008
Gun owners are turning in their licenses for thousands of weapons following public outrage over a shooting incident at a sports club in Nagasaki Prefecture last December that left two people dead, the National Police Agency said Thursday. The NPA said a total of 2,885 gun owners have opted to return their licenses for 4,467 weapons and have either sold or disposed of the guns. Of the total, 90 gun owners who had come to... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Japanese Police Visit 65,000 Gun Owners, Declare 90 Unfit to Own Firearms
Daily Yomiuri (Japan)
8 February 2008
Ninety gun owners were ordered to return their gun licenses and 145 firearms as of Jan. 31, after being judged unfit to possess them under police inspections conducted in the wake of a shooting rampage in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, in December, it has been learned. The inspections were conducted nationwide by prefectural police headquarters on people who possess hunting guns -- shotguns and rifles -- and air guns. The... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
66 Shootings, Mainly Non-fatal, Across Japan in 2007 - Up From 53 in 2006
Reuters
7 February 2008
TOKYO -- The number of shootings in Japan rose in 2007 for the first time in six years, police said on Thursday, in a review of a year that included the assassination of a city mayor and gun use involving rival gangsters. Shootings rose to 66 compared with a record low of 53 in 2006, the National Police Agency said in a report. The figure was up for the first time since 2001. "There was an increase in confrontations between... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Japanese Police Visit, Check 175,000 Gun Owners to Lessen Massacre Risk
Bloomberg (USA)
30 January 2008
TOKYO -- Japan's National Police Agency ordered checks on all registered firearms after two people were shot to death at a gym in southern Japan in December, the Asahi newspaper reported. Police departments plan to complete checks by the end of March, the newspaper reported, without saying who provided the information. Statistics show about 175,000 people in Japan had permits to own about 340,000 firearms as of 2006, the newspaper... ( gunpolicy.org )
China
China Tries 12 Men Accused of Manufacturing Firearms, Trafficking Guns
China Daily (Beijing)
24 January 2008
Twelve members of a notorious crime gang went on trial yesterday in the Guangdong provincial capital. Reading aloud from an 11-page indictment, the prosecution accused Deng Weibo and Gong Nanmin, the two leaders of the gang, and their cohorts of organizing secret societies, illegally producing, owning and trading weapons, gathering to engage in fights, injuring and blackmailing people and other serious crimes between the second... ( gunpolicy.org )
China
Chinese Hunting Park Dreams of More Guns, Looser Gun Control
Reuters
12 January 2008
YUQUAN, China -- In a frigid forest in northeastern China, sub-zero temperatures and thick snow aren't enough to dampen tourists' enthusiasm for firing a few rounds at farm-raised animals let loose in the wild. Yuquan International Hunting Field in Heilongjiang province draws more than 100,000 domestic tourists a year, many traveling thousands of miles to get their hands on a rifle or shotgun for the first time in a country where... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Japan's National Police Urge Gun Owners to Store Weapons with Dealers
Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan)
23 December 2007
Responding to the shooting rampage at a sports club in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, on Dec. 14, the National Police Agency told the Metropolitan Police Department and prefectural police headquarters Friday to urge owners of hunting guns and air rifles to deposit their guns at gun dealers instead of storing them at their homes. According to the NPA, about 175,000 people were licensed to own about 339,000 shotguns and rifles for hunting... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Japanese PM Orders Gun Control Audit: All Gun Owners To Be Re-assessed
Japan Today / Kyodo
22 December 2007
TOKYO -- Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on Friday ordered ministers in his cabinet to formulate measures to reinforce the nation's gun controls following the fatal shooting rampage on Dec. 14 in Nagasaki Prefecture, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said. Following Fukuda's order made during a ministerial meeting on fighting crime, National Public Safety Commission Chairman Shinya Izumi said he plans to conduct overall inspections... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Shooting Puts Gun Law, Ownership, Proliferation Under Scrutiny in Japan
Asahi Shimbun (Japan)
20 December 2007
With nearly 340,000 guns legally circulating in Japan, Friday's shooting in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, has inevitably raised questions about gun control. The case also drove home to many that incidents involving firearms, such as those often reported in "gun societies" like the United States, can occur in Japan. Only a tiny fraction of applications to own a gun are rejected, and once a permit is given, it is rarely revoked.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Japan's PM Says Gun Control Just a Part of Comprehensive Violence Plan
Kyodo News (Japan)
18 December 2007
TOKYO -- Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on Monday emphasized the importance of considering ways to secure public safety in a comprehensive manner following the fatal shooting rampage last week in Nagasaki Prefecture. "We must consider carefully the issues such as the criteria for use of guns and their management, but if we were to ask whether just controlling guns would make things perfect, the incident at Ikeda elementary comes to... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Japanese Killer Was Licensed Gun Owner: Tougher Gun Laws Called for
Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan)
17 December 2007
Friday's shooting rampage in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, was just the latest tragedy involving a legally owned gun. The incident comes after little progress has been made in toughening up the rules governing eligibility for gun ownership. The Sasebo shooting has also sparked questions about why the suspect had been allowed to own guns even after neighbors had raised alarm about his odd behavior. Blame lies partly with a fault in... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Japan to Review Gun Control Laws After Gym Shooting, Says Prime Minister
Agence France Presse
17 December 2007
TOKYO -- Japan will review its gun control laws following last week's deadly shooting at a sports club in western Japan, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said Monday. A man opened fire Friday night at a private gym in Sasebo, western Japan, killing two people and injuring six. "No matter what the reason is, we should not let such a crime happen at any cost," Fukuda told reporters. "There must be problems with usage... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Licensed Gun Owner Kills 2, Shoots Himself at Japanese Sports Club
Agence France Presse
16 December 2007
TOKYO -- Japanese media called for tighter gun-control laws on Sunday following a deadly shooting at a sports club, which sent shockwaves through the country in which gun crimes are emerging. "We feel fear that (Japan) has turned out to be a gun society like the United States," the Yomiuri Shimbun said in an editorial. "A gun was pointed at random at the ordinary public. It was an unprecedented crime in Japan." "It is necessary... ( gunpolicy.org )
China
Skeet Shooter Shot Dead By Team Mate: Shanghai Calls for Gun Control
China Daily (Beijing)
7 December 2007
SHANGHAI -- The death of a skeet shooter who was shot by a teammate during a training session on Monday prompted authorities to hold an emergency meeting on Thursday, calling for stricter management in the civilian use of guns and bullets in the city. The death of Chen Zejun, 20, a member of Shanghai's skeet shooting reserve team, is believed to be the first case of its kind in the country since 1949. Chen was heard shouting... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Japan Will Jail Armed Gangsters, Owners of Multiple Guns for Up to 15yrs
Reuters
26 November 2007
TOKYO -- Japan's parliament on Monday passed legislation strengthening gun control following a spate of shootings by gangsters, including the assassination of a city mayor in April and the recent murder of a hospital patient in a case of mistaken identity. The revision of the firearms control law is the first since 1995, and imposes heavier punishments for gun crimes committed by members of organised crime gangs. After... ( gunpolicy.org )
Taiwan
Gun Crime, Homicide Down, Weapon Seizures Up in Taiwan: Ministry
Taipei Times / CNA
29 October 2007
The number of gun crimes handled by law enforcement agencies around the country totaled 331 in the first nine months of this year, down by 30 percent, or 135 cases, from the year before, Ministry of the Interior officials said yesterday. Most of the cases involved robbery, homicide, extortion, kidnapping, offenses against personal liberty and rape or assault and battery, in that order, ministry officials said. Of the total,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Gun Crime Penalties Leap in Japan: 10yrs for Possession, 15yrs for Firing
Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan)
17 October 2007
The government approved a bill Tuesday to revise the Firearms and Swords Control Law and stiffen penalties that will now include a maximum 30 million yen fine on a person who shoots a gun on behalf of organized crime. The revision of the law, which is to be toughened for the first time since 1995, aims to make members of crime syndicates reconsider whether crime pays with the increased fines. The bill, which was approved... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Stringent Gun Control Penalties Follow High-Profile Yakuza Crimes in Japan
All Headline News (USA)
17 October 2007
TOKYO -- Crime busters want to hit the yakuza crime syndicate with a heavy 30 million yen ($256,695) fine added to prison sentences for gun use, possession and manufacturing - three times what offenders now pay. It will be the most far-reaching since illegal shooting was added to the Swords and Firearms Control Law 12 years ago and follows high profile crimes across Japan this year. On Sunday, a former yakuza adviser was shot dead... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Japan Hikes Gun Penalties: 15yrs for Illegal Possession, 5yrs to Life if Fired
Xinhua
16 October 2007
TOKYO -- Japan plans to revise its law to impose tougher punishment on possessing a gun or illegally firing guns, Kyodo News said Tuesday. The government adopted a bill on Tuesday to make the changes such as lifting the maximum sentence for having a gun from 10 years to 15 years, and the minimum sentence of illegally firing a gun from three to five years. The bill, if passed by the parliament, would be the first revision... ( gunpolicy.org )
China
Chinese Man Gets 19 Years Jail for Holdup, Robbery with Imitation Gun
Reuters
12 September 2007
BEIJING -- A court in southern China has jailed a 21-year-old man who used a toy gun to steal a backpack containing HK$1.7 million ($218,000) for 19 years, Xinhua news agency said on Wednesday. Xie Wei held the toy gun to a man's head in a bank carpark in Guangzhou, capital of coastal Guangdong province, and fled with the victim's backpack, the agency said. Police later caught Xie in possession of 1.61 million yuan ($214,000),... ( gunpolicy.org )
Japan
Japanese Police Charge Dead Gun Collector Over Submachine Gun, Pistol
Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan)
5 September 2007
Police will file papers Wednesday with prosecutors against a deceased man from whose house in Yokohama they seized a submachine gun, a pistol and 179 rounds of ammunition in June. The man, 52, died of an unnamed disease at his home in Isogo Ward, on May 28, and his sister, 55, and nephew, 26, found a 9mm automatic pistol and 159 rounds of 9mm ammunition inside a desk in a study on the first floor on June 10. The police... ( gunpolicy.org )
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