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NZ Shop Asked to Stop Selling Restricted Airgun After Teen Arrest
24 May 2013
Marlborough Express (New Zealand)
Police have asked a Blenheim shop that sold a plastic gun to a Marlborough Boys' College student to stop selling the item after the teenager was arrested.
The 14-year-old boy was arrested and suspended from school on Tuesday after shooting a passing car and other students with the soft air pistol he bought at $2 Fantastic shop in Maxwell Rd.
Constable Dean Buckley, of Blenheim youth aid, said because compressed air fired a missile, it was legally classed as a... (GunPolicy.org)
Suicides Account For Most US Gun Deaths
24 May 2013
Pew Research Center
Suicides by gun accounted for about six of every 10 firearm deaths in 2010 and just over half of all suicides, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Since the CDC began publishing data in 1981, gun suicides have outnumbered gun homicides. But as gun homicides have declined sharply in recent years, suicides have become a greater share of all firearm deaths: the 61% share in 2010 was the highest on record. That year there were 19,392... (GunPolicy.org)
One Third of Gun Thefts Take Place in West Australia
23 May 2013
WA Today (Australia)
Organised criminals have started manufacturing their own guns, while Western Australia becomes home to nearly one third of national firearm thefts, police have revealed as part of a national blitz.
There were 459 guns stolen in WA last year, compared to the national estimate of 1500 gun thefts yearly.
In May there were 57 gun thefts and last night alone seven guns were stolen from a home in the Perth hills, which included shotguns, rifles and a handgun.
"Quite a... (GunPolicy.org)
Czech Firm Wins Egyptian Tender For Pistols, Submachine Guns
23 May 2013
Xinhua
PRAGUE - Czech arms firm Ceska zbrojovka won an international tender to supply 50,000 pistols to the Egyptian interior ministry, company CEO Lubomir Kovarik said on Thursday.
Speaking at a defence industry trade fair in Brno, Kovarik said some of the firearms were sent to Egypt last week. The CZ P-07 Duty pistols are smaller than those supplied by Ceska zbrojovka to the Czech military and security forces.
The one-year contract will be followed by the supply of several... (GunPolicy.org)
8,800 Guns Seized in NSW in 10 Months as Australia Battles Crime
23 May 2013
Nine MSN (Australia)
Machine guns and military rifles were among 8,800 firearms seized in NSW over the past 10 months.
Police revealed the figure as they pleaded for more help taking illicit guns off the streets.
Senior officers in Sydney, scene of four gun crimes this week, launched the trans-Tasman Operation Unification on Thursday - a two-week initiative encouraging people to report illegal firearms.
They did so alongside David and Cathy Knight, whose truckie dad Bob was killed in... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Tragedy Father Honoured by UK Govt as Arms Trade Treaty Passes
23 May 2013
BBC News
A father whose toddler was killed by a gunman with an illegal weapon in Turkey is to be honoured by the UK government for his campaigning efforts.
David Grimason, who lost his two-year-old son Alistair in 2003, has pressed for tighter controls on the trade of weapons for the past decade.
An international arms trade treaty has been approved by the UN.
Scottish Secretary Michael Moore will present Mr Grimason with the letter of thanks during a ceremony in... (GunPolicy.org)
70 Guns Seized and Destroyed in Venezuela Town [Español]
22 May 2013
Entorno Inteligente (Venezuela)
[Translated summary: 70 guns were seized and destroyed in the parish of El Recreo, in accordance with Decree 9,194.]
Este procedimiento de inutilización consiste en el aplastado del cañón de cada arma.
70 armas de fuego, que fueron incautadas en diferentes procedimientos realizados por efectivos de la Policía del municipio Libertador, fueron inutilizadas este miércoles.
La actividad se realizó detrás de la Plaza Andrés Bello, en la parroquia El Recreo, y... (GunPolicy.org)
UK Plans Changes to Airgun Laws but Clubs Fight Back
21 May 2013
Courier (UK)
An airgun club chief has hit back in the row over proposed new licensing.
Kathleen Male, chairwoman of Tayside Airgun Club, said they don't have any problem with a fair licensing system but they do object to the Government's proposals.
She said: "We still do not agree there should be greater restrictions where airweapon owners can shoot as there are adequate laws, at present, in place, restricting where they may be used, and, on the street of a town or city is not one... (GunPolicy.org)
80% of Crimes in Honduras Committed with Unregistered Guns
21 May 2013
InSight Crime (Bogota)
According to a Congressional committee that handles public security issues, some 80.5 percent of all crimes in Honduras are committed with unregistered guns, as the country prepares to debate a new set of gun reform laws.
A member of the committee told El Heraldo that only 23 percent of the weapons circulating in Honduras are registered.
This is slightly lower than a previous estimate released by the Honduran government's human rights commission (CONADEH), which... (GunPolicy.org)
Six Dead and 10 Injured After Day of Gun Violence in Pakistan
21 May 2013
Pakistan Today
KARACHI - At least six persons were killed and several others injured in fresh incidents of target killing in different areas of the metropolis on Monday, while the law enforcement agencies (LEAs) personnel arrested more than 10 accused, including four members of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), during targeted operations and recovered arms and explosives from their possession.
According to police, unknown assailants gunned down a man identified as 42-year-old... (GunPolicy.org)
Concerns Over 'Self-Aiming' Rifle That Turns Novices Into Expert Snipers
21 May 2013
New Scientist
First time firing a gun? There's help at hand – a new "self-aiming" rifle can help even a novice hit the target at long range on the first go. But the technology has its critics, who see it as a serious threat to public safety.
Just weeks after the firing of the world's first 3D printed handgun, a smart rifle that allows the user to accurately hit targets up to 900 metres away has gone on sale in the US.
Made by TrackingPoint, a start-up based in Austin, Texas, the... (GunPolicy.org)
Greek Speaker Reminds MPs No Guns in Govt
20 May 2013
Ekathimerini (Greece)
Parliamentary speaker Evangelos Meimarakis has spoken to the representatives of all parties to remind them that no MPs should carry guns in the House, it emerged on Monday.
Meimarakis acted after receiving a letter of complaint from New Democracy MP Fotini Pipili, who said that some lawmakers are armed when they enter Parliament.
There have been reports in the past of Golden Dawn MPs being stopped for carrying guns into the House and an Eleftherotypia report on Monday... (GunPolicy.org)
India Police Seize 294 Illegal Guns in a Year
20 May 2013
Times of India
The police nabbed 271 men and seized from them 294 illegal firearms and 1,682 live cartridges from January 2012 to January 2013, an RTI reply shows. The arrested men were couriers who came to Mumbai to deliver weapons to gangsters.
The weapons ranged from sophisticated pistols to country-made revolvers, shows the reply to the RTI plea, which was filed by activist Chetan Kothari. The seizures show that gangland demand for firearms of Indian make has increased. The... (GunPolicy.org)
Israeli Gunman Kills Four Then Self with Licensed Handgun
20 May 2013
Washington Post
JERUSALEM — A gunman stormed into a bank in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba Monday, killing four people in a gunfight and taking a hostage before killing himself, police said.
Police initially suspected a bungled bank robbery but later changed their assessment.
They identified the gunman as a former military officer who fell on hard times financially. The 40-year-old man arrived at the bank to withdraw money and settle a debt, police said. He reportedly got... (GunPolicy.org)
Top Namibian Cop Says its 'Too Easy' to Get Guns, Suggests Law Change
20 May 2013
Namibian (Windhoek)
Police Inspector General Sebastian Ndeitunga has admitted that it has become "too easy to own" a firearm in the country and that there is an urgent need to amend the Arms and Ammunition Act of 1996 in order to address its shortcomings.
The Namibian on Friday reported that police issued close to 15,000 licenses for guns to civilians in the past two years - just over 7,100 license applications in 2011 and about 7,600 licenses were issued in 2012.
"As someone responsible... (GunPolicy.org)
Turkish Soldier Dies in Gun Prank Accident
20 May 2013
Today's Zaman (Istanbul)
A soldier was killed when a fellow soldier accidentally shot him during a prank in Mardin's Midyat district on Sunday, according to Turkish media reports.
Private E.Y. was reportedly killed when his friend Pvt. M.S. accidentally shot him while both were on guard duty in Cevat Paşa Barracks in Midyat.
E.Y.'s body was taken to Midyat State Hospital's morgue and an investigation has been started to look into the incident. M.S. was hospitalized after he suffered from a... (GunPolicy.org)
Philippines Police Continue Search for 400,000 Illegal Guns
19 May 2013
Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines — And the search goes on.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) will continue to look for over 400,000 loose firearms all over the country even after the election gun ban ends on June 12.
PNP Director General Alan Purisima said the police had been able to account for more than 200,000 unlicensed guns since the PNP Firearms and Explosives Office (FEO) launched a crackdown on loose firearms dubbed "Oplan Katok."
"The lifting of the gun ban… will... (GunPolicy.org)
Queensland Gun Crime Rising Despite Amnesty Finding 19,000 Guns
18 May 2013
Courier-Mail (Brisbane)
Gun crime including shootings, armed robberies, assaults and murder have continued unabated since Queensland launched a firearms amnesty.
Firearm offences remain a concern for police, who suspect the amnesty has identified only a fraction of the state's illegal weapons.
A final count has revealed almost 19,000 weapons were handed in during the three-month amnesty, which finished at the end of last month - double the last Queensland amnesty of 2004, when 9500 weapons... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Injured in Shooting at Swedish School
18 May 2013
Local (Sweden)
Panic broke out at a Gothenburg school on Friday evening as one man was injured in a shooting which could be linked to a violent robbery that took place in the area on the same day.
The man sustained light injuries and was admitted to the Sahlgrenska Hospital.
On Saturday morning, police had made no arrests but were treating the incident as attempted murder or attempted manslaughter after receiving around 30 calls from the public.
At least one cartridge case was... (GunPolicy.org)
Germany,Nigeria,China,United States,United Kingdom
Former Doyen of UK Gun Lobby Pleads Guilty to More Gunrunning
17 May 2013
Democrat and Chronicle (USA)
British arms dealer Gary Hyde has admitted helping smuggle illegal AK-47 magazines into the United States for sale by a Chili-based firearms wholesaler, federal court records show.
Hyde signed a plea agreement in late April but it was not filed until this week, records show.
Hyde admitted that he had helped alter the markings on the 5,760 magazines so their country of origin — China — would not be known. In the U.S., there is a federal ban on the importation of... (GunPolicy.org)
