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Guns Missing from South Australia Shooting Range Found with Criminals
11 June 2013
ABC News (Australia)
Court documents reveal the operator of an Adelaide shooting range had its firearms licence cancelled because a number of guns missing from the business were found in the hands of criminals.
The shooting range and gun dealership, operated by Marksman Training Systems in Franklin Street in the city, was raided by police on Monday, and firearms were seized.
Police said they were acting on a District Court order allowing them to check the firearms.
The operator of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Concerns Voiced as Some Australians Own Over 100 Guns Each
5 June 2013
Herald Sun (Melbourne)
Victoria's top firearms owners have collected an average arsenal of 80 weapons each, which has raised concerns among advocates of gun control.
They want restrictions on the number of weapons one person can own.
The 20 biggest gun owners in the state are sitting on 1625 firearms, according to Victoria Police figures.
One owner has been legally approved to hold 131 weapons, including scores of semi-automatic rifles and shotguns.
Reasons given to police for needing the... (GunPolicy.org)
Palau,New Zealand,Samoa,Tuvalu,Australia
Tuvalu and Palau Sign Arms Trade Treaty
5 June 2013
Radio New Zealand International (Shortwave)
Tuvalu and Palau have become the first countries in the Pacific to sign the UN small arms treaty.
The treaty, which opened for signatures in New York on Monday, puts rules in place that make countries consider human rights before any arms trade deals are made.
New Zealand and Australia have also signed it and Samoa will be doing so in September at the UN general assembly.
The Executive Director of Oxfam New Zealand, Barry Coates, says he hopes other Pacific countries... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Australia,Finland,Africa,Germany
More Than 65 Countries Sign Arms Trade Treaty
3 June 2013
Time (USA)
More than 65 countries signed the landmark treaty regulating the multibillion-dollar global arms trade Monday and the United States announced it will sign soon, giving a strong kickoff to the first major international campaign to stem the illicit trade in weapons that fuel conflicts and extremists.
The announcement by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that the U.S. — the world's largest arms dealer — will sign is critical, but the treaty's ultimate strength rests... (GunPolicy.org)
Massive Cache of Guns Seized in West Australia
27 May 2013
Australian (Sydney) / AAP
An anonymous tip-off has led to the seizure of a massive cache of guns and ammunition, including a Chinese assault rifle and a laser-sighted Magnum handgun, in Western Australia.
After last week's launch of the nationwide Operation Unification, designed to crack down on illicit firearms, WA detectives raided a hotel in Fremantle where they seized an unlicensed double-barrel shotgun.
Further inquiries then led to raids on three properties in Caversham, 14km northeast... (GunPolicy.org)
New Blitz On Gun Security in Australia After Firearm Thefts
27 May 2013
Warrnambool Standard (Australia)
Thieves in the south-west are using stolen firearms as a commodity and trading them in Melbourne and interstate for cash and drugs.
In response to a rising incidence of firearm thefts police will target south-west gun owners to ensure their weapons are securely stored.
Police investigation and response manager for the south-west, Mark Canavan, said thieves were targeting homes and properties where firearms were known to be stored. A police check of licensed firearm... (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)
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)
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)
Tasmania Police Deny Gun Registry Breach Claims After Thefts
17 May 2013
Mercury (Hobart)
An East Coast woman robbed of thousands of dollars worth of guns from her remote property soon after the weapons were registered is calling for answers from Police Commissioner Darren Hine.
The woman, who did not wish to be named, said she had written to Mr Hine calling for an investigation into long-held community suspicions that the state's firearm registry and associated databases have been breached.
Tasmania Police has repeatedly denied that the firearms database... (GunPolicy.org)
Over 550 Kilos of Ammunition Surrendered in Australia for Destruction
8 May 2013
My Sunshine Coast (Australia), Media release
Queenslanders have surrendered more than 556 kilograms of sporting small arms ammunition during the first quarter of 2013.
Natural Resources and Mines Minister Andrew Cripps visited the Queensland Government explosives reserve at Helidon today to view the disposal of part of a large cache of unwanted ammunition handed in across the State.
"On average, approximately 500,000 rounds of sporting small arms ammunition is surrendered each year by the public as part of an... (GunPolicy.org)
Opinion: Easing Gun Rules Ignores the Pain of Those Grieving
26 April 2013
Sydney Morning Herald, Opinion
This Sunday marks the 17th anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, where 35 people were killed and 18 wounded by a lone gunman brandishing high-powered longarms.
In response to the killings, Australia's gun laws were significantly tightened. The prime minister at the time, John Howard, was able to gain bipartisan support from all state governments for a 10-point plan to regulate firearms - known as the 1996 Nationwide Agreement on Firearms.
This agreement... (GunPolicy.org)
PNG Authorities Worried About Arms Smuggling
18 April 2013
Pacific Islands News Association (Fiji)
The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC), Australian Federal Police and PNG Customs are very concerned about the high number of illegal firearms entering the country.
Former senior police officer Chief Superintendent Donald Yamasombi made this comment following a joint Police and Customs bust of a huge quantity of firearms, gun powder and accessories late last year.
Yamasombi said despite the bust involving a large quantity of illegal firearms, prominent... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia Police Investigate Criminals Stealing Guns from Farmers
12 April 2013
Herald Sun (Melbourne)
A police sting has uncovered a criminal network stealing guns from farmers.
The Herald Sun has been told Taskforce Griffin, set up in February, is probing a breakout in gun crime.
More than 100 firearms have been stolen in 41 burglaries, and there have been aggravated burglaries and two non-fatal shootings.
Detective Inspector Adrian Dalzotto, of the armed crime taskforce, said there were concerns the stolen guns, in particular the handguns, might have been sold on... (GunPolicy.org)
Printable Firearms a 'Grave Threat' to Australians
3 April 2013
News.com.au
Anti-gun activists are urging action to shutdown a controversial project to produce fully printable firearms and threat "to put a gun in the hands of every citizen".
Defense Distributed is behind the operation to manufacture the world's first fully printable, mostly plastic gun using basic three-dimensional printers which today cost as little as $1000.
The American company began testing its printed parts for a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle in December and have so far... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia's Gun Controls a Political Template for US
3 April 2013
Reuters
Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard wore a bullet proof vest under his suit when he addressed an angry crowd of gun owners in 1996, telling them he was going to ban automatic and semi-automatic weapons for the safety of all Australians.
At other rallies, effigies of his deputy prime minister Tim Fischer were hanged by opponents of gun control.
The battle for gun control in Australia, after the country's worst massacre in which 35 people were shot dead, was... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Data Shows Spike in Illegal Gun Use in South Australia
24 March 2013
Advertiser (Adelaide)
Gun-toting criminals are more likely to use their gun to threaten someone now than they were five years ago, statistics show.
SA Police figures reveal there were 33 acts likely to endanger life involving a gun in 2011-12, compared with nine in 2007-08.
An act likely to endanger life with a firearm involves the firing of the gun in most cases, but the offence may also apply if a loaded gun is pointed at someone.
The Advertiser requested statistics from police for the... (GunPolicy.org)
Over 3500 Guns Collected, 700 Destroyed in Australian Amnesty
22 March 2013
Gladstone Observer (Australia)
More than 3500 firearms have been handed in as Queensland's gun amnesty reached the half-way mark.
Almost 700 have been surrendered for destruction with the remaining firearms registered.
The three-month amnesty, which ends on April 30, began as the government introduced new firearm laws involving mandatory jail terms, even a year for possessing an illegal firearm in a public place.
Police Minister Jack Dempsey is urging Queenslanders to take advantage of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Africa,Americas,Asia,Europe,Oceania,United States,Russia,Italy,Germany,Brazil,Switzerland,Israel,Austria,South Korea,Belgium,Spain,Turkey,Norway,Canada,United Kingdom,Australia,France,Pakistan,Yemen,Honduras,El Salvador,Jamaica
Fact and Figures: Global Trade in Small Arms
18 March 2013
al Jazeera
Diplomats from around the world have gathered at the UN for talks on an international arms trade treaty, in an effort to stop the sale of illegal conventional arms.
Similar talks held last July failed, mainly due to the objections of the US and Russia, the world's two largest arms exporters.
Al Jazeera has compiled a list of facts related to the global production and trading of small arms.
1. Authorised international transfers of small arms, light weapons, their... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun-Related Deaths: How Australia Stepped Off "The American Path"
12 March 2013
American College of Physicians - Annals of Internal Medicine
Australia and the United States share many characteristics. Both are English-speaking democracies of multicultural immigrants. The 2 nations have been allies for nearly a century. Australians and Americans consume similar diets of movies, video games, popular music, recreational drugs, and alcohol. Both have vast interiors, early histories of armed European settlers mistreating native populations, plenty of feral pests to shoot, and many firearm enthusiasts. Yet the 2... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: American College of Physicians - Annals of Internal Medicine
