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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)
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)
Brazil,Iceland,United States,United Kingdom,Denmark
Low Rates of Gun Homicide in Iceland Despite High Gun Ownership
16 May 2013
BBC News
Even though I grew up in New England, there was something novel about seeing an Icelandic blizzard. It was paralysing, with epic wind gusts that made snowflakes feel like razors.
As I dragged my bags along Reykjavik's snowy pavement, an older man in a Jeep pulled alongside me.
"You want to get in?" he asked.
It sounded crazy. Why would I ever get in a stranger's car?
Despite everything I was taught about riding in cars with strangers, I climbed in the backseat. And... (GunPolicy.org)
Spanish Cops Bust UK Drug Gang with Guns
13 May 2013
Local (Spain)
Spanish and British police have nabbed a hashish-smuggling ring that hid hundreds of kilos of drugs in electrical transformers before shipping them off to the UK.
Britain's Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and Spain's national police have arrested nine people and seized 322 kilos of hashish from an international organization that smuggled drugs inside industrial electrical transformers.
The joint investigation found that the drugs were purchased in Spain then... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Licensing Law Changes Considered in Turkey
10 May 2013
Today's Zaman (Istanbul)
A bill recently submitted to Parliament could give former gun license holders who forgot to renew their licenses another chance.
The current Law on Firearms, Knives and other Weapons states that gun carrying and keeping licenses shall be valid for five years following the date of confirmation and shall be renewed once every five years on condition of payment of the renewal charge. The license holder is also required to inform the public institution that has issued the... (GunPolicy.org)
German Man Kills Wife Then Shoots, Injures 3 Neighbours
10 May 2013
Local (Germany)
German police are picking through the remnants of a blood bath after a man shot dead his wife, and then roamed the neighbourhood ringing door bells and shooting people who answered. He then shot himself and is in a coma.
Aachen public prosecutor Robert Deller said on Thursday that the man turned his gun on himself before the police could arrest him.
The 63-year-old man from the town of Langerwehe in North Rhine-Westphalia shot dead his 64-year-old wife with a... (GunPolicy.org)
German Arms Firm Illegally Sold Weapons to Mexico
7 May 2013
InSight Crime (Bogota)
A German arms manufacturer has admitted to illegally selling thousands of rifles to Mexico, where the weapons were reportedly used to commit human rights violations.
Heckler & Koch, which produces weapons such as pistols, machine guns, and grenade launchers, is under investigation by German authorities for exporting G36 rifles to several Mexican states where Germany prohibits gun sales, due to human rights concerns.
The company previously claimed it had only ever... (GunPolicy.org)
US, Spanish Gun Lovers Download 3D Gun Plans 50,000 Times First Day
7 May 2013
New York Daily News
The first downloadable gun has gone viral.
The plastic firearm that can be churned out on a 3-D printer and easily assembled was downloaded at least 50,000 times Monday, according to the self-described anarchist who made it available for free online.
Cody Wilson of Defense Distributed, a collective of gun advocates, said the most downloads were done in Spain followed by the United States.
The prospect of terrorists getting hold of the guns by clicking a computer... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Charged After Swedish Woman Dies in Shooting Game
3 May 2013
Local (Sweden)
A Swedish woman has died after playing what appeared to be a game of Russian roulette in western Sweden. The 23-year-old man who provided the weapon was charged for manslaughter on Thursday.
The incident occurred in mid-March in an apartment in Flatås, Gothenburg, where emergency service workers found the 48-year-old woman seriously injured.
The 23-year-old man is believed to have brought out a gun during an evening of drinking, loaded it with one live round, put it... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Govt Budgets to Seize Rifles Easily Converted to Automatic
1 May 2013
Global News (Canada)
Six years after approving German-made rifles that can be converted to machine guns "in minutes" – guns that by law should have been prohibited to begin with – the federal government will spend up to $260,000 buying them from their owners.
In February 2007, the RCMP classified the SSD BD38, a semi-automatic replica of a German Second World War-era sub-machine gun, as a 'restricted' firearm, meaning that it had the same legal status as a handgun. That classification... (GunPolicy.org)
Swedish Cop in Trouble After Letting Friend Fire Gun Despite Ban
30 April 2013
Local (Sweden)
A Swedish police officer risks disciplinary action after letting a soon-to-be groom fire 30 shots with his service weapon at a bachelor party held at the indoor shooting range of a police station in western Sweden.
Wishing to give his friend a memorable send-off before he entered into married life, the officer invited the groom-to-be and ten other friends to celebrate at the shooting range of the Halmstad police station in June of last year.
During the festivities,... (GunPolicy.org)
One Shooting a Week in Swedish Town, Gangs Blamed for Half Shootings
29 April 2013
Local (Sweden)
After a man was shot dead through his kitchen window in Gothenburg this weekend, local police said easier access to weapons has lead to one shooting a week in the western Sweden city.
"It's been really easy for criminals to get their hands on weapons and they don't hesitate to use them," Erik Nord of the Västra Götaland police told the Dagens Nyheter newspaper (DN).
DN reported that for the past two years, Sweden's second largest city has seen on average one... (GunPolicy.org)
Yemen,Argentina,Costa Rica,Libya,Germany,United States,Brazil,Paraguay,Austria
Most Brazilian Guns Exported to US
29 April 2013
Folha de Sao Paulo
BRASILIA - The U.S., currently discussing restrictions on the sale of firearms, purchased 7.9 million guns from Brazil in the past 40 years, and 59% of those were exported during the Lula administration (2003-2010).
That is the result of a new study by the Army Command to which Folha had access through the Access to Information Act, with a detailed record of the sellers and buyers of 9.9 million revolvers, pistols, rifles and shotguns, among other weapons, exported... (GunPolicy.org)
Gunshots Fired As Italian Government Sworn In, Three Injured
28 April 2013
al Jazeera
Two Italian paramilitary police officers have been shot and wounded outside the Rome office of new premier Enrico Letta as he was being sworn in nearby presidential palace.
The gunman and a female passerby were also injured in Sunday's incident outside Palazzo Chigi, the building the hosts the premier's office, Italy's ANSA news agency said.
A police official said that one of the wounded police officers had been shot in the neck and was in a serious condition after... (GunPolicy.org)
Swedish Police Shoot Drunk Gun-Toting Man
27 April 2013
Local (Sweden)
A drunk man was shot in the foot by police in Umeå in northern Sweden on Friday night after he pointed a pistol at them in an attempt to evade arrest.
"They determined that they were faced with a deadly threat," said Benny Ahlenius at Umeå police.
Police were called to an address in the Umedalen area of the city on Friday night following a report that a man had assaulted and threatened his wife.
When the police unit arrived the apparently drunk man pointed a gun at... (GunPolicy.org)
French Teen Killer Bought Kalashnikov Online
26 April 2013
Global Post (Boston) / Agence France Presse
A French teenager who used a Kalashnikov to shoot three men dead obtained his murder weapon on the Internet, it emerged on Friday, a day after the shooting.
The apparently deranged 19-year-old was arrested shortly after opening fire on motorists and pedestrians in the small town of Istres, near Marseille on Thursday afternoon.
Police sources said the weapons enthusiast had bought the deactivated rifle on the Internet and had been able to get it working. Raids on his... (GunPolicy.org)
Irish MP Suggests Relaxing Gun Laws for Rural Citizens to Fight Crime
26 April 2013
Irish Examiner (Dublin)
Michael Healy-Rae, who holds certificates for three different guns, said firearms were very restricted in Ireland. They are linked to pest control and game hunting or sports, and one had to be a member of a gun club, or own land, to be granted a licence, he said.
However, the Kerry South TD said changes in rural Ireland meant communities now have to police themselves against ever-more aggressive and armed criminals. He claimed that with whole swathes of the country... (GunPolicy.org)
German Gunman Kills Politician, Self After Alleged Licensing Altercation
26 April 2013
Local (Germany)
A 74-year-old gunman killed a top official in the northern German town of Hamelin on Friday before shooting himself dead, police said.
"The perpetrator killed district administrator Rüdiger Butte and then killed himself," a police spokesman said. Officers were still at the scene on Friday afternoon, collecting evidence to support an investigation.
Shots were heard shortly after 10am in the city's main administrative building, where 63-year-old Butte was later found... (GunPolicy.org)
Record Number of Firearms Seized from Motorcycle Gangs in Finland
25 April 2013
YLE (Finland)
The number of firearms seized by police from motorcycle gangs classed as criminal groups has risen sharply over the past few years. A decade ago, police on average confiscated only a few dozen guns annually from motorcycle gangs. Since 2010, more than 400 have been seized, nearly 250 of which are handguns.
"The weapons seized include pistols, revolvers, a few shotguns and ten sub-machine guns. Ammunition has also been confiscated. Some of the guns had been made... (GunPolicy.org)
