BRISBANE - In Papua New Guinea, the largest island nation in Melanesia in the southwest Pacific, where more than 60 percent of major crimes involve guns, a burgeoning illegal arms trade is associated with lack of employment growth and low human security, with vulnerable communities suffering the consequences. This is the case in the autonomous region of Bougainville in the east of the country, where disarmament remains elusive more than ten years after a civil war... (GunPolicy.org)

New figures show that in New Caledonia the number of sales of high-powered arms has tripled in the last two years. The French High Commission in Noumea says this follows the liberalisation of the gun law two years ago to make it easier for hunters to obtain rifles. It says last year an additional 4,500 guns have come into circulation. This means that there are nearly 50,000 weapons in the territory or about one firearm for every three adults. Under the new law, it... (GunPolicy.org)

[Translated Summary: After New Caledonia's gun sale regulations were relaxed, high demand and availability resulted in a significant rise in gun sales: 2,500 sales in 2011 versus 1,800 sales in 2010.] Le phénomène était attendu : depuis le mois de mars et la simplification de la réglementation sur la vente des armes, le nombre de fusils disponibles sur le marché a explosé. Cette année, le niveau des importations d'armes à feu a même doublé. Acheter une... (GunPolicy.org)

A report from New Caledonia says up to 300 confiscated firearms have been destroyed by the French army. The daily newspaper Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes reports the weapons consisted mainly of hunting guns, pistols and ammunition. Some of the weapons belonged to villagers in Saint Louis, which was once the scene of violent clashes between indigenous Kanaks and settlers from Wallis and Futuna Islands. In August last year, French police in New Caledonia seized more... (GunPolicy.org)

One in five people in New Caledonia own a gun, according to the latest statistics. The French High Commission says 48-thousand firearms have been officially registered. In a report, the newspaper Les Nouvelles Caledoniennes says there are likely to be many more rifles and pistols being kept illegally in private armouries or homes. However, it says many of the weapons in the census would be useless or... (GunPolicy.org)

SUVA, Fiji — Wallisian rugby player Laurent Vili, who has been detained in New Caledonia for the past twelve months, was transferred from Nouméa to a prison in France for medical reasons, Télé-Nouvelle-Calédonie reports. 28-year-old Vili, who was detained in Nouméa's Camp Est prison, is reported to have recently complained of shoulder pains. He was flown out of New Caledonia on Monday. He is to be examined by penitentiary medical doctors near Paris and a... (GunPolicy.org)