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Saudi Arabia

Saudi Youths Jailed for Brandishing Guns

11 April 2013

Gulf News (Dubai)

Manama - A Saudi court has sentenced three young men to spend time in jail and to be lashed for brandishing a gun in public. Two defendants, including the son of a well-known businessman, were given 15 months in prison and 60 lashes, while the third was handed 24 months in jail and 50 lashes and was barred from leaving the country for two years afterwards, Saudi daily Okaz reported on Thursday. The lashes will be given out over three times, including twice in front of... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Gulf News (Dubai)

37309

Sweden,Uruguay,Finland,Iraq,Saudi Arabia,Cyprus,Switzerland,Yemen,Serbia,United States

10 Nations with Highest Gun Ownership

12 March 2013

SiliconIndia

Bangalore: "Force and mind are opposites; morality ends where a gun begins," said novelist Ayn Rand. In an era where the misuse of guns and ammunitions are leading to massacres, it is no more a place of nonviolence. Arms and ammunitions leave bitter memories and scar the human race for ages to come. Here are the 10 countries with highest gun ownership, as listed by yahoo.com. USA: USA tops the list of countries with highest gun ownership and this no surprise! The... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: SiliconIndia

37179

United Arab Emirates,Qatar,Oman,Kuwait,Bahamas,Germany,Saudi Arabia

Germany Doubles Arms Supplies To Persian Gulf Nations

25 February 2013

RT-TV Novosti (Russia)

German military exports to Persian Gulf nations doubled in 2012 amid repeatedly-voiced international concerns over gross human rights violations in the region. The German government has been fiercely accused of unscrupulousness in arms sales. The latest report published by Munich-based Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper suggests that German arms export to the six nations belonging to the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf has grown two-fold, from 570... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: RT-TV Novosti (Russia)

37110

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Guards Seize Over 1400 Guns From Smugglers

17 February 2013

Saudi Gazette

RIYADH – Border Guard patrol teams foiled attempts to smuggle about six tons of hashish into the Kingdom over the past three months. They also arrested 1,641 drug traffickers and 75,763 infiltrators who tried to sneak into the country during the period, said a Border Guard spokesman. Releasing the statistics about the Border Guard operations during the period between Nov. 15, 2012 and Feb. 10, 2013, Brig. Gen. Muhammad Saad Al-Ghamdi also said 126,805 narcotic pills,... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Saudi Gazette

37070

Yemen,Saudi Arabia

Saudi Border Guards Seize Hundreds of Smuggled Weapons

26 January 2013

Yahoo! Maktoob News

Saudi Border Guards in Jazan province foiled numerous attempts to smuggle weapons and ammunition in addition to liquor and narcotics into the Kingdom from Yemen over the last two months, spokesman of the Border Guards in Jazan Col. Abdullah Mahfouz said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency on Friday. "The Border Guards seized 308 weapons of various types, 13,051 rounds of live ammunition, 19 bottles of liquor and 78 narcotic tablets, 403,562 kg of hashish and 1,775... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Yahoo! Maktoob News

36996

Switzerland,Saudi Arabia,Syria,Jordan,United Arab Emirates

Swiss Weapons Sale to Saudi Arabia Blocked on HR Grounds

23 January 2013

SwissInfo

The Swiss government has vetoed the planned sale by the firearms group KRISS of weapon components to Saudi Arabia, arguing that the weapons made from them could be used to violate human rights. The Swiss group's application for an export licence was for items worth SFr436,000 ($468,000), according to the economics ministry. The ministry said the application was for components for pistols to be sent to the United States for assembly, and then exported to Saudi Arabia... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: SwissInfo

36976

Tunisia,Egypt,Qatar,United Arab Emirates,Kuwait,Bahrain,Oman,Iraq,Saudi Arabia,Yemen,Iran,United States

How US, Middle East Gun Laws Measure Up

19 December 2012

Al Arabiya (Dubai)

The fatal Dec. 14 shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut which claimed the lives of 28 people, including 20 innocent children under 10 once again brought to light the dilemma of gun ownership in the United States and despite the fact that it received no response from the gun rights advocates but a deafening silence, laid emphasis on the necessity for the United States to revise its gun policies. The shooting rampage, in which a mentally... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Al Arabiya (Dubai)

36840

Saudi Arabia

Celebratory Gunfire Causes Fatal Accident At Saudi Arabia Wedding

31 October 2012

Yahoo News (UK and Ireland) / Reuters

RIYADH - Celebratory gunfire at a wedding party in eastern Saudi Arabia on Tuesday night brought down an electric cable, killing 23 people, a local civil defence official said. "At the wedding, the cable fell on a metal door and the 23 people who died were all electrocuted," Eastern Province official Abdullah Khashman said by phone. A photograph of the aftermath of the accident, published on local newspapers' websites showed a large courtyard strewn with fallen chairs... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Yahoo News (UK and Ireland) / Reuters

36701

Bahrain,Saudi Arabia,United Kingdom

UK Sells Weapons to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia Amid Human Rights Concerns

23 October 2012

Guardian (UK), Blog

MPs have finally recognised what has been blatantly obvious for a long time: human rights and arms exports do not go well together. This conflict always made a nonsense of the Labour government's call for an "ethical dimension" in foreign policy though the late Robin Cook did his best to try and reconcile Britain's role as one of the biggest sellers of weapons with its stated aim of protecting human rights around the world. Now, the House of Commons foreign affairs... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Guardian (UK)

36696

Oman,Saudi Arabia,Bahrain,Kuwait

Friend Kills Groom at Kuwait Wedding with Celebratory Gunfire

22 August 2012

National (Abu Dhabi)

KUWAIT CITY - A Kuwaiti groom was killed on his wedding day after his friend accidentally shot him. The friend, who surrendered to police, shot Abdullah Al Khaldi, 24, inside a car that was taking the wedding party to the marriage celebration. Mr Khaldi, who worked for the ministry of defence, died before reaching hospital. The incident, in Al Jahra neighbourhood of Kuwait City, has reignited a debate about civilian possession of firearms, which is legal in... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: National (Abu Dhabi)

36490

Panama,Liberia,Oman,Yemen,Egypt,Saudi Arabia,Mauritius,Seychelles,Mongolia,Djibouti,Madagascar,United Arab Emirates,United Kingdom,Somalia,Kenya

Anti-piracy Security Firms Keep Guns in Floating Armouries to Avoid Law

22 March 2012

Associated Press

NAIROBI, Kenya — Private security firms are storing their guns aboard floating armories in international waters so ships that want armed anti-piracy guards for East Africa's pirate-infested waters can cut costs and circumvent laws limiting the import and export of weapons, industry officials say. Companies and legal experts say the operation of the armories is a "legal gray area" because few, if any, governments have laws governing the practice. Some security... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Associated Press

35956

Nepal,Myanmar,Sri Lanka,Bangladesh,Mauritius,Libya,Morocco,Saudi Arabia,Iran,Turkey,Thailand,Indonesia,Malaysia,France,China,United States,Pakistan

Pakistan Has Achieved Self Sufficiency in Small Arms and Ammunition

5 March 2012

Indian Defence Review

After partition, Pakistan did not inherit any military production facilities. In 1951, the Pakistan Ordnance Factory was established at Wah cantonment to produce small arms, ammunition and explosives. After 1965, Pakistan, apart from shifting its overwhelming arms supplies reliance from the US to China and other western countries like France; also began to concentrate on expanding its defence production facilities. In this, it received effusive assistance from... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Indian Defence Review

35895

Madagascar,Guinea,Ghana,Botswana,Angola,Algeria,South Africa,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,Russia,Austria,Israel,Germany,Italy,United States,Yemen,Philippines,Pakistan,Sri Lanka,Tunisia,Brazil,Burkina Faso,Egypt,Côte d'Ivoire,Malawi,Mauritania,Morocco,Namibia,Niger,Nigeria,Congo (ROC),Senegal,Tanzania,Uganda,Zambia,Zimbabwe,Argentina,Ecuador

Brazilian Gun Industry Seeks New Markets: Africa and Asia [Portugues]

27 January 2012

Publica (Brazil)

[Translated summary: With the support of the Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs, Brazilian gun manufacturers seek new markets in countries with a history of human rights violations: Tunisia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Philippines and Yemen. Brazil is among the six countries in the world with annual exports exceeding $ 100 million, according to recent research from Small Arms Survey. According to the Army, responsible for supervising and controlling exports from 2005 to... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Publica (Brazil)

35794

India,Afghanistan,Iraq,Sierra Leone,South Africa,Saudi Arabia,United States,United Kingdom,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa

'The Shadow World', an Incisive Exposé of the ArmsTrade - Book Review

1 November 2011

Telegraph (UK), Book review

If there is one book unlikely to appear on the Christmas reading lists of the former defence secretary Liam Fox and his self-professed adviser Adam Werritty, one suspects that this is it. The sorry case of Dr Fox and the mystery chum-cum-lobbyist amplifies what critics of the defence procurement industry – Feinstein prefers the racier "global arms trade" – have long argued. To put it mildly, and in a nutshell, it is not known for its transparency. Nor, for that... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Telegraph (UK)

35511

Nigeria,Bahrain,Saudi Arabia,United Kingdom

UN Estimate: 1 to 3 Million Automatic Guns in Civilian Hands in Nigeria

17 September 2011

Next (Nigeria), Opinion

Arms manufacturers and dealers are delighted when a new conflict breaks out. Desert Storm was a fantastic business opportunity for arms manufacturers. Every round shot through the barrel of a gun was another "ching-ching" in the cash register. They are not the only ones that benefit through conflict. The likes of Halliburton rejoice with every airstrike and artillery shell that destroys a building or some part of national infrastructure in a foreign country. Every bit... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Next (Nigeria)

35300

Saudi Arabia

Bedouin Boy Plays with Dad's Machine Gun, Kills Himself in Saudi Arabia

30 January 2011

Emirates247.com

A Saudi Bedouin boy killed himself by accident while playing with this father's machine gun, a newspaper reported on Sunday. The boy was playing inside his father's car near their tent house in the southwestern desert village of Raniya when he saw the machine gun, Alriyadh Arabic language daily said. "He mistakenly pulled the trigger while the gun was aimed at him… he died instantly and police later ruled out any criminal... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Emirates247.com

34299

Saudi Arabia

Young Girl Plays with Dad's Hunting Gun, Shoots Grandma in Saudi Arabia

21 January 2011

Emirates247.com

A Saudi child accidentally shot her grandmother while she was playing with her father's hunting gun in the Gulf Kingdom, a newspaper reported on Friday. The grandmother was rushed to hospital north of the central town of Taif with medium injuries and doctors later said she was in a stable condition after a surgery, the Arabic language daily Almadina said. "The girl was playing with the gun when it went off and hit her grandmother at their house," the paper said... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Emirates247.com

34260

Saudi Arabia,Pakistan,Japan,United Kingdom,Switzerland,Finland,Yemen,United States

Civilians Own 74% Of All Guns Globally, Firearm Laws Differ Greatly

15 December 2010

Times of India

The 'Gun Debate' has engaged many parts of the world for decades and both public opinion and lawmakers in different countries differ considerably on this question. Interestingly, 74% of all firearms globally are owned by civilians. The right to own a firearm is a major issue in US politics and many Americans consider the possession of firearms a time-honoured custom. Strong gun-supporting lobbies like the National Rifle Association spend millions of dollars to fight... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Times of India

33838

Zimbabwe,India,Algeria,Chad,Angola,Saudi Arabia,Colombia,Libya,South Africa,Swaziland,Cameroon,United Arab Emirates

South Africa Takes Fire for Gun Sales to Conflict Areas, Blacklisted Nations

1 July 2010

Christian Science Monitor

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa, which has been winning applause for its hosting of the 2010 World Cup, is now coming under fire for another success: global arms sales. According to the South African watch group, Ceasefire Campaign, South African arms merchants have sold $1.7 billion worth of weapons in the past decade to "problematic" countries that are either involved in internal conflicts or with poor human rights records. The arms sales would appear to be in violation... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Christian Science Monitor

32947

Saudi Arabia

More Legal Guns in Saudi Arabia Will Not Protect Us From Criminals

21 October 2009

Saudi Gazette (Jeddah), Opinion

The Saudi Ministry of Interior's decision to issue licenses to entrepreneurs to open private gun shops is full of good intentions, but until more information is disclosed I must wonder: Do we really need easy access to guns? The ministry announced recently that any person 25 years or older with no criminal record and a bank guarantee of SR500,000 can open a gun shop. The best part of these requirements is the bank guarantee, which pares down the pool of potential... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Saudi Gazette (Jeddah)

31302