Gun Policy News
Gun running, arms trafficking in the United States
United States,Mexico
Mexico Gangs Prefer Guns from the 80s-90s as They Are Harder to Trace
31 January 2012
InSight Crime (Bogota)
According to Mexico's Defense Department, criminal organizations are equipping themselves with firearms that are between 20 and 30 years old. The government says this casts doubt on the claim that the gangs are better armed than the security forces.
The Mexican Army seized over 130,000 firearms since 2006, the majority of which were fabricated in the 1980s and 1990s, Excelsior reports. These include makeshift weapons that were modified or repaired using old parts from... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
35789
China,United States,Ghana,Nigeria
Nigerian Civilians Hold 2 Million Guns, Security Forces 600,000
30 January 2012
Nation (Nigeria)
Members of the dreaded insurgent group, Boko Haram, armed robbers and hired assassins have done great havoc with guns acquired illegally. Where are they coming from? OLUKAYODE THOMAS and JOKE KUJENYA examine the sources of illegal arms into the country.
The ruins are still visible on the police zonal headquatres in Kano. The offices of the State Security Service (SSS) and the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) testify to the Boko Haram bombing and armed assaults of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Nation (Nigeria)
35782
United States,Mexico
US Suggested Mexico Allow Illegal Guns to Cross Border to Cartels
28 January 2012
Washington Post / AP
WASHINGTON — Newly released Justice Department emails sent to Capitol Hill for a congressional inquiry into a gun-smuggling operation indicate that the head of the department's criminal division suggested letting some illicit "straw" weapons buyers in the U.S. transport their guns across the border into Mexico where they could be arrested.
According to the emails turned over to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Friday night, the Justice official,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Post / AP
35780
United States,Mexico
Normally Law-Abiding Mexicans Take Up Illegal Guns for Protection
28 January 2012
National Public Radio (USA)
In Mexico, where criminals are armed to the teeth with high-powered weapons smuggled from the United States, it may come as a surprise that the country has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the world.
Law-abiding Mexicans who want a gun to defend themselves have no good options. Either they fight government red tape to get a legal permit, or they buy one on the black market.
After an outbreak of violence, one embattled community in northern Mexico called... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: National Public Radio (USA)
35773
Mexico,United States
In Wake of Botched Gun Trafficking Probe, US Reveals New Sting Rules
27 January 2012
Chicago Tribune / Reuters
WASHINGTON - The Obama administration on Friday revealed new reforms undertaken to improve how it conducts undercover gun trafficking investigations in the wake of a botched operation in which scores of weapons disappeared.
The reforms require additional oversight of undercover operations, including those that involve more than 50 firearms, and, in most cases, ends the practice of paying gun dealers to serve as confidential informants.
Additionally, a new review... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Chicago Tribune / Reuters
35775
Mexico,United States
US Gun Dealers on Mexico Border Must Report Multiple Sales
18 January 2012
InSight Crime (Bogota)
A ruling by a US judge on tracking the sale of high-powered firearms in states on the southern border is a step forward for authorities trying to legislate against the flow of guns into Mexico.
Federal Judge Rosemary Collyer upheld an order made last year by the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The ATF asked more than 8,000 gun dealers in Arizona, Texas, California and New Mexico to report sales of multiple semi-automatic rifles to one... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
35743
United States
Ending the Flood of Illegal Guns in America - Wall Street Journal Opinion
23 December 2011
Wall Street Journal, Opinion
Historians have long debated who was the first person to call the U.S. Senate the "world's greatest deliberative body." Soon we may ask who was the last person to believe it. Our dysfunctional Congress has repeatedly failed to perform its duties under the Constitution to pass a budget, to advise and consent on presidential nominations, and, perhaps most tragically, to curb illegal handgun violence.
In New York, we've recently seen only too dramatically the consequences... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Wall Street Journal
35688
United States
Illegal Gun Sales Run Rampant on US Internet, Arm 'Craigslist Killers'
14 December 2011
Huffington Post (USA)
A New York City undercover investigation heralded as the first of its kind has found a "vast and largely unregulated market for illegal guns" on the Internet, and the worst offender is a website that has gotten mixed up with the law before: Craigslist.
In the report released Wednesday, entitled, "Point, Click, Fire: An Investigation of Illegal Online Gun Sales," investigators found that sellers on Craigslist agreed 82 percent of the time to sell guns to a purchaser who... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Huffington Post (USA)
35672
Cayman Islands,United States
US Federal Police Investigate Florida-Cayman Islands Gun Smuggling Ring
12 December 2011
CayCompass.com (Cayman Islands)
United States federal law enforcement authorities are investigating a firearms smuggling operation between south Florida and Grand Cayman that's been ongoing since at least 2008, according to US District Court records obtained by the Caymanian Compass.
The investigation, a branch of which led to the 2009 arrest, conviction and incarceration of four local men in US federal prison, caught up with a fifth suspect, Mikkyle Brandon Leslie – known in Cayman as Brandon... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: CayCompass.com (Cayman Islands)
35651
Jamaica,Honduras,Israel,Canada,Norway,Australia,Colombia,El Salvador,United States,Venezuela,Pakistan,Mexico
Armed Societies, Another Tragedy for Women: Mexico, Pakistan, Venezuela
9 December 2011
Inter Press Service News Agency
CARACAS - Kairobis Arcia, 25, died from a bullet to her head shot by her husband, Oswaldo Mendoza, 32, who said he was blinded by jealousy in an argument fuelled by alcohol and drugs.
Her murder was just one of the more than 468,000 homicides a year that occur worldwide, 42 percent of which are committed with firearms. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the global murder rate is 6.9 per 100,000 people – 11.9 per 100,000 among men and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Inter Press Service News Agency
35654
Guatemala,Mexico,United States
Texas Gun Shop Sold 'Infantry Squad' Weapons to Mexican Cartel Smugglers
8 December 2011
Guardian (UK)
It was nothing more than a routine inspection for federal agents. But as they browsed the records of Carter's Country gun shop in Houston, investigators picked up on a series of big sales. For cash.
Federal agents were alerted not only by the number of guns involved – sometimes a dozen at a time – but the type. Time and again buyers walked out of Carter's Country clutching assault rifles, semi-automatic pistols with armour-piercing bullets and powerful sniper... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Guardian (UK)
35645
United States
Gun Control Off the Table as US Congress Feels Heat from Influential NRA
8 December 2011
Guardian (UK)
Mexico's drug cartels have for years armed themselves courtesy of America's love for guns.
Many Americans, wedded to their right to own guns under the second amendment of the US constitution, are viscerally opposed to stronger laws to curb weapons trafficking, out of fear that it may prove to be the thin end of a wedge that they say will result in the government confiscating all firearms.
Some are wedded to their guns out of fear of crime. Others see them as a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Guardian (UK)
35644
Mexico,United States
US Quietly Approves Massive Escalation in Number of Guns Sold to Mexico
6 December 2011
CBS News (USA)
Selling weapons to Mexico - where cartel violence is out of control - is controversial because so many guns fall into the wrong hands due to incompetence and corruption. The Mexican military recently reported nearly 9,000 police weapons "missing."
Yet the U.S. has approved the sale of more guns to Mexico in recent years than ever before through a program called "direct commercial sales." It's a program that some say is worse than the highly-criticized "Fast and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: CBS News (USA)
35637
Thailand,Colombia,Russia,United States,Uganda,Rwanda,South Africa,United Arab Emirates,Belgium,Sudan,Somalia,Côte d'Ivoire,Liberia,Angola,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,Congo (DRC)
Stopping the Trade in Death, Gun Trafficking, Smuggling - Opinion
6 December 2011
New York Times, Opinion
On a dark November morning in 2004, I woke up in my bungalow overlooking Lake Kivu, tense with anticipation. Our small United Nations team was about to undertake a surprise inspection of three airfields in eastern Congo, notorious for smuggling operations.
With the backing of U.N. peacekeeping forces and a U.N. Security Council mandate, we searched almost every incoming and outgoing aircraft that day. By evening, we had the evidence to link several aviation front... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
35632
Venezuela,Peru,Ecuador,Chile,Bolivia,Paraguay,Brazil,Argentina,Mexico,Colombia,Uruguay,United States,North America,South America,Central America,Caribbean
Latin American Governments Target Gun Runners, Countries Making Guns
28 November 2011
United Press International
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay - Latin America's increasingly ambitious Mercosur regional bloc is aiming to focus on small arms suppliers who are seen as being behind the region's endemic and seemingly insurmountable problem of violent crime.
The area's disparate armed groups, guerrillas with political agenda and drug-related gangs have drawn attention from Mercosur's watchdog committees as senior officials explore ways of containing organized crime, rooting out myriad networks... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: United Press International
35594
Central America,United States,Mexico,Guatemala
Guatemala and the Black Market for US Weapons
25 November 2011
InSight Crime (Bogota)
The trafficking of weapons over the U.S.-Mexico border is well-documented -- lesser known but also significant is the sale of U.S. weapons to Guatemalan government contractors, which are then siphoned off to criminal groups.
The Mexican government has focused much of its efforts to stop arms trafficking on the smuggling of weapons over the U.S. border. This strategy ignores other sources of weapons, and other entry points. Central America, for example, represents a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
35588
Guatemala,United States,Mexico,Costa Rica,South America,Caribbean,Central America
Gun Trade Drives Soaring Latin American Homicide Rates, say Experts
24 November 2011
AFP
SAN JOSE — Illegal weapons trafficking has turned Latin America into a region of bloodletting in which over 40 percent of the world's homicides take place, experts warned Wednesday.
"Forty-two percent of homicides with a firearm that happen worldwide take place in Latin America, though only 10 percent of the world's population lives here," said Nobel laureate and former president Oscar Arias, citing UN data, at a conference of experts.
Although weapons such as... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: AFP
35583
Mexico,United States
Texas Border Town a Hotspot for US-Mexico Ammunition Smugglers
22 November 2011
KVUE.com (Texas)
EAGLE PASS, Texas – The small border town Eagle Pass has become a big corridor for ammunition smugglers who supply violent drug cartels.
In November, there was a large spike in smuggling activity.
"Just this month alone there have been three separate seizures totaling 700 magazines for AK-47 rifles," said Randy Clark, Patrol Agent in Charge for the U.S. Border Patrol station in Eagle Pass.
On Nov. 3, Border Patrol agents seized three black duffle bags near the Rio... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: KVUE.com (Texas)
35573
South America,Guatemala,El Salvador,Central America,United States,Mexico
Black Market Gun Runners Develop New Central American Routes - Report
21 November 2011
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Because the recent spike in drug-related violence in Mexico has coincided with the 2004 expiration of the U.S. assault weapons ban, and because a significant portion of the weapons used in Mexican crimes have been traced to U.S. vendors, Mexican officials often accuse liberal U.S. gun laws of being a major obstacle to a safer Mexico. Indeed, President Felipe Calderon made precisely this point during a speech to U.S. Congress in 2010.
U.S. officials have not denied that... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
35568
United States,South America,Central America,Caribbean,Trinidad & Tobago
US Gives Marking Machine to Trinidad Police, 300 Guns Marked per Month
17 November 2011
Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday
The Police Service will use a new firearms laser marking machine to mark an average of 300 firearms per month over the course of next year.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar made this statement at a brief ceremony to receive one of those machines at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain yesterday. The machine was donated to the police by the United States (US) government through the Organisation of American States.
Persad-Bissessar said on July 27, Government entered... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday
35552
Germany,China,United States,India
Increasing Availability and Seizures of Illicit Guns in Pune, India
17 November 2011
Express India
PUNE - Failure in identifying and cracking down on criminals involved in manufacturing and selling of illegal firearms is the major reason behind unchecked illegal trade of firearms in the city, police said. And investigation of some of the cases revealed that the quality of illegal firearms has improved, availability has increased while cost has gone down, police said.
According to the figures obtained by The Indian Express under the Right to Information Act (RTI)... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Express India
35548
Guatemala,United States,Mexico,Central America
Arms Trafficking, Business of Death: Guns in Central America [Espanol]
16 November 2011
Contralinea (Mexico)
[Translated Summary: Contralinea magazine details the routes by which guns are trafficked into Mexico, including the flow of arms from the US directly to Guatemala, and then over Mexico's southern border. English translation at: http://bit.ly/uBnEGu]
En la última década, México pasó del lugar vigesimosegundo al quinto en tráfico de armas en el ámbito mundial. Se calcula que cada día ingresan al país unas 2 mil para abastecer a los cárteles de la droga, la... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Contralinea (Mexico)
35574
North Africa,China,Ukraine,Chad,Mali,Niger,France,Europe,United States,Libya
Hundreds of Thousands of Libyan Assault Rifles Looking for New Owners?
15 November 2011
Time (USA)
More than three weeks after Libya's rebels killed Muammar Gaddafi, arms experts say the task of finding and securing the mountain of weaponry abandoned by Gaddafi's forces in their final rout has been complicated by a lack of international funding and coordination, as well as conflicting priorities among Western and African governments about which weapons pose the biggest threat.
While U.S. and European officials have sounded the alarm about the threat posted to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Time (USA)
35547
Algeria,France,Mauritania,Mali,Israel,Egypt,United States,West Africa,Niger,North Africa,Libya
Smuggled Libyan Arms Threaten to Destabilise Swath of African Continent
12 November 2011
Wall Street Journal
Weapons smuggled from Libya after the collapse of Moammar Gadhafi's government are flowing through the surrounding region, the president of the west African nation of Niger said Friday, a development that threatens to destabilize a swath of the continent already struggling against ethnic unrest and a regional branch of al Qaeda.
"Arms were stolen in Libya and are being disseminated all over the region," President Mahamadou Issoufou told reporters following a meeting... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Wall Street Journal
35536
Guatemala,El Salvador,Mexico,United States,Honduras,South America,Central America,Caribbean
Latin American Leaders Demand International Action on Arms Trafficking
11 November 2011
InSight Crime (Bogota)
The 2011 Ibero-American Summit, held in Asuncion, Paraguay in October, was criticized for its failures, but leaders used the platform to call attention to the global arms trade and demand international cooperation on more effective measures to fight weapons trafficking and organized crime.
At the close of the summit, the member countries issued a separate and special declaration (available in pdf format here) defining public security as a precondition for economic and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
35537
United States,United Kingdom
UK Man Guilty of Receiving Handguns Smuggled from US, Selling to Gangs
10 November 2011
Guardian (UK)
A man has been found guilty of helping an international gun runner to smuggle dozens of handguns into Britain on commercial transatlantic flights.
Over a six-month period gun runner Steven Greenoe, 37, – an American who lived in Shrewsbury and is currently awaiting sentence in the US – repeatedly crossed the Atlantic to purchase weapons to sell on to the criminal underworld for a huge profit. He broke the guns down to their component parts and smuggled them into... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Guardian (UK)
35529
Mexico,United States
Obama's A-G Blames Congress for 'Losing Battle' in US-Mexico Gun Running
8 November 2011
Guardian (UK)
The Obama administration has warned that the US is "losing the battle" to stem the flow of weapons from American guns shops to Mexican drug cartels responsible for tens of thousands of killings.
The US attorney general, Eric Holder, told a Senate hearing that Congress is in part to blame because of its hostility to gun control, even going so far as to try and block federal law enforcement agencies from requiring gun shops to report multiple sales of automatic... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Guardian (UK)
35522
Mexico,United States
Attorney General Urges US Lawmakers to Slow US-Mexico Gun Running
8 November 2011
New York Times
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. on Tuesday sought to move past the political furor over Operation Fast and Furious, the disputed Arizona gun trafficking investigation, to the wider problem of the flow of American firearms to Mexican drug cartels — and what he portrayed as roadblocks members of Congress have thrown up to stemming that flow.
In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Mr. Holder criticized a recent vote by the House of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
35516
United States
Four California Police Agencies Linked to Probe of Illegal Gun Sales
5 November 2011
Sacramento Bee (California)
The federal probe into suspected illegal gun sales by local law enforcement officers involves at least four major police agencies in the Sacramento region, officials confirmed Friday.
Two deputies from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, one Sacramento police officer and one Roseville police officer are the focus of the probe that spilled into the open Thursday, the Bee has learned.
In addition, a Sacramento firearms dealer allegedly involved with some of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Sacramento Bee (California)
35510
Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,United States
Tough to Prosecute Gun Dealers Without Laws: Oxfam, Human Rights First
4 November 2011
San Francisco Chronicle, Opinion
In a trial that played out with far less fanfare than the "Lord of War" movie based on Viktor Bout's life, the public got a rare glimpse into the shadowy world of international arms brokering. Bout was convicted by a federal jury in New York this week on four counts of conspiracy, including conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Not among the counts against him, ironically, was his alleged involvement in nearly 20 years of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: San Francisco Chronicle
35507
North Africa,West Asia,South America,Africa,Thailand,Colombia,United States
Global Gun Runner, 'Merchant of Death' Viktor Bout Swiftly Convicted
2 November 2011
BBC News
A former Soviet military officer has been found guilty in a New York court of attempting to sell heavy weapons to a Colombian rebel group.
Prosecutors said Viktor Bout, 44, who has been dubbed the merchant of death, stood to make millions from supplying weapons to the group.
The defence argued Bout had only wanted to sell two cargo planes.
He was arrested in Bangkok in 2008 after a sting operation in which US informants posed as Colombian rebels.
He remained in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
35497
Mexico,United States
US Defends Gun Sale Reporting Requirement in Court
26 October 2011
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Gun store owners in southwestern border states argued in federal court Tuesday that the Obama administration cannot require them to report when customers buy multiple high-powered rifles.
The Justice Department responded to a lawsuit seeking to block the two-month-old requirement by asking a judge to uphold its legality, arguing the measure could help stop the flow of guns to Mexican drug cartels. It requires sellers in California, Arizona, New Mexico... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
35475
Guatemala,El Salvador,Caribbean,South America,Central America,Mexico,United States
Authorities Discussed California's Role as a Pipeline for Illegal Guns to Mexico
25 October 2011
Southern California Public Radio (USA)
State and local officials were joined by Mexican law enforcement in Los Angeles Tuesday to discuss California's role as a pipeline for illegal weapons to Mexican drug cartels.
Authorities say California actually ranks much lower than other border states in gun trafficking. But the state's highways are often used to transport the weapons.
State Senator Kevin De Leon chairs the Senate Select Committee on Immigration and the Economy. The L.A. Democrat says federal... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Southern California Public Radio (USA)
35462
United States
Eight New York Policemen Charged in Gun Smuggling Ring
25 October 2011
Reuters
NEW YORK - Eight New York City policemen were charged on Tuesday with helping run a gun-smuggling ring in a city whose mayor, Michael Bloomberg, is leading a national campaign against illegal guns.
The men were accused of exploiting their experience and credentials to take part in schemes to illegally transport guns, slot machines, cigarettes and counterfeit goods across state lines, a criminal complaint released by the U.S. District Attorney's Office said.
Five of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
35457
Niger,Mauritania,Mali,Libya,Algeria,United States
US, Algeria to Cooperate in Fight Against Libyan Arms Trafficking [Francais]
24 October 2011
Le Nouvel Observateur (France) / AP
[Translated summary: The United States wants to strengthen cooperation with Algeria in the fight against small arms trafficking from neighboring Libya. Sahel countries - Algeria, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger - are concerned about the movement of illicit small arms from Libya.]
ALGER — Les Etats-Unis souhaitent renforcer la coopération avec l'Algérie pour lutter contre le trafic d'armes en provenance de la Libye voisine, a déclaré lundi le secrétaire d'Etat... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Le Nouvel Observateur (France) / AP
35452
United States,Canada
London, Ontario Gun Violence Fear: Toronto's Guns Land Here
19 October 2011
London Free Press (Ontario)
Many come from the U.S. - ripped off, smuggled across the border and often secreted here with the illegal drug trade.
But London also pays for crime in the Big Smoke - Toronto, with many of the illegal guns seized here by police originating in the mega-city as well. As recently as four years ago, four of every 10 guns seized by a special London squad could be traced back to the Toronto area.
But the truth is, illegal weapons scooped off London streets - 441 so far... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: London Free Press (Ontario)
35437
United States,Libya,Germany
Germany Provides Eur 750,000 for Destruction of Small Arms in Libya
17 October 2011
African Press Organization (APO)
BERLIN, Germany -- The German Government is providing EUR 750,000 for the securing and destruction of small arms – including man-portable air-defence systems (MANPADS) – up to the end of this year.
The money will be used to enable specialist Libyan and international teams to locate, secure and destroy small arms and ammunition arsenals.
In Foreign Minister Westerwelle's view, supporting the securing and destruction of old weapons is an important task for the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: African Press Organization (APO)
35424
Mexico,United States
Second Bush Administration Gun-Trafficking Investigation
15 October 2011
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — A second Bush administration gun-trafficking investigation has surfaced using the same controversial tactic for which congressional Republicans have been criticizing the Obama administration.
The tactic, called "gun walking," is already under investigation by the Justice Department's inspector general and by congressional Republicans, who have criticized the administration of Democratic President Barack Obama for letting it happen in an operation called... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
35418
United States,United Kingdom
Handguns Smuggled into UK from US in Major Criminal Enterprise
11 October 2011
Yorkshire Post (UK)
Lethal handguns were smuggled into Yorkshire from the US in a major criminal enterprise which saw weapons dismantled and hidden in hollowed-out electrical goods.
Self-loading Glock pistols, normally used only by police, were bought in Texas and shipped to the region in an operation involving 15 Yorkshire-based conspirators, a court heard yesterday.
The group succeeded in smuggling 12 pistols into the country and wanted 18 in total, but the plot was foiled by a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Yorkshire Post (UK)
35390
Mexico,United States
Smuggled US Ammunition Feeds Mexico's Ongoing Drug Gun Wars
9 October 2011
USA Today
PHOENIX - Every year, thousands of guns are smuggled into Mexico from the United States, fueling the brutal drug-cartel wars and stirring outrage on both sides of the border.
But often overlooked in the controversy are the tons of bullets that also make their way south of the border.
In Mexico, ammunition is strictly regulated and possession of even a single illegal round can lead to prison. But there is nonetheless a steady supply of bullets. Almost all of it comes... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: USA Today
35386
United Kingdom,United States
Former US Marine Smuggled up to 80 Guns for UK Criminals - Court
5 October 2011
Guardian (UK)
Guns smuggled into the UK on commercial flights by a former US marine captain were used to carry out crimes on the streets of Britain, including a fatal shooting, a court was told.
Steven Greenoe, 37, bought weapons from American gun shops, broke them down to their component parts, and smuggled them into the UK in his luggage, Liverpool crown court heard on Wednesday.
Two British men were also said to have been involved in the alleged conspiracy: Steven Cardwell, 31,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Guardian (UK)
35376
Libya,United States
As Civil War Winds Down, Libya Is Awash in Small Arms
26 September 2011
National (Abu Dhabi), Editorial
Somewhere amid the detritus of Col Muammar Qaddafi's unlamented regime, US officials say, are as many as 20,000 shoulder-launched rockets, each capable of shooting down an airliner or helicopter. The notion of such weapons in the hands of Al Qaeda or its allies is a nightmare for everyone.
For the people of Libya, however, those rockets are just part of a much wider problem: as the civil war winds down, after the collapse of Qaddafi's regime, the country is awash in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: National (Abu Dhabi)
35333
United States,Mexico
US Customs Seized 30 Assault Rifles Bound for Mexico
22 September 2011
Reuters
AUSTIN, Texas - U.S. customs agents in Texas seized 30 high-powered assault rifles when they searched a car heading into Mexico in what they said was the largest gun seizure at the state's border this year.
Agents at the Del Rio port of entry found the stash of Kalashnikov and M-4 type rifles in the trunk of a Nissan Altima headed into Mexico on Wednesday, and arrested the 18-year-old driver from Eagle Pass, the Customs and Border Protection agency said in a news... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
35320
Puerto Rico,United States
Puerto Rico and US to Join Forces Against Gun Trafficking [Espanol]
20 September 2011
EFE News Agency
[Translated summary: Puerto Rico announced the creation of a joint unit between local security forces and US federal agenncies, designed to combat illegal gun trafficking and rising armed crime in Puerto Rico.]
SAN JUAN - El gobernador Luis Fortuño anunció hoy la creación de una unidad conjunta entre fuerzas de seguridad locales y federales diseñada para luchar contra el tráfico de armas ilegales y combatir el alza de crímenes violentos en Puerto Rico.
Fortuño... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: EFE News Agency
35327
Mexico,United States
Mexico Still Waiting for Answers on US Gun-running Programme
19 September 2011
Los Angeles Times
Reporting from Mexico City and Washington— Last fall's slaying of Mario Gonzalez, the brother of a Mexican state prosecutor, shocked people on both sides of the border. Sensational news reports revealed that cartel hit men had tortured Gonzalez, and forced him to make a videotaped "confession" that his high-powered sister was on the take.
But American authorities concealed one disturbing fact about the case from their Mexican counterparts: U.S. federal agents had... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Los Angeles Times
35303
United States
The US Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act: 'Some Bad Ideas Refuse to Die'
18 September 2011
New York Times, Editorial
Some bad ideas refuse to die. Include in that category an extreme proposal percolating in the House to strip states of their authority to decide who may carry a concealed loaded firearm. This gift to the gun lobby, the subject of a hearing last week by a House Judiciary subcommittee, is nearly identical to a provision the Senate defeated by a narrow margin two years ago.
Every state but Illinois makes some allowance for concealed weapons. The eligibility rules vary... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
35292
Puerto Rico,United States
Man Charged with Smuggling Hundreds of Guns to Puerto Rico from US
8 September 2011
Orlando Sentinel (Florida)
Investigators have charged a New Jersey man with trafficking hundreds of .40-caliber Glock pistols from Central Florida to Puerto Rico though underground channels, a federal affidavit states.
Luis Velazquez-Pinero was indicted on Aug. 31 on charges that he illegally shipped firearms in interstate and foreign commerce, travelled from New Jersey to illegally acquire firearms and lied to investigators.
Records show agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Orlando Sentinel (Florida)
35274
United States
New Yorkers Vent Frustation at Washington, Obama's Lack of Gun Control
7 September 2011
New York Times
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's efforts to stamp out gun violence in New York were challenged over the Labor Day weekend by a spate of shootings: Bullets flew at house parties, along parade routes and across stoops and street corners.
By Monday's close, 13 people had been killed and 67 injured in 52 shootings since early Friday. The toll stunned veteran police officers, leading some to wonder if violent crime, which has declined across the city for many years, was rising... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
35273
Europe,North America,South America,United States,Caribbean,Cuba,Jamaica
Jamaica to Sign Anti Drug and Gun Trafficking Pacts with Cuba
6 September 2011
New York Times / AP
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica's top security official announced Tuesday that he will lead a delegation to Cuba this week to sign agreements strengthening cooperation against drug trafficking and other crimes.
Security Minister Dwight Nelson said the pacts are intended to increase intelligence sharing about the "movement of guns and drugs and the groups involved in their movement between the two countries."
Jamaica is the Caribbean's largest source of marijuana for the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times / AP
35251
Mexico,United States
Mexico Arrests US Man Accused of Smuggling Arm Parts for Cartels
6 September 2011
Washington Post / AP
PHOENIX — Police have arrested an American man who allegedly smuggled parts for as many as 2,000 grenades into Mexico for drug cartels, more than a year after he was released by U.S. agents who stopped him at the Arizona-Mexico border for having more than a hundred grenade parts.
While a Department of Justice official said the case will be added to the investigation of Operation Fast and Furious, a flawed effort by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Post / AP
35250
Mexico,United States
American in Mexican Custody Suspected of Gun Trafficking for Cartels
6 September 2011
CNN
Mexican authorities have an American citizen in custody who they say is suspected of trafficking firearms and grenades to a major Mexican drug cartel.
According to Mexico's attorney general's office, Jean Baptiste Kingery Moinssonm was allegedly smuggling firearm and grenade parts into the country. Once the goods were in Mexican territory, Moinssonm allegedly assembled and sold the weapons to the Sinaloa cartel.
Mexican federal police took Moinssonm into custody in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: CNN
35248
Ukraine,North Africa,Niger,Algeria,Mali,France,United Kingdom,United States,Libya
Libya Warned Smugglers Are Looting Gaddafi's Guns
2 September 2011
Guardian (UK)
Libya must urgently secure weapons hoarded by the Gaddafi regime amid growing fears that smugglers are exploiting the chaos there to loot hundreds of portable missiles and other small arms, western officials have warned.
The US and Nato are pressing the National Transitional Council to make the issue a priority because of concerns that the trade has already begun, with reports that some African mercenaries who fought for Colonel Muammar Gaddafi are returning home laden... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Guardian (UK)
35237
Mexico,United States
America's Refusal to Curb Gun Traffic to Mexican Cartels the 'Real Scandal'
1 September 2011
Washington Post, Editorial
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. announced Tuesday that Kenneth E. Melson, acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), would step down from his post. Also announced was that U.S. Attorney Dennis K. Burke of Arizona would resign.
In Washington parlance, both men had become "distractions" because of their roles in the now-discredited "Operation Fast and Furious." The Phoenix-based effort was intended to slow the illegal flow of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Post
35232
Mexico,United States
Feds' US-Mexico Gun Trafficking Scandal Costs Top Officials Their Jobs
31 August 2011
New York Times
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Tuesday replaced two top Justice Department officials associated with an ill-fated investigation into a gun-trafficking network in Arizona that has been at the center of a political conflagration.
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. announced the resignation of the United States attorney in Phoenix, Dennis K. Burke, and the reassignment of the acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Kenneth... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
35229
Canada,United States
Truck Driver Charged with Smuggling 16 Guns at US-Canada Border
15 August 2011
CJOC News (Alberta)
A 48 year old Canadian man is facing several charges after a large weapons seizure at the Canada/U.S. Border crossing south of Cardston. Kevin Lorne Swanson was arrested when Canada Border Guards found 16 firearms, 10 prohibited magazine clips, and one silencer concealed in crates on a flat-deck trailer at Carway on August 9th. C.B.S.A. Director Kevin Hewson says something just wasn't right about Swanson, as the suspect was nervous, was away from Canada for a long... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: CJOC News (Alberta)
35196
Colombia,United States,Mexico,Central America,Iraq,El Salvador,Guatemala,Honduras
Honduras Standing As the Epicenter of Central America's Arms Trade
13 August 2011
Honduras Weekly / InSight Crime
A recent report released by the National Commissioner for Human Rights (Conadeh), in Honduras indicates that there are more than 850,000 weapons in circulation in the country. Only 258,000 weapons, however, are officially registered. It is therefore hardly surprising, in a country with hundreds of thousands of illegal weapons, that as many as 80 percent of homicides are firearm related.
Traditionally, Hondurans have taken a rather liberal approach to gun ownership,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Honduras Weekly / InSight Crime
35190
Russia,United States,European Union,Belgium,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,Burundi
Development, Security Require a World Without Small Arms [Francais]
9 August 2011
Pax Christi Wallonie Bruxelles (Brussels)
[Translated summary: In Burundi, the authorities spend each year an average of 5 dollars per person for health care. Each gun injury costs 163 dollars to the health care system. Three quarters of the global budget for health care is thus spent on these injuries!]
Au Burundi, les autorités consacrent en moyenne 5 dollars par habitant aux soins de santé chaque année. Chaque blessure causée par une arme à feu coûte 163 dollars au système des soins de santé. Trois... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Pax Christi Wallonie Bruxelles (Brussels)
35176
United States
Gun Show Loophole in Federal Laws, Hot Debate Continues in US
8 August 2011
Dayton Daily News (Ohio)
DAYTON — Two years after a local gun show was a target of a New York City investigation highlighting a loophole in federal firearms laws, local authorities arrested four men Saturday on a variety of weapons violations.
The operation targeted "private" or "occasional" sellers and buyers at Bill Goodman's Gun & Knife Show at the Hara Arena on Saturday. Under federal laws, licensed firearms dealers must conduct background checks on those purchasing weapons. Private... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Dayton Daily News (Ohio)
35168
Guatemala,El Salvador,Central America,Mexico,United States
US Gun Lobby, Congress Hamper, Slow Work of Feds' Gun Tracing Centre
5 August 2011
Houston Chronicle (Texas)
MARTINSBURG, West Virginia — No signs mark the outside of the hidden 1960s-vintage government facility in the bucolic countryside of West Virginia's panhandle.
Even the parking lot is obscured by black tarps lining a cyclone fence.
But just inside the warehouse-like brick building is the National Tracing Center, the epicenter of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' effort to combat and control illegal gun use.
When police need to trace a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Houston Chronicle (Texas)
35166
South Africa,Brazil,Argentina,Australia,Mexico,United States,Canada,Africa,Sweden,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas
Canada Gun Lobby Influence on Foreign Policy: Arms Trade Treaty
3 August 2011
Embassy Magazine (Canada), Opinion
Canada has never been a strong supporter of international efforts to negotiate an effective Arms Trade Treaty. But in mid-July, it reversed its previous low-key but constructive role at the United Nations ATT preparatory meetings to become a potential treaty spoiler. All indications point to this change of heart arising from the domestic gun lobby's influence on Canadian foreign policy.
After years of preparation, member states of the United Nations will devote a month... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Embassy Magazine (Canada)
35160
Mexico,United States
US Gun Lobby Fights Mexico Border Semi-automatic Rifle Sale Control
3 August 2011
New York Times / Reuters
WASHINGTON - The U.S. gun industry on Wednesday sued to block requirements that weapons dealers along the border with Mexico report multiple sales of semi-automatic rifles, escalating the fight with the Obama administration.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) last month ordered more than 8,000 gun dealers in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California to report such sales to try to stem the "iron river" of guns flowing to violent Mexican drug... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times / Reuters
35158
Kyrgyzstan,Czech Republic,Pakistan,Afghanistan,Central Asia,Russia,Uzbekistan,China,Kazakhstan,European Union,United States,Colombia,Iran
Smuggling of Small Arms in Central Asia Is Endemic - British Expert
2 August 2011
Journal of Turkish Weekly (Turkey), Transcript
British intelligence analyst and journalist Richard M. Bennett says the Fergana Valley is extremely vulnerable to the covert smuggling of arms and drugs, despite the official reports of Central Asian governments denying its highlighted status. Mr. Bennett told JTW that Russia has been responsible for an overwhelming amount of illegal arms circulating in ex-Soviet Central Asia. In his view, Russia's military intelligence (GRU) is the mastermind of major trafficking... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Journal of Turkish Weekly (Turkey)
35152
Mexico,United States
For Mexicans, US Gun Industry Plays a Role in Mexico's Drug Violence
31 July 2011
McClatchy Newspapers (USA)
MEXICO CITY -- While a gunrunning sting known as Fast and Furious draws criticism in Congress for losing track of weapons that were smuggled into Mexico, Mexicans say the controversy confirms their conviction that the U.S. gun industry profits off of bloodshed south of the border.
As new details of the U.S. undercover operation emerged last week in congressional hearings in Washington, many Mexicans said the scandal demonstrates how easily crime gangs obtain large... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: McClatchy Newspapers (USA)
35145
Mexico,United States
Inside the Controversial US-Mexico Gun Trafficking Investigation
30 July 2011
Associated Press
PHOENIX -- Ten days before Christmas, ATF agent John Dodson awoke, got his morning coffee, switched on the TV news – and heard the words he had dreaded every day of every month he had been a member of the gun-trafficking investigative team called the Group VII Strike Force.
A Border Patrol agent had been shot dead in a gun battle with suspected bandits. The agent was 40, only months older than Dodson himself, another ex-military man who chose to serve his country by... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
35144
Mexico,United States
Feds Made 'Colossally Dumb Decision' Allowing US Guns to 'Walk' Into Mexico
28 July 2011
New York Times, Editorial
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — perennially hogtied by the gun lobby's power over Congress — made a colossally dumb decision when it concocted a sting operation that let 2,020 high-powered weapons slip across the border into Mexico.
The goal of Operation Fast and Furious, begun in 2009, was to tolerate suspicious large-scale purchases of assault weapons on the American side of the border in order to track the guns all the way up the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
35138
Mexico,United States
Firearm Trafficking: The Embarrassing US-Mexico Operation [Francais]
26 July 2011
Radio Canada
[Translated summary: The investigation carried out into the US Operation against firearms trafficking between US and Mexico is embarrassing for Washington.]
La Chambre des représentants enquête sur une opération du gouvernement américain contre le trafic d'armes entre les États-Unis et le Mexique, qui est en train de plonger Washington dans l'embarras.
Lancée en 2009 par des agents du Bureau de l'alcool, du tabac et des armes à feu (ATF), à Phoenix,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Radio Canada
35120
Pakistan,South Asia,China,United States,United Kingdom,Germany,France,India,Nepal
Global Gun Trade Treaty the Only Way to Control 'Arms Bazaar'
25 July 2011
República (Kathmandu), Opinion
In 2009, I recall visiting a militant camp in India's North East a day before they would surrender. The deputy commander who was in charge and allegedly responsible for the death of at least 200 people brandished his M16 assault rifle and flaunted his bodyguard who was following him with a rocket launcher. He was calm but shifty-eyed and admitted having a personal saving of a few billion INR in his account. Barely 24 hours after his formal surrender, he was in seen in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: República (Kathmandu)
35116
Central America,Mexico,United States
ATF Data Defy Theory, Tie US Gun Flow To Mexican Cartels
23 July 2011
San Francisco Chronicle
Washington -- The claim that Mexican cartels rely on huge stocks of military surplus weaponry from civil wars in Central America is the mantra of pro-gun organizations fearful that linking drug violence to U.S.-purchased weapons could lead to more gun control.
Though gun-rights advocates and at least one prominent U.S. senator ferociously stand by that politically charged theory, federal firearms data show only a tiny percentage originate south of Mexico's... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: San Francisco Chronicle
35106
Canada,United States
11 Guns Seized Last Week, 75 This Year at Canada's US-BC Border Posts
20 July 2011
Vancouver Sun (British Columbia)
VANCOUVER - Canadian border officers in B.C. seized 75 firearms so far this year, included 10 loaded handguns.
The seized weapons were mainly from U.S. travelers who failed to declare them, according to the Canada Border Services Agency.
It is illegal to bring undeclared firearms into Canada.
A total of 461 firearms were seized last year at border crossings across Canada, with 141 of those seized at B.C. crossings.
The CBSA provided a list today of the most recent... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Vancouver Sun (British Columbia)
35103
Costa Rica,Panama,El Salvador,Nicaragua,Colombia,Central America,United States,Mexico,Honduras,Guatemala
Most Guns Seized in Guatemala 'Come From Honduras' [Espanol]
19 July 2011
La Prensa (Honduras), Editorial
[Translated summary: Most guns seized in Guatemala come from Honduras, claims Public Ministry. Assault rifles, hand grenades, semi-automatic weapons, large caliber rifles as unconventional Barrett .50 caliber and AK-47, were part of the weaponry confiscated from the Zetas (dug cartel) operating in Central America.]
Fusiles de asalto, armas automáticas y granadas buscan los criminales mexicanos en países centroamericanos para continuar la guerra que libran con la... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: La Prensa (Honduras)
35085
Mexico,United States
ATF Chief Confirms Some Criticism of the Agency on US Guns Scandal
19 July 2011
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says that in at least one instance during a now-controversial gun-running investigation his agents did not intercept high-powered weapons when they could and should have.
Kenneth Melson's acknowledgement is the first by any senior ATF leader that confirms some of the criticism that Republicans on Capitol Hill have been leveling at Operation Fast and Furious. The concerns have resulted in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
35074
Mexico,United States
US Justice Dept. Trying to Shield Officials in Gun Trafficking Scandal
19 July 2011
Los Angeles Times
Reporting from Washington— The Justice Department is trying to protect its political appointees from the Fast and Furious scandal by concealing an internal "smoking gun" report and other documents that acknowledge the role top officials played in the program that allowed firearms to flow illegally into Mexico, according to the head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Kenneth E. Melson, the ATF's acting director, also told congressional... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Los Angeles Times
35073
United States,Central America,South America,Jamaica,Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands Police Raises Concern on Gun Crime and Smuggling
18 July 2011
Cayman Compass
More than a dozen North Siders attended the final community meeting on Tuesday, 12 July, hosted by the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service on Grand Cayman before the panel left for the Sister Islands.
One of the most well-attended meetings in the series so far, the audience included North Side MLA Ezzard Miller and former MLA Edna Moyle.
Several issues touched on at previous district meetings - such as truancy and youth development - were discussed, but gun crime,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Cayman Compass
35075
Mexico,United States
US-Mexico Gun Tracking Program Comes Under Congressional Fire
16 July 2011
Christian Science Monitor
ATLANTA - Busting a major gunrunning ring on the New Mexico frontier – and netting a mayor, a police chief and a town councilor in the process – would normally be a huge feather in the cap of embattled federal agencies under pressure to stop cross-border arms smuggling and corruption.
But instead, the resolution of the so-called Columbus 11 case in the historic border village of Columbus, N.M., has taken on a muted tone, primarily because of its potentially... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Christian Science Monitor
35067
Mexico,United States
US Justice Department Effort to Contain Gun Running Scandal Crumbling
13 July 2011
Washington Post, Editorial
The Justice Department's effort to contain the Operation Fast and Furious gunrunning scandal is crumbling. Members of Congress are demanding full disclosure regarding the bizarre scheme to funnel guns to Mexican drug cartels, supposedly to help sniff out the higher-level bad guys. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. isn't helping congressional investigators understand the rationale behind this breathtakingly dumb idea.
The so-called Fast and Furious program fit right... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Post
35056
Mexico,United States
Gun Mayhem Along Border, Obama Must Pursue Stronger Gun Control
13 July 2011
New York Times, Editorial
It is an open and deadly scandal that at least 70 percent of the weapons recovered in Mexico's bloody drug war originate in the United States, where shady gun buyers operate freely thanks to loopholes in American law. To its credit, the Obama administration has ordered the more than 8,000 dealers along the border to begin reporting multiple sales of AK-47s and other semiautomatic battlefield weapons to the federal firearms bureau.
Straw buyers have been easily... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
35055
United States,Mexico
New US Rule on Border Gun Sales is Drawing Both Praise and Criticism
12 July 2011
Fox News (USA)
The Justice Department's new policy on requiring all gun shops in four Southwest border states to report frequent buyers of semi-automatic weapons is drawing both praise and criticism.
Dennis Henigan, acting president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, is pleased with the new requirement.
"This new reporting rule will give law enforcement new capacity to interdict these deadly guns before they can be used against Mexican police and citizens."
But the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Fox News (USA)
35049
United States,Mexico
New Rules Announced Amid Criticism of Flawed US Gun-running Operation
12 July 2011
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — In an effort to stem the illicit flow of weapons into Mexico, the Justice Department announced Monday that all gun shops in four Southwest border states will be required to alert the federal government to frequent buyers of high-powered rifles.
The new policy comes amid criticism of a flawed federal probe aimed at dismantling large-scale arms trafficking networks along the Arizona border with Mexico.
In the probe, called Operation Fast and Furious,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
35042
Canada,United States
Long Gun Registry: Quebec Will Have to Do Without Ottawa [Francais]
11 July 2011
Radio Canada / CP
[Translated summary: If Quebec wants to build a Provincial Long Gun Registry, it will have to do without Ottawa, said the Canadian Ministry for Public Safety. The Federal Ministry added that it will not provide financial support and will not share data from its Registry.]
Québec ne pourra pas compter sur l'aide du gouvernement fédéral s'il veut mettre sur pied son propre registre d'armes d'épaule lorsqu'Ottawa abolira le sien, comme il s'est engagé à le... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Radio Canada / CP
35044
Mexico,United States
New US Rules Require Dealers to Report Multiple Semi-auto Rifle Sales
11 July 2011
New York Times
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Monday approved a new regulation requiring firearms dealers along the Southwest border to report multiple sales of certain semiautomatic rifles, a rule intended to make it harder for Mexican drug cartels to obtain and smuggle weapons from the United States.
Under the rule, dealers in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas will be required to inform the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives if someone buys —... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
35037
Gabon,United States
Major US Justice Dept Gun Running Bribery Sting Rebounds, Fails in Court
8 July 2011
MainJustice.com
The Justice Department's decision to use an undercover sting to encourage executives in the defense products industry to offer bribes may have backfired this week, as jurors couldn't reach a verdict in a case the Justice Department had called the "turning point" for its fight against foreign bribery.
After more than 16 months of pre-trial hearings, 6 weeks of trial and 7 days of deliberation the case came to unsatisfying and unfinished end Thursday.
U.S. Federal... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: MainJustice.com
35062
United States,Mexico
Head of US Federal Firearm Agency Admits Mexico Gun Sting Mistakes
7 July 2011
BBC News
The head of the US firearms agency has told Congress mistakes were made in a sting operation meant to track the illegal movement of guns to Mexico.
Under Operation Fast and Furious, US officials were told to allow hundreds of guns to be smuggled into Mexico.
The aim was to track them to major weapons traffickers, but some of the guns were later found at crime scenes.
Agency head Kenneth Melson said he was "sick to his stomach" on learning the full details of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
35025
Mexico,United States
Head of US Federal Firearm Bureau Admits Mexico Gun Sting Mistakes
6 July 2011
Reuters
The acting head of the U.S. firearms agency admitted during secret talks at Congress that mistakes were made in a botched operation to track the illegal movement of guns to Mexico, lawmakers said on Wednesday.
The operation, dubbed "Fast and Furious," has put the Obama administration on the defensive, provoking questions about who knew what and when within the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Justice Department, as well as questions about... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
35021
Mexico,United States
After Mexican Scandal, Should US Feds Firearm Bureau Continue to Exist?
4 July 2011
New York Times
WASHINGTON — The last time the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was caught up in scandal, its director faced accusations of lavish spending on his new office. Before he resigned, Congress, flexing its oversight muscles, decided the Senate would confirm all future A.T.F. chiefs.
That was five years ago. Nobody has been confirmed, and the nation has been without a chief firearms inspector ever since.
Today, the bureau is again under... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
35013
United States,India
Indian Businessman Arrested for Smuggling Gun Parts from United States
30 June 2011
Times of India
MUMBAI - The crime intelligence unit (CIU) arrested a wholesale supplier of health and protein drinks, Sanjay Chaudhry, from the Mumbai airport for smuggling spare gun parts from the US.
Sleuths screened his baggage and found several gun parts like springs, triggers, hammers and magazines.
The cops have also arrested one Shivananda Shetty, who bought gun parts from Chaudhry and sold them to dealers in the grey market.
Chaudhry came under the crime branch's scanner... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Times of India
34999
United States,Mexico
US Gun Law Needed to Combat Arms Trafficking to Mexico Drug Cartels
30 June 2011
Washington Post
The ranking Democrat on the House committee investigating the controversial federal gun-trafficking operation known as Fast and Furious accused its Republican chairman on Wednesday of stifling discussion of whether U.S. gun laws have contributed to the violence in Mexico.
A report released Wednesday by Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) said weak laws impede federal firearms agents trying to counter gun trafficking by Mexican drug cartels. It criticizes Rep. Darrell Issa... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Post
34998
United States,Mexico
Gun Lobby Cripples US Agency in Charge of Tracking Down Illegal Guns
27 June 2011
Washington Post, Editorial
The gun rights lobby has spent considerable time and energy in pursuit of one goal: crippling the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). It has largely succeeded — and with dire consequences.
Concerned to the point of paranoia about the erosion of the constitutional right to keep and bear arms, the National Rifle Association and far too many lawmakers have fought against virtually every proposal to empower the bureau to better track and crack down... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Post
34988
United States,Mexico
US Gun Agency and Congress Responsible for Firearm Tracing Failure
27 June 2011
Los Angeles Times, Editorial
The agency failed in a border operation that let guns fall into criminals' hands. But Congress has failed to adopt sensible laws to prevent mass 'straw purchases' of arms destined for use in crimes.
A congressional subcommittee has spent much of the last month investigating how a border security operation code named "Fast and Furious" allowed hundreds of guns to fall into the hands of criminals on both sides of the Mexican border.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Los Angeles Times
34984
United States,Mexico
With Gun-running Scandal, Now's the Time to Target US Gun Control
24 June 2011
Guardian (UK)
When Republican chairman of the House oversight and government reform committee, Representative Darrel Issa, called for the resignation of ATF acting director Kenneth Melson, few in American political circles found it controversial. Melson, after all, was responsible for overseeing the ATF's botched gun-tracking operations that led to the trafficking of thousands of weapons into Mexico and countless consequent deaths – including that of US customs agent Brian... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Guardian (UK)
34982
Canada,United States,Mexico
US Gun-running Program Flaw Relies on Great Number of Mexican Deaths
22 June 2011
National Post (Toronto), Opinion
These are not halcyon days for the unique American combination of extreme drug prohibition and extreme firearms permissiveness. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is enduring its biggest scandal since Waco over an anti-drug operation very inappropriately titled "Fast and Furious." In a nutshell, ATF agents watched carefully as people in Arizona bought massive quantities of legal weapons (notably AK-47 assault rifles), knowing they'd be smuggled across the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: National Post (Toronto)
34979
United States,Mexico
Did Ill Fated US Gun Running Sting Kill Mexicans, Damage War on Drugs?
21 June 2011
Christian Science Monitor
WASHINGTON -- Fast and Furious – not the movie franchise, but the US government's ill-fated undercover gun-running operation targeting Mexican drug cartels – ended up putting more guns in the hands of criminals on both sides of the US-Mexico border.
It deepened a rift between the US and Mexico over weapons flowing south, caused a major scandal in the Justice Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), which hatched the operation in 2009,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Christian Science Monitor
34967
United States,Mexico
Hypocrisy, Locked and Loaded: US Floods Mexico with Assault Weapons
20 June 2011
New York Times, Editorial
If Congressional Republicans are really intent on getting to the bottom of an ill-conceived sting operation along the border by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, they should call President Felipe Calderón of Mexico as an expert witness.
Mr. Calderón has the data showing that the tens of thousands of weapons seized from the Mexican drug cartels in the last four years mostly came from the United States. Three out of five of those guns were... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
34976
United States,Mexico
US-Mexico Gun Running Scandal: 'A Drug-War Plan Goes Awry'
20 June 2011
Wall Street Journal, Opinion
One of the frightening things about the U.S. government's war on drugs is that it is being waged by federal bureaucracies. The legend of Elliot Ness notwithstanding, this implies that it is not only fraught with ineptitude but that before it is all over, there are going to be a lot of avoidable deaths.
Witness "Operation Fast and Furious," a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms plan that allegedly facilitated the flow of high-powered weapons into Mexico in the hope... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Wall Street Journal
34961
Mexico,United States
Lethal Fallout from Botched US Sting: Gun Trafficking Scandal Exposed
16 June 2011
Independent (UK)
The lethal fallout from a botched operation by the US Department of Justice which allowed almost 2,000 illegally purchased firearms to be transported from the streets of Arizona to drug gangs in Mexico has been laid bare in a scathing Congressional report, which concludes that it resulted in countless deaths.
A mixture of arrogance, over-confidence, and staggering ineptitude by the Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives [ATF] was outlined in a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Independent (UK)
34947
Mexico,United States
Top Agency Officials Knew of Disputed US-Mexico Gun Programme
15 June 2011
New York Times
WASHINGTON — Knowledge of Operation Fast and Furious, a controversial border security strategy that allowed guns to be shipped illegally into Mexico in an effort to track them to drug cartels, went to the top of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, according to evidence released on Wednesday at a House Oversight Committee hearing.
The operation, which began in 2009, came under fire after two guns linked to it were found at the scene of the killing of an... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
34952
United States,Mexico
America's Guns Fuel Mexico Drug War? The Politics Behind a Hot Issue
15 June 2011
Christian Science Monitor
MEXICO CITY - Who is supplying guns to Mexican drug traffickers?
The answer has become one of the most polemical in the gun rights debate, with Mexico blaming lax US gun laws and gun rights advocates saying that blame is misplaced.
Statistics are cited. Methodologies are dismissed.
A new report released this week by US senators has renewed the fight, with valid points coming from both sides of the divide.
The report, issued by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Christian Science Monitor
34949
Mexico,United States
Bosses Minimised Fed Agents' Misgivings on US-Mexico Gun Tracking
15 June 2011
Wall Street Journal
Federal agents battled their supervisors to stop a government program that kept illicit guns in circulation to trace them to weapons traffickers, a new congressional report shows.
Some agents even worried that a gun tracked, then lost, in the program might have been used in the January shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. That didn't turn out to be the case, but other guns tracked by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives did end up at other crime... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Wall Street Journal
34946
United States,Mexico
US Justice Dept. Accused of 'Reckless Technique' in Gun Trafficking Scandal
14 June 2011
New York Times
WASHINGTON — In a report issued Tuesday by two powerful Republicans in Congress, the Justice Department was accused of conducting an operation that allowed nearly 1,000 guns to flow illegally into Mexico, including two that were eventually found at the scene of the murder of an American Border Patrol agent.
The report, by Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa and Representative Darrell Issa of California, said the 2009 operation in Arizona by the Bureau of Alcohol,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
34935
Mexico,United States
70 Percent of Guns Seized in Mexico and Submitted to Tracing Came from US
13 June 2011
chron.com (Latin America) / AP
MEXICO CITY — About 70 percent of the guns seized in Mexico and submitted to a U.S. gun-tracing program came from the United States, according to a report released by three U.S. senators Monday.
Of the 29,284 firearms recovered by authorities in Mexico in 2009 and 2010, 20,504 came from the United States, according to figures provided to the senators by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Most of those weapons — 15,131 — were U.S. made,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: chron.com (Latin America) / AP
34925
Mexico,United States
Congress Starting First Hearings on US-Mexico Gun Trafficking Scandal
10 June 2011
CBS News (USA)
Congress holds its first hearings Monday on the "gunwalker scandal" that CBS News first uncovered back in February.
Officials at the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) encouraged gun shops to sell thousands of assault rifles and other weapons destined for Mexican drug cartels.
On "The Early Show" Friday, CBS News Investigative Correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reported those who defend the strategy say their goal was to let the little fish go -- to get... (GunPolicy.org)
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