Gun Policy News
Gun violence, gun control and small arms
Iraq
Iraq Legalises Civilian Possession of Guns Amid Security Handover
6 May 2012
CRI English (China)
The Iraqi government on Sunday legalized the possession of one gun in each house in the country, as Iraqi army soldiers started the gradual handover of security control to the police, government officials said.
Iraqi government spokesman Ali Dabbagh said in a statement that the Iraqi security authority "decided to license a rifle or a pistol in each house, on condition that the owner must register it (the gun) in the nearest police station."
Dabbagh warned that those... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: CRI English (China)
36120
Ethiopia,South Africa,Burkina Faso,Sierra Leone,West Africa,Ukraine,Côte d'Ivoire,Eastern Europe,Russia,Central African Republic,Iraq,Afghanistan,United States,Colombia,Angola,Liberia,North Africa,West Asia,Africa
Shadowy 'Merchants of Death' Behind Africa's Illegal Gun-Running
11 April 2012
Think Africa Press (London)
Arms dealer Viktor Bout was sentenced to 25 years by a US federal court last week.
Widely known as the 'merchant of death', the 45-year-old Russian has delivered weapons and arms to a wide range of presidents, insurgents and rebels in Africa and the Middle East including the likes of Charles Taylor in Liberia and Jonas Savimbi in Angola. He was caught in a US sting in which his services were solicited for the supply of weapons to Colombia's FARC rebels.
His companies... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Think Africa Press (London)
36019
Syria,Iraq
Turnaround in Middle East: Iraqis Now Profit from Gun Smuggling to Syria
16 February 2012
Associated Press
BAGHDAD — The rifles are first taken apart and hidden in cigarette cartons and kerosene tanks. Younis al-Lehaibi and his sons then divide them into their trucks and head out to Iraq's vast, dusty border with Syria. Their objective: to smuggle weapons to Syrian rebels who seek the overthrow of President Bashar Assad.
It's a turnaround from the height of the Iraqi war six years ago, when weapons and fighters would cross from Syria to aid fellow Sunnis in Iraq.
Mindful... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
35833
Iraq
Public Demands Gun Ban, Kurdistan Govt Stops Gun Sales, Possession
14 January 2012
AK News (Kurdistan)
KIRKUK - It is two days since the sale of guns were banned in Chamchamal. The city's gun shops have been closed and violators will be penalized.
Chamchamal deputy mayor, Tareq Rashid, told AKnews that all the licenses to sell guns will be annulled. No one will be allowed to deal with guns openly or concealed.
In June Kurdistan Region Interior Ministry ordered that only people in a few "special" posts or on certain occasions will be re-licensed to carry arms. But in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: AK News (Kurdistan)
35735
Israel,Jordan,Iraq,Turkey,Syria,Lebanon
Syria Crisis Amplifies Demand for Black Market Guns in Lebanon
10 January 2012
Daily Star (Beirut)
BEIRUT - As Abu Rida reels off a list of the latest prices for weapons and ammunition on Lebanon's black market, his small audience lets out low whistles of surprise."$2,000 for an RPG?" said one man, referring to a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.
"I swear to God," replied Abu Rida who has seen his profits skyrocket over the past year. "The prices are crazy. And it's all going to Syria."
Black market arms dealers like Abu Rida are struggling to cope with a soaring... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Daily Star (Beirut)
35721
Syria,Iran,Iraq,Turkey
Civilians Have Easy Access to Illegal Guns in Kurdistan Black Market
3 December 2011
Kurdish Globe (Kurdistan)
Some see their firearms as further protection
Twenty years after the Kurdish uprising, civilians still keep guns in their homes.
Firearms remain widely accepted by people in a region where possession of unlicensed firearms is considered illegal.
A weapon that was once essential for their survival--especially in the 90s--still has not lost its appeal among civilians. Politicians gift guns as a tradition.
The gun market located outside of Erbil city is part of some 20... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Kurdish Globe (Kurdistan)
35634
Iraq,Afghanistan,United States
Conspiracists Chatter as Secretive US Company Buys Up Gun, Ammo Makers
26 November 2011
New York Times
SCARBOROUGH, Me. - Lined up in a gun rack beneath mounted deer heads is a Bushmaster Carbon 15, a matte-black semiautomatic rifle that looks as if it belongs to a SWAT team. On another rack rests a Teflon-coated Prairie Panther from DPMS Firearms, a supplier to the United States Border Patrol and security agencies in Iraq. On a third is a Remington 750 Woodsmaster, a popular hunting rifle.
The variety of rifles and shotguns on sale here at Cabela's, the national... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
35581
Iraq,Jordan,Turkey,Syria,Lebanon
Gun Smuggling Business Booming in Lebanon, Thanks to Syrian Uprising
25 November 2011
National Post (Toronto) / Reuters
BAALBEK, Lebanon — Weapons dealer Abu Wael has traded guns in Lebanon's Bekaa valley since the last days of his country's civil war, nearly a quarter of a century ago.
This has been his busiest year ever.
Unrest in neighbouring Syria has sent demand for weapons soaring, doubling prices for Kalashnikov assault rifles and other weapons and helping supply the increasingly well armed insurrection challenging President Bashar al-Assad.
In the first six months of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: National Post (Toronto) / Reuters
35582
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
Mexico,Congo (DRC),Sudan,Central African Republic,Sri Lanka,Colombia,Jamaica,Iraq,El Salvador,Central Africa,Caribbean,Central America,South America
Study Finds Again That Crime, Not War is Main Source of Gun Violence
29 October 2011
Associated Press
GENEVA — More people are killed by armed violence resulting from crime than are killed in war, with Latin America and a swath of countries through the middle of Africa among the hardest hit, an international study claimed Thursday.
About 526,000 people die violently every year — or more than 1,400 people every day — according to the 2011 Global Burden of Armed Violence report.
Only about 55,000 of those killed die in warfare, while an estimated 396,000 people... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
35488
Afghanistan,Iraq,Canada
Canadian Groups Want Some Guns Banned Before Registry Is Scrapped
23 October 2011
Vancouver Sun (British Columbia)
After finishing a rotation through Afghanistan with the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, 22-year-old Dan Styles is back in Canada, safe and sound with his young family.
When he's not caring for his one-year-old baby daughter, Styles now spends a lot of his personal time at the shooting range near his home at CFB Petawawa, in eastern Ontario. There, he hones the skills he relied on in the field.
"It's practice, practice, practice," he says. "The better you get at it,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Vancouver Sun (British Columbia)
35447
Iran,Yemen,Turkey,Libya,Iraq,Lebanon,Syria
Syria's Alawites Go on Arms Shopping Spree
16 October 2011
Jerusalem Post (Israel)
Small arms are increasingly in demand inside volatile Syria, particularly among the country's Alawite minority, who fear they may face retaliation over the revolt against their co-religionist, President Bashar Assad.
Most of the weapons are being smuggled in from Lebanon, once an end user of small arms during the country's 15-year civil war that ended in 1990. Today, Lebanon is overflowing with automatic weapons, grenades and hunting rifles, all of which are in demand... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Jerusalem Post (Israel)
35420
Iraq,Caribbean,Jamaica,Trinidad & Tobago
Trinidad Now Rivals Jamaica As the Most Violent Country in Caribbean
10 September 2011
Trinidad and Tobago Express
Trinidad and Tobago now rivals Jamaica as the most violent country in the Caribbean, with the number of annual murders rising sharply from 98 to 550 over the last decade, with some areas in the Port of Spain police division being listed among the most dangerous in the world.
This is the finding of a new United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) draft report on Human Development and Citizen Security in the Caribbean, which noted, among other things, that the murder... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Trinidad and Tobago Express
35260
Serbia,Macedonia,Kuwait,Iraq,Philippines,Jordan,Turkey,United States,Libya
Celebratory Shooting Injuries: How Dangerous is Firing a Gun Into the Air?
22 August 2011
BBC News
Libyan rebels have celebrated their advance into Tripoli by firing guns in the air. How hazardous is this?
It is, unarguably, an emphatic way to display one's jubilation.
Shooting an automatic weapon into the sky to signal an occasion one welcomes is a popular practice in much of the world, as the footage of Libyan anti-Gaddafi forces seizing the main square of the capital city has demonstrated.
But it is a potentially fatal activity, which regularly results in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
35213
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
Iraq,Afghanistan,United States
The Right to Bear Arms Guaranteed for US Military Troops?
27 May 2011
Wall Street Journal, Blog
Tucked away in the fiscal 2012 defense authorization bill that the House passed Thursday is a curious provision: an amendment that would ensure that troops deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq have the "right to bear arms."
You read that correctly. The House voted 260 to 160 to approve an amendment to the bill that would revise the military's "rules of engagement" to ensure troops in conflict zones can defend themselves.
Seem a bit redundant? Rep. John Mica (R., Fla.),... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Wall Street Journal
34858
Iraq,United States,United Kingdom
New York, UK, German Gun Dealers' Links to Global Arms Trafficking Deal
13 February 2011
Democrat and Chronicle (New York)
In May 2007 a British firearms dealer — Mil Tec Marketing Inc. — signed off on a contract to supply weapons parts to a Florida-based company that provides munitions and equipment to the U.S. military and other national defenses.
Under that agreement, weaponry and accessories would have ended up in Iraq for the war effort. But the British firm was unable to meet the contractual promises. Oddly, an ensuing spat between the companies is the seed of an international... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Democrat and Chronicle (New York)
34379
Iraq,United Kingdom,United States,Germany
Global Arms Import Case Implicates Gun Dealers in US, UK, Germany
27 January 2011
WHAM-TV (New York)
CHILI, New York - On Friday a German man will appear in Rochester's Federal Courthouse to answer to charges related to an international gun smuggling operation. Authorities claim 56 year-old Karl Kleber illegally sold AK-47 drum magazines to a Chili-based gun business; American Tactical Imports (ATI) and its sister-company AmChar.
The basis for the smuggling charge Kleber now faces is a shipment of 5,760 75-round AK-47 drum magazines that federal agents believe were... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: WHAM-TV (New York)
34282
Iraq,Indonesia,Serbia,Jordan,Afghanistan
Serbian Weapon Maker Foresees 30% Rise in Sniper Rifle Exports
12 January 2011
Bloomberg (USA)
Zastava Oruzje, a Serbian weapons maker, made $17 million of sales abroad in 2010 and expects the figure to rise 30 percent this year as a result of contracts to sell sniper rifles to Jordan and Indonesia, Blic reported, citing General Manager Rade Gromovic.
The maker of handguns, military and hunting rifles also plans to continue supplying the Iraqi and Afghan armies until at least 2014, the newspaper... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Bloomberg (USA)
34075
Iraq,United States
Soldier Gets Probation for Smuggling Guns, AK-47 Home to US from Iraq
10 November 2010
Tribune-Review (Pittsburgh)
An Army National Guard soldier from northwestern Pennsylvania will spend two years on probation and must forfeit 11 guns, including an AK-47, that he lied about smuggling into the country after serving in Iraq.
James Bindeman, 42, was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty before a federal judge in Erie in June.
Federal prosecutors say Bindeman hid the guns under the false bottom of a crate he built, telling Army officials it contained his power tools and golf... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Tribune-Review (Pittsburgh)
33620
Afghanistan,Iraq,United States
Ex-Marines Arrested for Selling Assault Weapons to Los Angeles Gang
9 November 2010
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - Federal agents have arrested three retired Marines suspected of selling illegal assault weapons to a notorious Los Angeles street gang, authorities said Tuesday.
The suspected ringleader, Adam Gitschlag, who served in Iraq and was once based at Camp Pendleton, was arrested at his Orange County home Nov. 2 as part of an operation carried out by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as military investigators and local police.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
33612
Afghanistan,Iraq,United States
Blackwater President, Execs Indicted on 'Scofflaw' Machine Gun Charges
21 April 2010
Associated Press
RALEIGH, North Carolina - Federal prosecutors launched a scathing assessment of Blackwater Worldwide's former president Wednesday, declaring in an initial court appearance that he operated the security firm with "sheer arrogance" and a "scofflaw attitude."
Gary Jackson and four past colleagues indicted last week appeared Wednesday morning before a judge who allowed them to go free as they await trial. A magistrate judge denied a government request to place a bond on... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
32578
Iraq
Senior Spy Accuses Iraqi PM of Giving Away US Guns in Bid to Buy Votes
2 March 2010
Sydney Morning Herald
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A senior Iraqi spy has accused the Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, of handing out thousands of guns to tribal leaders in an attempt to win votes.
The claim was made by a former spokesman for the Iraqi National Intelligence Service, Saad al-Alusi, a week before Iraq's general election, in which allegations of vote buying and exorbitant handouts have been widespread.
Mr Maliki, who faces a bitterly contested final week of campaigning until the poll on... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Sydney Morning Herald
32248
United States,Afghanistan,Iraq
US Rifle Sights Inscribed with 'Bible Codes' for War in Afghanistan
22 January 2010
al Jazeera
US-made rifles inscribed with Bible codes are being used by US forces and Afghans to fight the Taliban.
The weapons come from Trijicon, a manufacturer based in Wixom, Michigan, that supplies the US military. The company's now deceased founder, Glyn Bandon, started the practice which continues today.
David Chater, Al Jazeera's correspondent in the Afghan capital Kabul, said: "It is a rallying cry for the Taliban. It gives them a propaganda tool.
"They've always tried... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: al Jazeera
31937
Afghanistan,Iran,Iraq,United States
Michigan Firm to Remove 'Bible Code' from Weapon Sold to Kill Muslims
21 January 2010
New York Times
Bowing to Pentagon concerns and an international outcry, a Michigan arms company said Thursday that it would immediately stop embossing references to New Testament Scriptures on rifle sights it sells the military.
The company, Trijicon Inc., has multimillion-dollar contracts with the Pentagon for advanced telescopic sights that are widely used in Iraq and Afghanistan. Trijicon also said it would provide the Pentagon with 100 free kits to use for removing the lettering... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
31943
Iraq,United States
Security Contractor Weapons, Ammo, Seized in Iraqi Polce Raid
9 January 2010
Reuters
Police raided three locations in Baghdad on Friday, a week after Iraqi authorities were incensed by a U.S. judge's decision to throw out charges against five Blackwater Worldwide security guards accused of killing over a dozen Iraqi civilians in 2007.
Officials said they are targeting private security companies that are no longer legally licensed to operate in Iraq.
"All those companies with their work permits expired are not allowed to move one meter inside Baghdad,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
31840
Iraq
Blackwater Shootings Inflame Iraqi Anti-American Sentiment
4 January 2010
Associated Press
BAGHDAD,Iraq - The Iraqi prime minister vowed Monday to seek punishment for the Blackwater guards accused of killing 17 people at a busy Baghdad intersection after U.S. courts dropped the case in a decision that outraged many Iraqis.
Nouri al-Maliki's comments were his first public reaction since a U.S. judge threw out the case against the five Blackwater guards last week.
The guards were accused of an unprovoked attack that left 17 dead. The killings inflamed... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
31777
Iraq
New Penalty for Shooting a Gun in Iraqi Province is 1million Dinars
5 October 2009
Aswat al-Iraq (Iraq)
MISSAN — Head of the Missan council's security committee announced on Monday imposing a fine of one million Iraqis dinars ($855) against those who open fire in the province.
"The security committee decided in coordination with the Missan council and police department to impose one million dinars as a fine for those who shoot in the province," Sarhan Salem Youni told Aswat al-Iraq news agency, noting that the punishment includes also confiscating the gun and sending... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Aswat al-Iraq (Iraq)
31152
Turkey,United States,Iraq
Turkey Traces Gun Crime to Flood of Glock Pistols Supplied by US to Iraq
24 August 2009
Today's Zaman (Istanbul)
ANKARA — A recent report by the Security General Directorate's anti-smuggling and organized crime unit has revealed that 514 of 522 Glock pistols used in crimes in Turkey were originally ordered by the US for its troops in Iraq and that the weapons were used in 25 separate murders, including the 2006 Council of State shooting.
The Security General Directorate's anti-smuggling and organized crime unit has prepared a report on the kind of crimes Glock weapons smuggled... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Today's Zaman (Istanbul)
30803
Iraq
Kurds Give Guns to Supporters, Celebratory Gunfire Injures, Kills Dozens
18 August 2009
Institute for War and Peace Reporting
SULAIMANIYAH and ERBIL — Weapons loudly welcomed the outcome of Iraqi Kurdistan's latest political contest, and may even discreetly have helped determine it.
In the run-up to last month's election, politicians gifted guns to prominent supporters. When the results were announced, celebratory gunfire streaked the night skies.
Opposition leaders said the weapons had been dished out to buy votes. Their rivals denied this, arguing that they were honouring Kurdish... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Institute for War and Peace Reporting
30824
Iraq,United States
US Marines Recycle Small Arms from One Side of Iraq War to the Other
7 August 2009
US Marine Corps, Media release
CAMP TAJI, Iraq — Marines with the 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward), delivered roughly 900 captured enemy weapons to the Taji National Maintenance Depot aboard Camp Taji, Iraq, July 28, 2009.
This was one in a series of transfers that have taken place since 2004 under an agreement requiring enemy weapons captured by the U.S. military to be turned over to the Iraqi government for future use by the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police.
Staff Sgt. Alex P. Barros, the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: US Marine Corps
30724
United Kingdom,Europe,Iraq,Afghanistan
British Troops Smuggle Guns from Iraq, Afghanistan to Europe, UK
3 August 2009
Birmingham Post (UK)
British troops are smuggling guns and drugs into the UK and Europe and selling them on to criminal gangs, a former soldier from the Midlands has claimed.
The ex-serviceman said it was "megaeasy" to bring back weapons from Iraq and Afghanistan and said some soldiers had become adept at hiding weapons and shipping them back from the frontline.
Handguns are brought back inside field radios and tool boxes — while grenades are hidden inside tank gun barrels for... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Birmingham Post (UK)
30667
Serbia,Iraq,Afghanistan,United States
Record Assault Weapon Exports from Serbia Fuel US, Iraq, Afghan Wars
4 June 2009
BBC Worldwide Monitoring / Blic Daily
Last year Serbia's export of weapons and military equipment reached a record high at 400m euros, with 236m dollars for Iraq. This year export deals are worth more than 500m euros. Five out of six factories of the military industry have sold out their capacities completely for this year.
Zastava Arms alone plans to export 30m dollars in 2009, which is 30 per cent more than this year. Manager Rade Gromovic told Blic that the factory would achieve the biggest foreign... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC Worldwide Monitoring / Blic Daily
30247
United States,Iraq
'Deeply Angry' US Sergeant Shot, Killed 5 at Combat Stress Clinic in Iraq
13 May 2009
Associated Press
Keith Springle, who grew up swimming and fishing off the North Carolina coast and seemed destined as a boy to join the Navy, was in Iraq because it was his duty as a military psychologist. Dr. Matthew Houseal, a 54-year-old Army reservist and psychiatrist, was there because he felt he needed to be.
Regardless of how they came to be there, both made it their mission to help their fellow service members cope with the stress of life in the combat zone. Soldiers like the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
30066
Iraq,United States
Five Americans Shot Dead By US Soldier at Baghdad Military Stress Clinic
11 May 2009
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Pentagon officials say five Americans are dead after a U.S. soldier opened fire at a U.S. base in Baghdad. They say the attacker is in custody.
The officials say the shootings happened on Camp Liberty at a stress clinic, where troops can go for help with the stresses of combat or stress from personal issues.
One senior military official in Washington says it's unclear whether those killed are workers at the clinic or were there for counseling. He says... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
30063
United States,Iraq
Iraq-US Gun Smuggler Links Guns to Blackwater Guards Killing Civilians
6 May 2009
Associated Press
RALEIGH, North Carolina — A defense contractor charged with trying to smuggle firearms out of Iraq claimed Blackwater guards asked him to help get rid of weapons after a deadly 2007 shooting in Baghdad, two government informants say in court documents.
The contractor told one of the informants that Blackwater guards wanted to dispose of the weapons before an investigation into the September 2007 shooting that left several civilians dead, according to a criminal... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
30000
United States,Iraq
Special Forces Veteran 'Attempted to Smuggle' Iraqi Machine Guns to US
4 May 2009
Washington Examiner
Federal prosecutors say a former Army Special Forces soldier turned Department of Defense contractor attempted to smuggle eight machine guns from Iraq to Fort Bragg.
John A. Houston, who retired as a sergeant major in 2006 to become a security subcontractor working in Baghdad, allegedly sent the weapons, illegal under U.S. law, through contacts in the military.
He claimed to two government informants that some of the guns were given to him by Blackwater employees... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Examiner
29993
Pakistan,Iraq,Afghanistan
Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan Arming Village Vigilantes with Flood of Guns
4 March 2009
Christian Science Monitor
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — In the town of Budaber, six miles from Peshawar's city center, Daud Khan makes sure his Kalashnikov is loaded before stepping into the dark street. As he walks out, seven young men join him, all armed.
Mr. Khan is a member of the nighttime civilian patrols that guard the streets and escort residents home. They usually work from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m., the peak time for bomb attacks, a local says.
Do-it-yourself security teams are becoming a fixture in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Christian Science Monitor
29370
United States,Albania,Afghanistan,China,Iraq
US Repays Millions to Indicted Miami-Albania-Iraq-China Ammo Dealer
3 February 2009
New Times (Florida)
On March 15, 2008, a fireball shot into the midday sky over Albania's capital of Tirana. The blast echoed 100 miles away in Macedonia and Kosovo. Its force was comparable to that of a small nuclear weapon. But this wasn't atomic. It was an accident at an arms depot, where poor villagers had been hired to handle old ammunition and artillery shells. The explosion killed up to 26 people and injured hundreds. The village of Gerdec was obliterated.
Three men were arrested... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New Times (Florida)
29134
United States,Iraq
Blackwater 'On Probation' Over Illegal Gun, Ammo Exports from US to Iraq
17 December 2008
Associated Press
RALEIGH, North Carolina — The State Department has issued new regulations to closely monitor how Blackwater Worldwide exports sensitive equipment, such as guns and ammunition, putting the security contractor on probation amid probes into how the company handled arms shipments to Iraq.
The so-called "policy of denial" was posted Wednesday. It requires the North Carolina company and its affiliates to file extra paperwork and progress reports, which the State Department... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
28852
United States,Iraq
US to Ship Another 105,000 Assault Rifles to Iraq to 'Replace' AK-47s
15 December 2008
Defense Industry Daily (USA)
In March 2008, "Iraq's Military Requesting $1.39B in Weapons, Vehicles, and Equipment" discussed that country's decisive shift to the M-16/M4 family of weapons for its soldiers. Previous DSCA purchase requests in October 2007 and September 2006 has also included the rifles, but by February 2008, it became clear that this was a full replacement program for the AK-derivative 7.62mm designs that had become so ubiquitous in that part of the world.
The latest official... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Defense Industry Daily (USA)
28851
Iraq,United States
Confiscating Toy Guns from Children Is Part of US Military Mission in Iraq
12 December 2008
Associated Press
MAHMOUDIYA, Iraq — Two boys approached a U.S. soldier, pulled out a pistol and handed it over. They got a smile and some candy in return.
The gun was plastic, and the boys were following a local Iraqi military order to surrender all toy weapons — an effort to prevent children from being mistaken for insurgents.
With more children on the streets now that violence is down, American soldiers have a new mission in this former "triangle of death" city south of Baghdad:... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
28798
United States,Iraq
US Defense Dept Plans to Send Another 105,000 Assault Rifles to Iraq
10 December 2008
US Defense Security Cooperation Agency
WASHINGTON — On Dec. 9, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Iraq of (80,000) M16A4 5.56MM Rifles, (25,000) M4 5.56MM Carbines, (2,550) M203 40MM Grenade Launchers as well as associated equipment and services. The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as $148 million.
The Government of Iraq has requested a possible sale of (80,000) M16A4 5.56MM Rifles, (25,000) M4 5.56MM Carbines,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: US Defense Security Cooperation Agency
28800
Iraq,Bulgaria
Kurds in Northern Iraq Receive 3 Planeloads of Guns, Arms from Bulgaria
23 November 2008
Washington Post Foreign Service
BAGHDAD — Kurdish officials this fall took delivery of three planeloads of small arms and ammunition imported from Bulgaria, three U.S. military officials said, an acquisition that occurred outside the weapons procurement procedures of Iraq's central government.
The large quantity of weapons and the timing of the shipment alarmed U.S. officials, who have grown concerned about the prospect of an armed confrontation between Iraqi Kurds and the government at a time when... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Post Foreign Service
28686
Bulgaria,Russia,Iraq,Afghanistan
Bulgaria, 7 Other Nations Make 'Unlicensed, Illegal' AK-47s, Export to Iraq
20 November 2008
FOCUS News Agency (Bulgaria) / Praim-TASS
MOSCOW — 7-8 countries in the world are currently dealing with unlicensed production of machine guns "Kalashnikov", Nikolay Dimidyuk from Rosoboronexport said, cited by Praim-TASS.
According to his evaluation there was a total nuisance in the world regarding the production of 'false' Kalashnikov guns, in particular in Bulgaria.
'I will not mention other countries, so as not to offend them. The Americans allowed Bulgaria to build a factory for the production of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: FOCUS News Agency (Bulgaria) / Praim-TASS
28672
United States,Iraq,Jordan
Blackwater Faces Millions in Fines for 'Unauthorised' US-Iraq Gun Exports
9 November 2008
Public Record (USA), Web Page
Private security contractor Blackwater Worldwide may be slapped with millions of dollars in fines by the State Department for shipping weapons to law enforcement facilities in Iraq and Jordan without authorization, according to a report published in the magazine Government Executive.
"Officials in the Commerce Department, which has jurisdiction over some military exports, are conducting a related regulatory review of Blackwater shipments," the magazine reported, citing... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Public Record (USA)
28649
United States,Iraq
Weapon Leak Feared in Blackwater's 'Improper' Gun Shipments to Iraq
7 November 2008
CongressDaily (USA)
Private security contractor Blackwater Worldwide, often a target of congressional Democrats, soon may face new legal problems.
A grand jury in Washington is expected to decide soon whether to indict individual Blackwater guards involved in a widely publicized shooting incident in Baghdad last year, two people familiar with the investigation said. And the State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, which is responsible for export controls on some arms, is... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: CongressDaily (USA)
28602
Pakistan,Iraq,China
Tens of Thousands More AK-47s Given to Tribal Fighters in Pakistan, Iraq
24 October 2008
Australian (Sydney)
Anti-Taliban tribal fighters in Pakistan's border region will be given tens of thousands of AK-47 assault rifles bought from China in a bid to replicate the success of the "Sunni Awakening" movement in Iraq.
The deal to buy the weapons and other small arms was negotiated by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari when he was in Beijing this month, reports said yesterday.
The Washington Post said the weapons would go to the so-called tribal lashkars (armies) that are... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Australian (Sydney)
28490
United States,Iraq
US Can Finally Track Guns Given to Iraq: Bush Signs White House Letter
23 October 2008
Chicago Tribune / The Swamp, Blog
It took years to reach this point but the Bush Administration has finally put in place a system to track the weapons it's providing to Iraqi security forces.
For years, there've been concerns about thousands of weapons delivered to the Iraqi military and police that have gone missing with the obvious fear that some have wound up in enemy hands to be used against the U.S. military.
The White House notified Congress today by letter:
The White House
Office of the Press... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Chicago Tribune / The Swamp
28503
Iraq
Americans Prevent Gun Violence in Baghdad More Than They Do At Home
16 October 2008
Stars and Stripes (US Military)
BAGHDAD — In the past, the soldiers with 1st Battalion, 68th Infantry would have had no problem finding an AK-47 assault rifle in Omar Abdul Satar's home. Iraqis have a long history of owning guns, and few homes in the country are without one.
But the government is trying to change that. It recently decided to prohibit guns in the capital. That was bad news for Satar. When the U.S. soldiers and their Iraqi counterparts found his AK, they confiscated it and took it... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Stars and Stripes (US Military)
28457
Iraq
After Killings and Kidnappings, Iraq Govt Says Doctors Can Carry Guns
29 September 2008
Reuters
BAGDHAD — Doctors in Iraq will have the right to carry guns to protect themselves, the government said on Monday, in a bid to address the security concerns of a profession that has been targeted by gangsters and militants.
Thousands of Iraqi doctors have fled over the past five years, leaving the country desperately short of qualified medical personnel. Doctors held a conference in Baghdad in June to ask for better protection.
"Under a new government decree, the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
28343
United States,Albania,Iraq
Pentagon Gave $298 Million Iraq Ammo Deal to 'Total Nerd' Gun Dealer
25 September 2008
Miami New Times
David Packouz talks about nanotech the way 12-year-old girls talk about Zac Efron. In a great, fawning gush of words, he explains it will bring about a technological utopia on Earth. Humans, he says, will interface with computers, replace their bodies with machinery, and become immortal. Spacecraft will mine asteroids, and robots will reach human levels of intelligence and self-replicate. "At that point," he says, looking excited and a little worried, "we can only hope... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Miami New Times
28320
Iraq,United States
US Pays Clandestine Gun Dealers to Flood Iraq with Millions of Weapons
24 September 2008
Asia Times / Inter Press Service News Agency
SAN FRANCISCO — Clandestine gun suppliers, funded by the United States and Iraqi governments, have flooded Iraq with millions of weapons since 2003, charges a new Amnesty International investigation.
Because of faulty or non-existent government tracking systems, many of those guns have gone missing, and some have turned up in the hands of insurgents.
Contracts with one of these companies, Taos Industries, account for almost half of the US$217 million Baghdad and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Asia Times / Inter Press Service News Agency
28317
United States,United Kingdom,Iraq,United Nations
US, UK Failing to Monitor Flood of Million Guns into Iraq, Amnesty Warns
17 September 2008
Guardian (UK)
Iraq is being flooded with weapons despite human rights violations by all parties in the conflict there, and without any proper monitoring by the US and Britain over where the weapons end up, Amnesty International says today.
There is no clear accountable audit trail for some 360,000 small arms supplied to the Iraqi security forces, many by the US and UK, it says. Subcontracting makes the arms trade even less transparent. Among examples cited by Amnesty are the supply... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Guardian (UK)
28220
Iraq,United States,United Nations
Pentagon Floods 530-000-strong Iraqi Forces with Another Million Guns
17 September 2008
Sydney Morning Herald / AFP
World governments should pledge to actively prevent sales of weapons that are likely to be used in human rights violations in a new arms treaty under negotiation, Amnesty International said on Wednesday.
Whether used by the military in Burma to disperse protesters in September 2007, or by Somali armed factions terrorising the streets of Mogadishu, the human rights group warned small weapons had "catastrophic" effects worldwide.
The system of national laws regulating... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Sydney Morning Herald / AFP
28219
United States,United Kingdom,Italy,Afghanistan,Iraq
Lax Management by US, UK, Italy Armed al-Qaida, Says Amnesty Report
17 September 2008
Middle East Times (Cairo) / UPI
WASHINGTON — Weak oversight of arms deals by the United States, England and Italy resulted in the illicit arming of al-Qaida, a new report by Amnesty International says.
The international non-governmental organization says that despite new measures implemented to regulate arms deals, thousands of weapons have ended up in the hands of al-Qaida militants operating in Iraq, Amnesty International reported.
The report, titled "Blood at the Crossroads: Making the Case for... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Middle East Times (Cairo) / UPI
28214
Turkey,Poland,Austria,Iraq,Bulgaria,Germany
Turkey Protests Polish, Austrian, US, Iraqi Supply of Guns to Kurdish PKK
19 August 2008
Today's Zaman (Istanbul)
ANKARA — Polish-made fully automatic Glauberyt submachine guns that were apparently purchased during the reign of Saddam Hussein are now in the hands of the PKK terrorist organization.
Turkey and Poland are currently in a row over these weapons.
Iraq's chaotic environment following the 2003 US invasion has allowed weapons from around the world to make it into the hands of the outlawed Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK).
US-made weapons and guns purchased from Poland... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Today's Zaman (Istanbul)
27995
Iraq,Afghanistan,United Nations,Bosnia & Herzegovina,Albania,Serbia
Iraq, Afghan Wars, Exports from Bosnia, Albania Hurt Bid to Destroy Guns
15 July 2008
Agence France Presse
UNITED NATIONS — The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are undermining efforts to destroy surplus weapons by creating new markets for countries to sell their unwanted firearms, according to a survey.
Although the world is witnessing "the largest systematic destruction of military small arms and light weapons since the end of World War II," countries that would normally have destroyed their surplus weapons are now being encouraged to export them, the Small Arms Survey 2008... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Agence France Presse
27687
United Nations,Iraq,Colombia,Afghanistan
Civilians Alone 'Lose' 650,000 Guns Each Year, Says Study Released at UN
14 July 2008
Reuters
UNITED NATIONS — Every year hundreds of thousands of small arms go missing and many wind up in the hands of insurgents in countries like Iraq, Colombia and Afghanistan, a new survey published on Monday said.
The annual report issued by the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey said that as many as 650,000 civilian-owned weapons go missing. This figure excludes the considerable amount of weapons that are diverted — usually meaning stolen or sold on the black market —... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
27673
Iraq,United States
Stray Weapons, Careless Gun Handling, Storage at US Embassy, Baghdad
10 July 2008
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Trying to escape Baghdad's sweltering summer with a quick Green Zone dip? Don't forget your poolside weapons etiquette if you work at the U.S. Embassy there.
Despite previous appeals, embassy employees with permission to carry guns are apparently not heeding strict rules that require arms to be within their reach or with a designated person at all times, even at the pool, The Associated Press has learned. And if you're packing heat, forget about a beer... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
27646
Iraq
Soccer Fans Will be Arrested in Iraq if Caught Firing Guns in Celebration
22 June 2008
Los Angeles Times
BAGHDAD — Sports became a surprise topic Sunday during a routine news briefing by the U.S. and Iraqi armed forces on the battle against the insurgency.
With Iraq's beloved national soccer team poised to qualify for the World Cup in its game against Qatar on Sunday night, Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta, spokesman for the Iraqi government's "Imposing the Law" campaign, delivered a stern warning to gun owners — essentially every adult male in Iraq.
It was a concept every... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Los Angeles Times
27431
Serbia,Iraq
Serbia Begins Exporting Another 18,000 Handguns to Iraqi Security Forces
2 June 2008
B92 Radio (Belgrade)
KRAGUJEVAC, Serbia — The first consignment of CZ 99 handguns destined for the Iraq market will be shipped out of the Zastava factory three weeks ahead of schedule.
Even though the first shipment was first planned for July, according to CEO Rade Gromovic, the weapons are ready and the permits necessary for exporting them have been secured, so the date has been shifted to June 11.
This will mark the official beginning of the realization of an arms export agreement... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: B92 Radio (Belgrade)
27271
United States,Iraq
US Marine Won't Serve Time for Smuggling AK-47 'War Trophy' from Iraq
2 June 2008
Associated Press
SAN DIEGO - A Marine sergeant from El Paso, Texas, accused of bringing an AK-47 assault rifle home from Iraq as a war trophy accepted a plea deal Monday that will keep him out of federal prison.
Sgt. Leonardo San Juan agreed to plead guilty to one felony count of possession of an unregistered firearm and pay a $100 fine, said his attorney, Joseph Low.
San Juan accepted the deal shortly before jury selection was set to begin. A judge still must approve the deal.
San... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
27269
United States,Afghanistan,Iraq,Albania
Inferior Ammunition to Afghanistan Leads US Army to Review Arms Policy
27 April 2008
New York Times
MOSCOW — The United States Army has begun a broad review of procedures used to supply security forces in Afghanistan and Iraq with foreign arms, prompted by an allegation of fraud and questions about the competence of the main private supplier of ammunition to Afghanistan.
The company, AEY Inc. of Miami Beach, was suspended last month after Army investigators accused it of shipping aged Chinese rifle cartridges and claiming they were Hungarian.
The Army decided to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
26978
United Kingdom,Iraq,Afghanistan,Europe
Guns 'Commonly' Smuggled in UK Army Vehicles Crossing Europe from Iraq
25 April 2008
BBC News
Two former soldiers who were jailed for their involvement in a gun smuggling ring have said the practice is common in the British army.
Shane Pleasant and Ben Whitfield were in the Third Battalion, the Yorkshire Regiment, when they helped to smuggle weapons from Iraq into Europe.
They said if soldiers had the right contacts it was easy to smuggle weapons out of countries.
The MoD said there was no evidence such guns were used in crimes in the UK.
The two soldiers... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
26953
Iraq
To Curb Children's Aggressive Behaviour, Iraq Mulls Ban on Toy Gun Imports
22 April 2008
Associated Press
BAGHDAD — A parliamentary committee is drafting a bill that would ban imports of toy guns and fireworks into Iraq, hoping to curb increasingly aggressive behavior among children who have grown up amid real war, a lawmaker said Tuesday.
"The culture of violence has prevailed in our society and controlled the Iraqi family, and that has affected the culture of children," said Samira al-Moussawi, head of parliament's committee on children and women, which is preparing... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
26938
Iraq
Cash Reward Offered to Baghdad Fighters Who Give Up Their Guns
29 March 2008
Los Angeles Times
BAGHDAD — Prime Minister Nouri Maliki on Friday extended a deadline for fighters to disarm after nobody responded, and U.S. forces were pulled deeper into the showdown between Iraqi security forces and Shiite militiamen.
The United States military said a Navy jet had strafed a mortar-launching position in the southern city of Basra with 20-millimeter cannon fire Thursday night, killing three "criminal militia members." It was the first time U.S. forces were directly... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Los Angeles Times
26657
United States,Afghanistan,Iraq,China
US Army Accuses Miami Gun Dealer of Fraud in $200m Afghan Ammo Deal
28 March 2008
New York Times
When the United States Army decided this week to suspend the main supplier of munitions to Afghan security forces from future federal work, it did so after a field investigation documented what it called an act of fraud.
Last Nov. 25, the president of the company, Efraim E. Diveroli, signed papers certifying that 28 pallets of ammunition for Afghanistan had been manufactured by MFS 2000, a Hungarian company, according to the investigators' memorandum.
Acting on a tip,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
26632
United States,Afghanistan,China,Albania,Iraq
US Offers 22yr-old Miami Man $300m for Old, Often Dud Afghan War Ammo
27 March 2008
New York Times
Since 2006, when the insurgency in Afghanistan sharply intensified, the Afghan government has been dependent on American logistics and military support in the war against Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
But to arm the Afghan forces that it hopes will lead this fight, the American military has relied since early last year on a fledgling company led by a 22-year-old man whose vice president was a licensed masseur.
With the award last January of a federal contract worth as... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
26625
Iraq,United States
US Fuels Iraq War with Another 437,079 M16, M4 Assault Rifles Over 3 Years
26 March 2008
Defense Industry Daily (USA)
As Iraq's military gets back to its feet, it has received armored vehicles, up-armored Hummers, and assorted weapons, vehicles, and aircraft. The initial priority on armed combat forces that could be supported by American combat logistics has started to give way to a buildup of Iraq's own logistics and maintenance capabilities.
On March 21/08, the US DSCA announced a formal request by Iraq's government for various vehicles, small arms and ammunition, communication... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Defense Industry Daily (USA)
26636
Lebanon,Iraq,Iran,China
Demand for Guns Soars in Lebanon - Detailed Survey of Availability, Costs
18 March 2008
BBC Worldwide Monitoring / Al-Hayat (London), Transcript
BEIRUT — The Lebanese are talking these days about the phenomenon of the spread of weapons and the increasing trade in them. Many say this is a prelude to the ignition of rounds of warfare with the looming shadows of the sharp political and sectarian split seen on the Lebanese arena. Al-Hayat prepared a report on this phenomenon. It met weapons merchants, political activists, and civilians who revealed that the weapons market in Lebanon suffers a crunch however... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC Worldwide Monitoring / Al-Hayat (London)
26589
United States,Iraq
200,000 Missing Guns at Centre of US, Iraq, Kuwait Military Corruption Probe
16 March 2008
KippReport (Dubai) / Trends Magazine
Major Gloria D. Davis of the US Army was buried in Washington's Arlington Cemetery, the last resting place of many of America's military heroes, on December 23, 2006. But the 47-year-old Davis, of Missouri, an 18-year army veteran, did not perish fighting her country's enemies.
Instead, the US Army said, she died in "a non-combat-related incident" in Iraq. In fact, Gloria Davis put a bullet in her brain on December 12 in her quarters in the sprawling US military base... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: KippReport (Dubai) / Trends Magazine
26475
Serbia,Iraq
Serbian Arms Industry Expects to Thrive on Major Gun Making Deal with Iraq
10 March 2008
BBC Worldwide Monitoring / Beta News Agency, Transcript
The contract on exporting weapons and military equipment to Iraq, worth 236m dollars, which the Serbian arms trading company Jugoimport SDPR signed with the government of Iraq, is the most significant deal the Serbian military industry has made since the end of 1990, when a contract was signed with Kuwait about the exports of 175 domestically produced M-84 tanks.
The first instalment, adding up to 20 per cent of what the deal is worth, was paid into the accounts of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC Worldwide Monitoring / Beta News Agency
26477
Germany,United States,Iraq,Afghanistan
German Gun Maker H&K Dumps 'Unique Partnership' with Blackwater USA
19 February 2008
Deutsche Welle (Germany)
Weapons manufacturer Heckler & Koch said it would end its relationship with Blackwater after German media reported that the controversial US-run military firm was using its guns in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Blackwater, a private security company which has been contracted to protect high-profile US officials and foreign dignitaries in Iraq, had been using Heckler & Koch machine guns in both Iraq and Afghanistan, German broadcaster ARD's "Report Mainz" program reported... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Deutsche Welle (Germany)
26179
Iraq
Iraqis Quietly Reverse Decision to Strip Female Police Officers of Guns
1 February 2008
Los Angeles Times
BAGHDAD — Iraqi police officials have dropped plans to disarm policewomen and give their guns to male officers after an outcry from critics, who said the move was a sign of religious zealots' rising influence in Iraq.
Despite the turnabout, which police confirmed Thursday, the U.S. military general who introduced women into the police force said they remained hindered in their attempts to practice real policing skills.
"Even with the revocation order, we will have... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Los Angeles Times
26004
United States,Iraq
US Still Can't Track, Trace, Prevent Diversion of Weapons Sent to Iraq
29 January 2008
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Weapons the U.S. provides to Iraqi security forces may still be ending up in the hands of terrorists, insurgents and criminals, the Defense Department inspector general told Congress on Tuesday.
While U.S. commanders have made progress in controlling the flow of tens of thousands of munitions into Iraq, "there still remains work to be accomplished," Claude Kicklighter said in prepared remarks obtained by The Associated Press.
Appearing behind closed... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
25981
United Kingdom,Iraq
Gun Used to Shoot Policewoman Linked to UK Troops Smuggling Weapons
30 December 2007
United Press International
NOTTINGHAM, England — Authorities have linked a gun used in a recent attempted homicide in Britain to the country's military.
National Ballistics Intelligence Program officers said the weapon used to shoot police officer Rachael Brown in the city of Nottingham was likely smuggled back from Afghanistan or Iraq by British troops, or was stolen from one of the country's military bases, The Observer reported Sunday.
While the federal program has been tracking a number... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: United Press International
25731
Iraq
Iraqis Celebrate by Firing Guns Into the Air, Stray Bullet Hits British Officer
23 December 2007
Sky News (UK)
An RAF officer had a lucky escape despite being hit by a stray bullet during celebratory gunfire by a group of Iraqis.
Flight Lieutenant Neil Lawrenson was wearing body armour — but the round went into his upper arm.
However, it entered at such an angle that it left almost no damage and did not hit any bone or muscle.
If the bullet, which fell from the sky in Basra, had gone in at a different angle, the British airman could have lost his arm.
He was even more... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Sky News (UK)
25700
Serbia,Iraq
Serbia: Iraq Buys Another $230m Worth of Assault Weapons, Ammunition
21 December 2007
ADN Kronos International / AKI (Italy)
BELGRADE — Serbia has signed a deal to export weapons and military equipment to Iraq worth 230 million dollars, defence minister Dragan Sutanovac told Belgrade television late on Thursday.
Sutanovac said that the delegation of the Iraqi defence ministry visited Serbia on two occasions in recent months and the deal was signed with the state military trade company Jugoimport SDPR.
He didn't specify which weapons had been sold to Iraq, but Serbia produces only light... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: ADN Kronos International / AKI (Italy)
25697
United States,Iraq
Pentagon Rushes to Release Delayed Gun Shipments to Iraq, Curb Leakage
21 December 2007
Times of India / AP
WASHINGTON — The US Defence Department is reinforcing a badly understaffed office in Baghdad to speed the flow of war-fighting gear to Iraqi forces and to make sure the weapons do not end up in the hands of insurgents or on the black market.
The nearly 1,000 per cent increase in staff — from six people to almost 70 — includes a two-star general, who arrived in Iraq two weeks ago to manage the expanding team. Army Reserve Maj Gen George Smith replaces a colonel,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Times of India / AP
25671
United States,Iraq
Pentagon Probes Possible GI Theft, Leakage of Up to 190,000 Guns to Iraq
20 December 2007
Time (USA)
The Pentagon is investigating whether some of the 190,000 weapons the U.S. military lost track of while training Iraqi troops were peddled on the black market by American soldiers and contractors, federal law-enforcement and congressional sources tell TIME. In recent weeks, Claude Kicklighter, the Pentagon's inspector general, has privately told lawmakers that the Defense Criminal Investigative Service has launched a probe into whether U.S. military and civilian... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Time (USA)
25672
Iraq
US Drive to Train, Arm Female Iraqi Police Thwarted by Religious Leaders
13 December 2007
Los Angeles Times
BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Iraqi government has ordered all policewomen to hand in their guns for redistribution to men or face having their pay withheld, thwarting a U.S. initiative to bring women into the nation's police force.
The Ministry of Interior, which oversees police, issued the order late in November, according to ministry documents, U.S. officials and several of the women.
It affects all officers who have earned the title "policewoman" by graduating from the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Los Angeles Times
25622
Iraq,United States
Iraqi Soldiers Trade Iconic Soviet Assault Rifle, AK-47, for American M16
2 December 2007
Los Angeles Times
BESMAYA RANGE, Iraq — The company of Iraqi soldiers pressed together for the dance of valor, singing of their bravery, stomping in the desert sand, thrusting their weapons skyward, just as they might have done not so many years ago to honor Saddam Hussein.
But what were those sleek silhouettes they jabbed into the air? Not AK-47s. The iconic Soviet bloc assault rifle that has been synonymous for decades with America's adversaries and the developing world is being... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Los Angeles Times
25504
United Kingdom,Iraq,Germany
British Soldiers Smuggled Guns from Iraq, Sold in Germany: Got 10yrs Jail
23 November 2007
BBC News
Two soldiers who smuggled guns out of Iraq intending to sell them to army colleagues have been jailed.
Lance Corporal Michael White, 28, was jailed for 10 years and Corporal Anthony Creswick, 25, given nine-and-half years.
Both men from the 3rd Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment, along with Lance Corporal Brent Campbell who bought a gun, were also thrown out of the army.
The Court Martial at Catterick Garrison in North Yorks ran for six weeks.
Lance Corporal... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
25431
Turkey,Iraq
Kurdish Politician Allegedly Smuggled 11 Glock Pistols from Iraq to Turkey
20 November 2007
Turkish Daily News / SIRNAK / Dogan News Agency
A member of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) was arrested at the Habur Customs Gate for being in the possession of 11 handguns yesterday.
The Gendarmerie command after receiving a tip off searched Sirin Balaman's taxi, who was returning from northern Iraq, at customs.
Officers found 11 Glock brand handguns, a model that has been used in assassinations in the past, hidden in special compartments in Balaman's car.
A court in Silopi issued an arrest... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Turkish Daily News / SIRNAK / Dogan News Agency
25384
Serbia,Iraq
Iraq Purchasing Serbian Sniper Rifles, Assault Weapons for US$50million
19 November 2007
SEESAC (Belgrade) / VIP News Service
The Iraqi Ministry of Defense is planning to buy weapons worth 50 million dollars from Serbia. For this reason the Iraqi Minister of Defense Abdul Qadr Jasim is currently visiting Serbia to negotiate the terms of this major acquisition, the Press daily reported on Saturday.
In Belgrade, Jasim met with the Serbian Minister of Defense Dragan Sutanovac and visited the Serbian arms industry.
The Iraqis are planning to buy large quantities of infantry weapons and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: SEESAC (Belgrade) / VIP News Service
25373
Switzerland,Bosnia & Herzegovina,Iraq
Swiss Gun Dealer Investigated for Trafficking Weapons from Bosnia to Iraq
18 November 2007
SonntagsZeitung (Switzerland)
ZURICH — Swiss business man Marius Joray may have illegally moved thousands of small arms and huge quantities of ammunition from Bosnia to Iraq. The Swiss State Prosecutor has become involved. The Prosecutors spokesman Peter Lehmann says . "We have requested the Federal Police to enquiries."
The research of the SonntagsZeitung shows that goods that were acquired through the Swiss business man were transferred with the help of Serbian arms smuggler Tomislav... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: SonntagsZeitung (Switzerland)
25456
United States,Iraq
Baghdad Armoury Resembled 'Arms Bazaar' As US Lost Track of Its Guns
11 November 2007
New York Times
WASHINGTON — As the insurgency in Iraq escalated in the spring of 2004, American officials entrusted an Iraqi businessman with issuing weapons to Iraqi police cadets training to help quell the violence.
By all accounts, the businessman, Kassim al-Saffar, a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war, did well at distributing the Pentagon-supplied weapons from the Baghdad Police Academy armory he managed for a military contractor. But, co-workers say, he also turned the armory into... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
25277
United States,Iraq
Iraq Complains at US Delay in Supplying 50,750 Additional M16 Assault Rifles
3 November 2007
Boston Globe
WASHINGTON — More than a year after the government of Iraq paid more than $2 billion to the US government to purchase weapons and equipment for their military and police force, most of the equipment has yet to be delivered, slowing the ability of Iraqi units to take greater responsibility for their country's security, according to Iraqi officials.
In October 2006, Iraq obtained congressional approval to purchase 50,750 M16 rifles and 24 King Air reconnaissance... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Boston Globe
25206
Iraq,United States,Iran,Bosnia & Herzegovina
Hundreds of Thousands of Guns 'Leak' in Pentagon's Rush to Arm Iraqis
2 November 2007
ISN Security Watch (Zurich), Web Page
TEL AVIV — Post-invasion Iraq has been blighted by a massive proliferation in small arms, conducted with the active involvement of both state and non-state actors, including major criminal entities.
This proliferation profoundly undermines efforts to stabilize the security situation and future moves to reconstitute Iraq as a viable state.
Unprotected stockpiles
The 2003 invasion of Iraq was marked by the large-scale misappropriation of Iraqi munitions and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: ISN Security Watch (Zurich)
25174
Iraq,Germany,United Kingdom
British Soldier Guilty of Smuggling Guns from Iraq to Sell in Germany
26 October 2007
BBC News
A British soldier has been found guilty of plotting to smuggle guns out of Iraq and sell them at his base in Germany.
A court martial heard how L/Cpl Anthony Creswick was involved in selling illegal pistols bought on the black market in Basra.
The panel heard how Creswick sold the guns with his colleague from the 3rd Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment, L/Cpl Michael White.
White has admitted his role in the operation he ran with Creswick in 2005.
Creswick was... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
25125
United States,United Nations,Iraq
US Small Arms Policy: Having It Both Ways - Susan Waltz [Part 2 of 2]
19 October 2007
World Policy Journal, Summer 2007;24:2:67-80 (USA)
[Continued from Part 1 of 2]
Prying Open the Door
Covert actions provide an additional, separate legal channel for shadow transfers. The statutory underpinnings for such operations, including weapons transfers, are found in the National Security Act, incorporated into Title 50 of the U.S. Code under the heading of War and National Defense. (The Arms Export Control Act and the Foreign Assistance Act, by contrast, are included in Title 22, Foreign Relations.) Title 50's... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: World Policy Journal, Summer 2007;24:2:67-80 (USA)
25262
United States,United Nations,Iraq
US Small Arms Policy: Having It Both Ways - Susan Waltz [Part 1 of 2]
19 October 2007
World Policy Journal, Summer 2007;24:2:67-80 (USA)
"An essential element of the success of the U.S. program is its export control laws and regulations. These laws are internationally recognized as the most robust and effective in the world … [At the 2006 UN Review Conference on Small Arms] the United States will make the case that its laws, practices and enforcement procedures are effective models other nations should follow."
- Assistant Secretary of State John Hillen, Baltimore Sun, July 2006
Does United States... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: World Policy Journal, Summer 2007;24:2:67-80 (USA)
25261
United States,United Nations,Iraq
US Small Arms Policy: Having It Both Ways - World Policy Journal
19 October 2007
World Policy Journal, Summer 2007;24:2:67-80 (USA)
Does United States policy indeed represent the gold standard for export controls on small arms, as often asserted? Recent events suggest that it is time for a fresh look at this common claim.
Ten years ago the United States and its European partners began to grapple with new realities about the proliferation of small arms. In the early 1990s, the forces that dissolved the Soviet Union also pried locks off the central warehouses where Cold War weapons had been stored,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: World Policy Journal, Summer 2007;24:2:67-80 (USA)
25260
Iraq
Baghdad Girls & Boys 'Armed to the Teeth' with Imitation Assault Rifles
19 October 2007
Agence France Presse
BAGHDAD — Try as he might, Baghdad businessman Ibrahim Georges can't persuade his 11-year-old daughter Sandy to lay down her arms in favour of something less hostile, such as a doll.
"She loves her gun," Georges said as Sandy, short-haired and dressed in long trousers and T-shirt, proudly displayed a menacing GC toy automatic rifle that, according to a bold stamp on the side, was made in China.
"She never plays with dolls," added Georges ruefully, outside their home... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Agence France Presse
25056
Austria,Iraq,United States
Lawyer Denies Large Number of Austrian-US Glock Pistols Missing in Iraq
11 October 2007
Wiener Zeitung (Vienna)
VIENNA — Austrian arms maker Glock has said reports by the French news agency that thousands of its pistols are circulating on the black market in Iraq are not accurate.
A lawyer for the company says there has been only a minimal loss of the weapons distributed to Iraqi police and security personnel.
The economics ministry has said no export licenses for Glock pistols to Iraq have been granted this year.
Earlier in the week the AFP said tens of thousands of Glock... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Wiener Zeitung (Vienna)
24963
Austria,Iraq,United States
Thousands of US-Supplied, Austrian Glock Pistols Leak to Iraqi Black Market
9 October 2007
Wiener Zeitung (Vienna)
VIENNA/BAGHDAD — It's been reported that thousands of Austrian made pistols may be circulating on the black market in Iraq. US officials have, in recent months, been investigating the disappearance of tens of thousands of weapons which were meant to go to Iraqi security forces.
The AFP news agency says over half of all weapons that were supposed to go to the Iraqi police and army have gone astray. That amounts to around 190,000 weapons over the last three years,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Wiener Zeitung (Vienna)
24929
United States,Iraq
US Quietly Shifts Iraqis from AK-47s, Sells 123,544 New M-16 Assault Rifles
8 October 2007
Wall Street Journal
CAMP TAJI, Iraq — In this war-ravaged country, a man is often measured by the make of his gun.
When Iraqi soldier Abbas Ali Eadan picked up his brand new, U.S.-made M-16 rifle in August at this sprawling base north of Baghdad, his pride was palpable.
"I can put a cigarette in an ashtray and hit it with my M-16 from far away, like a sniper," boasted the 39-year-old. "The terrorists may have rockets and grenades, but only the Iraqi army has M-16s."
This spring,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Wall Street Journal
24904
Serbia,Iraq,Afghanistan,United Nations
Serbian Gun Runner Shipped Tons of Guns, Ammunition to Various Conflicts
7 October 2007
New York Times
NIS, Serbia — For the past four years Tomislav Damnjanovic has played a crucial role in the United States' wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since 2003, he has delivered millions of rounds of ammunition, guns, grenades and mortars to the governments of Iraq and Afghanistan, United Nations officials say, facts he does not dispute. His aircraft have even been used to shuttle supplies between American bases in Iraq, saving troops from having to make hazardous trips by land.... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
24887
United States,Iraq,Turkey
US Military Has Been Searching for Months, Can't Find Missing Guns in Iraq
6 October 2007
Agence France Presse
BAGHDAD — They've been searching for months, but the US military has still not got to the bottom of what happened to tens of thousands of small arms handed to Iraqi forces, fearing many are now in the hands of insurgents.
As an example, the Americans delivered 125,163 Austrian-made Glock semi-automatic pistols to Iraqi police between 2003 and late 2006, Pentagon figures shows.
But in October 2006, senior US official Stuart Bowen compared deliveries carried out by a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Agence France Presse
24879
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