Gun Policy News
Gun violence, gun control and small arms
Russia,China,United States,United Kingdom,Congo (DRC),Myanmar,Iran
UK Minister Calls for International Support on Arms Trade Treaty
17 May 2012
Guardian (UK)
The international arms trade has become the greatest threat to development and has to be controlled by a tough treaty to regulate weapons and munitions sales, a government minister warns.
In a speech to the Institute for Strategic Studies thinktank, Alan Duncan, the minister for international development, will urge allies such as the US to set aside their concerns and sign up to the comprehensive arms trade treaty (ATT), which will be hammered out during a month-long... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Guardian (UK)
36143
Egypt,United States
Man Who Began Smuggling 1,000 Guns to Egypt Arrested in Florida
16 May 2012
Orlando Sentinel (Florida)
Federal authorities arrested a man in Orlando this week who allegedly told an undercover agent that he wanted to smuggle up to 1,000 firearms to Egypt.
Gamel Saad was arrested following a sting Monday. According to a criminal complaint, Saad bought three handguns from an undercover agent, wrapped them in towels, and put them inside a shipment of car parts he was sending to Egypt.
Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives began investigating... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Orlando Sentinel (Florida)
36130
Mexico,United States
Mexican Couple Admit to 27,000-round Ammo Cache in Texas
15 May 2012
Reuters
Two illegal immigrants pleaded guilty in Texas on Monday to possessing 27,000 rounds of assault rifle ammunition along the U.S.-Mexico border, where cross-border weapons smuggling has increased in recent years, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Police in Laredo, Texas, discovered the ammunition after they stopped a Dodge Ram pickup truck that failed to stop at a stop sign in March, U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson said in a statement.
Weapons traffickers along the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
36135
Russia,China,United States
US Marines Stole, Sold Nearly $2 Million in Guns to Gangs, China, Russia
15 May 2012
International Business Times (US)
U.S. Marines at Camp Lejeune, N.C., stole and sold approximately $2 million in guns and combat equipment to streets gangs and to China and Russia, military officials confirmed. The stolen guns and combat gear included assault rifles, night-vision goggles and flashlights.
More than 60 people have been implicated in the incident, the Daily News in Jacksonville, N.C., reported. 47 service members and 21 civilians have been charged so far. Several of them have already... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: International Business Times (US)
36134
United States
Florida Mother Kills Her Four Children Before Turning Gun on Herself
15 May 2012
KSee 24 News (California)
Florida police say a Port St. John mother shot and killed her four children early Tuesday morning before turning the gun on herself. Tanya Thomas, 33, shot her children Joel Johnson, 12, Jazlin Johnson, 13, Jaxs Johnson, 15, and Pebbles Johnson, 17, in their home before taking her own life.
A next-door neighbor was awakened by the sound of gunfire, then a knock at the door. Three of the children were there, asking for help. Joel Johnson was bleeding, and said he'd been... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: KSee 24 News (California)
36128
Colombia,United States,Mexico
Five-seven Semi-Automatic Pistol Arrives on Colombian Black Market
9 May 2012
InSight Crime (Bogota)
The Five-seven semi-automatic pistol, capable of piercing body armor, is already a favored weapon of the Mexican cartels. Now there are signs that this "cop killer" gun has found its way into the Colombian black market.
A spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has described the Five-seven as "the weapon of choice" for Mexico's criminal organizations. The weapon first gained the attention of Mexico law enforcement after it was used... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
36114
United States
Gun Dealers Bypass US Feds, Sell Guns to Foreign Buyers at Airport
8 May 2012
Gun Reports (USA)
According to a recent open letter from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to Federal firearms licensees (FFLs), "It has recently come to the attention of [the agency] that some Federal firearms licensees (FFL) are arranging for the exportation of firearms and ammunition through an in-person disposition to foreign purchasers at the airline ticket counter of local international airports. Industry members are advised that this manner of disposing... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Gun Reports (USA)
36119
United States
Gun Lobby Ends Silence, Fights to Defend US Vigilante Gun Laws
2 May 2012
Guardian (UK)
Initially silent amid controversy of Trayvon Martin's death, gun-lobby group vows to defend the controversial statutes.
The National Rifle Association has begun a rearguard action to shore up the controversial "stand-your-ground" laws that it has promoted across America, in the wake of the eruption of public anger over the killing in Florida of the unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin.
Since Martin was fatally shot by George Zimmerman, a self-declared neighborhood... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Guardian (UK)
36105
South America,Asia,Turkey,United Kingdom,Mexico,United States
Proposal to Relax Export Restrictions on Firearms in U.S. Unpopular
2 May 2012
Wall Street Journal
U.S. homeland-security and law-enforcement agencies have objected to
Obama administration proposals to relax export restrictions on
high-powered firearms, threatening a centerpiece of the president's
trade and national-security agenda.
The agencies, in internal memos viewed by The Wall Street Journal,
warn the changes could help arm drug cartels and terrorists and make
it harder for the U.S. to crack down on gun-trafficking.
The arms proposal is part of a broader... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Wall Street Journal
36097
United States
Gun Makers Rush to Loophole, Subvert California Assault Rifle Ban
1 May 2012
CBS News (USA)
SAN FRANCISCO — California has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation. But one wouldn't know that going to the firing range these days. AR-15s and AK-47s are the must-have guns of choice. How can that be?
Every time California tightens up the assault weapons ban, the gun industry finds a way around it. The latest example involves a tiny device.
John Largaespada loves his AR-15 and goes to the range every week to fire it. And he's got plenty of company.... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: CBS News (USA)
36093
United States,France,China,Pakistan,Afghanistan,Sweden
Pakistan a 'Very Gun-friendly Society,' 9 in 10 Owners Unlicensed
30 April 2012
Dawn (Karachi)
On January 25 this year, 32-year-old Waqas, a garment factory employee was hit by a bullet in New Karachi and he died. The bullet was not fired from the gun of a target killer, but by friends of a bridegroom amidst late-night wedding celebrations.
Two children aged 10 and 12, died in Sialkot in a similar incident on February 20, when the jubilant brother of a bridegroom unleashed a burst of bullets.
Such accidents, almost an every-day affair in Pakistan, never make it... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Dawn (Karachi)
36091
Mexico,United States
Feds Say 68,000 Guns Seized in Mexico Were Traced Back to US [Espanol]
26 April 2012
El Correo (Spain)
[Translated Summary: Washington says 68,000 guns recovered by Mexican authorities in the past five years have been traced back to the United States. An official report by the The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says that during this period, the Mexican authorities submitted more than 99,000 arms for tracing.]
WASHINGTON - El Gobierno de México ha recuperado más de 99.000 armas de fuego entre 2007 y 2011, de las cuales más de 68.000 procedían de... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: El Correo (Spain)
36081
Mexico,United States
Washington Says 68,000 Guns Seized in Mexico Were Traced Back to US
26 April 2012
Seattle Times / AP
WASHINGTON — The government said Thursday that 68,000 guns recovered by Mexican authorities in the past five years have been traced back to the United States.
The flood of tens of thousands of weapons underscores complaints from Mexico that the U.S. is responsible for arming the drug cartels plaguing its southern neighbor. Six years of violence between warring cartels have killed more than 47,000 people in Mexico.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Seattle Times / AP
36080
Mexico,United States
New Obama Gun Rule Sparks 123 Gun Trafficking Probes in Texas Alone
25 April 2012
Houston Chronicle (Texas)
Federal agents in South Texas have opened 123 criminal investigations as a result of a new requirement that border-state gun stores report customers who buy two or more large caliber rifles in the same week, especially those preferred by Mexican drug cartels.
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said Wednesday that it is not looking at everyone who makes multiple purchases, but those who draw suspicion for other reasons, such as repeatedly... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Houston Chronicle (Texas)
36074
United States,Australia
Fourfold Rise in Guns, Parts Smuggled to Australia, Most from USA
25 April 2012
Gympie Times (Queensland)
Firearm seizures at Australian borders have exploded four-fold over the past five years with most failed import attempts coming from the United States.
Australian Customs and Border Protection figures provided to APN Newsdesk show firearm, firearm parts, magazine or accessory detections in Australia increased from 225 in the 2006-07 financial year to 977 in the last financial year.
The biggest year for detections was in 2009-10 when Australian Customs discovered... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Gympie Times (Queensland)
36071
United States
Mass Shootings Not Tightening US Gun Control Laws Anymore - Expert
22 April 2012
Agence France Presse
CHICAGO — The statistics are staggering, the stories heartbreaking, yet there is little chance that any amount of bloodshed will lead to stiffer gun controls in the United States in the foreseeable future.
"It's not something that any politician thinks is winnable," said Kristin Goss, a politics professor at Duke University and author of "Disarmed: The Missing Movement for Gun Control in America."
Five years after the worst school shooting in US history left 32... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Agence France Presse
36057
United States,Mexico
Proposal to Allow the Right to Carry Hidden Handguns in Mexico [Espanol]
19 April 2012
Milenio (Mexico)
[Translated Summary: University Professor and lawyer Ernesto Villanueva suggests allowing the free carrying of firearms in Mexico, under administrative regulations and ensuring prior technical qualification of the carriers.]
El catedrático y jurista Ernesto Villanueva aseguró que con ello se erradicará el tráfico ilegal y los delitos; además mencionó "pareciera que hay dos cárteles, uno operado por el presidente Calderón y otro operado por las bandas... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Milenio (Mexico)
36064
United States
Vigilante Street Shooting a Turning Point in US Gun Control Debate?
19 April 2012
Christian Science Monitor
For years, gun laws had grown less restrictive. But some gun rights advocacy has been curtailed after the Trayvon Martin shooting, which has provided ammunition for gun control groups.
ATLANTA - Will Americans leery of a decade of gun rights expansions stand their ground over the Trayvon Martin case?
The Feb. 26 shooting of the unarmed teenager in Sanford, Fla., by neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman, and the initial police decision not to charge Mr.... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Christian Science Monitor
36048
United States,Mexico
Mexico Seizes 268,000 Rounds of Ammunition from US Truck at Border
18 April 2012
Washington Post / AP
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico — Mexican customs inspectors seized 268,000 rounds of assault rifle ammunition found in a U.S. truck at a border crossing in Ciudad Juarez, authorities reported Wednesday.
Angel Torres, a spokesman for federal prosecutors in northern Chihuahua state, said a 37-year-old man from Dallas, Texas, was detained for trying to drive the truck across the border from El Paso, Texas.
Torres said the driver, who is being held pending investigation on... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Post / AP
36044
United States
Record Number of Gun Permits in Hawaii, More Women Taking Gun Classes
18 April 2012
News Now (Hawaii)
HONOLULU – Numbers released by the Department of the Attorney General show a record number of permits were issued for firearms and a record number of firearms were registered in Hawaii in 2011.
Last year 14,460 permits were issued statewide compared to 12,214 in 2010. And 36,804 firearms were registered in Hawaii in 2011 compared to 31,390 the year before.
"Most of the folks we get are acquiring firearms for the purposes of protection," said Bill Richter, President... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: News Now (Hawaii)
36042
United States
Battleground America: One nation, under the gun - New Yorker feature
17 April 2012
New Yorker
Just after seven-thirty on the morning of February 27th, a seventeen-year-old boy named T. J. Lane walked into the cafeteria at Chardon High School, about thirty miles outside Cleveland. It was a Monday, and the cafeteria was filled with kids, some eating breakfast, some waiting for buses to drive them to programs at other schools, some packing up for gym class. Lane sat down at an empty table, reached into a bag, and pulled out a .22-calibre pistol. He stood up, raised... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New Yorker
36032
North America,United States
America's Deadly Devotion to Guns: A British Columnist Meets the NRA
16 April 2012
Guardian (UK)
There are around 90 guns for every 100 Americans yet, despite 85 fatal shootings a day, the mighty US gun lobby is as powerful as ever. In the wake of Trayvon Martin's killing, Gary Younge reports on the country's deadly attachment to firearms
At an organising breakfast for National Rifle Association (NRA) grassroots activists, Samuel Richardson, a man with whom I have not exchanged a word, passes me a note. "Please read the book Injustice by Adams," it reads. "He was... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Guardian (UK)
36037
United States,Mexico
90% of Guns Seized in Mexico Traced Back to US - ATF 2009 Report
16 April 2012
Latin American Herald Tribune (Venezuela)
MEXICO CITY – An exhibit of photographs and art at a Mexico City museum seeks to draw attention to the impact of arms smuggled into Mexico from the United States and gather signatures for a campaign demanding that Washington put an end to arms trafficking.
"Adios a las armas. Contrabando en las fronteras" (Goodbye Firearms. Contraband at the Borders), which opened on Nov. 30 at Mexico City's Museum of Memory and Tolerance, has been seen by about 30,000 visitors,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Latin American Herald Tribune (Venezuela)
36031
United States
NRA Gunfest Focuses US Fight Over 'Shoot First' Hidden Handgun Laws
14 April 2012
CBS News (USA)
ST. LOUIS - Avid hunter Rob West drove from Chillicothe, Ohio, to St. Louis this week to join some 70,000 fellow National Rifle Association members at the organization's annual convention, where seven acres of guns and gear were on display and where politics was never far from anyone's mind.
For the NRA, which opposes any restrictions on gun ownership and President Barack Obama's re-election, the Second Amendment right to bear arms is sacrosanct.
"We don't want... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: CBS News (USA)
36029
United States,Australia
Gun Owner Smuggled Assault Weapon Parts from US to Australia - Cops
14 April 2012
Daily Telegraph (Sydney)
Gun parts which could be assembled to make a military assault rifle similar to that used in the Port Arthur massacre have been removed from the streets of Sydney in the latest police raid and crackdown on illegal weapons.
The illegally imported parts, which slipped into the country through Australia Post, were uncovered on Thursday when detectives raided a property near Port Macquarie and another owned by the same man in Sydney's south.
Among the large cache of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Daily Telegraph (Sydney)
36026
United States
Is Gun Control Dead in America? Adam Winkler in the Washington Post
13 April 2012
Washington Post, Opinion
Monday marks five years since the massacre at Virginia Tech, where a mentally ill student, Seung Hui Cho, used two handguns he had bought legally to kill 32 people and wound 25 others. Other than a relatively minor law to improve the national database used for background checks, no significant gun-control legislation followed that tragedy.
Since then, there have been several mass shootings, including additional school rampages and the attempted assassination last year... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Post
36028
United States
Most Americans Back Gun Lobby, Right to Use Deadly Force, Shoot to Kill
13 April 2012
Reuters
WASHINGTON - Most Americans support the right to use deadly force to protect themselves - even in public places - and have a favorable view of the National Rifle Association, the main gun-lobby group, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed.
The online survey showed that 68 percent, or two out of three respondents, had a favorable opinion of the NRA, which starts its annual convention in St. Louis, Missouri, on Friday.
Eighty-two percent of Republicans saw the gun lobbying group... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
36025
United States
New York Mayor Launches Campaign Against 'Shoot First' US Gun Laws
12 April 2012
Washington Post / AP
WASHINGTON — New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg launched a national campaign against gun laws that he said "justify civilian gun play."
Bloomberg was joined by the leaders from the NAACP, National Urban League and other groups Wednesday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., as he announced "Second Chance on Shoot First."
The campaign aims to repeal or reform the laws that eliminated a person's duty to retreat when threatened with serious bodily harm or... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Post / AP
36023
United States,Canada
Canada Police Say Scrapping of Long-gun Registry 'Challenges' Tracing
12 April 2012
Winnipeg Free Press (Manitoba) / Canadian Press
OTTAWA - As it prepares to destroy millions of long-gun records, the RCMP says the Conservative government's decision to scrap the registry will make it tougher to trace firearms used to commit crimes.
The process that will lead to deletion of rifle and shotgun records in the registry is under way — with the exception of Quebec files at the centre of a court action, said Cpl. Laurence Trottier, an RCMP spokeswoman.
"It is a complex IT project involving the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Winnipeg Free Press (Manitoba) / Canadian Press
36016
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
Mexico,United States
What a Nerve: Mexican President Suggests a US Role in Gun Running
10 April 2012
The Hill (Washington DC)
The nerve of President Calderon of Mexico. How dare he come to the United States and utter two words Americans are no longer allowed to speak? I heard them myself in the Rose Garden last week: gun control.
Calderon's comments came in response to a reporter's question about the ongoing drug wars in Mexico, in which 11,000 people were killed in 2010 alone. What are you doing about the guns?
He began by noting that the level of gun violence in Mexico began to escalate in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: The Hill (Washington DC)
36009
Oceania,Asia,Americas,Africa,United Kingdom,United States,Europe,Spain
New Forensic Technique Tags Firearm Type with Gunshot Residue
9 April 2012
United Press International
ALBANY, N.Y. -- A new forensic technique using lasers may allow investigators to match gunshot residue to a specific caliber of firearm, U.S. and European researchers say.
The new technique could lead to a stronger link between a suspect and a firearm, they said.
Researchers in Spain used spectroscopy to analyze six kinds of ammunition, assessing propellant from unfired cartridges then compared these spectra to the signature in residue from fired guns, ScienceNews.org... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: United Press International
36018
West Asia,North Africa,South America,Africa,United States,Russia
Russian Arms Dealer Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison by US Judge
5 April 2012
New York Times / Reuters
NEW YORK - Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer caught in an undercover sting by U.S. agents posing as Colombian guerrillas seeking weapons, was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Thursday by a U.S. judge in New York.
Bout, who was the subject of a book titled "Merchant of Death," asserted his innocence during the sentencing, telling the judge through a Russian interpreter, "I never intended to kill anyone. I never intended to sell arms to anyone. God knows this... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times / Reuters
36000
United States
The Law of the Gun in Florida - Editorial
5 April 2012
New York Times, Editorial
Florida leads the pack in passing bills written by the gun lobby that block any sensible attempt to control the purchase and use of firearms. The dangerous folly of these laws was on display in the Trayvon Martin shooting, and will again be on display when Republicans gather for their presidential convention in Tampa this August.
The City Council is sensibly preparing tight security precautions for the downtown area by temporarily banning clubs, hatchets,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
35999
United States
Federally Funded Research on US Gun Violence Banned for 10 Years
5 April 2012
Sacramento Bee (California) / McClatchy-Tribune News Service, Opinion
Yet another senseless killing spree shocked America this week, as word spread of Monday's tragedy at Oikos University in Oakland, Calif.
The pattern is all too familiar: A shooter possessed by pent-up anger or resentment apparently sets out to kill - not necessarily the people who caused his misery, but anyone connected to a place or institution with which it was associated. All of these deaths are tragic, but there is something especially poignant when the setting is... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Sacramento Bee (California) / McClatchy-Tribune News Service
35996
United States
Rise in Justifiable Homicides Linked to Weak US Gun Control Laws
5 April 2012
Guardian (UK)
NEW YORK - Rising numbers of civilian justifiable homicides across the US are closely linked to states with both weak gun controls and stand-your-ground laws, according to a Guardian analysis of FBI and other data, which show a 25% increase in such killings since the controversial self-defence laws started being introduced around 2005.
Stand-your-ground (SYG) measures, which have attracted increasing scrutiny since the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Trayvon... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Guardian (UK)
35994
United States,Mexico
Art and Photo Show Focuses on Trade in Firearms, Deadly Effects in Mexico
5 April 2012
Huffington Post (USA) / AP
MEXICO CITY — An art and photo show focusing on the trade in firearms and their deadly effects in Mexico may soon be going to the United States, the same place where many of the weapons come from.
The show, "A Farewell to Arms. Contraband on the Border," uses photos and artwork to illustrate how the illegal weapons trade has affected Mexico, where more than 47,000 people have died in drug-related violence since late 2006.
The non-governmental groups Global Exchange... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Huffington Post (USA) / AP
35991
United States
US: We Need To Talk About Guns - Blog by Andrew Rosenthal
5 April 2012
New York Times, Blog
How many students have to be shot to death in their schools before this country has a serious discussion about guns? Are the 10 who have been gunned down just since Feb. 27 enough?
The question of the constitutional right to own guns is irrelevant here—even if you believe that the Constitution gives every last American the right to own a firearm (which The Times editorial board does not, but many other reasonable people do).
There is simply no defending the many... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
35990
Mexico,United States
Man Pleads Guilty in Botched 'Fast and Furious' US Gun-running Sting
5 April 2012
Reuters
PHOENIX - A man pleaded guilty on Thursday to two felony counts of purchasing and running high-powered rifles to Mexico from Arizona under the botched "Fast and Furious" federal sting operation tied to the murder of a U.S. federal agent.
Jaime Avila Jr. was among a ring of 20 defendants charged with buying high-powered firearms including Kalashnikov type assault rifles and Barrett sniper rifles to run to the Mexican cartels.
The purchases were made in the Phoenix area... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
35988
United States,China
Number of Gun-related Crimes Is Dropping Rapidly in China - Police
5 April 2012
China Daily
The number of gun-related crimes is dropping rapidly nationwide, despite a recent spate of armed robberies, police say.
In 2000, police dealt with about 5,000 gun-related crimes across the country. The number dropped to about 500 in 2011, down 46 percent from 2010, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Public Security.
The decrease is mainly due to China's strict policy on gun control and tougher policing measures, said Yan Zhengbin, deputy director of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: China Daily
35983
Europe,Asia,South East Asia,China,United States
Gun Runners 'Using Internet and Express Delivery' in China – Police
5 April 2012
China Daily
Police success at border checkpoints forces arms traffickers to change
Gun smugglers are using the Internet and express delivery networks for trafficking arms into China, a police officer said.
Police broke up 69 gun-smuggling rings nationally last year, and smashed 20 gangs, Yan Zhengbin, deputy director at the public security management bureau under the Ministry of Public Security, told China Daily.
Nineteen cases involved fully assembled guns, while the remainder... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: China Daily
35982
United States
Fearing the Public, US Politicians Carry Hidden Handguns in State Capitols
4 April 2012
Agence France Presse
CHICAGO — When Wisconsin lawmakers gather to discuss the business of the day at least one of them is legally packing a concealed weapon, amid the ever-present and heated gun law debate in the United States.
Wisconsin is one of just nine US states -- out of 50 -- which have expanded conceal-carry laws to allow gun owners to enter state capitols with their weapons, including on the assembly floor.
After the law was passed in November, state representative Bill Kramer... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Agence France Presse
36001
United States
US University Mass Killer Bought His Gun Easily, Legally - Police
3 April 2012
Mercury (San Jose)
OAKLAND -- An extensive search probed the depths of a local waterway Tuesday as authorities worked to find the gun used in a shooting spree that killed seven and wounded three at a private college in East Oakland.
Oakland police cordoned off a stretch of the Oakland Estuary in the 7200 block of Doolittle Drive for most of the day as they deployed a police boat and a robot borrowed from San Francisco police that can conduct underwater searches. A police helicopter... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Mercury (San Jose)
35977
United States,Mexico,Central America,Honduras,Guatemala,El Salvador
El Salvador Soldiers Accused of Selling Guns to Guatemala, Honduras Gangs
2 April 2012
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Prosecutors in El Salvador ordered the arrest of eight soldiers and one civilian linked to an arms trafficking network that may have supplied thousands of weapons to drug gangs in Guatemala and Honduras.
On March 30, the office of El Salvador's Attorney General (FGR) ordered the arrest of the nine suspects, alleging that they had participated in a scheme which involved siphoning off weapons that were slated to be destroyed, and selling them to drug trafficking... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
35984
United States
Linking Multiple Shootings to One Gun is NY City Detective's Talent
30 March 2012
New York Times
The trigger of a semiautomatic pistol is pulled, and a firing pin in the back of the gun darts forward, slamming into the primer on the rear of the cartridge holding the bullet and causing a small explosion. This ignites the gunpowder in the cartridge, blasting the bullet out of the barrel with tens of thousands of pounds of pressure. That blast goes both ways, driving the left-behind shell casing backward hard enough to leave an impression from the inside of the gun on... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
35971
United States
The Fatal Flaw in Florida-Style 'Shoot First' Gun Laws – NY Times Editorial
29 March 2012
New York Times, Editorial
As the investigation of the shooting death of the teenager Trayvon Martin by a self-appointed neighborhood watchman goes forward in Florida, news accounts are reporting a toll of shootings, knifings and other violent homicides in which the state's dangerous Stand Your Ground law was successfully claimed as a defense.
The killings included domestic disputes, barroom brawls and drug violence, according to The Tampa Bay Times, which surveyed 130 cases in which the 2005... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
35970
United States,Canada
Year's Jail, Life Ban for Vet Caught Smuggling Gun Parts US-Canada
29 March 2012
880 CKLQ AM (Manitoba)
A 47 year old former member of the military has been sentenced to one year in jail for smuggling a submachine gun part into Canada from the United States.
He did so by hiding it in a bag of empty beer cans when crossing the border on November 5th, 2011.
Cameron Eugene Bell says he was going to just display the parts of the gun as art.
Along with one year in jail he was sentenced to a 15 year firearms ban and lifetime restricted weapons... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: 880 CKLQ AM (Manitoba)
35967
United States
In 23 Rich Nations, 80% of Gun Death, 87% of Kids Shot Are American
28 March 2012
New Jersey Today
In a report released this month, the Children's Defense Fund has analyzed recent national data on gunfire deaths and produced some alarming figures on child casualties.
The report also criticizes a wave of new state gun-rights laws that the Washington D.C.-based advocacy group argues put children in ever more peril.
The nonprofit advocacy group dedicated its report, "Protect Kids, Not Guns 2012,"to Florida teen Trayvon Martin, who was shot dead in February by a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New Jersey Today
35966
United States
Nearly Twice as Many US Preschoolers Die by Gunshot Than Police
28 March 2012
New Jersey Today
In a report released this month, the Children's Defense Fund has analyzed recent national data on gunfire deaths and produced some alarming figures on child casualties.
The report also criticizes a wave of new state gun-rights laws that the Washington D.C.-based advocacy group argues put children in ever more peril.
The nonprofit advocacy group dedicated its report, "Protect Kids, Not Guns 2012,"to Florida teen Trayvon Martin, who was shot dead in February by a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New Jersey Today
35965
United States
Hidden Handgun Permit Holders Killed 391 US Civilians, Police in 5 Years
28 March 2012
New York Times, Column
The debate over the shooting death of Trayvon Martin seems to be devolving into an argument about the right to wear hoodies, but it really does not appear to be a promising development.
Congress, which never draws any serious conclusions from terrible tragedies involving gunplay, did have time on Wednesday to fight about whether Representative Bobby Rush of Chicago violated the House dress code when he took off his suit jacket, revealing a gray sweater he was wearing... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
35962
United States
Why Do Americans Love Their Guns, Fiercely Defend Gun 'Freedom'?
27 March 2012
al Jazeera, Video
As thousands die from gunshots every year we ask why most people are still fiercely defending the gun culture in the US.
There are more guns legally held per person in the US than in any other developed nation. And despite a string of high-profile shootings in recent years guns are embedded in the American culture.
The right of individuals to carry arms is enshrined in the Second Amendment of the US constitution, written in 1791. And today, it is one of the most... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: al Jazeera
35968
United States,Bolivia
Bolivia Govt Seizes Shotguns, Handgun from US Vehicle
27 March 2012
Huffington Post (USA)
LA PAZ, Bolivia — Bolivia's interior minister says his government has seized three shotguns, a revolver and more than 2,300 rounds of ammunition from a vehicle owned by the U.S. Embassy.
The minister claims the weapons were being transported without authorization and posed a security threat.
But the U.S. Embassy says the weapons confiscated Tuesday were being transferred under an agreement with Bolivia's police. It said in a statement that Washington routinely... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Huffington Post (USA)
35961
United States
America's Wild West Gun Laws Unlikely to Change - Bernd Debusmann
23 March 2012
Reuters, Column
The killing of a black teenager by a self-appointed vigilante in Florida has trained a spotlight on gun laws reminiscent of the Wild West in 24 U.S. states. Despite widespread outrage over the Florida case, gun-friendly senators in Washington want to make it easier to extend those laws to most of the country.
That would set the United States, where there are more firearms in private hands than in any other country, even farther apart from the rest of the industrialized... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
35949
United States
US Gun Makers' Share Values Rise on Strong Demand, Fear of Obama
22 March 2012
Reuters
Gun maker Sturm Ruger & Co Inc's (RGR.N) shares rose to a life-high on Thursday, after the company said demand was rising so fast that it was suspending new orders until May.
Sturm Ruger said on Wednesday that it has received orders for more than one million guns for the first quarter and it could not keep up with demand despite increased production.
The spike in demand comes in an election year when fears of gun control regulations resurface.
In 2009, gun sales had... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
35943
United States
'Desperate, Dangerous' US Gun Lobby Reaches New 'Levels of Craziness'
21 March 2012
New York Times, Column
There is nothing so dangerous as a lobbying organization that's running out of stuff to lobby about.
I am thinking in particular of the National Rifle Association. These people are really in desperate straits. The state legislatures are almost all in session, but some of them have already pushed the gun-owner-rights issue about as far as it can go. You can only legalize carrying a concealed weapon in church once.
This year, in search of new worlds to conquer — or... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
35939
United States
Killer of Florida Teen Should at Least Lose Hidden Handgun Permit
21 March 2012
Chicago Tribune
Activists argued today that state officials should investigate whether neighborhood-watch volunteer George Zimmerman should carry a gun considering he fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin on Feb. 26.
The Florida Civil Rights Association, a group of Orlando pastors and various attorneys gathered with about two dozen sign-waving residents outside of a regional office for the state's licensing division — the agency that issues gun permits — and demanded officials... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Chicago Tribune
35938
United States
Holding a Gun Increases the Shooter's Perception of Threat - Study
21 March 2012
CBS News (USA) / AP
NEW YORK - No one knows what led a Florida neighborhood watch captain to shoot Trayvon Martin, a teenager carrying no weapon.
But a new study raises an intriguing question: Could the watch captain have been fooled into thinking the youth was armed in part because he himself was holding a gun?
In the study, volunteers who held a toy gun and glimpsed fleeting images of people holding an object were biased toward thinking the object was a gun.
It's another indication... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: CBS News (USA) / AP
35937
United States
'Child-access Prevention' Laws to Prevent Accidental Shootings in US
20 March 2012
Seattle Times, Opinion
Gun owners can help protect others by storing their guns responsibly; a useful site for starters is lokitup.org, says Dr. Frederick P. Rivara, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington.
In our local community and in the nation, parents are grieving for their children who have been injured or killed recently by guns. We have all read the headlines, seen the news reports and shaken our heads about these tragedies. While we all agree that such events... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Seattle Times
35932
Mexico,United States
Feds Caught Top Man in US-Mexico Drug Cartel Gun Running, Let Him Go
19 March 2012
Los Angeles Times
Federal agents stopped the main target of the ill-fated Operation Fast and Furious in May 2010. After they questioned him, he disappeared back into Mexico, and the program went on to spiral out of control.
WASHINGTON — Seven months after federal agents began the ill-fated Fast and Furious gun-tracking operation, they stumbled upon their main suspect in a remote Arizona outpost on the Mexican border, driving an old BMW with 74 rounds of ammunition and nine cellphones... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Los Angeles Times
35927
United States,Mexico
Mexico, Awash in Illegal Firearms, Has Just One Legal Gun Store
19 March 2012
Kansas City Star (Missouri)
MEXICO CITY — Mexico has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the world. If any of the nation's 112 million citizens want to buy firearms, there's only one store where they can do it legally. It's on a sprawling military base and run by the army.
That, however, hasn't stopped Mexicans from acquiring firearms. The country is awash in illegal guns, many of them assault weapons in the hands of merciless criminal gangs. President Felipe Calderon says authorities have... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Kansas City Star (Missouri)
35926
United States
Mass Shooting Survivor Slams 'Outrageous' Lack of US Gun Sale Checks
15 March 2012
CNN
A man who survived the April 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech says not enough is being done to keep guns out of the hands of people like the shooter even as a jury found the university failed to warn students earlier that a gunman was on campus.
"As someone who lost a teacher and many friends as a result of the Virginia Tech massacre, I am gratified by the verdict," said Colin Goddard, who was shot four times during the rampage by Seung-Hui Cho.
A jury Wednesday awarded... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: CNN
35928
Mexico,United States
Legal US Gun Sales Arm Drug Cartels - Mexican Soldiers Take Weapons
15 March 2012
Reuters
Recent focus on the relationship between U.S. guns and Mexican cartels has been limited to the ATF's "Fast and the Furious." That plan had agents selling assault rifles to Mexican gun runners so that they could track high-ranking cartel members.
Though the ATF's actions are a bit questionable, there's actually a completely legal -- and perhaps more harmful -- way the U.S. is arming Mexican cartels. It's called "direct commercial sales" and it's operated by the State... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
35922
United States,Germany,Europe,Australia
In Wake of Glock Seizure, Australian Minister Defends Gun Control Efforts
15 March 2012
ABC News (Australia), Transcript
TONY EASTLEY: According to Tony Abbott Sydneysiders this morning not only face peak hour traffic but a reign of terror on the streets because of the illegal importation of hundreds of handguns from Europe and he puts it down to the Federal Government's lack of border control. The Opposition Leader says it can all be sheeted home to the Government.
On Tuesday police and other Federal and state authorities arrested alleged members of a gun smuggling syndicate who'd... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: ABC News (Australia)
35910
United States
Why More Americans Carry Hidden Handguns in Public Places - Feature
11 March 2012
Christian Science Monitor
Leaning against a scrub pine as preschoolers scurry about at his feet, Shane Gazda, father of 3-year-old twins, recalls a conundrum he faced earlier that morning: whether to take his Smith & Wesson .40 caliber handgun to a Groundhog Day celebration in this town's White Deer Park.
After all, what was once against the law in North Carolina – carrying a concealed gun in a town park, square, or greenway – is now, as of Dec. 1, 2011, very much allowed. To Mr. Gazda, who... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Christian Science Monitor
35900
Pakistan,Iran,Egypt,Russia,United States,Somalia,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa
A 'Bulletproof' Arms Trade Treaty Could Slow the Global Flow of Guns
8 March 2012
MediaGlobal News (New York)
Every day, according to Amnesty International, thousands of people are killed, injured, raped, and forced to flee from their homes as a result of armed conflict, armed violence, and human rights violations and abuses perpetrated using conventional arms.
As violence continues unchecked around the world, a coalition of humanitarian and health organizations is rallying support for a "bulletproof" global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), to be discussed in July, that would stymie... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: MediaGlobal News (New York)
35894
United States
Twelve American States On Path to Hidden Handguns with No Permits
7 March 2012
USA Today
Legislatures in a dozen states are considering laws that would eliminate requirements that residents obtain permits to carry concealed weapons.
Gun-control advocates view the efforts as part of a long-range strategy to eventually weaken gun laws across the country. But supporters say armed, law-abiding citizens prevent crime.
Andrew Arulanandam, policy director for the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action, which supports these legislative... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: USA Today
35892
United States
'Good Reason' Hidden Handgun Test Unconstitutional - US Federal Judge
6 March 2012
Washington Post
A federal judge in Maryland has ruled that state residents no longer must show they have a good reason to carry a handgun outside their home, declaring a key provision of the state's gun-control laws unconstitutional.
Gun rights advocates said the opinion — in a relatively liberal state with some of the country's tightest gun restrictions — would help as they challenge similar laws in about a half-dozen states. Maryland officials said Monday that they are seeking a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Post
35887
Timor-Leste,Thailand,Sri Lanka,Myanmar,Indonesia,South Asia,South East Asia,Israel,Iran,Cuba,United States,Japan,China,Brunei,Philippines,Pakistan,India,Asia
UN Urges Asian Nations to Help Curb Global Trade in Illegal Guns
6 March 2012
Jakarta Post
The United Nations is urging all nations in the Asia region to implement concrete solutions to stop illegal trading in small arms and light weapons.
"Over the past decades, trade has made this region grow so phenomenally. If you are a region where international trade is what makes you tick, you better also make sure that you are seen as doing trade in the right way," UN disarmament affairs official Daniel Prins told reporters on the sidelines of opening the Asian... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Jakarta Post
35886
Nepal,Myanmar,Sri Lanka,Bangladesh,Mauritius,Libya,Morocco,Saudi Arabia,Iran,Turkey,Thailand,Indonesia,Malaysia,France,China,United States,Pakistan
Pakistan Has Achieved Self Sufficiency in Small Arms and Ammunition
5 March 2012
Indian Defence Review
After partition, Pakistan did not inherit any military production facilities. In 1951, the Pakistan Ordnance Factory was established at Wah cantonment to produce small arms, ammunition and explosives. After 1965, Pakistan, apart from shifting its overwhelming arms supplies reliance from the US to China and other western countries like France; also began to concentrate on expanding its defence production facilities. In this, it received effusive assistance from... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Indian Defence Review
35895
United States
Las Vegas Tourist Machine Gun Range Features Gun-toting Hostesses
5 March 2012
New York Times
LAS VEGAS — For Vegas die-hards bored with the $750 tasting menu at Guy Savoy, the $250 Elton John tickets at Caesars or the $200,000 baccarat bet at the Bellagio, this city is serving up a new way to find high-priced thrills.
Machine Guns Vegas — an upscale indoor shooting range complete with skimpily dressed gun-toting hostesses — opened last week a half-mile from the Strip with an armory of weapons and a promise to fulfill the desires of anyone wanting to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
35891
Ecuador,Paraguay,United States
Ecuadoran Smuggled 46 Boxes of Gun Parts, Minneapolis to Paraguay
5 March 2012
Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St Paul)
An Ecuadoran man who helped smuggle 46 boxes of gun parts from Minneapolis to Paraguay was sentenced Monday in St. Paul to two years in federal prison and faces almost certain deportation upon his release.
Fabian Lojano-Lojano, speaking through an interpreter, apologized for his actions and told U.S. District Judge Richard Kyle that he didn't know what he was doing when he shipped AK-47 gun parts to Paraguay without obtaining a proper license.
"I made the mistake and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St Paul)
35884
United States
Texas Gun Sales Boom in Expectation of Obama Re-election
4 March 2012
ABC News (USA) / AP
FORT WORTH, Texas - Gun sales are booming across Texas, and some buyers say their growing belief that President Barack Obama will inevitably be re-elected is fueling their race to bear more arms.
And sales haven't just risen in Texas. There's been a rush nationwide, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported in Sunday's edition.
The Cheaper than Dirt gun store in Fort Worth set a sales record for February, said store owner DeWayne Irwin, who described the rush as similar... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: ABC News (USA) / AP
35883
Eastern Europe,Russia,United States,Belgium
Important Arms Cache Revealed by Belgium Police [Francais]
29 February 2012
RTL (Belgium)
[Translated summary: Explosives and weapons of war, including kalashnikovs, were seized by Belgium Police. This arms cache was Brussels' organised crime private supermarket.]
Kalachnikovs, grenades et dynamite, c'est l'étonnante découverte qu'a faite, mardi, la police d'Anderlecht dans un hangar, révèle une information de Sudpresse.
Selon le parquet de Bruxelles, ces explosifs et armes de guerre pourraient être revendus et destinés à des attaques à main... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RTL (Belgium)
35873
United States
Ohio Boy, 'Bullied Outcast' Got Handgun, Killed 3 High School Classmates
29 February 2012
AFP
The death toll from a high school shooting rose to three Tuesday with two more teens succumbing to wounds suffered when a fellow student opened fire in a high school cafeteria.
The alleged shooter, identified as 17-year-old TJ Lane, opened fire Monday with a handgun on a group of fellow students in the cafeteria of Chardon High School shortly after the start of the school day.
The latest victims were Demetrius Hewlin and Russell King who died Tuesday from gunshot... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: AFP
35868
Europe,Israel,Russia,United States
Why Does America Lead the World in School Shootings? - Opinion
28 February 2012
CNN, Opinion
Editor's Note: Dr. Frank Ochberg is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Michigan State University and former Associate Director of the National Institute of Mental Health.
School shootings are far more frequent in America than in other countries, although terrible massacres have occurred in Russia, Israel, and several European nations. In the high-crime neighborhoods of inner cities, school turf is relatively safe. We have learned to harden the target and patrol with... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: CNN
35875
Philippines,Trinidad & Tobago,Zimbabwe,Zambia,Uganda,Tanzania,Senegal,Congo (DRC),Pakistan,Nigeria,Niger,Namibia,Morocco,Mauritania,Malawi,Madagascar,Côte d'Ivoire,Burkina Faso,Botswana,Egypt,Angola,Algeria,South Africa,Ghana,China,United States,Austria,Russia,Israel,Bahrain,Asia,Africa,Brazil
Brazil Arms Exports: Country Preaches Peace, Sells Tons of Arms
28 February 2012
Huffington Post (USA)
A small, scratched metal can thrown on the ground created Brazil's first diplomatic embarrassment of 2012. The canister of tear gas had been collected by pro-democracy activists in Bahrain. Stamped across the can in blue was a Brazilian flag and the words 'MADE IN BRAZIL.'
One year had passed since Bahrain became the stage for pro-democracy protests by the majority Shiites against the Sunni monarchy commanded by king Hamad bin-Isa Khalifa. The protesters had been... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Huffington Post (USA)
35870
United States
3 Former New York City Police Officers Plead Guilty in Gun-smuggling Case
27 February 2012
New York Times
Three former New York City police officers pleaded guilty on Monday to taking part in a scheme to illegally transport firearms across state lines, the authorities said.
"As they admitted today, these police officers moonlighted as criminals, and even planned to use their badges to cover their illegal activity," the United States attorney in Manhattan, Preet Bharara, said in a statement.
Gary Ortiz, 28, who was an active-duty officer in the 71st Precinct in Brooklyn,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
35867
United States,Canada
Canada Border Guards Seize 75 Guns Hidden in Truck, Charge American
22 February 2012
Globe & Mail (Toronto) / CP
COUTTS, Alta. — Border officials in Alberta have seized a cache of guns hidden inside a vehicle trying to get into Canada.
Officers found 75 firearms, including 48 handguns, stowed inside a pickup truck at the Coutts crossing on Tuesday.
Officials say it is the largest handgun seizure in the port's history.
The driver of the truck told officers he was travelling to Alaska and was not carrying any firearms.
RCMP arrested 54-year-old George Foster of Florida.
He... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Globe & Mail (Toronto) / CP
35861
South America,North America,Canada,India,Africa,Asia,United States
Guns More Common in America Than in Much of Asia, Africa - LA Times
21 February 2012
Los Angeles Times
Guns are the new bling in India, as Mark Magnier reports for The Times. Rising income, rising crime and memories of terrorism have made Indians more eager to pack a pistol:
Government worker Deep Sidhu sits in his living room feeling the weight of the family's Luger, a German World War II-era pistol, in his hands. Guns are in the blood, he says beneath a painting of a man toting a shotgun.
"This forgiveness-peace idea will only make Pakistanis think we're soft... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Los Angeles Times
35850
United States
California Gun Lobby Has High Hopes of Winning Hidden Handgun Fight
20 February 2012
Los Angeles Times
Chuck Michel's strategy for crime-fighting rests on the element of surprise: Keep the bad guys guessing who's armed and who's not.
"If 5% of the ducks could shoot back, you're not going to go duck hunting," said the Long Beach lawyer representing many Californians denied concealed weapons permits and, in his view, their constitutional right to self-defense.
For decades, that argument has fallen flat in the courtroom. Judges have routinely held that denying permits to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Los Angeles Times
35846
Germany,Chad,Yemen,Egypt,Libya,France,United Kingdom,United States,Sudan,Belarus,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,Syria,Russia
Towards an International Control of Arms Trade, NGOs Concerned [Francais]
19 February 2012
Le Monde (France)
[Translated summary: As negotiations were launched this week in New York on the Arms Trade Treaty, Amnesty International, CCFD-Terre Solidaire and Oxfam France are concerned about the risk of a "Treaty at a discount ".]
La vente d'armes à un régime qui réprime sa population, comme le fait aujourd'hui la Russie à l'Etat syrien, sera-t-elle bientôt illégale ? C'est l'enjeu des négociations qui devraient aboutir, en juillet, à New York, à la signature d'un... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Le Monde (France)
35854
Italy,Philippines,United States,Russia,Germany,Czech Republic,China,Botswana,Oceania,Americas,Africa,Asia,Europe,Central Africa,Caribbean,South America,Central America,Zimbabwe,Namibia,Mozambique,Congo (DRC),Angola,Swaziland,South Africa,Southern Africa
High Gun Death Risk for Young African Men, Women at Home - UN Study
19 February 2012
Southern Times (Southern Africa)
WINDHOEK - Young men in Southern Africa are at the greatest risk of cold-blooded murder, while women in the region are more likely than others from around the world to be killed in domestic violence, a UN agency says.
The statistics from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) come as the region battles to contain the proliferation of gun-related crimes.
Experts have said gun-related crime is a major problem in South Africa and Swaziland, and is on the rise in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Southern Times (Southern Africa)
35844
Egypt,Mexico,Iran,United States,Syria,Russia,China,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa
Collapse of UN Arms Trade Treaty Talks Narrowly Averted - Reuters
17 February 2012
Reuters
UNITED NATIONS - Negotiators on Friday narrowly averted the collapse of talks on a world arms trade treaty to regulate the $55 billion global weapons market, agreeing on ground rules for negotiations after days of procedural wrangling.
Delegates and advocates for tougher oversight of global arms sales said the agreement set the stage for a monthlong conference in July to draft the treaty.
Arms control campaigners say one person every minute dies as a result of armed... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
35841
Mexico,United States
Mexican President Unveils 'No More Weapons!' Billboard on US Border
17 February 2012
Washington Post / AP
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico — President Felipe Calderon on Thursday unveiled a "No More Weapons!" billboard made with crushed firearms and placed near the U.S. border. He urged the United States to stop the flow of weapons into Mexico.
The billboard, which is in English and weighs 3 tons, was placed near an international bridge in Ciudad Juarez and can be seen from the United States.
Calderon said the billboard's letters were made with weapons seized by local, state and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Post / AP
35835
United States,Pakistan
US Consular Employee Arrested with 17 Pistols at Pakistan Airport
14 February 2012
AAJ News (Pakistan)
US national William Charles was arrested at the Peshawar airport on Tuesday morning. The police found 17 9mm pistols and numerous 9mm bullets in his possession, AajNews reported.
Sources revealed, that the US national was traveling on flight PK218 which was heading to Islamabad from Peshawar when he was detained by the ASF personnel.
William Charles is employed by the American consulate in Peshawar.
According to a local news channel, the Airport Security Force... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: AAJ News (Pakistan)
35829
Sudan,China,Egypt,Bahrain,Libya,Germany,United Kingdom,Russia,United States,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa
At Last, the World Acts to Control Global Arms Trade, UN Talks Begin this Week
12 February 2012
Independent (Dublin)
The global arms trade, which produces two bullets for every person on the planet every year and the weapons that kill 1,500 people each day, is facing the first worldwide effort to control it. An unprecedented treaty that would attempt to restrict arms sales is expected to be drawn up at talks in the United Nations this week.
A campaign for such an agreement, begun six years ago by Nobel laureates, faces attempts by the United States and Russia to water the treaty... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Independent (Dublin)
35825
United States
New Yorkers Hide More 'Community Guns' for Impulse Street Shootings
10 February 2012
New York Times
Shanell Crute and her boyfriend were walking toward East 163rd Street in the Bronx to buy marijuana that night. With two blocks to go, they stopped when a group of five guys called out to her. The men had been drinking and smoking.
Ms. Crute's nickname was Sweetz because she was quite friendly, but that night, Sept. 30, 2010, she gave as good as she got for the last minutes of her 26-year-long life.
"She says, 'I might know these guys,' " said Lt. James Ruane of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
35819
United States
Buy a Gun Online in the US, No Questions Asked - Investigation
9 February 2012
NBC News (USA), Report
Today marks the debut of Rossen Reports, a new unit led by national investigative correspondent Jeff Rossen. First out of the gate: A hidden camera investigation exposing how easy it is for anyone – even criminals – to buy dangerous weapons.
Some say it's a major loophole in the law. At gun stores, you have to get a background check before you can buy a weapon. But online in most states, anyone from law-abiding citizens to dangerous criminals – even terrorists... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: NBC News (USA)
35814
Mexico,United States
Texas: Desperate Housewives Buy Assault Rifles for Mexico's Drug Cartels
8 February 2012
Reuters
SAN ANTONIO - Nine Texas men and women have been sentenced to prison for purchasing firearms for Mexico's Los Zetas drug cartel, and a dozen others face charges linked to a Department of Justice probe into weapons trafficking, officials said on Wednesday.
U.S. Attorney Robert Pitman said that in many cases, the purchasers were paid a couple of hundred dollars to buy a weapon and hand it to a smuggler.
"Firearms smugglers employ individuals in the United States with no... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
35811
Haiti,Caribbean,United States,Jamaica
Jamaica Destroys Thousands of Guns to Combat Trafficking and Crime
7 February 2012
Chicago Tribune / AP
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Roughly 2,000 firearms were melted down in a blazing furnace Tuesday as part of an effort designed to combat gun trafficking and corruption in Jamaica while reducing violent crime.
Police, government and U.N. officials destroyed pistols and revolvers by pitching them into a kiln glowing bright orange at a cement factory in the capital of Kingston. Most of the guns were decommissioned or seized in police operations over the years.
National... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Chicago Tribune / AP
35806
Mexico,United States
How America's Lax Gun Laws Enable Drug Cartel Killings in Mexico
5 February 2012
Washington Post, Editorial
Do America's failed gun policies contribute to the terrible violence in Mexico? Alejandro A. Poire Romero makes a compelling case that the answer is yes.
Law enforcement officials in both countries acknowledge that 70 to 80 percent of the traceable guns seized in Mexico can be tracked to the United States. Mr. Poire Romero, a top Mexican national security and criminal justice official, offers additional evidence that the United States has been an enabler of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Post
35803
United States
Super Bowl TV Ad Makes New York Mayor Bloomberg US Gun Control King
4 February 2012
Christian Science Monitor
The gun control movement has faltered in recent years. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has vowed to spend his own fortune to buck that trend, most notably with a Super Bowl ad.
ATLANTA - With little political capital to lose and millions of his own cash to spend, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is determined to check the role of guns in American society.
A 30-second Super Bowl ad featuring Mr. Bloomberg on a couch with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino will go a long way... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Christian Science Monitor
35804
United States
Talk of US Gun Buying Spree Based on Inaccurate, Biased Estimates
4 February 2012
Reuters
The conventional wisdom is that gun sales have increased dramatically since the election of Barack Obama because people fear gun rights will be curtailed. But as it turns out, there are no completely accurate measures of either gun purchases or gun ownership.
The gun industry's trade group, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), tracks gun sales by looking at the number of new requests to the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). A... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
35802
Jamaica,United States,Caribbean
Jamaica Calls on US for Concrete Support in Fight Against Illegal Gun Trafficking
4 February 2012
South Florida Caribbean News
WASHINGTON, DC - Jamaica's Ambassador to the United States Her Excellency Audrey Marks has called on the United States government to work with the Caribbean to fulfil the 2007 pledge made by the USA and CARICOM Member States to enhance co-operation in eradicating the illegal gun trade in the Region.
Ambassador Marks told a hearing on US-Caribbean Security Cooperation that was held by the United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control on Wednesday, that... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: South Florida Caribbean News
35800
Mexico,United States
New York, Boston Mayors Lead Influential American Gun Control Group
4 February 2012
Reuters
NEW YORK - Among the slick, million-dollar ads for the likes of Pepsi and Honda during the Super Bowl this Sunday, viewers in Washington will see a far more modest spot. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino will be sitting on a couch touting an issue most politicians avoid like the plague: gun control.
The two mayors, whose local teams face off in the big game, are making the pitch for Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG), the organization they... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
35799
United States
Breast Cancer Foundation, US Gun Dealer Team Up to Sell Pink Pistol
3 February 2012
CBS News (USA) / AP
SEATTLE – The Susan G. Komen Foundation is teaming up with Seattle gun distributor Discount Gun Sales, LLC, to sell a pink handgun to help raise money for the breast cancer organization.
The gun, a Walther P-22, is already available for purchase at $429.99.
"Discount Gun Sales is proud to team up with the Susan B. Koman [sic] Foundation to offer the Walther P-22 Hope Edition in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month," the page reads. "A portion of each P-22... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: CBS News (USA) / AP
35798
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,Australia
Assembling Illegal Guns with Imported Pieces, Growing Trend within Sydney's Underworld
29 January 2012
Daily Telegraph (Sydney)
Criminals are assembling illegal weapons in backyard firearm factories after importing them piece-by-piece over the internet.
The Sunday Telegraph can reveal the parts are being sourced from legitimate gun dealers in the US and pieced together in NSW after arriving in the mail undetected.
Detective Superintendent Ken Finch, commander of the Firearms and Organised Crime Squad (FAOCS), said a number of unrelated individuals had already been arrested and charged over the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Daily Telegraph (Sydney)
35785
Top of Page
