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Firearm violence, gun control and small arms
German Man Kills Wife Then Shoots, Injures 3 Neighbours
10 May 2013
Local (Germany)
German police are picking through the remnants of a blood bath after a man shot dead his wife, and then roamed the neighbourhood ringing door bells and shooting people who answered. He then shot himself and is in a coma.
Aachen public prosecutor Robert Deller said on Thursday that the man turned his gun on himself before the police could arrest him.
The 63-year-old man from the town of Langerwehe in North Rhine-Westphalia shot dead his 64-year-old wife with a... (GunPolicy.org)
German Arms Firm Illegally Sold Weapons to Mexico
7 May 2013
InSight Crime (Bogota)
A German arms manufacturer has admitted to illegally selling thousands of rifles to Mexico, where the weapons were reportedly used to commit human rights violations.
Heckler & Koch, which produces weapons such as pistols, machine guns, and grenade launchers, is under investigation by German authorities for exporting G36 rifles to several Mexican states where Germany prohibits gun sales, due to human rights concerns.
The company previously claimed it had only ever... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Govt Budgets to Seize Rifles Easily Converted to Automatic
1 May 2013
Global News (Canada)
Six years after approving German-made rifles that can be converted to machine guns "in minutes" – guns that by law should have been prohibited to begin with – the federal government will spend up to $260,000 buying them from their owners.
In February 2007, the RCMP classified the SSD BD38, a semi-automatic replica of a German Second World War-era sub-machine gun, as a 'restricted' firearm, meaning that it had the same legal status as a handgun. That classification... (GunPolicy.org)
Drunk Kosovo Man Shoots, Kills Wife After Divorce Request
1 May 2013
Croatian Times
A Kosovan man who shot his Swiss wife dead at the bus stop when she refused to consider changing her mind about divorcing him - and then went for a beer at a local pub - has claimed her death was her own fault.
Afrim Mujaj, 45, then sat calmly watching as ambulances sped by in a bid to try and save the life of his 35-year-old wife Mirvete in Riniken, Switzerland. And as emergency services tried in vain to keep her alive - the court heard he bought rounds of drinks for... (GunPolicy.org)
Yemen,Argentina,Costa Rica,Libya,Germany,United States,Brazil,Paraguay,Austria
Most Brazilian Guns Exported to US
29 April 2013
Folha de Sao Paulo
BRASILIA - The U.S., currently discussing restrictions on the sale of firearms, purchased 7.9 million guns from Brazil in the past 40 years, and 59% of those were exported during the Lula administration (2003-2010).
That is the result of a new study by the Army Command to which Folha had access through the Access to Information Act, with a detailed record of the sellers and buyers of 9.9 million revolvers, pistols, rifles and shotguns, among other weapons, exported... (GunPolicy.org)
French Teen Killer Bought Kalashnikov Online
26 April 2013
Global Post (Boston) / Agence France Presse
A French teenager who used a Kalashnikov to shoot three men dead obtained his murder weapon on the Internet, it emerged on Friday, a day after the shooting.
The apparently deranged 19-year-old was arrested shortly after opening fire on motorists and pedestrians in the small town of Istres, near Marseille on Thursday afternoon.
Police sources said the weapons enthusiast had bought the deactivated rifle on the Internet and had been able to get it working. Raids on his... (GunPolicy.org)
German Gunman Kills Politician, Self After Alleged Licensing Altercation
26 April 2013
Local (Germany)
A 74-year-old gunman killed a top official in the northern German town of Hamelin on Friday before shooting himself dead, police said.
"The perpetrator killed district administrator Rüdiger Butte and then killed himself," a police spokesman said. Officers were still at the scene on Friday afternoon, collecting evidence to support an investigation.
Shots were heard shortly after 10am in the city's main administrative building, where 63-year-old Butte was later found... (GunPolicy.org)
Gunman Kills Three with Assault Weapon in 'Random' French Shooting
25 April 2013
Local (France)
Three people were killed in the south of France on Thursday when a gunman opened fire apparently at random in the southern town of Istres. French President François Hollande has sent his Interior Minister to the scene of the shooting.
A gunman opened fire with a Kalashnikov rifle in the southern French town of Istres on Thursday killing three people.
A 55-year-old woman was also left slightly injured after a bullet grazed her ear and police found a Kalashnikov... (GunPolicy.org)
Banned Gun Owner Accidentally Kills Self in Austria with Illegal Handgun
24 April 2013
Croatian Times
An Austrian man banned from owning a gun after police ruled that he was not mature enough accidentally shot himself in the head after buying an illegal handgun in his local pub.
38-year-old Walter Mainz proved that police had a point when he took the gun out to show his pals at his home in Löffelbach, Austria, and then removed the magazine believing this meant that the gun was unloaded.
But he didn't realise that one bullet was still inside the gun, and when he put... (GunPolicy.org)
Dutch Police Arrest Former Pupil Over School Shooting Threat
22 April 2013
BBC News
Dutch police have made an arrest following a threat, posted on the internet, to carry out a shooting at a school in the city of Leiden.
The suspect is a former pupil of the British School, which has a site in neighbouring Voorschoten.
More than 20 schools were told to stay closed on Monday in response to the threat posted on internet forum 4chan.
The anonymous writer said they would shoot their teacher "and as many students as I can".
He or she said they would be... (GunPolicy.org)
Swiss Man Shoots, Injures Neighbour with Rifle Over Noise
16 April 2013
Local (Switzerland)
An American expat rapper living in Biel in the canton of Bern says he is lucky to be alive after a neigbour fired at him with a gun for making too much noise in his apartment.
"I really dodged a bullet today," the man said on his Facebook page, according to a report online from the 20 Minutes newspaper.
The bearded man posted a photo showing a burn mark on his cheek about the size of a two-franc coin.
"My neighbour arrived with a pump action rifle in my apartment... (GunPolicy.org)
German Police Seize Weapons from Rappers Posing on Street
13 April 2013
Croatian Times
A group of gangsta rappers posing with machine guns as they filmed a music video were arrested by a police SWAT squad in Germany after terrified passers by mistook them for the real thing.
The 12 musicians - wearing face masks and brandishing firearms - were surrounded by 25 heavily armed police commandos in Munich and detained in a special anti-terrorist cell block.
Police later put the group's terrifying arsenal of machine guns, pistols, assault rifles, knives and... (GunPolicy.org)
Murders on the Rise in Corsica as Authorities Crack Down on Corruption
3 April 2013
Herald Sun (Melbourne)
Corsica, the so-called "Island of Beauty" is mired in a wave of violence that has seen dozens killed in recent years. The island's top politician Paul Giacobbi speaks to The Local about the danger posed to his own life and how to put an end to the bloodshed.
With five suspected gangland murders so far this year and 20 similar killings last year, it is easy to see why the Mediterranean Island of Corsica has been dubbed the 'murder capital' of Europe.
One of the men... (GunPolicy.org)
Turkish Authorities Seize Guns Bound for Syria
29 March 2013
RTÉ (Dublin)
Turkish authorities say they have seized thousands of guns in a warehouse by the Syrian border.
A local news agency said the weapons had been destined for Turkey's war-torn neighbour.
The firearms, including more than 5,000 shotguns and rifles, starting pistols, gunstocks and 10,000 cartridges, were discovered during a raid in a village on the edge of the Turkish town of Akcakale.
The Dogan News Agency said the weapons were being stored on the edge of the border... (GunPolicy.org)
Austrian Pensioner Shoots and Kills Girlfriend, Self in Costa Rica
28 March 2013
Inside Costa Rica
An Austrian citizen in Guanacaste shot his partner twice before turning the gun on himself Tuesday night, according to the Judicial Investigation Organization (OIJ).
The murder-suicide occurred in the couple's home in Villa Margarita, 400 meters north of the main traffic lights in Liberia, Guanacaste, where the couple had lived for about five years.
The Judicial Police identified the man by the last name Ladstetter, 71, and his partner by the last name of Achio,... (GunPolicy.org)
England & Wales,Germany,Guyana
Politicians Block Guyana Gun Control Laws Despite Arms Trade Treaty
28 March 2013
Guyana Times International
Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee has lamented that while critical steps are being taken in the international arena to hammer out an Arms Trade Treaty, locally the opposition has voted down a bill that seeks to strengthen this country's fight against illicit arms.
Negotiators from around 150 countries gathered in New York at the United Nations for a final push to hammer out a binding international treaty to end unregulated conventional arms sales, a pact that a... (GunPolicy.org)
Corrupt Glock Police Pistol Deals Feed Philippine Crime Gun Market
26 March 2013
Investvine (Hong Kong)
Austrian gun maker Glock has been accused of supplying the black market in the Philippines with firearms in deals that were originally sealed with the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Over the past years, Glock delivered several batches of its highly demanded 9mm pistols to the PNP. The most recent deal was 12,000 pistols worth around $30 million ordered by the country's police forces as a first shipment of the biggest firearms procurement of the PNP so far, delivered... (GunPolicy.org)
Germany,Mexico,United Kingdom,Ghana,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa
Arms Trade Treaty Talks Enter Stormy Final Round
26 March 2013
Rappler / Agence France Presse
More than 100 countries complained Monday that talks on a conventional arms trade treaty had gone "backwards" from a vow to conclude a strong accord on the $80 billion a year trade.
The major western powers, who expressed confidence that an accord could be reached, face tough criticism over the treaty as talks at the UN headquarters entered the final straight.
A group representing 103 countries blasted the latest text as a step "backwards."
A statement by the 103,... (GunPolicy.org)
Both Sides of US Gun Debate Citing Nazis as Reason For, Against Guns
24 March 2013
Washington Post
When the president of Ohio's state school board posted her opposition to gun control, she used a powerful symbol to make her point: a picture of Adolf Hitler. When a well-known conservative commentator decried efforts to restrict guns, he argued that if only Jews in Poland had been better armed, many more would have survived the Holocaust.
In the months since the Newtown, Conn., school massacre, some gun rights supporters have repeatedly compared U.S. gun control... (GunPolicy.org)
3,100 Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons Destroyed in Tanzania
20 March 2013
IPP Media
German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) and the Tanzanian Police have agreed to strengthen their cooperation in the fight against organised crime and international terrorism.
"The fight against international terrorism, piracy, organized crime and also everyday crime remains the essential task of the security authorities throughout the world … therefore, international cooperation is crucial …," stated the German Ambassador Klaus-Peter Brandes.
He emphasised... (GunPolicy.org)
Germany,United Kingdom,France,Mexico,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,China,Russia,United States
Armed Violence Kills 66,000 Women and Girls Each Year
20 March 2013
New Zealand Herald, Associated Press
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon has urged the world's nations to agree on a strong UN treaty to regulate the multibillion-dollar global arms trade in the next two weeks, saying it will save lives and make it more difficult for warlords, organised criminals and terrorists to obtain weapons.
Hopes of reaching agreement on what would be a landmark treaty were dashed last July when the United States said it needed more time to consider the proposed accord - a... (GunPolicy.org)
What's Worked, and What Hasn't, in Gun-Loving Switzerland
19 March 2013
NPR (USA)
Switzerland has an entrenched gun culture that is embraced by most of its 8 million citizens, some of them as young as 10 years old.
Every Swiss community has a shooting range, and depending on who is counting, the alpine country ranks third or fourth in the number of guns per capita.
"You can walk into a cafe in a town where there is a shooting festival and you'll see rifles hanging on the hat rack. It's just incredible. It's just proliferation all over the place,... (GunPolicy.org)
Africa,Americas,Asia,Europe,Oceania,United States,Russia,Italy,Germany,Brazil,Switzerland,Israel,Austria,South Korea,Belgium,Spain,Turkey,Norway,Canada,United Kingdom,Australia,France,Pakistan,Yemen,Honduras,El Salvador,Jamaica
Fact and Figures: Global Trade in Small Arms
18 March 2013
al Jazeera
Diplomats from around the world have gathered at the UN for talks on an international arms trade treaty, in an effort to stop the sale of illegal conventional arms.
Similar talks held last July failed, mainly due to the objections of the US and Russia, the world's two largest arms exporters.
Al Jazeera has compiled a list of facts related to the global production and trading of small arms.
1. Authorised international transfers of small arms, light weapons, their... (GunPolicy.org)
Sweden,Uruguay,Finland,Iraq,Saudi Arabia,Cyprus,Switzerland,Yemen,Serbia,United States
10 Nations with Highest Gun Ownership
12 March 2013
SiliconIndia
Bangalore: "Force and mind are opposites; morality ends where a gun begins," said novelist Ayn Rand. In an era where the misuse of guns and ammunitions are leading to massacres, it is no more a place of nonviolence. Arms and ammunitions leave bitter memories and scar the human race for ages to come. Here are the 10 countries with highest gun ownership, as listed by yahoo.com.
USA:
USA tops the list of countries with highest gun ownership and this no surprise! The... (GunPolicy.org)
Switzerland Debates Gun Registration Law in Shootings' Aftermath
7 March 2013
Bloomberg Business Week
On a snowy late-February morning, a man walked into the cafeteria of a wood-processing plant in the Swiss village of Menznau and opened fire with a Sphinx AT .380 pistol. Four people died, including the gunman. Six others were wounded. It was Switzerland's second mass shooting in less than two months. In January a man with a history of mental illness fired a rifle from his window in the Alpine village of Daillon, killing three and injuring two. The shootings have... (GunPolicy.org)
Swiss Man Kills Three, Injures Seven in Mass Workplace Shooting
27 February 2013
New York Times
GENEVA — At least three people were killed in a shooting at a Swiss factory on Wednesday, the police said, adding that the gunman was among the dead. The episode was the second mass shooting in Switzerland this year.
The shooting occurred at about 9 a.m. in the canteen of a Kronospan wood processing factory in the town of Menznau, about 14 miles west of Lucerne, the police said in a statement. A spokesman for the police in Lucerne said that the gunman was a... (GunPolicy.org)
Three Dead, Seven Injured in Swiss Factory Shooting
27 February 2013
BBC News / Associated Press
Three people have been killed and seven injured during a shooting at a factory near the Swiss city of Lucerne, police have said.
The killer, a 42-year-old man who had worked at the factory for 10 years, is among the dead.
Shooting broke out in the canteen at the Kronospan wood processing plant in the town of Menznau at around 09:00 (08:00 GMT).
A prosecution spokesperson said the shooting took place over a few minutes.
Five of the injured are reported to be in a... (GunPolicy.org)
United Arab Emirates,Qatar,Oman,Kuwait,Bahamas,Germany,Saudi Arabia
Germany Doubles Arms Supplies To Persian Gulf Nations
25 February 2013
RT-TV Novosti (Russia)
German military exports to Persian Gulf nations doubled in 2012 amid repeatedly-voiced international concerns over gross human rights violations in the region. The German government has been fiercely accused of unscrupulousness in arms sales.
The latest report published by Munich-based Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper suggests that German arms export to the six nations belonging to the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf has grown two-fold, from 570... (GunPolicy.org)
German Teen in Court After Taking Gun to School to Impress
21 February 2013
Local (Germany)
A 15-year-old German boy who became embroiled in a tense armed stand-off with police after taking guns into his school has been sentenced to four and a half years in youth custody.
The boy, then 14, who was not named, was in a fragile state after splitting up with his girlfriend in May and took the weapons in to his classroom.
He did not go with the intention of creating a bloodbath, ruled the regional court in Memmingen, southern Germany, but rather of impressing his... (GunPolicy.org)
Tanzania Celebrates Gun Destruction in East Africa
17 February 2013
Tanzania Daily News (Dar Es Salaam)
The Vice-President, Dr Mohamed Gharib Bilal, has said that recovery of more than 500,000 small arms and light weapons presently in wrong hands in the East African region would be possible through shared information among the member states.
Speaking at the destruction of illicit small arms and light weapons, the event held at Ukonga Prisons Ground on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam, and witnessed by delegates to the East African Community (EAC) Joint Meeting of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Finland,United States,European Union,Germany,Switzerland,Russia,South Africa,Mexico
Registry Shows Germans Fourth in World For Guns
17 February 2013
Local (Germany)
Figures compiled for Germany's new National Weapons Registry reveal that there are 5.4 million legally owned guns in the country, making it the world's fourth most-armed nation per capita.
Der Spiegel magazine reported on Sunday that the state of Bavaria topped the list with 1.1 million, followed by North Rhine-Westphalia with 1 million and Baden-Württemberg with 700,000.
The new national gun register bundles together the data from over 500 local authorities, which... (GunPolicy.org)
Switzerland Guns: Living with Firearms the Swiss Way
11 February 2013
BBC News
Switzerland has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the world, but little gun-related street crime - so some opponents of gun control hail it as a place where firearms play a positive role in society. However, Swiss gun culture is unique, and guns are more tightly regulated than many assume.
Throughout the attack, Anne Ithen kept her eyes shut.
"I didn't want to see it. I didn't want those images in my head for the rest of my life… but I remember... (GunPolicy.org)
Yemen,France,United States,Switzerland
Three Dead, Two Injured in Swiss Shooting
8 February 2013
Washington Post
DAILLON, Switzerland — On Jan. 3, the day Sandy Hook Elementary students returned to school in Newtown, Conn., Florian Berthouzoz leaned out his window and opened fire on this tranquil Swiss village with an old military carbine and a 12-gauge shotgun.
By the time he finished shooting, three women were killed, apparently at random, and two men were wounded. Berthouzoz was brought down by a police officer's bullet in the chest.
The shooting in Daillon, on a steep... (GunPolicy.org)
Switzerland Launches a Gun Collection [Francais]
7 February 2013
Le Figaro (France)
[Translated summary: Cantons of Vaud and Geneva, Switzerland, launched a campaign of voluntary surrender of firearms to reduce the number of firearms in circulation: 230,000 firearms in civilian hands in 2012.]
Les cantons de Vaud et Genève lancent jeudi une campagne de dépôt volontaire afin de diminuer le nombre d'armes en circulation.
Sous le nom d'opération «Vercingétorix», les autorités de la métropole lémanique invitent les citoyens à se séparer de... (GunPolicy.org)
Western Europe,Sudan,South Africa,Colombia,Finland,Estonia,United States
13 Key Questions and Answers about US Gun Violence
4 February 2013
Atlantic (USA)
How much gun violence is there in the U.S.?
There were 8,583 homicides by firearms in 2011, out of 12,664 homicides total, according to the FBI. This means that more than two-thirds of homicides involve a firearm. 6,220 of those homicides by firearm (72%) are known to have involved a handgun.
It's worth noting that violent crime rates of all types have been steadily decreasing since the early 1990s. No one is quite sure what is causing this decrease, though there are... (GunPolicy.org)
How the AR-15 Became the Most Wanted Gun in America
2 February 2013
New York Times
PASADENA, Maryland - The phone rings again at Pasadena Pawn and Gun, and a familiar question comes down the line: "Got any ARs?"
The answer is no. Pasadena Pawn and Gun, a gun retailer and pawnshop 15 miles south of Baltimore, is pretty much sold out of America's most wanted gun, the AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle. Since the massacre in Newtown, Conn., in December, the AR-15, the military-style weapon that the police say was used in the shootings, has been selling... (GunPolicy.org)
Russia,Afghanistan,Israel,Belgium,United States
How Video Games Fund Arms Manufacturers and Sell Guns
31 January 2013
EuroGamer
The American confectionery company Victoria Sweets claims to have invented the candy cigarette. A thin stick of chocolate, wrapped in edible paper and designed to impersonate a roll-up, it debuted in 1915 and soon became the accessory of choice for children keen to play grown-up. Hollywood star, GI Joe, team captain: the sweet gave kids the chance try out one of the vogue props of adulthood.
Within 20 years it was so popular that cigarette companies began to take... (GunPolicy.org)
Chile,Brazil,Germany,Libya,Turkey,Denmark,Sweden,Canada
Critics Say German Report on Weapons Exports Reveals Little
30 January 2013
Deutsche Welle
Critics says the government's report on arms exports lacks transparency: exporting companies are not named, and government sales are merely summarized. Yet the government claims it's in-depth and detailed.
How is it that time and again military equipment "made in Germany" shows up in war zones, despite German government claims that it handles its weapon exports "restrictively" and that it maintains a broad ban on exports to countries with questionable track records for... (GunPolicy.org)
Personalised Guns Delayed by US Gun Lobby Boycotts
28 January 2013
Washington Post / Associated Press
NEW YORK — It sounds, at first, like a bold, next-generation solution: personalizing guns with technology that keeps them from firing if they ever get into the wrong hands.
But when the White House called for pushing ahead with such new technology as part of President Obama's plan to cut gun violence, the administration did not mention the concept's embattled past. As with so much else in the nation's long-running divisions over gun rights and regulation, what sounds... (GunPolicy.org)
United Kingdom,Italy,Netherlands,Germany
British Queen's Soldiers Jailed After Attempting to Smuggle Guns
25 January 2013
Telegraph (UK)
The Queen's Royal Hussars soldiers, based in Sennelager, Germany, attempted to smuggle five guns worth £18,000 on the black market and cocaine worth £72,000 into the UK by car via the Channel Tunnel, Woolwich Crown Court heard.
Lemar Loveless 26, of Brydon Walk, Kings Cross, was arrested with former colleague Trave Dyce, 22, in Folkstone as they left a Euroshuttle from Calais in two BMWs on January 25 last year.
Officers, who had received intelligence about the... (GunPolicy.org)
'Alarmingly Easy Access' to Guns Online Fuelling Australian Crime
23 January 2013
ABC News (Australia), Video
A former senior federal police officer has warned more needs to be done to combat the online trade of firearms as authorities in Sydney deal with a spate of shootings and street violence.
In the past three months alone there have been 25 separate shooting incidents in Sydney - last night, two shootings were reported in the city's south-west.
The style and purpose of the shootings are not confined to traditional turf warfare over drugs or ongoing reprisals between... (GunPolicy.org)
Switzerland,Saudi Arabia,Syria,Jordan,United Arab Emirates
Swiss Weapons Sale to Saudi Arabia Blocked on HR Grounds
23 January 2013
SwissInfo
The Swiss government has vetoed the planned sale by the firearms group KRISS of weapon components to Saudi Arabia, arguing that the weapons made from them could be used to violate human rights.
The Swiss group's application for an export licence was for items worth SFr436,000 ($468,000), according to the economics ministry.
The ministry said the application was for components for pistols to be sent to the United States for assembly, and then exported to Saudi Arabia... (GunPolicy.org)
Asia,Europe,Germany,South America,United States,Austria,Italy,Croatia,Belgium
European Arms, Money Fuel US Gun Addiction say Experts
23 January 2013
Deutsche Welle
After each massacre in the US, Europe laments America's gun culture and violence. At the same time, European companies have no problem selling arms to Americans and supporting the NRA's fight against tougher gun laws.
It is not widely reported, but European firearms for a long time have played a pernicious role in US mass shootings and Europe's gun makers are among the strongest backers of the National Rifle Association (NRA).
Handguns by Austrian arms manufacturer... (GunPolicy.org)
New Registry Data Shows Small German State has Most Guns
18 January 2013
Local (Germany)
The tiny western state of Saarland has emerged as Germany's most armed region, according to newly collated figures. The country launched a national weapon's register this month in a bid to keep guns under control.
Saarland, wedged between the Rhine and France, has around 120 registered guns per 1,000 people, the Handelsblatt newspaper reported on Thursday.
Following hunting-keen Saarland comes Rhineland-Palatinate with around 113 guns per 1,000 people, and then... (GunPolicy.org)
Germany,France,United States,England & Wales,Switzerland,Australia
Editorial: Three Million Guns In Australia is More Than Enough
15 January 2013
Sydney Morning Herald, Editorial
It should be troubling to Australian governments that since 1988, after more than 1 million guns have been destroyed as a result of government buyback programs, numerous amnesties, voluntary returns, the banning of semi-automatic weapons and the tightening of gun import controls, the number of guns in private hands in Australia is as large as it has ever been.
It's not hard to see why. Since 1988, while governments have been running
a variety of gun control programs,... (GunPolicy.org)
Swiss Couple Face Charges Over Illegal Gun Cache, Drugs Haul
9 January 2013
Local (Switzerland)
A Swiss couple busted for a major pot plant growing operation in Biberist, a town in the canton of Solothurn, also harboured a large cache of weapons, cantonal police said on Wednesday.
After receiving information, Solothurn police searched the couple's house in November and uncovered a plantation of 900 marijuana plants in the basement.
Some of the hemp plants were ready to harvest, said police, who added that officers ensured the entire plantation was... (GunPolicy.org)
Swiss Govt Proposes National Gun Registry, Debates Other Measures
9 January 2013
Agence France Presse / Channel News Asia (Singapore)
GENEVA - A week after an apparently deranged gunman killed three women in an idyllic Swiss village, the lower house of parliament called Tuesday for the equivalent of a national gun registry.
The lower house security policy commission voted with 12 in favour and seven opposed for linking existing gun registries at a cantonal level into a national network, commission president Chantal Gallade was quoted by the ATS news agency as saying.
The commission had asked the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Agence France Presse / Channel News Asia (Singapore)
Swiss Fondness for Guns Under Scrutiny after Shooting Tragedy
5 January 2013
Sydney Morning Herald
As much as Americans, the Swiss love their guns, seeing them as integral to their national traditions of self-reliance, independence and international neutrality, with a trained and equipped citizen-army capable of deterring any foolish invader.
Many Swiss, after serving in the army, keep their service weapons at home, and the country has no national register for firearms. In February 2011, the Swiss handily rejected restrictions on gun ownership in a national... (GunPolicy.org)
Gunman Kills Three in Swiss Village
4 January 2013
Local (Switzerland) / AFP
A gunman has opened fire in a village in southern Switzerland, killing three people and wounding two others, police said on Thursday.
The man, who had reportedly been drinking heavily before the shooting and was armed with a hunting rifle, launched the attack in the village of Daillon late on Wednesday.
As police rushed to the scene to stop the attack, they exchanged fire with the gunman and wounded him, police said. He had been taken to hospital, they said.
"Three... (GunPolicy.org)
Shooter Uses Ex-Army Rifle, Kills 3 Women in Swiss Village Spree
3 January 2013
Bloomberg Businessweek (USA)
A gunman shot dead three people and injured another two in a mountain village in southern Switzerland, police said.
Officers were alerted to the shootings in Daillon, near the city of Sion in the Valais canton, at 8:50 p.m. yesterday by a caller, who reported seeing "several wounded people lying on the ground," the regional police force said in a statement posted on its website late yesterday.
An elite police unit deployed to the village opened fire on the gunman... (GunPolicy.org)
5.5 Million Legal Guns in Germany According to New Registry
28 December 2012
Calgary Herald (Alberta) / Associated Press
BERLIN - Germany's new national firearms registry shows there are 5.5 million guns in legal circulation in the country.
That's an average of four weapons for each of the 1.4 million registered owners.
It is the first time reliable nationwide figures have been collected as previously such data were held by local authorities.
The registry provides a central national database to help police track the buyer and seller of each legally owned gun in Germany.
All European... (GunPolicy.org)
United Kingdom,Finland,Colombia,Mexico,Western Europe,Australia,Yemen,Canada,New Zealand,United States
On Guns and Gun Law, America an Outlier Among Developed Nations
20 December 2012
Huffington Post (USA)
How freely do guns flow in the United States compared with the world's other industrialized countries?
According to GunPolicy.org, run by Philip Alpers, a firearms analyst at The University of Sydney, the United States is unusual with what Alpers described as the "two pillars" of gun control: licensing gun owners and registering weapons.
"You are basically the only country in the developed world that doesn't license gun owners across the board and you are almost alone... (GunPolicy.org)
Swiss Are Very Serious about the Right to Own, Carry Firearms
20 December 2012
Time (USA)
Even as the gun-control debate rises again in the U.S. in the aftermath of the horrific school shooting in Newtown, Conn., the gun-loving Swiss are not about to lay down their arms. Guns are ubiquitous in this neutral nation, with sharpshooting considered a fun and wholesome recreational activity for people of all ages.
Even though Switzerland has not been involved in an armed conflict since a standoff between Catholics and Protestants in 1847, the Swiss are very... (GunPolicy.org)
Switzerland,Israel,United States
Israel, Switzerland Have Stringent Gun Control, Fewer Guns Than US
19 December 2012
Foreign Policy (America)
Following the tragic shooting last week in Newtown, Conn., two stories leapt out at me. The first was the astonishing tale of a teacher, Victoria Soto, who hid her first-graders in closets and took a bullet rather than risking the children's lives by hiding with them. The second featured a photograph of an Israeli woman with a military-style long gun slung across her back, herding children protectively. The contrast between the powerful Israeli woman and the unarmed... (GunPolicy.org)
Yemen,Norway,Switzerland,Canada,Germany,Spain,Finland,United States,United Kingdom,Australia
Homicides Down after Tougher Gun Laws Adopted Abroad
19 December 2012
Los Angeles Times
Twelve days after the worst mass murder in Australian history, when 35 people were shot to death at Tasmania state's Port Arthur tourist mecca in 1996, the government issued sweeping reforms of the country's gun laws. There hasn't been a mass shooting since, and suicides, deaths by firearms and robberies at gunpoint have plummeted.
The results of toughened gun rules in Britain after the massacre in the Scottish town of Dunblane that same year weren't so immediate or... (GunPolicy.org)
Norway,Switzerland,Finland,Germany,Canada,Australia,United Kingdom,United States
Around the World, Gun Massacres Spurred Gun Control, Public Safety
18 December 2012
ABC News (USA) / AP
If there's anywhere that understands the pain of Newtown, it's Dunblane, the town whose grief became a catalyst for changes to Britain's gun laws.
In March 1996, a 43-year-old man named Thomas Hamilton walked into a primary school in this central Scotland town of 8,000 people and shot to death 16 kindergarten-age children and their teacher with four legally held handguns. In the weeks that followed, people in the town formed the Snowdrop campaign — named for the... (GunPolicy.org)
Canada,Japan,Switzerland,Germany,Spain,United Kingdom,Netherlands,Denmark,European Union,France
Firearms Worldwide: Really Different Laws Across Countries [Francais]
18 December 2012
JOL Press (Paris)
[Translated summary: France: follows European policies - Denmark and Netherlands: total ban - United Kingdom: almost all firearms are prohibited - Switzerland: a more liberal legislation - the Japanese model: no firearm at all - Canada: the stormy debate on the right to carry firearms]
La récente tuerie de Newton a relancé une fois de plus le débat sur le port d'armes aux États-Unis. Mais quelle est la réglementation dans d'autres pays du monde ? Petit tour... (GunPolicy.org)
US Tragedy Sparks Calls for Tighter Gun Laws in Germany
17 December 2012
Local (Germany)
In the wake of the Newtown school shooting tragedy in the United States, German politicians are calling for tighter weapons laws in Germany, including banning all guns from private homes.
A 20-year-old killed 27 people, including his mother and 20 children, in Newtown, Connecticut on Friday, before turning the gun on himself, sparking revulsion in Germany and around the world.
"The horrific massacre of young children in Connecticut is tragic evidence for how easy it... (GunPolicy.org)
Israel,India,Czech Republic,Switzerland,United States,Italy
Indian Factory to Make 1 Million Rifles for Army Upgrade
16 December 2012
Sunday Standard / New Indian Express (Chennai)
NEW DELHI - The Indian Army has half a million rifles and carbines it doesn't want, and now plans to junk them all over the next five years. The dark lining is that these infantry weapons were developed and manufactured in India to equip four lakh soldiers at an expenditure of Rs 25,000 crore over two decades. So far, so bad. Now add another Rs 50,000 crore that will have to be spent over the next decade to re-equip our soldiers with the four kinds of weapons that are... (GunPolicy.org)
Switzerland Toughens Laws to Mark All Imported Guns [Français]
22 November 2012
La Côte (Switzerland)
[Translated summary: Switzerland has passed a law to ensure all imported guns are marked from July 2013 and create a new database. Unmarked guns will be confiscated and those who alter the markings will be subject to punishment.]
Dès janvier 2013, les armes à feu importées en Suisse devront être marquées.
Les armuriers auront jusqu'au 1er juillet pour se conformer à la nouvelle législation sur le marquable d'arme.
Le marquage permettra d'identifier l'armurier... (GunPolicy.org)
Glock Expands Production in Austria with Demand High for its Guns
21 November 2012
Austrian Times
Gun maker Glock based at Ferlach in Carinthia in Austria is to invest 42 million euros in its operation there - and at the same time take on an additional 40 staff to meet demand.
The move was announced during a local government meeting by the regional governor Gerhard Dörfler (FPK) which said they would be making grants of 1.7 million euros towards the expansion.
The 40 extra jobs will be in addition to the 330 already employed at Ferlach and order books are... (GunPolicy.org)
Egypt,Niger,Libya,Belgium,Mali,Palestine,Israel
Experts Suspect Belgian-Made Guns Trafficked from Libya to Gaza
19 November 2012
Foreign Policy
There's one big problem with small arms: They don't come with an expiration date. These reliable killing machines pass from dead soldiers to living insurgents, and from a country's armory to a militia's safe house thousands of miles away. As soon as weapons crates cross international borders, arms-producing countries lose control over where they head next - a fact on full display during recent conflicts across the Middle East, and now in the Gaza Strip.
On Nov. 17,... (GunPolicy.org)
Germany Police Welcome 'Overdue' Gun Registry Law
19 November 2012
Deutsche Welle
The German interior minister has said a countrywide database of all legal gun owners is set for launch on January 1. Hans-Peter Friedrich predicted a "considerable increase in security" as a result.
The German government plans to launch its complete registry of legal gun owners at the beginning of next year, two years ahead of a deadline set by the EU.
As with many German authorities, those responsible for weapons licensing and tracking operated on a local basis - with... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Thailand,Austria,Czech Republic
Thai Authorities Concerned Over Easy Access to Guns
18 November 2012
Bangkok Post
In recent years Thailand has been flooded with illegal firearms and the misery they cause is plain for all to see. Every day there are media reports of shootouts and homicides that begin with domestic quarrels, school rivalries and traffic accidents, and quickly escalate. Law enforcement officials say the root cause is the easy availability of guns, and this is true for teenagers as well as adults. People prefer to buy weapons outside of legal channels because they are... (GunPolicy.org)
Confusion over German Man's Work Shooting Spree and Suicide
11 November 2012
Local (Germany)
German police were on Sunday still baffled by the Friday night factory shooting spree in the western town of Hilden. An employee shot and injured four co-workers - two apparently targeted specifically - before shooting himself dead.
Carrying two handguns, the worker walked into the factory for a change of shift at about 10pm after having had a week's holiday, the police said.
At the factory gate, the 38-year-old addressed a colleague by name before suddenly shooting... (GunPolicy.org)
Switzerland Youths Arrested over Illegal Airgun Shooting
2 November 2012
Local (Switzerland)
Police have issued a warning about the illegal use of replica guns after a teenager used one to shoot plastic bullets at members of the Liberal party in the canton of Valais.
The incident occurred on Wednesday evening in Sierre when a youth in a car driven by a friend used an "airsoft" gun to fire on party members assembled outside a restaurant for a meeting, Valais cantonal police said.
Four people were injured by the plastic bullets, some in the face and one in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Kosovar Man Admits Shooting Brother-in-Law, Authorities Seize Gun
1 November 2012
Local (Switzerland)
Cooperation between Vaud and Neuchâtel cantonal police forces led to the arrest on Thursday of a Kosovar man suspected of murdering his brother-in-law in a Lausanne suburb earlier this week.
The 27-year-old-man was arrested in La Chaux-de-Fonds at 1.30am following an investigation by the two forces, Vaud police said.
The dead body of a 29-year-old Swiss man of Kosovar origin was found on Monday with bullet wounds in a garage in Chavannes-près-Renens, west of... (GunPolicy.org)
Switzerland Sells Sports Weapons to North Korea [Francais]
26 October 2012
20 Minutes (Geneva)
[Translated summary - Swiss Ministry clarifies that $170,000 in weapons allegedly sold to North Korea were sports firearms intended for Olympic athletes.]
Dans la première moitié de l'année 2012, la Corée du Nord a importé des armes à feu de la Suisse pour une valeur totale de 170'000 dollars. Les livraisons étaient composées de fusils à air comprimé, de revolvers et de pièces détachées», pouvait-on lire vendredi sur le site de la radio sud-coréenne, KBS... (GunPolicy.org)
Swiss Rail Police Officer Accidentally Shoots Own Foot
17 October 2012
Local (Switzerland)
Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) police only started carrying guns three months ago but already an officer has hurt himself with a firearm.
The SBB said one of its security officers accidentally shot himself in the foot with a handgun early on Wednesday while at the transport police service premises in Bern.
The bullet pierced the man's left heel, the state-owned rail company said in a news release.
The officer was taken to hospital, where his condition was "good under... (GunPolicy.org)
Teen Accidentally Shot Dead by Brother in France
16 October 2012
Local (France)
A teenage boy has died after his brother accidentally shot him in the head with a handgun in the town of Metz, north east France.
The police were called out to a fourth-floor family apartment in the town just after midnight last night, newspaper Le Parisien reports.
A 17-year-old boy was found shot in the living room, but his brother was missing.
It is thought the boys stayed up late after the rest of their family had gone to bed, and were playing with a 9mm... (GunPolicy.org)
Four Germany Children Injured in School Airgun Shooting
10 October 2012
Local (Germany)
Four children were injured in the eastern German state of Thuringia on Tuesday when air pistol shots were fired into their classrooms from a building opposite. Three suspects have been arrested.
Police investigations indicated that the shots had come from a flat in a residential block close to the Johann Gottfried Borlach school in the small town of Artern, where a 21-year-old female tenant and two men were promptly arrested.
The main suspect was one of the two men, a... (GunPolicy.org)
Two German Men Injured in Separate Random Shootings
7 October 2012
Local (Germany)
Berlin police are investigating separate shootings that left two young men seriously injured on Saturday and Sunday. Both occurred in the early hours of the morning.
At around 6:30am, a 23-year-old man was shot in the central Alexanderplatz area. He was found lying in a doorway at the train station with life threatening injuries by passersby. Police said that the bullet went through his groin.
Paramedics were called to the scene and the victim was taken to one of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Switzerland,United States,Europe
Switzerland to Block Gun Access to Some Army Recruits After Deaths
5 October 2012
Reuters
The Swiss government said on Wednesday it wants civil and military authorities to share information to try to cut gun crimes by violent recruits with access to army-issued weapons.
Control over the issue of military weapons is a growing area of concern in Switzerland, where everyone who undergoes military training has access to a firearm.
Public prosecutors and judges will alert the relevant military authorities if they believe recruits with criminal charges against... (GunPolicy.org)
Swiss Man Shoots Dead Estranged Wife, Injures Self in Attempted Suicide
29 September 2012
Local (Switzerland)
A 40-year-old woman was shot dead at a hairdressers in the canton of Aargau on Wednesday by a man believed to be her husband, who then turned the gun on himself.
The incident occurred around 10.30am in a hair salon in Wettingen, a town of 20,000 people.
Cantonal police said the man, aged 51, entered the salon and shot several bullets at the woman who died on the spot.
The attacker was seriously wounded by self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
He was transported by... (GunPolicy.org)
Teen in Juvenile Court in Switzerland Over Toy Gun [Francais]
26 September 2012
Le Nouvelliste (Switzerland)
[Translated summary: A 15-year-old boy was arrested and went to juvenile court after police mistook his cheap toy gun for a real weapon.]
L'usage des pistolets qui ressemblent aux vrais et qui tirent des petites billes jaunes est prohibé sur le territoire public. Un jeune de la région de Sion en a fait l'amère expérience.
La fascination de certains jeunes pour les armes à feu n'est plus à prouver. Ils aiment jouer aux gendarmes et aux voleurs souvent dès le... (GunPolicy.org)
German Man Fined for Crossing Switzerland Border with Potato Gun
21 September 2012
Local (Switzerland)
A 29-year-old German cook was fined €300 and had his potato cannon confiscated after customs officers searched his car as he crossed the border from Switzerland.
In a routine check, German customs officials in Lottstetten seized the weapon, citing its owner's lack of a gun licence, newspaper Südkurier reports.
The main customs office in Singen noted that such rudimentary weapons, usually homemade, are often fashioned from metal or plastic tubes, with gas used to... (GunPolicy.org)
Germany to Provide €500,000 to Combat Illegal Small Arms in Nigeria
19 September 2012
Vanguard (Lagos)
The Federal Republic of Germany has disclosed that it will provide 500,000 euros to finance projects implemented by the newly established United Nation (UN) fund to combat illegal small arms.
This is disclosed at the just concluded review conference on the programme of action on small arms and light weapons, the United Nations member states confirmed their commitment to fight illegal arms trading and to protect children in armed conflict.
Speaking on progress of UN... (GunPolicy.org)
Shooting at Local German Football Game, Player Injured
17 September 2012
Local (Germany)
A quiet Sunday afternoon football match descended into panic in the German capital, after a mystery gunman began shooting at the players. One man was hit in the leg.
Both games taking place on the shared pitch continued after the initial shot as no-one realised what was happening - until one of the players collapsed with a bullet wound in his thigh.
"We heard a bang, and then there was a 30-second pause," one eye-witness told the B.Z. newspaper. "Then there was... (GunPolicy.org)
French Hunter Loses Hand After Dog Fires Shotgun
17 September 2012
BBC News
A leaping dog inadvertently shot his master in the hand by catching the trigger of his shotgun during a hunt in the Dordogne, south-western France.
The shot blew off part of the huntsman's right hand, which he had to have amputated after being flown to hospital in Bordeaux.
But the victim, whose name was given as Rene, said he had only himself to blame for not applying the safety catch.
"It wasn't the dog's fault - and he's adorable!" he told France Bleu radio.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Control on French Agenda After Rise in Smuggling from East Europe
7 September 2012
Le Cawa d'AdmiNet (France)
Gun control has shot to the top of the political agenda in France in recent years because of massive influx of weapons from Eastern Europe.
Largely un-policed border crossings with countries like Italy have seen thousands of guns pouring into major cities over the past few decades from countries like Serbia and the Ukraine.
This has led to a huge increase in the number of criminals brandishing weapons, especially drugs gangs and ones linked to the Italian and Russian... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Suspect Armed Gang Link to Shooting of British Family in France
6 September 2012
Telegraph (UK)
Police investigating the slaying of a British family on holiday near Chevaline in the French Alps are looking at links between the shooting and two attempted carjackings by an armed gang last night.
Four masked attackers tried to steal two cars in the Isere region, 50 miles away from the scene where a mother, father and grandmother were gunned down in a BMW.
Two young girls, thought to be their daughters, survived the attack with the younger, a four-year-old, hiding... (GunPolicy.org)
France Promises to Get Tough on Organised Crime Shootings
30 August 2012
Local (France)
The French government rejected calls on Thursday for the army to be sent in to crack down on drug dealers in Marseille, but promised a tough response to a wave of deadly shootings.
The gritty Mediterranean port city, long known as a hotbed of crime, has been struck by a wave of murders with assault rifles in turf wars over the
lucrative illegal drug trade.
The latest on Wednesday night saw Walid Marzouki, a 25-year-old suspected trafficker, riddled with bullets in a... (GunPolicy.org)
German Authorities Seize Weapons in Raid on Neo-Nazi Group
23 August 2012
Huffington Post (USA)
BERLIN — More than 900 police officers raided homes and clubhouses of suspected neo-Nazis in a crackdown in a western German state on Thursday, seizing far-right propaganda material, computer hard drives and a wide variety of weapons, the region's top security official said.
The raids to collect evidence came after North Rhine-Westphalia state interior minister Ralf Jaeger banned three local neo-Nazi groups.
"These groups are anti-foreigner, they are racist and they... (GunPolicy.org)
German Man Jailed for Largest Cache of Guns, Explosives Since War
21 August 2012
Local (Germany)
A German man who collected so much explosive and weapons that his neighbourhood was evacuated when police moved in to remove it, has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.
"Something could have very easily happened and that could have been terrible," said the judge at the Bad Kreuznach court on Tuesday.
The 64-year-old who has been nick-named "Powder Kurt" for his love of gunpowder, collected 40 kilos of explosive and dozens of weapons, keeping them in his house and... (GunPolicy.org)
Toddler Shot Dead During Family Argument in France
21 August 2012
Local (France)
A four-year-old girl died on Monday after being shot in the head during a family argument in an apartment in Toulouse in south-western France.
A man has been taken into custody on suspicion of having fired the deadly shot.
The police were called to the apartment in the Empalot area of Toulouse at around 5.15pm on Monday and arrived to find the girl, named as Shaloma C, bleeding profusely from a head wound, according to a report in the La Dépêche du Midi... (GunPolicy.org)
German Police Hunt Father After Family Shot Dead
21 August 2012
Local (Germany)
German police are hunting the husband of a woman who was found with their two children, all three shot dead, at their home near Düsseldorf on Monday night.
Police were called to the flat in Neuss by a neighbour who said there was music playing inside, but no-one answered the door when she rang.
Officers who entered the flat found the bodies of a four-year-old boy, his eight-year-old sister and their 26-year-old mother. There was no trace of the father.
All three... (GunPolicy.org)
French Man Kills Father, Brother in Shooting Spree
27 July 2012
Local (France)
A 23-year-old man killed his father and 8-year-old brother, and left his 17-year-old brother in a coma after a shooting spree in the village of Bozel in Savoie in eastern France.
The shootings took place late Thursday afternoon at the family home in the quiet Alpine village.
The teenager was hit in the head and was transported in a coma to hospital in Grenoble, according to the Le Parisien newspaper.
The man's mother, who was also subjected to an attack, managed to... (GunPolicy.org)
Study Shows Increase in School Shooting Threats in Germany
24 July 2012
Deutsche Welle
A newly published study from the University of Cologne has for the first time listed figures for shooting spree threats in German schools. The numbers are frightening - and the schools want action.
In the study, made public last week, psychologist Sarah Neuhäuser registered an increase in the incidence of threats to use firearms in schools since the last serious shooting spree by a student in the German town of Winnenden more than three years ago.
The researcher... (GunPolicy.org)
Italy,Germany,Austria,Europe,United States,Brazil
Europe's Role in US Mass Murders: EU Nations Often Provide the Guns
24 July 2012
Washington Post, Opinion
Americans mourn the victims in Aurora, Colo. In Europe, too, there is grief — mingled with incomprehension. The media chorus: How many more massacres before the United States adopts European-style gun control?
Christoph Prantner of Austria's Der Standard bemoans American insistence on Second Amendment rights, "even when this freedom occasionally has a very high price and, in a bloody perversion, fatally impairs the freedom of others."
I can't disagree. I just wish... (GunPolicy.org)
Jeweler Who Killed Armed Thief in Paris, Indicted for Murder [francais]
21 July 2012
RTL (Belgium) / AFP
[Translated summary: Paris, the jeweler who shot dead the armed thief is indicted for first degree murder. The jeweler had a firearm license and stored his firearm properly. The investigation will determine if the jeweler acted in self-defense.]
Le bijoutier parisien ayant tué un homme qui tentait de braquer son commerce jeudi a été mis en examen pour homicide volontaire samedi selon des sources judiciaires. Il a été laissé libre sous contrôle judiciaire.
Pas... (GunPolicy.org)
Eastern Europe,United Kingdom,Germany
UK Gangs Use Fake Guns, Real Ammo, Police Blame Smuggling
17 July 2012
Manchester Evening News (UK)
A tide of converted replica firearms began flooding the underworld in the first decade of the 21th century.
In the late nineties and early noughties, the weapon of choice had been the machine gun, as automatic weapons, many of them from former Eastern Bloc countries, were smuggled to the port of Liverpool before washing up in Manchester's gangland.
The MAC-10 was a particularly deadly weapon favoured by the gangs of Longsight and Moss Side.
One Manchester gang... (GunPolicy.org)
France: 3,910 Firearms Seized in 2011, 44% More Than in 2010 [Francais]
13 July 2012
Le Monde (France)
[Translated summary: Some 3,910 firearms were seized in 2011, according to Mr. Valls, new French Minister, against 2,710 in 2010, according to figures given at the time by Le Figaro (French newspaper), meaning 44% more. In 2009, according to Hortefeux, previous French Minister, 1,487 firearms were seized. The increase would be of 160% in two years?]
Le nouveau ministre de l'intérieur, Manuel Valls, a récemment voulu faire d'un phénomène "une priorité" : "Comment... (GunPolicy.org)
Southern Europe,North Africa,West Asia,France
After Shootings, France Vows to Tighten Gun Control, Tackle Trafficking
9 July 2012
France 24
The subject of gun crime is back on the agenda in France after two separate shootings outside nightclubs within a matter of days. The government has vowed to take action while fearful nightclub owners are demanding police support.
A second nightclub shooting on consecutive weekends in France forced authorities on Monday to promise swift action against the growing issue of gun crime.
Ten people were injured in the early hours of Sunday morning when a man armed with a... (GunPolicy.org)
Angola,Africa,West Africa,Venezuela,Iran,Egypt,Algeria,South Sudan,Liberia,Germany,France,China,United Kingdom,Russia,United States,South Africa
For Africa, Ammunition Control Deserves Global Gun Trade Treaty Focus
9 July 2012
IRIN (UN News)
JOHANNESBURG — For a couple of hundred dollars or less an arms dealer can illegally source a blank end user certificate with the required signatures and stamps - needed to transfer weapons across international borders - and "if no one checks its authenticity (often the case) he can ship his wares to the world's hotspots with minimal risk, for maximum profit," a report by the Small Arms Survey (SAS) said in 2008.
Since then "not much has changed" Glenn McDonald, based... (GunPolicy.org)
German Club Allows Unlicensed Visitors to Try Out Guns: 2 Injured
9 July 2012
Local (Germany)
Organisers of a public relations event at a German gun club were left red-faced on Sunday, after a woman accidentally shot a man in the foot. Both had to be treated for injuries.
The embarrassing - and painful - accident happened at the open day at a shooting club in the small town of Sallgast in the state of Brandenburg, eastern Germany, the Express newspaper reported.
The club took the ill-fated decision to allow visitors without firearms licenses to try out guns... (GunPolicy.org)
Gunman Injures 10 with Hunting Rifle in French Nightclub [Francais]
9 July 2012
Le Parisien (France)
[Translated summary: Just a week after the deadly shooting in Lille, France, a customer, expelled from a nightclub in the same region, returns to the club and opens fire with a hunting rifle, hurting 10 people.]
Une semaine après la fusillade meurtrière de Lille (Nord), un client mis à la porte d'une boîte de nuit à Bertry, dans le même département, a tiré au fusil de chasse, blessant légèrement dix personnes.
Quelques canettes de bière vides qui jonchent... (GunPolicy.org)
French Gunman Shot, Killed 4 Hostages During Flat Eviction in Germany
5 July 2012
Local (Germany) / AFP
The gunman who shot dead four hostages during a flat eviction and then killed himself in western Germany was French, it emerged on Thursday. Police say he had been planning the bloodbath for some time.
The 55 year-old man, who has not been named, died along with his four victims in Karlsruhe on Wednesday. He was originally from the Alsace region, a police spokesman said on Thursday. The spokesman could not confirm whether the man also had German nationality.
He had... (GunPolicy.org)
Hunter Shoots, Kills 4 Hostages, Self in German House Eviction
5 July 2012
Sydney Morning Herald, Telegraph (UK) / AP
Police commandos stormed a unit in southern Germany after a hostage standoff last night and found five bodies, including that of the gunman, a spokesman said.
A standoff had developed after an attempted eviction.
The spokesman said the hostage taker and all of his hostages were dead.
"Special forces broke into the apartment after smelling smoke and found five dead bodies. Probably one of them is the gunman," the spokesman said.
Shots were heard as a man barricaded... (GunPolicy.org)
Israel,Taiwan,United States,Sweden,Germany,France,United Kingdom,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa
Talks Begin at UN on Global, Legally Binding Arms, Ammo Trade Treaty
4 July 2012
Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS — The world's nations began a final push Tuesday for the first legally binding global treaty that would regulate the international arms trade and try to prevent the transfer of weapons to armed groups and terrorists.
The 193-member U.N. General Assembly is expected to approve the treaty, which has been in the works since 2006, when the U.S. voted against the resolution that launched the process. The Obama administration later reversed the George W.... (GunPolicy.org)
Another Shooting in France - Gunman Kills 2, Injures 5 at Nightclub
1 July 2012
BBC News
Police in the northern French city of Lille are hunting a gunman who shot dead two people and injured five at a nightclub after being turned away.
He opened fired indiscriminately outside the Theatro club in the city centre at about 03:00 (01:00 GMT).
A senior police official said a heavy-calibre gun, possibly a Kalashnikov rifle, had been used.
France recently tightened its laws on illegal firearms amid a worrying rise in the use of guns by criminals.
French media... (GunPolicy.org)
