Gun Policy News
Firearm violence, gun control and small arms
Israel
Israel Announces New Gun-Control Rules After Be'er Sheva Bank Shooting
22 May 2013
Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
One day after a Be'er Sheva man shot dead four people in a local bank before turning his gun on himself, the Public Security Ministry on Tuesday announced new rules to limit the number of guns in circulation. School security guards will have to turn in their weapons, which guarding firms will reissue at the start of the new school year. Licensed gun owners will have to store their weapon in a safe at home. Security companies must obtain special exemptions from being... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
37486
Israel
Israeli Gunman Kills Four Then Self with Licensed Handgun
20 May 2013
Washington Post
JERUSALEM — A gunman stormed into a bank in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba Monday, killing four people in a gunfight and taking a hostage before killing himself, police said.
Police initially suspected a bungled bank robbery but later changed their assessment.
They identified the gunman as a former military officer who fell on hard times financially. The 40-year-old man arrived at the bank to withdraw money and settle a debt, police said. He reportedly got... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Post
37470
Israel
Israeli Police asks Public to Hand in Illegal Guns After Rise in Murder Rate
13 May 2013
Times of Israel
Following a recent surge in gun murders in Israel, Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich has called on citizens to hand illegally held guns to police without facing criminal charges. The public will be able to turn the munitions at police stations throughout the country for a month, starting Wednesday.
The law calls for a maximum penalty of seven years in jail for someone caught in possession of an unlicensed firearm. Police sources told Ma'ariv they expected... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Times of Israel
37438
Israel
Questions Over Gun Ownership Rates in Israel as Gun Crime, Theft Rises
26 April 2013
Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
A 36-year-old mother of four was killed Tuesday by a gunshot in the Galilee village of Rama. Preliminary evidence shows she was killed while her husband, a career soldier in the Israeli army, who possesses a registered weapon as part of his duties, was cleaning his weapon. The loaded firearm apparently discharged a bullet by accident, hitting the woman.
This incident raises – yet again – the question of whether there is a need for all members of the Israeli armed... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
37395
Poland,Ukraine,Israel,Côte d'Ivoire,Bulgaria,Belarus,China,Angola,Russia
Guns Easily Available in Côte D'Ivoire Despite Embargo
16 April 2013
IRIN (UN News)
ABIDJAN - Côte d'Ivoire's recent turbulence - including the ouster of president Henri Konan Bédié in 1999, a long-running insurgency and deadly poll unrest in 2011 - has left the country awash in arms, which have contributed to human rights abuses, widespread crime and persistent insecurity.
Two years after coming to power in 2000, Laurent Gbagbo's administration faced an army mutiny, which morphed into a full-scale rebellion. In response, the government underwent a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
37347
Israel,Ireland
Irish Police Chief Rejects Reissue of Machine Guns After Cop Shooting
27 March 2013
BBC News
The Commissioner of the Irish police has rejected calls for detectives to be reissued with Uzi submachine guns.
Martin Callinan said it "would not have made the slightest bit of difference" if a murdered detective had been armed with an Uzi.
Detective Adrian Donohoe was shot during a robbery on 25 January 2013.
The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) passed a motion calling for the reissue of the Israeli-made weapons at its conference.
The guns,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
37242
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)
Read More: al Jazeera
37196
United States,Israel
Reducing Gun Access Could Lower US Suicide Rate
13 February 2013
New York Times
DAYTON, Wyoming — Craig Reichert found his son's body on a winter morning, lying on the floor as if he were napping with his great-uncle's pistol under his knee. The 911 dispatcher told him to administer CPR, but Mr. Reichert, who has had emergency training, told her it was too late. His son, Kameron, 17, was already cold to the touch.
Guns are like a grandmother's diamonds in the Reichert family, heirlooms that carry memory and tradition. They are used on the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
37066
United States,Israel
Israel Has Fewer Guns, Fewer Deaths Than US
11 February 2013
Forward, the Jewish Daily
WASHINGTON — Nine days after the Newtown, Conn. massacre in which 20 children died, Wayne LaPierre, the National Rifle Association's executive vice president, broke his group's long silence with a bristling attack against gun regulation that included a theme heard frequently among gun rights advocates.
"Israel had a whole lot of school shootings until they did one thing," LaPierre said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "They said, 'We're going to stop it,' and they put... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Forward, the Jewish Daily
37050
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)
Read More: EuroGamer
37023
Russia,Ukraine,Kenya,East Africa,European Union,Israel,Libya,Yemen,Ethiopia,United States,Somalia
Special Investigation: Lack of Gun Treaty Fuels Kenyan Smuggling Trade
9 January 2013
Star (Kenya)
Whether looking after his herd of cattle or taking them to the watering point, Boru hardly leaves his AK47 behind. He lives in the outskirts of Gambella village, a few kilometres from Isiolo town.
"It has become like a stick for me. I carry it around and my enemies fear me. It gives me more power than I had before I acquired it," Boru said.
Taking cover from the scorching sun under the shade of an old acacia tree, Boru, a father of three, told the Star he bought his... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Star (Kenya)
36922
United States,Israel
Israeli Gun Laws Much Stricter Than US Pro-Gun Advocates Suggest
28 December 2012
Washington Post
The United States stands truly alone in the developed world for its lax gun laws, which have contributed to Americans owning guns at a far higher rate than anyone else. The National Rifle Association, in its pushback against calls for gun restrictions after the Sandy Hook Elementary mass shooting, has portrayed things somewhat differently. NRA chief Wayne LaPierre has drawn comparisons to Israel, saying that the U.S. should follow Israel's example of loose gun laws and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Post
36871
Israel,United States,Palestine
Israel Evidence Shows Gun Restrictions Work, Disproves US Lobby Claims
25 December 2012
Washington Post / Associated Press
JERUSALEM — Israel's policy on issuing guns is restrictive, and armed guards at its schools are meant to stop terrorists, not crazed or disgruntled gunmen, experts said Monday, rejecting claims by America's top gun lobby that Israel serves as proof for its philosophy that the U.S. needs more weapons, not fewer.
Far from the image of a heavily armed population where ordinary people have their own arsenals to repel attackers, Israel allows its people to acquire... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Post / Associated Press
36867
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)
Read More: Foreign Policy (America)
36864
Israel
Security Guards Shoot Their Wives, so Israel Re-examines Gun Law
19 December 2012
YNet News (Tel Aviv)
State Comptroller Yosef Shapira is planning to conduct a special inquiry into Israel's gun control regulations following recent incidents involving security guards who murdered their wives – as well as the massacre of children in Newtown, Connecticut.
The inquiry will focus on the Ministry of Public Security, which is responsible for the supervision of firearm licensing and security companies authorized to posses weapons and hand them over to their employees.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: YNet News (Tel Aviv)
36859
Israel
Israel Gun Control Regulations 'Opposite of US'
18 December 2012
Jerusalem Post (Israel)
There is no full-auto Friday or Ladies night at the "Lahav" gun store in TA, a store that bears little resemblance to its US counterparts.
A gun lover's dream or a stringently controlled police state that would make a National Rifle Association supporter's blood boil? In recent days, following the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, that left 26 dead, including 20 children, Israel has been mentioned as a country awash in guns yet still free of such random massacres. Many... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Jerusalem Post (Israel)
36843
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)
Read More: Sunday Standard / New Indian Express (Chennai)
36913
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)
Read More: Foreign Policy
36756
United States,Israel
New York Man Shot and Killed By Israeli Chef Over Personal Dispute
5 October 2012
Guardian (UK)
A young American shot and killed a chef at a hotel in the Red Sea resort city of Eilat Friday, before forces from an anti-terror unit shot the gunman dead, police said. The incident appeared to be based on a personal dispute.
The attacker was on a Jewish work and study program and was employed at the hotel until earlier this week.
Eilat police official Eitan Gedassis told Israel Radio the attacker snatched a gun from a hotel security guard and fired a number of shots... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Guardian (UK)
36617
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)
Read More: Associated Press
36301
Hong Kong,Italy,Germany,Israel,Austria,Bulgaria,Russia,India
Over 29,000 Russian AK-47s Imported by Indian Paramilitary Forces
20 May 2012
Times of India
NEW DELHI - AK-47s continue to be the preferred assault weapon for the country's paramilitary forces deployed to neutralise terrorists and Maoists at the frontiers and in the hinterland.
Over 29,000 pieces of this Russian-origin rifle were imported by forces like CRPF, BSF and NSG over the last three years, leaving behind, by a large margin, other sophisticated assault weapons procured from the US and Israel.
The inventory of the assault weapons procured for security... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Times of India
36147
Palestine,Jordan,Israel
Israeli Police Say Gun Violence Continues to Climb in Arab Sector
27 March 2012
Jerusalem Post (Israel)
Despite police efforts to stamp out the use of firearms in the Arab sector, gun crime rose by 7 percent in the first three months of 2012 in comparison to the same period last year, police said Monday.
In 2011, in 557 cases a firearm was used during the commission of a crime, with 579 arrests made for firearms offenses, police said.
The police and the Public Security Ministry have been the subject of continued criticism from the Arab sector due to the mayhem caused by... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Jerusalem Post (Israel)
35955
Israel
Calls for Gun Control in Israel as More Guards Shoot Their Families
18 March 2012
ABC News (Australia), Audio
Israel has a booming security industry, but a loophole in the law allows guards to take their weapon's home. That's led to an alarming incidence of domestic gun-related crime against women. Israel's only disarmament lobby group has launched a campaign to tigthen Israel's gun laws before more women are... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: ABC News (Australia)
35920
Palestine,Israel,European Union,France
France and Arms Trade Control: an Opaque System - Opinion [Francais]
9 March 2012
Le Monde (France), Opinion
[Translated summary: Today, the French system on arms export control remains opaque: unlike neighboring countries such as United Kingdom and Netherlands. For example, it is impossible to know exactly what France sells, to whom, for what use or … if it refuses to sell to third countries. The last five years have not allowed significant advances. Instead, with the easing in spring 2011 of arms transfer controls inside and outside the European Union, or the refusal to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Le Monde (France)
35898
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
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
Israel
The 'Intolerable' Availability of Guns in Israel Is Fueling Criminality - Police
23 February 2012
Jerusalem Post (Israel)
Two young men stood under a residential building in Rehovot's Kiryat Moshe neighborhood last week, having a chat. Suddenly, shots were fired, probably from close range, and the two fell to the ground with gaping gunshot wounds.
What followed is a scene that has played itself out repeatedly in recent years. Shocked neighbors rushed to the scene. Within minutes, the sirens of ambulances drew closer, before paramedics arrived to rush the victims to hospital. Police came... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Jerusalem Post (Israel)
35857
Madagascar,Guinea,Ghana,Botswana,Angola,Algeria,South Africa,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,Russia,Austria,Israel,Germany,Italy,United States,Yemen,Philippines,Pakistan,Sri Lanka,Tunisia,Brazil,Burkina Faso,Egypt,Côte d'Ivoire,Malawi,Mauritania,Morocco,Namibia,Niger,Nigeria,Congo (ROC),Senegal,Tanzania,Uganda,Zambia,Zimbabwe,Argentina,Ecuador
Brazilian Gun Industry Seeks New Markets: Africa and Asia [Portugues]
27 January 2012
Publica (Brazil)
[Translated summary: With the support of the Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs, Brazilian gun manufacturers seek new markets in countries with a history of human rights violations: Tunisia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Philippines and Yemen. Brazil is among the six countries in the world with annual exports exceeding $ 100 million, according to recent research from Small Arms Survey. According to the Army, responsible for supervising and controlling exports from 2005 to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Publica (Brazil)
35794
Israel,Jordan,Iraq,Turkey,Syria,Lebanon
Syria Crisis Amplifies Demand for Black Market Guns in Lebanon
10 January 2012
Daily Star (Beirut)
BEIRUT - As Abu Rida reels off a list of the latest prices for weapons and ammunition on Lebanon's black market, his small audience lets out low whistles of surprise."$2,000 for an RPG?" said one man, referring to a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.
"I swear to God," replied Abu Rida who has seen his profits skyrocket over the past year. "The prices are crazy. And it's all going to Syria."
Black market arms dealers like Abu Rida are struggling to cope with a soaring... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Daily Star (Beirut)
35721
Jamaica,Honduras,Israel,Canada,Norway,Australia,Colombia,El Salvador,United States,Venezuela,Pakistan,Mexico
Armed Societies, Another Tragedy for Women: Mexico, Pakistan, Venezuela
9 December 2011
Inter Press Service News Agency
CARACAS - Kairobis Arcia, 25, died from a bullet to her head shot by her husband, Oswaldo Mendoza, 32, who said he was blinded by jealousy in an argument fuelled by alcohol and drugs.
Her murder was just one of the more than 468,000 homicides a year that occur worldwide, 42 percent of which are committed with firearms. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the global murder rate is 6.9 per 100,000 people – 11.9 per 100,000 among men and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Inter Press Service News Agency
35654
Israel
Israeli Security Guards Hold 130,000 Guns, Shot, Killed 24 Off Duty
6 December 2011
Jerusalem Post (Israel)
MK Tzipi Hotovely (Likud), chairwoman of the Knesset Committee on the Status of Women, demanded on Monday that security guards be required to leave their weapons at work, following a report that 24 people were killed in the last decade by guns belonging to off-duty security guards.
The report was issued by Woman to Woman, the Jerusalem Shelter for Battered Women.
"Security companies seem to have received an exemption from the law that forbids guards to remove their... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Jerusalem Post (Israel)
35633
Algeria,France,Mauritania,Mali,Israel,Egypt,United States,West Africa,Niger,North Africa,Libya
Smuggled Libyan Arms Threaten to Destabilise Swath of African Continent
12 November 2011
Wall Street Journal
Weapons smuggled from Libya after the collapse of Moammar Gadhafi's government are flowing through the surrounding region, the president of the west African nation of Niger said Friday, a development that threatens to destabilize a swath of the continent already struggling against ethnic unrest and a regional branch of al Qaeda.
"Arms were stolen in Libya and are being disseminated all over the region," President Mahamadou Issoufou told reporters following a meeting... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Wall Street Journal
35536
Egypt,Libya,Israel,North Africa,West Asia
Libya Threatens to Provide Arsenal of Guns for Region's Militants, Terrorists
28 August 2011
Jerusalem Post (Israel) / Media Line
The collapse of strongman Muamar Gaddafi's government and the ensuing chaos in Libya could prove to be boon to the militant groups in Africa and the Middle East by opening up arsenals of weaponry ranging from small arms to chemicals, experts are warning.
Rebels have seized much of the country including most of the capital Tripoli, but as of late Thursday they were still battling Gaddafi loyalists and struggling to establish law and order in a country wracked by six... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Jerusalem Post (Israel) / Media Line
35221
Israel
Son of Israeli Gun Inventor Arrested for Possession of Huge Weapons Cache
27 July 2011
Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
The Kfar Sava policemen who found dozens of guns packed in boxes at the Galili family's Hod Hasharon home on Monday were sure they had discovered one of the Sharon region's biggest arms dealers. They summoned reinforcements, and dozens of policemen rushed over.
Unfortunately, the policemen did not connect the family name to the name on some of the guns. Zeev Galili, who was home when the officers arrived, insisted that he had inherited the weapons, which originally... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
35124
Israel,United Kingdom,Russia,France,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,China,United States
Productive Negotiations at the UN on Arms Trade Treaty [Francais]
18 July 2011
Courrier du Vietnam / AFP
[Translated summary: Member States of the UN "made significant progress" during the week of negotiations in New York for the adoption in July 2012 of the Arms Trade Treaty, said on July 15 Eric Danon, representative of France in the negotiations.]
Les États membres de l'ONU ont "beaucoup progressé" pendant une semaine de négociations à New York en vue de l'adoption en juillet 2012 d'un traité sur le commerce des armes, a déclaré le 15 juillet Eric Danon,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Courrier du Vietnam / AFP
35078
Israel
Israel Relaxes Gun Licensing Procedure for Settlers in 'Danger Regions'
14 April 2011
Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
A new policy formulated in recent weeks by the Public Security Ministry will give settlers preference in gun licensing procedures.
Public Security Ministry officials, policemen and others have in recent days reviewed lists of persons seeking gun permits. Under the new guidelines, citizens who live in places defined by security officials as danger regions will receive preference in gun license issuance procedures.
This danger zone designation extends to the entirety... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
34676
United Kingdom,Israel,Germany,China,Canada,United States,New Zealand,Australia
World Media Reacts to Arizona Shooting: America's Gun Laws Are Nuts
11 January 2011
Wrap (California)
While the shootings in Tucson continue to inflame the debate over violent rhetoric in American politics, the international media's reaction to the tragedy is largely focused on alleged killer Jared Lee Loughner's weapon of choice: a gun.
In doing so, it's gotten to the debate over gun laws faster than a U.S. media hung up on the politics.
"This guy was a nutjob. What he did was sick and evil," a Tucson gunshop owner told Agence France-Presse in a piece entitled,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Wrap (California)
34029
Israel
Licensed Gun Owner Shoots Wife, Self with Legal Handgun in Jerusalem
13 November 2010
Jerusalem Post (Israel)
A man shot and seriously injured his wife before turning his gun on himself in a failed murder/suicide attempt in Netanya on Saturday.
The violence took place in the presence of the couple's three-year-old girl.
Police broke into the apartment, on Rehov Ha'etzel, after being called to the scene by the man, aged 30.
Paramedics rushed the couple to Laniado Hospital in Netanya, where the woman, 25, was hooked up to a life support machine.
Their daughter was taken into... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Jerusalem Post (Israel)
33628
United States,Israel
Parents Murdered, Schizophrenic Gun Owner Flees New York for Israel
15 October 2010
Daily Mail (UK)
Police have launched an international manhunt for a schizophrenic gun collector after his parents were found brutally murdered.
The bodies of Arthur and Marian Bellucci were discovered at their home on Staten Island by their daughter.
The 25-year-old had gone round to check on her parents after she had not heard from them for some time.
She discovered blood all over the hall and immediately called 911. Police sources today said that the prime suspect in the case was... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Daily Mail (UK)
33480
Israel
Shot West Bank Settler Had Licence Revoked, So Israel Eases Gun Control
1 September 2010
YNet News (Tel Aviv)
After learning that one of settlers killed in Tuesday's deadly shooting attack had his gun license revoked, interior minister determines West Bank Jews will be given permits without police authorization. 'We won't allow deaths as a result of bureaucracy,' he says
In the aftermath of Tuesday's deadly shooting attack near Hebron, Interior Minister Eli Yishai has instructed Population and Immigration Administration head Amnon Ben-Ami to ease restrictions on the purchase... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: YNet News (Tel Aviv)
33267
United States,Israel
US Baggage Handlers Steal 4 Pistols from Israeli PM's Armed Bodyguards
7 July 2010
BBC News
Not even officers from Israeli security service Shin Bet can escape the scourge of lost luggage it seems.
A bag belonging to agents travelling with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was mistakenly put on a flight from New York to Los Angeles, not to Washington.
Alarmingly the bag contained four 9mm Glock handguns, which are now missing.
A Shin Bet spokesman told the AP news agency that it is not known whether the guns went missing before or after the luggage was put... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
32957
Israel
Nationwide Crackdown on Handguns Infuriates Israeli West Bank Residents
29 June 2010
Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
West Bank residents claim discrimination as nationwide campaign to limit gun use makes no exception for Israelis living beyond the Green Line.
West Bank settlers on Tuesday accused the government of putting them at physical risk by initiating a nationwide crackdown on handguns.
Settlers were infuriated when it emerged at a Knesset meeting on Monday that Israel Police would make no exception for West Bank residents in a campaign to reduce the number of licensed and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
32940
Bosnia & Herzegovina,Panama,Chad,Israel,United States,Somalia
Israeli Gun Dealer Indicted in US, Smuggling Bosnian AK-47s to Somalia
29 June 2010
Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry sources adamantly denied yesterday that they were in any way involved in arms shipments to Somalia.
Spokesmen for both ministries were responding to news of the arrest in the U.S. of Hanoch Miller, an Israeli arms merchant, for allegedly illegal arms sales to Somalia, forging documents, money laundering and violating the UN arms embargo on Somalia.
A Defense Ministry spokesman said there is a ban on arms sales to Somalia and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
32903
Israel,Bosnia & Herzegovina,Somalia,United States
Feds Nab Israeli, US Gun Runners Smuggling AK-47s, Bosnia to Somalia
28 June 2010
Politico (Washington DC)
A retired U.S. Air Force colonel charged in the 1980s in an Iran-Contra related weapons smuggling case has been indicted in a U.S. federal court in Miami with conspiring with an Israeli aeronautics engineer to illegally export 2,000 AK-47s to Somalia.
The June 17 indictment against Joseph O'Toole, 79, now based in Claremont, California, was unsealed today. POLITICO earlier Monday reported on the indictment of his Israeli co-defendant, Chanoch Miller. Miller, an Israeli... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Politico (Washington DC)
32902
United States,Mexico,Israel
More Guns = Less Crime, Mexican President 'Bold Faced Liar' Blaming US
16 June 2010
Santa Monica Daily Press (California), Opinion
When I talk with people about my support for sex education in Santa Monica's public schools, I hear cheers at how enlightened I am. I also hear how stupid these people believe religious types are for preaching abstinence. What surprises me is how conservative these sex education proponents become when I bring up the subject of gun education. Firearm education saves lives.
Let's put irrational phobias and emotions aside and look at the facts. In 2004 the Federal Assault... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Santa Monica Daily Press (California)
32870
Israel
Soldiers Fire Bullets Unintentionally Once Every Couple of Days in Israel
21 March 2010
YNet News (Tel Aviv)
A sharp and concerning increase in misfire incidents in the IDF – internal data at the GOC Army Headquarters obtained by YNet revealed on Monday. According to the information, soldiers have difficulty operating heavy equipment such as MAG and Negev machine guns, and once every four-and-a-half days, a dangerous incident takes place.
The good news is that no casualties have been reported in machine gun misfires, but the IDF admits that this is a concerning phenomenon... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: YNet News (Tel Aviv)
32389
Lebanon,Israel,United States
22 Prominent Gun Dealers Arrested in Arms Trade Plagued by Corruption
25 January 2010
United Press International
BEIRUT, Lebanon - Four Israeli business executives were arrested in Las Vegas, along with 18 Americans, Britons and other nationals, on charges of trying to bribe someone they thought was an African defense minister to obtain a $15 million arms contract.
The swoop on Jan. 19 was the culmination of a two-and-a-half-year undercover sting operation by the U.S. Justice Department.
It was the largest single investigation under the 1977 U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: United Press International
32020
United States,United Kingdom,Israel
Smith & Wesson Exec, 21 Others Charged in FBI Gun Sale Bribery Sting
19 January 2010
Boston Herald
A Smith & Wesson executive was among 22 officials at suppliers to police and the military who were charged Monday in Las Vegas with violating anti-bribery laws, the Justice Department announced today.
Amaro Goncalves, the Springfield-based gun maker's vice president of sales, was arrested with the others after a 2½-year undercover sting operation aimed at schemes to bribe a foreign official.
Smith & Wesson released the following statement late today:
"Through media... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Boston Herald
31899
United States,Israel,United Kingdom
Smith & Wesson Executive Among 22 Charged in Gun Sale Bribery Case
19 January 2010
Bloomberg (USA)
A Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. sales executive and a former U.S.
Secret Service officer were among 22 officials at companies that supply law enforcement and the military who were charged with violating U.S. anti-bribery laws.
Amaro Goncalves, vice president of sales at Smith & Wesson, and R. Patrick Caldwell, chief executive officer of Protective Products Of America Inc. and a former deputy director of the Secret Service, were among those accused of engaging in schemes... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Bloomberg (USA)
31898
United States,Israel,United Kingdom
FBI Charges S&W Exec, 21 US-UK-Israeli Arms Dealers for Gun Sale Bribes
19 January 2010
Reuters
WASHINGTON -- An executive for Smith & Wesson Holding Corp (SWHC.O) and 21 others have been charged with violating federal bribery laws involving the sale of weapons and protective gear, the U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday.
The indictments accused the individuals, including Smith & Wesson Vice President for Sales Amaro Goncalves, with violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, and conspiracy to commit money laundering involving the sale of items... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
31896
Israel
Israeli Soldier's Sentence Doubled for Selling Stolen Army M-16
12 January 2010
Israel News
The Military Court of Appeals decided to aggravate the sentence of a navy soldier convicted of steeling a weapon from his comrade. The soldier was initially sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison, but the appeals court doubled his sentence to five years following comments the soldier made to a police agent in prison, stating that he tried to sell the weapon to criminal Zeev Rosenstein.
In the summer of 2008, the soldier stole an M-16 rifle from his comrade. The... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Israel News
31857
Israel
Drunk Security Guard Accidentally Shoots Soldier Friend
10 January 2010
Jerusalem Post (Israel)
A soldier was shot dead by an intoxicated friend in Kiryat Haim, north of Haifa, on Friday night in what police suspect is a firearms accident.
Emergency services were called to an address in Kiryat Haim by a man who told an operator that his friend had been shot.
The caller, a security guard under the influence of alcohol, called paramedics and police twice to ensure they were on their way to the address, before fleeing the scene. He then stopped approximately 100... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Jerusalem Post (Israel)
31831
Israel
Police Sting Nabs Five Gun Trafficking Suspects in Israeli Arab Town
17 November 2009
Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
Police on Tuesday arrested five men suspected of illegally trading firearms in the northern region of Wadi Ara, a predominantly Israeli Arab area.
Undercover agents in recent weeks descended on the suspects' homes to purchase six handguns, a rifle and other ammunition. Police thus compiled enough evidence to expose the group and to arrest the suspects for trading and other offensives.
Central District Police officers raided the suspects' homes in Umm El Fahem and El... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
31485
Taiwan,Philippines,France,Italy,Germany,Israel,United States
181 Smuggled US, European Guns in Taiwan Seizure of Philippine Cargo
27 September 2009
Central News Agency (Taiwan)
Six suspects, including the ring's mastermind surnamed Ting, were arrested in what may be the largest arms smuggling bust ever in Taiwan, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said yesterday.
CIB officials displayed their haul of 181 guns and 22,685 rounds of ammunition in the lobby of its crime-fighting center in southern Taiwan's Kaohsiung City.
Powerful submachine guns, rifles, and expanding "dum dum" bullets were shown in the center, which took on the look of an... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Central News Agency (Taiwan)
31078
Israel
Hunters Up In Arms Over Changes to Shooting Regulations in Israel
1 September 2009
Jerusalem Post (Israel)
The 2009 season opens today, but hunters are now limited to doves, pheasants and coots — a much-reduced list compared to past years. Last year, they were allowed to hunt doves, turtledoves, pheasants, coots, ducks and even the occasional wild boar.
Hunters are coming together for their first-ever organized meeting on September 12. They plan to form a unified body capable of standing up to the Nature and Parks Authority, the organization charged with regulating sport... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Jerusalem Post (Israel)
30874
Philippines,Israel,Turkey
50 Israeli Assault Weapons on Ship from Turkey Seized in Philippines
21 August 2009
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
MANILA — Philippine authorities have seized a foreign cargo ship after crates of automatic rifles and other military equipment were found in its shipment, officials said Friday. The captain and 13 crew members of the Panama-registered M/V Captain Ufuk were also detained at the port of Mariveles town in Bataan province, 45 kilometres west of Manila.
The ship docked Thursday at the port without prior notice, raising suspicion among customs and coast guard officials... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Deutsche Presse-Agentur
30790
Israel
Worker in Tel Aviv Weapon Factory Stole Handguns, Sold to Criminals
12 March 2009
Jerusalem Post (Israel)
Police arrested three men on Thursday, including an employee of the Bul Shiruki arms factory, on suspicion of operating a black market of firearms that supplied guns to the criminal world.
According to the police's National Serious and International Crimes (NSIC) Unit, the employee stole gun parts from his Tel Aviv factory before they were stamped with serial numbers, and assembled them into hundreds of functioning firearms, selling them to a security guard.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Jerusalem Post (Israel)
29557
Egypt,Palestine,Israel
100 Tons of Guns, Ammunition, Explosives Smuggled to Gaza Each Year
2 March 2009
Washington Institute / PolicyWatch #1484 (USA), Web page
This week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will travel to Egypt to attend an international conference on the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. While the rehabilitation of Gaza is high on the international community's agenda, the implementation of any rebuilding project may be premature. Indeed, given Hamas's ongoing weapons smuggling into Gaza, Israel's mid-January unilateral ceasefire may be short-lived. Although the United States and Israel reached an agreement on... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Institute / PolicyWatch #1484 (USA)
29354
Israel
Bedouin Child Killed While Playing with Dad's Licensed Gun in Negev
26 December 2008
Jerusalem Post (Israel)
An eight-year-old Beduin boy died Friday morning of a stray gunshot to his head. The boy and his younger brother were allegedly playing with their father's licensed gun near Hura in the Negev.
Family members evacuated the mortally wounded child to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, where he was pronounced dead.
Police arrived at the site of the incident and have launched an... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Jerusalem Post (Israel)
28882
Israel,United States
Founder of Israeli NRA Aims to Import American Gun Lobby, Gun Culture
19 November 2008
Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
While the gun lobby in the United States took a setback last week with the election of Barack Obama, who supports the ban of assault weapons, a group of Israeli-Americans are now trying to ease restrictions on gun ownership here in Israel. Modeled and named after the powerful but controversial Virginia-based National Rifle Association, it is unclear whether the Israeli NRA will be able to gather enough support to be in any way influential. Several experts have already... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
28665
United Nations,Finland,New Zealand,United States,Australia,Canada,France,Belgium,Sweden,Switzerland,South Africa,Austria,Israel,Brazil,Germany
Comparison of Key Handgun Restrictions in 14 Industrialised Countries
25 September 2008
Economist
Finland's government is introducing tougher regulations on handguns following a mass shooting at a school on Tuesday September 23rd, the second in under a year.
The country had been among the most lenient in the world, allowing 15-year-olds to keep a handgun under parental supervision, requiring no medical or psychological tests and no minimum wait for those buying weapons.
The gun-death rate (whether murder, accident or suicide) in rich countries is highest where... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Economist
28318
Israel
New Law Allows Israeli Gun Owners to Inflict 'Immediate Death Sentence'
24 June 2008
Jerusalem Post (Israel)
A license to kill or a leg up for law enforcement — the verdict may still be out, but the Knesset approved the "Shai Dromi Bill" on Tuesday, an amendment to the Penal Law aimed at giving property owners more freedom to use fatal force against people who break into their homes, businesses or farms.
The legislation, named for the Negev farmer who in January 2007 shot at a group of people who broke into his farm to steal livestock, killing Khaled el-Atrash. Dromi was... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Jerusalem Post (Israel)
27449
Israel,Palestine
Killer Shoots 8 in Jewish Seminary Before Armed Targets Can Respond
7 March 2008
Reuters
JERUSALEM — A Palestinian gunman shot dead at least eight people at a Jewish religious school in Jerusalem, but Israel said the killings would not derail U.S.-sponsored peace talks.
"It was a slaughterhouse," Yehuda Meshi-Zahav, head of the Zaka emergency service, said of the scene on Thursday night at the Merkaz Harav seminary, one of the city's most prominent Jewish educational centers.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. The attack was greeted with... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
26373
Israel,Palestine
8 Killed in Shooting at Jerusalem Seminary Before Gunman Shot Dead
6 March 2008
Los Angeles Times
JERUSALEM — A man concealing an automatic weapon in a cardboard box slipped into a Jewish seminary here and opened fire in the library Thursday night, killing at least eight people in Israel's worst terrorist attack in nearly two years.
Jerusalem Police Chief Aharon Franco said the attack lasted more than 10 minutes before an Israeli army officer killed the assailant.
Rescue workers said at least 10 people were wounded. Most of the victims were men in their 20s. The... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Los Angeles Times
26374
Israel,Palestine
Palestinian Shooter Surprises Armed Israeli Student Soldiers, Shoots 8 Dead
6 March 2008
Associated Press
JERUSALEM, Israel — A gunman entered the library of a rabbinical seminary and opened fire on a crowded nighttime study session Thursday, killing eight people and wounding nine before he was slain, police and rescue workers said. It was the first major militant attack in Jerusalem in more than four years.
Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip praised the operation in a statement, and thousands of Palestinians took to the streets of Gaza to celebrate.
The day's violence,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
26372
India,Israel
Israeli Tavor-21 Assault Rifle Enters Service With Indian Special Forces
26 February 2007
Defense Industry Daily
In late 2002, India signed a Rs. 880 million (about $20 million) deal with Israel Military Industries for 3,070 TAR-21 Tavor assault rifles, a new bullpup design developed for use by the Israeli Defense Forces. The Israelis had just selected the compact Tavor over the Colt M4/M16 as its next-generation assault rifle, and the compact new weapons would be issued to India's special forces personnel, where its ergonomics, reliability in heat and sand, and and fast-point/... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Defense Industry Daily
22863
Israel
Israeli Campaign Brings Unlicensed Gun Possession to a 10-Year Low
2 January 2007
Jerusalem Post (Israel)
The number of Israelis carrying guns without valid licenses hit a 10-year low in 2006, the Interior Ministry revealed on Tuesday.
During the past year, the gun-licensing branch of the Interior Ministry worked to lower the number of Israelis carrying guns without valid licenses. Whereas in 2005 there were around 33,000 Israelis carrying guns without a valid license, there were only around 13,000 citizens doing the same in 2006.
But more Israelis were issued private... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Jerusalem Post (Israel)
22431
Egypt,Israel,Palestine,United States
Egypt, Israel, US Approve and Ship 2,000 More Guns to Palestine's Fatah
28 December 2006
Agence France Presse
Egypt has sent a large quantity of arms to the forces of moderate Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah party with the help of Israel, an Israeli official said.
"In coordination with Israel, Egypt delivered a large quantity of guns and munitions to the Abbas forces," the official told AFP, asking to remain anonymous.
The Haaretz daily meanwhile reported that "a load of 2,000 Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifles as well as 20,000 cartridge clips and two million... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Agence France Presse
22419
Israel,Palestine
Gaza's Gun Running Tunnels May Be Biggest Threat to Middle East Peace
17 December 2006
Associated Press
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — In houses along the steel wall separating Gaza and Egypt, the lights are flickering a sign that smugglers are digging tunnels below, their powerful drills weakening the flow of electricity.
Tunneling is the fastest-growing business in this impoverished border town, and one of the biggest obstacles to any lasting Israeli-Palestinian truce.
Since Israel pulled out of the Gaza Strip a year ago, the number of tunnels for smuggling weapons, drugs and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
22433
Israel,Africa
UN Report Says Israel Supplying Arms to African Warring Factions
6 December 2006
BBC Worldwide Monitoring, Transcript
Israeli expertise in the sphere of arms exports and security know-how are famous worldwide — but at a heavy image cost for the country. A new UN report, whose contents are being made public here for the first time, places indirect responsibility on Israeli arms dealers for acts of genocide committed in recent years in Africa.
The report claims that the Israelis, in contravention of the UN Security Council's embargo resolutions, sold arms to warring factions in places... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC Worldwide Monitoring
22263
Israel
Israelis Arrested for Trafficking Guns and Ammunition to Palestinian Militants
12 November 2006
Associated Press
JERUSALEM — Police busted a network of Israeli Arabs selling weapons and ammunition to Palestinian militants, a police spokesman said Sunday.
Twelve men were arrested and charged with selling arms to militant cells in the West Bank, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. Police also seized three assault rifles and 8,000 bullets, he said.
Eight of the men have been charged with weapons trafficking, while four are still being held pending charges, he said.
Rosenfeld... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
22123
Israel
Human Rights Study: 4 Israeli Gun Makers in Top 100 Arms Producers
8 October 2006
Jerusalem Post (Israel)
LONDON — There are four Israeli companies among the world's 100 leading arms manufacturers, according to a report published last week.
The study, "Arms without Borders," was prepared by the Control Arms campaign in cooperation with Amnesty International, Oxfam International and the International Action Network on Small Arms.
In a reference to Israel and other nations, the report says: "While the industrialized countries remain the world's major arms exporters, a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Jerusalem Post (Israel)
21800
Israel
Israeli Firms Join Top 100 Arms Dealers' List in Global Gun Trade Report
3 October 2006
Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
Four Israeli companies appear in a list of the top 100 arms dealers in the world, according to a report published yesterday by Amnesty International. The companies are Israel Aircraft Industries, Rafael Arms Development Authority, Elbit Systems and Israel Military Industries.
The report, entitled "Arms without Borders," was launched as the United Nations opened its annual session on arms control, in the run-up to a landmark vote at the UN to start work on an Arms... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
21718
Israel,United States
Israeli Police Arrest Californian Man in Gun Running Case
21 June 2006
Associated Press
An American man was charged on Wednesday with trying to import weapons that police suspect he intended to use to attack Palestinians, a police spokesman said.
The 39-year-old California resident was arrested June 11 at an Israeli port after claiming a shipping container that contained a snipers' rifle, a bullet-making machine, gunpowder and cartridges, spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.
Police had no English spelling of the man's name, but the Hebrew spelling would be... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
20772
Israel
Israel Arrests 5 Over Theft of 40 Army Assault Rifles, Grenade Launchers
2 April 2006
YNet News (Tel Aviv)
IDF and police investigators working jointly have solved a case involving the theft of 40 weapons from an IDF base three months ago.
During the investigation, an undercover agent purchased the weapons from the thieves, among them IDF soldiers who provided them with information on the weapons.
Overall, five suspects were detained in connection with the case and some of the weapons have been recovered.
Several weeks ago, investigators received information that... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: YNet News (Tel Aviv)
20040
India,Israel
Israeli Gun Maker's Troubles Delay Supply of Assault Rifles to India
19 March 2006
Deccan Herald (New Delhi)
Recurring technical and bureaucratic slippages have further delayed till the end of the year the supply of around 3,000 Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) 5.56-mm Tavor 21 assault rifles (TAR-21) with 40-mm under slung grenade launchers to India's Special Forces (SF) or para-commandos though almost four years have elapsed since the contract was signed.
The $20-million deal for the TAR 21s including ammunition, was signed in late 2002 with Israel Military Industries (IMI).... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Deccan Herald (New Delhi)
19931
Israel
American Immigrant Smuggles M-16, Sniper Rifle Into Israel 'For Protection'
23 February 2006
YNet News (Tel Aviv)
A 32-year-old new immigrant from the U.S. was arrested on Wednesday for bringing arms into the country.
On Thursday the Jerusalem Magistrates Court extended his remand by four days.
The man, who immigrated to Israel in 2005 and eventually settled in Beit Shemesh, brought with him a large container with, among other things, an M-16 rifle, a sniper rifle, pistol, magazine clips, army equipment, commando knives, helmets, night vision apparatus and rappelling gear.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: YNet News (Tel Aviv)
19722
Israel,Palestine
Israeli Soldiers Shoot, Kill Mentally Disabled Teen Holding Plastic Toy Gun
15 February 2006
Independent (UK)
QABATIA — A 15 year old mentally disabled Palestinian boy carrying a broken toy rifle was shot dead by Israeli troops during an arrest operation in the northern West Bank town of Qabatia, near Jenin, yesterday.
A Palestinian security officer who saw the boy, Mujahed Al Samadi, struck by a bullet — one of three residents said had been fired at him — said last night that he had been on his own 300 metres from a house on higher ground which was occupied by troops... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Independent (UK)
19603
Israel
Israelis Crack Down on Private Guns, Shooters Lament Lack of an NRA
9 February 2006
Jerusalem Post Magazine (Israel)
Spent cases litter the floor of the indoor shooting range. The smell of gunpowder hangs in the air and mingles with the heavy odor of rubber, which covers the walls and ceiling to prevent ricochet. The heavy steel door shuts behind my instructor and me. A fresh target — not a circle, but a red "x" — has been hung seven meters away, on the opposite side of the room.
The time has come to pick up the gun, a lightweight .22, and take aim …
Many are under the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Jerusalem Post Magazine (Israel)
19543
Israel
40 Assault Rifles, Grenade Launchers Stolen from Israeli Army Base
7 February 2006
YNet News (Tel Aviv)
Soldiers didn't see a thing: A total of 40 weapons were stolen from an IDF base about 10 days ago after thieves broke into the base overnight.
The story was only cleared for publication Monday.
The weapons stolen include eight grenade launchers and 32 assault rifles. At this time Military Police have no leads in the case and estimate the weapons have already been handed over to criminal or terror elements.
The theft has been characterized as "one of the most... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: YNet News (Tel Aviv)
19504
Palestine,Israel,Egypt
Booming Business in Gaza: Tunnelling for the Gunrunners
24 January 2006
New York Times
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Yasser Qishta, 25, shows a visitor into his near-finished house, a two-story cinderblock structure with a pristine, pastel interior, all new paint and gleaming ceramic tile. The house cost him $32,000, a fortune for a man of his age in the Gaza Strip's troubled economy.
The house tells everyone in the neighborhood what he has been up to: burrowing beneath the border to help bring illegal arms into the Gaza Strip.
"I risked my life, but now I can... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
19374
United Nations,United States,Iran,Israel,Egypt,China,Syria,India,Pakistan,Trinidad & Tobago
Traditional Foes Hold Up United Nations Progress on Small Arms
22 January 2006
Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday
NEW YORK — After two weeks of talking, governments have achieved virtually no outcome from a UN conference on controlling the proliferation and misuse of small arms. During this time, approximately 12,000 more people have died at gunpoint and many more have been injured, bereaved or denied access to livelihoods, healthcare and education because of armed violence.
Usually at loggerheads on disarmament issues, the USA and Iran, Israel and Egypt are on the same side of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday
19351
Israel
Sharp Rise in Number of Women Killed by Men With Licensed Guns
28 November 2005
Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
Some 47 percent of women murdered by their partners or relatives in the past five years were killed by security guards, soldiers or police officers who carried licensed weapons, according to a report compiled by a team of Haifa University researchers studying the impact of the intifada on the lives of Jewish and Arab women.
The data compiled by researchers on behalf of "Isha le Isha," a Haifa feminist center, indicates that between October 2000 and April 2005, 38... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
18852
Palestine,Israel
Palestinians Outlaw Weapons on the Streets
30 September 2005
Associated Press
JERUSALEM — Palestinian authorities began enforcing a ban on public displays of weapons Thursday. Three people were arrested and the guns of off-duty police officers were confiscated.
The crackdown was a key step toward imposing order in the chaotic Gaza Strip.
Pressing forward with its military campaign, Israeli soldiers killed five Palestinian gunmen during raids in the West Bank. Israel launched the wave of airstrikes and arrest raids last weekend in response to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
18299
Palestine,Israel
Gunrunners Smuggle Weapons Into Gaza
14 September 2005
Associated Press
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Palestinian gunrunners smuggled hundreds of assault rifles and pistols across the Egyptian frontier into Gaza, dealers and border officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The influx confirmed Israeli fears about giving up border control and could further destabilize Gaza.
Black market prices for weapons dropped sharply, with AK-47 assault rifles nearly cut in half to $1,300 and even steeper reductions for handguns.
News of the smuggling... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
18162
Israel
Troubled State Arms Maker IMI Finally Up for Sale
29 August 2005
AKI (Italy)
TEL AVIV — After a decade of financial problems, which have required 2.2 billion dollars in recovery plans, Israel's state-owned weapon's manufacturer, Israeli Military Industries (IMI), is set to be privatised after a proposal by the country's finance and defence ministers — Ehud Olmert and Shaul Mofaz — was given the go-ahead.
IMI is the main supplier of weapons to the Israeli military and produces airplanes, radar systems, tanks and unmanned aircrafts, as... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: AKI (Italy)
18052
Israel
Quarter of a Million Israelis Own Firearms: Fewer Since 1996
28 August 2005
YNet News (Tel Aviv)
A quarter of a million Israeli citizens possess personal firearms, according to an Interior Ministry survey.
The survey said that as of June 2005, 236,879 Israeli citizens had guns. At the same time, the survey pointed to a downwards trend in personal weapon possession.
The study also found that a worrying number of guns were held without valid license, 34,000, due to a failure by owners to renew their licenses.
A spokesman for the firearms branch of the Interior... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: YNet News (Tel Aviv)
18039
Israel
AWOL Israeli Soldier/Settler Blamed for Mass Shooting in Bus
5 August 2005
CNN
JERUSALEM — An Israeli soldier opened fire inside a bus in Israel's northern Galilee region Thursday, killing four Israeli Arabs and seriously wounding five other people before he was killed, according to Israeli police.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon condemned the attack, calling it "a reprehensible act of a bloodthirsty Jewish terrorist who sought to attack innocent Israeli citizens."
"This terrorist event was a deliberate attempt to harm the fabric of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: CNN
17874
Israel
Security Guards Lax With Guns: Government Study
3 August 2005
YNet News (Tel Aviv)
TEL AVIV — Too many Israeli security guards are taking their weapons home with them, a move that could be dangerous and cause accidents, a government committee said on Wednesday.
In addition, the guards are undertrained and under supervised, said the group, headed by retired police commander Danny Brinker.
The committe is expected to present its findings to Interior Minister Ophir Pines-Paz and Internal Security Minister Gidon Ezra.
About 40,000 handguns and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: YNet News (Tel Aviv)
17873
Israel
New Gun Law Restrictions More Costly
26 July 2005
Israel National News
The Interior Ministry has suggested more costly regulations for citizens who are licensed to possess a handgun.
The new regulations, which require the approval of the Knesset Finance Committee, address persons who fail to renew their permit every five years. Such violators would be slapped with a large fine that continues to increase each year.
In addition to the license renewal every five years, there will now be an annual fee required of licensed gun... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Israel National News
17785
Israel
Snipers With Children in Their Sights: Army Kills Minors With Impunity
28 June 2005
Guardian (UK), Opinion
It was the shooting of Asma Mughayar that swept away any lingering doubts I had about how it is the Israeli army kills so many Palestinian children and civilians.
Asma, 16, and her younger brother, Ahmad, were collecting laundry from the roof of their home in the south of the Gaza Strip in May last year when they were felled by an Israeli army sniper. Neither child was armed or threatening the soldier, who fired unseen through a hole punched in the wall of a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Guardian (UK)
17552
Israel
Bill Would Require Gun Owners' Oath of Loyalty to State
23 June 2005
Jerusalem Post (Israel)
Left-wing MK Ran Cohen (Yahad) made a move to curb possible violence by settlers on Wednesday by proposing a bill that would force them to take an oath of allegiance to the state as a condition for being supplied with IDF weapons for security.
While presenting the bill for a preliminary reading, Cohen put the government on the spot and asked why it had decided to oppose the legislation. Cohen told Internal Security Minister Gideon Ezra, Justice Minister Tzippi Livni... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Jerusalem Post (Israel)
17520
Israel,Egypt
Smuggling Guns Over the Egypt-Israel Border
3 June 2005
Jerusalem Post (Israel)
In the middle of the night, Israeli troops sneaked over the border fence amid the granite mountains, moving silently so the Egyptian guards would not hear. They somehow quietly lifted a mammoth cement border marker that weighs as much as those ancient stone relics at Stonehenge and moved it westward. Why? As part of the Zionist state's expansionist, underhanded effort to steal more Egyptian land.
This may sound far-fetched and paranoid, but it actually comes from a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Jerusalem Post (Israel)
17378
Israel
Army to Disarm Settlers Before Pullout
11 April 2005
Associated Press
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military plans to disarm residents of four Jewish settlements in the West Bank two weeks before the communities are to be dismantled this summer, officials said Monday, reflecting growing concern that settler resistance in the West Bank will be far more difficult to put down than in the fenced-in Gaza Strip.
Access for Israeli extremists already living in the West Bank to the four tiny northern settlements is relatively easy, and the warning... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
16977
Israel,Egypt
Border Guards Intercept Gun-Runners and 21 Kalashnikovs
2 February 2005
Israel National News
Border Guard and IDF units succeeded in preventing Arab terrorists from smuggling 21 Kalachnikov rifles over the Egypt-Israel border. The interception took place near Har Sagi.
Border guard lookouts spotted four individuals attempting to sneak across the border carrying large sacks.
When the IDF and Border Guard units gave chase with the help of an air force helicopter, the gun-runners abandoned their load and fled.
The sacks were recovered by the soldiers and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Israel National News
16470
Israel
Boy With Toy Gun Shot By Israelis
20 January 2005
BBC News
Israeli soldiers have shot dead a Palestinian boy who was playing with a toy rifle, after apparently mistaking him for a gunman.
Troops patrolling Tubas, a West Bank village near Jenin, fired at the boy, aged 13 or 14, after he aimed the toy weapon at them, witnesses said.
He was with a group of children who were taunting the soldiers.
An Israeli military source confirmed troops had opened fire on a crowd after spotting what appeared to be a gunman.
Palestinian... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
16395
Israel
15-Year-Old Girl Found With Gun at Modi'in School
9 January 2005
Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
A 15-year-old girl was caught at her Modi'in school Sunday with a 9mm pistol in her bag.
Police detained the girl for questioning Sunday.
The weapon is owned by her father. The girl claimed she brought the weapon into school to threaten a boy who harassed her and her friends.
Officers discovered that the boy she wished to threaten would annoy and laugh at her and her friends.
The girl was spotted holding the gun by another schoolgirl, who told one of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
16320
Israel,Côte d'Ivoire
Halt to Ivory Coast Arms Exports
9 November 2004
Jerusalem Post (Israel)
The Director General of the Ministry of Defense has ordered the immediate cessation of arms deals to the Ivory Coast [Côte d'Ivoire].
Amos Yaron issued instructions Tuesday to suspend granting of all export licenses and negotiation for arms contracts with the beleaguered West African state.
"This decision was made in light of the recent developments in this country and at the request of the French government. It will remain in effect until the situation in that... (GunPolicy.org)
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Israel
Armed Guards a Tragedy Waiting to Happen
31 October 2004
Jerusalem Post (Israel)
Whatever the specific background to the incident in which an armed school guard shot to death an air-conditioning technician in Bnei Brak last Thursday, it was a tragedy waiting to happen. And it is not the first of its kind.
The stationing of guards outside public facilities in this country is indispensable. Many guards saved numerous lives by bodily blocking terrorists' entry to where they could commit mass murder. These guards have literally sacrificed themselves... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Jerusalem Post (Israel)
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