Gun Policy News
Firearm violence, gun control and small arms
Brazil,Turkey,China,Pakistan,Central Asia,Russia,Afghanistan
Where Do 20 Million Illegal Guns Come From? Afghanistan, Says Pakistan
17 May 2012
Express Tribune (Pakistan)
KARACHI - There are an estimated 20 million illegal arms in circulation in Pakistan.
This includes serious firepower: law enforcement authorities are increasingly coming under attack from criminals and terrorists armed with heavy weapons such as grenades (including rocket-propelled ones), long-range sniper rifles and machine guns. The volatile situation in Lyari was a case in point, where despite the fact that police were equipped with tank-like armoured personnel... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Express Tribune (Pakistan)
36145
Argentina
More Than 10,000 Firearms Destroyed by Argentina Govt [Espanol]
16 May 2012
United Press International
[Translated summary: In the framework of the National Programme of Voluntary Surrender of Firearms, Argentina Ministry of Justice proceeded to the destruction of 10,745 pieces. ]
BUENOS AIRES - En el marco de Programa Nacional de Entrega Voluntaria de Armas de Fuego, el Ministerio de Justicia procedió, por resolución publicada en el Boletín Oficial, a la destrucción de 10.745 piezas.
La cartera de Justicia, por Resolución 732/2012 publicada hoy en el Boletín... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: United Press International
36139
Venezuela
Debate Over Disarmament Bill in Venezuela [Espanol]
14 May 2012
Prensa Latina (Havana)
[Translated summary: A debate over proposals for public policies, which address the situation of gun violence in Venezuela, was held in Caracas. During the meeting, members of the commission highlighted the importance of including people of varied social and religious sectors in formulating legislation for disarmament, after stating that in Venezuela, 98% of homicides are committed with firearms. The possibility of an amnesty was also mentionned.]
CARACAS - Periodistas... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Prensa Latina (Havana)
36140
Colombia
Is Bogota's Gun Ban Responsible for 31% Decline in Homicides?
11 May 2012
InSight Crime (Bogota)
The city of Bogota has seen a significant reduction in homicides after passing a ban on carrying guns. If the two developments prove to be related, the ban could provide a model to other violence-plagued cities in the region.
On February 1, newly-elected Bogota mayor Gustavo Petro introduced a three-month ban on carrying guns in public, saying that to carry a weapon represented "not a defense mechanism, but a risk." On April 30, Petro declared that the ban had been a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
36122
Colombia,United States,Mexico
Five-seven Semi-Automatic Pistol Arrives on Colombian Black Market
9 May 2012
InSight Crime (Bogota)
The Five-seven semi-automatic pistol, capable of piercing body armor, is already a favored weapon of the Mexican cartels. Now there are signs that this "cop killer" gun has found its way into the Colombian black market.
A spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has described the Five-seven as "the weapon of choice" for Mexico's criminal organizations. The weapon first gained the attention of Mexico law enforcement after it was used... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
36114
Colombia
Restriction on Gun Possession Curbs Street Homicides in Bogota [Espanol]
3 May 2012
Ultima Hora (Colombia)
[Translated Summary: The mayor of Bogotá Gustavo Petro, announced today that homicides in public places in the Colombian capital have diminished by 31% from February to April 2012, compared to those committed during the same period last year. This coincides with a recent measure of restriction regarding the possession of firearms.]
Bogotá, 3 may - Los homicidios en vía pública en la capital colombiana disminuyeron un 31 % en el trimestre febrero-abril de 2012,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Ultima Hora (Colombia)
36102
Colombia
Restriction on Gun Possession Reduces Homicides in Bogota [Espanol]
3 May 2012
Ultima Hora (Colombia)
[Translated Summary: The mayor of Bogotá Gustavo Petro, announced today that homicides in public places in the Colombian capital have diminished by 31% from February to April 2012, compared to those committed during the same period last year. This coincides with a recent measure of restriction regarding the possession of firearms.]
Bogotá, 3 may - Los homicidios en vía pública en la capital colombiana disminuyeron un 31 % en el trimestre febrero-abril de 2012,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Ultima Hora (Colombia)
36100
South America,Asia,Turkey,United Kingdom,Mexico,United States
Proposal to Relax Export Restrictions on Firearms in U.S. Unpopular
2 May 2012
Wall Street Journal
U.S. homeland-security and law-enforcement agencies have objected to
Obama administration proposals to relax export restrictions on
high-powered firearms, threatening a centerpiece of the president's
trade and national-security agenda.
The agencies, in internal memos viewed by The Wall Street Journal,
warn the changes could help arm drug cartels and terrorists and make
it harder for the U.S. to crack down on gun-trafficking.
The arms proposal is part of a broader... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Wall Street Journal
36097
Venezuela
Venezuela Destroys 264,000 Guns in Effort to Curb Gun Crime [Espanol]
25 April 2012
Prensa Latina (Havana)
[Translated Summary: Edwin Rojas, Vice-Minister for Justice and Internal Relations, has confirmed that since 2003, the Venezuelan Government has destroyed 264,607 firearms seized during police operations.]
CARACAS - Desde el 2003 hasta hoy, el gobierno venezolano ha destruido 264 mil 607 armas de fuego decomisadas en operaciones policiales, afirmó Edwin Rojas, viceministro de Relaciones Interiores y Justicia.
El funcionario fue uno de los principales oradores durante... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Prensa Latina (Havana)
36078
Ethiopia,South Africa,Burkina Faso,Sierra Leone,West Africa,Ukraine,Côte d'Ivoire,Eastern Europe,Russia,Central African Republic,Iraq,Afghanistan,United States,Colombia,Angola,Liberia,North Africa,West Asia,Africa
Shadowy 'Merchants of Death' Behind Africa's Illegal Gun-Running
11 April 2012
Think Africa Press (London)
Arms dealer Viktor Bout was sentenced to 25 years by a US federal court last week.
Widely known as the 'merchant of death', the 45-year-old Russian has delivered weapons and arms to a wide range of presidents, insurgents and rebels in Africa and the Middle East including the likes of Charles Taylor in Liberia and Jonas Savimbi in Angola. He was caught in a US sting in which his services were solicited for the supply of weapons to Colombia's FARC rebels.
His companies... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Think Africa Press (London)
36019
West Asia,North Africa,South America,Africa,United States,Russia
Russian Arms Dealer Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison by US Judge
5 April 2012
New York Times / Reuters
NEW YORK - Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer caught in an undercover sting by U.S. agents posing as Colombian guerrillas seeking weapons, was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Thursday by a U.S. judge in New York.
Bout, who was the subject of a book titled "Merchant of Death," asserted his innocence during the sentencing, telling the judge through a Russian interpreter, "I never intended to kill anyone. I never intended to sell arms to anyone. God knows this... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times / Reuters
36000
Colombia
Bogota Mayor Requests that Ban on Gun Carrying Be Extended [Espanol]
5 April 2012
El Universal (Colombia)
[Translated summary: The Mayor of Bogota requested that the restriction on the carrying of firearms be extended until the first of May 2012. This request has been motivated by a 6% homicide reduction in the capital.]
BOGOTÁ - El Secretario de Gobierno (e) de Bogotá, Jorge Rojas Rodríguez, solicitará a la Brigada número 13 del Ejército que se amplíe la medida de restricción de armas de fuego hasta el primero de mayo del 2012.
Esto con motivo de una reducción... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: El Universal (Colombia)
35987
United States,Bolivia
Bolivia Govt Seizes Shotguns, Handgun from US Vehicle
27 March 2012
Huffington Post (USA)
LA PAZ, Bolivia — Bolivia's interior minister says his government has seized three shotguns, a revolver and more than 2,300 rounds of ammunition from a vehicle owned by the U.S. Embassy.
The minister claims the weapons were being transported without authorization and posed a security threat.
But the U.S. Embassy says the weapons confiscated Tuesday were being transferred under an agreement with Bolivia's police. It said in a statement that Washington routinely... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Huffington Post (USA)
35961
Mexico,Australia,Brazil,Nigeria,Canada
Canada Changed Its Arms Policy, Chose UN Delegate to Suit Gun Lobby
21 March 2012
CBC News (Canada)
The office of Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird ordered last-minute changes to Canada's position on an international arms treaty, as well as to its delegation to meetings at United Nations headquarters, CBC News has learned.
According to documents obtained under the Access to Information Act, the minister's office ignored advice from the department and ordered civil servants to invite Steve Torino, president of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association (CSSA), to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: CBC News (Canada)
35940
Venezuela
Caracas, Venezuela: Police Officers Murdered for Their Guns - Report
16 March 2012
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Some 26 Caracas police officers have been murdered so far this year, and analysts warn that they may be being targeted by criminals who want to steal their weapons.
The assassination of Reinaldo Jose Mata Malave outside his home earlier this week brought the number of police officers murdered in greater Caracas in 2012 to 26. According to El Nacional, Mata was killed for his police-issued weapon, a Beretta pistol.
Criminologist Javier Gorriño told El Universal that... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
35925
Jamaica,El Salvador,Honduras,South America,Venezuela
Most Gun Homicide Victims in Venezuela Males 15-24 Years Old [Espanol]
12 March 2012
El Tiempo (Bogotá) / AFP
[Translated summary: 93% of homicide victims recorded in 2011 in Venezuela were males aged between 15 and 24 years. The vast majority died by gunshot.]
CARACAS - Homicidios y secuestros no dan tregua; así lo reveló un estudio divulgado este lunes en Caracas.
De acuerdo con este informe, el año pasado fue el más sangriento en la historia reciente de Venezuela, con la mayor tasa de homicidios y secuestros, a la vez que la violencia en las cárceles se cobró un... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: El Tiempo (Bogotá) / AFP
35904
South America,Venezuela
Venezuela Suspends Gun Imports for a Year
12 March 2012
Latin American Herald Tribune (Venezuela)
CARACAS – Venezuelan authorities have established a moratorium on importing guns for sale to the general public, while banning the marketing of munitions and all other armaments in an attempt to "put order" in that sector and exercise some control over the nation's widespread violence.
The technical secretary of the Presidential Commission for the Control of Arms, Munitions and Disarmament, Pablo Fernandez, said Friday in an interview on state channel VTV that since... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Latin American Herald Tribune (Venezuela)
35902
Ecuador,Paraguay,United States
Ecuadoran Smuggled 46 Boxes of Gun Parts, Minneapolis to Paraguay
5 March 2012
Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St Paul)
An Ecuadoran man who helped smuggle 46 boxes of gun parts from Minneapolis to Paraguay was sentenced Monday in St. Paul to two years in federal prison and faces almost certain deportation upon his release.
Fabian Lojano-Lojano, speaking through an interpreter, apologized for his actions and told U.S. District Judge Richard Kyle that he didn't know what he was doing when he shipped AK-47 gun parts to Paraguay without obtaining a proper license.
"I made the mistake and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St Paul)
35884
Estonia,Dominican Republic,Ecuador,Ukraine,Kyrgyzstan,Moldova,Kazakhstan,Belize,Latvia,Venezuela,Belarus,Lithuania,Bahamas,Bolivia,Azerbaijan,Russia,Antigua & Barbuda,Guyana,South Africa,Jamaica,Honduras,Guatemala,El Salvador,South America,Colombia,Brazil,Central America,Caribbean
1/3 of Femicides Committed With Gun in Latin America and Caribbean [Espanol]
2 March 2012
RT-TV Novosti (Russia)
[Translated summary: Nearly a third of crimes against women are committed with a firearm and in Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras this indicator is 60% - Small Arms Survey.]
El mayor nivel de feminicidios se registra en Latinoamérica y el Caribe. Catorce países latinoamericanos aparecen entre los 25 del mundo con la tasa más elevada de crímenes contra la mujer.
El informe de la organización de investigaciones independientes Small Arms Survey,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RT-TV Novosti (Russia)
35882
Venezuela
Venezuela Implements New, Strong Gun Control Measures [Espanol]
1 March 2012
Prensa Latina (Havana)
[Translated summary: Strong measures implemented in Venezuela for the control, use and trade of firearms and ammunition, as a government strategy to reduce levels of violence in the country. The government suspends the processing of applications for new permits to carry firearms for a period of one year, as well as for import and sale permits and respective ammunition.]
CARACAS - Contundentes medidas se aplican desde hoy en Venezuela para el control, uso y... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Prensa Latina (Havana)
35874
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
South America,North America,Canada,India,Africa,Asia,United States
Guns More Common in America Than in Much of Asia, Africa - LA Times
21 February 2012
Los Angeles Times
Guns are the new bling in India, as Mark Magnier reports for The Times. Rising income, rising crime and memories of terrorism have made Indians more eager to pack a pistol:
Government worker Deep Sidhu sits in his living room feeling the weight of the family's Luger, a German World War II-era pistol, in his hands. Guns are in the blood, he says beneath a painting of a man toting a shotgun.
"This forgiveness-peace idea will only make Pakistanis think we're soft... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Los Angeles Times
35850
Italy,Philippines,United States,Russia,Germany,Czech Republic,China,Botswana,Oceania,Americas,Africa,Asia,Europe,Central Africa,Caribbean,South America,Central America,Zimbabwe,Namibia,Mozambique,Congo (DRC),Angola,Swaziland,South Africa,Southern Africa
High Gun Death Risk for Young African Men, Women at Home - UN Study
19 February 2012
Southern Times (Southern Africa)
WINDHOEK - Young men in Southern Africa are at the greatest risk of cold-blooded murder, while women in the region are more likely than others from around the world to be killed in domestic violence, a UN agency says.
The statistics from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) come as the region battles to contain the proliferation of gun-related crimes.
Experts have said gun-related crime is a major problem in South Africa and Swaziland, and is on the rise in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Southern Times (Southern Africa)
35844
Colombia,Ecuador
Ecuador Gun Seizures Point to Military, Security Industry Leakage
17 February 2012
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Ecuador's military seized 170 firearms in the south of the country, raising the issue once again of the country's importance as a transit nation for small arms moving to Colombia.
The seizure, which included some 7,000 rounds of munition, shotguns, handguns and rifles, came in the southern province of El Oro which borders Peru. No arrests were made.
Ecuadorian authorities carried out the operation just one week after they found a similar, though smaller, cache of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
35839
Mexico,El Salvador,Honduras,Venezuela,Brazil,Colombia
Colombia Capital Tries Trial Ban on Guns in Public
2 February 2012
New York Times / AP
BOGOTA, Colombia — Gustavo Petro was imprisoned as a rebel in the 1980s on a weapons conviction. As Bogota's new mayor, he wants to get firearms off the streets of this city where the conspicuous display of guns has long been the norm.
So he's trying an experimental ban on gun-wielding in public.
The only people authorized to carry weapons during the 90-day trial that began Wednesday are active and retired police and soldiers, bodyguards of diplomats, politicians,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times / AP
35792
Colombia
Bogota Attempts 'One of the Largest Experiments in Gun Control'
1 February 2012
BBC News
What might be one of the largest experiments in gun control ever attempted is currently under way in the Colombian capital, Bogota.
No weapons are allowed on the streets of this city of 7.3 million people from Wednesday until 30 April.
If the ban results in a significant reduction of the homicide rate it might become permanent.
The ban is being introduced by a former guerrilla - the city's Mayor Gustavo Petro.
"People who own guns legally can still keep them at... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
35837
Colombia
Colombia Guerrilla-Turned-Mayor Bans Guns from the Streets of Bogotá
31 January 2012
Guardian (UK)
As a member of the M-19 guerrilla group in the 1980s, Gustavo Petro, who was known as Comandante Aureliano, served 18 months in prison for illegally carrying a firearm. Now mayor of the Colombian capital, Bogotá, Petro is leading an experiment in banning guns from the streets of this city of eight million people, where firearms are part of the backdrop to everyday life.
Bodyguards on high-speed motorbikes whizz through traffic wielding machine guns, security guards at... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Guardian (UK)
35788
Brazil
Brazil: 4.3 Million Guns Sold in 5yrs, 40,000 Gun Deaths in 2009 [Portugues]
27 January 2012
Publica (Brazil)
[Translated summary: domestic manufacturers alone sold 4.3 million guns in Brazil over the past five years. Nearly 40,000 people died in 2009 in episodes involving firearms, including homicides, suicides and accidents, according to latest figures provided by the Ministry of Health. A study by Pablo Dreyfuss, who was a leading expert on the subject, showed that 90% of these deaths are the result of crimes and the risk of dying from injuries caused by firearms in Brazil... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Publica (Brazil)
35796
Brazil
Brazil, the Worlds' 4th Largest Arms Manufacturer and Exporter [Portugues]
27 January 2012
Publica (Brazil)
[Tanslated summary: Brazil, fourth largest exporter in small arms and around 4,5 million arms exported in the past five years.]
De maneira pouco transparente, governo incentiva crescimento da indústria. Ênfase é nas armas leves: Brasil é 4º maior exportador mundial. Levantamento inédito do Exército revela que nos últimos 5 anos, exportamos 4,5 milhões de armas.
Uma pequena lata metálica, arranhada e atirada ao chão, gerou o primeiro vexame diplomático... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Publica (Brazil)
35795
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,Chile,Honduras,Guatemala,United Arab Emirates,Trinidad & Tobago,Jordan,Dominican Republic,Singapore,Kazakhstan,Liberia,Saudi Arabia,Bosnia & Herzegovina,Congo (DRC),Guyana,Mauritius,Latvia,Oman,Nepal,Somalia,Bolivia,Colombia,Venezuela,Peru,Mexico,Qatar,Kuwait,Indonesia,Malaysia,Thailand
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
Venezuela
Import, Sale of Firearms in Venezuela to Be Banned from March [Espanol]
27 January 2012
El Nacional (Caracas)
[Translated summary: Venezuela Minister of Interior and Justice anounced that, from March, the country will ban the import and sale of firearms and ammunition for a year, in accordance with special provisions adopted in December by President Hugo Chavez.]
El ministro de Relaciones Interiores y Justicia, Tareck el Aissami, recordó que a partir de marzo se prohibirá en el país la importación y comercialización de armas de fuego y municiones durante un año, de... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: El Nacional (Caracas)
35770
Greece,Colombia,Sri Lanka,Syria,Chad,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa
The Arms Trade Treaty and Human Rights - Amnesty's Report [Francais]
25 January 2012
Amnesty International
[Translated summary: While international negotiations on the adoption of an International Arms Trade Treaty are at a crucial time, Amnesty International published a report illustrating through the situation in 5 countries (Chad, Syria, Sri Lanka, Colombia, and Greece) the necessity of such an instrument to prevent deadly and irresponsible arms transfers.]
A l'heure où les négociations internationales en vue de l'adoption d'un traité international sur le commerce des... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Amnesty International
35769
Peru
Number of Licences to Carry Firearms Increased by 20% in Peru [Espanol]
20 January 2012
Diario Correo (Peru)
[Translated summary: According to data from the General Directorate for Control of Security Services, Control of Arms, Ammunition and Explosives for Civil Use (DICSCAMEC), the number of licences to carry firearms increased by 20% in 2011. According to the head of this Directorate, this increase could be due to the level of insecurity in Peru.]
Durante el 2011 en la sede de la Dirección General de Control de Servicios de Seguridad, Control de Armas, Munición y... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Diario Correo (Peru)
35753
Brazil,Venezuela
Venezuela Destroyed 138,000 Arms in 2011 [Espanol]
17 January 2012
Venezolana de Televisión (Caracas)
[Translated summary: The director of Venezuela National Police explained that the rate of destruction in 2011 is of 464 weapons per 100,000 people. An important result compared to 90 weapons per 100,000 people in Brazil.]
El director de la PNB explicó que esa cifra nos da una tasa de destrucción de 464 armas por cada 100.000 habitantes, sólo en el 2011 / Resaltó que este que este dato demuestra que en Venezuela "estamos demostrando con hechos que hay una voluntad... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Venezolana de Televisión (Caracas)
35741
Venezuela
Venezuela's 'Record' Homicide Rate Points to Wide Availability of Guns
17 January 2012
InSight Crime (Bogota)
With Venezuela's homicides climbing to dramatic rates, rising by a third in 2011, it seems more urgent than ever to reduce the huge number of firearms circulating among civilians.
According to Venezuela's main police agency, known by its acronym the CICPC, there were 18,850 murders in 2011, a 30 percent increase from the previous year.
Another count by watchdog group the Venezuelan Violence Observatory (OVV), which says it bases its numbers on police reports,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
35738
Colombia
Bogota New Mayor Vows to Ban the Carrying of Guns on the Streets
2 January 2012
CNN
A former leftist guerrilla has started his term as the mayor of Colombia's capital with a pledge to ban carrying weapons on the city's streets.
"More important than prohibiting people from drinking or dancing at night, or stores from opening, is prohibiting the instruments that allow people to kill other people. And of these instruments, in first place are firearms, which the law allows based on norms that I do not share, because we told Colombia in '89 that we put... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: CNN
35702
Venezuela
Venezuela Bans Gun Sales, Stops Issuing Permits to Carry Guns [Espanol]
21 December 2011
Agence France Presse
[Translated summary: Venezuela has banned for one year the sale of firearms to individuals and the issuance of permits to carry firearms as part of a plan to combat violence and insecurity in the country, said the Minister of Interior and Justice, Tarek El Aissami.]
CARACAS — Venezuela prohibirá por un año la venta de armas de fuego a particulares y la entrega de permisos para su porte como parte de un plan para combatir la violencia y la inseguridad en el país,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Agence France Presse
35687
Brazil
FIFA Mulls Brazilian Plans for Gun Scrapping Drive at Soccer World Cup
14 December 2011
Guardian (UK)
RIO DE JANEIRO - Football's governing body, Fifa, is studying plans to hand out free or cut-price World Cup tickets to football fans who surrender guns to the Brazilian government.
Brazil's justice ministry submitted the plans for the 2014 event last month as part of a new disarmament drive in the South American country.
According to reports in the Brazilian media, the government's suggestions also include swapping official footballs and shirts signed by World Cup... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Guardian (UK)
35670
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro Police Caught Selling Seized Firearms to Criminal Gangs
13 December 2011
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Police in Rio de Janeiro arrested 16 people, including 11 military police, accused of selling confiscated firearms to criminal groups.
According to news site R7, the group operated a gun trafficking ring that sold weapons to gangs based in Rio's third-largest favela, Jacarezinho.
This is one of Rio's poorer areas, where crack cocaine use is widespread, and prison gang the Red Command (Comando Vermelho) is active.
Jacarezinho does not yet have a police pacification... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
35671
Brazil
Brazil Govt Recorded More Than 38,000 Gun Deaths in 2010 [Espanol]
12 December 2011
La Nueva (Argentina)
[Translated summary: According to data released by Brazil Ministry of Health, 70.5% of the murders of 2010 involved firearms. If suicides, accidents and gun deaths from undetermined cause are taken into account, firearms were involved in the death of more than 38,000 people.]
El 70,5 % de los asesinatos que se registraron en Brasil en 2010, 35.233 personas, fueron muertos con armas de fuego, según datos difundidos hoy por el Ministerio de Salud.
Si se cuentan los... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: La Nueva (Argentina)
35656
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
Thailand,Colombia,Russia,United States,Uganda,Rwanda,South Africa,United Arab Emirates,Belgium,Sudan,Somalia,Côte d'Ivoire,Liberia,Angola,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,Congo (DRC)
Stopping the Trade in Death, Gun Trafficking, Smuggling - Opinion
6 December 2011
New York Times, Opinion
On a dark November morning in 2004, I woke up in my bungalow overlooking Lake Kivu, tense with anticipation. Our small United Nations team was about to undertake a surprise inspection of three airfields in eastern Congo, notorious for smuggling operations.
With the backing of U.N. peacekeeping forces and a U.N. Security Council mandate, we searched almost every incoming and outgoing aircraft that day. By evening, we had the evidence to link several aviation front... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
35632
Venezuela,Peru,Ecuador,Chile,Bolivia,Paraguay,Brazil,Argentina,Mexico,Colombia,Uruguay,United States,North America,South America,Central America,Caribbean
Latin American Governments Target Gun Runners, Countries Making Guns
28 November 2011
United Press International
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay - Latin America's increasingly ambitious Mercosur regional bloc is aiming to focus on small arms suppliers who are seen as being behind the region's endemic and seemingly insurmountable problem of violent crime.
The area's disparate armed groups, guerrillas with political agenda and drug-related gangs have drawn attention from Mercosur's watchdog committees as senior officials explore ways of containing organized crime, rooting out myriad networks... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: United Press International
35594
South America,Central America,Caribbean,Guatemala
Guatemala Commits to Gun Marking in Cooperation Agreement [Espanol]
28 November 2011
EFE News Agency
[Translated Summary: A cooperation agreement with the Organization of American States (OAS) commits Guatemala to mark firearms in order to help prevent illegal gun trafficking in Latin America and the Caribbean. In the first year of the agreement, the General Directorate for Firearms and Munitions Control (DIGECAM) is required to register about 1,500 guns a month.]
Guatemala - Guatemala publicó hoy un acuerdo de cooperación con la Organización de Estados Americanos... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: EFE News Agency
35593
Guatemala,United States,Mexico,Costa Rica,South America,Caribbean,Central America
Gun Trade Drives Soaring Latin American Homicide Rates, say Experts
24 November 2011
AFP
SAN JOSE — Illegal weapons trafficking has turned Latin America into a region of bloodletting in which over 40 percent of the world's homicides take place, experts warned Wednesday.
"Forty-two percent of homicides with a firearm that happen worldwide take place in Latin America, though only 10 percent of the world's population lives here," said Nobel laureate and former president Oscar Arias, citing UN data, at a conference of experts.
Although weapons such as... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: AFP
35583
South America,Guatemala,El Salvador,Central America,United States,Mexico
Black Market Gun Runners Develop New Central American Routes - Report
21 November 2011
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Because the recent spike in drug-related violence in Mexico has coincided with the 2004 expiration of the U.S. assault weapons ban, and because a significant portion of the weapons used in Mexican crimes have been traced to U.S. vendors, Mexican officials often accuse liberal U.S. gun laws of being a major obstacle to a safer Mexico. Indeed, President Felipe Calderon made precisely this point during a speech to U.S. Congress in 2010.
U.S. officials have not denied that... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
35568
Venezuela
Thousands of Students March in Support of Gun Control in Venezuela
19 November 2011
Latin American Herald Tribune (Venezuela) / EFE
CARACAS – Several thousand students marched Friday in the Venezuelan capital in support of government and legislative gun-control proposals to disarm the civilian population.
Under the slogan "A safe society in favor of peace," Caracas primary schools and high schools joined the activities of the recently founded Experimental University of Security, or Unes, which trains agents for the Bolivarian National Police, another recent creation.
Unes rector Soraya El Achkar... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Latin American Herald Tribune (Venezuela) / EFE
35553
United States,South America,Central America,Caribbean,Trinidad & Tobago
US Gives Marking Machine to Trinidad Police, 300 Guns Marked per Month
17 November 2011
Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday
The Police Service will use a new firearms laser marking machine to mark an average of 300 firearms per month over the course of next year.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar made this statement at a brief ceremony to receive one of those machines at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain yesterday. The machine was donated to the police by the United States (US) government through the Organisation of American States.
Persad-Bissessar said on July 27, Government entered... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday
35552
Guatemala,El Salvador,Mexico,United States,Honduras,South America,Central America,Caribbean
Latin American Leaders Demand International Action on Arms Trafficking
11 November 2011
InSight Crime (Bogota)
The 2011 Ibero-American Summit, held in Asuncion, Paraguay in October, was criticized for its failures, but leaders used the platform to call attention to the global arms trade and demand international cooperation on more effective measures to fight weapons trafficking and organized crime.
At the close of the summit, the member countries issued a separate and special declaration (available in pdf format here) defining public security as a precondition for economic and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
35537
Argentina
Major Campaign of Small Arms Destruction in Argentina [Espanol]
9 November 2011
Missiones Online (Argentina)
[Translated summary: The National Arms Registry (RENAR), under Argentina's Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, held the destruction of 16,354 firearms. Around 17,000 other arms, voluntarily surrendered or from various warehouses, will also be destroyed.]
El próximo sábado se destruirán 9.804 armas que fueron entregadas de manera anónima y voluntaria (Ley 26.261) en las bocas del Renar y en los puestos Móviles Municipales de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, en el... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Missiones Online (Argentina)
35526
North Africa,West Asia,South America,Africa,Thailand,Colombia,United States
Global Gun Runner, 'Merchant of Death' Viktor Bout Swiftly Convicted
2 November 2011
BBC News
A former Soviet military officer has been found guilty in a New York court of attempting to sell heavy weapons to a Colombian rebel group.
Prosecutors said Viktor Bout, 44, who has been dubbed the merchant of death, stood to make millions from supplying weapons to the group.
The defence argued Bout had only wanted to sell two cargo planes.
He was arrested in Bangkok in 2008 after a sting operation in which US informants posed as Colombian rebels.
He remained in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
35497
Brazil
570,000 Firearms Removed from Brazil Streets since 2004 [Espanol]
1 November 2011
Univision (USA) / AFP
[Translated summary: The Brasilian government has recovered 570,000 firearms since 2004. This year, 28,000 firearms were removed from circulation; between 1997 and 2008: 1,8 million firearms were destroyed; at least 8 million guns are still in the hands of civilians, security forces and criminals; firearms are involved in 20,000 to 30,000 murders each year.]
El gobierno brasileño retiró 570.000 armas de fuego de circulación durante las campañas públicas de... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Univision (USA) / AFP
35496
Mexico,Congo (DRC),Sudan,Central African Republic,Sri Lanka,Colombia,Jamaica,Iraq,El Salvador,Central Africa,Caribbean,Central America,South America
Study Finds Again That Crime, Not War is Main Source of Gun Violence
29 October 2011
Associated Press
GENEVA — More people are killed by armed violence resulting from crime than are killed in war, with Latin America and a swath of countries through the middle of Africa among the hardest hit, an international study claimed Thursday.
About 526,000 people die violently every year — or more than 1,400 people every day — according to the 2011 Global Burden of Armed Violence report.
Only about 55,000 of those killed die in warfare, while an estimated 396,000 people... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
35488
Brazil
Churches Support Brazil Gun Buyback, Destroy 27,000 Firearms [Francais]
28 October 2011
La Croix (France)
[Translated summary: The Sou da Paz Institute, a Brazilian non-governmental organisation that campaigns actively for the prevention of violence sought the help of churches and religious communities to support and justify its campaign of voluntary surrender of firearms and ammunition.]
L'institut Sou da Paz, une organisation non-gouvernementale brésilienne qui milite activement pour la prévention de la violence a demandé le concours des Églises et des communautés... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: La Croix (France)
35490
Guatemala,El Salvador,Caribbean,South America,Central America,Mexico,United States
Authorities Discussed California's Role as a Pipeline for Illegal Guns to Mexico
25 October 2011
Southern California Public Radio (USA)
State and local officials were joined by Mexican law enforcement in Los Angeles Tuesday to discuss California's role as a pipeline for illegal weapons to Mexican drug cartels.
Authorities say California actually ranks much lower than other border states in gun trafficking. But the state's highways are often used to transport the weapons.
State Senator Kevin De Leon chairs the Senate Select Committee on Immigration and the Economy. The L.A. Democrat says federal... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Southern California Public Radio (USA)
35462
Venezuela
Venezuela Women Less Involved in Gun Crimes [Espanol]
24 October 2011
El Universal (Caracas)
[Translated summary: A more detailed review of Venezuela National Survey of Victimisation and Perception of Public Safety 2009 allows to affirm that women are consistently less involved in episodes involving firearms, either as victims or as perpetrators. The age group mainly victimised by firearms, for all crimes, is between 45 and 54 years.]
Una revisión más detallada de la Encuesta Nacional de Victimización y Percepción de Seguridad Ciudadana 2009 permite... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: El Universal (Caracas)
35453
Venezuela
Venezuela Deactivated 2,017 Seized Firearms in 2011 [Espanol]
18 October 2011
Prensa Latina (Havana)
[Translated summary: Venezuelan authorities have rendered unfit for use 2,017 seized firearms this year, as part of the National Disarmament Programme promoted by the Government.]
CARACAS - Autoridades venezolanas inutilizaron hoy dos mil 17 armas de fuego confiscadas en este año en el nororiental estado de Anzoátegui, como parte del plan nacional de desarme impulsado por el Gobierno.
El viceministro de Interior, Néstor Reverol, encabezó el acto, el cual comenzó... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Prensa Latina (Havana)
35435
Caribbean,South America,Central America,Trinidad & Tobago
Increase in Trinidad Gun Crimes the Result of Drug-Trafficking, Gangs
11 October 2011
Guardian (Trinidad and Tobago)
National Security Minister Brigadier John Sandy says an increase in gun-related crimes is the result of drug-trafficking and gang violence over the past ten years in T&T. He said because of the country's geographical location T&T faced the direct effects of the illicit drug-trafficking and illegal firearms trades.
"We know full well that firearms remain a major threat to this country. These firearms fuel drug-trafficking and gang violence and other criminal activity."... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Guardian (Trinidad and Tobago)
35394
Southern Africa,Central Africa,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Africa,South America,Central America,Caribbean
Men Most Affected by Homicide, 40-60% Involve Guns, Says UN [Francais]
5 October 2011
Le Parisien (France) / AFP
[Translated summary: According to a new report on homicide from UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime), most of the 468,000 homicides in 2010 took place in Africa and in Latin America. Firearms were involved in 42%. In Central America and the Caribbean, firearms were involved in three quarters of the homicides.]
La plupart des 468.000 homicides commis dans le monde en 2010 ont eu lieu en Afrique et en Amérique latine et concernent surtout des hommes, a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Le Parisien (France) / AFP
35377
Colombia,Venezuela,Guatemala,Mexico,El Salvador,Honduras,South America,Central America,Caribbean
Epidemic of Gun Violence in Latin America - United Nations Data
4 October 2011
UN Dispatch (new York)
As the drug trade — and the organized crime it spawns — spread through Latin America, the region is facing an epidemic of gun violence, according to new U.N. data. Speaking at a conference on the subject in Lima, Peru, Camilo Duplat of the Regional Center for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean announced that some 740,000 Latin Americans are dying annually in gun violence, and 500,000 of those deaths are linked to organized crime.... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: UN Dispatch (new York)
35352
Russia,Peru,Colombia,Greece
Russian Accused of Gun-Running Beats Extradition and Leaves Greece
1 October 2011
RIA Novosti (Russia)
ATHENS - Vladimir Gavrilov, a Russian accused of gun-running to Colombia's FARC rebels in the 1990's has been released from custody in Greece, where he had been detained for a month on an extradition request from Peru, his lawyer Georgy Gurovanidis told RIA Novosti.
Gavrilov returned to Moscow on Saturday morning after his release.
Vladimir Gavrilov had spent a month in detention in Salonika, Greece, after being detained at the end of August on an international arrest... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RIA Novosti (Russia)
35347
Peru,Mexico,Venezuela,Colombia,Central America,El Salvador,Honduras,Caribbean,South America
80 Million Firearms in Latin America and the Caribbean [Espanol]
29 September 2011
Andina (Lima)
[Translated summary: There are 80 million firearms in Latin America and the Caribbean, the majority of them in the hands of civilians. In Honduras and El Salvador, there are respectively 77 and 62 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. Central America has the world's highest homicide rate.]
LIMA - Alrededor de 80 millones de armas de fuego existen en América Latina y el Caribe, la mayor parte en poder de civiles, lo que acrecienta el problema de la violencia en el... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Andina (Lima)
35345
Venezuela,Libya,Russia
Russia Defence Ministry Orders an Update of the Kalashnikov Rifle
28 September 2011
Moscow Times
The Defense Ministry said Tuesday that it has suspended purchases of the legendary Kalashnikov rifle and is expecting the manufacturer, Izhevsk machinery plant, to present it with a new model of the weapon.
Mobilization reserves of Kalashnikov assault rifles, which the Soviet armed forces began using in 1949, are too big, and the ministry is not satisfied with the quality of the current firearms arsenal, General Staff chief Nikolai Makarov said.
The current reserves... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Moscow Times
35334
Venezuela,South America,Colombia,Mexico
Venezuela Tries to Stem Violence and Easy Availability of Guns
22 September 2011
InSightCrime.org (Latin America and Caribbean)
Venezuela is altering its gun policy in an effort to stem the alarming level of street violence, but the entrenched nature of gun possession in the country will prove difficult to remedy in the short term.
On June 6, Venezuelan Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami announced the establishment of a commission which is charged with tightening the regulation of arms in the country. Since its creation, the body has enacted a number of reforms, including banning the possession... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSightCrime.org (Latin America and Caribbean)
35321
Brazil
Half a Million Guns Destroyed This Year in Brazil Gun Buyback [Francais]
17 September 2011
Le Figaro (France)
[Translated summary: The Brazilian Minister of Justice launched the second phase of national disarmament, urging civilians to surrender their guns. The first phase aimed to collect 22,000 firearms.]
Le ministre brésilien de la Justice vient de lancer la deuxième phase d'une campagne incitant les citoyens à se séparer de leurs armes à feu.
Les Brésiliens peuvent l'effectuer de manière anonyme et toucher, selon le type d'arme, entre 100 et 300 reals (de 40 à... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Le Figaro (France)
35317
South America,Venezuela
Of all Murders in Venezuela, 98% Are Committed With Guns [Espanol]
16 September 2011
El Carabobeno (Venezuela)
[Translated summary: In Venezuela, 98% of homicides are committed with firearms. In 2009, the Security and Defence Committee of the National Assembly estimated that between 9 and 15 million firearms - legal and illegal - were in the hands of the population. Only 1,300,000 of these were lawfully possessed, said the report].
En los últimos diez años en el país han fallecido 124.500 personas por violencia homicida, constituyendo la inseguridad la primera preocupación... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: El Carabobeno (Venezuela)
35286
Colombia
Colombia: 1,378 Hand-Made Firearms Seized by Cali Police [Espanol]
13 September 2011
El Paìs (Colombia)
[Translated summary: So far this year, the Cali Metropolitan Police have seized 1,378 hand-made firearms and have caught 1,556 individuals for illegal possession.]
Gracias a actividades de prevención y control adelantadas por unidades adscritas a la Policía Metropolitana de Cali, en inmediaciones de la Carrera 12 con Calle 22A del barrio Obrero, se logró la captura de una persona que portaba un arma de fuego 'encaletada' en un libro.
Las autoridades notaron que,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: El Paìs (Colombia)
35278
Europe,United States,El Salvador,Honduras,Mexico,Venezuela
In Crime-Ridden Venezuela, Even Hospitals Are No Longer Safe
11 September 2011
San Francisco Chronicle / AP
CARACAS, Venezuela - A young man dies of gunshot wounds, and enraged friends and relatives react by shooting up the hospital. A medical student leaving another hospital at the end of her shift is shot to death by a robber. Doctors working late take to sleeping in their workplace rather than risk being mugged.
In crime-ridden Venezuela, even hospitals are no longer safe.
No one was injured in the Aug. 20 shooting rampage at the Domingo Luciani Hospital in Caracas, but... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: San Francisco Chronicle / AP
35262
Peru
Peru: Over 500 Illegal Guns Seized in the Province of Callao [Espanol]
7 September 2011
Andina (Peru)
[Translated summary: The Regional President of Callao announced that around 500 firearms, coming from the black market, were seized this year in Callao. This number represents 25% of the illegal firearms circulating in the province. 65% of the recovered firearms were possessed by youth. The President added that these results are partly due to incentives provided for by Callao Regional Government using cash to reward the police for their efforts.]
LIMA - El presidente... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Andina (Peru)
35256
Europe,North America,South America,United States,Caribbean,Cuba,Jamaica
Jamaica to Sign Anti Drug and Gun Trafficking Pacts with Cuba
6 September 2011
New York Times / AP
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica's top security official announced Tuesday that he will lead a delegation to Cuba this week to sign agreements strengthening cooperation against drug trafficking and other crimes.
Security Minister Dwight Nelson said the pacts are intended to increase intelligence sharing about the "movement of guns and drugs and the groups involved in their movement between the two countries."
Jamaica is the Caribbean's largest source of marijuana for the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times / AP
35251
Peru
New Bill Approved in Peru on Life Sentence for Gun Crimes [Espanol]
5 September 2011
Andina (Peru)
[Translated summary: The Special Committee on Public Safety of Congress approved a bill that proposing penalties, from 20 to 35 years of prison term up to life imprisonment, to those who commit crimes using firearms.]
LIMA - La Comisión Especial de Seguridad Ciudadana del Congreso aprobó hoy un proyecto de ley que propone sancionar con penas de 20 a 35 años de cárcel y hasta cadena perpetua, a quienes cometan delitos con uso de armas de fuego.
La iniciativa,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Andina (Peru)
35245
Colombia,Americas,Brazil
One Death by Gunshot Every 15 Minutes in Brazil [Francais]
3 September 2011
Le Nouvel Observateur (France), Blog
[Translated summary: In less than six months, the Military Police of Imperatriz, Brazil, have collected 84 firearms during random investigations. On Average in Brazil, there is one gun death every 15 minutes]
IMPERATRIZ, Maranhão - Il y a des centaines d'armes à feu en circulation rien que dans la région d'Imperatriz. On vient de saisir une douzaine de pistolets et fusils hier et avant-hier dans les rues. Au Brésil il y a un mort par balle toutes les 15 minutes... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Le Nouvel Observateur (France)
35240
Venezuela
117,145 Firearms Have Been Destroyed in Venezuela in 2011 [Espanol]
1 September 2011
Radio Nacional de Venezuela
[Translated summary: Venezuela is the first Latin American country with special measures for the destruction of firearms seized by public safety agencies. So far in 2011, 117,145 firearms have been destroyed as part of the policies implemented by the national government to ensure peace of the Venezuelan population.]
Venezuela es el primer país de Latinoamérica con medidas especiales para la destrucción de armas de fuego incautadas por los organismos de seguridad... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Radio Nacional de Venezuela
35241
Argentina
Guns Used in 68% of Murders, 30% of Suicides in Argentina [Espanol]
31 August 2011
Los Andes (Argentina)
[Translated summary: Guns were used in 68% of a total of 40,318 homicides and 30.5% of 37,170 suicides in Argentina between 1997 and 2009, according to Asociación para Políticas Públicas (APP). Most of the victims were between 15 and 29 years old.]
Sólo en los últimos cuatro meses murieron 16 chicos por disparos. Alientan los programas de desarme.
"A las armas las carga el diablo" reza un viejo proverbio, casi tan viejo como la pólvora. Es que las consecuencias... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Los Andes (Argentina)
35234
Venezuela
Venezuela Will Design a Destruction Protocol for Seized Arms [Espanol]
18 August 2011
Prensa Latina (Cuba)
[Translated summary: The Public Ministry of Venezuela will design a protocol to destroy seized firearms, following a review of ballistics experts. Recently, the Vice-minister of Judicial Security and Interior Policy announced the coming destruction of 40,200 firearms seized this year.]
CARACAS - El ministerio Público de Venezuela diseñará un protocolo para destruir armas de fuego incautadas, al término de la revisión de expertos en balística, informó hoy el... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Prensa Latina (Cuba)
35210
Peru
Call for Stronger Penalties For Gun Crimes in Peru [Espanol]
18 August 2011
El Comercio (Peru)
[Translated summary: The President of Peru's National Security Council called for stronger penalties regarding crimes committed with firearms.]
Mandatario instaló Consejo Nacional de Seguridad, pidió restablecer orden en penales y anunció creación de un fondo para implementar a la Policía
"Estamos hartos que los delincuentes utilicen el espacio público para robar una billetera, el pueblo está cansado de mucha teoría y pocas acciones", expresó esta mañana... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: El Comercio (Peru)
35209
Argentina
Gun Links 8 Suspects in Argentina Rape, Shooting of French Women
16 August 2011
Washington Post / AP
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentine investigators have DNA and ballistics evidence that implicates some of the eight suspects under arrest in last month's slayings of two French tourists, a court spokesman said Tuesday.
Investigators believe Cassandre Bouvier, 29, and Houria Moumni, 20, were raped and killed July 15 by a group of men who followed the academics from Sorbonne University up a popular hiking trail, the Quebrada de San Lorenzo, outside the provincial... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Post / AP
35202
Colombia,United States,Mexico,Central America,Iraq,El Salvador,Guatemala,Honduras
Honduras Standing As the Epicenter of Central America's Arms Trade
13 August 2011
Honduras Weekly / InSight Crime
A recent report released by the National Commissioner for Human Rights (Conadeh), in Honduras indicates that there are more than 850,000 weapons in circulation in the country. Only 258,000 weapons, however, are officially registered. It is therefore hardly surprising, in a country with hundreds of thousands of illegal weapons, that as many as 80 percent of homicides are firearm related.
Traditionally, Hondurans have taken a rather liberal approach to gun ownership,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Honduras Weekly / InSight Crime
35190
Venezuela
Venezuelans Begin Public Debate on Gun Control and Disarmament Law
12 August 2011
Venezuela Analysis
MERIDA – On Thursday Venezuelans held the first of numerous public debates on the proposed Law of Firearms Control and Disarmament drafted by the country's National Assembly. A legal initiative proposed by the Presidential Commission for Disarmament, the draft law is to be discussed by organized communities nationwide before being modified and passed next year.
"The idea is that this law be the result of a transparent, ample, and profound discussion by Venezuelan... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Venezuela Analysis
35188
Argentina
Argentina Launches Second Phase of Gun Amnesty, Buyback [Espanol]
10 August 2011
Rafaela.com (Argentina)
[Translated summary: The second phase of the National Programme for the Voluntary Surrender of Firearms, launched in 2007, was presented this week in the form of a buyback. According to the Argentinian Minister of Security, the first phase of the amnesty allowed to recover 107,761 firearms and 774,679 ammunition.]
En la primera etapa de este programa, creado en julio de 2007, se recuperaron en todo el país 107.761 armas y 774.679 municiones, de las cuales 10.158... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Rafaela.com (Argentina)
35178
South Africa,Brazil,Argentina,Australia,Mexico,United States,Canada,Africa,Sweden,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas
Canada Gun Lobby Influence on Foreign Policy: Arms Trade Treaty
3 August 2011
Embassy Magazine (Canada), Opinion
Canada has never been a strong supporter of international efforts to negotiate an effective Arms Trade Treaty. But in mid-July, it reversed its previous low-key but constructive role at the United Nations ATT preparatory meetings to become a potential treaty spoiler. All indications point to this change of heart arising from the domestic gun lobby's influence on Canadian foreign policy.
After years of preparation, member states of the United Nations will devote a month... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Embassy Magazine (Canada)
35160
Kyrgyzstan,Czech Republic,Pakistan,Afghanistan,Central Asia,Russia,Uzbekistan,China,Kazakhstan,European Union,United States,Colombia,Iran
Smuggling of Small Arms in Central Asia Is Endemic - British Expert
2 August 2011
Journal of Turkish Weekly (Turkey), Transcript
British intelligence analyst and journalist Richard M. Bennett says the Fergana Valley is extremely vulnerable to the covert smuggling of arms and drugs, despite the official reports of Central Asian governments denying its highlighted status. Mr. Bennett told JTW that Russia has been responsible for an overwhelming amount of illegal arms circulating in ex-Soviet Central Asia. In his view, Russia's military intelligence (GRU) is the mastermind of major trafficking... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Journal of Turkish Weekly (Turkey)
35152
Colombia
Debate Over the New Colombian Bill on Firearm Licences [Espanol]
23 July 2011
El Tiempo (Bogotá), Editorial
[Translated summary: About 381,000 firearms are held by civilians and their expired licences would go back on the streets on behalf of a bill presented by the Congress of Colombia. The idea is to simplify the renewal of permits to carry firearms.]
La iniciativa pretende que se renueven salvoconductos sin pagar intereses.
Unas 381.000 armas de fuego que están en poder de los ciudadanos y que tienen sus salvoconductos vencidos regresarían a las calles por cuenta de un... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: El Tiempo (Bogotá)
35108
Chile
Bill to Restrict Registration and Carrying of Firearms in Chile [Espanol]
21 July 2011
Terra (Chile)
[Translated summary: Deputies, in Santiago, presented a bill that seeks to restrict the registration and the carrying of firearms only to sport professionals and law enforcement and security.]
SANTIAGO.- Los diputados René Alinco (PRO), Fernando Meza (PRSD) y Marcos Espinosa (PRSD) presentaron un proyecto de ley que busca restringir la inscripción y porte de armas solamente a prácticas deportivas profesionales y a las fuerzas de orden y seguridad.
"Nosotros creemos... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Terra (Chile)
35096
Brazil,Venezuela,Guyana
Guyana Police Arrested Venezuelan for Illegal Handgun Possession
20 July 2011
DemeraraWaves (Guyana)
A Venezuelan man was early Wednesday nabbed allegedly with a gun and ammunition in his possession.
Guyana Police Force spokesman, Ivelaw Whittaker said police acted on information about 4 AM and found a .38 revolver and 12 matching rounds.
The arrest took place at Eteringbang Landing. He is assisting police with their investigations, Whittaker added.
Police Commissioner, Henry Greene told Demerara Waves Online News ( www.demwaves.com ) that the man entered Guyana... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: DemeraraWaves (Guyana)
35088
Costa Rica,Panama,El Salvador,Nicaragua,Colombia,Central America,United States,Mexico,Honduras,Guatemala
Most Guns Seized in Guatemala 'Come From Honduras' [Espanol]
19 July 2011
La Prensa (Honduras), Editorial
[Translated summary: Most guns seized in Guatemala come from Honduras, claims Public Ministry. Assault rifles, hand grenades, semi-automatic weapons, large caliber rifles as unconventional Barrett .50 caliber and AK-47, were part of the weaponry confiscated from the Zetas (dug cartel) operating in Central America.]
Fusiles de asalto, armas automáticas y granadas buscan los criminales mexicanos en países centroamericanos para continuar la guerra que libran con la... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: La Prensa (Honduras)
35085
Suriname,Bolivia,Colombia,Brazil,Paraguay,Argentina
Brazil's New Small Arms Smuggling Frontier? The Sea
18 July 2011
Christian Science Monitor, Blog
Brazil has more gun deaths than any other country in the world, and so the phenomenon of arms trafficking is a major concern.
Almost 20 percent of guns seized in the country are foreign produced, while those that cannot legally be sold in the country are legitimately produced in Brazil and then exported, before being smuggled back in, according to a study on arms trafficking by NGO Viva Rio, in collaboration with Brazil's Justice Department.
According to a recent... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Christian Science Monitor
35077
United States,Central America,South America,Jamaica,Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands Police Raises Concern on Gun Crime and Smuggling
18 July 2011
Cayman Compass
More than a dozen North Siders attended the final community meeting on Tuesday, 12 July, hosted by the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service on Grand Cayman before the panel left for the Sister Islands.
One of the most well-attended meetings in the series so far, the audience included North Side MLA Ezzard Miller and former MLA Edna Moyle.
Several issues touched on at previous district meetings - such as truancy and youth development - were discussed, but gun crime,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Cayman Compass
35075
France,Venezuela
Venezuelan Parliament Finally Decides on Strong Gun Control [Francais]
22 June 2011
Libération (France)
[Translated summary: After prolonged debate, Venezuela has agreed on a gun control bill. Firearms are said to be involved in 90% of the country's crimes, and the bill proposes gun amnesties and buybacks to reduce the 9 to 15 million illegal firearms in circulation, and to restore confidence in the Venezuelan Police.]
L'enjeu est tel qu'il a fait taire les différences politiques. L'Assemblée nationale vénézuélienne, théâtre en février d'une violente bagarre... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Libération (France)
34985
South America,South Asia,Central Asia,Eastern Europe,Africa,Egypt,France,Italy,Libya
Libya's Rebels: Where Are the Weapons From?
15 June 2011
The Interpreter - Lowy Institute for International Policy (Australia)
Libya's rebels appear to be armed in a fairly predictable way. The basis of their armoury seems to come from weapons taken from state stockpiles in battle and from defecting Libyan officers. The literature refers to these as 'battle-captures', or euphemistically, 'leakage'. In Libya's case, it's clearly a flood.
Libya was one of the largest purchasers of conventional military equipment in the developing world in the 1970s and 80s. While the USSR was its main supplier,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: The Interpreter - Lowy Institute for International Policy (Australia)
34956
South America,Central America,Caribbean,St Kitts & Nevis
Violence in Latin America and Caribbean "an Unrelenting Epidemic"
8 June 2011
Communications Unit of the Office of the Prime Minister of St Kitts & Nevis, Media release
BASSETERRE, St Kitts -- Violence in Latin America and the Caribbean is now an unrelenting epidemic, which is having a deadly impact on Socio-Economic development.
"As our populations become more youthful, the issues which we must address to keep young people alive, and secure, take on greater urgency. The youth agenda, more critical in its urging, begs to underscore the importance of debating youth issues and integrating them into the development of national and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Communications Unit of the Office of the Prime Minister of St Kitts & Nevis
34906
Venezuela
Rappers Raise Voices Against Violence in Venezuela
17 May 2011
San Francisco Chronicle / AP
CARACAS, Venezuela - As a teenager, Wilmer Espinoza carried two handguns and belonged to a gang of hired killers. For as little as $700, they would stalk and slay people their clients wanted eliminated.
Today, the 30-year-old carries only a worn Bible in his jacket pocket, and he has traded his band of assassins for another group: Christian rappers who preach for peace in some of Latin America's most violent slums.
Espinoza and his rapper friends grew up in a country... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: San Francisco Chronicle / AP
34824
Brazil
Gun Buyback Aims to Collect, Destroy Another Million Guns in Brazil
7 May 2011
Associated Press
The government began a gun buyback campaign on Friday that officials hope will take more than one million guns off the streets by the end of the year.
The campaign started one month after a gunman shot and killed 12 children in a Rio de Janeiro school before killing himself. In similar campaigns in 2003 and 2009, 1.1 million firearms were turned in.
The Justice Ministry says on its Web site that gun owners can turn in their guns and ammunition with no questions... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
34773
Brazil
Brazil Lawmakers Propose New Referendum on Gun Law, Gun Sale Ban
13 April 2011
BBC News
Brazilian lawmakers say they will propose a national vote on whether to ban the sale of guns, after a deadly shooting at a school last week.
The Senate leader said legislators would rush through a bill to allow a referendum to be held this autumn.
A similar proposal in 2005 was rejected by voters and kept gun sales legal.
Brazil observed three days of mourning after the attack on 7 April, in which a gunman shot dead 12 children in a school in Rio de Janeiro.
Brazil... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
34670
Chile
Domestic Arms Race Led by Demand for Guns from Wealthy Chilean Elite
13 April 2011
United Press International
SANTIAGO, Chile - Chile is facing a domestic arms race with the rise in firearms acquisitions by the country's wealthy elite classes, national statical data showed.
The upsurge in large-scale purchases of firearms by high net worth households contrasted with an overall decrease in the number of gun owners from 5.3 percent to 4.9 percent, the National Institute of Statistics said in its seventh National Urban Citizen Security Study.
Crime is a major problem in some of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: United Press International
34669
Brazil
School Shooting Prompts Gun Buyback, Bill to Ban Gun Sales in Brazil
12 April 2011
Associated Press
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Five days after Brazil's most lethal school shooting killed 12 children, Senate leaders decided Tuesday to rush a bill that would let the voters decide whether to forbid gun sales in South America's biggest country.
Senate leader Jose Sarney said at a news conference that legislators would treat the matter with urgency so the issue could be put before Brazilian citizens this fall.
The bill would have to be approved by both the Senate and the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
34665
Brazil
After Brazil Mass Shooting, Demonstrators Demand Tougher Gun Laws
12 April 2011
NTD-TV News (New York), Transcript
A group of protesters gather on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro - three days after 12 children were shot dead at a local school.
They're calling on authorities to increase gun control measures.
As red-stained Brazilian flags blow in the breeze - the activists hold signs with the names of the children who were lined up and shot point-blank.
One demonstrator said security forces need to crack down on the availability of fire arms.
[Antonio Costa, President,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: NTD-TV News (New York)
34663
Brazil
Brazil Renews Its Million-Gun Destruction Push After Rio School Massacre
12 April 2011
Forbes (USA)
Brazil's Ministry of Justice is calling on gun owners to turn in their arms. The government's disarmament campaign is voluntary and began back in 2005, but the justice department opted to start the campaign earlier and promote it more feverishly following the nation's first homicidal school shooting on April 7 in the Realengo neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro.
The disarmament campaign will start May 6 with the objective to take as many guns off the street as possible.... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Forbes (USA)
34660
Brazil
Suspected Vendors of Revolver to Rio Schoolkids' Mass Killer Arrested
10 April 2011
Latin American Herald Tribune (Venezuela)
RIO DE JANEIRO – Rio de Janeiro's Civil Police announced Saturday the arrest of two men accused of selling a revolver to the perpetrator of last Thursday's massacre at a school, in which 12 children were killed and another 12 were wounded.
Charleston Souza de Lucena, 38, and Izaias de Souza, 48, were arrested before dawn Saturday, accused of selling a 32 caliber revolver to Wellington Menezes de Oliveira, the killer who committed suicide when surrounded by... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Latin American Herald Tribune (Venezuela)
34650
Brazil
School Massacre Spotlights Gun Violence, Rising Firearm Sales in Brazil
8 April 2011
Christian Science Monitor
Brazil is no stranger to urban mayhem, with street shootouts splashing the front pages of newspapers each day in the nation that tops the world in deaths by firearms.
But Thursday's massacre of 12 children at school in western Rio de Janeiro has touched a nerve in this hardened nation. As families hold burial services today, Brazil is asking how such violence more associated with the United States became a reality here.
As happened following the 2007 Virginia Tech... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Christian Science Monitor
34644
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