Gun Policy News
Firearm violence, gun control and small arms
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
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
Pakistan
Large Cache of Automatic AK-47, Handguns, Ammo Seized in Pakistan
15 May 2012
Pakistan Today
RAWALPINDI - Police and law enforcement agencies Tuesday have ceased costly weapons, which were being smuggled from lawless area to Punjab and arrested two outlaws.
Police received a tip off that heavy amount of weapons are being smuggled in a van registration number (LES-9070). However police stopped the van near Khamida check post for checking and found 10 Repeater guns, 10 automatic Kalashinkov, 50 pistols, five Revolver and 3500 bullets and arrested two persons.... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Pakistan Today
36136
India
Fake Gun Licence Racket Busted, 15 Security Guards Arrested in India
13 May 2012
Times of India
BHARUCH: At least 15 security guards of various private agencies were arrested for running a fake gun licence racket in Bharuch. Police also seized 17 illegal fire arms and 110 cartridges from the security guards working at ATM centres of various banks.
Due to central intelligence agencies' inputs regarding possible terror attacks, Bharuch police officials from C-division police station were carrying out routine checking at Golden Bridge on Narmada.
While checking two... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Times of India
36124
India
Indian Military Officers Found Guilty of Illegal Gun Sales
8 May 2012
Times of India
JAISALMER: An Army court of inquiry has found 74 officers and one JCO guilty in the illegal sale of arms case in Sriganganagar between 2002 and 2004.
So far, the Army has taken disciplinary action against 33 officers. Similar punitive action has been initiated against the remaining officers, said defence spokesman Col SD Goswami.
Besides, the Standard Operating Procedure on disposal of non-service pattern weapons has been revised to avoid recurrence of such incidents,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Times of India
36112
United States,France,China,Pakistan,Afghanistan,Sweden
Pakistan a 'Very Gun-friendly Society,' 9 in 10 Owners Unlicensed
30 April 2012
Dawn (Karachi)
On January 25 this year, 32-year-old Waqas, a garment factory employee was hit by a bullet in New Karachi and he died. The bullet was not fired from the gun of a target killer, but by friends of a bridegroom amidst late-night wedding celebrations.
Two children aged 10 and 12, died in Sialkot in a similar incident on February 20, when the jubilant brother of a bridegroom unleashed a burst of bullets.
Such accidents, almost an every-day affair in Pakistan, never make it... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Dawn (Karachi)
36091
India
Police Vow to Strip Celebratory Shooters of Licence in Uttar Pradesh, India
25 April 2012
Indian Express
After several incidents of celebratory firings during victory processions of SP leaders and weddings, DGP AC Sharma has issued a circular to book gun licence holders involved in such incidents. The circular also said their licences will be cancelled within a month of the occurrence of such incidents.
The DGP has said that local police station officers will be accountable for such incidents taking place in their areas. The district police chiefs will ensure penal action... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Indian Express
36067
India
Police Armourer Accused of Siphoning Ammo to Indian Militants for 7 Years
23 April 2012
Times of India
DIMAPUR - In a development that will shock the Nagaland police department, a recent raid conducted by 29 Assam Rifles and Dimapur Police has exposed a possible nexus between a police constable and militants. Identified as Enyimi Chakhesang, the constable has allegedly been supplying ammunition from the Police Centre Store, Chumukedima to members of NSCN (IM)
Security forces had information that the militants were stocking ammunition at the Sukhovi area and they raided... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Times of India
36065
India
Indian Dip in Gun Licence Applications Due to Improved Law and Order?
18 April 2012
Telegraph (India)
Firearms are losing their spark in Patna or so it seems from the decline in the number of people seeking arms licences over the past five years.
Till a few years ago, public display of firearms was common on the roads of the state capital. This trend, however, has taken a beating since 2007 (see chart).
A source in the arms magistrate office said: "From 1990 to 2005, the annual number of applications for arms licences was almost 2,000 on an average but after 2006, the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Telegraph (India)
36046
India
Licensed Gun Dealers Faking Gun Licences 'Security Threat' to India
12 April 2012
Nagaland Post (India)
GUWAHATI - Several armed private security guards and criminals of Assam possess firearms bought using fraudulent arms licences procured from Kangpokpi in Manipur and Dimapur in Nagaland.
Sources in the criminal investigation department (CID) of police, which is investigating the matter, said the arms and ammunition procured by using these licences, many of which were fake, had become a threat to public safety and a major concern for security forces.
"If anybody... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Nagaland Post (India)
36027
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
Pakistan
Gun Makers Express Strong Reservations Over New Pakistan Arms Policy
8 April 2012
Express Tribune (Pakistan)
PESHAWAR - Expressing strong reservations over the Small Arms Manufacturing Policy 2011, arms manufacturers say that the sector is small and passing through difficult times and should be given some concessions.
Manufacturers say that fixing a production quota for each factory will prove fatal, so it must be abandoned and fixed only for 'at a time basis'.
In its proposals, the Hunting and Sporting Arms Manufacturers Association Peshawar has argued that they cannot hire... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Express Tribune (Pakistan)
36006
India
Lawyer Kills Police Officer in India - Handgun Licence Obtained in Jail
31 March 2012
Indian Express
A probe has been ordered into how lawyer Saurabh Verma, who shot dead sub-inspector (S-I) Devendra Kumar and injured a constable with his licenced revolver inside Naubasta police outpost on Thursday night, had procured firearms licence.
Verma has several criminal cases pending against him and is learnt to have procured the arms licence while he was in jail in 2004.
Kanpur SP (City) Umesh Kumar Singh told The Indian Express that the lawyer has been jailed thrice in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Indian Express
35981
Pakistan
Police Accused of Fumbling Crime Gun Ballistics in Pakistan
19 March 2012
Tribune (Pakistan)
KARACHI - Every gun leaves a unique mark on the bullets it fires. This is true for every firearm in the world. This fact makes it all the more baffling that there is no centralised database that contains the ballistic signatures – the term for these unique marks – in Pakistan.
Despite repeated calls made by senior police officers for such an integrated system, the requests have fallen on deaf ears.
Take the example of Sindh, in particular Karachi. Despite the fact... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Tribune (Pakistan)
35918
Asia,Laos,Thailand,China,India
Indian Militants Buy $Millions of Guns from China via Thai Broker - Claim
18 March 2012
Telegraph (India)
NEW DELHI - Northeast outfits are employing crafty financial methods to procure arms worth millions of dollars and make them look like legitimate legal buys.
A series of arrests by the National Investigation Agency of militants from various outfits has revealed formulae that take the best financial brains to come up with.
A number of such devices tumbled out of the militants' closets after the NIA arrested NSCN (I-M) leader Anthony Shimray and over 20 United National... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Telegraph (India)
35948
Pakistan
Debate Over Allowing Ex-senators Licences for Banned Firearms in Pakistan
14 March 2012
Dawn (Karachi), Opinion
The interior minister has promised the outgoing members of the Senate quite a few parting gifts. While it is difficult to hold that his fit of generosity meets the test of good sense, it is his offer to allow the ex-senators licences for prohibited bore firearms that will cause widespread alarm.
The desire of parliamentarians to go on enjoying VIP status even after retirement is known. Some years ago, the list of post-retirement privileges demanded for the speaker of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Dawn (Karachi)
35913
Pakistan,Iran,Egypt,Russia,United States,Somalia,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa
A 'Bulletproof' Arms Trade Treaty Could Slow the Global Flow of Guns
8 March 2012
MediaGlobal News (New York)
Every day, according to Amnesty International, thousands of people are killed, injured, raped, and forced to flee from their homes as a result of armed conflict, armed violence, and human rights violations and abuses perpetrated using conventional arms.
As violence continues unchecked around the world, a coalition of humanitarian and health organizations is rallying support for a "bulletproof" global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), to be discussed in July, that would stymie... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: MediaGlobal News (New York)
35894
Timor-Leste,Thailand,Sri Lanka,Myanmar,Indonesia,South Asia,South East Asia,Israel,Iran,Cuba,United States,Japan,China,Brunei,Philippines,Pakistan,India,Asia
UN Urges Asian Nations to Help Curb Global Trade in Illegal Guns
6 March 2012
Jakarta Post
The United Nations is urging all nations in the Asia region to implement concrete solutions to stop illegal trading in small arms and light weapons.
"Over the past decades, trade has made this region grow so phenomenally. If you are a region where international trade is what makes you tick, you better also make sure that you are seen as doing trade in the right way," UN disarmament affairs official Daniel Prins told reporters on the sidelines of opening the Asian... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Jakarta Post
35886
Nepal,Myanmar,Sri Lanka,Bangladesh,Mauritius,Libya,Morocco,Saudi Arabia,Iran,Turkey,Thailand,Indonesia,Malaysia,France,China,United States,Pakistan
Pakistan Has Achieved Self Sufficiency in Small Arms and Ammunition
5 March 2012
Indian Defence Review
After partition, Pakistan did not inherit any military production facilities. In 1951, the Pakistan Ordnance Factory was established at Wah cantonment to produce small arms, ammunition and explosives. After 1965, Pakistan, apart from shifting its overwhelming arms supplies reliance from the US to China and other western countries like France; also began to concentrate on expanding its defence production facilities. In this, it received effusive assistance from... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Indian Defence Review
35895
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
Algeria,India,Iran,North Korea,China,Syria,Russia
Russia Faces a Growing International Outcry over Its Arms Sales to Syria
21 February 2012
Reuters
MOSCOW/BEIRUT - Russia faces a growing international outcry over its arms sales to Syria but shows no sign of bowing to pressure and has even increased deliveries of arms that critics say are helping keep President Bashar al-Assad in power.
The biggest importer of arms to Syria, Russia sold Damascus nearly $1 billion worth of arms including missile systems last year, while shipments of hard-to-track Russian small weapons have risen since the uprising against Assad... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
35852
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
India
Gun Culture Spreads in India: 40 Million Guns Second Only to USA
20 February 2012
Los Angeles Times
CHANDIGARH, India — Vikramjit Singh stands in the parking lot of a posh club in Chandigarh discussing one of his favorite subjects: guns. He owns 10 or so; he can't remember exactly. They may come in handy if the old family feud resurfaces.
In a Hatfield-versus-McCoy saga that haunts the 25-year-old student, his grandfather was shot to death here in the western state of Punjab and his father imprisoned for a retaliatory murder. Although the two clans signed a truce a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Los Angeles Times
35847
India,Bangladesh
400,000 Illegal Guns in Bangladesh, Many from India, Claims NGO
19 February 2012
Financial Express (Bangladesh)
Country's law and order situation might become unstable as cadres of different political groups were learnt to have been buying smuggled small firearms, reports UNB.
Intelligence sources told the news agency Saturday that increasing use of small firearms in different criminal activities, including murder, robbery and extortion, have increased the smuggling of firearms from across the border.
They said syndicates from two sides of the border control such smuggling of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Financial Express (Bangladesh)
35842
Pakistan
Campaign Against Illegal Weapons in Pakistan, 425 Arrested - Police
18 February 2012
Business Recorder (Pakistan) / APP
LAHORE - Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Ahmad Raza Tahir said that police had registered 425 cases and arrested 425 people in a campaign against illegal weapons last month.
The police have recovered three Kalashnikovs, 13 rifles, 28 guns, 347 pistols, 17 revolvers, two carbines, one mauzers, six daggers, 61 magazines and hundreds of bullets.
The CCPO said the crackdown against illegal weapons to rid the city of crime and criminal elements should be intensified. He... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Business Recorder (Pakistan) / APP
35849
Pakistan
Police, Clerk Accused of Issuing 27,000 Fake Pakistan Gun Licences
15 February 2012
Nation (Pakistan)
NANKANA SAHIB - A high-level committee has been constituted to look into the matter of 27,000 fake arms licenses issued allegedly in connivance with a police official and a clerk of the DCO office.
The committee comprises the director anti-corruption, the DCO and DPO of Nankana, Deputy director and circle officer of anticorruption. The committee will investigation how many dacoits and criminals got licenses issued by district government the the police employees.
Mulvi... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Nation (Pakistan)
35840
United States,Pakistan
US Consular Employee Arrested with 17 Pistols at Pakistan Airport
14 February 2012
AAJ News (Pakistan)
US national William Charles was arrested at the Peshawar airport on Tuesday morning. The police found 17 9mm pistols and numerous 9mm bullets in his possession, AajNews reported.
Sources revealed, that the US national was traveling on flight PK218 which was heading to Islamabad from Peshawar when he was detained by the ASF personnel.
William Charles is employed by the American consulate in Peshawar.
According to a local news channel, the Airport Security Force... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: AAJ News (Pakistan)
35829
Nepal
Guns in Nepal: Govt Bodies Clueless on Weapons, Licensing Control
6 February 2012
Kathmandu Post (Nepal)
Several loopholes in tracking the misuse of personal weapons suggest the government has failed to systematise the licencing of arms and ammunition and their monitoring.
Though the number of licensed guns has increased remarkably of late, two responsible authorities—District Administration Offices (DAO) and the Ministry of Home of Affairs—are unaware of the status of thousands of weapons legally owned by individuals.
Once a person receives the licence, the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Kathmandu Post (Nepal)
35809
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
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
India
India Separatists Lay Down Hundreds of Automatic Rifles and other Weapons
24 January 2012
Reuters
GUWAHATI - Hundreds of separatists in India's northeast handed over automatic rifles and other weapons to the home minister and senior paramilitary and army officers on Tuesday, signalling the government remains open to peace talks in the region.
More than a dozen insurgent groups have been fighting the government for decades in Assam and neighbouring states of northeast India, killing thousands in attacks on civilians troops and paramilitary.
The groups blame the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
35762
India
Police Seize 35 Firearms, Bust Fake Gun Licence Racket in South India
10 January 2012
Deccan Chronicle (India)
HYDERABAD - The city Task Force sleuths busted a fake gun licence racket and seized 35 illegal fire arms from security guards working in various agencies. About 11 security guards and the owner of Protection Management Services were arrested on charges of forging gun licenses and using them to procure weapons.
The police commissioner, Mr A.K. Khan, said, "Security agencies are aware of what they are doing. We checked their licences with the issuing authorities and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Deccan Chronicle (India)
35720
India
Gun Tantra in Etah, India: Anyone Worth His Salt Keeps Firearms
6 January 2012
Hindustan Times (Delhi)
From being the birthplace of 12th century poet Amir Khusro to a district where the high crime rate makes virtually anyone worth his salt keep firearms, the descent of Etah into disrepute makes it a symbol of much that's wrong with UP's wild west. Its residents know this ground reality all too well.
That is why the question - what is Etah famous for? - gets seven out of 10 people here to reply 'crime', albeit after a little prodding.
One does not have to go far to see... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Hindustan Times (Delhi)
35709
India
Like Pizza, Home Delivery of Illegal Guns 'Just a Phone Call' Away in Indian City
24 December 2011
Times of India
After pizza and grocery deliveries, it is now time for home delivery of weapons. Anyone who is interested in buying illegal weapons - be it a country-made pistol, rifle or shotgun - can get them with just a phone call.
In Jharkhand, the process is easy. Get in touch with the firearm manufacturer, usually based in Bihar, or one of their representatives in Jharkhand. They provide an account number in which the money can be deposited. Once the amount is deposited, the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Times of India
35689
United States,India
Gun Possession a Status Symbol in India, Firearms a Common Dowry Item
22 December 2011
Star Online ((Malaysia)
Possessing firearms is a status symbol in India's northern rural belt and it isn't unusual to find guns as part of a bride's dowry.
For a country that witnesses a whopping 10 million marriages a year, India boasts a cachet of interesting nuptial traditions as well.
While the big cities are synonymous with the Big Fat Indian Wedding – occasions which showcase opulence, financial clout and the social pecking order of well-to-do families – swathes of the northern... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Star Online ((Malaysia)
35686
India
Police 'Bury Gun Culture,' Seizing Fake Licences from Hyderabad Criminals
14 December 2011
Times of India
Senior police officers say they are only acting on directives issued by higher authorities and are thus busy plugging loopholes to make laws pertaining to possession of firearms watertight. "We have no problems with players possessing firearms. But there have been many instances when nefarious individuals have posed as shooters to obtain licenses and it is only natural that the rules are being tightened to stop this racket," says city police commissioner AK Khan, who is... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Times of India
35660
India
Spurt in Use of Illegal Guns Reported in Vizag, Andhra Pradesh, India
12 December 2011
Times of India
VISAKHAPATNAM - Illegal weapons are finding their way into the city. The firing incident that took place at railway station on Friday evening raised serious questions about the use of guns by criminal gangs. Police sources blamed criminals from other states for the use of illegal fire arms. A person, believed to be a CISF constable was arrested by police on Saturday, in related to Friday's firing incident. They suspect that he and his colleagues were involved in three... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Times of India
35658
Bangladesh,Myanmar,South East Asia,China,India
Indian Insurgents Procuring, Smuggling Arms from China, Southeast Asia
9 December 2011
Times of India
NEW DELHI - Insurgent groups in the northeast are procuring arms in China and some other South East Asian countries before smuggling them into India through Myanmar and Bangladesh, the government has said.
"There are reports that insurgent outfits operating in the northeastern states of India have been procuring arms through smugglers based in the Yunnan province of China, Myanmar and South East Asian countries," minister of state for home Mullappally Ramachandran said... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Times of India
35663
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
Russia,Mozambique,Nigeria,India,Australia,East Africa,Eastern Europe,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa
Global: Unplanned Explosions at Munitions Dumps Increasing - IRIN / SAS
5 December 2011
IRIN (UN News)
JOHANNESBURG - The rate of accidents at munitions storage sites has risen to unprecedented levels in 2011, despite a growing international commitment to assist countries in managing their weapons and ammunition stockpiles.
"During the first ten months of 2011, the average number of explosions has increased to more than three per month - the highest rate recorded in a calendar year," said the Small Arms Survey (SAS), a Geneva-based NGO monitoring small arms and armed... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
35622
Turkey,Pakistan
19,000 Handguns, 3 Million Rounds of Ammo Seized at Pakistani Airport
3 December 2011
International News (Karachi)
PESHAWAR - Two more consignments of arms were seized at the Peshawar Airport during the last couple of days while the Interior Ministry and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Department of Home and Tribal Affairs have launched separate inquiries into the import of tens of thousands foreign-made weapons allegedly through illegal means.
Sources said the officials involved have started approaching different quarters to save their skin following the appearance of reports about the scam in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: International News (Karachi)
35620
Central Asia,United States,Afghanistan,India
US Gets India to Train 30,000 Afghan Soldiers, Give Them Assault Rifles
3 December 2011
National (Abu Dhabi)
NEW DELHI - India plans to fly 20,000 to 30,000 Afghan troops to training bases in India over the next three years and is expanding its presence in Afghanistan as US troops leave.
The US is reportedly eager for more countries to take on part of the US$12 billion (Dh44bn) training bill for the Afghan security forces, and is also running out of time, having set 2014 as the deadline for transferring combat duties to local troops.
With the Afghan government unwilling to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: National (Abu Dhabi)
35615
Cambodia,Thailand,India,Myanmar,Bangladesh
Menace of Illicit Small Arms Industry, Trade, Violence in India - Opinion
28 November 2011
Express Buzz (India), Opinion
According to a recent study, India witnessed 4,100 gunshot murders in 2008. These murders would work out to 12.2 per cent of the over 33,700 murders reported during the year. Overall, there were over 6,200 deaths due to gunshots; about 66 per cent of them were murders, 26.3 per cent were accidental deaths and 7.7 per cent were suicides. It was also reported that most of the victims of firearm murders in India were killed using unlicensed firearms.
Studies conducted... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Express Buzz (India)
35629
Iraq,Afghanistan,United States
Conspiracists Chatter as Secretive US Company Buys Up Gun, Ammo Makers
26 November 2011
New York Times
SCARBOROUGH, Me. - Lined up in a gun rack beneath mounted deer heads is a Bushmaster Carbon 15, a matte-black semiautomatic rifle that looks as if it belongs to a SWAT team. On another rack rests a Teflon-coated Prairie Panther from DPMS Firearms, a supplier to the United States Border Patrol and security agencies in Iraq. On a third is a Remington 750 Woodsmaster, a popular hunting rifle.
The variety of rifles and shotguns on sale here at Cabela's, the national... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
35581
India
India Police Unearth Illegal Factory of Country-Made Guns
21 November 2011
Times of India
HAZARIBAG - Barhi Police arrested a former activist of the Jharkhand Prasstuti Committee (JPC), who had opened an illegal factory to manufacture country-made revolvers and firearms, from his hideout at Kariyatpur on Monday.
Sagarjee alias Samunder Bhuiyan had started manufacturing arms to collect money from various development schemes in the district, said SP Pankaj Kamboj.
Bhuiyan, who originally belonged to Bendi village in Katkumsandi of Hazaribag, was an activist... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Times of India
35562
Pakistan
Guns Used in 80% of Violence Against Pakistani Women, Claims NGO Survey
18 November 2011
International News (Karachi)
Raising serious questions regarding the free availability of small arms in the country, a survey conducted by a local civil society organisation says that in almost 80% cases of violence against women the perpetrators use small arms to torture or kill the victims.
The findings were shared by a representative of a national NGO Awaz Foundation at a two-day multilateral consultative workshop titled 'Towards Pakistan's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Report 2012,'... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: International News (Karachi)
35558
India
Bihar, India Police to Melt 60,000 Illegal Guns, Convert to Farm Tools
18 November 2011
New Delhi Television (India)
MUZAFFARPUR - Blacksmith Sunil Thakur had never felt as important in his life as he did on Nov. 4, when the district police chief, an executive magistrate and a posse of junior officials visited his makeshift roadside furnace.
They handed him six country-made pistols, known as kattas, and asked him to transform them into farm and gardening tools. As a crowd assembled, the blacksmith heated the guns, and then hammered the red-hot metal for nearly an hour, shaping them... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New Delhi Television (India)
35557
Germany,China,United States,India
Increasing Availability and Seizures of Illicit Guns in Pune, India
17 November 2011
Express India
PUNE - Failure in identifying and cracking down on criminals involved in manufacturing and selling of illegal firearms is the major reason behind unchecked illegal trade of firearms in the city, police said. And investigation of some of the cases revealed that the quality of illegal firearms has improved, availability has increased while cost has gone down, police said.
According to the figures obtained by The Indian Express under the Right to Information Act (RTI)... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Express India
35548
India
In Dholpur, Indian Families Regard a Licensed Gun as Essential Dowry
15 November 2011
Times of India
JAIPUR, ALWAR - Those living in the ravines of Dholpur love two things the most - their moustaches and arms. Grown up amidst the fear of bandits, people residing in this region say that keeping various arms at home was a 'compulsion' earlier but gradually it has become a 'status symbol' for them. Moving ahead, some of them have no hesitation in gifting arms varying from rifles to pistols to their would be sons-in-law. And that too with a valid licence.
Though the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Times of India
35606
India
From Arms to Farms - Indian State Plans to Melt Guns Into Garden Tools
9 November 2011
BBC News
PATNA, Bihar - Police in the northern Indian state of Bihar have come up with an original way to deal with the surfeit of seized illegal firearms that are stored in police station storehouses, or malkhanas.
They have decided to melt the weapons down into farming and gardening tools.
"The weapons stashed in police station malkhanas are of no use once the legal process of the case is over. They stink like dead bodies," says Abhyanand, the Bihar police chief who has... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
35520
Pakistan
Government Builds Industrial Estate for Illegal Gun Makers in Pakistan
7 November 2011
Central Asia Online (USA)
PESHAWAR – An industrial park will be established in Dara Adamkhel to help transform the illicit arms-manufacturing businesses of tribesmen into legal entities capable of earning export revenue.
The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) Development Authority recently approved Rs. 196m (US $2.3m) for setting up the industrial business park, Zarar Imtenan of the Pakistan Hunting & Sporting Arms Development Company (PHSADC) said.
"The PHSADC in a meeting with... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Central Asia Online (USA)
35515
India,Afghanistan,Iraq,Sierra Leone,South Africa,Saudi Arabia,United States,United Kingdom,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa
'The Shadow World', an Incisive Exposé of the ArmsTrade - Book Review
1 November 2011
Telegraph (UK), Book review
If there is one book unlikely to appear on the Christmas reading lists of the former defence secretary Liam Fox and his self-professed adviser Adam Werritty, one suspects that this is it. The sorry case of Dr Fox and the mystery chum-cum-lobbyist amplifies what critics of the defence procurement industry – Feinstein prefers the racier "global arms trade" – have long argued. To put it mildly, and in a nutshell, it is not known for its transparency. Nor, for that... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Telegraph (UK)
35511
Mexico,Congo (DRC),Sudan,Central African Republic,Sri Lanka,Colombia,Jamaica,Iraq,El Salvador,Central Africa,Caribbean,Central America,South America
Study Finds Again That Crime, Not War is Main Source of Gun Violence
29 October 2011
Associated Press
GENEVA — More people are killed by armed violence resulting from crime than are killed in war, with Latin America and a swath of countries through the middle of Africa among the hardest hit, an international study claimed Thursday.
About 526,000 people die violently every year — or more than 1,400 people every day — according to the 2011 Global Burden of Armed Violence report.
Only about 55,000 of those killed die in warfare, while an estimated 396,000 people... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
35488
Nepal
Industry, Transfer, Sales of Small Arms Banned in Nepal
27 October 2011
Review Nepal, Media release
KATHMANDU - The Home Ministry has approved the work plan on small arms control.
As per the work plan, the production, transportation and sales and distribution of the small arms will be banned.
The Home Ministry added that all small arms will be brought under the government control and the crimes triggered with small arms curbed.
Joint Spokesperson of the Home Ministry, Ekmani Nepal said the security bodies have been directed to implement the government's October 14,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Review Nepal
35477
India,Spain,United Kingdom,Italy,Germany,France,Czech Republic,Bulgaria,Belgium,Austria,Yemen,Syria,Libya,Egypt,Bahrain,West Asia,North Africa,Europe,Russia,United States
Major Arms Exporters Accused of Mideast Gun Sales Before Human Rights
24 October 2011
al Jazeera
According to an Amnesty International report, the US, Russia and a number of European countries supplied large quantities of weapons to repressive governments in the Middle East and North Africa before this year's uprisings.
The report says that these arms deals were signed despite evidence of a substantial risk that they could be used to commit serious human rights violations.
The human rights group reports that in the five years preceding the Arab spring $2.4bn... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: al Jazeera
35448
Afghanistan,Iraq,Canada
Canadian Groups Want Some Guns Banned Before Registry Is Scrapped
23 October 2011
Vancouver Sun (British Columbia)
After finishing a rotation through Afghanistan with the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, 22-year-old Dan Styles is back in Canada, safe and sound with his young family.
When he's not caring for his one-year-old baby daughter, Styles now spends a lot of his personal time at the shooting range near his home at CFB Petawawa, in eastern Ontario. There, he hones the skills he relied on in the field.
"It's practice, practice, practice," he says. "The better you get at it,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Vancouver Sun (British Columbia)
35447
Pakistan
Spread of Armed Violence in Pakistan Truly Alarming: 'Too Many Guns'
18 October 2011
Tribune (Pakistan), Editorial
The rate at which violence is spreading in our society is truly alarming. On the afternoon of October 17, hundreds witnessed an incident on Lahore's busy Jail Road, on the pedestrian bridge located outside the city's prestigious Kinnaird College, where a young man pumped five bullets into a second year student from the institute and then shot himself dead. The killer, Shams Alam, was 23; the victim, Samar Wasti was 19. Two young lives have ended tragically, leaving many... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Tribune (Pakistan)
35439
Afghanistan,Australia
Australia Govt Approves $8 Million for Thales to Design New Army Rifle
14 October 2011
Canberra Times (Australia)
The Government has approved $8million for Thales to develop a prototype for a better rifle for the Army.
Defence Materiel Minister Jason Clare said the work would be carried out at Lithgow's Soldier Systems Centre - once known as the Lithgow Small Arms Factory.
The prototype would have better balance, weigh less and include an integrated grenade launcher.
It would retain the Austeyr's most controversial characteristic, its 5.56mm (.223 inch) calibre. The smaller... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Canberra Times (Australia)
35419
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka President to Disarm Private Guards of Politicians
13 October 2011
Lanka Business Online (Pita Kotte)
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa said firearms kept by private 'guards' of politicians will be recovered in a special operation starting Thursday, in the wake of a deadly clash among rival factions of his party.
"A special operation aimed at disarming them has been launched from today by the police and the special task force assisted by the military," President Rajapaksa told a meeting of media chiefs.
Analysts said politicians of various colours had got into... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Lanka Business Online (Pita Kotte)
35404
India
After Accidental Handgun Shooting, India Police Need Training on Gun Use
6 October 2011
Daily News & Analysis (India)
The accidental firing from the service pistol of a traffic constable at the police commissionerate has brought to the fore the rather "amateurish" manner in which a section of the police force handles firearms.
On Tuesday afternoon, constable Vijay Bhusare (27) attached to the Pune police traffic branch was injured when a bullet hit him when his colleague, Amol Sarde, was displaying his pistol and explaining its functioning.
"Sarde initially loaded the pistol with... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Daily News & Analysis (India)
35378
India,Russia,Germany,United States
India's Unlicensed Gun Market Thrives on Smuggled, Home Made Firearms
5 October 2011
First Post (Mumbai)
A 10-year-old boy was accidentally shot dead by his 12-year-old neighbour while they were playing cop and thief in West Delhi earlier this week. On 24 September, 23-year-old toll attendant, Umeshkant Pandey, was shot dead by the driver of a white Bolero. His crime: he asked the driver to pay Rs 27 as toll tax.
Gun crime has consistently been on the rise in India, and every few weeks, there is a new tragedy. An armed gang shoots a woman over a small piece of jewellery,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: First Post (Mumbai)
35375
Pakistan
Guns Easily Available and Increasingly Used Against Women in Pakistan
30 September 2011
Inter Press Service News Agency
PESHAWAR - Guns available in new abundance in the troubled north of Pakistan are increasingly being used on women in 'honour' killings and domestic disputes, according to local reports.
"About 65 percent of the women killed fall prey to gunfire in honour-related cases and issues relating to domestic violence," local security analyst Brigadier (retired) Muhammad Saad told IPS.
Citing a study by the local Awaz Foundation, he said the problem has been caused by easy... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Inter Press Service News Agency
35342
India
Illegal Mining, Gun Ownership Hit Simultaneous High in Indian Province
26 September 2011
Indian Express
BANGALORE - In the iron ore mining district of Bellary, guns have grown alongside illegal mining. The district authorities issued the maximum number of gun licences in the year that illegal mining hit an all-time high.
A number of the licences were to members of what has now been described as an organised illegal mining syndicate from Bellary with its pivotal figure being former district-in-charge minister G Janardhan Reddy, arrested by the CBI as part of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Indian Express
35324
India
Shootings Highlight Disturbing Trend: Easy Availability of Guns in India
25 September 2011
India Today, Editorial
The wanton murder of Umeshkant Pandey, an attendant at the Gurgaon toll plaza, on Thursday has once again highlighted the rising gun culture in the national capital. Pandey, 22, was shot by a man for merely asking for the Rs 27 toll fee.
His killing is akin to that of Delhi University student Radhika Tanwar - who was shot dead in March this year by a man who claimed to have been a jilted lover, but was probably a mere stalker.
These cases highlight certain disturbing... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: India Today
35323
India
85% of India's 40 Million Private Guns are Illegal - Small Arms Survey
21 September 2011
Indian Express
NEW DELHI - India has seen a drastic reduction in deaths due to firearms crimes but Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh remain the most dangerous states and account for more than 60 per cent of all deaths recorded that were related to small arms, a new survey has suggested.
A report by the Small Arms Survey, a research group based out of Geneva, has recorded crime statistics in India over a 10-year period from 1999 and says that the number of suicides, murders and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Indian Express
35313
India
Easy Availability of Illegal Guns in India, Guns Behind 12% of Murders
21 September 2011
Tribune (India)
NEW DELHI - The easy availability of illegal firearms made Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand witness to two-thirds of all murders committed using firearms in 2008, the latest year for which the related data is available.
India, as a whole, witnessed 4,101 gunshot murders during the period. These accounted for 12.2 per cent of the 33,727 murders reported during the year. Overall, the country lost 6,219 persons to gunshots - 66 pc of them were murdered, 26.3 pc killed... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Tribune (India)
35311
India,Nepal,South Africa
Nepal: Impact of Small Arms on Gender
20 September 2011
Telegraph (Nepal), Opinion
1. Facts:
Small arms:
Small Arms mean the weapons that a single and individual can carry and operate. For example revolvers, self loading pistols, rifles, carbines, assault rifles, sub machineguns, light machineguns and associated ammunitions.[1]
Light weapons means that can be operate two or three people. They may include heavy machine gun, hand–held under barrel and mounted grenade launcher, portable anti-aircraft and missile launcher, explosives, anti personal... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Telegraph (Nepal)
35304
India
India: Cartridge Shortage in Open Market for Handgun Licence Holders
20 September 2011
Times of India
VARANASI - For arms licence holders, their revolvers and pistols are proving to be mere show pieces as there is a crisis of cartridges in the open market.
The craze for small firearms like revolvers and pistols has increased in a decade or two. According to the arms section of district magistrate office, there are 14,851 arms licence holders in the district while around 3,300 people are in queue for fresh arms licences. Among the total arms licence holders, about 30%... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Times of India
35298
Pakistan
Computerisation of Firearm Licences in Pakistan: a Right Initiative
18 September 2011
Associated Press of Pakistan
ISLAMABAD - Proliferation of small arms are known to have played a pivotal role in fueling insurgency, terrorism as well as formation of urban gangs and at the same time undermined development initiatives or other moves to bring about peace in the country.Successive regimes kept adopting numerous measures to stop the relentless spread of firearms in society and also launched campaigns in their tenures, but all this went in vain.Today as the already fragile law and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press of Pakistan
35291
Nepal,India
Small Arms Trafficking on Nepal-India Border Poses Security Threat
15 September 2011
Himalayan Times (Kathmandu)
DHANGADHI - Illegal transaction in small weapons has been on the rise on the Nepal-India border in the far west region for some time.
Police seized four small weapons in a month. A police patrol seized two American made automatic pistols and a revolver from Chaukidanda area Malakheti-3 on September 11.
According to police, the pistols were seized from six youths who were on two motorcycles, but they failed to nab the youths who fled. SP Bashanta Panta, District... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Himalayan Times (Kathmandu)
35285
India,Nepal
Police Launch Crackdown on Gun Smuggling from India to Nepal
12 September 2011
República (Kathmandu)
NEPALGUNJ - Banke police have launched a crackdown on smuggling of weapons into Nepal from India.
A day after seizing two revolvers and two home-made pistols, Banke police on Friday seized two more home-made pistols. Police have seized 12 weapons of various types in the last two months alone.
"As Dashain festival approaches, criminals are smuggling small arms from India to extort businessmen," said SP Dinesh Amatya of Banke police. "Therefore, we have launched a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: República (Kathmandu)
35261
India
Indian Man Mortgages Land for Gun Licence, Extra Pay as Security Guard
3 September 2011
Hindustan Times (Delhi)
To get hired as a security guard, an arms licence is a necessary qualification. In fact, it is such a prized item that security guard Vishram Singh, 23, had mortgaged his ancestral land in Uttar Pradesh to get his hands on one before setting out for Delhi in 2008, his family said.
"Though our clients come from varied backgrounds, a very large number of them are those who want employment as security guards," said a senior police officer from the licensing branch of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Hindustan Times (Delhi)
35236
Nepal
Gun Homicide, Crime Rise in Nepal as Himalayan Armed Violence Spreads
26 August 2011
Himalayan Times (Kathmandu)
GAUR: Police informed on Friday that criminal gangs have murdered six people using small weapons in Rautahat district in the past one year, cautioning that the use of small arms is on the rise.
Police said they have impounded 37 kinds of guns, four bombs and 650 grammes explosives during the same period and arrested 33 people for the possession and use of weapons.
According to Rautahat District Police Office, the use of small weapons is on the rise because such... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Himalayan Times (Kathmandu)
35220
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
United States,Norway,United Kingdom,Africa,Afghanistan,Mexico
Gun Trade Inevitably Leads to the Sort of Atrocity Inflicted on Norway
31 July 2011
Independent (UK), Opinion
In discussion of the atrocity in Norway last week, there is one subject which has been notable by the almost total silence about it: guns. In response to recurring massacres in American high schools and British villages, in response to footage from Africa and Afghanistan showing ragged, untrained young men brandishing automatic small arms, in response to a man coolly murdering dozens of youngsters in an hour-and-a-half, funfair-like shooting spree on a Norwegian island,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Independent (UK)
35146
Sri Lanka,Sudan,Malawi,Zambia,Mozambique,Macedonia,Liberia,Sierra Leone,West Africa,Africa,South Africa
Africa: Analysis: How Best to Remove Guns from Post-conflict Zones?
28 July 2011
IRIN (UN News)
JOHANNESBURG - Cash for guns or buy-back programmes in post-conflict states have fallen out of favour as a method of ridding a society of weapons, and have been replaced by often elaborate schemes designed to remove money from the equation, but the debate continues as to the best way forward.
The disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) community has grappled for years with buy-back practices and acknowledges they can have a profound effect on the nature of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
35133
Pakistan,South Asia,China,United States,United Kingdom,Germany,France,India,Nepal
Global Gun Trade Treaty the Only Way to Control 'Arms Bazaar'
25 July 2011
República (Kathmandu), Opinion
In 2009, I recall visiting a militant camp in India's North East a day before they would surrender. The deputy commander who was in charge and allegedly responsible for the death of at least 200 people brandished his M16 assault rifle and flaunted his bodyguard who was following him with a rocket launcher. He was calm but shifty-eyed and admitted having a personal saving of a few billion INR in his account. Barely 24 hours after his formal surrender, he was in seen in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: República (Kathmandu)
35116
India,Nepal
14-yr Old Nepal Girl Arrested for Illegal Handgun Possession in India
22 July 2011
Deccan Herald (Kathmandu)
Ninth-grader Sadhana Limbu was expecting to return to her school in Nepal's tea garden district of Jhapa next week after spending a brief vacation with her family in Kathmandu.
Instead, the 14-year-old girl is now in police custody in the capital, facing interrogation and a tough ordeal that could include imprisonment.
She was caught by Nepal's airport authorities Thursday while trying to board a domestic flight from Kathmandu to Jhapa.
Among the books and clothes in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Deccan Herald (Kathmandu)
35095
India
Chennai: One of the Most Stringent Gun Licence Procedures in India
12 July 2011
Times of India
CHENNAI -- When it comes to issuing gun licences, you could say Tamil Nadu has the most stringent procedures compared to others in the country.
Applicants have to go through levels of scrutiny, right from the police stations to the government ordnance factories to the commissioner of police, proving every step of the way that they have no criminal or civil cases against them before they finally get their hands on a gun.
"There are inquiries at every level. Around... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Times of India
35047
India
Licensed Indian Gun Owner Shot, Killed 13yr-old Boy for Stealing Apples
11 July 2011
Indian Express
CHENNAI -- The mystery behind the shocking murder of a child who strayed into an Army residential compound was solved after a week of investigation, with the Crime Branch sleuths arresting a retired lieutenant colonel for shooting the boy dead.
Kandasamy Ramraj, a former assistant engineer in the Small Arms wing of the Electrical and Mechanical Department, has confessed to the crime, and the US-made rifle that was used for the murder was recovered from the bottom of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Indian Express
35038
Pakistan
Karachi a City of Death: Urgent Need to Recover a Million Illegal Guns
8 July 2011
International News (Karachi), Editorial
Violent death, with its shroud of red, once more walks along the streets of Karachi and besides the 15 million people who live there. More than 90 have died within four days — 13 in attacks on three buses. The gunmen who freely roam the streets shoot indiscriminately, though there is, as before, an ethnic dimension to the killings. Political parties have been accused of fuelling these tensions, using murder and terror as a tactic in the ruthless game played out in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: International News (Karachi)
35035
Western Europe,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,United States,China,India,Guatemala
Private Security Guards Now Outnumber Police Worldwide - New Survey
6 July 2011
Sunday Times (UK) / AFP
GENEVA - Private security companies employ up to 25.5 million people across the world, exceeding the number of police officers, and hold up to 3.7 million firearms, a survey said Wednesday.
"The global trend towards downsizing government, including public security institutions, has contributed to the growth of the private security sector," said the Geneva Graduate Institute's small arms survey.
"In prisons, at airports, along borders and on the street, security... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Sunday Times (UK) / AFP
35024
European Union,Bulgaria,Russia,West Africa,Pakistan,France,Australia,United Kingdom,Canada,Germany,Italy,United States,Haiti,Côte d'Ivoire,Madagascar
Study Finds Small Arms Have Serious Impact on Fragile States
6 July 2011
Voice of America
A new study finds the global authorized trade in small arms, light weapons, and their ammunition is worth nearly $7.1 billion a year. In its annual report, the independent think tank, the Geneva Forum, also examines the serious impact small arms proliferation is having upon three so-called fragile states-Madagascar, Ivory Coast and Haiti.
Arms exporters
The survey finds in 2008, the United States, Italy and Germany topped the list of 14 top exporters of small arms... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Voice of America
35022
United Kingdom,United States,Europe,India,China,Russia,Libya,France
France Air-dropped Guns to Libyan Civilians: In Breach of Arms Embargo?
30 June 2011
Le Point (France) / Reuters
[Translated summary: France acknowledged that it airlifted small arms to Libyan civilians fighting Moammar Gadhafi's forces in a besieged mountain region south of Tripoli. Critics say that this is against the UN arms embargo].
NEW YORK, PARIS - La France a défendu sa décision de parachuter des armes aux insurgés libyens, une opération à laquelle l'Otan n'a pas été associée et qui suscite jeudi une controverse, les Nations unies ayant imposé en février un... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Le Point (France) / Reuters
35000
United States,India
Indian Businessman Arrested for Smuggling Gun Parts from United States
30 June 2011
Times of India
MUMBAI - The crime intelligence unit (CIU) arrested a wholesale supplier of health and protein drinks, Sanjay Chaudhry, from the Mumbai airport for smuggling spare gun parts from the US.
Sleuths screened his baggage and found several gun parts like springs, triggers, hammers and magazines.
The cops have also arrested one Shivananda Shetty, who bought gun parts from Chaudhry and sold them to dealers in the grey market.
Chaudhry came under the crime branch's scanner... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Times of India
34999
India
Madras High Court Rules Indian Citizens Have Right to Possess Firearms
29 June 2011
Daily News & Analysis (India)
The Madras high court bench here has ruled that citizens could possess weapons and revenue and police officials could not deny them arms licence by citing law and order problem.
Allowing a petition filed by an S Rajkapur, an agriculturist, who was denied a licence by the commissioner for revenue administration as well as Theni district revenue officer in 2004 and 2005 to possess a double barrel gun, Justice D Hariparandhaman said that unless the applicants' antecedents... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Daily News & Analysis (India)
34992
Oceania,Africa,Pakistan,Americas,Europe,Asia
Need to 'Disarm Society to Make it More Secure and Strengthen Pakistan'
22 June 2011
Observer (Pakistan)
ISLAMABAD — "It is not the weapon but the sophistication of weapon which threatens the human beings and makes the militant stronger" commented Brig (R) Muhammad Saad at a seminar on 'Proliferation of Small Arms and their Impact on Internal Security Dynamics' held in Islamabad on Friday.
The speakers called for strict check on proliferation of small arms and prohibition of gun violence by restricting use of arms. Irfan Mufti of SAP-Pakistan suggested that "we should... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Observer (Pakistan)
34973
Africa,Pakistan,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas
Small Arms Cause 60-90 Per Cent Deaths Each Year in Pakistan
19 June 2011
Nation (Pakistan)
ISLAMABAD - Small arms are the reason for 60 to 90 per cent deaths due to direct conflicts that occur each year.
Approximately 90,000 people were killed every year while 1.5 million people were injured every year. Ismat Ullah Khan, Project Officer of SPADO, an NGO, supporting implementation of UN programme of action and de-weaponisation, said this during a press conference here on Saturday.
He said there is trade of small arms worth $ 10 billion in black market per... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Nation (Pakistan)
34971
India
India: Gun Survivors Predict Manipur Could Soon Be Land of Widows
18 June 2011
Morung Express (India)
IMPHAL -- "Manipur will be called a land of widows if armed conflict is not stopped", said founder and secretary general of Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network (MWGSN) Binalaksmi Nepram at the fifth day of the week long Global Week of Action on Gun Violence Friday.
Over 20,000 people have been killed in the last five decades in Manipur due to arm related conflicts, she said and pointed out that according to official statistics, in 2008 alone more than 400 people have... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Morung Express (India)
34965
Germany,China,Nepal,Italy,India,United States
High Incidence of Small Arms Violence in Nepal: India Border, Armed Women
16 June 2011
MSN News / Indo-Asian News Service
KATHMANDU -- As over 70 countries in the world Thursday begin observing the Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence, peace activists rue that even five years after the end of an armed insurrection, Nepal is still wracked by gunfire, thanks to the 1,800-km open border with India.
'There have been 1,013 incidents of violence caused by small arms in the last 17 months,' says Subodh Pyakurel, chief of Informal Sector Service Center (Insec), Nepal's largest NGO that... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: MSN News / Indo-Asian News Service
34975
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
Pakistan
Pakistani Government is Unlikely to Agree to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT)
15 June 2011
Observer (Pakistan)
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan is unlikely to agree to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), in its present format, as Ministry of Foreign Affairs argues that linking of arms transfers with human rights criteria may have severe implications. The first meeting of inter-ministerial meeting of experts' group on conventional arms was chaired by Director, Disarmament, in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on May 12, 2011.
As per decisions of the senior level Inter-Ministerial meeting on Arms... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Observer (Pakistan)
34943
Tajikistan,Afghanistan,Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan Still Awash with Firearms, Guns Feature in Political Struggles
9 June 2011
Eurasianet.org (European Union - Asia) / Eagle-Tribune (Massachusetts)
One year after ethnic violence rocked southern Kyrgyzstan, leaving over 400 dead, gunshot wounds have been established as the main cause of death. Activists believe the country is still awash with firearms, and security experts say weapons are likely to keep featuring in domestic political struggles, especially as officials seek support from gun-toting associates or even arm themselves.
During the violent overthrow of Kurmanbek Bakiyev in April 2010, protestors seized... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Eurasianet.org (European Union - Asia) / Eagle-Tribune (Massachusetts)
34939
Pakistan
Pakistani Investigation on Military Forces Shooting Unarmed Teenager
9 June 2011
San Francisco Chronicle / AP
KARACHI, Pakistan - Pakistani authorities are investigating a video that appeared to show paramilitary forces shooting to death an unarmed teenager in the southern port city of Karachi, officials said Thursday as hundreds of angry mourners attended his funeral.
Video aired repeatedly on TV and a version posted online showed the bleeding teen begging for help. It sparked another controversy for the Pakistani military, which is still reeling from criticism following the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: San Francisco Chronicle / AP
34913
India
Uttar Pradesh Police Bust Gun Running Racket, Seize Illegal Pistols
3 June 2011
Times of India
Uttar Pradesh Police busted a gun-running racket with the arrest of the gang's main courier and mastermind, while he was on to Balia with a consignment of five automatic pistols with 10 magazines. Special director general, ATS, Brij Lal on Thursday said that the arrest came following some specific intelligence on the gang's kingpin and the main courier Jagannath, a resident of Bilriyaganj in Azamgarh. On the basis of the information, police intercepted Jagannath during... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Times of India
34889
Pakistan
Pakistan Government Approves Journalists Carrying Guns for Self Defence
2 June 2011
Press Trust of India
Journalists in Pakistan have been allowed to carry small firearms for self-defence following the killing of scribe Syed Saleem Shahzad, Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik said on Wednesday.
Pakistani journalists, like the army, are battling negative forces, Malik said. To ensure their safety, orders have been issued to allow journalists to carry small arms for self-defence, he said.
Malik also promised to probe allegations about ISI's involvement in his... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Press Trust of India
34887
Iraq,Afghanistan,United States
The Right to Bear Arms Guaranteed for US Military Troops?
27 May 2011
Wall Street Journal, Blog
Tucked away in the fiscal 2012 defense authorization bill that the House passed Thursday is a curious provision: an amendment that would ensure that troops deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq have the "right to bear arms."
You read that correctly. The House voted 260 to 160 to approve an amendment to the bill that would revise the military's "rules of engagement" to ensure troops in conflict zones can defend themselves.
Seem a bit redundant? Rep. John Mica (R., Fla.),... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Wall Street Journal
34858
India
Leaders of an Indian Political Party Seek Gun Licences
21 May 2011
Times of India
HYDERABAD - The near fatal attack on Akbaruddin Owaisi in Old City on April 30 this year has the leaders of the MIM nervous; they are now scurrying to procure licensed weapons for themselves.
At last count, at least 12 MIM corporators have applied for arms licences.
Till Owaisi was attacked, MIM's dominance of the political scene in Old City was clearly visible and its leaders used to confidently move around among the people. But things have changed drastically with... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Times of India
34837
India
Indian Police Arrest 7 of Their Own, Bust Gun Making, Arms Dealing Ring
3 May 2011
Indian Express
Punjab Police have busted an interstate gang of gun runners dealing in bootleg weapons made in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The gang operated with the connivance of police personnel as, of the 15 persons arrested, seven are from the police force. Police claimed this gang was the main supplier of arms to Maoists and they were investigating its links with other terror groups.
Addressing a press conference here today, Director General of Police, Punjab, PS... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Indian Express
34761
India
Firearm Licensing Racket in India: Police Questioning 695 Gun Owners
29 April 2011
Press Trust of India
Jammu and Kashmir Police today summoned 695 gun licence holders for questionings in connection with the fake licensing racket in the state.
"The 695 licences should appear before investigation officer at Bakshi Nagar Police Station along with the gun licence and to record their statements," a notification issued by the sub-divisional police officer, Bakshi Nagar, said.
It also said that they should deposit their guns in the police stations concerned within 15 days... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Press Trust of India
34738
Top of Page
