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Pistols, revolvers, gun violence and gun control
In Turkey, Debating a Woman's Right to Have a Gun in Domestic Violence
19 May 2012
National Public Radio (USA)
In Turkey, hundreds of women die each year at the hands of a husband or family member, in a society that critics say too often ignores violence against women. After years of frustration, one organization has shaken up the debate with a controversial proposal: arming women and training them to defend themselves.
Looking back, Yagmur Askin thinks perhaps she should have paid more attention on her wedding day, when her husband's family welcomed her by saying, "You enter... (GunPolicy.org)
3 Swedish Journalists Guilty of Weapons Crimes
18 May 2012
Local (Sweden)
The editor-in-chief of Swedish tabloid Expressen and two other journalists with the paper have been convicted of weapons crimes related to a report about how easy it is to buy guns in Malmö in southern Sweden.
Expressen's editor Thomas Mattson was convicted of instigating a weapons crime, while former news editor Andreas Johansson was found guilty of being an accessory to a weapons crime.
Journalist Diamant Salihu, who actually purchased the gun, was convicted of a... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
Mexican Couple Admit to 27,000-round Ammo Cache in Texas
15 May 2012
Reuters
Two illegal immigrants pleaded guilty in Texas on Monday to possessing 27,000 rounds of assault rifle ammunition along the U.S.-Mexico border, where cross-border weapons smuggling has increased in recent years, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Police in Laredo, Texas, discovered the ammunition after they stopped a Dodge Ram pickup truck that failed to stop at a stop sign in March, U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson said in a statement.
Weapons traffickers along the... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Authorities to Crack Down on Illegal Arms Trade
27 April 2012
ABC News (Australia)
As New South Wales authorities grapple with the worst bikie war in decades, the Federal Government says it is determined to crack down on the illegal gun trade, and they have handguns in their sights.
While the bikie war rages, there there have been outbreaks of gun violence in other parts of the country as well.
On the eve of the 16th anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre, the Government has announced plans to amend Australia's gun laws.
National figures are... (GunPolicy.org)
South Africa Temporarily Halts Police Firearm Withdrawal
26 April 2012
BuaNews (Tshwane)
Pretoria — Police management on Thursday said they had halted the process of withdrawal of firearms from police officers.
Briefing the media on what has been erroneously dubbed in some reports as police "disarmament", acting National Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi said the move to take the firearms from the officers was informed by an internal audit report, which was subsequently leaked to the press.
"Such a document was meant to assist the management of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Origin of Crime Guns in Australia: Plenty of Myths, Little Evidence
24 April 2012
ABC News (Australia), Audio
The recent spate of shootings in Sydney's western suburbs have been tagged as criminal-on-criminal violence. There have been more than 50 shootings so far this year and a 40 per cent increase in drive-bys over the last two years. Is there something more going on than just gang warfare? Fifteen hundred guns are stolen every year, falling into the wrong hands.
Transcript
Anita Barraud: Thanks, Mark, and welcome to the Law Report. The recent spate of shootings in... (GunPolicy.org)
States 'Should Unite' to Combat Spread of Illegal Guns - S. Australian AG
19 April 2012
Australian (Sydney)
States should adopt a nationally consistent approach to deal with criminal organisations to combat the spread of illegal firearms, South Australian Attorney-General John Rau said yesterday.
Mr Rau's call came as NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione warned that gangs were moving towards an American criminal culture of resolving disputes "at the end of a handgun".
Gun-related violence has risen to national prominence after the Tuesday night shooting of a Hell's Angel... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
100,000 Imported Handguns a 'Major Public Concern' for Australia
18 April 2012
Sydney Morning Herald, Opinion
April is an eerie time of year. Sixteen years ago this month, Martin Bryant opened fire at historic Port Arthur in Tasmania, killing 35 people and wounding 18 others. This month also marks the anniversaries of the Columbine massacre of April 20, 1999 in the US, where 13 people were killed and at least 21 injured, the Virginia Tech massacre of April 16, 2007, where 32 people died and 25 were injured, and now Oakland's Oikos University massacre, which happened two weeks... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia & New Zealand,Australia
Australia's PM Should Follow Her Predecessor and Ban Handguns Now
17 April 2012
Australian (Sydney) / AAP
Prime Minister Julia Gillard needs to step in and work with the states to ban semi-automatic handguns in response to Sydney's plague of drive-by shootings, a gun control group says.
The guns are the weapon of choice for criminals terrorising western Sydney because they are lightweight and easy to handle, says Samantha Lee, chair of the National Coalition for Gun Control.
"Sydney is drowning in drive-by shootings," she told reporters today.
"It is actually time for... (GunPolicy.org)
Battleground America: One nation, under the gun - New Yorker feature
17 April 2012
New Yorker
Just after seven-thirty on the morning of February 27th, a seventeen-year-old boy named T. J. Lane walked into the cafeteria at Chardon High School, about thirty miles outside Cleveland. It was a Monday, and the cafeteria was filled with kids, some eating breakfast, some waiting for buses to drive them to programs at other schools, some packing up for gym class. Lane sat down at an empty table, reached into a bag, and pulled out a .22-calibre pistol. He stood up, raised... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Owner Smuggled Assault Weapon Parts from US to Australia - Cops
14 April 2012
Daily Telegraph (Sydney)
Gun parts which could be assembled to make a military assault rifle similar to that used in the Port Arthur massacre have been removed from the streets of Sydney in the latest police raid and crackdown on illegal weapons.
The illegally imported parts, which slipped into the country through Australia Post, were uncovered on Thursday when detectives raided a property near Port Macquarie and another owned by the same man in Sydney's south.
Among the large cache of... (GunPolicy.org)
Is Gun Control Dead in America? Adam Winkler in the Washington Post
13 April 2012
Washington Post, Opinion
Monday marks five years since the massacre at Virginia Tech, where a mentally ill student, Seung Hui Cho, used two handguns he had bought legally to kill 32 people and wound 25 others. Other than a relatively minor law to improve the national database used for background checks, no significant gun-control legislation followed that tragedy.
Since then, there have been several mass shootings, including additional school rampages and the attempted assassination last year... (GunPolicy.org)
Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa
A Gun in the Hand Makes a Man Look Taller & Stronger - New Study
12 April 2012
Los Angeles Times
In a study of how people assess danger, participants who looked at photos of hands holding different objects thought the gun bearers were the tallest.
The weapon may not make the man, but it certainly makes him loom larger, according to a new study by a team of UCLA researchers.
Their study, released Wednesday in the journal PLoS ONE, shows that a person holding a gun seems taller and more muscular in the viewer's mind than a person holding a tool or other... (GunPolicy.org)
Scandal as 13yr-old Underage Spanish Royal Shoots Himself in Foot
10 April 2012
Daily News (Durban) / SAPA-AFP
MADRID - Spanish King Juan Carlos' 13-year-old grandson has shot himself in the foot, the royal family said Tuesday, sparking a scandal because he is below the legal age for using a firearm.
The boy, Felipe Marichalar Borbon, shot himself while learning to use a shotgun on the family's estate in Soria, north-central Spain, on Monday, the royal household said in a statement.
"While on the patio of the house with his father, he shot himself with a small .36 calibre... (GunPolicy.org)
The Law of the Gun in Florida - Editorial
5 April 2012
New York Times, Editorial
Florida leads the pack in passing bills written by the gun lobby that block any sensible attempt to control the purchase and use of firearms. The dangerous folly of these laws was on display in the Trayvon Martin shooting, and will again be on display when Republicans gather for their presidential convention in Tampa this August.
The City Council is sensibly preparing tight security precautions for the downtown area by temporarily banning clubs, hatchets,... (GunPolicy.org)
Fearing the Public, US Politicians Carry Hidden Handguns in State Capitols
4 April 2012
Agence France Presse
CHICAGO — When Wisconsin lawmakers gather to discuss the business of the day at least one of them is legally packing a concealed weapon, amid the ever-present and heated gun law debate in the United States.
Wisconsin is one of just nine US states -- out of 50 -- which have expanded conceal-carry laws to allow gun owners to enter state capitols with their weapons, including on the assembly floor.
After the law was passed in November, state representative Bill Kramer... (GunPolicy.org)
US University Mass Killer Bought His Gun Easily, Legally - Police
3 April 2012
Mercury (San Jose)
OAKLAND -- An extensive search probed the depths of a local waterway Tuesday as authorities worked to find the gun used in a shooting spree that killed seven and wounded three at a private college in East Oakland.
Oakland police cordoned off a stretch of the Oakland Estuary in the 7200 block of Doolittle Drive for most of the day as they deployed a police boat and a robot borrowed from San Francisco police that can conduct underwater searches. A police helicopter... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
Linking Multiple Shootings to One Gun is NY City Detective's Talent
30 March 2012
New York Times
The trigger of a semiautomatic pistol is pulled, and a firing pin in the back of the gun darts forward, slamming into the primer on the rear of the cartridge holding the bullet and causing a small explosion. This ignites the gunpowder in the cartridge, blasting the bullet out of the barrel with tens of thousands of pounds of pressure. That blast goes both ways, driving the left-behind shell casing backward hard enough to leave an impression from the inside of the gun on... (GunPolicy.org)
Hidden Handgun Permit Holders Killed 391 US Civilians, Police in 5 Years
28 March 2012
New York Times, Column
The debate over the shooting death of Trayvon Martin seems to be devolving into an argument about the right to wear hoodies, but it really does not appear to be a promising development.
Congress, which never draws any serious conclusions from terrible tragedies involving gunplay, did have time on Wednesday to fight about whether Representative Bobby Rush of Chicago violated the House dress code when he took off his suit jacket, revealing a gray sweater he was wearing... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
Multiple Shootings Highlight Growing Illegal Gun Trade in France
27 March 2012
Christian Science Monitor
France's strict gun laws sharply limit legal ownership. But illegal trafficking is on the rise – at prices that people like Toulouse gunman Mohamed Merah can afford.
PARIS - As the prosecutor listed the weapons gunman Mohamed Merah amassed before going on a shooting rampage in Toulouse, French citizens received a stark reminder that gun trafficking doesn't only affect unstable countries. It's happening in France, too – a nation that is anything but gun-friendly.... (GunPolicy.org)
Israeli Police Say Gun Violence Continues to Climb in Arab Sector
27 March 2012
Jerusalem Post (Israel)
Despite police efforts to stamp out the use of firearms in the Arab sector, gun crime rose by 7 percent in the first three months of 2012 in comparison to the same period last year, police said Monday.
In 2011, in 557 cases a firearm was used during the commission of a crime, with 579 arrests made for firearms offenses, police said.
The police and the Public Security Ministry have been the subject of continued criticism from the Arab sector due to the mayhem caused by... (GunPolicy.org)
French Public Amazed at Toulouse Mass Killer's Arsenal of Illegal Guns
23 March 2012
Reuters
PARIS - As France asks itself whether it could have done more to prevent Islamist gunman Mohamed Merah shooting dead seven people in a killing spree that shook the nation, there is one question that refuses to go away: how did he obtain so many guns.
The size and nature of the arsenal amassed by Merah - who stockpiled at least eight guns including a Kalashnikov assault rifle and an Uzi machine pistol - has focused attention on the easy availability of illegal weapons... (GunPolicy.org)
America's Wild West Gun Laws Unlikely to Change - Bernd Debusmann
23 March 2012
Reuters, Column
The killing of a black teenager by a self-appointed vigilante in Florida has trained a spotlight on gun laws reminiscent of the Wild West in 24 U.S. states. Despite widespread outrage over the Florida case, gun-friendly senators in Washington want to make it easier to extend those laws to most of the country.
That would set the United States, where there are more firearms in private hands than in any other country, even farther apart from the rest of the industrialized... (GunPolicy.org)
Killer of Florida Teen Should at Least Lose Hidden Handgun Permit
21 March 2012
Chicago Tribune
Activists argued today that state officials should investigate whether neighborhood-watch volunteer George Zimmerman should carry a gun considering he fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin on Feb. 26.
The Florida Civil Rights Association, a group of Orlando pastors and various attorneys gathered with about two dozen sign-waving residents outside of a regional office for the state's licensing division — the agency that issues gun permits — and demanded officials... (GunPolicy.org)
French Motorcycle Gunman Used Same Pistol in School, Army Shootings
20 March 2012
Washington Post / AP
TOULOUSE, France — Hundreds of police blanketed southern France on Tuesday, searching for a gunman — possibly a racist, anti-Semitic serial killer — who killed four people at a Jewish school and may have filmed his attack.
Authorities suspect the same killer was behind attacks last week on French paratroopers of North African and French Caribbean origin.
France was reeling Tuesday after Monday's shooting in the southern city of Toulouse, the deadliest school... (GunPolicy.org)
France 'Awash' with Illegal Firearms Imported Across Porous EU Borders
20 March 2012
Press Association (UK)
France is awash with illegal firearms transported into the country across porous European borders, it was claimed.
While gun laws are strict, it is not difficult for unauthorised members of the public to get their hands on weapons, according to the president of the Union Francaise des Amateurs d'Armes, a French gun society.
Jean-Jacques Buigne suggested the killer responsible for the attacks outside a school in Toulouse most likely did not have a licence for the heavy... (GunPolicy.org)
Toulouse Mass Shootings: What Is an 11.43mm (.45cal) Pistol? [Francais]
19 March 2012
Le Point (France) / AFP
[Translated summary: The handgun used in the Toulouse school shooting and in the shooting of military officers was an 11.43mm (.45cal) pistol, known to be a weapon for settling scores.]
Le pistolet utilisé pour la fusillade de Toulouse et les meurtres de militaires est connu comme étant l'arme des règlements de comptes.
Le pistolet de calibre 11,43 mm, utilisé pour tuer trois parachutistes à Toulouse et Montauban et employé dans la fusillade lundi devant une... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico, Awash in Illegal Firearms, Has Just One Legal Gun Store
19 March 2012
Kansas City Star (Missouri)
MEXICO CITY — Mexico has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the world. If any of the nation's 112 million citizens want to buy firearms, there's only one store where they can do it legally. It's on a sprawling military base and run by the army.
That, however, hasn't stopped Mexicans from acquiring firearms. The country is awash in illegal guns, many of them assault weapons in the hands of merciless criminal gangs. President Felipe Calderon says authorities have... (GunPolicy.org)
Public Stigma Drives Toronto Gun Hobbyists, Shooters Underground
18 March 2012
National Post (Toronto)
Ellen loads five bullets into her favourite pistol, a .22-caliber Browning Challenger, and demonstrates her favourite shooting stances. She begins with two hands holding the gun straight out in front of her, elbows slightly bent and feet hip-width apart for balance before changing poses, with her left hand behind her back, her palm facing outward, and the pistol in her right hand.
She is a Toronto grandmother of two in her mid-sixties and she is sharing her love of... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Control Advocates Protest Slackening of Australia's Handgun Laws
17 March 2012
Age (Melbourne)
Gun control advocates have hit out at new laws that would make it easier for Victorians to own a handgun.
The amendments - passed this week by the state government with the co-operation of the Labor opposition - lower the number of days a handgun owner needs to spend on the firing range every year in order to retain a licence. They also make time spent on shooting ranges overseas count towards the total, which Gun Control Australia president John Crook said would be... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
Mass Shooting Survivor Slams 'Outrageous' Lack of US Gun Sale Checks
15 March 2012
CNN
A man who survived the April 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech says not enough is being done to keep guns out of the hands of people like the shooter even as a jury found the university failed to warn students earlier that a gunman was on campus.
"As someone who lost a teacher and many friends as a result of the Virginia Tech massacre, I am gratified by the verdict," said Colin Goddard, who was shot four times during the rampage by Seung-Hui Cho.
A jury Wednesday awarded... (GunPolicy.org)
Why More Americans Carry Hidden Handguns in Public Places - Feature
11 March 2012
Christian Science Monitor
Leaning against a scrub pine as preschoolers scurry about at his feet, Shane Gazda, father of 3-year-old twins, recalls a conundrum he faced earlier that morning: whether to take his Smith & Wesson .40 caliber handgun to a Groundhog Day celebration in this town's White Deer Park.
After all, what was once against the law in North Carolina – carrying a concealed gun in a town park, square, or greenway – is now, as of Dec. 1, 2011, very much allowed. To Mr. Gazda, who... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Shootings, Trigger-happy Tactics Prompt Outrage in Jamaica
8 March 2012
San Francisco Chronicle / AP
KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Security personnel armed with M16s and machine guns manned roadblocks and detained dozens of young men Thursday as part of a crackdown in a Jamaican ghetto where a 13-year-old girl, two elderly men and three others were killed during reported shootouts between police and gunmen.
Residents of the Denham Town slum in West Kingston blame officers for Monday's killings and the gritty area has been under curfew amid an ongoing security operation to... (GunPolicy.org)
Crusading Russian Woman Journalist Killed with Modified Air Pistol
6 March 2012
RIA Novosti (Russia)
MOSCOW - Russian investigators have identified a man who sold the gun used to kill campaigning journalist Anna Politkovskaya in 2006, Kommersant daily reported on Tuesday.
Businessman Vladimir Nabatov modified an air pistol to fire live bullets and then sold the gun to Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov, a former senior police officer on trial for organizing the contract killing.
It is not clear whether Nabatov is in police custody.
The suspected gunman, Rustam Makhmudov, was... (GunPolicy.org)
'Good Reason' Hidden Handgun Test Unconstitutional - US Federal Judge
6 March 2012
Washington Post
A federal judge in Maryland has ruled that state residents no longer must show they have a good reason to carry a handgun outside their home, declaring a key provision of the state's gun-control laws unconstitutional.
Gun rights advocates said the opinion — in a relatively liberal state with some of the country's tightest gun restrictions — would help as they challenge similar laws in about a half-dozen states. Maryland officials said Monday that they are seeking a... (GunPolicy.org)
Las Vegas Tourist Machine Gun Range Features Gun-toting Hostesses
5 March 2012
New York Times
LAS VEGAS — For Vegas die-hards bored with the $750 tasting menu at Guy Savoy, the $250 Elton John tickets at Caesars or the $200,000 baccarat bet at the Bellagio, this city is serving up a new way to find high-priced thrills.
Machine Guns Vegas — an upscale indoor shooting range complete with skimpily dressed gun-toting hostesses — opened last week a half-mile from the Strip with an armory of weapons and a promise to fulfill the desires of anyone wanting to... (GunPolicy.org)
Ohio Boy, 'Bullied Outcast' Got Handgun, Killed 3 High School Classmates
29 February 2012
AFP
The death toll from a high school shooting rose to three Tuesday with two more teens succumbing to wounds suffered when a fellow student opened fire in a high school cafeteria.
The alleged shooter, identified as 17-year-old TJ Lane, opened fire Monday with a handgun on a group of fellow students in the cafeteria of Chardon High School shortly after the start of the school day.
The latest victims were Demetrius Hewlin and Russell King who died Tuesday from gunshot... (GunPolicy.org)
Russia Reveals Plans to Upgrade Kalashnikov Soviet-era Assault Rifle
28 February 2012
Guardian (UK) / Reuters
MOSCOW - Moscow announced plans on Tuesday to modernise the Kalashnikov, giving a new lease of life to the Soviet-era assault rifle.
The move is part of a 20 trillion-rouble (£435bn) modernisation of Russia's armed forces that includes the addition of new armaments, submarines and aircraft by 2020.
The Kalashnikov has been a mainstay of the Russian army, as well as a weapon of choice for paramilitaries and gangsters around the world. The new-look weapon will get a... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
Canada Border Guards Seize 75 Guns Hidden in Truck, Charge American
22 February 2012
Globe & Mail (Toronto) / CP
COUTTS, Alta. — Border officials in Alberta have seized a cache of guns hidden inside a vehicle trying to get into Canada.
Officers found 75 firearms, including 48 handguns, stowed inside a pickup truck at the Coutts crossing on Tuesday.
Officials say it is the largest handgun seizure in the port's history.
The driver of the truck told officers he was travelling to Alaska and was not carrying any firearms.
RCMP arrested 54-year-old George Foster of Florida.
He... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
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)
California Gun Lobby Has High Hopes of Winning Hidden Handgun Fight
20 February 2012
Los Angeles Times
Chuck Michel's strategy for crime-fighting rests on the element of surprise: Keep the bad guys guessing who's armed and who's not.
"If 5% of the ducks could shoot back, you're not going to go duck hunting," said the Long Beach lawyer representing many Californians denied concealed weapons permits and, in his view, their constitutional right to self-defense.
For decades, that argument has fallen flat in the courtroom. Judges have routinely held that denying permits to... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
Police Arrest Nigerian 'AK-47' Manufacturer, Seize Assault Rifles, Pistols
14 February 2012
Vanguard (Lagos)
MAKURDI — Two months of renewed onslaught against criminals and violent crimes across Benue State by the new Commissioner of Police in charge of the state, Mr. John Haruna has yielded an unprecedented results with the avalanche of arrests of men of the underworld in parts of the state.
The frontal measure against criminals in the State culminated in the arrest of 620 suspects most of who were apprehended with lethal weapons and sophisticated arms and ammunition.
In... (GunPolicy.org)
New Yorkers Hide More 'Community Guns' for Impulse Street Shootings
10 February 2012
New York Times
Shanell Crute and her boyfriend were walking toward East 163rd Street in the Bronx to buy marijuana that night. With two blocks to go, they stopped when a group of five guys called out to her. The men had been drinking and smoking.
Ms. Crute's nickname was Sweetz because she was quite friendly, but that night, Sept. 30, 2010, she gave as good as she got for the last minutes of her 26-year-long life.
"She says, 'I might know these guys,' " said Lt. James Ruane of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Buy a Gun Online in the US, No Questions Asked - Investigation
9 February 2012
NBC News (USA), Report
Today marks the debut of Rossen Reports, a new unit led by national investigative correspondent Jeff Rossen. First out of the gate: A hidden camera investigation exposing how easy it is for anyone – even criminals – to buy dangerous weapons.
Some say it's a major loophole in the law. At gun stores, you have to get a background check before you can buy a weapon. But online in most states, anyone from law-abiding citizens to dangerous criminals – even terrorists... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
New York, Boston Mayors Lead Influential American Gun Control Group
4 February 2012
Reuters
NEW YORK - Among the slick, million-dollar ads for the likes of Pepsi and Honda during the Super Bowl this Sunday, viewers in Washington will see a far more modest spot. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino will be sitting on a couch touting an issue most politicians avoid like the plague: gun control.
The two mayors, whose local teams face off in the big game, are making the pitch for Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG), the organization they... (GunPolicy.org)
Breast Cancer Foundation, US Gun Dealer Team Up to Sell Pink Pistol
3 February 2012
CBS News (USA) / AP
SEATTLE – The Susan G. Komen Foundation is teaming up with Seattle gun distributor Discount Gun Sales, LLC, to sell a pink handgun to help raise money for the breast cancer organization.
The gun, a Walther P-22, is already available for purchase at $429.99.
"Discount Gun Sales is proud to team up with the Susan B. Koman [sic] Foundation to offer the Walther P-22 Hope Edition in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month," the page reads. "A portion of each P-22... (GunPolicy.org)
Trial Sparks Debate Over Canada Confusing Gun Control Law
31 January 2012
National Post (Toronto)
WELLAND, Ont. — Canada's laws on the storage and handling of guns and ammunition are so complicated that a veteran judge needed to adjourn court to allow two experienced lawyers more time for legal arguments and a search of case law to help parse and dissect them.
It was a dud of an ending after two scheduled days of trial in the case of Ian Thomson, a 54-year-old Port Colborne man who fired three shots from a legally owned gun to scare off three masked men who were... (GunPolicy.org)
Glock: The Rise of America's Favourite Handgun
27 January 2012
New York Times, Book review
You rarely pull a gun to start a conversation, but when I recently told an in-law that I was writing about Glock pistols, he improvised a research project. Reaching beneath his jacket, he quickly unholstered, unloaded and handed me his Glock 9 millimeter — this was in Kentucky, land of permissive concealed-carry laws. "I always carry this, and I always will," he said before giving me a primer that could have been used in a promotional video for both the pistol and... (GunPolicy.org)
Uganda Opposition Party Asks Govt to Strengthen Gun Laws after Shooting
24 January 2012
New Vision (Kampala)
The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party has asked government to explain the Sunday shooting incident at Port Bell, Luzira that left two people dead and one injured.
During the eviction exercise by Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) officials, a guard to George Agaba, the authority's director of planning, went on a shooting spree when the exercise was met with resistance from the locals and shot dead two men and injured a woman in the arm.
Addressing journalists... (GunPolicy.org)
NYC Police Arrest, Jail More US Tourists Toting Illegal Hidden Handguns
22 January 2012
CNN
NEW YORK -- An online campaign in support of a former U.S. Marine -- arrested for attempting to security-check his pistol while visiting the Empire State Building -- is bringing new attention and a fair amount of scrutiny to one of the nation's toughest gun-control laws.
Ryan Jerome, 28, was charged with criminal possession of his .45-caliber Ruger while visiting the famous New York landmark during a September vacation with his girlfriend. Jerome has a license to carry... (GunPolicy.org)
Florida Gun Owners Upset at Attempt to Stop Patients Carrying Firearms
19 January 2012
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
Florida-bound, Canadian snowbirds may feel a little safer – or not – knowing that if they wind up in hospital, the patient beside them might just have a Glock machine pistol tucked under his pillow.
Muggers beware.
It's the latest legislative shoot-out in the long-running saga over what the framers of America's Constitution meant by the "right of the people to keep and bear Arms".
In Florida, it's against the law to pack a pistol to school or take your rifle to... (GunPolicy.org)
New York Police Working on Gun-scan Technology to Detect Concealed Guns
17 January 2012
New York Times, Blog
For years, detectives trying to distinguish gun-carrying New Yorkers from others have had to rely on observations, street smarts and luck. A man with a gun on his hip might grab the front of his sport coat to keep it from flapping open and revealing the pistol. Someone getting out of a cab might hold tight to his side, to keep a weapon secure.
But science is now promising to assist such human efforts.
In a speech on Tuesday morning to the New York City Police... (GunPolicy.org)
South Africa Law Enforcement: 'Armed and Dangerous' Police - Analysis
12 January 2012
Institute for Security Studies (Tshwane/Pretoria)
People who possess firearms in South Africa can generally be separated into three categories. The first group consists of individuals in possession of duly registered firearms. The next group is of greater concern. They are the people who are in illegal possession of firearms. Not all people who possess firearms that are, according to the letter of the law, illegal are violent criminals.
However, even this armed group is less of a concern than the last type. The third... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Institute for Security Studies (Tshwane/Pretoria)
Australian Gun Criminal Freed, Victoria to Close 'Bizarre' Firearm Loophole
11 January 2012
Herald Sun (Melbourne)
The closure of a bizarre loophole in gun laws will make it easier to prevent criminals from carrying firearms.
A legislative amendment, expected to pass when Parliament resumes, will prevent any exploitation of laws that ban "prohibited persons" from having firearms.
In a 2010 case that prompted a review of the Firearms Act, a member of a Melbourne crime family beat firearms charges after a judge accepted he could not have known whether a revolver was registered.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Sales Up? It's a Beat-up Story: Real US Industry Figures Suppressed
9 January 2012
Huffington Post (USA)
The media has been awash this holiday season with stories about a "dramatic increase" in gun sales in the United States. CNN, for example, declared, "December holiday shoppers were not just interested in buying the hottest electronics and toys--they also were purchasing record numbers of guns." USA Today claimed, "Along with millions of Kindles, Angry Birds and gift cards, Santa left a record number of guns under Americans' Christmas trees." Reuters gushed about "16.5... (GunPolicy.org)
Swedish Courts 'Go Easy' on Gangsters Needing Guns for Self Defence
8 January 2012
Local (Stockholm)
Being a member of a criminal gang in Sweden can actually result in milder sentences for weapons offences as courts provide leniency in cases in which offenders have been shown to live in a hostile environment and need extra protection.
Following the recent spate of killings in Malmö, politicians have promised changes in Sweden's current weapons laws to curb the violence.
According to some court's interpretation of current laws, criminals can actually receive milder... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
Swiss Gun Love Under Fire - Experts Call for National Firearm Registry
5 January 2012
Local (Switzerland)
Almost two centuries have passed since Switzerland last fought in a war, yet the country's gun ownership rate remains the highest in Europe. After a series of gun-related killings at the end of last year, The Local's Meritxell Mir looks at what's being done to get fingers off triggers.
Every year, more than 300 people die in Switzerland in gun-related incidents. In many ways, the figure is quite low, when one considers the country has about 2.5 million weapons in... (GunPolicy.org)
Slovakia,Austria,Azerbaijan,Serbia,Russia,Armenia,Turkey,Romania,Czech Republic,Croatia,United States,Bulgaria,Ukraine,Southern Europe,Georgia,Eastern Europe
South Caucasian Republics Purchased 107,324 Small Arms in 2005-2010
4 January 2012
Milaz.info (Azerbaïdjan)
The South Caucasian republics purchased 107 324 small arms from various countries of the world in 2005-2010.
APA reports quoting the UN Register of Conventional Arms that Georgia takes the first place among the South Caucasian republics on purchase of small arms during this period.
Georgia bought 76 377 small arms from 7 countries. The submachine guns, short rifles, pistols, automatic rifles, pistol-machineguns, heavy machineguns, grenade launchers as well as the... (GunPolicy.org)
China,Europe,United States,Thailand
Firearms Only for the Rich: Bangkok Guns 'Like a Louis Vuitton for Guys'
2 January 2012
CNN
If you have an itchy trigger finger while visiting Thailand it may be difficult to purchase a gun, but wealthy foreigners and Thais who live here can now enjoy their weapon of choice thanks to the recent lifting of a ban imposed in Bangkok last year.
Tourists can, however, buy custom-made leather holsters and other accessories at the estimated 80 weapons stores along Burapha Road, just east of the Sala Chalerm Krung Royal Theatre, where the vast majority of Bangkok's... (GunPolicy.org)
Queensland Gun Thefts Soar, Fuel Black Market in Illicit Weapons
1 January 2012
Courier-Mail (Brisbane)
Firearm thefts are soaring in Queensland, bolstering a booming black market for illicit weapons and fuelling a deadly wave of armed violence.
Gun shops, homes, cars and even a house used to grow marijuana have all had weapons including handguns stolen in the past year.
The thefts come as legal firearm ownership spikes in Queensland and as crime fighters haul underworld figures before coercive hearings into gun crimes.
Latest police figures show 551 guns were stolen... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Lobby Group Raises $200 Million a Year, Aims to Unseat Obama
29 December 2011
Bloomberg (USA)
A toaster that burns the National Rifle Association's logo onto bread fetched $650 at an auction last month, just one reflection of the money-making power in the gun group's brand.
The NRA, which began as a grassroots organization dedicated to teaching marksmanship, enters the 2012 election season as a lobbying, merchandising and marketing machine that brings in more than $200 million a year and intends to help unseat the incumbent president. From 2004 to 2010, the... (GunPolicy.org)
Swedish Editors Charged for Buying Illegal Pistol, Handing it to Police
27 December 2011
Local (Stockholm)
Thomas Mattsson, editor-in-chief of one of Sweden's largest newspapers, has been charged for instigating a weapons offense.
Mattsson heads the Expressen daily newspaper, and in the fall of 2010 he gave one of the newspaper's reporters permission to buy a pistol in Malmö in southern Sweden.
Authorization was granted in connection with the reporter's efforts to show how easy it was to obtain a firearm in Sweden.
"If journalists can't work under cover, investigative... (GunPolicy.org)
In North Carolina, 2,400 Hidden Handgun Permit Holders Had Convictions
26 December 2011
New York Times
Alan Simons was enjoying a Sunday morning bicycle ride with his family in Asheville, N.C., two years ago when a man in a sport utility vehicle suddenly pulled alongside him and started berating him for riding on the highway.
Mr. Simons, his 4-year-old son strapped in behind him, slowed to a halt. The driver, Charles Diez, an Asheville firefighter, stopped as well. When Mr. Simons walked over, he found himself staring down the barrel of a gun.
"Go ahead, I'll shoot... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
Gun Owners in Ireland Lose Hundreds of Firearms to Thieves Every Year
23 December 2011
Herald (Dublin)
More than 1,400 guns have been stolen here in the past five years.
Figures just released by Justice Minister Alan Shatter show that 1,451 firearms were recorded as stolen on the garda PULSE computer system in the years 2007 to December 12, 2011.
He said the figures for the individual years were 205 in 2011; 249 in 2010; 350 in 2009; 298 in 2008 and 349 in 2007.
The number of licensed firearms in Ireland is more than 233,000, with most of them being 12-gauge shotguns... (GunPolicy.org)
Ending the Flood of Illegal Guns in America - Wall Street Journal Opinion
23 December 2011
Wall Street Journal, Opinion
Historians have long debated who was the first person to call the U.S. Senate the "world's greatest deliberative body." Soon we may ask who was the last person to believe it. Our dysfunctional Congress has repeatedly failed to perform its duties under the Constitution to pass a budget, to advise and consent on presidential nominations, and, perhaps most tragically, to curb illegal handgun violence.
In New York, we've recently seen only too dramatically the consequences... (GunPolicy.org)
Registration, Ballistics Tie Baltimore Police Glock to Murder of 2 Girls
17 December 2011
Baltimore Sun
The wanted poster portrays a .40-caliber Glock Model 22 semiautomatic pistol, serial number EKG463US, that resembles thousands of standard-issue guns owned by the Baltimore Police Department.
But this particular weapon found its way out of the hands of law enforcement and into the hands of a suspected killer — an above-board but nightmarish scenario for city police. Authorities say the gun was used three years ago to shoot two young girls on a dirt road outside a... (GunPolicy.org)
Belgian Killer Amassed Illegal Guns, Used Light Automatic Army Rifle
15 December 2011
CNN
BRUSSELS, Belgium -- A man who killed five people and himself in a gun and grenade attack in Belgium feared going back to prison and losing the life he had built, his lawyer said Thursday.
The attack on a crowded market square in Liege Tuesday by Nourdine Amrani, which also left at least 130 people wounded, shocked the nation.
His defense lawyer in Liege, Jean-Francois Dister, told CNN Amrani had called him late Monday and early Tuesday after the police called him in... (GunPolicy.org)
Sydney Woman Joined Gun Club, Shot Father, Acquitted as Mentally Ill
15 December 2011
ABC News (Australia)
A woman who joined a gun club so she could kill her 70-year-old father has been found not guilty of murder due to mental illness.
Shamin Fernando, 44, faced a judge-only trial for the 2010 murder of her father Vincent.
The Supreme Court heard she called him to her Glebe unit in inner Sydney to help with her computer then shot him several times with a pistol.
The court heard Fernando obtained the gun from the Sydney Pistol Club, where she was a provisional... (GunPolicy.org)
Switzerland,Finland,Germany,United Kingdom,Netherlands,Norway,Europe
Gun Attacks in Europe and Their Effect on Gun Control Laws
14 December 2011
BBC News
As more details emerge of the shooting spree and grenade attack in Belgium in which five people died, the BBC News website takes a look at other recent incidents in Europe - and the effect they have had on each country's laws.
Norway
Seventy-seven people were killed in twin attacks on 22 July 2011 in Norway. Anders Behring Breivik has admitted that he planted a car bomb that exploded close to government offices in the capital Oslo, killing eight people. He then drove... (GunPolicy.org)
Belgium Mass Shooting: 'Convicted Gun Fanatic' Kills 6, Wounds Dozens
14 December 2011
Guardian (UK)
A convicted gun fanatic threw hand grenades and opened fire on a square bustling with Christmas shoppers in the centre of the Belgian city of Liège, killing at least six people, including himself, and wounding at least 122, some critically.
Hours after failing to show up for police questions about his preoccupation with guns, the 33-year-old unleashed a lunchtime attack on Place Saint Lambert, which was hosting a Christmas market that attracts 1.5 million visitors a... (GunPolicy.org)
African Street Sellers Shot Dead in Florence by 'Racist Right Wing Extremist'
13 December 2011
Reuters
FLORENCE, Italy - An Italian man killed two African street sellers and wounded three others in an apparent racist shooting rampage in the heart of Florence on Tuesday before committing suicide, police said.
Gianluca Casseri, 50, who Italian officials said was a right-wing extremist, parked his car in the crowded Dalmazia square at lunch time, got out and started shooting with a large pistol, witnesses said.
Two Senegalese men were killed and one seriously... (GunPolicy.org)
US Federal Police Investigate Florida-Cayman Islands Gun Smuggling Ring
12 December 2011
CayCompass.com (Cayman Islands)
United States federal law enforcement authorities are investigating a firearms smuggling operation between south Florida and Grand Cayman that's been ongoing since at least 2008, according to US District Court records obtained by the Caymanian Compass.
The investigation, a branch of which led to the 2009 arrest, conviction and incarceration of four local men in US federal prison, caught up with a fifth suspect, Mikkyle Brandon Leslie – known in Cayman as Brandon... (GunPolicy.org)
US Handgun Production, Imports Double in 4 Years: Women Lead Trend?
11 December 2011
Sydney Morning Herald, Bloomberg (USA)
NEW YORK -- Robin Natanel picks up a compact black pistol, barrel pointed down range. Gripping the gun with both hands, left foot forward, she raises the semi-automatic and methodically squeezes off five shots. The first one creases the left edge of a red bull's-eye on a target 7.5 metres away. The four others paint a 7.5-centimetre pattern around the first. If the target were a person's head or heart, he would probably be dead.
Natanel is a Buddhist, a self-avowed... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Oppose Gun Lobby Push to Slacken Law, Reduce Gun Limits in Japan
7 December 2011
Japan Today
TOKYO — Farmers in rural areas have been reporting increasing damage to their crops by wild boar, deer and other animals. To make firearms more accessible, a bill that would loosen the currently tight restrictions on hunting rifles has been proposed in the Diet. But, the Sankei Shimbun (Dec 4) reports, the police remain adamantly opposed to changes in the law.
According to data compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, in 2009, crop damage from... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Woman Joined Pistol Club, Stole Handgun to Kill Father - Court
7 December 2011
ABC News (Australia)
A Sydney court has heard a woman accused of shooting her father dead joined a local pistol club to obtain the gun she used in the killing.
Shamin Anne Fernando today faced a judge-only one-day trial in the New South Wales Supreme Court over the death of her father Vincent Fernando last year.
The 44-year-old has pleaded not guilty to murder on the grounds of mental illness.
The court heard Fernando called her father to her unit at Glebe in inner Sydney to help with... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Gun Laws, Scrapping of Long Gun Registry Explained, Debated
6 December 2011
CBC News (Canada)
The contentious long-gun registry is on the cusp of being abolished, meaning rifles and shotguns like those sold at Stephen Milton's King City, Ont., shop will disappear from government records.
But while police say that would make it harder for them to do their jobs, Milton says it would be a good move.
"We don't have a gun problem. We have a criminal problem, we have a gang problem, we have problems with people who have no regard for the law whatsoever," he said.... (GunPolicy.org)
In a Year, NYC Police Fire 20% of Bullets Fired in Hours by Kenya Police
4 December 2011
Daily Nation (Nairobi)
Consider this and think of the situation in Kenya as you read on: Last year, 52 officers out of a force of 34,565 officers from the New York Police Department intentionally fired 236 bullets during confrontations with suspects.
The officers reportedly shot and killed only eight people and injured 16 the whole year, in what the Police Department say marked record lows.
Of course the social and economic realities of Nairobi and New York are totally different but there... (GunPolicy.org)
Civilians Have Easy Access to Illegal Guns in Kurdistan Black Market
3 December 2011
Kurdish Globe (Kurdistan)
Some see their firearms as further protection
Twenty years after the Kurdish uprising, civilians still keep guns in their homes.
Firearms remain widely accepted by people in a region where possession of unlicensed firearms is considered illegal.
A weapon that was once essential for their survival--especially in the 90s--still has not lost its appeal among civilians. Politicians gift guns as a tradition.
The gun market located outside of Erbil city is part of some 20... (GunPolicy.org)
Austria,Spain,Belgium,Eastern Europe,France
In 2010, French Police Seized 79% More Guns Than in 2009 [Francais]
2 December 2011
Le Figaro (France)
[Translated Summary: French Police seized 3,355 firearms since January 2011, 2,710 in 2010 or 79% more than in 2009; out of 3.14 million firearms lawfully possessed, 30,000 are unlawfully possessed in 2010; a report from 2009 says that theft of firearms increased by 38.6%.]
La Direction centrale de la police judiciaire a recensé 2710 saisies d'armes à feu en 2010, soit une explosion de 79% par rapport à 2009.
Les saisies de pistolets, révolvers, fusils à pompes... (GunPolicy.org)
Toronto Council to Debate City Ban on Shooting Ranges
1 December 2011
National Post (Toronto)
City council will fight a challenge to its gun bylaw at the Ontario Municipal Board, despite an assertion by the deputy mayor that the decision goes against expert advice.
In 2008, the city enacted a bylaw that restricts the manufacture of guns in the city, and bans any firing range and gun club that is not operated by the government. The Canadian Shooting Sports Association appealed the decision to the Ontario Municipal Board and had floated a "compromise" that would... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
Police Hunt Gun Thieves in West Australia: Hundreds Stolen in 18 Months
26 November 2011
West Australian (Perth)
Police are hunting for a thief who stole five firearms from Hamilton Hill recently.
A police spokeswoman said a shotgun, two lever action rifles, a handgun and one air-rifle was stolen from a poorly secured cabinet on Winterfold Street.
The deadly weapons were left in an unoccupied house, which was under construction, in an unlocked garage.
Police were called to the residence about 7am but it is unknown when exactly the weapons were stolen.
Gun owners are required... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
Fearing Armed Violence, Egyptians Steal 80,000 Guns from Police Stations
25 November 2011
IRIN (UN News)
CAIRO - It took Ahmed Fawzi, a College of Islamic Studies graduate, only a few hours after seeing a man robbed and killed by a group of criminals to buy a gun.
"I just did not want to be killed like this innocent man," Fawzi, 26, told IRIN. "My father died years ago and I am responsible for defending my family in the absence of all types of security."
Egyptians are discovering the need to defend themselves, in the wake of the uncertainty and insecurity following the... (GunPolicy.org)
Despite Police Protests, Blind American Man Legally Holds 12+ Handguns
25 November 2011
New York Times
ROCKAWAY, N.J. — Judging by what the authorities say about him, Steven Hopler has really been testing the limits of the Second Amendment.
Mr. Hopler, 49, who lives on a winding road here, is once again fighting for his right to keep and bear arms despite having been totally blind for most of his adult life. He has repeatedly persuaded judges to let him keep his collection of more than a dozen handguns, but doing so has been more complicated since 2008, when he was... (GunPolicy.org)
Europe,United Kingdom,Scotland
Every Crime Gun, Spent Bullet, Cartridge Case to Be Traced in Scotland
24 November 2011
BBC News
Scottish police have announced a new weapon in the fight against gun crime.
Using computer techniques they will identify weapons more quickly and link firearms incidents across the UK.
Previously it was possible to compare firearms and ballistic materials such as cartridges and bullets for links with other crimes.
But the National Ballistics Intelligence Service (Nabis) will allow police to check databases in England and eventually parts of Europe.
Within 48 hours... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
Guatemala,United States,Mexico,Central America
Arms Trafficking, Business of Death: Guns in Central America [Espanol]
16 November 2011
Contralinea (Mexico)
[Translated Summary: Contralinea magazine details the routes by which guns are trafficked into Mexico, including the flow of arms from the US directly to Guatemala, and then over Mexico's southern border. English translation at: http://bit.ly/uBnEGu]
En la última década, México pasó del lugar vigesimosegundo al quinto en tráfico de armas en el ámbito mundial. Se calcula que cada día ingresan al país unas 2 mil para abastecer a los cárteles de la droga, la... (GunPolicy.org)
US Votes for Lowest Common Hidden Handgun Standard Across Most States
16 November 2011
AFP
WASHINGTON — The US House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved legislation to make it easier for people with a concealed firearm permit in one state to take their weapon to another.
The Republican-held chamber voted 272-154 for the measure, which drew some Democratic support but faces an uncertain future in the Senate.
The bill would allow people with a permit to carry a concealed firearm in one state to do so in other states that allow concealed... (GunPolicy.org)
