Gun Policy News
Firearm violence, gun control and small arms
Brazil
Brazil News Director Shot 44 Times, Journalist Murder Rate Rising
13 June 2013
InSight Crime (Bogota)
The murder of the director of a Rio de Janeiro newspaper provides yet another example of the violence facing journalists in Brazil, although the motive behind his killing remains unclear.
Jose Roberto Ornelas de Lemos, who is also the son of the owner of the daily "Hora H," was shot at least 44 times by a group of gunmen in the city of Nova Iguaçu, just outside Rio de Janeiro, reported EFE. Lemos' father said his son was the subject of death threats prior to his... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
37563
Brazil,Iceland,United States,United Kingdom,Denmark
Low Rates of Gun Homicide in Iceland Despite High Gun Ownership
16 May 2013
BBC News
Even though I grew up in New England, there was something novel about seeing an Icelandic blizzard. It was paralysing, with epic wind gusts that made snowflakes feel like razors.
As I dragged my bags along Reykjavik's snowy pavement, an older man in a Jeep pulled alongside me.
"You want to get in?" he asked.
It sounded crazy. Why would I ever get in a stranger's car?
Despite everything I was taught about riding in cars with strangers, I climbed in the backseat. And... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
37457
Brazil
Brazil's Firearm Sales Reach Record High as Gun Deaths Also Soar
13 May 2013
News Track India (Delhi)
RIO DE JANEIRO - The number of new guns legally sold in Brazil shot up in the last eight years, growing from 5,161 in 2004 to a record 31,500 in 2012, a media report said.
Figures from the Brazilian Federal Police showed a total of 183,722 new guns were registered in the country between 2002 and 2012, which equals two every hour, reported Xinhua citing O'Globo.
Among those sold in 2012, 60 percent of the weapons were purchased by policemen.
The newspaper said the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: News Track India (Delhi)
37433
Yemen,Argentina,Costa Rica,Libya,Germany,United States,Brazil,Paraguay,Austria
Most Brazilian Guns Exported to US
29 April 2013
Folha de Sao Paulo
BRASILIA - The U.S., currently discussing restrictions on the sale of firearms, purchased 7.9 million guns from Brazil in the past 40 years, and 59% of those were exported during the Lula administration (2003-2010).
That is the result of a new study by the Army Command to which Folha had access through the Access to Information Act, with a detailed record of the sellers and buyers of 9.9 million revolvers, pistols, rifles and shotguns, among other weapons, exported... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Folha de Sao Paulo
37390
Brazil
New Study Shows Gun Homicides Fell in Brazil After Tough Law Passed
1 April 2013
ABC News (USA)
BRASILIA, Brazil - A new study suggests the number of homicides in Brazil has fallen since the passage of a law restricting gun ownership.
The study by the government's Institute of Applied Economic Research says the homicide rate fell to 20 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2010 from 22 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2003, when the law was passed.
In 1980, Brazilians possessed an average of 10 firearms per 100,000 inhabitants. Widespread fears that the police weren't properly... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: ABC News (USA)
37265
Brazil
Brazilian Singer Caught with Handguns at Routine Checkpoint [Português]
20 March 2013
Globo (Rio de Janeiro)
[Translated summary: Brazilian singer Udson Cadorini Silva, from the group Edson & Hudson, was caught with two illegal handguns at a routine police checkpoint. Silva belongs to a firearms association, which allows members to carry weapons to and from competitions and training.]
O cantor sertanejo Udson Cadorini Silva, de 40 anos, da dupla Edson & Hudson, foi preso em flagrante na madrugada desta quarta-feira (20) em Limeira (SP) por porte ilegal de arma. O sertanejo de... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Globo (Rio de Janeiro)
37214
Africa,Americas,Asia,Europe,Oceania,United States,Russia,Italy,Germany,Brazil,Switzerland,Israel,Austria,South Korea,Belgium,Spain,Turkey,Norway,Canada,United Kingdom,Australia,France,Pakistan,Yemen,Honduras,El Salvador,Jamaica
Fact and Figures: Global Trade in Small Arms
18 March 2013
al Jazeera
Diplomats from around the world have gathered at the UN for talks on an international arms trade treaty, in an effort to stop the sale of illegal conventional arms.
Similar talks held last July failed, mainly due to the objections of the US and Russia, the world's two largest arms exporters.
Al Jazeera has compiled a list of facts related to the global production and trading of small arms.
1. Authorised international transfers of small arms, light weapons, their... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: al Jazeera
37196
Brazil
Northeast Brazil Suffers Highest Gun Deaths - Study
11 March 2013
InSight Crime (Bogota)
A new study shows that northeastern Brazil is the region most affected by gun deaths in the country, having experienced a dramatic upswing in violence over the past decade.
The study, released by non-governmental organization the Brazilian Centre for Latin American Studies (Cebela) shows that over 36,000 Brazilians were killed by guns in 2010 -- a rate of 20.4 people per 100,000. The rate is slightly below 2000 levels but nearly triple the rate of 1980. Nearly 95... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
37176
Brazil
How Brazil Exploited Sexual Insecurity to Curb Guns
8 March 2013
Bloomberg (USA)
Brazil has a gun culture, a gun industry and a gun problem -- much like the U.S. In fact, more Brazilians than Americans died of gunfire in 2010.
Yet Brazil's 2010 tally, 34,300 deaths, was significantly lower than its gun fatalities in 2003 (39,284), when the government enacted major gun-control regulation. I asked Brazilian political scientist Antonio Bandeira, who coordinates the arms-control program of Viva Rio, a nongovernmental organization in Rio De Janeiro, how... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Bloomberg (USA)
37166
Brazil
New Study Shows 70 Percent of Homicides in Brazil are Firearm-Related
6 March 2013
Globo (Rio de Janeiro)
[Translated summary: The latest edition of Brazil's 'Map of Violence' shows that 36,792 people were shot and killed in 2010 in Brazil, an increase since 2009. 20.4 homicides per 100,000 citizens occur in Brazil and the highest homicide rate was in the region of Alagoas. The regions of Pará, Alagoas, Bahia and Paraíba all experienced a significant increase in homicides, despite anti-violence campaigns. 70 percent of all homicides were committed with guns.]
BRASÍLIA -... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Globo (Rio de Janeiro)
37154
Brazil,United States
Second US Teachers Pension Fund Drops Gun Shares
15 February 2013
Financial Times (UK)
A New York City teachers' retirement fund has withdrawn $13.5m in investments in gun manufacturers, in the latest move by a public pension fund to distance itself from the firearms industry after a mass shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school.
John Liu, New York City's comptroller who serves as investment adviser to the $46.6bn fund, said on Friday that the shooting that left 20 children dead in Newtown, Connecticut, and "the continued prevalence of gun violence... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Financial Times (UK)
37094
Brazil,Mexico
Mexicans Swap Over 3,000 Guns for Computers, Bikes in Amnesty
6 February 2013
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Mexico City authorities have received over 3,000 firearms in exchange for cash, bicycles, tablet computers and other goods, in new amnesty program aimed at tackling gun crime.
The program, "For your family, voluntarily disarmament" (Por tu familia, desarme voluntario), has been running in three of Mexico City's 16 districts for the last two months. El Capitalino reports that government officials associated with the program have visited nearly half a million homes in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
37038
Chile,Brazil,Germany,Libya,Turkey,Denmark,Sweden,Canada
Critics Say German Report on Weapons Exports Reveals Little
30 January 2013
Deutsche Welle
Critics says the government's report on arms exports lacks transparency: exporting companies are not named, and government sales are merely summarized. Yet the government claims it's in-depth and detailed.
How is it that time and again military equipment "made in Germany" shows up in war zones, despite German government claims that it handles its weapon exports "restrictively" and that it maintains a broad ban on exports to countries with questionable track records for... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Deutsche Welle
37017
Bolivia,United States,Colombia,Brazil,Argentina
Bolivia Breaks Gun Trafficking Ring, Weapons From US to Brazil
28 January 2013
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Bolivian authorities broke up a network suspected of smuggling guns from the United States to Brazil's First Capital Command (PCC) gang, highlighting this Andean nation's role as a transit route in the region's illicit arms trade.
On January 25, authorities arrested four Bolivian nationals in the city of Santa Cruz and seized an arms shipment worth $150,000 that was destined to be sent across the border to the Brazilian PCC gang, reported EFE news agency.
Among the 28... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
37000
Colombia,Paraguay,Brazil,United States
What the US Can Learn From Brazil's Epidemic of Gun Violence
18 January 2013
Latitude News
A man walks into an elementary school with two handguns. Within minutes, more than thirty children are dead or wounded.
This isn't Newtown, Connecticut, but Realengo, a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. On April 7th, 2011, Wellington Oliveira murdered twelve children and wounded twenty others. The tragedy sparked a national conversation on gun violence, a huge problem in Brazil.
On Wednesday, in reaction to a different massacre, President Obama proposed a series... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Latitude News
36959
Brazil
Brazil Allows Police High Calibre Guns, NGOs Worried About Corruption
16 January 2013
InSight Crime (Bogota)
The Brazilian military will now allow police and firefighters to buy powerful .45 caliber guns for personal use, raising fears over how the weapons will be used and where they might end up.
Prior to the ruling, only federal police were permitted to buy .45 caliber weapons, while other police agencies carried less lethal .40 or .38 weapons. The new regulations open the way for civil, military, and transport police to purchase .45 handguns.
The military command, which... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
36949
Colombia,Venezuela,Mexico,Chile,Brazil,Argentina
Gun Laws in Six Latin American Nations Explained
11 January 2013
Americas Society/Council of the Americas
Following a mass school shooting in Connecticut in December 2012, policymakers in the United States began engaging in a renewed debate about gun control. AS/COA Online looks at gun-related legislation in Latin America's six largest economies, identifying regulations for arms licensing. In Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela, gun possession is legal for civilians, though restrictions tend to be stringent. …
Argentina: Gun ownership in Argentina... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Americas Society/Council of the Americas
36932
Brazil
Unsecured Antique Gun Kills Brazilian Teen in Accidental Shooting
4 January 2013
Telegraph (UK)
A Brazilian teenager died after an antique shotgun which had been hidden for years fell to the floor and went off as he was cleaning his room.
Helciane Pereira da Silva, 14, was shot in the stomach by the gun, which is believed had been placed in a gap near the ceiling of the boy's room by a previous owner.
Police in Monteiropolis, in Brazil's northeastern state of Alagoas, said the teenager had been rearranging his room at the time of the accident and had probably... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Telegraph (UK)
36914
Colombia,Paraguay,Chile,Brazil,Uruguay,Venezuela
Tough Gun Control Laws in South America
27 December 2012
I Love Chile, Opinion
SANTIAGO — It is interesting to have a look at firearms legislation in South America, where street gangs and violence is commonplace. According to a study done at Universidad de Chile, the number of incidents of handgun use is higher in regions with low levels of education, high poverty and unemployment, and a younger population. It is not surprising that the most vulnerable zones in this matter are Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela.
In Brazil, the minimum age required... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: I Love Chile
36870
Zimbabwe,Pakistan,Colombia,United States,Brazil
Brazil Should Continue Responsible Gun Control, Reduce Deaths Further
25 December 2012
Rio Times, Opinion
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Last week's slaughter of twenty elementary school children in the United States has tragic echoes with the massacre in Realengo, Rio de Janeiro earlier this year. At 8:30 AM on April 7th, Wellington Oliveira calmly walked into a classroom with two .38 and .32 caliber handguns, and shot twelve children dead.
At least sixty shots were fired and twenty boys and girls were critically wounded. It was the worst school massacre in Brazilian history.... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Rio Times
36868
Honduras,Colombia,Mexico,Panama,Guatemala,Swaziland,South Africa,Jamaica,Philippines,Brazil,El Salvador,United States
Top 12 Countries for Firearms Related Deaths
17 December 2012
Forbes (USA)
Few major nations have the right to bear arms configured in their Constitution. Even fewer (as in we are the only one) have gun control legislation as a hot button political issue. The U.S. is the most violent core economy in terms of gun related deaths. It is also the leader in gun violence at school campuses. Yet, the U.S. does not lead the world in firearms related deaths. Countries were gangs and drugs are a problem top the list, even where there is strict gun... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Forbes (USA)
36832
Costa Rica,Mexico,Honduras,Guatemala,Colombia,Brazil,El Salvador
Study Shows South America Gun Deaths More Likely in Cities [Español]
5 December 2012
Prensa Libre (Guatemala) / EFE News Agency
[Translated summary: A new study found that over 60 percent of gun homicides in Costa Rica, Guatemala and El Salvador occur in large cities. ]
GINEBRA - El informe titulado "Violencia urbana armada" señala que las capitales de los países concentran buen parte de la violencia, por ejemplo la Ciudad de Guatemala o Managua, que contabilizan un 42 por ciento del total de los homicidios armados a nivel nacional.
El estudio, basado en cifras oficiales, revela también las... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Prensa Libre (Guatemala) / EFE News Agency
36801
Brazil
Nearly 300 Crime Guns Stolen from Evidence Lock Up in Brazil
26 November 2012
Fox News Latino (USA) / EFE News Agency
A group of armed men overpowered the lone security guard at a judicial system arms depot in Colombo, a city in southern Brazil, over the weekend and stole 291 firearms that were going to be introduced as evidence at different trials, police said.
The firearms, mostly revolvers and pistols, had been seized by police in various operations and were being held at the depot so they could be used as evidence in different cases.
The robbery occurred around 12:30 a.m. Sunday... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Fox News Latino (USA) / EFE News Agency
36774
South America,Brazil,Uruguay
Drug Gang Shootings Blamed for Uruguay Homicide Rate Rise
22 November 2012
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Uruguay is on course for its most violent year on record, according to a new report, suggesting that organized crime may be increasing its presence in one of Latin America's historically more peaceful countries.
The Proposal Foundation (Fundacion Propuesta - FP), an organization that monitors security in Uruguay, released figures putting the country on course for a homicide rate of 9.19 per 100,000 in 2012. This marks a jump from 6.27 per 100,000 last year, and means... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
36763
Uruguay,Brazil,Paraguay
Uruguay Police Suspected of Stealing Guns, Trafficking to Brazil Gangs
14 November 2012
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Uruguay is investigating 20 police officers for the disappearance of some 200 firearms over the past two years, as evidence suggests the officers may have been involved in an arms trafficking ring that sold weapons to Brazilian criminal organizations.
The officers, including a former police chief, are suspected of involvement in the disappearance of more than 200 firearms from police headquarters in Treinta y Tres, an eastern province that shares a maritime border with... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
36744
Brazil
Brazil Authorities Seize Guns, Drugs After Fatal Gang Shootout
12 September 2012
Fox News Latino (USA) / EFE
An elite police unit killed nine people during an operation targeting drug traffickers in Varzea Paulista, a city about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Sao Paulo, Brazilian officials said.
Six of the nine suspects killed in Tuesday's operation have been identified and all had lengthy criminal records, the Sao Paulo Security Secretariat said.
Forty officers from two squads of the ROTA special operations battalion took part in the operation, which also resulted in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Fox News Latino (USA) / EFE
36550
Brazil
Six People Die in Random Nightclub Shooting In Brazil
28 August 2012
Zee News (India)
RIO DE JANEIRO - Six people were killed and 14 wounded in a gunfight at a nightclub in the southeastern Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte, police said Monday, blaming the violence on a dispute between gangs.
Scores of people were inside the club late Sunday night when two armed men burst in as a band was playing and started firing indiscriminately.
One of the intruders was carrying a military-issue submachine gun, police said.
Several club patrons drew guns and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Zee News (India)
36504
Italy,Germany,Austria,Europe,United States,Brazil
Europe's Role in US Mass Murders: EU Nations Often Provide the Guns
24 July 2012
Washington Post, Opinion
Americans mourn the victims in Aurora, Colo. In Europe, too, there is grief — mingled with incomprehension. The media chorus: How many more massacres before the United States adopts European-style gun control?
Christoph Prantner of Austria's Der Standard bemoans American insistence on Second Amendment rights, "even when this freedom occasionally has a very high price and, in a bloody perversion, fatally impairs the freedom of others."
I can't disagree. I just wish... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Post
36378
Brazil,Argentina
Argentina Loses 400 Military Guns, Pointing to Brazil Connection
16 July 2012
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Argentina's Armed Forces have lost track of more than 400 firearms in the past two years, according to a government report, in evidence that military stockpiles may be feeding a regional arms bazaar.
The newspaper Clarin obtained a report which Chief of Staff Juan Manuel Abal Medina prepared for Argentina's Congress, highlighting the theft of arms from the army, air force, and navy. Among the weapons stolen from the air force and army were six Browning heavy machine... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
36341
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
Mexico,Australia,Brazil,Nigeria,Canada
Canada Changed Its Arms Policy, Chose UN Delegate to Suit Gun Lobby
21 March 2012
CBC News (Canada)
The office of Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird ordered last-minute changes to Canada's position on an international arms treaty, as well as to its delegation to meetings at United Nations headquarters, CBC News has learned.
According to documents obtained under the Access to Information Act, the minister's office ignored advice from the department and ordered civil servants to invite Steve Torino, president of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association (CSSA), to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: CBC News (Canada)
35940
Estonia,Dominican Republic,Ecuador,Ukraine,Kyrgyzstan,Moldova,Kazakhstan,Belize,Latvia,Venezuela,Belarus,Lithuania,Bahamas,Bolivia,Azerbaijan,Russia,Antigua & Barbuda,Guyana,South Africa,Jamaica,Honduras,Guatemala,El Salvador,South America,Colombia,Brazil,Central America,Caribbean
1/3 of Femicides Committed With Gun in Latin America and Caribbean [Espanol]
2 March 2012
RT-TV Novosti (Russia)
[Translated summary: Nearly a third of crimes against women are committed with a firearm and in Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras this indicator is 60% - Small Arms Survey.]
El mayor nivel de feminicidios se registra en Latinoamérica y el Caribe. Catorce países latinoamericanos aparecen entre los 25 del mundo con la tasa más elevada de crímenes contra la mujer.
El informe de la organización de investigaciones independientes Small Arms Survey,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RT-TV Novosti (Russia)
35882
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
Mexico,El Salvador,Honduras,Venezuela,Brazil,Colombia
Colombia Capital Tries Trial Ban on Guns in Public
2 February 2012
New York Times / AP
BOGOTA, Colombia — Gustavo Petro was imprisoned as a rebel in the 1980s on a weapons conviction. As Bogota's new mayor, he wants to get firearms off the streets of this city where the conspicuous display of guns has long been the norm.
So he's trying an experimental ban on gun-wielding in public.
The only people authorized to carry weapons during the 90-day trial that began Wednesday are active and retired police and soldiers, bodyguards of diplomats, politicians,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times / AP
35792
Brazil
Brazil: 4.3 Million Guns Sold in 5yrs, 40,000 Gun Deaths in 2009 [Portugues]
27 January 2012
Publica (Brazil)
[Translated summary: domestic manufacturers alone sold 4.3 million guns in Brazil over the past five years. Nearly 40,000 people died in 2009 in episodes involving firearms, including homicides, suicides and accidents, according to latest figures provided by the Ministry of Health. A study by Pablo Dreyfuss, who was a leading expert on the subject, showed that 90% of these deaths are the result of crimes and the risk of dying from injuries caused by firearms in Brazil... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Publica (Brazil)
35796
Brazil
Brazil, the Worlds' 4th Largest Arms Manufacturer and Exporter [Portugues]
27 January 2012
Publica (Brazil)
[Tanslated summary: Brazil, fourth largest exporter in small arms and around 4,5 million arms exported in the past five years.]
De maneira pouco transparente, governo incentiva crescimento da indústria. Ênfase é nas armas leves: Brasil é 4º maior exportador mundial. Levantamento inédito do Exército revela que nos últimos 5 anos, exportamos 4,5 milhões de armas.
Uma pequena lata metálica, arranhada e atirada ao chão, gerou o primeiro vexame diplomático... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Publica (Brazil)
35795
Madagascar,Guinea,Ghana,Botswana,Angola,Algeria,South Africa,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,Russia,Austria,Israel,Germany,Italy,United States,Yemen,Philippines,Pakistan,Sri Lanka,Tunisia,Brazil,Burkina Faso,Egypt,Côte d'Ivoire,Malawi,Mauritania,Morocco,Namibia,Niger,Nigeria,Congo (ROC),Senegal,Tanzania,Uganda,Zambia,Zimbabwe,Argentina,Ecuador
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
Brazil,Venezuela
Venezuela Destroyed 138,000 Arms in 2011 [Espanol]
17 January 2012
Venezolana de Televisión (Caracas)
[Translated summary: The director of Venezuela National Police explained that the rate of destruction in 2011 is of 464 weapons per 100,000 people. An important result compared to 90 weapons per 100,000 people in Brazil.]
El director de la PNB explicó que esa cifra nos da una tasa de destrucción de 464 armas por cada 100.000 habitantes, sólo en el 2011 / Resaltó que este que este dato demuestra que en Venezuela "estamos demostrando con hechos que hay una voluntad... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Venezolana de Televisión (Caracas)
35741
Brazil
FIFA Mulls Brazilian Plans for Gun Scrapping Drive at Soccer World Cup
14 December 2011
Guardian (UK)
RIO DE JANEIRO - Football's governing body, Fifa, is studying plans to hand out free or cut-price World Cup tickets to football fans who surrender guns to the Brazilian government.
Brazil's justice ministry submitted the plans for the 2014 event last month as part of a new disarmament drive in the South American country.
According to reports in the Brazilian media, the government's suggestions also include swapping official footballs and shirts signed by World Cup... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Guardian (UK)
35670
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro Police Caught Selling Seized Firearms to Criminal Gangs
13 December 2011
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Police in Rio de Janeiro arrested 16 people, including 11 military police, accused of selling confiscated firearms to criminal groups.
According to news site R7, the group operated a gun trafficking ring that sold weapons to gangs based in Rio's third-largest favela, Jacarezinho.
This is one of Rio's poorer areas, where crack cocaine use is widespread, and prison gang the Red Command (Comando Vermelho) is active.
Jacarezinho does not yet have a police pacification... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
35671
Brazil
Brazil Govt Recorded More Than 38,000 Gun Deaths in 2010 [Espanol]
12 December 2011
La Nueva (Argentina)
[Translated summary: According to data released by Brazil Ministry of Health, 70.5% of the murders of 2010 involved firearms. If suicides, accidents and gun deaths from undetermined cause are taken into account, firearms were involved in the death of more than 38,000 people.]
El 70,5 % de los asesinatos que se registraron en Brasil en 2010, 35.233 personas, fueron muertos con armas de fuego, según datos difundidos hoy por el Ministerio de Salud.
Si se cuentan los... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: La Nueva (Argentina)
35656
Venezuela,Peru,Ecuador,Chile,Bolivia,Paraguay,Brazil,Argentina,Mexico,Colombia,Uruguay,United States,North America,South America,Central America,Caribbean
Latin American Governments Target Gun Runners, Countries Making Guns
28 November 2011
United Press International
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay - Latin America's increasingly ambitious Mercosur regional bloc is aiming to focus on small arms suppliers who are seen as being behind the region's endemic and seemingly insurmountable problem of violent crime.
The area's disparate armed groups, guerrillas with political agenda and drug-related gangs have drawn attention from Mercosur's watchdog committees as senior officials explore ways of containing organized crime, rooting out myriad networks... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: United Press International
35594
Brazil
570,000 Firearms Removed from Brazil Streets since 2004 [Espanol]
1 November 2011
Univision (USA) / AFP
[Translated summary: The Brasilian government has recovered 570,000 firearms since 2004. This year, 28,000 firearms were removed from circulation; between 1997 and 2008: 1,8 million firearms were destroyed; at least 8 million guns are still in the hands of civilians, security forces and criminals; firearms are involved in 20,000 to 30,000 murders each year.]
El gobierno brasileño retiró 570.000 armas de fuego de circulación durante las campañas públicas de... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Univision (USA) / AFP
35496
Brazil
Churches Support Brazil Gun Buyback, Destroy 27,000 Firearms [Francais]
28 October 2011
La Croix (France)
[Translated summary: The Sou da Paz Institute, a Brazilian non-governmental organisation that campaigns actively for the prevention of violence sought the help of churches and religious communities to support and justify its campaign of voluntary surrender of firearms and ammunition.]
L'institut Sou da Paz, une organisation non-gouvernementale brésilienne qui milite activement pour la prévention de la violence a demandé le concours des Églises et des communautés... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: La Croix (France)
35490
Brazil
Half a Million Guns Destroyed This Year in Brazil Gun Buyback [Francais]
17 September 2011
Le Figaro (France)
[Translated summary: The Brazilian Minister of Justice launched the second phase of national disarmament, urging civilians to surrender their guns. The first phase aimed to collect 22,000 firearms.]
Le ministre brésilien de la Justice vient de lancer la deuxième phase d'une campagne incitant les citoyens à se séparer de leurs armes à feu.
Les Brésiliens peuvent l'effectuer de manière anonyme et toucher, selon le type d'arme, entre 100 et 300 reals (de 40 à... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Le Figaro (France)
35317
Colombia,Americas,Brazil
One Death by Gunshot Every 15 Minutes in Brazil [Francais]
3 September 2011
Le Nouvel Observateur (France), Blog
[Translated summary: In less than six months, the Military Police of Imperatriz, Brazil, have collected 84 firearms during random investigations. On Average in Brazil, there is one gun death every 15 minutes]
IMPERATRIZ, Maranhão - Il y a des centaines d'armes à feu en circulation rien que dans la région d'Imperatriz. On vient de saisir une douzaine de pistolets et fusils hier et avant-hier dans les rues. Au Brésil il y a un mort par balle toutes les 15 minutes... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Le Nouvel Observateur (France)
35240
South Africa,Brazil,Argentina,Australia,Mexico,United States,Canada,Africa,Sweden,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas
Canada Gun Lobby Influence on Foreign Policy: Arms Trade Treaty
3 August 2011
Embassy Magazine (Canada), Opinion
Canada has never been a strong supporter of international efforts to negotiate an effective Arms Trade Treaty. But in mid-July, it reversed its previous low-key but constructive role at the United Nations ATT preparatory meetings to become a potential treaty spoiler. All indications point to this change of heart arising from the domestic gun lobby's influence on Canadian foreign policy.
After years of preparation, member states of the United Nations will devote a month... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Embassy Magazine (Canada)
35160
Brazil,Venezuela,Guyana
Guyana Police Arrested Venezuelan for Illegal Handgun Possession
20 July 2011
DemeraraWaves (Guyana)
A Venezuelan man was early Wednesday nabbed allegedly with a gun and ammunition in his possession.
Guyana Police Force spokesman, Ivelaw Whittaker said police acted on information about 4 AM and found a .38 revolver and 12 matching rounds.
The arrest took place at Eteringbang Landing. He is assisting police with their investigations, Whittaker added.
Police Commissioner, Henry Greene told Demerara Waves Online News ( www.demwaves.com ) that the man entered Guyana... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: DemeraraWaves (Guyana)
35088
Suriname,Bolivia,Colombia,Brazil,Paraguay,Argentina
Brazil's New Small Arms Smuggling Frontier? The Sea
18 July 2011
Christian Science Monitor, Blog
Brazil has more gun deaths than any other country in the world, and so the phenomenon of arms trafficking is a major concern.
Almost 20 percent of guns seized in the country are foreign produced, while those that cannot legally be sold in the country are legitimately produced in Brazil and then exported, before being smuggled back in, according to a study on arms trafficking by NGO Viva Rio, in collaboration with Brazil's Justice Department.
According to a recent... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Christian Science Monitor
35077
Brazil
Gun Buyback Aims to Collect, Destroy Another Million Guns in Brazil
7 May 2011
Associated Press
The government began a gun buyback campaign on Friday that officials hope will take more than one million guns off the streets by the end of the year.
The campaign started one month after a gunman shot and killed 12 children in a Rio de Janeiro school before killing himself. In similar campaigns in 2003 and 2009, 1.1 million firearms were turned in.
The Justice Ministry says on its Web site that gun owners can turn in their guns and ammunition with no questions... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
34773
Brazil
Brazil Lawmakers Propose New Referendum on Gun Law, Gun Sale Ban
13 April 2011
BBC News
Brazilian lawmakers say they will propose a national vote on whether to ban the sale of guns, after a deadly shooting at a school last week.
The Senate leader said legislators would rush through a bill to allow a referendum to be held this autumn.
A similar proposal in 2005 was rejected by voters and kept gun sales legal.
Brazil observed three days of mourning after the attack on 7 April, in which a gunman shot dead 12 children in a school in Rio de Janeiro.
Brazil... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
34670
Brazil
School Shooting Prompts Gun Buyback, Bill to Ban Gun Sales in Brazil
12 April 2011
Associated Press
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Five days after Brazil's most lethal school shooting killed 12 children, Senate leaders decided Tuesday to rush a bill that would let the voters decide whether to forbid gun sales in South America's biggest country.
Senate leader Jose Sarney said at a news conference that legislators would treat the matter with urgency so the issue could be put before Brazilian citizens this fall.
The bill would have to be approved by both the Senate and the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
34665
Brazil
After Brazil Mass Shooting, Demonstrators Demand Tougher Gun Laws
12 April 2011
NTD-TV News (New York), Transcript
A group of protesters gather on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro - three days after 12 children were shot dead at a local school.
They're calling on authorities to increase gun control measures.
As red-stained Brazilian flags blow in the breeze - the activists hold signs with the names of the children who were lined up and shot point-blank.
One demonstrator said security forces need to crack down on the availability of fire arms.
[Antonio Costa, President,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: NTD-TV News (New York)
34663
Brazil
Brazil Renews Its Million-Gun Destruction Push After Rio School Massacre
12 April 2011
Forbes (USA)
Brazil's Ministry of Justice is calling on gun owners to turn in their arms. The government's disarmament campaign is voluntary and began back in 2005, but the justice department opted to start the campaign earlier and promote it more feverishly following the nation's first homicidal school shooting on April 7 in the Realengo neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro.
The disarmament campaign will start May 6 with the objective to take as many guns off the street as possible.... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Forbes (USA)
34660
Brazil
Suspected Vendors of Revolver to Rio Schoolkids' Mass Killer Arrested
10 April 2011
Latin American Herald Tribune (Venezuela)
RIO DE JANEIRO – Rio de Janeiro's Civil Police announced Saturday the arrest of two men accused of selling a revolver to the perpetrator of last Thursday's massacre at a school, in which 12 children were killed and another 12 were wounded.
Charleston Souza de Lucena, 38, and Izaias de Souza, 48, were arrested before dawn Saturday, accused of selling a 32 caliber revolver to Wellington Menezes de Oliveira, the killer who committed suicide when surrounded by... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Latin American Herald Tribune (Venezuela)
34650
Brazil
School Massacre Spotlights Gun Violence, Rising Firearm Sales in Brazil
8 April 2011
Christian Science Monitor
Brazil is no stranger to urban mayhem, with street shootouts splashing the front pages of newspapers each day in the nation that tops the world in deaths by firearms.
But Thursday's massacre of 12 children at school in western Rio de Janeiro has touched a nerve in this hardened nation. As families hold burial services today, Brazil is asking how such violence more associated with the United States became a reality here.
As happened following the 2007 Virginia Tech... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Christian Science Monitor
34644
Brazil
Young Gun Owner Shoots, Kills 12 in Brazil's Worst Mass School Shooting
7 April 2011
Associated Press
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - A gunman roamed the halls of an elementary school in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday and killed 11 children, lining them up against a wall and shooting them in the head at point-blank range as he shouted, "I'm going to kill you all!"
It was the worst school shooting in Brazil and would have been deadlier if the gunman had not been shot in the legs by a police officer, who said the man then fell down some stairs and shot himself in the head.
Images... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
34640
Brazil
Drop in Gun Violence as Rio Works to Rid its Slums of Armed Drug Gangs
1 April 2011
Guardian (UK)
Pushing through the emergency department's rubber-coated swing doors, Dr Luiz Sérgio Verbicaro threw open his arms as if welcoming guests to his new home.
Before him a huddle of bored-looking medics made small talk around a table in a corner of the otherwise empty department. Outside, the ambulance bay was deserted.
"It is good – and abnormal," said Verbicaro, 60, a veteran surgeon and the director of the Getúlio Vargas hospital in northern Rio de Janeiro, until... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Guardian (UK)
34619
Peru,Guatemala,Afghanistan,Argentina,Venezuela,Brazil,South America
Survey: South American Security Firms Carry More Guns Than Elsewhere
29 March 2011
United Press International
RIO DE JANEIRO - Private security firms in Latin America are the most armed with the largest weapons arsenals in that category of security industry companies worldwide, a new survey report said.
An added problem was that many of the weapons carried by employees of private security firms weren't registered under companies' names.
Instead, the weapons had private registrations that made the task of evaluating the firms' arsenals more difficult, said an advance research... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: United Press International
34599
United Kingdom,Switzerland,Russia,Norway,Mexico,Japan,Italy,Germany,Austria,Czech Republic,India,China,Canada,Brazil,Australia,United States
How Gun Control Laws Vary in 16 Countries Around the World
10 January 2011
Guardian (UK)
Australia
Ownership is strictly prohibited unless there are "genuine reasons" such as licensed sport, animal control or employment requirements.
Brazil
If you are over 25 and have registered a weapon, you are free to keep it indoors. The country has the second-highest gun-related death rate after the US.
Canada
Significantly stricter than the neighbouring US. To acquire a licence, applicants must undertake a safety course, pass a criminal records check and be... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Guardian (UK)
34020
Brazil
Gun Owner Kills His Bride, Best Man, Himself at His Own Wedding in Brazil
21 December 2010
United Press International
RECIFE, Brazil - A Brazilian man shot and killed his new wife and his best man and then took his own life at their wedding reception, police said.
The bride's brother was wounded, O Globo reported.
Witnesses told police Roger Damascena, 29, went to his father's pickup truck during the reception Saturday in Casa Grande, a village near Recife, and apparently retrieved a gun. A few minutes later, he began shooting, gunning down Renata Costa Alexandre Coelho, 25, and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: United Press International
33891
Guyana,Brazil
Most Robberies In Guyana Involve Guns, Many Smuggled from Brazil
18 May 2010
Stabroek News (Guyana), Editorial
Last week's forum – "In Harm's Way: Girls in Settings of Endemic Armed Violence" – that was organized to observe the 'Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence' by the International Action Network against Small Arms was cause for both controversy and concern.
Ms Glynis Beaton, General Secretary of the Young Women's Christian Association, created a stir by declaring, probably with some hyperbole, that there were "at least 150,000 persons in possession of illegal... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Stabroek News (Guyana)
32695
Brazil
Gun Control Saved 13,000 Lives, 1 for Each Gun Destroyed in São Paulo
30 March 2010
Estadão (São Paulo)
Translated summary: Policies to reduce gun violence saved 13,000 lives -- one life saved for each firearm destroyed -- in Sao Paulo State between 2001 and 2007, according to a new study 'Less Guns, Less Crimes'.
Um estudo do Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada (Ipea) e da PUC-Rio relaciona a queda no número de homicídios no Estado de São Paulo, entre 2001 e 2007, ao crescimento na apreensão de armas - sobretudo após o Estatuto do Desarmamento entrar em... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Estadão (São Paulo)
32507
Brazil
Brazil Announces Amnesty to Reduce 5million Unregistered Guns
11 January 2010
Global Insight
The Brazilian government has launched a new disarmament campaign, according to the interim justice minister Luis Paulo Barreto, Agencia Brasil reports. The Justice Ministry has also released data on a campaign to register firearms that ended on 31 December. The campaign saw 1.2 million arms registered last year and 14,544 arms handed over to the police in return for compensation. Anyone found with a weapon that has not been registered faces the risk of a three-year jail... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Global Insight
31858
United States,Brazil
'Aggressive Incentives' Lure Brazilian Gun Maker from Florida to Georgia
17 July 2009
Atlanta Business Chronicle
A Miami-based small-arms manufacturer has Georgia in its sights for a corporate relocation that would create up to 300 jobs.
Taurus USA is also eyeing locations in Alabama, South Carolina and Brevard County, Fla., for the up to $20 million investment.
If Taurus relocated to Georgia from its Hialeah, Fla., location, it would locate manufacturing, distribution and corporate jobs in an up to 125,000-square-foot facility. The jobs would pay, on average, about... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Atlanta Business Chronicle
30610
Argentina,Brazil,United Nations
Global Gun Control Expert Pablo Dreyfus Killed in Air Crash [Espanol]
22 June 2009
El Clarin (Buenos Aires), Obituary
[Translated summary: World-renowned and respected gun control expert Pablo Dreyfus and his wife died in the recent crash of Air France 447].
Mensajes de todo Brasil llegan sin cesar, en homenaje al argentino Pablo Dreyfus, desaparecido en el accidente del avión de Air France. Son militares, diplomáticos, policías, curas, gobernadores, parlamentarios, ONGs y ciudadanos comunes, que envían agradecimientos por todo lo que ese porteño ha hecho por los... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: El Clarin (Buenos Aires)
30394
Portugal,Angola,Brazil,Cape Verde,Guinea-Bissau,Mozambique,Sao Tome & Principe,Timor-Leste
Police Chiefs of Portuguese-speaking Nations Meet to Curb Gun Running
12 June 2009
Diario de Noticias (Lisbon)
CPLP (Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries) police chiefs have created a committee to fight arms trafficking through tighter controls of legal arms sales.
The PSP (Portuguese Public Security Police) has suggested to the CPLP chiefs of police a harmonization of legislation relating to the trade and transport of firearms. The objective is to prevent the considerable number of weapons circulating legally between these countries falling into criminal hands.
The CPLP... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Diario de Noticias (Lisbon)
30323
United Nations,Finland,New Zealand,United States,Australia,Canada,France,Belgium,Sweden,Switzerland,South Africa,Austria,Israel,Brazil,Germany
Comparison of Key Handgun Restrictions in 14 Industrialised Countries
25 September 2008
Economist
Finland's government is introducing tougher regulations on handguns following a mass shooting at a school on Tuesday September 23rd, the second in under a year.
The country had been among the most lenient in the world, allowing 15-year-olds to keep a handgun under parental supervision, requiring no medical or psychological tests and no minimum wait for those buying weapons.
The gun-death rate (whether murder, accident or suicide) in rich countries is highest where... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Economist
28318
Brazil
$28million Gun Buyback Aims to Destroy 300,000 More Firearms in Brazil
23 August 2008
BBC News
SAO PAULO — The Brazilian government is to launch a campaign as part of an effort to get 300,000 guns off the streets and to cut the country's high murder rate.
Anyone who hands over a firearm will receive between 100 and 300 reais ($60-$185) and will not be investigated if they were illegally holding the weapon.
The campaign will be promoted by advertising on television, radio, newspapers and the internet.
A similar move four years ago helped remove 500,000... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
28047
Brazil
Brazil Kicks Off New Gun Registration, Buyback Campaign [português]
21 August 2008
Folha de São Paulo
[Translated summary: Brazil begins a new gun registration drive, convincing citizens either to register their guns, or to hand them over in a new buy-back campaign].
O governo lançou nesta quinta-feira uma nova edição da campanha para o registro nacional de armas de fogo. Coordenada pelo Ministério da Justiça, a campanha tem como objetivo incentivar os brasileiros a registrar ou entregar voluntariamente suas armas para reduzir as mortes no país. A partir de... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Folha de São Paulo
28046
Brazil
With Less Drugs and Guns, Homicides Fall in São Paulo [Português]
6 August 2008
O Estado de São Paulo / AE
[Translated summary: A study from the São Paulo Public Security Secretary shows a direct correlation between the reduction of guns in circulation and the dramatic decrease in homicides in the state this decade].
SÃO PAULO — Estudo feito pela Secretaria da Segurança Pública mostra uma correlação direta entre a redução da circulação das armas de fogo e a diminuição dos homicídios nas 99 cidades do Estado que registram mais de 20 casos por ano em 2001. Os... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: O Estado de São Paulo / AE
27921
Brazil,Bolivia,Paraguay
Machine Guns from Bolivian Army Equip Rio Drug Traffickers [Português]
3 August 2008
O Globo (Rio de Janeiro)
[Translated summary: Nine .30 machine guns diverted from the Bolivian armed forces have been apprehended in Rio's favelas this year alone, after being transported through Paraguay].
RIO — A novidade agora entre os traficantes dos morros e favelas do Rio é uma metralhadora calibre .30 (7,92 x 57mm), modelo Lehky Kulomet ZB, fabricada na antiga República da Tchecoslováquia, com capacidade de tiro capaz de derrubar até um helicóptero. Arma de guerra de uso restrito... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: O Globo (Rio de Janeiro)
27922
Brazil
New Gun Amnesty, Buyback, 'Disarmament Caravan' in Brazil [Português]
29 July 2008
Jornal do Brasil (Brazil) / Portal Terra
[Translated summary: Federal Police official explains "disarmament caravan" that will take place later this year to collect guns from isolated places in Brazil, in new gun buy-back campaign with the participation of civil society].
BRASÍLIA — A Polícia Federal, por meio do Ministério da Justiça, deve firmar convênios e criar a caravana do desarmamento para recolher armas em pontos isolados do Brasil.
- A idéia é ir um pessoal e ficar na cidade por um ou dois... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Jornal do Brasil (Brazil) / Portal Terra
27924
Brazil
Federal Police Estimate Brazil Has Five Million Illegal Guns [Português]
29 July 2008
Jornal do Brasil (Brazil) / Portal Terra
[Translated summary: Estimate from the Brazilian Federal Police points to five million illegal guns in the country, and official explains how gun owners can register their weapon].
ARARAQUARA — O Brasil tem hoje em torno de cinco milhões de armas consideradas ilegais e sem qualquer registro do governo. Esta é a estimativa oficial da Polícia Federal, órgão responsável pela Campanha do Desarmamento 2008, que tem como foco, além de receber as armas da... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Jornal do Brasil (Brazil) / Portal Terra
27923
Jamaica,Brazil
Brazil Youth, Gun Focus May Hold Answer to Jamaica's Gun Crime Problem
7 May 2008
Jamaica Gleaner
A multidimensional strategy including a strong emphasis on improved police-community relations has been credited for Brazil's success in curbing crime in its second largest city.
The anti-crime push — which is also hinged on rehabilitating troubled youths and seizing guns from the streets — has been critical to Cesar Rubem battling lawlessness in his native Rio de Janeiro.
"Our work has tried to look at these three components — working with young people, gun... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Jamaica Gleaner
27038
United Nations,United States,France,Canada,Germany,Angola,Thailand,Australia,Colombia,South Africa,Turkey,Pakistan,Russia,Brazil,United Kingdom,India,China
Guns Around the World: Civilian Firearms per 100 People in 16 Nations
30 April 2008
Economist
An estimated 875m small arms are in circulation worldwide: one for every seven people on the planet. Nearly three-quarters of these are owned by civilians. And about 80% of those guns in civilian hands are found in just 30 countries, according to the Small Arms Survey, a research group.
Although America accounts for 40% of firearms in civilian ownership, people put them to more deadly use elsewhere. The gun murder rate in Colombia and South Africa, for example, is... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Economist
26993
Brazil
Protestors Place 2,000 Crosses for Victims of Gun Violence in Rio de Janeiro
27 April 2008
IndiaTimes / Reuters
On Saturday a group called "Peace for Rio" placed 2,000 crosses along one of Rio's main roads to commemorate the death of each person to have been gunned down in the city in 2008 thus far. Some 17 people are killed every day in Rio. Gun violence is the leading cause of death.
"It is a real tragedy this massacre of human lives. Behind each of these crosses there is a family tragedy, those who are living and today are inconsolable after having a family member... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IndiaTimes / Reuters
26976
Guyana,Trinidad & Tobago,Caribbean,Brazil,Argentina
Women's Groups Demand to Know Where Caribbean Gangs Get Their Guns
5 March 2008
Stabroek News (Guyana)
A two-day meeting for parliamentarians and NGOs to review the impact and "responses to small arms diffusion and violence in the Caribbean" is set for Trinidad today and a women's group is asking where the gangs are getting guns and ammo for killings like those at Lusignan and Bartica .
According to a press release the Women's Institute for Alternative Development (WINAD) said the meeting hopes to explore a Caricom instrument to support implementation of the UN... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Stabroek News (Guyana)
26376
Brazil
Brazil Gun Deaths Outpaced Births: Gun Buyback Saw 8% Homicide Drop
28 February 2008
ISN Security Watch (Switzerland), Web Page
Results from a recently released study that measured population growth and homicides in Brazil between 1996 and 2006 revealed that homicides dropped by eight percent between 2003 and 2006, a time period that overlaps with a nationwide gun buy-back program during which nearly 500,000 firearms were removed from circulation.
Gun buy-back programs have met with mixed success in Latin America, but according to the study, authored by Julio Jacobo Waiselfisz, Brazil's gun... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: ISN Security Watch (Switzerland)
26267
Paraguay,Brazil
Paraguayan Military Men Arrested for Ammunition Theft, Gunrunning to Brazil
9 January 2008
LatinNews Daily, Web Page
The involvement of high-ranking Paraguayan military officers in the clandestine supply of arms to criminal gangs in Brazil appears to have been confirmed with the arrest of a colonel and a major in a case involving the theft of army munitions and their sale on the black market in Ciudad del Este, in the notorious Triple Border area.
On 24 December an audit of the arsenal of the 3rd infantry division just outside Ciudad del Este revealed that more than 50,000 rounds of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: LatinNews Daily
25803
Brazil
Celebratory Gunfire Kills Brazilians, Stray Bullets Fly in Rio's New Year Bash
1 January 2008
International Herald Tribune / AP
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — One man was killed and five people were wounded by gunfire at a New Year's bash that drew some 2 million people to Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach, the government's official news agency said Tuesday.
A 29-year-old man died of a gunshot wound in the stomach, and a 63-year-old woman shot in the back and a 24-year-old man shot in the head were hospitalized in critical condition, the official Agencia Brasil news service reported.
Three other... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: International Herald Tribune / AP
25738
Brazil
Santa Retreats: Festive Helicopter Takes Bullet Holes, Visiting Kids in Rio
19 December 2007
Associated Press
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Not even Santa is safe in Rio de Janeiro.
A helicopter carrying a Santa Claus to distribute gifts at a Christmas party came under fire when it flew over a Rio shantytown, authorities said Wednesday.
The chopper was hit by two rifle shots Sunday, but no one was injured and the aircraft returned safely to its base, police inspector Aldari Vianna said by telephone.
Gang members apparently attacked the helicopter thinking it belonged to the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
25669
South Africa,Brazil
Brazilian Ammunition Manufacturer Pioneers Laser Marking on Each Round
21 September 2007
Institute for Security Studies (Tshwane), Web Page
If the recent reports of a South African Metro Police officer's dealing in ammunition from his vehicle are anything to go by the answer must be a resounding 'yes'.
The case of the Metro Police officer has made it clear that current control mechanisms over ammunition in State armouries are ineffective. The measures did not prevent the corrupt official from selling ammunition to criminals. The seriousness of this is made worse given that, according to reports, this... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Institute for Security Studies (Tshwane)
24748
Guyana,Brazil,Venezuela
Illegal Gun Smuggling 'Rampant' Across Porous Guyana-Brazil Frontier
2 September 2007
Stabroek News (Guyana)
Illegal trafficking in arms and ammunition is rampant across the border between Guyana and Brazil, with one speedboat operator at Lethem telling this newspaper on Friday that he frequently transported men with weapons stashed in suitcases via the many illegal crossings over the Takutu River.
The speedboat operator also told this newspaper that criminals in Brazil and Guyana would often trade drugs for guns, with the Guyanese mostly supplying the Brazilians with... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Stabroek News (Guyana)
24555
Brazil,United States
Gun Control Helped Sao Paulo, Brazil Halve its Murder Rate - US Study
25 June 2007
KYW News Radio (Philadelphia)
Criminologists in the US have been studying how one city in Brazil managed to halve its murder rate in seven years.
Ted Goertzel, professor of sociology at Rutgers University-Camden, says the out-of-control murder rate in San Paolo, Brazil was cut in half in less than seven years by a nationwide firearms ban. He says the same thing has been thought of in the US, but it's the politics that differ:
"They don't have the protection for the right to carry guns that we... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: KYW News Radio (Philadelphia)
23988
Brazil
Stray Bullets Rain Down on Rio de Janeiro: 87 Innocents Hit in 3 Months
20 June 2007
San Francisco Chronicle / AP
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — The toll from stray bullets that rain down on Rio from the city's steep hillside slums as police and drug gangs battle with automatic weapons has grown sharply, with one innocent bystander killed or wounded every day.
Businesses and schools in the line of fire have been shuttered. Thousands of children are staying home. Even air travel is affected — domestic jet routes were diverted from Rio's downtown airport when shooting flared up in a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: San Francisco Chronicle / AP
23966
Brazil,South America,Central America,United Nations
Global Gun Control Week Builds Pressure on Gun Violence in Latin America
11 June 2007
O Globo (Rio de Janeiro), Opinion
It is Global Action Week against Armed Violence and we need to follow up on two important processes: internationally, the Geneva Declaration, and in Brazil, the new National Plan of Public Security and Citizenship.
The Geneva Declaration on armed violence and development is an initiative of the Swiss government aimed at reaching a resolution on this issue at the UN General Assembly by the end of 2008 and defining goals for security and development. Unfortunately, the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: O Globo (Rio de Janeiro)
23930
Brazil
São Paulo's Murder Rate Halved Since 2000, Gun Control Partly Credited
10 June 2007
Brazzil Magazine
The murder rate in the state of São Paulo has been cut in half since 2000. This will come as a surprise to many readers because there has been so much news coverage of brazen attacks by organized criminals on police stations and public transportation in São Paulo as well as in Rio de Janeiro and other Brazilian cities.
These attacks are intended to generate media coverage, embarrass officials and intimidate law enforcement. They disrupt the life of the community and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Brazzil Magazine
23833
Brazil
Drug-related Gun Battles in Rio de Janeiro Leave 19 Dead
18 April 2007
BBC News
Nineteen people have been killed in gun battles between rival drug gangs and in a separate incident involving police in Brazil's city of Rio de Janeiro.
The battles are said to have involved drug dealers trying to gain control in the Morro da Mineira shantytown.
The shootings caused chaos in the central district of the city.
They happened as the government considers a request from Rio's governor for troops to be sent to the city to help police.
Earlier this... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
23380
Brazil
In Rio, Ambulance Crews Carry, Spray-fire M-16s to Ward Off Drug Gangs
30 March 2007
Washington Post Foreign Service
RIO DE JANEIRO — Emergency medical technician Antonio Carlos Maia doesn't ride shotgun in his ambulance. He rides assault rifle. The scuffed barrel of his M-16 juts out of the passenger-side window, locked and loaded with a magazine full of bullets.
Just in case, a 9mm pistol is holstered under the bottom edge of his bulletproof vest. The ambulance driver and two additional EMTs riding in the back have their own guns, meaning that this military police medical crew in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Post Foreign Service
23198
Brazil
Brazilian States Which Destroyed Most Guns Saw Crime Rates Fall
25 September 2006
Reuters
BRASILIA, Brazil — More than 150 Brazilians were murdered each day last year on average, putting Brazil on a par with some war zones in terms of its homicide rate, the Justice Ministry said on Monday.
Some 55,000 Brazilians died of homicide in 2005 — a few thousand more civilians than in three years of war in Iraq, according to leading estimates.
Brazil, a continent-sized nation of 185 million people starkly divided into rich and poor, has had notoriously high... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
21655
Australia,Canada,Brazil,United Nations
Nations Disarm: Australia Set Off a Universal Gun-Control Revolution
28 April 2006
Australian (Sydney), Opinion
Today we remember the Port Arthur murder victims in church services and vigils, prayers and concerts, books and documentaries. The cross listing their names overlooks the memorial garden, a quiet place for contemplation and tears in honour of those so brutally slain on April 28, 1996.
Another memorial to those killed and wounded on that awful day is less visible or tangible but powerful nonetheless: Australia's nationally uniform gun laws. Out of horror and insanity,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Australian (Sydney)
20201
Brazil
Former Soldiers Confess to Stealing Assault Rifles from Brazilian Army
17 March 2006
United Press International
RIO DE JANEIRO — Two former Brazilian soldiers confessed to stealing weapons from an armory, prompting a military operation to recover them, O Globo reported Friday.
Some 1,500 troops staged search operations in Rio's hillside slums known as "favelas" in an effort to find the cache of weapons.
However after 10 days of searching, the patrols supported by tanks and helicopters did not find the guns.
The operation sparked increased violence in the favelas, where... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: United Press International
19904
Brazil
Brazilian Army Recovers Assault Rifles Stolen by Shantytown Robbers
15 March 2006
Associated Press
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — The recovery of stolen weapons won't stop the army from searching shantytowns for the bandits who took them, security officials said Wednesday.
The army announced Tuesday that it had recovered the 10 assault rifles and a pistol stolen from an army barracks on March 3 by seven gunmen wearing army-issue camouflage gear and ninja masks.
The robbery triggered a massive military operation, with some 1,600 troops occupying 10 shantytowns... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
19886
Brazil
Brazilian Troops, Police Storm Favelas in Search for Stolen Army Guns
8 March 2006
Associated Press
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Army troops and federal highway police set up checkpoints on Rio de Janeiro's major access roads Wednesday, trying to prevent thieves from fleeing with rifles stolen from a Brazilian army barracks last week.
Some 1,500 troops and police officers have occupied nine shantytowns searching for the guns stolen Friday by seven gunmen wearing army-issue camouflage gear and ninja masks. The gunmen overpowered three guards, stole the weapons from a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
19809
Caribbean,Central America,Honduras,Colombia,Mexico,Brazil
Guns and Cocaine in Caribbean, Central America: A Market Out of Control
28 February 2006
ISN Security Watch (Zurich), Web Page
Gone are the days when the black market for cocaine required a few strong men, limited bribes, and involved the purchase of a few revolvers. The cocaine trade has expanded well beyond the Andean mountain corridor and the control of local actors there.
The market for small arms and light weapons has completely overlapped the cocaine market. Purchases for arms are no longer made with cash but with cocaine, and the same routes used to smuggle cocaine out of South America... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: ISN Security Watch (Zurich)
19728
El Salvador,Paraguay,Guatemala,Costa Rica,Colombia,Brazil,Mexico,Central America,South America
At Least 90 People Killed in Latin American New Year Celebrations
2 January 2006
Australian Associated Press
SAN SALVADOR — At least 90 people were killed in Latin America in road, fireworks and other accidents during New Year's celebrations.
The highest death toll was registered in El Salvador, where some 33 people were killed and another 89 injured during celebrations marking the start of 2006, officials said.
Carlos Alvarado, a spokesman for the country's civil defence system, said that many of those killed and wounded from late Saturday to early Sunday were victims of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Australian Associated Press
19164
Brazil
Amnesty Uses Brazil Violence to Promote Gun Control in the World
5 December 2005
Brazzil / Agência Brasil
During the course of 2006, Amnesty International plans to present its report entitled "They Come In Shooting — The Policing of Socially Excluded Communities in Brazil," on police violence in Brazil, in various European, Latin American, and US cities.
The full text of the 52-page long document, which was released internationally on Friday, December 2, is available on the website: www.amnesty.org.
The presentations will include the participation of two Brazilian... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Brazzil / Agência Brasil
18963
United States,Brazil
Brazil Wiser Than San Francisco
16 November 2005
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia), Opinion
Jurisdiction No. 1: High rate of violent crime; a widely publicized anti-gun measure on the ballot; voters decisively reject a measure to ban the sale of firearms and ammunition.
Jurisdiction No. 2: High rate of violent crime; a widely publicized anti-gun measure on the ballot; voters decisively adopt a measure to ban sales of firearms and ammunition.
Two jurisdictions. Two gun-ban measures. Two very different results. The first — in which the ban was rejected —... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia)
18789
Brazil
Isolation, Many Dangers Explain Why Brazilians Rejected Gun Ban
30 October 2005
Knight Ridder / Tribune (USA)
CAREIRO CASTANHO, Brazil — For Ezaias Guedes da Lima and his neighbors in this Amazonian town, the idea of giving up their guns is as ridiculous as surrendering the machetes they have used to carve out livelihoods in the thick jungle.
Life here is an isolated, dangerous affair, with only a handful of police covering a huge area and wild boar, alligators and other menaces a constant hazard.
That isolation was demonstrated Thursday morning, when three men armed with... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Knight Ridder / Tribune (USA)
18647
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