Gun Policy News
Firearm violence, gun control and small arms
Brazil,Turkey,China,Pakistan,Central Asia,Russia,Afghanistan
Where Do 20 Million Illegal Guns Come From? Afghanistan, Says Pakistan
17 May 2012
Express Tribune (Pakistan)
KARACHI - There are an estimated 20 million illegal arms in circulation in Pakistan.
This includes serious firepower: law enforcement authorities are increasingly coming under attack from criminals and terrorists armed with heavy weapons such as grenades (including rocket-propelled ones), long-range sniper rifles and machine guns. The volatile situation in Lyari was a case in point, where despite the fact that police were equipped with tank-like armoured personnel... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Express Tribune (Pakistan)
36145
Russia,China,United States,United Kingdom,Congo (DRC),Myanmar,Iran
UK Minister Calls for International Support on Arms Trade Treaty
17 May 2012
Guardian (UK)
The international arms trade has become the greatest threat to development and has to be controlled by a tough treaty to regulate weapons and munitions sales, a government minister warns.
In a speech to the Institute for Strategic Studies thinktank, Alan Duncan, the minister for international development, will urge allies such as the US to set aside their concerns and sign up to the comprehensive arms trade treaty (ATT), which will be hammered out during a month-long... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Guardian (UK)
36143
Vietnam,China
Black Market Handguns Advertised Openly in Remote Regions of China
17 May 2012
South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)
Black market explosives and pistols are advertised openly in the remote, mountainous Yunnan county where a mysterious suicide bomber killed three people and injured 16 last week, the South China Morning Post can reveal.
Most advertisers claim they can arrange delivery by car within an hour in central Kunming , the provincial capital, with guns handed over outside supermarkets and post offices.
Some advertisers also said they had delivery networks in remote counties.... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)
36133
Russia,China,United States
US Marines Stole, Sold Nearly $2 Million in Guns to Gangs, China, Russia
15 May 2012
International Business Times (US)
U.S. Marines at Camp Lejeune, N.C., stole and sold approximately $2 million in guns and combat equipment to streets gangs and to China and Russia, military officials confirmed. The stolen guns and combat gear included assault rifles, night-vision goggles and flashlights.
More than 60 people have been implicated in the incident, the Daily News in Jacksonville, N.C., reported. 47 service members and 21 civilians have been charged so far. Several of them have already... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: International Business Times (US)
36134
United States,France,China,Pakistan,Afghanistan,Sweden
Pakistan a 'Very Gun-friendly Society,' 9 in 10 Owners Unlicensed
30 April 2012
Dawn (Karachi)
On January 25 this year, 32-year-old Waqas, a garment factory employee was hit by a bullet in New Karachi and he died. The bullet was not fired from the gun of a target killer, but by friends of a bridegroom amidst late-night wedding celebrations.
Two children aged 10 and 12, died in Sialkot in a similar incident on February 20, when the jubilant brother of a bridegroom unleashed a burst of bullets.
Such accidents, almost an every-day affair in Pakistan, never make it... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Dawn (Karachi)
36091
Macao,Hong Kong,China
700 Guns, 20,000 Replica Guns, 500,000 Bullets Seized in Guangdong
25 April 2012
Shenzhen Daily (China)
GuangdongG police seized more than 700 guns, 20,000 replica weapons, 500,000 bullets and 6,000 knives in a campaign which took place from March 1 to April 15 targeting gun-related crimes.
Police also confiscated more than 300 kilograms of explosives, 200 meters of fuse and 600 detonators during the campaign, according to Zhang Yongqiang, deputy director general of Guangdong Provincial Department of Public Security.
"Most of the guns and replica weapons that have been... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Shenzhen Daily (China)
36075
China,Sweden
Swedish Minister 'Ignorant' of UN Gun Export Embargo on China
23 April 2012
Local (Sweden)
Sweden's enterprise minster Annie Lööf has come in for heavy criticism following a blunder about Sweden's arms exports.
In an interview broadcast on Saturday on Sveriges Radio (SR), Lööf didn't rule out exporting arms to China – despite an arms embargo having been imposed on the country since 1989.
"If we don't export weapons to China, as far as pesticides or other equipment for instance, what consequences would that have," said Lööf on the air.
When asked... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Local (Sweden)
36070
Qatar,East Africa,Russia,North Korea,China,West Asia,North Africa,Syria,Mali,Libya,Belgium,West Africa
Small Arms Manufactured in Belgium Proliferate in Libya, Mali [Francais]
11 April 2012
L'Express (France) / AFP
[Translated summary: Notwithstanding risks of proliferation, small arms manufactured in Belgium circulate in Libya, Mali, and maybe tomorrow in Syria? Belgium is the biggest european exporter of small arms: in 2010, 32% of european exports of small arms to Middle East and North Africa came from this country.]
Malgré les mises en garde à Bruxelles sur les risques de prolifération, les armes légères fabriquées en Belgique circulent de la Libye au Mali. Et demain,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: L'Express (France) / AFP
36014
United States,China
Number of Gun-related Crimes Is Dropping Rapidly in China - Police
5 April 2012
China Daily
The number of gun-related crimes is dropping rapidly nationwide, despite a recent spate of armed robberies, police say.
In 2000, police dealt with about 5,000 gun-related crimes across the country. The number dropped to about 500 in 2011, down 46 percent from 2010, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Public Security.
The decrease is mainly due to China's strict policy on gun control and tougher policing measures, said Yan Zhengbin, deputy director of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: China Daily
35983
Europe,Asia,South East Asia,China,United States
Gun Runners 'Using Internet and Express Delivery' in China – Police
5 April 2012
China Daily
Police success at border checkpoints forces arms traffickers to change
Gun smugglers are using the Internet and express delivery networks for trafficking arms into China, a police officer said.
Police broke up 69 gun-smuggling rings nationally last year, and smashed 20 gangs, Yan Zhengbin, deputy director at the public security management bureau under the Ministry of Public Security, told China Daily.
Nineteen cases involved fully assembled guns, while the remainder... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: China Daily
35982
China
China Makes War on Illegal Guns, Gun Crime, Seeks 'Social Stability'
27 March 2012
China Daily / Xinhua
BEIJING - Police across China have been ordered to step up their war on crimes involving guns and explosives to safeguard social stability and public security.
Addressing a national conference on Monday, Huang Ming, deputy minister of public security, said police agencies at all levels must fully bear in mind the extreme importance of fighting gun and explosive-related crimes.
Huang urged coordinated efforts involving police in different sectors and regions to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: China Daily / Xinhua
35954
China,Sudan
Guns Used by South Sudanese Ethnic Militia Came from Army and Rebels
23 March 2012
Pretoria News (South Africa) / AFP
Guns and ammunition used by a South Sudanese ethnic militia that massacred a rival group earlier this year came from both the army and a rebel group, a report said on Thursday.
Beginning late December a marauding column of some 8 000 armed youths from the Lou Nuer people marched on the remote town of Pibor, home to the rival Murle, whom they blame for cattle raiding and have vowed to exterminate.
Analysis by the Small Arms Survey, a Swiss-based research group,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Pretoria News (South Africa) / AFP
35946
Sudan,Syria,Russia,China,Papua New Guinea,Fiji,Oceania
Pacific Nations Push for Global Arms Trade Treaty to Curb Gun Trade
19 March 2012
ABC News (Australia), Transcript
Every year illicit trade in small arms results in thousands of deaths. Most of them in developing countries, including the Pacific, where the impact of gun violence has been devastating.
Now the international community is to meet at the United Nations to finalise the first ever global arms trade treaty.
HELEN HAKENA, WOMEN'S RIGHTS CAMPAIGNER: I was seven months pregnant when gunmen came into our village terrorising the entire village community. My house was burnt to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: ABC News (Australia)
35944
Asia,Laos,Thailand,China,India
Indian Militants Buy $Millions of Guns from China via Thai Broker - Claim
18 March 2012
Telegraph (India)
NEW DELHI - Northeast outfits are employing crafty financial methods to procure arms worth millions of dollars and make them look like legitimate legal buys.
A series of arrests by the National Investigation Agency of militants from various outfits has revealed formulae that take the best financial brains to come up with.
A number of such devices tumbled out of the militants' closets after the NIA arrested NSCN (I-M) leader Anthony Shimray and over 20 United National... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Telegraph (India)
35948
Timor-Leste,Thailand,Sri Lanka,Myanmar,Indonesia,South Asia,South East Asia,Israel,Iran,Cuba,United States,Japan,China,Brunei,Philippines,Pakistan,India,Asia
UN Urges Asian Nations to Help Curb Global Trade in Illegal Guns
6 March 2012
Jakarta Post
The United Nations is urging all nations in the Asia region to implement concrete solutions to stop illegal trading in small arms and light weapons.
"Over the past decades, trade has made this region grow so phenomenally. If you are a region where international trade is what makes you tick, you better also make sure that you are seen as doing trade in the right way," UN disarmament affairs official Daniel Prins told reporters on the sidelines of opening the Asian... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Jakarta Post
35886
Nepal,Myanmar,Sri Lanka,Bangladesh,Mauritius,Libya,Morocco,Saudi Arabia,Iran,Turkey,Thailand,Indonesia,Malaysia,France,China,United States,Pakistan
Pakistan Has Achieved Self Sufficiency in Small Arms and Ammunition
5 March 2012
Indian Defence Review
After partition, Pakistan did not inherit any military production facilities. In 1951, the Pakistan Ordnance Factory was established at Wah cantonment to produce small arms, ammunition and explosives. After 1965, Pakistan, apart from shifting its overwhelming arms supplies reliance from the US to China and other western countries like France; also began to concentrate on expanding its defence production facilities. In this, it received effusive assistance from... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Indian Defence Review
35895
Philippines,Trinidad & Tobago,Zimbabwe,Zambia,Uganda,Tanzania,Senegal,Congo (DRC),Pakistan,Nigeria,Niger,Namibia,Morocco,Mauritania,Malawi,Madagascar,Côte d'Ivoire,Burkina Faso,Botswana,Egypt,Angola,Algeria,South Africa,Ghana,China,United States,Austria,Russia,Israel,Bahrain,Asia,Africa,Brazil
Brazil Arms Exports: Country Preaches Peace, Sells Tons of Arms
28 February 2012
Huffington Post (USA)
A small, scratched metal can thrown on the ground created Brazil's first diplomatic embarrassment of 2012. The canister of tear gas had been collected by pro-democracy activists in Bahrain. Stamped across the can in blue was a Brazilian flag and the words 'MADE IN BRAZIL.'
One year had passed since Bahrain became the stage for pro-democracy protests by the majority Shiites against the Sunni monarchy commanded by king Hamad bin-Isa Khalifa. The protesters had been... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Huffington Post (USA)
35870
Algeria,India,Iran,North Korea,China,Syria,Russia
Russia Faces a Growing International Outcry over Its Arms Sales to Syria
21 February 2012
Reuters
MOSCOW/BEIRUT - Russia faces a growing international outcry over its arms sales to Syria but shows no sign of bowing to pressure and has even increased deliveries of arms that critics say are helping keep President Bashar al-Assad in power.
The biggest importer of arms to Syria, Russia sold Damascus nearly $1 billion worth of arms including missile systems last year, while shipments of hard-to-track Russian small weapons have risen since the uprising against Assad... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
35852
Italy,Philippines,United States,Russia,Germany,Czech Republic,China,Botswana,Oceania,Americas,Africa,Asia,Europe,Central Africa,Caribbean,South America,Central America,Zimbabwe,Namibia,Mozambique,Congo (DRC),Angola,Swaziland,South Africa,Southern Africa
High Gun Death Risk for Young African Men, Women at Home - UN Study
19 February 2012
Southern Times (Southern Africa)
WINDHOEK - Young men in Southern Africa are at the greatest risk of cold-blooded murder, while women in the region are more likely than others from around the world to be killed in domestic violence, a UN agency says.
The statistics from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) come as the region battles to contain the proliferation of gun-related crimes.
Experts have said gun-related crime is a major problem in South Africa and Swaziland, and is on the rise in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Southern Times (Southern Africa)
35844
Egypt,Mexico,Iran,United States,Syria,Russia,China,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa
Collapse of UN Arms Trade Treaty Talks Narrowly Averted - Reuters
17 February 2012
Reuters
UNITED NATIONS - Negotiators on Friday narrowly averted the collapse of talks on a world arms trade treaty to regulate the $55 billion global weapons market, agreeing on ground rules for negotiations after days of procedural wrangling.
Delegates and advocates for tougher oversight of global arms sales said the agreement set the stage for a monthlong conference in July to draft the treaty.
Arms control campaigners say one person every minute dies as a result of armed... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
35841
Sudan,China,Egypt,Bahrain,Libya,Germany,United Kingdom,Russia,United States,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa
At Last, the World Acts to Control Global Arms Trade, UN Talks Begin this Week
12 February 2012
Independent (Dublin)
The global arms trade, which produces two bullets for every person on the planet every year and the weapons that kill 1,500 people each day, is facing the first worldwide effort to control it. An unprecedented treaty that would attempt to restrict arms sales is expected to be drawn up at talks in the United Nations this week.
A campaign for such an agreement, begun six years ago by Nobel laureates, faces attempts by the United States and Russia to water the treaty... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Independent (Dublin)
35825
China
Alarmed by Spate of Gun Crime, China Vows to Clamp Down on Firearms
10 February 2012
China Daily
BEIJING - The government is to crack down on the illegal possession of guns and explosives following a recent spate of armed robberies nationwide.
"We will concentrate on tackling crimes involving serious violence and other prominent criminal activities in order to strengthen security in cities and maintain social order and overall stability," said Huang Ming, deputy minister of public security, announcing the campaign against gun crime.
There has been a series of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: China Daily
35815
Sudan,China,Russia,Syria
Russia, China Provide Guns to Violate Human Rights in Darfur - Amnesty
9 February 2012
Reuters
LONDON - Russian and Chinese arms are being used to violate human rights in Darfur region in breach of an "ineffectual" United Nations embargo, Amnesty International said on Thursday.
Amnesty said Russia and China are supplying weapons to Sudan's government despite evidence they are being used against civilians in Darfur, where the U.N. estimates as many as 300,000 people have died since 2003 from violence, hunger or disease.
"China and Russia are selling arms to the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
35812
Germany,United Kingdom,China,Nigeria
British and German Arms Dealers Involved in Arms Shipment to Nigeria
8 February 2012
Daily Trust (Abuja)
British prosecutors recently vowed to pursue a legal case involving the shipment of large cache of weapons, allegedly from China and destined for Nigeria, after a London judge threw it out.
Those involved in the trade are said to be British and German arms dealers. Mr Gary Hyde, a 42-year old retired British volunteer police officer, is accused of conspiring with his German business partner Karl Kleber for the illegal shipment of 40,000 Ak47 assault rifles, 30,000... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Daily Trust (Abuja)
35808
China,United States,Ghana,Nigeria
Nigerian Civilians Hold 2 Million Guns, Security Forces 600,000
30 January 2012
Nation (Nigeria)
Members of the dreaded insurgent group, Boko Haram, armed robbers and hired assassins have done great havoc with guns acquired illegally. Where are they coming from? OLUKAYODE THOMAS and JOKE KUJENYA examine the sources of illegal arms into the country.
The ruins are still visible on the police zonal headquatres in Kano. The offices of the State Security Service (SSS) and the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) testify to the Boko Haram bombing and armed assaults of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Nation (Nigeria)
35782
Germany,Poland,Nigeria,China,United Kingdom
UK Arms Dealer Arranged to Sell 80,000 Chinese Guns to Nigeria - Court
10 January 2012
BBC News
A British-based arms dealer helped organise the shipment of thousands of guns from China to Nigeria without the necessary licence, a court has heard.
Gary Hyde partly arranged and organised the shipment in 2007 of 80,000 rifles and pistols and 32 million rounds of ammunition.
Southwark Crown Court heard he did not receive permission from the relevant government department.
Mr Hyde, from Derwent near York, denies the charges.
The court was told the shipment involved... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
35724
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)
Read More: CNN
35698
Bangladesh,Myanmar,South East Asia,China,India
Indian Insurgents Procuring, Smuggling Arms from China, Southeast Asia
9 December 2011
Times of India
NEW DELHI - Insurgent groups in the northeast are procuring arms in China and some other South East Asian countries before smuggling them into India through Myanmar and Bangladesh, the government has said.
"There are reports that insurgent outfits operating in the northeastern states of India have been procuring arms through smugglers based in the Yunnan province of China, Myanmar and South East Asian countries," minister of state for home Mullappally Ramachandran said... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Times of India
35663
China
China Arrests Illegal Arms Makers: Guangdong Gun Crime Up 32% per Year
22 November 2011
China Radio International / Xinhua
Police in south China's Guangdong province have dismantled two gun-making dens in the city of Shanwei, local authorities said Tuesday.
Officials with the Guangdong Public Security Department said the raid led to the arrests of six people as well as seizures of seven guns, 107 bullets, a batch of gun parts and gun-making equipment.
Gun-related crime has surged in Guangdong this year, as 1,909 suspects in gun-related crimes were arrested during the first 10 months of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: China Radio International / Xinhua
35565
China
Thousands of Illegal Guns and Replicas Seized, 84 Arrested in China
17 November 2011
Shanghai Daily (China)
Police in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, have smashed an illegal firearms production and trafficking ring, detaining 84 people and seizing 6,990 guns.
In late March, the discovery of three imitation guns during a routine check at a train station in Kunming put police on the trail of the gun-trading network.
Within four months they had confiscated 1,612 guns capable of firing live ammunition and 5,378 replicas.
On April 21, police found a man... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Shanghai Daily (China)
35549
Germany,China,United States,India
Increasing Availability and Seizures of Illicit Guns in Pune, India
17 November 2011
Express India
PUNE - Failure in identifying and cracking down on criminals involved in manufacturing and selling of illegal firearms is the major reason behind unchecked illegal trade of firearms in the city, police said. And investigation of some of the cases revealed that the quality of illegal firearms has improved, availability has increased while cost has gone down, police said.
According to the figures obtained by The Indian Express under the Right to Information Act (RTI)... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Express India
35548
North Africa,China,Ukraine,Chad,Mali,Niger,France,Europe,United States,Libya
Hundreds of Thousands of Libyan Assault Rifles Looking for New Owners?
15 November 2011
Time (USA)
More than three weeks after Libya's rebels killed Muammar Gaddafi, arms experts say the task of finding and securing the mountain of weaponry abandoned by Gaddafi's forces in their final rout has been complicated by a lack of international funding and coordination, as well as conflicting priorities among Western and African governments about which weapons pose the biggest threat.
While U.S. and European officials have sounded the alarm about the threat posted to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Time (USA)
35547
Zimbabwe,China
China Delivers 20,000 Assault Rifles to Zimbabwe Ahead of Election
14 November 2011
Defence Web (South Africa)
Zimbabwe has taken delivery of 20 000 AK-47 assault rifles from China as the country re-equips its army ahead of upcoming elections.
The Southern Africa Report, which focuses on political and economic intelligence issues in Africa, reports that the Zimbabwe Defence Force (ZDF) has taken delivery of "the first of several consignments of Chinese small arms and equipment," including AK-47 assault rifles, uniforms, a dozen trucks and 21 000 pairs of handcuffs.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Defence Web (South Africa)
35560
Sudan,China
South Sudan Rebels Have New Chinese Assault Rifles, Says Swiss Group
26 October 2011
Sudan Tribune (France)
KHARTOUM – Relatively new Chinese weapons have been seized from rebel groups in South Sudan, according to the Small Arms Survey research organisation.
Arms captured from rebel fighters loyal to both Peter Gadet and George Athor included Chinese Type-56-1 assault rifles. South Sudan has repeatedly accused Khartoum of backing southern rebels in an attempt to destabilise the oil-rich nation, which became independent in July.
Khartoum denies that it arms rebels in South... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Sudan Tribune (France)
35468
China,Canada
Airguns Allowed into Canada Easily Converted into Real AK-47, Police Say
20 October 2011
CBC News (Canada)
The RCMP are racing to track down and seize hundreds of replica AK-47 BB guns imported from China that investigators fear can be easily reconfigured into deadly prohibited weapons.
The Mounties launched raids and seizures last week on a number of gun stores in B.C., Ontario, and Quebec. Investigators believe the toys — assembled with authentic parts from the Chinese Type-56 version of the AK-47 semi-automatic assault rifle — can be transformed into weapons with a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: CBC News (Canada)
35441
Myanmar,China
China Arrests Myanmar Gun-Runners to Tibetan Regions
19 October 2011
Reuters
BEIJING - Chinese police have arrested 17 people for running guns into ethnically Tibetan parts of the country from northern Myanmar, and have seized a small number of guns and bullets, state media said on Wednesday.
China has long expressed concern that instability in Myanmar could spill over into its border provinces and regions. While the two countries have close economic and political ties, relations have been strained of late after Myanmar suspended the building... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
35438
European Union,China,Germany,South Korea,Switzerland,Serbia,France,United Kingdom,Syria,Yemen,Bulgaria,Belgium,Libya,Italy,Bahrain,Egypt,United States,Russia,West Asia,North Africa,Finland,Austria,Sudan,North Korea,Spain
Tracing the Middle East Weapons Flow
19 October 2011
al Jazeera
Earlier this year, as mass popular uprisings spread through the Middle East and audiences across the world sat transfixed by images of unarmed citizens confronting iron-fisted security forces in the streets of Arab capitals, powerful governments from Russia to the United States were forced to begin accounting for the weapons they had for decades sold to the very rulers they now found themselves abandoning.
In Egypt and Bahrain, protesters held up tear gas canisters... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: al Jazeera
35436
Philippines,Indonesia,China
3 Men Charged with Production and Selling of Imitation Guns in China
15 August 2011
China Daily
XIAMEN, Fujian - Three men in East China's Fujian province have been charged with producing and selling imitation guns following a raid on a toy gun factory in Jinjiang city in July.
You Zhixian, a publicity officer with Jinjiang public security bureau, said the three suspects surnamed Huang, Ge and Chen had been arrested on suspicion of producing and selling imitation guns that could cause injury.
"More than 10,000 imitation firearms were discovered in the factory,"... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: China Daily
35189
Kyrgyzstan,Czech Republic,Pakistan,Afghanistan,Central Asia,Russia,Uzbekistan,China,Kazakhstan,European Union,United States,Colombia,Iran
Smuggling of Small Arms in Central Asia Is Endemic - British Expert
2 August 2011
Journal of Turkish Weekly (Turkey), Transcript
British intelligence analyst and journalist Richard M. Bennett says the Fergana Valley is extremely vulnerable to the covert smuggling of arms and drugs, despite the official reports of Central Asian governments denying its highlighted status. Mr. Bennett told JTW that Russia has been responsible for an overwhelming amount of illegal arms circulating in ex-Soviet Central Asia. In his view, Russia's military intelligence (GRU) is the mastermind of major trafficking... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Journal of Turkish Weekly (Turkey)
35152
Pakistan,South Asia,China,United States,United Kingdom,Germany,France,India,Nepal
Global Gun Trade Treaty the Only Way to Control 'Arms Bazaar'
25 July 2011
República (Kathmandu), Opinion
In 2009, I recall visiting a militant camp in India's North East a day before they would surrender. The deputy commander who was in charge and allegedly responsible for the death of at least 200 people brandished his M16 assault rifle and flaunted his bodyguard who was following him with a rocket launcher. He was calm but shifty-eyed and admitted having a personal saving of a few billion INR in his account. Barely 24 hours after his formal surrender, he was in seen in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: República (Kathmandu)
35116
Israel,United Kingdom,Russia,France,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,China,United States
Productive Negotiations at the UN on Arms Trade Treaty [Francais]
18 July 2011
Courrier du Vietnam / AFP
[Translated summary: Member States of the UN "made significant progress" during the week of negotiations in New York for the adoption in July 2012 of the Arms Trade Treaty, said on July 15 Eric Danon, representative of France in the negotiations.]
Les États membres de l'ONU ont "beaucoup progressé" pendant une semaine de négociations à New York en vue de l'adoption en juillet 2012 d'un traité sur le commerce des armes, a déclaré le 15 juillet Eric Danon,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Courrier du Vietnam / AFP
35078
United States,Indonesia,New Zealand,South Korea,China,Russia,South Africa
New Zealand Police Promise Gun Ban for Rugby World Cup Bodyguards
14 July 2011
Stuff (New Zealand)
Foreign bodyguards will be banned from carrying weapons when protecting overseas dignitaries at this year's Rugby World Cup.
New Zealand police will assume full responsibility for the protection of visiting heads of state and VIPs at the tournament, which starts two days before the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks.
Visiting security agents were permitted to carry weapons to protect foreign leaders during the 1999 Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Stuff (New Zealand)
35054
Western Europe,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,United States,China,India,Guatemala
Private Security Guards Now Outnumber Police Worldwide - New Survey
6 July 2011
Sunday Times (UK) / AFP
GENEVA - Private security companies employ up to 25.5 million people across the world, exceeding the number of police officers, and hold up to 3.7 million firearms, a survey said Wednesday.
"The global trend towards downsizing government, including public security institutions, has contributed to the growth of the private security sector," said the Geneva Graduate Institute's small arms survey.
"In prisons, at airports, along borders and on the street, security... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Sunday Times (UK) / AFP
35024
United Kingdom,United States,Europe,India,China,Russia,Libya,France
France Air-dropped Guns to Libyan Civilians: In Breach of Arms Embargo?
30 June 2011
Le Point (France) / Reuters
[Translated summary: France acknowledged that it airlifted small arms to Libyan civilians fighting Moammar Gadhafi's forces in a besieged mountain region south of Tripoli. Critics say that this is against the UN arms embargo].
NEW YORK, PARIS - La France a défendu sa décision de parachuter des armes aux insurgés libyens, une opération à laquelle l'Otan n'a pas été associée et qui suscite jeudi une controverse, les Nations unies ayant imposé en février un... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Le Point (France) / Reuters
35000
Germany,China,Nepal,Italy,India,United States
High Incidence of Small Arms Violence in Nepal: India Border, Armed Women
16 June 2011
MSN News / Indo-Asian News Service
KATHMANDU -- As over 70 countries in the world Thursday begin observing the Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence, peace activists rue that even five years after the end of an armed insurrection, Nepal is still wracked by gunfire, thanks to the 1,800-km open border with India.
'There have been 1,013 incidents of violence caused by small arms in the last 17 months,' says Subodh Pyakurel, chief of Informal Sector Service Center (Insec), Nepal's largest NGO that... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: MSN News / Indo-Asian News Service
34975
United States,North Africa,Russia,European Union,East Asia,Indonesia,China
The Arms Trade Treaty, Several Hurdles Must be Overcome Before 2012
8 June 2011
United Nations News & Commentary
In a three-day meeting organized by the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) the European Union, and the Government of the Republic of Indonesia, representatives of nearly 30 East Asian and Pacific countries are gathering with regional and international organizations to discuss the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).
This is the latest in a series of regional meetings UNIDIR is conducting to develop concrete recommendations on the future Treaty and to assist States with... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: United Nations News & Commentary
34919
China
Rare Shooting of Chinese Police Officers Earns Execution for Multiple Killer
26 April 2011
Associated Press
BEIJING, China - A Chinese state news agency says a man who killed four policemen in a shootout in eastern China has been executed. It was a rare case of gun violence in a country where private firearms ownership is illegal.
The official Xinhua News Agency says 51-year-old Liu Jianjun was put to death Tuesday. The Intermediate People's Court of Tai'an city in Shandong handed him the death penalty in March for murder and illegal possession of guns and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
34718
Germany,United Kingdom,Portugal,China,United States,Europe
Gun Runner Turns on Licensed Dealers in UK/US/Europe Trafficking Case
10 February 2011
Associated Press
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - A sudden plea agreement in a federal prosecution of a trio of international weapons dealers has heightened momentum in a case that could shed light on the illicit global arms trade, including irregularities in U.S.-backed shipments of assault rifles to Iraq.
Gun dealer Karl Kleber, a German national who had been living in Portugal, pleaded guilty Wednesday in a U.S. district courtroom, admitting to violating federal arms laws in a scheme to import... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
34372
United Kingdom,Israel,Germany,China,Canada,United States,New Zealand,Australia
World Media Reacts to Arizona Shooting: America's Gun Laws Are Nuts
11 January 2011
Wrap (California)
While the shootings in Tucson continue to inflame the debate over violent rhetoric in American politics, the international media's reaction to the tragedy is largely focused on alleged killer Jared Lee Loughner's weapon of choice: a gun.
In doing so, it's gotten to the debate over gun laws faster than a U.S. media hung up on the politics.
"This guy was a nutjob. What he did was sick and evil," a Tucson gunshop owner told Agence France-Presse in a piece entitled,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Wrap (California)
34029
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
China
Murder Suspects Shoot, Kill 6, Injure 5 in Rare Beijing Police Shootout
5 January 2011
New York Times
BEIJING — Two men wielding a shotgun and a homemade pistol fatally shot three police officers and an assistant and staged a series of carjackings in a city in northeastern China, state news media reported Wednesday, a rare example of gun violence in a nation where average citizens are largely barred from owning firearms.
The episode in Tai'an, a city in Shandong Province, left five others wounded after officers and assistants of the city public security bureau... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
33964
China
Murder Suspects Shoot, Kill 3 Police, Wound Six in Rare Beijing Shootout
4 January 2011
Associated Press
BEIJING - A pair of murder suspects killed three police officers in a shootout after going on a carjacking spree in eastern China, a news report said Wednesday, a rare case of gun violence in a country where private firearms ownership is illegal.
Two civilians and four police officers were also wounded in the shootout in Tai'an city in the eastern coastal province of Shandong.
The suspects hijacked four cars in a row, shooting two of the drivers, before they were... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
33960
United States,China,Albania,Afghanistan
US Gun Dealer Gets 4yrs for $300 Million Pentagon Afghan Ammo Fraud
3 January 2011
Associated Press
MIAMI - A youthful arms dealer whose company once boasted a $300 million Pentagon munitions contract was sentenced Monday to four years in federal prison for trying to ship millions of rounds of prohibited Chinese-made ammunition to Afghan forces fighting alongside U.S. troops.
U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard imposed the sentence on 25-year-old Efraim Diveroli, who faced a maximum of five years behind bars after pleading guilty in 2009 to a fraud conspiracy charge.... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
33951
China
Police Charge Man with Making, Selling Shotguns on the Web in China
24 December 2010
Xinhua
Chinese police have cracked a serious case of Internet-enabled gun selling and said they are monitoring the new crime method. The Ministry of Public Security revealed Thursday that police began their investigation of the case in May.
They said the owner of the Internet gun shop, Zhou Zhaoping, and four other suspects were arrested on June 8 in Wuxi City in east China's Jiangsu Province.
Zhou, a 31-year-old man from Yixing City, Jiangsu, had produced and sold shotguns,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Xinhua
33895
China,India,Nepal
Gun Runner Tells of Frequent Handgun Smuggling from India to Nepal
27 November 2010
Kantipur (Nepal)
KATHMANDU - Laxman Shah's (name changed) life seemed routine to his neighbours, until the day the police arrested him. His wife and children were shocked, as they were kept in the dark about his real profession. Shah has been a dealer of firearms for the past decade — an arms mule who regularly procured small arms from the Indian towns of Sitamarhi, Sursand, Basopatti, and Ladniya to send them to the Capital.
Shah was released a few months ago from Jaleshwor Jail,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Kantipur (Nepal)
33717
Iran,North Korea,China,Thailand,New Zealand
UN Security Council Reveals New Zealand Role in Global Gun Running
12 November 2010
Stuff (New Zealand)
New Zealand's role in allowing easy shell company creation has been revealed by a UN Security Council report as a key component in efforts by North Korea to break international arms trading sanctions.
A 75-page report on North Korea's sanctions busting efforts was released by the council in New York today after its publication was blocked for six months by China, a key ally for North Korea.
Written by a panel of experts it also reveals some new details about a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Stuff (New Zealand)
33618
China
Beijing Police Close Web Sites Said Trafficking Illegal Guns, Ammunition
20 October 2010
People's Daily (China)
The Beijing police force has closed six illegal websites to concentrate on cleaning up 3 million pieces of harmful information and cracking down on dangerous firearm goods since the launch of a special action to strike illegal online trafficking in firearms and ammunition in March of this year.
Tan Quan, a senior official from the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, said that the police force has discovered harmful information involving firearms, ammunition,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: People's Daily (China)
33508
India,Myanmar,Bangladesh,South Asia,China
Separatists, Burmese Rebels Make and Sell 'Chinese' Guns Across Region
3 August 2010
BBC News
South Asia's illegal arms market is full of "Chinese-made weapons" - but many of them may not actually be made in China.
Anti-arms campaigners say that the rifles and machine guns which South Asia's rebel armies buy are manufactured under "an informal franchise" that Burma's rebel United Wa State Army (UWSA) has managed to secure from Chinese ordnance factories.
The UWSA is an ethnic left-wing rebel militia, with an estimated 30,000 fighters. It is accused of being... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
33154
Nepal,China,India
Illegal Arms Trade, Gun Trafficking Said to Flourish in Nepal Tourist Area
2 July 2010
BBC News
The central Kathmandu tourist district of Thamel has become a centre for illegal trade in guns and small arms.
Kathmandu's police chief said the area was becoming increasingly violent because of its popularity with the city's drug dealers and criminals.
With cheap restaurants, backpacker hostels and shops, Thamel has long been the tourist capital of Nepal.
Most tourists spend at least a day here before heading out into the country to go trekking or rafting.
But in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
32948
China
Armed Violence Feared Rising in China Despite Strict Gun Control Laws
23 June 2010
Inter Press Service News Agency
BEIJING - China and guns have a long history.
The country invented gun power and developed one of the world's first guns, known as the "fire spear." Rifles played a major role in China's modern history, from the fight against the Japanese army to the Communist's victory over the Nationalists. In 1938, Mao Zedong famously said that "political power grows out of the barrel of a gun."
That comment perhaps foreshadowed the gun control laws later implemented by Mao and the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Inter Press Service News Agency
32861
China
Man Shoots 6 Judges, Kills 3 in Chinese Court Following Domestic Dispute
1 June 2010
Xinhua
YONGZHOU, Hunan - A man killed himself after shooting three judges dead and injuring another three judges in a local court office Tuesday in central China's Hunan Province, said local authorities.
The incident happened at about 10:05 a.m. at Lingling District People's Court in Yongzhou City, said the city's public security department.
The gunman, Zhu Jun, barged into an office on the fourth floor of the court building. He shot the judges in the office before killing... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Xinhua
32762
China
Police May Use Guns to Stop School Attacks, Say Chinese Authorities
14 May 2010
San Francisco Chronicle
Chinese police may use firearms to prevent more attacks on schoolchildren, the official Xinhua News Agency said, citing a government spokesman, after a series of assaults left more than a dozen students dead.
"If offenders dare to attempt such crimes again, the police will enforce the law firmly without hesitation, in line with the Criminal Law and police code of using guns and other weapons," Wu Heping, spokesman for the Ministry of Public Security, was cited as... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: San Francisco Chronicle
32677
India,Nepal,China
Police to Focus on Nepal-India Smuggling of Chinese Guns and Ammo
14 January 2010
Hindustan Times (Delhi)
Alarmed by the continuous seizure of huge quantities of arms and explosives, the Bihar police has decided to approach neighbouring state agencies to unravel the inter-state network of arms and ammunition peddlers and crime syndicate active on the Indo-Nepal border. "A meeting chaired by Director General of Police Anand Shankar decided to approach neighbouring state agencies to eliminate the inter-state network of peddlers of arms, ammunition and explosive materials,"... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Hindustan Times (Delhi)
31841
Russia,China,Pakistan
Russia Confronts Pakistan, China Over 'Illegally' Copied AK Assault Rifles
16 November 2009
United Press International
HONG KONG, China — At a press conference held during an international exhibition of defense equipment in Turkey last summer, a Russian military delegation harshly criticized the Pakistan Ordnance Factories Company for copying Russian weapons systems.
The Russians claimed that the POF's RPG-7P anti-tank rockets, 122-mm D-30 howitzer ammunition and PK-10 assault guns were 100-percent imitations of Russian systems. The PK-10 assault gun is a Pakistani version of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: United Press International
31477
India,China,South Asia
Chinese 'Big Smugglers' of Illegal Guns, Claims Indian Home Secretary
9 November 2009
Times of India / TNN
NEW DELHI — The government on Sunday indicated that China might be a source of small arms for naxalites who may be procuring them through smugglers.
"Chinese are big smugglers… suppliers of small arms. I am sure that the Maoists also get them," home secretary G K Pillai said when asked if the naxals had links with China.
He, however, made it clear that the government had no information that the Maoists had any links with China except getting arms. "I do not... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Times of India / TNN
31435
India,United Nations,Russia,China
UN Gun Trade Treaty 'Likely Very Weak' as India, Russia, China Abstain
2 November 2009
Times of India / TNN
NEW DELHI — Even as the crucial global arms trade and transfers (ATT) treaty, which seeks to regulate the $55 billion arms trade and promote democracy, found overwhelming support from 153 member countries at the UN on Friday, India was among the 19 who abstained from the meet.
These 153 countries — including top arms suppliers like US, Britain, Germany and France — supported a UN disarmament committee resolution which will lead into negotiations for the treaty... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Times of India / TNN
31433
Germany,United Nations,Russia,China
Germany Backs Global Arms Trade Treaty, China and Russia Abstain
31 October 2009
Deutsche Welle
Germany, along with other key United Nations members, has backed talks on a global treaty to regulate the global trade of weapons. Two major arms suppliers, Russia and China, refused to support the measure.
The United Nations resolution calls for talks aimed at agreeing a treaty to police the world's $55-billion (37-billion-euro) arms trade.
The UN General Assembly's first committee on disarmament and peace passed the resolution calling for a treaty by 153 votes to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Deutsche Welle
31432
Russia,China
Russia, China Near Copyright Deal to Licence Kalashnikov Production
22 October 2009
RIA Novosti (Russia)
KLIMOVSK — Russia is working to reach an agreement with China on copyright protection of Kalashnikov assault rifles, the head of Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport said Thursday.
"We have received China's national patent for Kalashnikov products. The documents have been handed to the Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation to prepare and conclude an intergovernmental agreement in the field," Anatoly Isaikin told journalists.
Isaikin said the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RIA Novosti (Russia)
31358
India,China,Myanmar,Laos,Cambodia,Thailand
China Small Arms Bazaar Fuelling North East Indian Insurgents, Maoists
19 October 2009
Hueiyen Lanpao (India)
DIMAPUR — Small arms wielded by Northeast militants and Maoists invariably find their way in from Yunan province of southern China through the Chin people in Myanmar. But forces handling security this side of the India-Myanmar border have "no reasons yet"
to suspect Beijing's official involvement in the gun-running racket.
Chinese copies of weapons such as the American M-16 rifles and Russian Kalashnikovs — AK-47s and AK-56s — are cheaper but almost as... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Hueiyen Lanpao (India)
31306
China
Chinese Civilians Voluntarily Surrender 60% of 53,000 Guns Seized
17 September 2009
China Daily / Xinhua
BEIJING — Chinese police have confiscated close to 53,000 guns by the end of August in a nationwide crackdown started in March this year, and 9,849 suspects involved in gun-related crimes were punished, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said Thursday.
The ministry started the special crackdown on explosives and gun-related crimes in March, and said it would continue till China's October 1 National Day celebration.
The crackdown is part of the ministry's campaign... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: China Daily / Xinhua
30997
United Arab Emirates,India,China
Indian Army Grounds UAE Air Force Plane Carrying Guns to China
8 September 2009
Times of India
KOLKATA — After trying to fob off Indian officials and investigators all of Sunday night, one of the pilots of the United Arab Emirates air force aircraft detained at Kolkata airport since Sunday finally admitted to the plane carrying a consignment of weapons.
The C-130 Hercules among the biggest transport aircraft in the world was on its way to Xiangyang, China, from UAEAF's Western Air Command base in Abu Dhabi. Although the UAE government had the necessary... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Times of India
30893
China
China Seizes 19,000 Guns, 39,000 Imitation Guns in 'Stability Drive'
20 July 2009
Xinhua
BEIJING — Chinese police have confiscated 19,000 guns and close to 500 tonnes of explosives in a crackdown on explosive and gun-related crimes in the last four months, the Ministry of Public Security announced here Monday.
More than 5,200 people in connection with illegal production and sales of explosives and gun-related crimes were arrested during the campaign, which started in March and ends on Oct. 31, the ministry said on its Website.
The crackdown on... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Xinhua
30591
Eastern Europe,China,Ethiopia
Ethiopia to Boost Arms Production: PM
14 April 2009
Agence France Presse
Ethiopia to Boost Arms Production: PM
ADDIS ABABA (AFP) — Ethiopia will boost arms production to cut weapons imports and save its dwindling foreign exchange, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has said.
"Our main objective is to reduce our defence expenditure and its pressure on availability of foreign exchange," Meles told reporters late Monday, without giving details.
"In order to do that, we have to reduce our imports and improve our exports. The objective is to take... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Agence France Presse
35009
China
Public Security: China Begins Gun Crackdown to Ensure Social Stability
24 March 2009
Xinhua
China has launched a crackdown on gun crimes to ensure social stability, the Ministry of Public Security said Tuesday in an online statement.
The campaign, which started March 20 and will end Oct. 31, includes confiscating illegal weapons, preventing gun crimes and supervising the use of guns.
The ministry urged public security departments to confiscate illegally traded guns "and seize groups or individuals illegally making guns."
The statement said the ministry... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Xinhua
29617
China
China Mobile Phone Death Now Blamed on Homemade Cellphone Gun
10 February 2009
Information Week (USA)
Huang Heping, the Chinese man reported to have been killed Jan. 30 when his cell phone exploded, now appears to have been done in by a gun of his own making.
Initial police reports, as conveyed by the Chinese press, attributed the man's death to severe arterial bleeding following the explosion of his mobile phone in an electronics store.
But last week, Richard Spencer, reporting from Beijing for The Telegraph, said police have concluded that the man died as a result... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Information Week (USA)
29195
United States,Albania,Afghanistan,China,Iraq
US Repays Millions to Indicted Miami-Albania-Iraq-China Ammo Dealer
3 February 2009
New Times (Florida)
On March 15, 2008, a fireball shot into the midday sky over Albania's capital of Tirana. The blast echoed 100 miles away in Macedonia and Kosovo. Its force was comparable to that of a small nuclear weapon. But this wasn't atomic. It was an accident at an arms depot, where poor villagers had been hired to handle old ammunition and artillery shells. The explosion killed up to 26 people and injured hundreds. The village of Gerdec was obliterated.
Three men were arrested... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New Times (Florida)
29134
Russia,Africa,China
Russia's 'Illegal' Gun Sales Arm Smugglers, Gangs - Accra Think Tank
29 January 2009
Inter Press Service News Agency
MOSCOW — Russia's state arms exporter, Rosoboronexport, plans to grow the volume of Russian armament and military equipment to Africa over the next four to five years. This comes on top of allegations that Russia is selling arms to smuggling and contraband rings, thereby contributing to conflict on the war-torn continent.
"We have revived our contacts with all African countries that used to be traditional buyers of Soviet weaponry," Rosoboronexport general director... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Inter Press Service News Agency
29104
United States,Afghanistan,China
US Govt Refunds Millions to Ammunition Dealer Charged with Fraud
26 January 2009
Miami Herald
A Miami Beach munitions dealer accused of defrauding the federal government is $4.2 million richer.
Actually, the money already belonged to 23-year-old Efraim Diveroli. But the government froze it after Diveroli, his business, AEY Inc., and three co-workers were indicted last summer on charges of selling banned Chinese-made machine-gun rounds to the U.S. Army to supply allied forces in Afghanistan.
Prosecutors recently agreed to unfreeze the money — as well as... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Miami Herald
29074
China
Gun Raids Yield 470 Suspects, 183 Firearms in Chongqing Province
15 January 2009
China Daily
Chongqing has become a passageway for illegal firearms trafficking through which guns can spread throughout the southwest or even the entire country unless action is taken, a senior police officer said.
Deputy director of the Chongqing criminal police squad Wu Lixun told the Chongqing Times yesterday his team had learned online and inter-provincial gun trading were on the rise.
The weapons included standard, knockoff and homemade firearms, Wu said. Wu was site... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: China Daily
29075
Myanmar,China
Ethnic Army, Drug Traffickers 'Manufacturing AK-47s' in Myanmar
17 December 2008
Irrawaddy (Thailand)
The United Wa State Army (UWSA), an armed ethnic ceasefire group based in Shan State, northern Burma, is manufacturing arms and ammunition for use by its own battalions and to sell to other armed groups in the region, according to sources close to armed groups in Shan State.
Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, Sai Sheng Murng, the deputy spokesman of the rival Shan State Army-South (SSA) said, "For more than one year now, the UWSA has been manufacturing AK-47 rifles... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Irrawaddy (Thailand)
28838
India,Bangladesh,Myanmar,Thailand,China
China Growing Illegal Gun Markets in Bangladesh, Myanmar Says India
27 November 2008
United News of India
MYANMAR SHILLONG — Security agencies have expressed concern on the increasing number of illegal arms markets in Bangladesh and Myanmar, a top official said today.
"The arms markets in both countries have been thriving with the proliferation of new arms and explosives in China after Beijing's decision to dispose of obsolete weapons. Not only in Bangladesh and Myanmar, but these illegal arms market are also flourishing in China, Thailand and Cambodia," Intelligence... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: United News of India
28728
China
Airgun Dealers 'Dealt Heavy Blow,' 1,000 Web Sites Shut Down in China
19 November 2008
Chinadaily.com.cn
A total of 381 people have been arrested and more than 1,000 websites have been shut down for advertising guns for sale on the black market, the Ministry of Public Security said yesterday.
Also, about 120,000 related Web pages have been deleted, following a crackdown between August and October, it said on its website.
Chinese law forbids any organization or citizen to purchase or trade in guns and ammunition. Such weapons, under license, are permitted only in areas... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Chinadaily.com.cn
28661
Pakistan,Iraq,China
Tens of Thousands More AK-47s Given to Tribal Fighters in Pakistan, Iraq
24 October 2008
Australian (Sydney)
Anti-Taliban tribal fighters in Pakistan's border region will be given tens of thousands of AK-47 assault rifles bought from China in a bid to replicate the success of the "Sunni Awakening" movement in Iraq.
The deal to buy the weapons and other small arms was negotiated by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari when he was in Beijing this month, reports said yesterday.
The Washington Post said the weapons would go to the so-called tribal lashkars (armies) that are... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Australian (Sydney)
28490
China
Gun Culture, Gun Crime on the Rise, But Still Officially Hidden in China
13 October 2008
Wall Street Journal
SHANGHAI — China's weapons laws are among the world's toughest. Its blanket ban on private ownership of rifles, pistols and even gun replicas is a core tenet of social policy. Still, a gun culture is taking hold.
China may be freer from gun crime than many nations, and official statistics show overall crime on a continuous down trend. Yet, these days, reports about gun crimes turn up as often as several times a week even in the tightly controlled state-run media. The... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Wall Street Journal
28417
China
Weapons Trail: A Timeline of Major Events Involving Guns in China
13 October 2008
Wall Street Journal
China boasts one of the world's strictest gun-control regimes. But the restrictions are increasingly being undermined by criminals, hobbyists, hunters and enthusiasts (See related article.)
Timeline:
10th-12th century: Among world's first guns are Chinese-made "fire spears," an armament that employs gunpowder, an earlier Chinese invention.
19th century: Guns become more prevalent as China goes through decades of warfare and revolution.
1938: Mao Zedong declares... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Wall Street Journal
28416
United States,Afghanistan,China,Albania
Miami Gun Dealer, 21, Caught in US$300 Million Pentagon Ammo Scam
16 August 2008
New Zealand Herald
When historians assess the Bush Administration's scandals, there is one that — even by the era's exacting standards — will amaze with its sheer chutzpah. The figure in the spotlight is Efraim Diveroli, 22. His Miami-Dade Police Department mug shot depicts a rather dazed, tussle-haired youth who looks like he might have spent a night clubbing.
Instead, as the beneficiary of a US$298 million ($426 million) United States Army contract, Diveroli, president of Miami... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New Zealand Herald
27990
United Nations,China,Sudan,Zimbabwe,Myanmar
World's Human Rights Abusers Rely on China as Key Arms Supplier
6 August 2008
Inter Press Service News Agency
UNITED NATIONS — As China tries to boost its international image, playing host to a summer Olympic games, the government in Beijing is being singled out as a key arms supplier to some of the world's worst human rights abusers, according to a new study released here.
Although China controls only 2 percent of the global arms market, Beijing's impact "is measured less by the value of its sales than by the character of its clients," says William D. Hartung, director of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Inter Press Service News Agency
27925
China,Sudan
Top Violator of Sudan Arms Embargo, China Swaps Gun for Oil - Report
6 August 2008
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — China has been the "most egregious violator" of a worldwide arms embargo, providing Sudan with the vast majority of its small arms and weapons used for mass murder in Darfur province, a private study group is charging.
The arms and also political support are being swapped for access to the African country's oil reserves, according to a report issued on the eve of the Summer Olympics in Beijing.
A copy of the report, due to be released on Wednesday, was... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
27903
China
Chinese Journalists Wounded as Weapon Fires in Gun Control Display
19 July 2008
Agence France Presse
BEIJING — Three journalists were injured in southwest China when a gun went off at a news conference called by Chinese police to highlight the success of a gun-control campaign, state media said Friday.
The incident took place in Nanchong in Sichuan province to publicize the results of a campaign by the city's police to seize illegal weapons, the Beijing News reported.
According to Zheng Chongjun, deputy head of the political division of Nanchong police, some of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Agence France Presse
27725
China
Gun Briefing Backfires in China: Policeman Accidentally Shoots Reporters
18 July 2008
BBC News
Three Chinese reporters attending a police briefing on the success of an anti-gun campaign were accidentally shot, media reports say.
An officer picked up one of the weapons on show — a confiscated home-made gun — but it went off in his hand.
A reporter needed surgery for injuries to his ankle, crotch and chest, after being hit by what appeared to be pebbles fired by the gun.
Two others were slightly injured in the incident in Nanchong, southern China.... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
27733
Zimbabwe,China,Southern Africa
Outrage Lingers Over Chinese Shipment of Guns, Ammunition to Zimbabwe
1 June 2008
Arms Control Today (USA)
In April, South African dockworkers refused to unload a Chinese cargo ship carrying more than 70 tons of small arms destined for Zimbabwe. The refusal set off international reactions that led to the recall of the shipment and calls for stronger international arms trade measures, such as a global arms trade treaty.
The shipment, including three million rounds of ammunition for AK47s and 1,500 rocket-propelled grenades, was meant to be unloaded at Durban, South Africa,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Arms Control Today (USA)
27285
China
Chinese Official Was Gang Boss 'With Crush on Guns' - Jailed for Life
29 May 2008
Reuters
BEIJING — A gun-toting Chinese official who owned two Ferraris and liked driving around in an amoured personnel carrier has been jailed for life for illegal weapons possession and fraud, state media reported on Friday.
Yang Shukuan, a former member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference for the northern city of Tangshan and the head of an organized crime ring, was arrested for extortion last year.
"The prosecutor said Yang and other gang members... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
27225
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
Zimbabwe,China
Arms Cargo to Zimbabwe Exposes Mugabe's Link to Chinese Gun Maker
28 April 2008
Sunday Times (UK)
The boycott of a Chinese ship laden with weapons for Zimbabwe has cast new light on the connections between the African country's president, Robert Mugabe, and a secretive Chinese arms-trading firm with a controversial track record from the Congo to Darfur.
The ship steamed towards China last week after dock workers in Durban refused to unload it and a South African court blocked the transit of its cargo of mortar and small arms ammunition.
The 15,000-tonne An Yue... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Sunday Times (UK)
26985
Zimbabwe,China
Beijing Recalls Zimbabwe Arms Cargo: Speculation on Gun Airlift to Mugabe
25 April 2008
Associated Press
BEIJING — A shipment of Chinese weapons headed for troubled Zimbabwe will be returned to China because there is no way to deliver it to the landlocked country in southern Africa, China said Thursday.
Countries neighboring Zimbabwe refused to allow the Chinese freighter An Yue Jiang to dock at their ports. That followed heavy pressure from African unions, churches and human rights groups, bolstered by behind-the-scenes pressure from the United States.
Critics argue... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
26970
Zimbabwe,Zambia,United Kingdom,Canada,China,United Nations
Chinese Gun Shipment to Zimbabwe Shines Spotlight on Global Gun Trade
24 April 2008
Toronto Star (Ontario)
When the Chinese freighter An Yue Jiang pulled into the South African port of Durban last week loaded with weapons bound for crisis-ridden Zimbabwe, it seemed to be just one more day in the lucrative arms trade that has engulfed the continent with deadly results.
Instead the ship ran into a storm of protest — with dock workers joining union leaders, church officials and the High Court to block the shipment — until the vessel left the port.
British Prime Minister... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Toronto Star (Ontario)
26962
Zimbabwe,South Africa,Mozambique,Zambia,China
Praise 3 African Nations for Barring 'Ship of Shame' Gun Cargo to Zimbabwe
24 April 2008
Los Angeles Times, Editorial
It's a rare moment when three African nations, in an effort to forestall violence, block a shipment of weapons to a neighboring country in political turmoil. It's perhaps even a historic development when those weapons were sold by a great power and were bound for a government that is not under United Nations sanctions and has every legal right to buy arms — though no moral right to do so. So let us praise the courageous peoples of South Africa, Mozambique and Zambia... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Los Angeles Times
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Zimbabwe,China,South Africa,United States,Mozambique,Angola,Namibia
China Says Ship Carrying Ammunition, Guns to Zimbabwe May Head Home
22 April 2008
Associated Press
HARARE, Zimbabwe — A shipment of weapons to Zimbabwe may be returned to China, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Tuesday, after the troubled southern African nation's neighbors prevented the cargo from being unloaded.
The Chinese freighter arrived in South Africa last week, and human rights groups and others said they feared the mortar grenades and bullets onboard could be used by President Robert Mugabe's regime to clamp down on its opposition.
Zimbabwean church... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
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Zimbabwe,China,South Africa,United States,Mozambique,Angola,Namibia
Gun Cargo Rejection 'Dramatic Turn' for Africa's Embrace of Zimbabwe
22 April 2008
Washington Post
JOHANNESBURG — A Chinese ship carrying weapons and ammunition for Zimbabwe's military may be headed back home, reports said, after repeated attempts to deliver its cargo were frustrated by a coalition of legal activists, union workers and human rights groups.
The region's resistance to the shipment, which drew praise from the United States on Tuesday, marks a dramatic turn from southern Africa's traditional embrace of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and its... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Post
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Zimbabwe,China,South Africa,Mozambique,Angola,Namibia,Zambia
Chinese Ammunition 'Ship of Shame' Adrift in Southern African Controversy
22 April 2008
IRIN (UN News)
JOHANNESBURG — There were conflicting reports about the whereabouts of a Chinese ship, laden with a cargo of small arms destined for Zimbabwe, after it was turned away from South Africa's port city of Durban.
According to some reports, the 150-metre multipurpose cargo vessel, the An Yue Jiang - registered in China and one of 600 vessels owned by the China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO), dubbed by South African media as the "Ship of Shame" — is now en route to the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
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