GENEVA — Latin America faces an unrelenting onslaught on its citizens by a glut of small arms, responsible for thousands of homicides every year by gangs, organized crime and vigilantes. Small-arms stockpiles that have permeated Central and South American societies are now an extremely serious threat because of the fatalities they cause in a region that has not had any major conflict since the 19th century, the author of a major new small-arms survey said. "The... (GunPolicy.org)

During the ceremonies to mark the 10th anniversary of the re-birth of the East African Community, 3,500 small arms were destroyed in a gesture of fighting the menace of illicit small arms and light weapons.The symbolic destruction of the unlicensed weapons fed into the theme of the anniversary celebrations, which was: 'Peace and security for stability and development.' Realising the magnitude of the menace of small arms in illegal hands, the delegates to a conference... (GunPolicy.org)

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan authorities have destroyed more than 30,000 illegal firearms as part of an effort to combat soaring crime. The government plans to sell the demolished guns as scrap metal and donate the proceeds to a foundation that cares for children suffering from cancer. Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami says workers used blow torches to destroy the weapons Wednesday. He says the initiative will further the fight against criminal... (GunPolicy.org)

The recent adoption of a United Nations resolution to produce legally binding international standards for the transfer of conventional arms is a real boost to the cause of international peace and security. Overwhelming support in the First Committee of the UN General Assembly for the negotiation of these new rules has set the scene for a series of preparatory meetings leading to the convening in 2012 of the United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty. This is an... (GunPolicy.org)

One of the great tragedies of our times is the uncontrolled spread of weapons, often from illegal markets, sometimes in violation of international embargoes. Up to a thousand people a day — mostly women and children — are killed by such arms, most of them in the world's poorest countries. These weapons fuel conflict, break down societies and prevent families climbing out of poverty. There is an urgent moral imperative to grip a global problem that is spinning out of... (GunPolicy.org)

When Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan started shooting up the Soldier Readiness Processing Center at Fort Hood, Pfc. Marquest Smith dove under a desk. The Associated Press reported that "he lay low for several minutes, waiting for the shooter to run out of ammunition and wishing he, too, had a gun." Neither Smith nor the other victims of Hasan's assault had guns because soldiers on military bases within the United States generally are not allowed to carry them. Last week's... (GunPolicy.org)

Time after time, public murder sprees occur in "gun-free zones" — public places where citizens are not legally able to carry guns. The list is long, including massacres at Virginia Tech and Columbine High School along with many less deadly attacks. Last week's slaughter at Fort Hood Army base in Texas was no different — except that one man bears responsibility for the ugly reality that the men and women charged with defending America were deliberately left... (GunPolicy.org)

[Translated Summary: Venezuela has destroyed 32,000 guns seized in crime, a third of them home-made. There are an estimated 6 million guns in a population of 28 million]. CARACAS — Las autoridades nacionales destruyeron hoy 32.477 armas de fuego decomisadas por los diferentes cuerpos de seguridad del Estado en diferentes operaciones. El acto de destrucción, al que asistió el ministro del Interior, Tarek El Aissami, tuvo lugar en la Siderúrgica del Turbio... (GunPolicy.org)