Guns in American SamoaFirearm regulation in American Samoa is ranked as restrictive,1 particularly in comparison with the permissive gun laws of its parent country, the United States. Private possession of small arms is limited to .22 calibre rifles, and to shotguns no larger than .410 gauge. Handguns, semi-automatic and automatic firearms are prohibited (see Gun Control Law). Civilian PossessionIn American Samoa, 250 gun owners are licensed to possess 250 registered firearms, for a rate of 0.41 guns per 100 population, or one firearm for every 244 people. This ranks American Samoa in the low range of private gun ownership among Pacific island nations.2 In the five years from 1996-2000, the number of firearms registered in the territory decreased from 277 to 255, with shotguns and rifles accounting for 88 percent of the total.3 4 The majority of owners are licensed for hunting and plantation pest control.5 6 Government GunsAlthough the nation has no military, and only a handful of its 200 sworn police officers are permitted to carry firearms, state armouries are estimated to hold 58 firearms.7 8 9 Gun Death, Injury and CrimeNo published reports are known to quantify gun homicide, suicide and fatal or non-fatal firearm-related injury and crime in American Samoa. In recent years, fatal shootings and cases of serious firearm injury have not been apparent among media reports of armed crime and violence.10 An exception came in July 2010, when a police detective was shot and killed outside the High Court in Pago Pago by an alleged crime family patriarch.11 12 Trafficking and SmugglingWhile anecdotal evidence suggests that small arms are occasionally smuggled from American Samoa to the neighbouring independent nation of Samoa, and while law enforcement officers talk of illicit handgun possession in the local fishing fleet, there is no evidence of widespread trafficking in the region.13 In April 2008, the captain of a police patrol boat from Samoa was alleged to have smuggled three guns from American Samoa, in a package addressed to the Samoan Commissioner of Police. One of these was a handgun stolen from American Samoa's police evidence room in the capital of Pago Pago.14 15 16 Gun Control LawIn common with other US Territories in the Pacific and Caribbean, the gun laws of American Samoa are remarkably less permissive than those in the United States. Yet in a regional comparison, American Samoa restricts private gun ownership at a level similar to neighbouring island nations.17 The Territory's main body of firearm legislation is its Criminal Justice Code (1979), Title 46, Chapter 42 — Weapons, with amendments in 1980. Gun Owner LicensingIt is illegal for any person to possess small arms without a firearm licence. A licence is only granted by police acting for the Commissioner of Public Safety after approval from the Attorney General, on condition that the applicant is not a convicted felon, does not have a history of mental illness, and is not a member of a group advocating the overthrow of the Government of American Samoa or the United States.18 Genuine ReasonEvery person who obtains a licence to possess a firearm must, upon the written request of the Governor, provide genuine reason why the firearm may be required. Written endorsement of the applicant’s good character and the stated need for each firearm must first be obtained from the village mayor, county chief, and police. Plantation protection and hunting are the most commonly accepted reasons for ownership. Ownership for self defence is prohibited.5 19 Background ChecksAs a US territory, American Samoa is a 'Brady State,' subject to the mandatory pre-purchase background checks of the mainland's Brady Act.20 To obtain a firearm licence, to acquire a permit to purchase and to register a firearm, an applicant must pass background checks with local police, neighbouring islands and with the mainland US FBI.21 Licence RenewalFirearm licences expire annually on 10 January of the year following their issue. Between the 1st and 10th of January each year, gun owners must submit their expiring licence, together with the annual licence fee, to police acting for the Commissioner of Public Safety. If required, firearms registered in the applicant's name must be produced for examination.22 Permitted FirearmsLicences are only issued for civilian possession of 12-gauge, 16-gauge, 20-gauge and .410 shotguns, and for .22 calibre rifles and their ammunition.18 Machine guns, assault weapons, military-style rifles and carbines, handguns, short barrelled rifles or shotguns, firearm silencers, gas guns and 'explosive weapons' are all prohibited.23 24 An explosive weapon, specifically a gas gun, short barrelled rifle or shotgun, can be kept as a ‘keepsake,’ but only if made inoperable. Machine guns are prohibited, whether fireable or not.24 25 26 Carrying FirearmsCarrying any weapon concealed is prohibited. It is also an offence to carry a weapon into a school, a church or place of prayer, into any election district on election day, into any federal agency or territorial government building, or into any public assembly. Discharging a firearm within 100 yards of any occupied school house, courthouse or church building, along or across any public highway, or within 30 yards of any public road, house, building or airport, is also a criminal offence to.27 Record KeepingRegistrationA centralised register of licensed gun owners and their firearms is maintained by police in American Samoa, despite the lack of any specific requirement in legislation to do so.28 Sale and TransferIt is unlawful for any person to sell a firearm without a licence issued by police on behalf of the Commissioner of Public Safety.29 Police must also approve any transfer of a firearm or ammunition from one person to another.30 Marking and TracingFollowing every purchase, each firearm is examined by police and compared with the owner's licence. If the weapon lacks a plainly visible and distinctive stamped serial number, it must be marked with letters and numbers designated by the Commissioner of Public Safety.31 32 Collection and SeizureAmerican Samoa has no clear-cut provision in legislation for firearm amnesties. In 2003, none had been held in recent memory.33 Despite this, the legal powers granted to the Commissioner of Public Safety seem sufficient to allow licence revocation, collection and seizure of firearms and ammunition if required. PenaltiesPossession of a firearm without a licence, possession of a prohibited weapon, and possession of a firearm deemed unlawful on account of the owner's criminal history or other adverse background are all ‘Class C’ felonies.24 34 Unlawful use of a firearm and unlawful transfer of a weapon to any person who is not entitled to possess it are both ‘Class D’ felonies.35 30 Defacing the markings on a firearm is a ‘Class A’ misdemeanour, while possession of a defaced weapon is a ‘Class B’ misdemeanour.36 A comparison of gun control penalties across 28 Pacific jurisdictions puts American Samoa in the mid-range.37 DefinitionsThe terms ‘firearm’, ‘machine gun’, ‘rifle’ and ‘shotgun’, are legally defined in the Criminal Justice Code.38 Production and TradeManufactureAmerican Samoa prohibits the manufacture of machine guns, explosive weapons, short-barrelled rifles, or shotguns and silencers.24 39 23 Trade ControlsIt is unlawful for any person to import a firearm without a licence issued on behalf of the Commissioner of Public Safety.40 Arms ImportsAs a deterrent to the proliferation of small arms, American Samoa imposes high customs import duties on guns and ammunition – 150 percent of landed value.41 42 In the financial years 1996-2000, the declared value of firearms and ammunition imported to American Samoa averaged less than US$13,000 per year.43 International AgreementsA territory of the United States, American Samoa is classified as a Non-Self-Governing Territory whose international agreements and diplomatic votes are the responsibility of the US Government.44 Accordingly, American Samoa has not reported independently on its implementation of the United Nations small arms Programme of Action (UNPoA),45 nor has it identified a UNPoA National Point of Contact or a National Coordination Agency for small arms under the terms of this 2001 agreement.46 American Samoa has neither signed nor ratified the 2001 Firearms Protocol to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.47 As a non-member of the Pacific Islands Forum, American Samoa is not a party to the Honiara Initiative,48 49 the Nadi Framework for small arms control in the Pacific,50 nor the Draft Model Weapons Control Bill for the Pacific,51 which is a template designed to encourage progressive harmonisation of gun control laws across the region as member states update their national legislation.52 53 American Samoa exchanges small arms trafficking intelligence with its regional neighbours through the Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO).54 |
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