Firearm News
Finland,Ukraine,Sweden,Denmark,Netherlands
Firearms Supplied to Ukraine Found in Crime in Scandinavia
2 November 2022
YLE (Finland)
Organised crime is growing in Finland and there is a strong demand for weapons. Routes and connections from Ukraine to Finland are already in place. The police are hoping for resources to deal with the increasing workload caused by the war in Ukraine.
Soldiers carry weapons in the woods.
Europol, the European police agency, has warned that international criminals are trying to smuggle weapons from war-torn Ukraine to various EU countries. Photo by Yasuyoshi Chiba /... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: YLE (Finland)
40750
Ukraine,Netherlands,Sweden,Finland,Germany,Poland,United States,Russia
NATO Countries Pour Weapons Into Ukraine
2 March 2022
New York Times
The Dutch are sending rocket launchers for air defense. The Estonians are sending Javelin antitank missiles. The Poles and the Latvians are sending Stinger surface-to-air missiles. The Czechs are sending machine guns, sniper rifles, pistols and ammunition.
Even formerly neutral countries like Sweden and Finland are sending weapons. And Germany, long allergic to sending weapons into conflict zones, is sending Stingers as well as other shoulder-launched rockets.
In all,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
40616
Finland
Craft Weapons Seized in Finland
26 November 2017
MTV Finland
[Editor's Note: Translated from Finnish to English by GunPolicy.org]
In the forensic laboratory of the National Bureau of Investigation, between 30-40 homemade weapons are investigated annually. However, the figure is not the whole truth, as some of the weapons can be studied directly by the police without the work of the laboratory.
"Making a firearm is not a very demanding job," says technical researcher Pauli Heiskanen from the forensic laboratory.
In practice,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: MTV Finland
40332
Finland,Northern Europe
Finland Streamlines Firearms Registration
26 June 2017
Sputnik News
While possession of firearms has long provoked heated discussions across the globe, for Finland it doesn't seem to be a matter for debate. With new gun laws, the Nordic country has simplified gun procurement to the extreme, effectively allowing firearm permit applications online and abolishing psychological evaluations and police interviews.
Starting from 2018, the process of applying for a gun permit in Finland will be as easy as shelling peas. Gun aficionados... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Sputnik News
40333
Finland
Finnish Firearm Registration Simplified
25 June 2017
Yle News
[Editor's note: Translated from Finnish to English by GunPolicy.org]
New gun laws will soon make it easier for people to obtain firearms permits in Finland. The reforms will allow many firearm permit applications to be made on the internet, without a face-to-face meeting with police - even for first-time applicants. Gun permit applicants will also no longer be required to undergo psychological evaluations. The reforms go into effect at the beginning of next... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Yle News
40335
Yemen,Turkmenistan,Finland,Uzbekistan,Saudi Arabia,United Arab Emirates
Finland Under Scrutiny for Rising Arms Exports to Conflict Zones
1 November 2016
Modern Tokyo Times
As the global economy continues its slow recovery from the 2008–2009 worldwide recession, armament sales appear to have been one of the few recession-proof export sectors. The greater Middle East has been main emporium for such purchases. While the United States and Russia remain the world's two leading armaments exporters, other countries have also rushed in to fill niche markets, such as small arms, training aircraft and light artillery. Notably, Finland has been... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Modern Tokyo Times
40106
United States,Norway,Finland,Spain,Iceland,New Zealand,United Kingdom,Ireland
Handling Violence in Countries Where Police Don't Carry Guns
9 July 2016
Quartz (USA)
Another week, another police shooting in the United States. So far this year, 569 people have been killed by US police, according to The Guardian's count. Police brutality is a horrific normality and, in more ways than one, black men being shot by police has become the modern-day equivalent of lynching.
But, of course, it doesn't have to be this way. A police officer does not have to shoot to kill and, in several countries, a police officer does not even have to carry... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Quartz (USA)
39571
United States,Mexico,Honduras,Finland,Philippines,Thailand,United Kingdom
US Gun Smugglers Illegally Sent Firearms to 46 Countries
16 March 2016
Washington Post
Arms trafficking from within the United States, long thought to be relegated to gun-running for Mexican drug cartels, is far more extensive than previously thought, according to a new report by a weapons research group released Wednesday.
The report, published by the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey, examines more than 150 court cases involving arms trafficking from within the United States from 2010-2015. Spanning 46 countries and six continents, the report details... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Post
38954
Argentina,Canada,Mexico,Australia,United Kingdom,Russia,China,South Africa,United States,Israel,Norway,Finland,Germany,Switzerland
Three European Countries Lead US in Mass Shootings: WSJ
3 October 2015
Wall Street Journal
The latest U.S. shooting that ended in the deaths of 10 people at an Oregon college last week is reigniting calls for tighter gun laws and prompting comparisons to gun violence in other countries.
President Barack Obama asked why Americans can't follow the example of the U.K. and Australia. They crafted laws that "almost eliminate mass shootings," he said. "We know there are ways to prevent it."
Adam Lankford, an associate professor at the University of Alabama... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Wall Street Journal
39221
United States,Yemen,Switzerland,Finland,Serbia
US Has 5% of World's Population, 31% of Mass Shootings
23 August 2015
EurekAlert! The Global Source for the Science News (USA) - American Association for the Advancement of Science
Chicago - Despite having only about 5 percent of the world's population, the United States was the attack site for a disproportionate 31 percent of public mass shooters globally from 1966-2012, according to new research that will be presented at the 110th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association (ASA).
"The United States, Yemen, Switzerland, Finland, and Serbia are ranked as the Top 5 countries in firearms owned per capita, according to the 2007 Small... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: EurekAlert! The Global Source for the Science News (USA) - American Association for the Advancement of Science
38853
Finland
Finnish Police Fired Their Guns Only Six Times in 2013
19 December 2014
YLE (Finland)
Finnish Police fired their guns on duty only six times in 2013, reports the Finnish news agency STT.
"The Finnish Police respond to slightly more than one million different kinds of emergency situations per year, so in light of this fact, it is very rare that we resort to using firearms," says Jukka Salomaa, an instructor in the use of force and strategies of engagement at Finland's Police University College.
The UK magazine The Economist reported in August that... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: YLE (Finland)
39335
Finland
Duo Jailed for Plotting Shooting Spree at University of Helsinki
29 June 2014
Helsinki Times
The District Court of Helsinki on Thursday sentenced a 24-year-old man and woman to prison terms for a conspiracy to carry out a killing spree at the University of Helsinki.
The male defendant was sentenced to a prison term of three years and one month for the preparation of an aggravated offence against the health and life of others, and the possession of sexually obscene pictures depicting children following the discovery of 28 videos on his computer of minors... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Helsinki Times
38789
Finland
Law Change Sees Fewer Firearm Permits Granted in Finland
15 May 2014
YLE (Finland)
Changing gun ownership laws in Finland have resulted in a decrease in the number of permits issued. Last year just under 60,000 permits were issued, compared with more than 85,000 in 2007.
While the Finnish government has recommended changes to firearm ownership laws for this year - a move that the police believe will curb the general public's enthusiasm for applying for firearm permits - the numbers are already down.
Last year, 59,324 gun permits were issued whereas... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: YLE (Finland)
38667
Slovenia,Malta,El Salvador,Denmark,Croatia,Hungary,Finland,Estonia,France,Spain,Italy,Bulgaria,United Kingdom,Germany,Slovakia,Ireland,Latvia,Romania
Methodists Welcome 18 Countries Ratifying Arms Trade Treaty Including UK
3 April 2014
Christian Today
The Methodist Church has praised the government's ratification of the UN's Arms Trade Treaty.
The President of the Methodist Conference, the Reverend Ruth Gee, hailed it as a "legal milestone that should help to protect those who are abused and oppressed".
Countries that ratify the treaty will be required to establish national arms regulators to control the exporting of conventional weapons and weapons components, and to properly regulate arms brokers. Domestic weapon... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Christian Today
38541
Italy,United Kingdom,Slovakia,Germany,Romania,France,Spain,Bulgaria,Croatia,Malta,Denmark,El Salvador,Estonia,Finland,Hungary,Ireland,Slovenia,European Union,Latvia
18 Countries Ratify UN Arms Trade Treaty
2 April 2014
Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS — Eighteen countries, including five of the world's leading arms exporters, ratified a landmark treaty regulating the multibillion-dollar global arms trade on Wednesday, giving a significant boost to the campaign for the treaty's entry into force.
The ambassadors of the 18 countries handed over the documents at a U.N. ceremony on the first anniversary of the General Assembly's adoption of the Arms Trade Treaty, which is aimed at stemming the global... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
38525
Finland
Finnish Police Worried as Gangs Amass Guns
9 January 2014
YLE (Finland)
According to Finnish police local underworld groups appear to be amassing more firepower each year and seem to be placing more emphasis on arming their members. Detective Inspector Tapio Kalliokoski of the National Bureau of Investigation said that the development is worrying.
"Firearms aren't toys. They are acquired for a certain purpose, whether it be self defence against other gangs or then as a precaution. For years police have been concerned about whether we are... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: YLE (Finland)
38255
Finland
Five Injured After 'Chaotic' Shooting in Finland
14 December 2013
Xinhua
HELSINKI - Five people were shot and wounded in the Finnish capital city of Helsinki on Friday night, local media reported on Saturday.
Four men and one woman were among the wounded and were sent to hospital. Reports said that no one's life was in danger.
The shooting happened at midnight in Malminkartano Square in northern Helsinki as several gun shots were heard. The police received the first emergency call around 1:00 a.m. Saturday.
Preliminary investigation... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Xinhua
38184
Denmark,Finland,Netherlands,Switzerland,Germany,Europe,United States,France,Israel,Spain,Austria,England & Wales,European Union
Authorities Worry 3-D Printers May Undermine Europe's Gun Laws
17 October 2013
New York Times
PARIS — The gun fired four shots into a gelatin block. Each nine-millimeter bullet punched deep into the substance, which was meant to mimic the density of a human body.
For the experts at the Austrian Interior Ministry performing the test, it was a clear sign: This was a deadly weapon.
But it was no ordinary gun. The officials had downloaded the gun's digital blueprints from the Internet and "printed" the weapon on a type of 3-D printer that any person could buy... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
37987
