Firearm News
Jordanians Polarized by Effort to Restrict Firearms
22 July 2019
Al-Monitor
The Jordanian government is pushing to amend a 67-year-old law regulating the possession of firearms in the kingdom. If the amendments pass, Jordanians would have six months to hand over unlicensed handguns, automatic and semi-automatic firearms or face heavy penalties. The proposed amendments would also restrict the issuance of new licenses and cancel permits to carry guns. The legislation to replace the current 1952 law is being debated in an extraordinary session of... (GunPolicy.org)
Jordan Pushes Bill to Limit Firearm Ownership
6 July 2019
The Jerusalem Post
Members of Jordan's lower house are working to push forward a bill that would prevent citizens from purchasing automatic or semi-automatic firearms, even if they are to be used for hunting. The legislation does not grandfather in those who already own such weapons, forcing people with legal permits to hand them over to the authorities.
It is said that a big reason for this reform revolves around King Abdullah II, who is cracking down on festive firing at celebrations.... (GunPolicy.org)
92% of Crime Guns are Unlicensed in Jordan
2 July 2019
Jordan Times
Minister of Interior Salameh Hammad touched a sensitive cord when he revealed on Sunday during a parliamentary debate on the amendments to the legislation on "weapons and ammunition" that 92 per cent of all violent crimes committed in the country are carried out with unlicensed arms.
For starters, the mere mention of the right to carry arms in Jordan, legal or otherwise, has been a taboo for much too long in the country. The carrying and/or keeping of arms by people in... (GunPolicy.org)
Jordan Promotes Gun Control Law
3 March 2019
MediaLine
King said to be concerned by festive firing at celebrations, but others cite terrorism
Members of Jordan's lower house are working to push forward a bill that would prevent citizens from purchasing automatic or semi-automatic firearms, even if they are to be used for hunting. The legislation does not grandfather in those who already own such weapons, forcing people with legal permits to hand them over to the authorities.
It is said that a big reason for this reform... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Switzerland,European Union,Egypt,Saudi Arabia,Yemen,Bahrain,United Arab Emirates,Qatar,Kuwait,Lebanon,Jordan
Arms Trade Treaty Member Nations Flout Gun Trade Rules [FR]
26 August 2016
SwissInfo
[Translated summary: Many countries that have signed the Arms Trade Treaty continue to ignore the rules. Only Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden have been completely transparent about their trade. US, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France and Italy continue to sell arms to Egypt which translates into the torture and death of hundreds of people.]
Disposer d'un traité sur le commerce des armes, c'est bien. Encore faut-il qu'il soit respecté. Pour Amnesty International, trop... (GunPolicy.org)
Eastern Europe,Syria,Jordan,Saudi Arabia,Turkey,Germany,United Arab Emirates
Eastern Europe and the Lucrative Middle East Arms Trade
9 August 2016
Deutsche Welle
War-torn Syria is full of arms: thousands of AK47 assault rifles, machine guns, mortar shells, rocket launchers and anti-tank weapons, aging T-55 and T-72 tanks. Most are believed to come from the following countries: Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Montenegro, Serbia and Romania. They reach Syria via a circuitous route. First, they are sent by air or sea to Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates or Turkey – then on from there to the... (GunPolicy.org)
Syria,Iraq,Jordan,Lebanon,Turkey,United States,Qatar,Saudi Arabia
Weapons of the Syrian War: Small Arms
19 July 2016
Defense One (USA)
Small arms were already plentiful in Syria before the war, thanks to years of Soviet and Russian support. More flooded in after the conflict began
First use: March 18, 2011. After the Assad regime detained more than a dozen teenagers as part of its Arab Spring crackdown, protesters burned down a police headquarters in the southern city of Dara'a. In response, police fired tear gas at protesters, and then opened fire on them.
Origin: Small arms were already plentiful... (GunPolicy.org)
Saudi Arabia,United States,Jordan
CIA Guns for Syrian Rebels Stolen for Jordanian Black Market
26 June 2016
New York Times
Weapons shipped into Jordan by the Central Intelligence Agency and Saudi Arabia intended for Syrian rebels have been systematically stolen by Jordanian intelligence operatives and sold to arms merchants on the black market, according to American and Jordanian officials.
Some of the stolen weapons were used in a shooting in November that killed two Americans and three others at a police training facility in Amman, F.B.I. officials believe after months of investigating... (GunPolicy.org)
Lebanon,Iraq,Jordan,Oman,Egypt,Saudi Arabia,Croatia,Israel,Kuwait,Germany,Spain,United Arab Emirates,Italy,Qatar,Switzerland,United States
World's Small Arms Trade Reached US$5.8 Billion in 2013
17 June 2016
Israel Homeland Security
The Small Arms Survey (SAS) released its annual Transfers and Transparency trade update for 2016, which reveals that the world's top and the largest of the smaller arms exporters conducted trade to the tune of $5.8bn in 2013. This represents an increase of 17 percent in small arms trade on 2012, which came in at $5bn flat.
The United States alone, the world's largest arms manufacturer and exporter, exported a record breaking $1.1bn worth of small arms in 2013. In a... (GunPolicy.org)
Jordan Bans Use of Firearms in Public but People are Still Shooting
21 August 2015
The Arab Weekly
Amman - Samer Khalidi, 17, was hit by a bullet in the head at the end of July while attending a wedding party in the northern city of Ramtha. He died instantly. No one expected that the wedding would turn into a funeral, especially when the person who fired a gun into the air was the groom, who ended up in jail.
In Kerak, south of Amman, a bride was hospitalised in May after she was seriously wounded in the forearm by a stray bullet in her outdoor wedding... (GunPolicy.org)
Peru,Colombia,Jordan,Mexico,Guatemala,Honduras,Uruguay,Argentina,Brazil
Gun Thefts From Peru Army Supplies Points to Possible Corruption, Trafficking
3 April 2014
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Authorities in Peru say the majority of arms used by criminal groups are stolen from private owners and security forces, highlighting a common regional phenomenon that is often facilitated by corrupt officials.
Specialists consulted by El Comercio said the majority of pistols and shotguns used by criminal groups in Peru were stolen from legitimate owners, rather than acquired through the black market. Authorities reported that 1,767 firearms were declared lost or... (GunPolicy.org)
Proliferation of Firearms in Jordanian Society Rising
9 March 2014
Jordan News Agency, Media release
AMMAN - The criminal police department reported a marked rise recently in the proliferation of firearms in Jordanian society and said authorities would press for amending the anti-gun legislation to stem this phenomenon, according to a study.
Col. Raed Ouran, a senior officer at the department, told Petra that the study was meant to survey the spread of firearms in the country and look into the motives behind citizens' proclivity to possess a gun.
He said there was no... (GunPolicy.org)
Officials Estimate Over 1 Million Unlicensed Guns in Jordan
24 February 2014
Muscat Daily
AMMAN - Jordanian border guards foiled an attempt to smuggle a large amount of ammunition from Syria and arrested five people early Monday, the army said.
"Border guards foiled an attempt to smuggle a large amount of ammunition and other material from Syria into Jordan, at around 1:30 am. (2230 GMT)," the army said in a statement on its website.
"The guards arrested five people and seized their car," it added without giving any further details.
Jordan says smuggling... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Prices, Sales Up in Jordan Over Syria War Fears
15 January 2014
New Straits Times (Malaysia) / Agence France Presse
AMMAN - Firearm prices in Jordan have soared tenfold since the war in neighbouring Syria erupted in 2011 but more people than ever are buying guns for protection against a possible spillover of the violence.
The number of licensed weapons stands at 120,000 but there are more than one million unlicensed guns in the kingdom of seven million people, according to interior ministry estimates.
According to a study by the Jordanian Society for Political Sciences, 25 percent... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New Straits Times (Malaysia) / Agence France Presse
Jordanian Politician Fires Automatic Rifle at Colleague in Govt
10 September 2013
Guardian (UK)
A Jordanian politician fired an automatic rifle at another parliamentarian in a corridor of the chamber of deputies over a personal dispute, according to two fellow deputies.
More commonly and during heated debates, lawmakers have hurled shoes and bottled water at each other. This was the first incident in recent history involving a discharged firearm in the 180-member chamber.
Over the summer, a deputy tried to point his gun at another lawmaker during a televised... (GunPolicy.org)
Jordan Border Police Seize Large Arms Cache Smuggled from Syria
1 August 2013
Montreal Gazette (Québec)
AMMAN, Jordan - An army spokesman in Jordan says border police have arrested smugglers trying to sneak in a large cache of arms from neighbouring Syria.
The spokesman says the group arrested late Thursday included Jordanians and other Arab nationalities.
The official said the arms included mainly machine-guns. He said … an investigation had begun.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with army regulations.
Jordan has been concerned that... (GunPolicy.org)
Jordan Govt Endorses New Firearms Draft Law to Curb Violence
30 May 2013
Jordan Times / Zawya
AMMAN - A new draft firearms and ammunition law places further restrictions on the acquisition of automatic weapons, a top official said on Thursday, amid a significant increase in the use of guns and violence across the Kingdom over the past few years.
Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammed Momani told The Jordan Times on Thursday that the government will move to have the bill enacted by Parliament as soon as possible.
According to the draft... (GunPolicy.org)
Levels of Violence Rise at Jordan's Universities, Gun Drawn at Parliament
15 April 2013
Al-Monitor (Washington DC)
Residents of the city of Karak have been dressing in black to mourn the death of a 20-year-old engineering student.
Officials said the man was killed [April 2] on the campus of a public university in this tribal stronghold 120 km (75 miles) south of the Jordanian capital, Amman. Recent violence that has wreaked havoc in Jordan's educational institutions, including student rioting that moved Karak into the forefront, could be a warning that there is a threat to... (GunPolicy.org)
Switzerland,Saudi Arabia,Syria,Jordan,United Arab Emirates
Swiss Weapons Sale to Saudi Arabia Blocked on HR Grounds
23 January 2013
SwissInfo
The Swiss government has vetoed the planned sale by the firearms group KRISS of weapon components to Saudi Arabia, arguing that the weapons made from them could be used to violate human rights.
The Swiss group's application for an export licence was for items worth SFr436,000 ($468,000), according to the economics ministry.
The ministry said the application was for components for pistols to be sent to the United States for assembly, and then exported to Saudi Arabia... (GunPolicy.org)
Israeli Police Say Gun Violence Continues to Climb in Arab Sector
27 March 2012
Jerusalem Post (Israel)
Despite police efforts to stamp out the use of firearms in the Arab sector, gun crime rose by 7 percent in the first three months of 2012 in comparison to the same period last year, police said Monday.
In 2011, in 557 cases a firearm was used during the commission of a crime, with 579 arrests made for firearms offenses, police said.
The police and the Public Security Ministry have been the subject of continued criticism from the Arab sector due to the mayhem caused by... (GunPolicy.org)