Firearm News
Afghanistan and Libya: All Weapons in the Hands of Islamic Terrorists
22 September 2021
Corriere della Sera (italy)
Afghanistan, Libya and Syria are the three crises that today fuel the archipelago of Islamic extremism. Three countries that are out of control and where Western intervention has increased the risk to global security. In Doha, in recent months, the Americans negotiated the withdrawal from Afghanistan with the Taliban, promising: we will leave, but you will not allow al Qaeda or other extremist groups to operate in the country. We know how that went. And when countries... (GunPolicy.org)
Jamaica,Venezuela,Haiti,Honduras,Trinidad & Tobago,Mexico,Belize,Colombia,El Salvador,Brazil,Puerto Rico,Guatemala,Pakistan,Panama,Costa Rica,Nicaragua,Uruguay,Dominican Republic,Peru,Ecuador,Paraguay,Argentina,Chile,Bolivia
InSight Crime's 2020 Homicide Round-Up
29 January 2021
InSight Crime
While unrest gripped much of Latin America in 2019, it was the coronavirus that took center stage and ripped through the region in 2020, upending everything from commercial trade to the operations of local gangs and transnational criminal organizations.
It's too early to tell with any degree of certainty how exactly the pandemic may have impacted levels of violence, but there were notable developments, including significant reductions in El Salvador, Guatemala,... (GunPolicy.org)
Punjab Gun Applicants Required to Plant 10 Trees
30 July 2019
CNN
Indian officials have launched a creative new initiative to boost the number of trees in a Punjab state district, requiring all prospective gun owners to plant 10 tree saplings before their application will be considered.
Potential applicants in Ferozepur district will each have to plant 10 saplings and take selfies with them, which they must show to authorities when they go to pick up gun license application forms.
A month later, they need to once again take... (GunPolicy.org)
India Developing a National Firearm Registration Database
17 July 2018
Xinhua
NEW DELHI -- India will have a national database for all licenced gun holders from April next year, the government said.
The Home Ministry said in a notification that the names of all licenced gun holders across the country will be included in the national database and they are also to be given a unique identification number (UIN) from the next financial year.
"Every licensing and renewing authority will have to enter the data in the National Database of Arms Licenses... (GunPolicy.org)
Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,Yemen,China,Israel,Russia,Brazil,United Kingdom,Germany,India,Canada,Austria,Australia,Mexico,United States,Japan,South Africa
How to Buy a Gun in 15 Countries
2 March 2018
New York Times
Many Americans can buy a gun in less than an hour. The process takes months in some countries. Here are the basic steps for how most people buy a gun in 15 of them. Many countries have exceptions for specialized professions, and local laws vary.
United States
1) Pass an instant background check that considers criminal convictions, domestic violence and immigration status.
2) Buy a gun. Many states have additional buying restrictions, including waiting periods and... (GunPolicy.org)
Illicit Indian Craft Firearms Smuggled to Bangladesh
4 November 2017
Daily Star (Dhaka)
In recent years, the country's northwestern border in Chapainawabganj has emerged as a major route for smuggling in arms. It has of late become militants' most preferred point for collecting illegal firearms and explosives. This is the route through which terror outfit "Neo JMB" smuggled in the guns and bombs used in last year's Gulshan café attack. With such chilling information surfacing, Shariful Islam visits the zero line area of Indo-Bangla border in the district... (GunPolicy.org)
Illicit Firearm Trends in Sri Lanka
29 October 2017
Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)
Early last month, traffic policemen who became suspicious of a licence plate intercepted a hybrid vehicle in which the occupants had Chinese-made assault weapons.
By all indications, if not for the vigilance of the two traffic policemen and sheer luck, a violent crime could have been committed in Gampaha town in broad daylight.
In the incident on October 2, police recovered three T56 assault rifles. The vehicle had been travelling on the road near Gampaha Hospital... (GunPolicy.org)
Over 3.3 Million Licensed Gun Owners in India
3 October 2017
Hindustan Times (Delhi)
Data released by the Union home ministry shows that India has a total of 33,69,444 active gun licences as on December 31, 2016
Uttar Pradesh tops the list of states with active gun licences with a whopping 12.77 lakh people authorised to carry weapons, followed by militancy-hit Jammu and Kashmir where 3.69 lakh people possess arms licences.
According to the statistics released by the home ministry, the country has a total of 33,69,444 active gun licences as on... (GunPolicy.org)
Illegal Craft Production in Bangladesh's Moheshkhali Region
7 January 2017
Dhaka Tribune
The market price of these weapons are quite low, therefore the demand is high among local criminals in Moheshkhali. Apart from being used by local criminals, they are also transferred to other districts around the country evading law enforcers.
On January 4, RAB 7 members traced some weapons to a factory in Cox's Bazar. After raiding the factory, 22 firearms and 22 rounds of bullets were seized along with 33 other equipments used for manufacturing weapons. The... (GunPolicy.org)
Increasing Firearm Smuggling in Bangladesh
13 November 2016
Dhaka Tribune
There are at least 119 points on the border which are being used to smuggle these firearms in, according to sources in intelligence agencies.
Officials say the majority of the arms shipments is entering the country via the border points in Chapainawabganj, Benapole, Satkhira, Comilla and Brahmanbaria districts.
The firearms which are being used in all kinds of scenarios – from trivial arguments to militant attacks, sources said.
According to Border Guard... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Smuggling from India Increases in Bangladesh
13 November 2016
Dhaka Tribune (Bangladesh)
Use of illegal firearms has increased alarmingly in the country as a group of organised smugglers are bringing them into the country taking advantage of weak border security, according to sources in law enforcement agencies
There are at least 119 points on the border which are being used to smuggle these firearms in, according to sources in intelligence agencies.
Officials say the majority of the arms shipments is entering the country via the border points in... (GunPolicy.org)
Violence in Jharkhand, India, Fueled by Handmade Guns
10 November 2016
India Today
It was a Wednesday morning late in June and Sudhanshu Kumar was in class joshing with friends. The class was to leave for the school assembly in a few minutes when the student of Dayanand Public School, Jamshedpur, heard a loud cracking sound and then felt an excruciating pain in his back.
It took the Class XI student a few seconds to realise he had been shot before he slumped on the desk, bleeding. Kumar had been shot by a classmate sitting two rows behind him. The... (GunPolicy.org)
India Places US$1 Billion Order for Ammunition and Weapons
10 November 2016
Chinatopix (New York)
India continues the breathless pace of modernizing the Indian Armed Forces and after ordering new submarines, tanks, surface-to-air missile systems, artillery, assault rifles and fighter jets since the start of 2016 is now placing an order for over $1 billion in ammunition and weapons from international suppliers.
India recognizes it faces critical shortages of ammunition in all its armed services and is bypassing prescribed routine acquisition procedures by invoking... (GunPolicy.org)
Bengal is Becoming Hub of Illegal Handguns and Ammunition
6 November 2016
Economic Times (India)
Meandering roads lead to chaotic lanes. Then the roads vanish, as do the lanes. What remains are muddled passages between cluttered households. Most of these lead to deadends and the rest, chock-ablock with not-so-friendly-looking people, are almost unapproachable. Unlike in most neighbourhoods, locals here don't guide visitors to addresses. Most of the queries go unanswered and are at best met with a reluctant nod. These inimical streets of Kankuli village in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Celebratory Shooting Illegal in India, Gun Licence May Be Taken
2 November 2016
Hindustan Times (Lucknow)
Firing in the air while celebrating marriages, religious functions or social gatherings is illegal and may result in the cancellation of the licence and initiation of legal action, Delhi Police told the High Court on Wednesday.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice G. Rohini was told by Delhi Police's Arms Licensing Unit that it takes prompt and certain action against offenders on receipt of any complaint of misuse of the firearms.
The firearm licences are issued... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Iraq,Afghanistan
US Lost Track of Millions of Guns Sold to Middle East After 9/11
30 October 2016
The Washington Diplomat (US)
The United States has flooded Iraq and Afghanistan with billions of dollars worth of small arms since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and has lost track of millions of them, according to a recently published report on 412 Department of Defense contracts by the London-based advocacy nonprofit Action on Armed Violence.
People often associate U.S. military assistance with heavy hardware such as armored fighting vehicles, anti-tank weapons and attack helicopters.... (GunPolicy.org)
India Tries Once Again to Buy 185,000 Army Assault Rifles
27 October 2016
Bloomberg (USA)
India's armed forces have embarked on a shopping spree for modern assault rifles, body armor and helmets, providing a potential boost to global arms suppliers.
The 1.3 million-strong military is abandoning its two decade-old Indian made rifles and seeking to outfit its infantry with more up-to-date equipment, scouting for a new model on the global market for 185,000 assault rifles. The Ministry of Defence also needs to buy hundreds of thousands of helmets and tens of... (GunPolicy.org)
Wanted Criminals Arrested, Arms Seized in Pakistan
22 October 2016
Business Recorder (Pakistan)
Police on Friday claimed that they have arrested 115 wanted criminals and recovered huge cache of arms and ammunition from their oppression during ongoing strike and search operations against anti-social elements in various areas of district Mardan.
Addressing a news conference in district Mardan, superintendent police (SP)- Operation, Shafiullah Khan Gandapoor said that on the special directives of district police officer (DPO) Fasial Shahzad, several crackdown team... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia,Afghanistan,Russia,Central Asia,Pakistan,China,Turkey,Brazil
UN Rule of Thumb Suggests 600,000 Illegal Guns in Australia
21 October 2016
Age (Melbourne)
As many as 600,000 illegal guns could be circulating in the Australian underworld, but national efforts to control the spread is being hampered by inconsistencies between states, a firearms intelligence report has found.
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission report on guns - to be released on Friday, the same day as state and federal government representatives meet to thrash out a way to combat illegal firearms - also backs a national amnesty.
Chris Dawson,... (GunPolicy.org)
Eyes on Pakistan, India Preps Gun Makers for Production Surge
18 October 2016
Breitbart
According to the India Times, India at the moment may not be ready to fight a full-blown war with Pakistan beyond a few days due to a shortage of military supplies and near depleted war reserves.
"In particular, the defense ministry is looking at small arms and ammunition and spare parts and weapons for the Sukhoi and Mirage fighter fleets on a priority basis," notes ET.
The news outlet points out that the Indian military is vulnerable to facing critical shortages,... (GunPolicy.org)