Firearm News
Serbia,Australia,United States
Serbians Hand In Thousands of Guns After Two Mass Killings
12 May 2023
Washington Post
Serbians handed in thousands of guns in the first three days of an amnesty aimed at disarming the country following two mass killings last week, including one targeting schoolchildren.
Almost 6,000 unregistered weapons, 300,000 rounds of ammunition, and 470 pieces of mines and explosive devices have been voluntarily surrendered nationwide since Monday, the country's interior ministry said Thursday in an Instagram post promoting the measure.
President Aleksandar Vucic... (GunPolicy.org)
Turkey: One in Three Households Owns a Firearm
28 September 2022
Al Monitor
Thirteen-month-old Kaan Tas was being pushed around a garden by his sister when she noticed blood coming from his head. He died a short while later, the latest young life lost to gun crime in Turkey.
The Tas family was visiting the southern city of Gaziantep when Kaan was hit in the head on Tuesday evening by a "tired bullet" — a round fired into the air, usually at celebrations such as weddings or send-offs for men starting their military service. The phenomenon is... (GunPolicy.org)
NATO Prepared to Intervene in Kosovo
1 August 2022
The Hill (Washington DC)
The NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) is "prepared to intervene if stability is jeopardized" by the Kosovo-Serbia conflict, according to a KFOR statement Sunday.
"KFOR will take whatever measures are necessary to keep a safe and secure environment in Kosovo at all times, in line with its UN mandate," the statement read. KFOR reported that the situation in northern Kosovo is "tense" and under close watch by the force.
Tensions between the two countries have heightened... (GunPolicy.org)
Turkey Has 627,765 Gun Owners Licensed to Carry
9 July 2022
Agenda (Turkey)
In the statement made by the EGM, it was stated that "individual armament has increased and there are 25 million unlicensed and 2.5 million licensed guns in Turkey" on a website with "falsified" information.
In the statement, which stated that they had to publish a denial because of a similar news before, it was emphasized that the fight against fake news on this issue would continue.
Noting that there has been a decrease in the number of newly issued licensed guns in... (GunPolicy.org)
Swiss State-owned Small Arms Producer Sold to Italy
13 April 2022
SwissInfo
Switzerland's state-owned Ruag International company has sold its small-caliber ammunition division to the Italian firearm manufacturer, Beretta.
All the 2,700 employees of Ammotech in Switzerland and ten other countries, including Germany and Sweden, the United States and Britain, would be taken over by the new Italian owner, Ruag International said on Wednesday.
The main Swiss production site in the town of Thun would be maintained for at least five years, Ruag... (GunPolicy.org)
Ukraine,United States,Russia,Turkey,Germany,United Kingdom,Poland
What Weapons Have Other Countries Supplied to Ukraine?
17 March 2022
Guardian
The US president, Joe Biden, has announced an $800m (£610m) package of arms to Ukraine as the west steps up military aid against invading Russia forces.
The west's military assistance to Ukraine began cautiously with helmets and flak jackets but now includes drones that can destroy Russian tanks and artillery from 50 miles away.
The west has repeatedly refused to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine but is now supplying a range of powerful weapons. They... (GunPolicy.org)
Large Amount of Unregistered Firearms in Bosnia and Herzegovina
7 March 2022
N1
Although it has been thirty years since the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, there is still a large number of unregistered firearms in the country but authorities manage to find and confiscate only a minor share, the police and security agencies in BiH and from abroad have found.
According to data collected and processed by the government's coordinating committee for small arms and light weapons, in 2021 there were 320,000 pieces of various weapons registered in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Italy Opens Sale of Parabellum Ammunition for Civilian and Sporting Use
23 December 2021
Fatto Quotidiano (Italy)
Parabellum, the taboo falls: Fratelli d'Italia's amendment to the European law opens up the sale of ammunition for civilian and sporting use
A historic taboo of the Italian legal system has been broken. First by practice, and since 2010 also by law, the civilian sale of parabellum ammunition has always been forbidden, Parabellum rounds have considerable penetrating power, and can make even ricocheting shots deadly in closed environments. "Their legalisation puts an end... (GunPolicy.org)
28 September 2021
Espresso
[Translation by GunPolicy.org]
Every day there are murders, death threats or crimes by those who possess a gun obtained easily with a regular licence. But only one number remains constant: that of murdered women. Giorgio Beretta: 'It is necessary to take firearms out of the hands of potential murderers'.
Eighty-five women have been killed since the beginning of the year, fifty-one by husbands, partners or exes. These are the numbers of feminicides in Italy. Eleven in... (GunPolicy.org)
Fewer Firearms in Portuguese Homes
25 September 2021
Diario de Noticias (Portugal)
New licences decrease every year
PSP estimates that there are fewer firearms in the home, taking into account those voluntarily surrendered and new weapons acquired, but stresses that this decrease "may not constitute a trend" due to the pandemic.
In an assessment made to Lusa news agency regarding the two years of the entry into force of the weapons law, which aims to limit the number of firearms in the home, the Public Security Police said that "there has been a... (GunPolicy.org)
Bosnia and Herzegovina Destroys 1,972 Pieces of Small Arms and Light Weapons
21 September 2021
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
A total of 1,972 pieces of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) were destroyed by the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Saturday, 18 September.
The event took place at the Jelšingrad smelter in Banja Luka and represents a continuation of efforts to increase public safety and security, and diminish the risk of SALW proliferation. It was conducted by the SALW Coordination Board of Bosnia and Herzegovina, police agencies, the United Nations Development Programme... (GunPolicy.org)
North Africa,Slovakia,Czech Republic,France,Serbia,Burkina Faso,Mali
Sahel: Serbian Weapons Used by Brutal Armed Groups
24 August 2021
Amnesty International
Amnesty International's arms experts have identified Serbian-manufactured weapons in videos posted by armed groups operating in the Sahel, including an Islamic State affiliate which has claimed responsibility for hundreds of civilian deaths. The new rifles, some the latest available models, match trade records of Serbia's sales to Burkina Faso, suggesting the weapons were recently sold to the government before falling into the hands of armed groups.
Amnesty... (GunPolicy.org)
Serbia,West Africa,Burkina Faso,Mali
Identified Serbian Weapons in Stockpiles of Armed Groups in Sahel
24 August 2021
Amnesty International
Amnesty International's arms experts have identified Serbian-manufactured weapons in videos posted by armed groups operating in the Sahel, including an Islamic State affiliate which has claimed responsibility for hundreds of civilian deaths. The new rifles, some the latest available models, match trade records of Serbia's sales to Burkina Faso, suggesting the weapons were recently sold to the government before falling into the hands of armed groups.
Amnesty... (GunPolicy.org)
How are the rules on weapons in Italy
22 July 2021
Il Post (Italy)
On Tuesday evening, the councillor in charge of security in Voghera, the Lega Nord member Massimo Adriatici, shot and killed Youns El Bossettaoui, a 39-year-old Moroccan citizen, in a square in the town centre. It seems that Adriatici had a gun licence, but the episode prompted some politicians - including the secretary of the Democratic Party Enrico Letta and some members of Italia Viva - to question the rules that allow private individuals to keep and carry firearms,... (GunPolicy.org)
Alleged killing of migrant by far-right politician prompts Italy gun control row
22 July 2021
Guardian
A row over privately owned guns has been ignited in Italy after a councillor with the far-right League party allegedly shot dead an immigrant.
Massimo Adriatici, a councillor for security in Voghera, is under house arrest after the shooting outside a bar in the Lombardy town on Tuesday night. Youns El Bossettaoui, a 38-year-old man from Morocco, was shot in the chest and later died in hospital.
Matteo Salvini, the leader of the League and a key partner in Mario... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Deaths and Crime on the Rise in Albania
21 July 2021
Exit News
Out of the 3,566 perpetrators of firearm incidents in the Balkans during 2020, 98% were men. Furthermore, the number of deaths from firearms has increased over the last few years.
This is according to the Armed Violence Monitor report, authored by the South Easter and Easter Europea Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC), functioning under the United Nations Development Programme and the Regional Cooperation Council.
The results... (GunPolicy.org)
Italian Experts Call for a Reform on Firearm Ownership and Possession
20 May 2021
Avvenire
Saturday, April 10, in Rivarolo Canavese, in the province of Turin, an 83-year-old pensioner, Renzo Tarabella, after having shot his wife, Maria Grazia Valovatto, 70, and his 51-year-old disabled son Wilson, shot and killed the owners of the apartment where he lived, 74-year-old Osvaldo Dighera and his 70-year-old wife Liliana Heidempergher, and then attempted to commit suicide. The reason is not yet clear - probably for depression and resentment towards the neighbours... (GunPolicy.org)
Spanish Police Bust Clandestine 3D Gun-printing Workshop
18 April 2021
AP
Spanish police said Sunday that they have uncovered the first workshop using a 3D printer to make illegal firearms in the country.
Police said that one person was arrested on Tenerife in the Canary Islands after being linked to the clandestine workshop where the suspect allegedly made assault weapons from 3D printing.
Beside the printer, agents also confiscated the components for 19 weapons made from 3D printing, several knives, chemicals that could be used in... (GunPolicy.org)
Report Shows Gun Ownership on the Rise in Turkey
10 March 2021
Stockholm Center for Freedom (SCF)
A report drafted by Turkey's Gendarmerie General Command has revealed an increasing demand for gun ownership in the country, with a 34 percent increase in the number of applications for gun permits in 2020, Turkish Minute reported.
In 2019, a total of 13,206 people applied for a license to carry a firearm, rising by 34 percent in 2020, with 17,751 applying for permits, the activity report for 2020 said.
According to the Umut (Hope) Foundation, a leading advocate of... (GunPolicy.org)
Azerbaijan,Armenia,Russia,Israel,Turkey,United States,United Kingdom
Arms Supplies to Armenia and Azerbaijan
17 February 2021
EVN
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been embroiled in an intense and violent ethnic conflict over Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) for over three decades. The conflict is at the very core of the modern statehoods of both countries. It has resulted in two full-scale wars in 1992-94 and 2020 and regular skirmishes, with the most significant one being the 2016 Four Day April War. The conflict has led to both countries becoming among the most militarized countries in the world. A 2019... (GunPolicy.org)