Gun Policy News
Firearm violence, gun control and small arms
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
Kosovo,Eastern Europe
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)
Read More: The Hill (Washington DC)
40665
Poland
Polish Right Calls for Easier Access to Guns
21 March 2022
Euroactive
The Polish right has proposed simplifying gun ownership regulations and shortening the procedure for applying for a gun permit as Russia's attack on Ukraine has renewed discussions in Poland about the country's stringent gun ownership laws.
Education minister Przemysław Czarnek has already announced that schools will provide defence training and shooting exercises for students as of September.
Those who back easier access to weapons say that Russia's attack on... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Euroactive
40628
Ukraine,United States
What Weapons Will Us Give Ukraine - And How Much Will They Help?
19 March 2022
BBC
The burnt-up wreckage of a Russian tank lies in the dirt, while in an accompanying photo next to it, a Ukrainian soldier carries the armaments said to have caused the destruction.
The images posted to Twitter by the Ukrainian Armed Forces are labelled with a triumphant caption, declaring that this was the result of "hits from Javelins on [Russian] military equipment".
The Javelin, a shoulder-held anti-tank weapon that shoots heat-seeking rockets hurtling towards... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC
40613
Ukraine
How Ukraine's Military Has Resisted Russia So Far
3 March 2022
New York Times
WASHINGTON — Ukraine's soldiers have blown up bridges to halt advancing Russian ground troops. Its pilots and air defenses have prevented Russian fighter jets from conquering the skies. And a band of savvy Ukrainian cyberwarriors are so far beating Moscow in an information war, inspiring support at home and abroad.
To the surprise of many military analysts, Ukrainian troops are mounting a stiffer-than-expected resistance to Russian forces up and down battle lines... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
40638
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
Ukraine,Russia
The Events Leading Up to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine
1 March 2022
Reuters
Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Here is a timeline of Ukraine's fraught relationship with Moscow since it won independence in 1991 and the events that led to the current conflict.
1991: Shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union, Ukraine declares independence from Moscow.
2004: Pro-Russian candidate Viktor Yanukovich is declared president but allegations of vote-rigging trigger protests, known as the Orange Revolution, forcing a re-run of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
40615
Ukraine
Ukrainian Parliament Passes Emergency Firearm Carry Law
24 February 2022
Business Insider
The Ukrainian parliament passed a law on Wednesday, which allows citizens to carry firearms in public, alongside the enactment of a state of emergency, after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops to eastern Ukraine on Monday.
Previously, Ukrainian citizens were barred from carrying guns outside of their homes.
"Now it's the intention of the parliament is to liberalize ownership of armaments by citizens," Dmytro Shulga, the European Programme Director at the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Business Insider
40607
Czech Republic
Continued Steady Increase in Czech Gun Ownership
3 January 2022
Zbrojnice.com
Gun Statistics 2021: Continued steady increase in gun ownership and number of guns, amendment to law had no major impact
The second COVID year did not bring any major change to the Czech civilian gun ownership statistics. The steady increase in the number of gun holders continues. Paradoxically, the increase in 2021 was slightly slower than the year before, although part of 2020 was marked by the impossibility of proficiency tests due to government restrictions. In... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Zbrojnice.com
40762
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)
Read More: Amnesty International
40629
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)
Read More: EVN
40621
Czech Republic
Firearm Licences on the Rise in Czech Republic
10 January 2021
Zbrojnice.com (Czech Republic)
Gun stats 2020: number of legal owners up 0.63%, quarter of a million people allowed to carry firearms for personal protection
In 2020, the trend of a slight increase in the number of gun license holders continued to a total of 307,372 people. This is not a repeat of the fluctuations of 2013 (down nearly 5%) and 2016 (up 2.8%). Despite the existence of COVID restrictions, which brought with it repeated periods when proficiency tests were not conducted, slightly more... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Zbrojnice.com (Czech Republic)
40481
Czech Republic
The Totalitarian Bias of Privately Owned Weapons in Czech Republic
21 August 2020
Zbrojnice.com
In the Czech lands, the civilian possession of weapons is historically inextricably linked to collective and individual protection, as evidenced by its enshrinement for these purposes in the Treaty of St.Wenceslas (1517) and the Regulation on Handguns (1524). The plethora of compact and subcompact self-defence pistols produced during the First Republic shows that this tradition has endured for more than half a millennium. It was only broken by Nazi and Communist... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Zbrojnice.com
40482
Hungary
Hungarian Gun Purchases Increase due to Pandemic Fears
23 March 2020
Reuters
Peter Rostas doesn't want to have any reason to use the gun he was buying, but the young Hungarian father of one was taking no chances with a coronavirus epidemic he fears may bring out the worst in some people.
"It's a precautionary measure," Rostas, 33, said as he lined up outside a small Budapest shop selling non-military grade weapons that require no license. "I'd rather be laughing later than find myself in a conflict with nothing but a broomstick."
Hungarians... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
40444
Hungary
Unclear Statistics as Guns Become Tougher to Obtain in Hungary
25 April 2019
Nepszava
According to experts, the number of official gun owners is greatly exaggerated, but more people are illegally possessing rifles, pistols, and other items.
Firearm abuses are not common in Hungary, and even in recent days, armed mischief involving airsoft rifles is a rarity. However, weapons are a serious risk and their records must be up-to-date, accurate and unmistakable even in peaceful times. In Hungary, however, there is complete confusion in armament statistics.... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Nepszava
40445
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)
Read More: New York Times
40300
Czech Republic
303,000 Registered Firearm Owners in Czech Republic
27 January 2018
Radio Praha
The number of Czechs with permits to have firearms increased last year to 303,000, according to the police.
That figure is around 2,700 more than in 2016 and 11,000 more than two years ago.
Police say the rising trend of gun ownership has been caused by fears over migration, terrorist attacks, and fear of personal assault.
The number of guns, rifles and other firearms kept at home by Czechs rose to around 850,000, around 100,000 more than five years... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Radio Praha
40376
Czech Republic
Czechs take legal action over EU rules on gun control
9 August 2017
Reuters
The Czech Republic filed a lawsuit on Friday against a new European Union directive tightening gun ownership, aimed at limiting access to semi-automatic and other weapons after deadly Islamist attacks in western Europe.
The European Parliament and EU interior ministers gave a final nod to the changes earlier this year despite the Czech Republic, Luxembourg and Poland voicing opposition.
The Czech Interior Ministry said the directive was too harsh, affecting for... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
40479
Czech Republic
Czech parliament moves to legalise firearm ownership
29 June 2017
BBC News
The lower house of the Czech parliament has agreed to alter the constitution so that firearms can be held legally when national security is threatened.
The amendment gives Czechs the right to use firearms during terrorist attacks.
It was passed by the lower house by a big majority, and is likewise expected to be approved by the upper house.
The move by parliament is a challenge to EU gun control rules which restrict civilians from possessing certain kinds of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
40477
Czech Republic
Czech Lower House Passes Gun Amendment
28 June 2017
PragueTV
The lower house of Parliament approved a constitutional amendment that would allow legally registered owners of guns to intervene if the security of the Czech Republic was at stake.
Some 139 of the 168 deputies present were in favor of the amendment, and nine were against.
For the amendment to pass the Chamber of Deputies, it needed 120 votes, or three-fifths of the 200 parliamentary deputies.
The proposal was supported by Social Democrats (40 voted for, three... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: PragueTV
40478
Syria,Iraq,Slovakia,European Union
Europe Split on Reforms and Regulations to Curb Gun Violence
14 November 2016
EUObserver (Belgium)
EU lawmakers are meeting on Tuesday (15 November) for another round of backroom talks to curb gun violence and prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons on the black market.
Debates around the European Commission's EU firearms directive reform, proposed in the aftermath the Paris November terrorist attacks, appears to be advancing as positions converge between the two co-legislatures at the European Parliament and the Council, representing member states.
"There is a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: EUObserver (Belgium)
40180
Philippines,United States,Russia
Philippines Will Buy Guns from Russia if US Won't Oblige [FR]
3 November 2016
TRT (Turkey)
[Translated summary: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he'll turn to Russia if the United States refuses to sell M-16s to his country. The declaration was made after the US cancelled an order of assault rifles intended for Philippine Police, citing concern about violations of human rights.]
Le président philippin Rodrigo Duterte a déclaré, mercredi, qu'il solliciterait la Russie si les Etats-Unis refusent de vendre des armes à son pays.
La déclaration de... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: TRT (Turkey)
40147
Philippines,United States,Russia
Philippines Will Turn to Russia if the US Won't Sell Them Guns
2 November 2016
CNN
Outspoken Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte had a blunt message for the United States after reports emerged of a potentially blocked arms sale.
"They're blackmailing me that they won't sell weapons? We have lots of explosives here," Duterte said, according to CNN Philippines.
And suggested, the country would turn to Russia for its weapons.
"[I] remember what the Russian diplomat said: Come to Russia, we all have here anything you need."
The comments were in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: CNN
40129
Russia
Police Raid Illegal Gun Makers in Moscow, 24 Russian Regions
25 October 2016
Tass (Russia)
MOSCOW -- Operatives of the Russian Interior Ministry's Main Criminal Investigation Department have liquidated a workshop of illegal arms producers in southwest Moscow, the ministry's press office told TASS on Tuesday.
"Operatives of the Russian Interior Ministry's Main Criminal Investigation Department and the Federal Security Service have carried out searches in Moscow and the Moscow Region at the places of residence of four lawbreakers to find and seize 22 pistols... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Tass (Russia)
40087
Germany,Australia,New Zealand,Japan,Switzerland,France,Poland,Iraq
German Ammo Sales Up Tenfold, €4 Billion Arms Sales in 2016
25 October 2016
Mo4ch (US)
Germany's small arms ammunition sales have increased by 10 times in the first 6 months of 2016, while total arms sales have reached €4 billion over the same period and have set a new record, Deutsche-Presse Agentur (DPA) says, citing a government report.
The total value of the small arms ammo export contracts has risen from €27 million ($29.3 million) in the first half of 2015 to €283.8 million ($308 million) in the first six months of 2016, the reports says,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Mo4ch (US)
40062
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)
Read More: Age (Melbourne)
40025
Israel,South Sudan,Bulgaria
Israel Gun Trade 'Helping to Fuel South Sudan War,' Says UN
20 October 2016
Times of Israel
A United Nations panel of experts found evidence of "well-established networks" of arms suppliers in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, including from Israel, that are fueling the war in South Sudan.
In a confidential report to the Security Council obtained by AFP on Thursday, the panel described the arms deals that are not recent and involve Israeli and Bulgarian firms.
The Council has threatened to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan to try to end the fighting... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Times of Israel
40028
Bulgaria
Bulgaria Weapon Production, Exports Rose 60% in 2 Years
4 October 2016
Novinite (Bulgaria)
Defense-related equipment production and exports have increased by over sixty percent over two years, Economy Minister Bozhidar Lukarski has said.
Key factors for this include "a more active and flexible marketing policy" as well as a widened target of potential buyers. Quality of the products and the appearance of new competitive ones, according to Standart.
In July, data on 2015 exports suggested Bulgaria sold 59% more arms abroad in that year compared to 2014,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Novinite (Bulgaria)
39952
Yemen,Syria,Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe Approved €1.2 Billion Arms Sale to Middle East
30 September 2016
Jewish Business News
An investigation has found that countries in Eastern Europe discreetly approved the sale of weapons worth over €1 billion to countries in the Middle East. Those countries in turn ship weapons to war-ravaged Syria and Yemen. The hardware includes shells, anti-tank missiles, machine guns and thousands of Kalashnikov-style assault rifles.
The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) conducted the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Jewish Business News
39947
Moldova
Over 35 Gun Experts Meet in Moldova to Discuss Illicit Trafficking
27 September 2016
SEESAC (Belgrade)
Over 35 firearms experts from South East Europe are meeting in Chisinau, Moldova on 27 – 28 September for the 5th Regional Meeting of the South East Europe Fire Arms Experts Network (SEEFEN). Funded by the European Union (EU), the meeting is gathering prosecutors, police and customs officials from the region to discuss their experiences, good practices and most effective ways in combating illicit trafficking of firearms.
"The threats we face are greater than... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: SEESAC (Belgrade)
39933
China,Eastern Europe,Saudi Arabia,Turkey,Syria,Iraq
'Almost Direct' Supply Chain Sells Guns from Europe to ISIS
11 September 2016
Huffington Post (UK)
Islamic State fighters are illegally using guns and other weapons made in Eastern European factories, in a newly-discovered supply chain that is "almost direct", a weapons expert has claimed.
James Bevan, the director of Conflict Armament Research (CAR), told The Huffington Post UK that investigations this summer have seen a rapid, frightening change in the source of weapons used by the so-called Islamic State to fight other groups and carry out massacres.
These... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Huffington Post (UK)
39834
Slovakia
Slovakia 'Main Supplier' of Guns to Terrorists in Europe [ES]
7 September 2016
Terra (Argentina)
[Translated summary: Slovakia has become one of the main suppliers of guns to the black market. Until last year, companies were allowed to sell old weapons that had been disabled. However, it was very easy to make the weapons operational again. New regulations ban online sales and demand companies to use other methods for disabling.]
Un agujero legal, la falta de controles y la búsqueda de beneficio económico han hecho de Eslovaquia uno de los principales... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Terra (Argentina)
39801
China,Russia,France,Ukraine,United Kingdom,Saudi Arabia,Yemen,Israel,Bahrain,Belgium,Oman,Turkmenistan,United Arab Emirates
UK, Second Largest Gun Exporter, Arms the Middle East [FR]
5 September 2016
Sputnik News
[Translated summary: The United Kingdom is the second largest exporter of arms. Between 2010 and 2015, the UK has sold weapons worth 10 million pounds to Oman, Turkmenistan and the United Arab Emirates, countries that are classified as "Non-free" by the Freedom House NGO. Other countries that buy from the UK are Saudi Arabia and Israel.]
Le Royaume-Uni est le deuxième plus grand exportateur d'armes du monde sur les 10 dernières années et devant des pays comme la... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Sputnik News
39824
Czech Republic,Peru
Peruvian Military Company to Assemble #Czech Pistols [ES]
1 September 2016
Radio Praga
[Translated summary: A military company from the Peruvian defence sector has opened an assembly and repair centre for Czech handguns in its plant. The company sold a total of 250,000 weapons in 2015 and most of its production is exported to Europe and US.]
Las pistolas de Česká zbrojovka se van a montar en Perú. La empresa militar FAME, con sede en Lima, ha abierto en su planta una zona de montaje y reparaciones de los productos checos. Se trata de la primera... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Radio Praga
39777
Czech Republic
Czechs Think Growing Number of Guns Threatens Security [ES]
1 September 2016
Radio Praga
[Translated summary: According to a survey, Czechs believe that the recent increase of 39% in gun ownership could lead to a decline in security and to more armed robberies. The increase is a consequence of licensed gun owners buying more weapons. An amendment to the Firearms Law has been approved recently, allowing Police to confiscate legal guns if they suspect the owner might harm himself or others.]
Un gran porcentaje de checos opina que la incrementada presencia... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Radio Praga
39775
Czech Republic,Austria,Switzerland,Germany
Europeans Buy More Guns in Fear of Jihadist Attacks [ES]
27 August 2016
Actualidad RT
[Translated Summary: In the Czech Republic, the number of firearm owners reached 300,000 in the first five months of 2016. Gun dealers in Switzerland and Austria say they've also seen a surge in interest towards firearms following jihadist shootings in Europe. Germans are choosing self-defence devices, like sprays and blank guns.]
El número de europeos que compra armas de fuego y dispositivos de autodefensa aumenta con cada día que pasa, informa Reuters. Las... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Actualidad RT
39769
Germany,Russia
Germany Calls for New Arms Control Deal With Russia
25 August 2016
New York Times, Reuters
Germany's foreign minister has called for a new arms control deal with Moscow to avoid an escalation of tensions in Europe, where intensified military exercises by Russia and NATO have raised concerns that a war could inadvertently be triggered.
In an apparent reference to Russia's annexation of the Crimea region of Ukraine, Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Russia had violated basic, non-negotiable principles of peace, breaking delicate bonds of trust built up over... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times, Reuters
39753
Saudi Arabia,Afghanistan,Bulgaria,Italy,Syria,Czech Republic,Iran,Libya,Yemen,United Kingdom,Ukraine,United States,South Sudan,France
World Powers Accused of Violating Arms Trade Treaty [ES]
23 August 2016
IPS Noticias
[Translated summary: Human Rights organisations and military analysts accuse the United States, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France and Italy of violating the Arms Trade Treaty by selling to countries in conflict. Experts say that effectively implementing the treaty could save millions of lives.]
NACIONES UNIDAS - Los grandes proveedores de armamento violan el tratado que regula su comercio y que se propone frenar el flujo de armas pequeñas y ligeras hacia las zonas de... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IPS Noticias
39850
Spain,Eastern Europe
Seizure of 'Weapon of War' Guns Increased 20% in Spain [ES]
23 August 2016
El País (Colombia)
[Translated summary: Approximately 20% of the 2,250 seized firearms in Spain in the last five years are weapons of war. Also, in the current year, about 1,073 firearms have been seized, 152 people have been arrested, at least four sweatshops have been shut down; there, assault rifles and semiautomatic guns were reactivated and ended up in countries at war.]
Los investigadores calculan que, en los últimos dos años, un pequeño negocio ubicado en el sótano de un... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: El País (Colombia)
39738
Germany,Switzerland,Austria,Czech Republic,United Kingdom,United States,France
In Fear of Terror, Europeans Buy More Guns, Scare Devices
23 August 2016
Reuters
Europeans in a number of countries are seeking to arm themselves with guns and self-defence devices in growing numbers following a series of attacks by militants and the mentally ill. Here are some figures.
- In Germany, permits for scare devices including blank guns and those that fire pepper spray rose 49 percent to 402,301 in the year to June, federal statistics show.
However, the number of certificates to possess firearms dipped marginally to 1,894,283 from... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
39730
Yemen,Syria,South Sudan,United States,Bulgaria,Czech Republic,France,Italy,Egypt,Ukraine,Moldova,Slovakia,United Kingdom,Saudi Arabia,Germany,Spain
UN: No Tolerance for States Who Flout Arms Trade Treaty
22 August 2016
Amnesty International (London)
- States Parties [countries] still engaging in unscrupulous arms transfers, putting lives and human rights at risk
- More than a quarter of States Parties are yet to meet the treaty's reporting obligations
- Some States Parties opting to reject public scrutiny of their arms transfers
States must ensure the global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) lives up to its promise to save lives and protect human rights from the devastating effects of the international arms trade by taking... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Amnesty International (London)
39721
United States,China,Germany,United Kingdom,France,Russia,Spain,Italy,Israel,India,Saudi Arabia,United Arab Emirates,Pakistan,Australia,Turkey,Singapore,South Korea,South Sudan,Ukraine
Killer Facts: The Scale of the Global Arms Trade, Gun Totals
22 August 2016
Amnesty International (London)
Transfers of heavy conventional weapons
The top 10 exporters of conventional arms (excluding small arms/ light weapons – SALW) 2010-15
USA: US$55.006 billion
Russia: US$42.404 billion
China: US$9.943 billion
Germany: US$ 9.467 billion
France: US$ 8.932 billion
UK: US$ 7.627 billion
Spain: US$ 5.310 billion
Italy: US$ 4.360 billion
Ukraine: US$ 4.156 billion
Israel: US$ 3.280 billion
The top 10 importers of conventional arms (excluding SALWs) 2010-15
India:... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Amnesty International (London)
39717
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)
Read More: Deutsche Welle
39676
Ukraine,Romania
Romanian Mafia Gang Sells Guns 'Bound for Western Europe'
7 August 2016
Sky News (UK)
As Britain's security services warn of potential Paris-style terror attacks in the UK, Sky News has been told by eastern European mafia gangs that demand for their military grade weapons across Europe has rocketed in two years - and they will supply to anyone.
Security analysts say Islamist terror cells and "lone wolf" killers now consider automatic weapons the best way to bring mass murder to our streets.
Europe's open borders mean that weapons like the AK-47 can be... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Sky News (UK)
39699
Romania,Western Europe,Ukraine
Romania Is a Central Point for Gun Trafficking from Ukraine [FR]
7 August 2016
Sputnik News
[Translated summary: The illicit traffic of firearms coming from Ukraine passes through Romania to reach the countries of Western Europe, but also the Middle East. One Romanian traffic network offers pistols, sniper rifles, shotguns, hunting rifles and semi-automatics.]
Les ventes d'armes illégales en provenance d'Ukraine et à destination de l'Europe de l'Ouest commencent à faire parler d'elles.
Le trafic illicite d'armes en provenance d'Ukraine passe par la... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Sputnik News
39662
Germany,France,Europe,Czech Republic
Czech President Touts New Law to Keep Guns for Self Defence
3 August 2016
New American (USA)
Reflecting a startling change of heart, Czech Republic President Miloš Zeman (shown), once opposed to private civilian ownership of firearms for self-defense, told local Czech newspaper Blesk: "Earlier I spoke often about limiting the ability [of citizens] to have large quantities of weapons. But after the terrorist attacks [in France], I have changed the idea." He is now pushing the Czech parliament to adopt a new law that would allow citizens to purchase, keep, and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New American (USA)
39658
Ukraine
Ukraine, After War, Becomes a Trove For Black Market Arms Trade
25 July 2016
Reuters
On Feb. 12 last year, the same day that a ceasefire ended the worst of the fighting in eastern Ukraine between rebels and government forces, a former rebel fighter seized a chance to turn his inside knowledge of the conflict into hard cash.
He traveled to a spot on the Russian-Ukrainian border where he retrieved a cache of weapons hidden there earlier by his comrades in the pro-Russian rebel movement.
Four days later, shortly before 6:00 p.m., he and a friend showed... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
40614
Ukraine,Russia,Iraq,Syria,Libya
Ukraine Once Again a Trove for Black Market Gun Trafficking
25 July 2016
New York Times, Reuters
SLOVIANSK/MOSCOW — On Feb. 12 last year, the same day that a ceasefire ended the worst of the fighting in eastern Ukraine between rebels and government forces, a former rebel fighter seized a chance to turn his inside knowledge of the conflict into hard cash.
He traveled to a spot on the Russian-Ukrainian border where he retrieved a cache of weapons hidden there earlier by his comrades in the pro-Russian rebel movement.
Four days later, shortly before 6:00 p.m., he... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times, Reuters
39613
Sudan,Russia
Guns Continue to Proliferate, Russia Blocks Inquiry in Darfur
7 July 2016
Guardian
"I fired my first gunshot when I was nine," says Salih. "For years after that I was very eager to do it again. I owned my first weapon when I got to 14. It was an AK-47."
Salih is now 38, but guns have been a permanent fixture in his life. Growing up in Darfur in one of the Arab tribes that has been at war with other ethnic groups in the region since 2003, he says it quickly became clear the only way to protect his family was to get a weapon of his own.
In the 13... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Guardian
39550
Czech Republic
Czech Arms Industry Reports Record Gun Sales [FR]
28 June 2016
Radio Prague
[Translated summary: The value of gun exports from the Czech arms industry passed 550 million Euros last year. The geographic distribution of arms exports has also changed: sales have increased significantly to EU members and the United States.]
Les exportations des entreprises tchèques de l'industrie de l'armement et de la défense ont atteint un niveau record l'an passé. C'est ce qu'a fièrement annoncé ce mardi Jiří Hynek, le président de l'Association de... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Radio Prague
39525
United Kingdom,Slovakia
How Illegal Firearms Find their Way Onto British Streets
20 June 2016
The Conversation (USA)
How it is possible to get hold of weapons in Britain despite tough laws that restrict their ownership and use? This strict firearm legislation, enacted chiefly through the Firearms Act 1968 and amendments following the 1987 Hungerford mass shooting and 1996 Dunblane mass shooting, has reduced the number of purpose-made firearms in circulation. This has contributed to the number of firearms offences (including those using airguns and air rifles) falling from a high of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: The Conversation (USA)
39600
Europe,Ukraine,France
Machine Guns, Arsenal Seized for Euro 2016 Attacks in France
6 June 2016
New York Times, Associated Press
A Frenchman with an arsenal of weapons and a grudge against his government's immigration policies was detained as he tried to leave Ukraine and launch an assault on the European Championship, Ukrainian officials said Monday, describing it as a thwarted plot for a "series of 15 terrorist attacks."
The announcement came as France promised unprecedented security for the soccer tournament's crowds and stadiums, which includes the French national stadium that was attacked... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times, Associated Press
39386
Poland
Poland Buys 26,000 Beryl Assault Rifles and Carbines
27 May 2016
IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
The Polish Armed Forces has placed its largest ever order for small arms, ordering over 26,000 Beryl rifles from Fabryka Broni Lucznik Radom.
Worth PLN156 million (USD39.4 million), the contract includes the delivery of 17,621 wz. 96C Beryl assault rifles and 8,400 wz. 96C Mini Beryl carbines between 2016 and 2019.
The order is the largest single firearms contract signed by Poland since 1990 and the biggest since Fabryka Broni Lucznik Radom was founded in 2000.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
39346
Czech Republic
Gun Licences on the Rise in Czech Republic
6 May 2016
Novinky (Czech Republic)
The number of applicants for a firearms licence has been rising significantly recently. There were almost two thousand more new licence holders last year than the year before. The number of newly registered weapons is also increasing. This follows from the statistics of the Police Presidium. According to experts, this is partly due to fear of the current situation in Europe.
"In the context of the situation in Europe, many people are applying for firearms licences in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Novinky (Czech Republic)
40480
Czech Republic
Gun Sales Rising Sharply in Czech Republic
4 May 2016
Radio Prague
Gun sales in the Czech Republic have been rising fast in recent months, while the number of Czechs applying for licenses is also growing. Experts suggest this is a response to worries over terrorist attacks and the migrant crisis.
In the last five years over 100,000 guns have been sold in this country, bringing the total number owned by private citizens to more than 800,000, according to the newspaper Hospodářské noviny.
After a period of decline, applications for... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Radio Prague
39224
Russia
Putin Launches New Russian Police Force to Target Guns
28 April 2016
Moscow Times
U.S. gun enthusiasts live in constant fear of the federal government confiscating their weapons. For Russian gun owners, such a fear may be about to become a reality. On April 14, President Vladimir Putin, announced the formation of a new National Guard, and declared one of its key functions would be to control firearms.
"We are creating the National Guard to limit the circulation of weapons in the country," he told the Russian people during his annual "direct line"... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Moscow Times
39191
Asia,Europe,Russia
Russia's Kalashnikov Concern to Increase Gun Sales in 2017
27 April 2016
Sputnik News (Russia)
IZHEVSK — Russia's famed small arms manufacturer Kalashnikov Concern plans to increase its firearms sales twofold in 2017 to reach 5.8 billion rubles (some $88.6 million), as well as to begin the mass production of 10 new types of weapons, Kalashnikov CEO Alexei Krivoruchko said Wednesday.
"In addition to the development of new products, by 2017 we plan to double [our] sales of small arms to 5.8 billion rubles [165,000 pieces] and to start the mass production of not... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Sputnik News (Russia)
39178
Eastern Europe,United Kingdom
UK Gang Bought Guns from Same Shop as Paris Terrorists
21 April 2016
Guardian (UK)
A British crime gang bought the largest haul of automatic weapons ever detected by police on the UK mainland from the same source in eastern Europe as terrorists behind the Paris attacks of January 2015, it can be revealed.
The 22 Kalashnikov-style assault rifles and nine machine guns were described by police from the National Crime Agency as "mass casualty weapons". They were intercepted in an operation led by the NCA after being smuggled from eastern Europe to France... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Guardian (UK)
39147
Europe,Eastern Europe,Croatia,Bulgaria,France,Albania,Saudi Arabia,Syria,Serbia,West Asia,Iraq,Yemen,Slovakia,Sudan
Balkan Gun Trade Fuels Crime, Terrorism in Europe, Asia
16 April 2016
Economist
The arsenal discovered in the apartment of Reda Kriket, a suspected terrorist arrested on March 24th near Paris, included explosives, Kalashnikov AK-47 rifles and a machine pistol from Croatia. The terrorists who staged the attacks last November in Paris employed AK-47s made by Zastava, a Serbian manufacturer. The Kouachi brothers, who attacked the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo the previous January, used Kalashnikov ammunition made in Bosnia. Whatever else these... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Economist
39179
Russia
East Europe Might be Supplying Guns to Syria
15 April 2016
TASS (Russia)
MOSCOW -- Russian Foreign Ministry has noted mass media reports suggesting that Syrian militants might be getting weaponry of Soviet manufacture from East-European countries.
"An intensification of the flows of contraband weaponry and shells across the Turkish-Syrian border has been registered," the ministry said in a commentary on Friday. "A number of international media have claimed a big consignment of Soviet-made weaponry has been dispatched to the Syrian militants... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: TASS (Russia)
39142
Ukraine,Belarus
Belarus President Protests Gun Trafficking from Ukraine [ES]
30 March 2016
Sputnik News (Russia)
[Translated summary: During a meeting with the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael Carpenter, the President of Belarus, Alexandr Lukashenko, expressed his concern regarding arms trafficking from Ukraine to his country. He stated that this problem is worse than the threat of terrorism and that they are monitoring NATO's activity in Belarus' borders.]
El presidente de Bielorrusia, Alexandr Lukashenko, expresó su preocupación respecto al ingreso en su... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Sputnik News (Russia)
39060
France,Slovakia,Germany,Eastern Europe,United Kingdom
East Europe's Shadow Gun Market Fuels Terrorism in West
18 March 2016
Black Sea, Der Spiegel, Le Soir
The trafficking of Communist-era weapons leads from a Slovakian website to last year's ISIS terror attack in Paris and new regulations have failed to stop the sale of deadly weapons to criminals, we can reveal.
7 January 2015. Chérif Kouachi and his brother Said leave a bloodbath in the newsroom of magazine Charlie Hebdo. Two days later, Kouachi's close contact, Amedy Coulibaly, assaults the kosher supermarket Hyper Cacher in Paris.
When Coulibaly takes the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Black Sea, Der Spiegel, Le Soir
38961
France,Caribbean,Eastern Europe
40% Increase in Smuggled, Seized Firearms in France [FR]
17 March 2016
Le Figaro (France)
[Translated summary: In France, results in the fight against arms trafficking increased strongly, with a 40% increase in the number of firearms seized (1,158 against 828 in 2014). Strong measures against arms trafficking have been implemented. France deplores 1,800 deaths by firearm every year.]
Tabac et articles de contrefaçon, drogues ou encore armes… 2015 est un cru plutôt faste pour les douanes qui ont multiplié les saisies. En matière de la lutte contre les... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Le Figaro (France)
38957
European Union,Albania,Bosnia & Herzegovina,Bulgaria,Croatia,Greece,Kosovo,Macedonia,Montenegro,Serbia,Turkey
European Commission Tightens Gun Control Across the EU
18 November 2015
European Commission - Press release
The European Commission today adopted a package of measures to make it more difficult to acquire firearms in the European Union, better track legally held firearms, strengthen cooperation between Member States, and ensure that deactivated firearms are rendered inoperable. The proposals presented today were foreseen in the European Security Agenda adopted in April 2015, but have been significantly accelerated in light of recent events. The Commission is hereby supporting... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: European Commission - Press release
38863
France,Eastern Europe
Figures to Know About Gun Trafficking in France [FR]
13 November 2015
Huffington Post (France)
[Translated summary: An estimated 10 million firearms could be in circulation in France, of which only 4 million are legally held (official data). According to official source, 5,871 firearms were seized in 2014.]
Un plan "ferme et résolu". Annoncées mi-septembre après une énième fusillade à Marseille, les mesures pour lutter contre le trafic d'armes sont dévoilées vendredi 13 novembre par le ministère de l'Intérieur Bernard Cazeneuve. Il s'agit notamment de... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Huffington Post (France)
38964
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
Russia
Russia Refuses to Sign 'Unbalanced Arms Trade Treaty
9 September 2015
TASS Russian News Agency
Russia did not sign an international treaty on arms trade because of its unbalanced nature and superficial description of a number of issues, Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Wednesday.
"Recently, new tools emerged in the global arms trade, in particular, the Arms Trade Treaty, which came into force last December. We did not sign this document and see no reason to move in this direction," Ryabkov said.
According to him, the document is... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: TASS Russian News Agency
39037
Sweden,Slovakia
New Slovakia Law to Limit Gun Smuggling to Sweden
5 July 2015
Local (Sweden)
Sweden's comparatively strict weapons laws ensure that authorities have a tight control on registered arms.
But after a weapons amnesty conducted in 2013, police established that a surprising number of illegal firearms were in circulation in Sweden.
Last year 115 firearms were seized by the Swedish customs authorities and it was revealed that large proportion of these had been bought over the internet from Slovakia, where the law regarding plugged - or deactivated -... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Local (Sweden)
39022
Czech Republic
Gunman Kills Eight in Czech Republic Mass Shooting
24 February 2015
BBC Worldwide Monitoring (Czech Republic)
A gunman has opened fire at a restaurant in the Czech Republic, killing eight people before shooting himself dead, officials say
The man burst into the Druzba restaurant in the eastern town of Uhersky Brod and started "shooting indiscriminately", mayor Patrik Kuncar said.
Police described it as the worst mass shooting incident on record. Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec said it was not a terrorist attack.
Some 20 people were thought to have been in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC Worldwide Monitoring (Czech Republic)
38859
Nicaragua,Peru,Haiti,Dominican Republic,Cuba,Mexico,Honduras,Guatemala,Turkey,El Salvador,United States,Russia,Austria,Belgium,Colombia,Brazil,Czech Republic,Germany,Israel,Venezuela,Italy,Spain
The Latin American Gun Leak
16 January 2015
Los Angeles Times, Opinion
During the 1980s, El Salvador was the single largest recipient of U.S. military hardware and weaponry in the Western Hemisphere. Although the Central American country's civil war ended in 1992, the guns, grenades and bullets linger, as do their murderous effects. In September, a U.S. official from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives estimated that half the weapons available on El Salvador's vibrant black market were made in the United... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Los Angeles Times
38856
Russia
Russian Citizens Can Now Carry Rifles in Public
20 November 2014
Business Insider (Australia)
After a change to national gun law on Tuesday, Russians can now carry certain guns in public for the purposes of "self-defence."
The new policy allows the use of weapons to "protect their lives, health and property" but not against "women, disabled persons, and minors, unless they attacked you with a group and arms," according to an analysis by Russian media site Arguments and Facts.
These weapons include "long-barreled weapons, pistols, revolvers, 'home-made tubeless... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Business Insider (Australia)
38820
South America,Central America,Caribbean,Cuba,United States,Russia,Nicaragua,Israel,El Salvador,Honduras,Europe,Belgium,Czech Republic,Germany,Italy,South Africa,Spain,Colombia,Mexico,Venezuela,Brazil,Argentina,Chile,Paraguay,Panama,Ecuador
Small Arms Trade a 'Dramatic Threat' to Latin America
13 October 2014
NACLA
Small arms and gun violence present the most dramatic threat to public safety in Latin America and the Caribbean. After decades of uncontrolled proliferation, at least 45 million to 80 million small arms and light weapons—that is, weapons operated by an individual or small group, including handguns, assault rifles, grenades, grenade launchers, and even man portable surface to air missiles—are circulating throughout the region.(1) Gunshots kill between 73,000 and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: NACLA
39011
Poland
Despite Strong Laws, the Number of Gun Permits in Poland Goes Up
7 August 2014
Polskie Radio (Warsaw), News from Poland
Despite some of the most draconian laws on gun possession in the European Union, over the past decade the number of firearm permits in Poland has gone up by some 30 percent.
Around 500,000 guns are currently registered in Poland, owned by some 340,000 people, latest figures from the central police headquarters reveal.
Currently, the number of hunting firearm permits stands at 150,000, a rise of one third in the past decade. Around 44 percent of all permits are... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Polskie Radio (Warsaw), News from Poland
38801
Bulgaria
Bulgarian Civilians 'Have More Firearms than the Army'
21 May 2014
Sofia Globe
A gun control check has found that 211,486 people out of Bulgaria's population of 7.3 million have firearm licences, meaning more than 300,500 guns – which officials said means that Bulgaria's civilians are better-armed than the country's army.
The Prosecutor-General's office ordered a check-up on firearm licences and possession of firearms after a March incident in which a botched special police operation against a mentally ill man with a stash of firearms led to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Sofia Globe
38689
Bulgaria
Bulgarians Own 340,000 Legal Firearms
20 May 2014
Sofia News Agency
Nearly 212,000 Bulgarian citizens have gun permits, said Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov.
The total number of registered firearms is 340,000 units, shows the checkup, following the incident with the mentally unstable man in Lyaskovets who killed one police officer during the operation for disarming him.
Tsatsarov said he was expecting a considerable number of firearms, but the figures were nevertheless staggering. According to him, this army of armed civilians... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Sofia News Agency
38688
Congo (DRC),Africa,Sudan,South Sudan,Bulgaria,Iran
Chasing Bullets, Firearms in the Democratic Republic of Congo
13 May 2014
IRIN (UN News)
Virunga National Park — Her job is to track and trace small arms and ammunition in Africa's conflict zones.
Each bullet, assault rifle, mortar, rocket or other item of military hardware she documents forms a piece of a huge jigsaw being created by the UK-based NGO Conflict Armaments Research (CAR) to map the precise flows of conflict weaponry in Africa.
Moving within the ebb and flow of the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) conflict, the investigator, who asked... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
38663
United Kingdom,Russia,Germany,Thailand,Kazakhstan,Italy,United States,Canada,Norway
Kalashnikov Small Arms Production in Russia More Than Doubles in 2014
28 April 2014
RIA Novosti (Russia)
MOSCOW – The Kalashnikov Concern produced 230 percent more small arms weapons in the first quarter of this year than in the year-ago period, the company's press service told RIA Novosti Monday.
"In the first three months of the year we had a record-high volume production of small arms in the amount of 31,000 items, which makes 41 percent of the total output of similar products for 2013," the company said.
"The current results are 230 percent higher than those in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RIA Novosti (Russia)
38614
Russia,United States,Japan
Japanese Parliament Approves Bill to Ratify Arms Trade Treaty
23 April 2014
RIA Novosti (Russia)
MOSCOW – Japan's upper house of parliament, the House of Councillors, unanimously approved Wednesday a bill providing for the country's accession to the UN Arms Trade Treaty, the NHK channel reported.
The Japanese government now expects a fast ratification of the treaty, although no specific date on its implementation has yet been announced.
The Arms Trade Treaty, adopted at the UN General Assembly last year, is the first international pact regulating commerce in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RIA Novosti (Russia)
38588
Czech Republic
Czech Man Arrested After 99 Illegal Guns Found at His Home
18 April 2014
Prague Daily Monitor
STRAKONICE, South Bohemia - Ninety-nine firearms, including a machine gun and several assault rifles, have been found in the house of a restaurant owner near Strakonice and the man has been accused of illegal arms possession, the Czech police announced on their website Thursday.
Police spokesman Jiri Matzner wrote that the man called the police because somebody broke in the restaurant.
He probably did not expect the police to search his house so thoroughly. The arms... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Prague Daily Monitor
38656
South Africa,China,Russia,United States,Mozambique
South African Gun Culture Shown in Art
11 April 2014
Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg)
Best known as the director of the 2008 South African crime film Jerusalema and for his music video work with such top stars as Tony Braxton and Michael Jackson, Ralph Ziman's new art installation Ghosts is a powerful comment on the global arms trade and the worship of guns in South African society.
The work includes an extraordinary series of photographs showing men dressed in Day-Glo outfits toting wire-and-bead AK-47s, which are exhibited alongside the imitation... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg)
38555
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
Africa,North Africa,Russia,Syria,Mali,Qatar,Turkey,Libya,Egypt,Chad,Somalia,Nigeria,Niger
Libya's Guns Free-For-All Fuels Region's Turmoil
22 March 2014
St Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)
TRIPOLI — At the heart of the Libyan capital, the open-air Fish Market was once a place where residents went to buy everything from meat and seafood to clothes and pets. Now it's Tripoli's biggest arms market, with tables displaying pistols and assault rifles. Ask a vendor, and he can pull out bigger machine guns to sell for thousands of dollars.
Libya, where hundreds of militias hold sway and the central government is virtually powerless, is awash in millions of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: St Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)
38494
Ukraine,Russia,European Union
Russia Uncovers Arms Smuggling Route Through Ukraine
20 March 2014
RIA Novosti (Russia)
MOSCOW – Russian law enforcement raided an arms group that smuggled weapons to the country's North Caucasus from the European Union via Ukraine, the country's Federal Security Service said Thursday.
Agents at a Ukrainian-Russian land border crossing detained several of the smugglers, who had in their possession pistols made by Desert Eagle, Smith & Wesson, SIG Sauer and others.
"Information was received about the procurement of a significant number of handguns from... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RIA Novosti (Russia)
38484
Bulgaria
Bulgarian Official Orders Review of All Gun Licences After Fatal Shooting
18 March 2014
Sofia Globe
Bulgarian Prosecutor-General Sotir Tsatsarov has ordered a complete check-up of all gun licences in the country, whether for hunting or self-defence, in the wake of a March 14 incident in which a police officer died in a shootout with a mentally ill man who had a stash of firearms.
The inspection, announced on March 18, will require authorities in charge of firearms supervision to provide information including the expiry dates of existing gun licences.
Tsatsarov... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Sofia Globe
38487
Bulgaria
Recriminations Continue Over Fatal Shootout in Bulgarian Town
17 March 2014
Sofia Globe
The March 14 shootout in a Bulgarian town between an allegedly mental ill man and a police team in which a police officer died and three were wounded continues to generate controversy, with the Interior Ministry leadership being sharply criticised for bungling the operation and with a political blame game underway.
The operation in the town of Lyaskovets was intended to arrest the man and seize his stash of firearms, after years of complaints about his behaviour,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Sofia Globe
38470
Ukraine,Eastern Europe
Over 5,000 Kalashnikovs, Other Guns Stolen from Ukrainian Military Bases
15 March 2014
Tasnim News Agency
TEHRAN - Fears of possible armed assaults and provocation in Ukraine and neighboring countries are on the rise after yet another report that rocket grenade launchers, firearms and munitions have been stolen from a military warehouse in western Ukraine.
A source in the Ukrainian Interior Ministry told RIA Novosti that the coup appointed Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has recently been notified that a large cache of guns and ammunition was missing from one of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Tasnim News Agency
38463
United States,Russia
Gun Press, Arms Dealers Talk Up US/Russia 'Ammo Shortage' Sales Panic
11 March 2014
Washington Examiner
American gun owners are gobbling up cheap Russian ammunition in huge quantities, worried that President Obama's tussle with Vladimir Putin over Moscow's grab for Crimea will result in new trade sanctions cutting off imports of bullets.
"We've seen an ammo-hoarding effect," said Larry Hyatt, owner of Hyatt Gun Shop in Charlotte, N.C., one of the nation's biggest gun stores. "It's almost like milk and bread when it gets ready to snow: It's just a mass of people running... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Examiner
38450
Russia
Russians Seek Right to Protect their Homes with Firearms
3 March 2014
Russia Beyond The Headlines
Russians are seeking the right to use firearms to protect their home and property. A proposal to introduce the relevant amendments to the Russian Criminal Code has been put up for a popular vote on a special website, garnering the support of more than 100,000 people. However, experts are divided on the prospects of adopting these amendments.
The public initiatives website was set up not long ago on an initiative from Russian President Vladimir Putin in order to collect... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Russia Beyond The Headlines
38427
Libya,West Asia,Egypt,Syria,Mali,North Africa,Italy,France,United States,United Kingdom,Russia,Belarus,China,Algeria,Caribbean,South America,Niger,Chad,European Union,Tunisia
Post-Uprising Gun Proliferation is Destabilising the Middle East
20 February 2014
Fair Observer
In recent years, as order in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) eroded between uprisings and armed conflicts, the desire for arms amongst a wide range of actors became one more destabilizing factor in the complexities of each situation.
However, arms proliferation is nothing new to the MENA region. Whether it was through state actors or black market trading, weapons have circulated throughout the Middle East and North Africa for many years.
Today, arms... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Fair Observer
38403
Ukraine
Claims Ukraine Rioters Seized Over 1,500 Guns From Security Forces
19 February 2014
Eurasia Review / RT
Ukraine's security service has announced it is launching a counter-terror operation. Radicals have seized over 1,500 firing arms and 100,000 bullets in the last 24 hours, the service said.
The recent events in Ukraine have shown "the escalation of violence and a massive use of firearms by the extremist groups. In many parts of the country, public authorities, military installations and depots with munitions are being seized. Court buildings are burning, the vandals are... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Eurasia Review / RT
38388
Germany,Moldova,Austria,Bosnia & Herzegovina,Sweden,Canada,Switzerland
Experts Help Moldova Authorities Curb Gun Theft, Smuggling [DE]
17 February 2014
Österreich Journal
[Translated summary: Austria has sent experts to Moldova to advise on small arms and ammunition storage and management under the OSCE framework. Sweden, Canada, Germany and Switzerland will participate in the programme by 2017, which aims to prevent smuggling of stolen ammunition.]
WIEN (bmlvs) - Insgesamt zehn Experten des Bundesheeres unterstützen ab dem 05.03. die OSZE-Mission in der Republik Moldau. Dort werden vorerst vier Angehörige der Heereslogistikschule und... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Österreich Journal
38383
China,Australia,United Kingdom,United States,Japan,Russia
Japan Set to Ratify Arms Trade Treaty Despite Proposal to Relax Gun Exports
16 February 2014
Japan Times
A bill to ratify the Arms Trade Treaty, the first international pact to regulating trade in conventional arms, is scheduled to be submitted to the Diet by the end of this month, government sources said.
The measure, coming less than a year after Japan signed the treaty adopted at the U.N. General Assembly last April, underscores Tokyo's eagerness to nudge others to join the framework, the sources said Saturday.
However, the move appears incongruous with the stance of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Japan Times
38377
Russia,United States
Olympic Biathletes Meet Strict Gun Control in Russia
10 February 2014
Wall Street Journal
SOCHI, Russia — The most carefully guarded sporting equipment in the Winter Olympics lies behind the door of a sealed-off corridor in a stadium near the upper reaches of the Caucasus Mountains. It is monitored at all hours by security guards who open the door only for its owners. And even then, they need personalized keys to retrieve it from their lockers. For biathletes, the security measures are just one more reminder: It isn't easy getting your equipment around the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Wall Street Journal
38356
India,Russia
Kalashnikov Eyes Indian Partners for Firearms Production
6 February 2014
RIA Novosti (Russia)
NEW DELHI – Russia's Kalashnikov Concern is in talks with several Indian companies on setting up joint ventures to produce small arms and high-precision weaponry, a company official said Thursday.
"India for us is a market with high potential…and we are marketing here all weapons on our production list, including assault rifles, sniper rifles and high-precision weapons," Andrei Baryshnikov, Kalashnikov exports director, said at the DEFEXPO INDIA-2014 exhibition in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RIA Novosti (Russia)
38345
Russia
Is School Shooting A Wake-Up Call For Russia?
4 February 2014
Bloomberg (USA)
Russians had considered their country immune to the kind of school violence that the U.S. has suffered in incidents such as the Sandy Hook Elementary shootings and the Columbine High School massacre. Now, 15-year-old Sergei Gordeyev has disabused them of that notion, killing a teacher and a cop at his school in northern Moscow.
News of the shooting, which occurred around midday Monday, immediately prompted comparisons to the U.S. "Have we caught the American disease?"... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Bloomberg (USA)
38334
Russia
Russian Cops Searching for Owner of Assault Weapon Left at IKEA
28 January 2014
RIA Novosti (Russia)
MOSCOW – A visit to Moscow's popular and crowded IKEA furniture stores can often be a trying experience, but somebody appears to have courted temptation by taking along their Kalashnikov.
Russian online media reported Tuesday that police are looking for somebody who left an assault rifle in a coatroom at an outlet of the Swedish retailer in the Moscow suburb of Khimki.
The 1974 Kalashnikov and more than 100 rounds of ammunition were discovered Tuesday morning at the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RIA Novosti (Russia)
38316
Colombia,Russia,Venezuela,Israel
'Lord of War' Arrest Shines Light on Colombia Arms Trade
22 January 2014
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Police in Colombia have captured an arms dealer whose operations reached across continents and whose criminal contacts spanned the spectrum of Colombian armed groups.
According to police, Gustavo Velasquez, alias "El Señor de la Guerra" (the Lord of War) sourced assault rifles through contacts in Israel and Russia and moved them through Venezuela and into the department of Norte de Santander in Colombia.
Police say the arms were then sold on to the narco-guerrilla... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
38303
Sweden,Eastern Europe
Swedish Police Nab Balkan Gun Shipment
17 January 2014
Local (Sweden)
Prosecutors are set to charge four people with ties to the illegal import of weapons, believed to hail from the Balkans, following a raid on a delivery van in Gothenburg carried out earlier in the week.
Prosecutor Thomas Eliasson told Sveriges Radio (SR) on Friday that the weapons probably come from the Balkans and their intended recipients were likely members of organized crime gangs in the western port city of Gothenburg.
"Because they've been smuggled here you can... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Local (Sweden)
38291
Russia
Russian Arms Trafficking Ring Raided
17 January 2014
RIA Novosti (Russia)
MOSCOW – Russian security officers have seized a cache of weapons and arrested 15 people suspected of trafficking in small arms, the Interior Ministry said on its website Friday.
The group allegedly smuggled the weapons into Russia by car from the Baltic countries for delivery to the Moscow Region.
The suspects were arrested by police and Federal Security Service officers during a series of raids in the Pskov Region along Russia's western border with Estonia and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RIA Novosti (Russia)
38290
Russia
Kalashnikov Wrote About Feeling Responsibility For Deaths From His Gun
13 January 2014
ITAR-TASS News Agency
MOSCOW - A legendary gun designer and author of the AK-47 machine gun Mikhail Kalashnikov, who died in December 2013, six months before the death wrote a letter of repentance to Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill.
In that letter, the Izvestia daily writes, the designer shared with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church his emotional concerns and doubts about his responsibility for the death of people killed from the gun he had invented.
"My inner pain is... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: ITAR-TASS News Agency
38275
Russia,United States
Russia's Kalashnikov Plans to Sell 200,000 Guns in US Annually
13 January 2014
RIA Novosti (Russia)
MOSCOW – Russia's Kalashnikov gun maker is planning to sell up to 200,000 hunting and sporting rifles and shotguns in the United States every year, the company said Monday.
The recently established Kalashnikov Concern, which includes Izhmash, Izhmekh and some other small-arms manufacturers under the famed Kalashnikov brand, is expected to sign an exclusive agreement with the Russian Weapon Company at the 2014 SHOT Show in Las Vegas in January.
According to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RIA Novosti (Russia)
38274
Russia
Russian Wedding Motorcade Stopped After Report of Shooting
22 December 2013
RIA Novosti (Russia)
MOSCOW – Moscow police on Sunday stopped a 12-car wedding motorcade in the south of the Russian capital after receiving a complaint that shots were being fired from the cars, a police spokesman said.
Thirty-five people from the procession were checked and taken to a police station. One of them, a 29-year-old resident of the Moscow Region, handed police a rubber-bullet pistol. All but the man with the handgun, who police said had fired a few shots into the air, were... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RIA Novosti (Russia)
38217
Iraq,Syria,Israel,India,Ireland,Togo,Canada,United States,Afghanistan,Côte d'Ivoire,Iran,Sri Lanka,Germany,Russia
Growing Number of Personalised Firearms to Boost Safety Available
30 November 2013
Economist
To help push Soviet forces out of Afghanistan in the 1980s, America's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) gave Afghan fighters shoulder-launched Stinger anti-aircraft missiles (pictured). Accurate and easy-to-use, the Stingers caused grievous losses. But after the Soviet withdrawal in 1989, the CIA wanted to discourage the use of the leftover missiles. It got hold of some of those circulating on the black market and booby-trapped them, so that anyone who tried to fire one... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Economist
38133
Russia
Russian Man Shoots Neighbour, Self After Fight Over Noisy Renovations
24 November 2013
RIA Novosti (Russia)
MOSCOW – An man from Siberia's Republic of Buryatia shot his neighbor dead in a row over noise before taking his own life on Saturday, investigators said.
According to the local investigative department, a 57-year-old resident of Ulan-Ude was in a bitter feud with a young family that had bought an adjacent apartment and was renovating it.
Investigators said the man, angered by the renovation noise, "has repeatedly threatened the family with violence."
When the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RIA Novosti (Russia)
38105
Russia
New Gun Transport Laws Proposed in Russia to Attract Hunting Tourists
19 November 2013
Moscow Times
Aiming to lure tourists to Russia for hunting trips, the Interior Ministry has proposed new legislation that could make it easier to temporarily import sporting firearms and transport them within the country.
The amendments would allow foreign citizens to carry firearms across the Russian border without certification if the purpose of their visit is to hunt or participate in shooting related events, according to a draft posted Monday on the unified government... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Moscow Times
38099
Greece,Sierra Leone,Libya,Ukraine
Ukraine Confirms Permit Issued for Guns Seized En Route to Libya
12 November 2013
Ukrainian Journal
KIEV – The State Service of Export Controls of Ukraine has confirmed the issuing of a one-time permit to Ukrspecexport subsidiary Ukrinmash State Enterprise for the supply of small arms ammunition to Libya, noting however that they have no information about the specific content of the military cargo on board of the Sierra Leone-flagged Nour M ship, which was detained in Greece.
"In 2013, after inter-agency coordination, the State Service of Export Control of Ukraine... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Ukrainian Journal
38077
Sierra Leone,Greece,Ukraine,Syria,Libya,Turkey
Greek Coastguard Halts Ship Carrying 20,000 Kalashnikovs
8 November 2013
Greek Reporter
According to sources, the cargo ship "nourm" flagged with Sierra Leone, transferred a large amount of weapons. It was identified yesterday evening near Imia and was escorted to the port of Symi this morning.
After an investigation, the cargo ship had troubled the authorities in the past for drug trafficking and when the port board appeared, changed its direction.
Eventually, the ship stopped and was led to the port of Symi, under the port escort. The ship had started... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Greek Reporter
38059
Czech Republic
Two People Die in Shoot-Out in Czech Town
5 November 2013
Prague Daily Monitor
RASKOVICE, North Moravia - The Czech police have detained the man who shot dead two people and injured one seriously in Raskovice yesterday, police spokeswoman Gabriela Holcakova has told CTK.
The police also seized firearms, Holcakova said, adding that the motive of the shooting was not yet known.
"At present, we cannot provide any other information. Now the scene of the act will be inspected for several hours," Holcakova said.
A special police unit and several... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Prague Daily Monitor
38046
Denmark,Southern Europe,Eastern Europe,Norway,Sweden,Croatia,Kosovo,Albania,Montenegro,Serbia
Balkan Police Work to Raise Public Awareness Against Arms Trafficking
25 October 2013
Southeast European Times
Increasing police co-operation and raising public awareness about the danger from firearms is the key to limiting the trafficking of illegal weapons in the Balkans, experts said.
Civil society groups estimated there are millions of small and light arms that are widely available.
"The significant number of circulating small and light weapons creates a fertile ground for the general sense of insecurity, vulnerability of citizens to armed violence and serious crime, with... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Southeast European Times
38017
Russia,England & Wales
British Crime Gangs Adapting Antique Guns, As Crackdown Limits Supply
22 October 2013
BBC News
Antiques and obsolete guns are being adapted and used by criminals facing a shortage of weapons, according to police.
A decade ago, Britain's cities were experiencing a surge in gun crime but, following successful interventions by crime agencies and the government, the number of firearms offences annually is now half what it was in 2003, according to the Office for National Statistics.
One reason is the supply of weapons has been severely restricted, forcing criminals... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
38007
Russia
Large Arms Cache Found in Russia's North Caucasus
19 October 2013
RIA Novosti (Russia)
MOSCOW – A cache with arms and ammunition has been found in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Ingushetia, the National Anti-Terrorist Committee said Saturday, describing the discovery as the "largest find" in recent years.
The cache containing six grenade launchers, 19 grenades, two guns, two rifles, a Kalashnikov gun, a tank machine-gun and ammunition, including 100 electric detonators and explosives, was found in the Nazran district of Ingushetia on Saturday, the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RIA Novosti (Russia)
38009
Russia
Russian Ex-Cops Face Prison for Stealing, Selling Firearms
19 October 2013
RIA Novosti (Russia)
CHITA – Three Russian former police officers stand accused of stealing firearms from their local police depot in eastern Siberia after investigators compiled a case against them and submitted it to a court on Saturday.
In 2011, two police captains – the head of the reserve arms depot and the head of a police weapons workshop – took two hunting rifles from the depot that had been handed in to the police by their owners for temporary safekeeping, investigators in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RIA Novosti (Russia)
37998
Russia,Nigeria
Gun Trafficking Charges Dropped Against Russians in Nigeria
8 October 2013
Leadership (Abuja)
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Tuesday heard that the alleged arms trafficking charge against the 15 Russian sailors had been dropped.
The Russians, charged with unlawful importation of arms into Nigeria are: Zhelyazkov Andrey, Savchenko Sergel, Lopatin Alexey and Baranovskly Nikolay, Llia Shubov, Dimitry Bannyrh, Alexander Tsarikov and Kononov Sergel.
Others are Chichkanov Vasily, Varlygin Igor, Komilov Alexander, Mishin Pavel, Korotchenko Andrey, Vorobev... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Leadership (Abuja)
37949
Oceania,China,Europe,Americas,Africa,Russia,United States,Asia
Arms Treaty Now Signed by Majority of UN Members
25 September 2013
New York Times
A pioneering United Nations treaty aimed at regulating the global trade in conventional weapons surpassed a symbolically important threshold on Wednesday when 18 countries, most notably the United States, officially signed the document, pushing the total number to more than half of the organization's member states.
Proponents of the treaty, which was adopted overwhelmingly by the 193-member General Assembly in April, but still required signing and ratification, said... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
37913
Russia,United States
US Has More Guns, But Russia Has More Homicides
21 September 2013
National Public Radio (USA)
The U.S. and Russia have been taking lots of jabs at each other.
Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized President Obama's plan for a military strike in Syria, and the Russian leader then denounced American "exceptionalism" in a biting op-ed in The New York Times.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., fired back Thursday with his own op-ed in the Russian paper Pravda, entitled, "Russia Deserves Better Than Putin."
Even Monday's shooting at the Navy Yard in Washington, in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: National Public Radio (USA)
37903
Russia,Trinidad & Tobago,Caribbean,Nicaragua,United States,Canada,Guinea-Bissau,Libya,Mexico,Colombia
Small Arms: The Worldwide Scourge
8 September 2013
Newsday (Trinidad & Tobago)
Trinidad and Tobago is awash with guns. Gang leaders, bandits, drug smugglers are armed and shooting at each other, at citizens, at the police without hesitation. The majority of the weapons are small arms and they are usually "imported" with illegal drugs or there is an exchange of drugs for arms. Drug cartels use their illicit profits to purchase these guns, the two trades being intertwined, according to the latest report from the United Nations Office for Disarmament... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Newsday (Trinidad & Tobago)
37845
Russia
Russian Corporate Conflict Ends in Fatal Shooting
19 July 2013
RIA Novosti (Russia)
KRASNOYARSK - Two people were fatally wounded in a business dispute that ended in a shootout in central Siberia, regional police said Friday.
Staff from two construction firms clashed Thursday morning, reportedly over a school renovation tender both companies wanted to win. They agreed to meet later in the day to resolve their differences, the police said.
A director of one of the companies was one of those killed, the police confirmed, adding that 20 people were... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RIA Novosti (Russia)
37683
Libya,Syria,Turkey,Qatar,Russia
UNSC Asked to Probe Alleged Arms Supply from Libya to Syrian Rebels
5 July 2013
Xinhua
MOSCOW - Russia on Friday urged the UN Security Council (UNSC) to investigate media reports about illegal arms supply to the opposition in Syria.
"Russia applied to the UNSC Committee overseeing sanctions against Libya asking to initiate an investigation of the information (about alleged arms supply to the Syrian opposition from Libya)," the ministry said in an online statement.
It cited reports in western media that Libya has been supplying Syrian opposition with... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Xinhua
37645
Iraq,Egypt,Czech Republic
Czech Firm Wins Egyptian Tender for Pistols, Submachine Guns
23 May 2013
Xinhua
PRAGUE - Czech arms firm Ceska zbrojovka won an international tender to supply 50,000 pistols to the Egyptian interior ministry, company CEO Lubomir Kovarik said on Thursday.
Speaking at a defence industry trade fair in Brno, Kovarik said some of the firearms were sent to Egypt last week. The CZ P-07 Duty pistols are smaller than those supplied by Ceska zbrojovka to the Czech military and security forces.
The one-year contract will be followed by the supply of several... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Xinhua
37482
Russia
Russian Boy Unintentionally Kills Brother with Unregistered Gun
12 May 2013
Reuters
A 7-year-old Russian boy told investigators he had shot and killed his 4-year-old brother by accident with their grandfather's rifle on Sunday, law enforcement authorities said.
The boy said he and his brother had found the gun under a bed in their grandparents' house in the Siberian town of Bukachacha and were playing with it on the porch while the adults slept, the federal Investigative Committee said.
The boy said he accidentally pulled the trigger while trying to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
37455
Russia
Russian Police Detain Several People Over Celebratory Shootings
28 April 2013
RIA Novosti (Russia)
MOSCOW – Police have detained at least nine people traveling in a wedding caravan of five cars for allegedly firing celebratory shots in southern Moscow on Sunday, a police spokesman has said.
"A wedding cortege of Azerbaijan's nationals has been detained at the entrance to the Tsaritsyno park," the spokesman said adding that the passengers and the drivers have been taken to a police department to "give explanations over the shooting."
Police have halted a caravan... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RIA Novosti (Russia)
37383
Russia
Russian President Opposes Gun Sales for Self-defense
27 April 2013
United Press International
MOSCOW - Russian citizens should not be allowed to freely own guns for purposes of self-defense, says President Vladimir Putin.
His comments were made after a gunman with a rifle killed six people in southwest Russia Monday, RIA Novosti reported Saturday.
"I do not support the idea of free arms distribution in Russia," Putin told a Russian television station. "It is dangerous to artificially stimulate this process."
Police arrested the suspect, 31-year-old Sergei... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: United Press International
38821
Russia
Russian President Opposes Idea of Free Gun Sales for Defensive Use
27 April 2013
RIA Novosti (Russia)
MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday he opposes the idea of allowing Russians to buy guns freely for self-defense purposes.
"I do not support the idea of free arms distribution in Russia," Putin told Rossiya 24 television adding: "It is dangerous to artificially stimulate this process."
The idea came after a shocking massacre in downtown Belgorod, southwest Russia, on Monday afternoon, which left six people dead.
A gunman killed three people... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RIA Novosti (Russia)
37381
Russia
Russian Mass Shooting Suspect Has Criminal Record, History of Aggression
24 April 2013
BBC News
A gunman suspected of shooting six people dead in the western Russian city of Belgorod on Monday has been captured, Russian police have said.
Sergei Pomazun, 31, was detained after being caught trying to flee the city on a freight train.
The manhunt lasted more than 24 hours and involved over 2,000 police.
Mr Pomazun is believed to have shot dead three people in a hunting shop and three passers-by. He is said to have wounded a policeman during his capture.
When... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
37365
Russia
Russian Man Steals Rifle, Shoots and Kills Six People
22 April 2013
Reuters
MOSCOW - A man shot dead six people, including two schoolgirls, with a rifle after robbing a hunting shop in the western Russian city of Belgorod on Monday, local officials said.
Police said their main suspect was a former convict in his thirties, adding that the attacker had fled in an expensive car.
The man, who was still on the run on Monday evening, first opened fire at the personnel of the shop and then also shot dead passersby outside in the city's main street,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
37355
Russia
Russia Govt Passes New Law to Crack Down on Shootings in Public
17 April 2013
RIA Novosti (Russia)
MOSCOW - Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, on Wednesday adopted in the first reading a bill toughening punishment for shooting in public places.
The amendments to the Russian Administrative Offenses Code were proposed by a group of Duma deputies. In line with the draft law, those shooting in inhabited localities and at sites where shooting is not allowed will be fined 50,000 rubles ($1,575), their weapons license suspended, weapons seized, and may... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RIA Novosti (Russia)
37343
Poland,Ukraine,Israel,Côte d'Ivoire,Bulgaria,Belarus,China,Angola,Russia
Guns Easily Available in Côte D'Ivoire Despite Embargo
16 April 2013
IRIN (UN News)
ABIDJAN - Côte d'Ivoire's recent turbulence - including the ouster of president Henri Konan Bédié in 1999, a long-running insurgency and deadly poll unrest in 2011 - has left the country awash in arms, which have contributed to human rights abuses, widespread crime and persistent insecurity.
Two years after coming to power in 2000, Laurent Gbagbo's administration faced an army mutiny, which morphed into a full-scale rebellion. In response, the government underwent a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
37347
Russia
Lovesick Russian Man Takes Girl Hostage With Replica Uzi
15 April 2013
RIA Novosti (Russia)
ST. PETERSBURG - Police officers freed a female undergraduate student who was being held hostage by a man she spurned, the Interior Ministry said on Monday.
The young woman was captured at a university dormitory near St. Petersburg on Sunday morning and held by a man armed with an Uzi CO2 BB gun and a kitchen knife.
The girl's friend called the police, who arrived at the scene and eventually talked the man into laying down his arms and turning himself in.
The hostage... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RIA Novosti (Russia)
37331
Bosnia & Herzegovina,Croatia,Montenegro,Slovenia,Serbia,Macedonia,Romania,Albania,Bulgaria
South East Europe Workshop Confirms Surplus Firearms a Regional Threat
8 April 2013
SEESAC (Belgrade)
On 3-5 April, the 6th Workshop of the Regional Approach to Stockpile Reduction (RASR) of Conventional Weapons and Munitions Initiative took place in Bled, Slovenia. The focus of the 6th RASR workshop were national legal frameworks regulating import, export and transit of weapons, ammunition and dual-use goods, particularly as they relate to the surplus weapons and munitions.
RASR is a regional initiative which aims to coordinate and support countries of South East... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: SEESAC (Belgrade)
37295
Russia
Russian Police Find World War II Gun Arsenal in Apartment
5 April 2013
RIA Novosti (Russia)
KALININGRAD – Russian police in the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad have discovered an arsenal of World War II firearms in an apartment belonging to a local resident, the regional Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Friday.
"They found an MG 34 machinegun, MP 38 and MP 40 sub-machineguns, a PPSh sub-machinegun and also five bolts, three pistol grips with trigger mechanisms, and six gun barrels from an unidentified model. In addition, there were also 220 rounds of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RIA Novosti (Russia)
37292
India,Egypt,Russia,China
China Says UN Arms Treaty Lacks Consensus
3 April 2013
South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)
There is no consensus on an international arms trade treaty, major weapons exporter China said on Wednesday, after it abstained as the UN General Assembly passed the measure by 154 votes to three.
The only votes against the first treaty on the conventional arms trade were from Syria, North Korea and Iran.
The 23 countries abstaining included Russia and China, ranked respectively as the number two and five weapons exporters by the Stockholm International Peace Research... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)
37276
Turkey,Syria,Russia,France
Turkish Authorities Seize Guns Bound for Syria
29 March 2013
RTÉ (Dublin)
Turkish authorities say they have seized thousands of guns in a warehouse by the Syrian border.
A local news agency said the weapons had been destined for Turkey's war-torn neighbour.
The firearms, including more than 5,000 shotguns and rifles, starting pistols, gunstocks and 10,000 cartridges, were discovered during a raid in a village on the edge of the Turkish town of Akcakale.
The Dogan News Agency said the weapons were being stored on the edge of the border... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RTÉ (Dublin)
37257
Russia
Russians Debate the Right to Bear Arms After Shooting
26 March 2013
Russia and India Report
"If you outlaw guns only outlaws will have guns" – so goes the famous slogan of the National Rifle Association in the US. Until recently, few people thought that this would ever be a contentious issue in Russia. But the case of Alexandra Lotkova, a 21-year-old Moscow student, is stoking the fire of a debate that will eventually spill into the open.
Lotkova was jailed for three years this month because she injured a man with a shot from a travmatichesky pistol, or... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Russia and India Report
37235
South America,Eastern Europe,Thailand,Italy,Canada,United States,Philippines
The Gunmakers of the Philippines
20 March 2013
BBC News
CEBU, Philippines - A shot rings out from a factory on the outskirts of the Philippines' second-biggest city, Cebu.
But this isn't an all-too-frequent drive-by killing or an argument that has become violent.
The sound is from a testing range at Shooters Arms, the country's second-largest gun factory.
Shooters Arms produces about 20,000 pistols and shotguns every year, 85% of which are sold abroad - mainly to the US, Canada, Italy and Thailand.
Operations manager... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
37208
Romania,Burkina Faso,Poland,Russia,Latvia,Tunisia,Guinea,Senegal,Bulgaria,China,Africa,Europe,Côte d'Ivoire
Arms Proliferation and Abuse Shatter Communities in Côte d'Ivoire - AI
20 March 2013
Amnesty International (London)
Reckless and illegal arms supplies from Europe, Africa and China to the warring parties in Côte d'Ivoire over the past decade continue to fuel grave human rights abuses and violent crime in the country, Amnesty International said in a detailed report launched at the United Nations (UN) headquarters.
The 33-page report, Communities shattered by arms proliferation and abuse in Côte d'Ivoire, documents how a handful of states and a network of multinational arms... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Amnesty International (London)
37206
Germany,United Kingdom,France,Mexico,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,China,Russia,United States
Armed Violence Kills 66,000 Women and Girls Each Year
20 March 2013
New Zealand Herald, Associated Press
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon has urged the world's nations to agree on a strong UN treaty to regulate the multibillion-dollar global arms trade in the next two weeks, saying it will save lives and make it more difficult for warlords, organised criminals and terrorists to obtain weapons.
Hopes of reaching agreement on what would be a landmark treaty were dashed last July when the United States said it needed more time to consider the proposed accord - a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New Zealand Herald, Associated Press
37202
Africa,Americas,Asia,Europe,Oceania,United States,Russia,Italy,Germany,Brazil,Switzerland,Israel,Austria,South Korea,Belgium,Spain,Turkey,Norway,Canada,United Kingdom,Australia,France,Pakistan,Yemen,Honduras,El Salvador,Jamaica
Fact and Figures: Global Trade in Small Arms
18 March 2013
al Jazeera
Diplomats from around the world have gathered at the UN for talks on an international arms trade treaty, in an effort to stop the sale of illegal conventional arms.
Similar talks held last July failed, mainly due to the objections of the US and Russia, the world's two largest arms exporters.
Al Jazeera has compiled a list of facts related to the global production and trading of small arms.
1. Authorised international transfers of small arms, light weapons, their... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: al Jazeera
37196
Russia,China,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,United States
NRA Opposes UN Arms Trade Treaty
16 March 2013
Washington Post
The National Rifle Association, which is battling a raft of gun control measures on Capitol Hill, also has an international fight on its hand as it gears up to oppose a U.N. treaty designed to restrict the flow of arms to conflict zones.
Negotiations open Monday in New York on the Arms Trade Treaty, which would require countries to determine whether weapons they sell would be used to commit serious human rights violations, terrorism or transnational organized... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Post
37191
India,Egypt,Syria,Russia,United States,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa
Urgent Call for Tighter Rules on International Arms Trade - Oxfam
12 March 2013
Oxfam International (Oxford), Media release
Draft Arms Trade Treaty text littered with loopholes which need fixing urgently to save lives
More than 325,000 people are estimated to have lost their lives through armed violence since negotiations for a treaty to regulate the global arms trade for the first time ground to a halt in July last year, say Oxfam and Saferworld, part of the Control Arms Coalition.
The Control Arms Coalition calls on world leaders to urgently adopt robust rules on international transfers... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Oxfam International (Oxford)
37183
Europe,China,Asia,Americas,Oceania,Kenya,Cuba,Côte d'Ivoire,Africa,Central America,Russia,United States
Women Explain Why an Arms Trade Treaty Can Save Many Lives
7 March 2013
Amnesty International (London), Media release
It is estimated at least half a million people are killed with guns every year and on average a further 200,000 men, women and children die as an indirect result of armed conflicts and violence that are frequently fuelled by the uncontrolled flow of small arms.
And for every person that is killed in an armed conflict, many more are injured and tortured, raped, abused, forcibly disappeared, taken hostage or displaced. Even more have their access to food, water, shelter,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Amnesty International (London)
37175
Russia
Russian Police Raid Illegal Gun Workshop Making and Repairing Guns
7 March 2013
RIA Novosti (Russia)
MOSCOW – The police and the Federal Security Service (FSB) have uncovered an underground arms factory and large cache of firearms in the Moscow Region, the Interior Ministry reported on Thursday.
"Two underground workshops for arms re-engineering were liquidated and four suspected criminal gang members were arrested," the police reported in a statement.
The workshops were based in two garages west of Moscow, where the security forces discovered at least nine machine... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RIA Novosti (Russia)
37155
Russia
Russian Police Seize Large Cache of 'Black Market' Weapons
26 February 2013
RIA Novosti (Russia)
MOSCOW – Police has confiscated over 100 pieces of weaponry during a raid on an apartment in eastern Moscow owned by a suspected arms dealer.
"The seized arsenal included 24 Kalashnikov assault rifles, 34 Makarov handguns, 14 TT pistols, four Nagan revolvers, a Walther and a Parabellum pistols, three machine-guns, six rifles, a hand grenade and several fuses," police said in a statement on Monday.
The suspect, a 40-year-old Muscovite whose identity has not been... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RIA Novosti (Russia)
37113
Russia,Nigeria,Madagascar,Guinea
Nigeria Charges Russian 'Gun Dealers' for Smuggling
19 February 2013
BBC News
Fifteen Russian sailors have been charged in a court in Nigeria's main city, Lagos, with illegally bringing weapons into the country.
The crew of the MV Myre Seadiver were denied bail by the High Court, pending a final ruling on Monday.
The Nigerian navy had seized the ship, owned by Moscow-based security firm Moran, last October.
Moran has said the ship had permission to carry arms and had stopped in Lagos to change crew.
The vessel had been travelling from... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
37084
United Arab Emirates,Russia
Russia Offers UAE Ammo Production Deal
18 February 2013
RIA Novosti (Russia)
ABU-DHABI - Russia is ready to offer the United Arab Emirates license-production of ammunition for BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles previously sold to the country, Pribor defense firm chief Oleg Chizhevsky said on Monday.
"About 700 BMP-3's have been delivered to the UAE; naturally, there is high demand for those shells and we are ready to meet it in any form, in any format," he said at the IDEX-2013 international arms exhibition in Abu Dhabi. He did not specify which... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RIA Novosti (Russia)
37081
Finland,United States,European Union,Germany,Switzerland,Russia,South Africa,Mexico
Registry Shows Germans Fourth in World for Guns
17 February 2013
Local (Germany)
Figures compiled for Germany's new National Weapons Registry reveal that there are 5.4 million legally owned guns in the country, making it the world's fourth most-armed nation per capita.
Der Spiegel magazine reported on Sunday that the state of Bavaria topped the list with 1.1 million, followed by North Rhine-Westphalia with 1 million and Baden-Württemberg with 700,000.
The new national gun register bundles together the data from over 500 local authorities, which... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Local (Germany)
37072
Russia,Afghanistan,Israel,Belgium,United States
How Video Games Fund Arms Manufacturers and Sell Guns
31 January 2013
EuroGamer
The American confectionery company Victoria Sweets claims to have invented the candy cigarette. A thin stick of chocolate, wrapped in edible paper and designed to impersonate a roll-up, it debuted in 1915 and soon became the accessory of choice for children keen to play grown-up. Hollywood star, GI Joe, team captain: the sweet gave kids the chance try out one of the vogue props of adulthood.
Within 20 years it was so popular that cigarette companies began to take... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: EuroGamer
37023
Czech Republic,Hungary,Côte d'Ivoire,Iran,Guinea,Niger,Russia,South Sudan,China,Uganda,Afghanistan,Nigeria,Kenya,Iraq,Congo (DRC)
Trail of Bullet Casings Leads from Africa's Wars Back to Iran
11 January 2013
New York Times
The first clues appeared in Kenya, Uganda and what is now South Sudan. A British arms researcher surveying ammunition used by government forces and civilian militias in 2006 found Kalashnikov rifle cartridges he had not seen before. The ammunition bore no factory code, suggesting that its manufacturer hoped to avoid detection.
Within two years other researchers were finding identical cartridges circulating through the ethnic violence in Darfur. Similar ammunition then... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
36931
United States,Russia,China,Mexico
Mexico's Gun Problems Go Beyond Drug Wars
11 January 2013
Inter Press Service News Agency
MEXICO CITY - A lot of attention goes to the U.S.-made weapons in the hands of criminal groups in this Latin American country. But there is little talk of another problem: the large number of light weapons in the hands of civilians.
The Mexican Constitution establishes the people's right to "own guns in their homes for their safety and self-defence", with the exception of high caliber weapons, while the 1972 Federal Law on Firearms and Explosives stipulates the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Inter Press Service News Agency
36928
Russia,Nigeria
Russia Asks Nigeria to Release Alleged Gun, Ammo Smugglers
10 January 2013
This Day (Lagos)
The Russian government Wednesday called for the immediate release of the 15 sailors arrested by the Nigerian Navy for allegedly smuggling arms into the country.
Nigerian authorities intercepted a ship and arrested its Russian crew on October 23 last year after they found 14 AK-47 rifles guns and 8,500 rounds of ammunition on board.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the sailors were facing a court case initiated "under false pretexts" and that Nigeria broke a promise... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: This Day (Lagos)
36924
Somalia,United States,Ethiopia,Yemen,Libya,Israel,European Union,East Africa,Kenya,Ukraine,Russia
Special Investigation: Lack of Gun Treaty Fuels Kenyan Smuggling Trade
9 January 2013
Star (Kenya)
Whether looking after his herd of cattle or taking them to the watering point, Boru hardly leaves his AK47 behind. He lives in the outskirts of Gambella village, a few kilometres from Isiolo town.
"It has become like a stick for me. I carry it around and my enemies fear me. It gives me more power than I had before I acquired it," Boru said.
Taking cover from the scorching sun under the shade of an old acacia tree, Boru, a father of three, told the Star he bought his... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Star (Kenya)
36922
Guatemala,El Salvador,Venezuela,United States,Australia,Jamaica,Russia,Colombia
NRA 'Good Guys With Guns' Theory Already Disproved in Latin America
5 January 2013
New York Times
In the wake of the tragic shooting deaths at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., last month, the National Rifle Association proposed that the best way to protect schoolchildren was to place a guard — a "good guy with a gun" — in every school, part of a so-called National School Shield Emergency Response Program.
Indeed, the N.R.A.'s solution to the expansion of gun violence in America has been generally to advocate for the more widespread deployment and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
36904
Russia,Belarus,Europe
Men Jailed for Smuggling Guns, Ammo into Russia
13 December 2012
RIA Novosti (Russia)
BRYANSK - The Bryansk city court in western Russia sentenced two businessmen to three and four years in prison on Thursday for illegal arms imports from Europe via Belarus, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said.
The operation was set up in 2010 by a Russian and a Belarusian national based in the city of Mogilev.
The handguns and ammunition they brought in were sold mainly to organized crime groups in Russia.
Police broke up the operation in September 2011 when a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RIA Novosti (Russia)
36822
Russia
Russian Poll Shows Civilians Think More Guns Means More Risk
23 November 2012
Kyiv Post (Ukraine) / Interfax (Ukraine)
MOSCOW - The overwhelming majority of Russians (82%) object to arms trade liberalization. They think that unlimited access to weapons may increase the crime rate.
Only 13% support free selling of weapons and 5% do not know, the Public Opinion Foundation said in comment on a poll held in 100 towns and cities in 43 regions on November 17-18.
Seventy-eight percent of 1,500 respondents said they would not buy weapons even if Russia permitted free selling of armaments to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Kyiv Post (Ukraine) / Interfax (Ukraine)
36771
Czech Republic,Austria,Thailand,United States
Thai Authorities Concerned Over Easy Access to Guns
18 November 2012
Bangkok Post
In recent years Thailand has been flooded with illegal firearms and the misery they cause is plain for all to see. Every day there are media reports of shootouts and homicides that begin with domestic quarrels, school rivalries and traffic accidents, and quickly escalate. Law enforcement officials say the root cause is the easy availability of guns, and this is true for teenagers as well as adults. People prefer to buy weapons outside of legal channels because they are... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Bangkok Post
36753
Russia
Russia Proposes Tougher Gun Laws After Alcohol-Fueled Mass Shooting
8 November 2012
Russian Legal Information Agency
MOSCOW - Amendments which tighten the regulations for carrying weapons may be approved in the near future in response to a recent incident in Moscow where a 30-year-old lawyer shot dead five of his colleagues, Izvestia daily reported, citing the head of the licensing service of the Interior Ministry Leonid Vedenov.
The newspaper reported that the draft amendments to the law "On Weapons" will be submitted to the Interior Ministry's administration.
"We have proposed... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Russian Legal Information Agency
36722
Russia
Russian Arms Company Rogozin Wants Kalashnikov Merger
3 November 2012
RIA Novosti (Russia)
KLIMOVSK - Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin called on Saturday for a merger of two of Russia's leading small-arms makers, Izhmash and Izhmekh, under the Kalashnikov brand.
"We need to set up a new-old brand, named 'Kalashnikov', based on the two old factories," said Rogozin, who has special responsibilities for Russia's arms industry, during a visit to the TsNIITOCHMASH arms plant near Moscow.
Oleg Bochkaryev, a member of Russia's military-technical... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RIA Novosti (Russia)
36716
Russia
Russia Gets Tough on Celebratory Gunfire at Weddings
28 October 2012
Daily Beast (Russia)
A caravan of cars with tinted windows and streaming ribbons stretches along the highway. Drum music accompanies the proud procession; gun-shot salutes ring out, calling neighbors to join the happy event. Guests gather outside in the courtyards of apartment buildings to clap, fire off more guns, and cheer. Couples perform the Lezginka, the traditional dance of the region.
This is a typical scene for a wedding in the North Caucasus, and for many years, one rarely seen... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Daily Beast (Russia)
36700
Russia
Three Die in Shooting as Russia Police Attempt Arrest of Alleged Militants
24 October 2012
BBC News
At least two suspected Islamic militants and a member of the security forces have been shot dead in a clash in the central Russian city of Kazan, local officials say.
The shooting came after the militants were surrounded in a residential building in an operation against "especially dangerous criminals".
Police said one of the dead militants was wearing a suicide belt.
Kazan is capital of a region with large numbers of Muslim Tatars and Bashkirs.
Officials said the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
36681
Bulgaria
Bulgaria Police Seize Assault Weapons from Flour Mill
18 October 2012
Focus News (Bulgaria)
Plovdiv - Bulgarian police found a military arsenal of Kalashnikov rifles, machine guns and twenty firearms of collector's value at a flour-mill close to the town of Asenovgrad, district of Plovdiv (Central South Bulgaria).
"No arrests are made yet," said Senior Commissioner Todor Chonov, Director of the District Interior Ministry Directorate – Plovdiv, speaking for Radio FOCUS – Plovdiv.
Chonov explained that the operation was realised by the General Directorate... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Focus News (Bulgaria)
36653
Russia,Iraq
Iraq Govt Signs $4.2b Arms Deal with Russia
9 October 2012
BBC News
Iraq has signed contracts to buy Russian arms worth $4.2bn (£2.6bn; 3.2bn euros) this year, Russian news agencies report.
Moscow, the main supplier of arms to Iraq under Saddam Hussein, thus becomes the country's second-biggest arms supplier after the US.
The new contracts were announced after talks between the two countries' prime ministers near Moscow on Tuesday.
Reports suggest attack helicopters and missiles are included in them.
Iraq has been rebuilding its... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
36632
Russia
Russian Weapons May Get Electronic Chip to Monitor Use, Ownership
9 October 2012
Voice of Russia (Moscow)
Russian weapons will fire only in the hands of their legitimate owners. A unique system of control over the operation of weapons has been developed by the order of the Interior Ministry and the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
An electronic chip fitted into a pistol or machine-gun will be able to identify the marksman and block the shot if the biometrical information does not fit.
A photo, fingerprints, retina peculiarities and other personal information will be... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Voice of Russia (Moscow)
36629
Russia
Russia Calls for Ban on Gun Sales to NGO End-Users, Prevents Diversion
8 October 2012
Russia Beyond the Headlines / Interfax
Russia has called on the world to agree on selling small arms and light weapons only to authorized dealers of importer countries, Russian Foreign Ministry security and disarmament department head Alexander Deineko said in an interview with Interfax.
Russia has suggested a set of measures, which would tighten control over the distribution of small arms and light weapons, primarily in the areas where the risk of an arms leak to the black market is high, he said.
"For... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Russia Beyond the Headlines / Interfax
36623
Russia
Anger Over $3 Fine for Celebratory Gun Shots in Russia's Capital
1 October 2012
Daily Reporter (Indiana)
MOSCOW — It was an unusual wedding escort even for Moscow's brash style: A red Ferrari led a motorcade in which guests fired celebratory shots from car windows as they sped down one of the city's main avenues near Red Square.
Sunday's parade drew an angry reaction from the Kremlin-controlled parliament, where senior lawmakers voiced outrage Monday after wedding guests from the province of Dagestan in Russia's North Caucasus walked away with $3 fines. Just one man was... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Daily Reporter (Indiana)
36604
Czech Republic
Czech President Gets Minor Injuries After Being Shot at with Replica Gun
28 September 2012
BBC News
A man armed with a replica pistol has fired at Czech President Vaclav Klaus at close range while he was opening a bridge in the north of the country.
Footage of the incident from Czech television show Mr Klaus recoiling slightly but carrying on with the visit apparently unhurt. He was taken to hospital but suffered only minor bruising.
His security detail has come in for harsh criticism for allowing the man to get so close to Mr... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
36600
Eastern Europe,France
Gun Control on French Agenda After Rise in Smuggling from East Europe
7 September 2012
Le Cawa d'AdmiNet (France)
Gun control has shot to the top of the political agenda in France in recent years because of massive influx of weapons from Eastern Europe.
Largely un-policed border crossings with countries like Italy have seen thousands of guns pouring into major cities over the past few decades from countries like Serbia and the Ukraine.
This has led to a huge increase in the number of criminals brandishing weapons, especially drugs gangs and ones linked to the Italian and Russian... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Le Cawa d'AdmiNet (France)
36535
Russia
Drunken Russian Cop Kills Colleague While Shooting Bottles
28 August 2012
Moscow Times
A drunken cop accidentally killed a colleague while out shooting bottles near a Chelyabinsk region railroad, Urals transportation investigators said Monday.
According to investigators, the 25-year-old policeman killed his 30-year-old colleague in February after inadvertently firing at him while passing him a rifle by the Nyazepetrovsk-Uraim railroad.
The rifle, which the pair were using for target practice, was pointed at the head of the colleague at the time.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Moscow Times
36510
Peru,Argentina,Dominican Republic,Colombia,Mexico,Russia,United States
What Google's Arms Trafficking Map Tells Us
28 August 2012
InSight Crime (Bogota)
The lights blanketing the globe on Google's latest foray into data visualization tell a hidden story of the gun trafficking business: that understanding the movement of ammunition is just as important as understanding the movement of weapons.
Google says the interactive map, which was a joint initiative between Google Ideas and the Brazil-based Igarape Institute, was pulled together using more than a million data points of small arms, light weapons, and ammunition... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
36509
United States,Russia
Russian Town Sells 'Tens of Thousands' of Assault Rifles to US
14 August 2012
New York Times
IZHEVSK, Russia — The nickname of this town, home of the factory that makes Kalashnikov rifles, is the "Armory of Russia." Over the years, it has armed a good number of other countries, too, as the lathes and presses of the Izhevsk Machine Works clanged around the clock to forge AK-47s and similar guns for insurgents and armies around the world.
But these days, many of Izhevsk's weapons are headed somewhere else: the United States.
Despite the gun's violent history... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
36466
Bosnia & Herzegovina,Croatia,Eastern Europe,Romania,Greece,Bulgaria,Moldova,Macedonia,Serbia
Balkan Countries Loaded With Illegal Firearms
8 August 2012
Southeast European Times
Southeast Europe's are heavily armed – according to the South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, people in the region legally own 3 million firearms and another 4 million illegal weapons.
Serbia leads the region in weapons, according to Ivan Cvijovic, police inspector at the public order sector of the Belgrade police department. The rate of registered firearms per 100 people is 15.81.
Montenegro has 14.36... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Southeast European Times
36453
Turkey,Bulgaria
Bulgaria-Turkey Border Guards Seize 40,000 Rounds of Ammunition
5 August 2012
Sofia News Agency
Customs officers at the Kapakule border crossing point between Bulgaria and Turkey have intercepted an attempt to smuggle large amounts of ammunition into Turkey.
The X-ray inspection of a car driven by a Turkish national detected a suspicious load.
The car had entered Kapakule from the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing.
A follow-up inspection with a detection dog found 21 000 pistol bullets and an equal amount of bullets for sniper rifles, machine pistols, shotguns,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Sofia News Agency
36438
Russia
Russian Police Seize Cache of Guns, Anti-Tank Rifle from Home
3 August 2012
RIA Novosti (Russia)
Russian investigators arrested a man in northwest Russia on Thursday for arms offences, including possession of an anti-tank rifle, the police said on Friday.
Police raided the man's apartment and country house in Gatchina, Leningrad Region, and uncovered an arsenal of weapons including the anti-tank rifle, pistols, grenades, mortar, and aircraft machine-guns, city police said.
The unemployed 39-year-old man was detained after he tried to sell a TT-30 semi-automatic... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: RIA Novosti (Russia)
36427
China,Russia,United States
US Gun Lobby Wins One, Beats Back UN Treaty to Slow World Gun Trade
29 July 2012
San Francisco Chronicle
When a global treaty to limit shady weapons sales gets swept up in the gun-control debate, it's clear that this country has a problem. A bloc of U.S. senators, chiefly Republicans with a sprinkling of Democrats, has managed to derail a U.N. treaty to restrict weapons sales between countries.
The reasoning is spurious and shameful, a political play on distrust of the United Nations and unfounded fears about a loss of domestic gun rights. But the threat was enough to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: San Francisco Chronicle
36409
Russia
Russia Plans to Relax Handgun Laws, 'Promote Weapons Culture'
24 July 2012
Russia and India Report
The Federation Council, the upper chamber of Russia's State Duma, has proposed that the public be allowed to own and use firearms. Alexander Torshin, deputy speaker of the Federation Council, is planning to submit a draft bill to the president that would allow service pistols to be used in self-defense. According to the document, a person would not be jailed for shooting under such circumstances. The bill is expected to be submitted to the State Duma early next year.
... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Russia and India Report
36379
Mauritius,Russia
Mauritius Bans Ex-Associates of Gun Smuggler from Operating Airline
17 July 2012
New York Times
MOSCOW — Two former business associates of Viktor Bout, the convicted Russian arms dealer now in federal prison in the United States, have been blocked by the government of Mauritius from setting up an aviation company that could have been used for smuggling guns, according to the government and a private American arms investigation group.
In a report scheduled for release on Wednesday, the group, Conflict Awareness Project, says that Mr. Bout's former lieutenants... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
36351
South Africa,United States,Russia,United Kingdom,China,France,Germany,Liberia,South Sudan,Algeria,Egypt,Iran,Venezuela,West Africa,Africa,Angola
For Africa, Ammunition Control Deserves Global Gun Trade Treaty Focus
9 July 2012
IRIN (UN News)
JOHANNESBURG — For a couple of hundred dollars or less an arms dealer can illegally source a blank end user certificate with the required signatures and stamps - needed to transfer weapons across international borders - and "if no one checks its authenticity (often the case) he can ship his wares to the world's hotspots with minimal risk, for maximum profit," a report by the Small Arms Survey (SAS) said in 2008.
Since then "not much has changed" Glenn McDonald, based... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
36317
Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,United States,Pakistan,Cuba,Iran,China,Russia
Arms Trade Treaty Should Cover Broad Range of Arms and Ammunition
8 July 2012
New York Times, Editorial
The world is awash in conventional weapons, like tanks, firearms and aircraft, with the market valued at $40 billion to $60 billion a year. Far too many of these arms are fueling conflicts and atrocities in Syria, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and beyond. They have been used to kill countless innocent civilians, and they will be used against countless more if the international community does not find a way to keep them out of the hands of unscrupulous regimes,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
36316
United States,India,Russia
Russia's Position on the Arms Trade Treaty
6 July 2012
Voice of Russia (Moscow)
Russia has one of the most well developed arms control systems in the world and we have only one arms exporting nongovernmental agency which controls all arms trade.
Interview with Sergey Denisentsev – expert of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies from Moscow, Russia.
What is the position of Russia on IATT?
Well, the key difference between the Russian approach towards IATT and the approach of countries of the EU is the matter of goals of IATT.... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Voice of Russia (Moscow)
36307
Russia,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,United States,Syria,Egypt,China,United Kingdom
UK to Push for Ammunition Control in Arms Trade Treaty
28 June 2012
Independent (UK) / Press Association (UK)
Britain is to push for ammunition sales to be covered by new international arms trade controls despite strong resistance from the US.
The UK sees the inclusion of ammunition as an essential element of the proposed Arms Trade Treaty and will negotiate hard for it when a month-long conference opens at the United Nations in New York next week.
But the British delegation faces opposition from a number of countries including China, Egypt and Syria but also its traditional... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Independent (UK) / Press Association (UK)
36286
United Kingdom,Germany,Ukraine,Sudan,China,South Sudan
Amnesty Accuses Sudan, China, Ukraine of Fueling Conflict in South Sudan
27 June 2012
Sudan Tribune (France)
JUBA — Amnesty International on Thursday accused China, Sudan and Ukraine of allegedly supplying military weapons to both South Sudanese Armed Forces (SPLA) and opposition groups, triggering scores of indiscriminate attacks in parts of South Sudan.
The organization, in its latest report, entitled South Sudan: Arms supplies fueling violations in forgotten conflict, examines the impact of responsible supplies and misuse of weapons, munitions and armaments that resulted... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Sudan Tribune (France)
36281
Syria,Russia,Africa,China,India,Pakistan,European Union,Americas,Asia,Europe,Oceania,Congo (DRC),Sudan,Chad,Colombia
NGOs Set Minimum Specifications for Arms Trade Treaty [FR]
27 June 2012
Le Monde (France), Opinion
[Translated summary: Associations, NGOs and hundreds of members of the global coalition "Control Arms" have set minimum specifications for the future Arms Trade Treaty. It will have to control all types of conventional arms and ammunition used by military as well as by law enforcement, since they can be used for serious human rights violations. ATT will include exports but also imports, transit and all types of transfers and all actors, such as arms brokers, like Viktor... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Le Monde (France)
36280
Russia,Venezuela
More Assault Rifles Floating Around, the Last Thing South America Needs
15 June 2012
Honduras Weekly, Editorial
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez said on Wednesday that his country has built several unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and has plans to potentially export them to other Latin American countries. The president of Compañia Anonima Venezolana de Industrias Militares (Cavim) says the drones have a radius of 100 kilometers, a flying time of 90 minutes and a maximum altitude of 3,000 feet. The plane can transmit live streaming video and take high resolution... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Honduras Weekly
36256
Russia,Colombia,Venezuela
Venezuela Set to Produce 25,000 Kalashnikovs, Sniper Rifles a Year
14 June 2012
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Venezuela is nearing completion of an arms factory which will produce 25,000 Kalashnikov and sniper rifles a year, a development which could have troublesome implications for the conflict in neighboring Colombia.
In a June 13 televised speech, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez praised an arms factory in Aragua state, constructed with Russian assistance. Though it is still waiting on equipment from Russia, when production is at full capacity the factory will be able to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: InSight Crime (Bogota)
36247
United States,United Kingdom,Russia,Germany,France,China,Africa
The 'Big Six' Arms Exporters - Amnesty International
11 June 2012
Amnesty International (London)
DOCUMENT
1. China
There are few official statistics on the Chinese arms trade but the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimates that accounts for around 3 per cent of the global trade in conventional arms.
Countries supplied
Recipient countries over the past decade have tended to be developing countries with poor human rights records including Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, DRC, Guinea, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Libya, Myanmar,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Amnesty International (London)
36235
Sierra Leone,Yemen,Syria,Algeria,Iran,Somalia,China,Belarus,Italy,Germany,Bulgaria,Austria,Russia,Tunisia,United Kingdom,United States,Qatar,Sudan,Africa,Libya,Egypt,France
An Arms Buyback for Libya? – Analysis
9 June 2012
Eurasia Review (EU/Asia)
The Libyan civil war of early 2011 was one of the bloodiest conflicts in recent history, with an estimated 30,000 killed and 50,000 injured. While Muammar Gaddafi's death marked a watershed moment in Libyan history, the months of frenzied violence that preceded it saw a massive buildup of arms and munitions in the country. In the months leading up to and after his fall, Gaddafi's arms warehouses all across the country became unsecured; such was the level of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Eurasia Review (EU/Asia)
36228
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