Gun Policy News
Smuggling firearms in North America
Jamaica and Haiti Swap Drugs and Guns
30 August 2022
InSight Crime
Criminal gangs in Jamaica and Haiti are engaged in a deadly trade: the exchange of marijuana for guns.
Boats loaded with up to 3,000 pounds of cannabis take off from Jamaica's coastline, speeding across the Caribbean to nearby Haiti, where the drugs are swapped for handguns and high-powered assault weapons. The boats return with the firearms, which are then sold off piecemeal or in bulk.
The guns-for-drugs trade, as it is known in Jamaica, is greased by traffickers... (GunPolicy.org)
Scandal at Haiti Customs After Over 100,000 Rounds of Smuggled Ammunition Seized
8 July 2022
InSight Crime
Haiti's Customs Agency has seized an extremely large quantity of illegally imported ammunition the same day that its director was replaced on suspicion of arms trafficking, highlighting the Caribbean nation's struggle in combating weapons flows.
On July 1, customs and police authorities interdicted roughly 120,000 rounds of ammunition on board a container ship at Port-au-Paix wharf. The illegal cargo, which had come from the US state of Florida, was almost entirely... (GunPolicy.org)
Dominican Republic,United States,Haiti
US Guns Fuel Arms Trafficking in the Dominican Republic
3 June 2022
InSight Crime
Seizures of military-style assault weapons in the Dominican Republic are raising concerns that criminal groups are accessing powerful firearms smuggled from the United States and elsewhere.
On May 26, Dominican customs and police authorities launched a sting operation to dismantle an arms trafficking ring smuggling weapons into the Caribbean nation from the United States, according to a news release by the nation's customs authority.
During the raid at Haina Port,... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico Sues US Gunmakers to Stop Weapons Crossing Border
4 August 2021
Guardian
The Mexican government has launched legal action against US gunmakers in an unprecedented attempt to halt the flow of guns across the border, where US-made weapons are routinely used in cartel gun-battles, terror attacks on civilians – and increasingly to challenge the state itself.
The Mexican government is suing six gunmakers in a Massachusetts court, alleging negligence in their failure to control their distributors and that the illegal market in Mexico "has been... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Mexico,Central America,Honduras
US-made Guns are Active in Central America
16 April 2021
The Guardian
The stray bullet from the gang fight struck Katery Ramos when she was 12 years old, playing on the dirt street in the poor Planeta neighbourhood of San Pedro Sula, Honduras. "I was standing up for a moment, afterwards I fell," she told me, sitting with her mother in a scrubby field near her home.
The bullet entered just above her waist and didn't hurt, she said. But when she arrived at the hospital, the doctor announced that it had cut through her spine. She was... (GunPolicy.org)
How American Gun Laws Are Fueling Jamaica's Homicide Crisis
29 August 2019
New York Times
She came to Jamaica from the United States about four years ago, sneaking in illegally, stowed away to avoid detection. Within a few short years, she became one of the nation's most-wanted assassins.
She preyed on the parish of Clarendon, carrying out nine confirmed kills, including a double homicide outside a bar, the killing of a father at a wake and the murder of a single mother of three. Her violence was indiscriminate: She shot and nearly killed a 14-year-old girl... (GunPolicy.org)
Mechanic Smuggled Thureon 'AR-15s' from US to Australia
14 July 2017
Herald Sun (Melbourne)
A black market weapons dealer who imported lethal US machine guns police say are designed for killing people is staring down the barrel of a lengthy jail term.
Paul Munro, 63, pleaded guilty to importing Thureon fully automatic rifles — which can fire 1000 rounds per minute — and firearms parts and frames into Australia in the two years to March 2015.
The County Court heard on Friday that the weapons the former mechanic imported landed in the hands of violent... (GunPolicy.org)
US Agencies Help Stop Smuggling of 5000 Guns to Australia
16 March 2017
News Corp Australia Network
The largest ever shipment of guns organised by bikie gangs and bound for Australia has been stopped in the US and seized by police as the crackdown on outlaw motorcycle clubs intensifies.
The almost 5000-strong shipment of handguns and automatic rifles was nabbed late last year before reaching Australian shores as part of a joint investigation between federal, state and international policing agencies.
News Corp Australia can exclusively reveal the operations leading... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Control 'Eroded' in Canada, Now More Guns on the Streets
20 November 2016
Toronto Star (Ontario)
Weakened gun laws and how they're enforced have led to a spike in the number of restricted firearms in the hands of Canadians — and ultimately in hands of criminals, a leading gun-control advocate says.
Wendy Cukier, president of the Coalition for Gun Control, said relaxed licensing processes and legislative changes under the past Conservative government "eroded strict controls" that limited access to certain firearms.
The number of restricted firearms — a... (GunPolicy.org)
Most of the Seized Firearms in Mexico Come From US [ES]
2 October 2016
La Opinión (USA), EFE News Agency
[Translated Summary: Firearms can easily enter Mexico and be smuggled to Central America; there aren't any control measures on the borders. According to a federal report, by the 31st of July, 2014, 8,540 rifles had been seized and over 70% of these came from the US.]
La llegada de armas de fuego y de dinero negro son dos grandes peligros provenientes de Estados Unidos que impactan a México, fortaleciendo los cárteles de la región y su estela de violencia, y probando... (GunPolicy.org)
Record Number of Smuggled, Seized Guns 'Worrying' - UK Police
28 September 2016
Guardian
More guns are being seized in cities across Britain as the number of firearms being smuggled into the country increases, Britain's most senior police officer has said.
Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Metropolitan police commissioner, told a hearing at London's City Hall that a rise in gun crime in the capital was being put down to an increase in the number of weapons coming into the country.
The Met seized a "worrying" record number of weapons in 2015, including... (GunPolicy.org)
US the Source of 90% of Guns Smuggled Into Mexico [ES]
27 September 2016
Uni Mexicali (Mexico)
[Translated summary: Authorities from several Mexican states have registered an increase in the seizure of firearms coming from abroad, as informed by the Secretary of Public Security. He said that 90% of seizures, more than 1,600 firearms, are smuggled from the US.]
TIJUANA -- Autoridades no sólo de Baja California, sino de otras entidades del país han registrado un incremento en el
aseguramiento de armas de fuego procedentes del extranjero, informó el secretario... (GunPolicy.org)
Criminal Gun Misuse in Australia Reveals Gun Law Limitations
16 September 2016
NRA Institute for Legislative Action
While anti-gun politicians like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama tout Australia's gun control laws as a model for the United States, recent reporting on crime in Melbourne from newspaper The Age revealed the limitations of Australia's stringent laws. According to the paper, "Despite Australia's strict gun control regime, criminals are now better armed than at any time since then-Prime Minister John Howard introduced a nationwide firearm buyback scheme in response to the... (GunPolicy.org)
US 'Floods' Mexico with Guns - Ministry of Foreign Affairs [ES]
14 September 2016
Mi Morelia (Mexico)
[Translated Summary: Over 13 million illegal firearms are circulating in Mexico, and 10 million of those are presumed to be in hands of organized crime. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs points out that in four US states on the border with Mexico, there are at least 9,000 legal gun shops and over 23,000 licences to sell them over the Internet and at gun shows.]
La violencia que ha asfixiado al país en los últimos 15 años tiene uno de sus orígenes en la laxitud... (GunPolicy.org)
Obama Hopes to Ratify Arms Trade Treaty Before Leaving Office
13 September 2016
Breitbart (USA)
The ATT has been an on again off again project of the Obama administration during both terms of his presidency, particularly his first term.
In 2013 the NRA warned: "This treaty threatens individual firearm ownership with an invasive registration scheme [and is full of regulations and requirements that are] blatant attacks on the constitutional rights of every law-abiding American." The treaty does this, in part, by "[urging] record keeping of end users, directing... (GunPolicy.org)
El Salvador,Central America,United States
M16, AK Assault Rifles Often Used By Gangs in El Salvador
12 September 2016
InSight Crime (Bogotá), El Faro
The government of El Salvador's militarized campaign against the country's street gangs has been met by an increasingly heavily armed reaction. El Faro's investigation indicates that the gangs' growing use of assault rifles is an echo of the civil war that ended almost 25 years ago.
"Our presumption is that many are from the civil war," responds Mauricio Ramírez Landaverde, the Minister of Public Security, when questioned on the origin of the weapons that Salvadoran... (GunPolicy.org)
Police in Australia Seize Guns Linked to US Crime Syndicate
2 September 2016
ABC News (Australia)
Police in Victoria and New South Wales have seized 300 weapons and gun parts in a haul they say has cracked down on a major crime syndicate importing weapons from the United States.
The international operation has led to firearms charges being laid against two men.
Police said there might be further arrests as their investigations continue.
The joint federal, state and international operation was sparked 15 months ago in Victoria when a military-style assault rifle... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Seizure in US Prevented Illegal Trafficking to #Australia
2 September 2016
Age (Melbourne)
A cache of illegal guns has been seized by state, federal and US authorities as part of an investigation to tackle an international weapons operation.
Investigations began after an armed robbery at a western suburbs McDonald's 15 months ago, where a Thureon AR-15 assault rifle was used.
That weapon was then "backtracked" by police, which helped prevent a large consignment of weapons being imported to Australia.
In June, US officials seized six fully automatic assault... (GunPolicy.org)
Main US Gun Tracing Centre Deliberately Buried in Bureaucracy
1 September 2016
Mother Jones (USA)
Two agents with suits and trim haircuts lean against a cubicle wall in the cavernous red-brick building that houses the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' National Tracing Center in Martinsburg, West Virginia. They're laughing about one of the gun lobby's favorite myths: the notion that the government has a database with the names of every gun owner in America, and that one day, maybe very soon, it will sweep across the country to confiscate... (GunPolicy.org)
Lax US Gun Laws Fuel Violence in Mexico - Foreign Minister
29 August 2016
Mexidata, InSight Crime (Bogotá)
Mexico's foreign minister has blamed lax US gun control laws for the flood of illegal weapons into the country, in an unusually frank assessment of the impact of US domestic policy on violence and organized crime in Mexico.
Speaking at the Second Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty, Foreign Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu said loose gun control laws in the United States have undermined Mexico's own restrictions on gun sales and ownership.
"[Mexico's]... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico Asks US Congress to Renew Ban On Assault Weapons
23 August 2016
News X (India)
Mexico's Foreign Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu has asked the US Congress to restrict the sale of assault weapons as "they cause harm on both sides of the border".
Massieu made this call at the Second Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty of the UN in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday.
According to a Foreign Ministry statement, Massieu said that Mexico "places the highest priority" on this matter, as the country has suffered from the illegal arms trade,... (GunPolicy.org)
Americans, Don't Bring Your Guns to Canada - Border Police
22 August 2016
CBC News (Canada)
Dear Americans;
You're more than welcome to visit Canada, but for goodness sake, leave your guns at home.
That's the message from the Canada Border Services Agency on Monday as it launched a firearms awareness campaign, reminding U.S. travellers coming to Canada that their northern neighbour's firearms laws are strict.
Canadian laws are different than U.S. ones, the agency reiterated in a news release.
The CBSA says most firearms seized at land border crossings are... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexican Cartels Infiltrate Australia With Illegal Guns, Drugs
12 August 2016
Sporting Shooters' Association of Australia, Media release
Mexican drug cartels on a mission to expand their networks are actively pursuing once unreachable countries like Australia to peddle illicit drugs and firearms. It sounds like a script for a Hollywood crime thriller but a new report has revealed this is the harsh reality our island nation must face. The findings come as anti-gun lobbyists and Green-leaning politicians continue to criticise theft from licensed owners for contributing to a growing black market, while... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Puerto Rico,Caribbean
Florida a 'Massive' Gun-Smuggling Gateway to North, Caribbean
18 July 2016
News 4 Jax (USA)
JACKSONVILLE -- Across the state of Florida, Jacksonville had the most guns recovered last year that were tied to crimes -- more than 4,000 in 2014 and 2015 combined, the News4Jax I-TEAM learned.
Why here? The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives points to our open highways with access to JaxPort. Those interstates include I-10, even I-75, and the big one, I-95.
In fact, I-95 is so notorious for gun trafficking, it's called the "Iron Pipeline." Guns... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico City Airport Used as Hub for Gun Smuggling [ES]
17 July 2016
El Universal (Mexico)
[Translated summary: According to a report by the Mexican Federal Police, the Mexico City airport is being used as a hub for firearm smuggling. Between 2015 and the first two months of 2016, 62% of gun and cartridge confiscations were made in flights from Mexico City to other locations. During that period, 539 cartridges and 34 guns were seized.]
Un informe de la PF revela que 62% de los aseguramientos de armas y cartuchos se realizaron en vuelos que partieron de la... (GunPolicy.org)
Saudi Arabia,United States,Jordan
CIA Guns for Syrian Rebels Stolen for Jordanian Black Market
26 June 2016
New York Times
Weapons shipped into Jordan by the Central Intelligence Agency and Saudi Arabia intended for Syrian rebels have been systematically stolen by Jordanian intelligence operatives and sold to arms merchants on the black market, according to American and Jordanian officials.
Some of the stolen weapons were used in a shooting in November that killed two Americans and three others at a police training facility in Amman, F.B.I. officials believe after months of investigating... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Seizures at US-Canada Border Rose 42% in Past 4 Years
7 June 2016
Global News (Canada)
The number of guns seized at the Canada-U.S. border have increased steadily over the last four years, statistics provided by the Canada Border Services Agency show.
The count of total firearms seized and the number of total seizures (which can involve multiple firearms) all rose between 2011 and 2016.
Total seizures were up 42 per cent over the four-year period, and seizures of individual guns up 18 per cent.
Over the same period, Toronto has seen an alarming rise in... (GunPolicy.org)
Almost 60% of Jamaica's Confiscated Firearms Come from USA
6 June 2016
Jamaica Gleaner
A steady stream of guns continues to flow from the United States into Jamaica despite a raft of measures implemented by local law-enforcement authorities.
In the last two years, the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has traced the history of 991 guns seized in Jamaica over the period and found that 567, or nearly 60 per cent, were "sourced in the US".
The term "sourced in the US" refers to guns manufactured in or legally imported into the... (GunPolicy.org)
300 Undeclared Guns from Alaska Seized at Canadian Border
3 June 2016
Juneau Empire, Associated Press
KETCHIKAN — Canadian officials are asking Alaska residents to leave their guns stateside before traveling.
The Canadian Border Service Agency seized about 300 undeclared firearms from travelers in 2015, with more than half coming from travelers crossing into Canada from Alaska, The Ketchikan Daily News reported (http://bit.ly/1ZfUsOT).
"Many of these travelers faced criminal charges and/or a monetary penalty that could have been avoided by simply declaring the... (GunPolicy.org)
Asia,United States,Africa,Libya,Yemen,Iraq,Syria
Middle East: Militias Use Facebook Groups to Sell Weapons
6 April 2016
New York Times
A terrorist hoping to buy an antiaircraft weapon in recent years needed to look no further than Facebook, which has been hosting sprawling online arms bazaars, offering weapons ranging from handguns and grenades to heavy machine guns and guided missiles.
The Facebook posts suggest evidence of large-scale efforts to sell military weapons coveted by terrorists and militants. The weapons include many distributed by the United States to security forces and their proxies in... (GunPolicy.org)
Africa,Asia,Iran,United States
Middle East Gun Runners Immune to Arrest in Arabian Sea
5 April 2016
Washington Post
The Navy disclosed Monday that it recently confiscated a weapons cache from a small fishing craft in the Arabian Sea, seizing about 1,500 Kalashnikov rifles, 200 rocket-propelled grenade launchers and 21 .50-caliber machine guns. It marks the fourth seizure by a U.S.-led maritime task force in the region since September — and underscores the difficulties the United States faces in stopping weapons smuggling to nations like Yemen, where Houthi rebels continue to rely... (GunPolicy.org)
US-Mexico Gun Smuggling Ring Busted in Arizona
25 March 2016
Albuquerque Journal (USA) / AP
TUCSON — Federal authorities say they've busted a firearms trafficking ring that tried to smuggle weapons and ammunition from Arizona to Mexico.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says it worked with another federal law enforcement agency and has identified 21 suspects in the southern Arizona ring.
Authorities arrested 19 of the suspects in the past week and are looking for the rest of them.
The investigation began last year after the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol,... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Mexico,Honduras,Finland,Philippines,Thailand,United Kingdom
US Gun Smugglers Illegally Sent Firearms to 46 Countries
16 March 2016
Washington Post
Arms trafficking from within the United States, long thought to be relegated to gun-running for Mexican drug cartels, is far more extensive than previously thought, according to a new report by a weapons research group released Wednesday.
The report, published by the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey, examines more than 150 court cases involving arms trafficking from within the United States from 2010-2015. Spanning 46 countries and six continents, the report details... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,United Kingdom,Japan,Australia
So, America, This Is How Other Countries Do Gun Control
14 March 2016
Guardian
Thirty people will be shot dead in America today. On average. It could be more. If it's less, then more will die tomorrow. Or the next day.
The United States's gun homicide rate is 25 times higher than other high-income countries, according to a recent study.
Americans are divided on whether the country's gun deaths could be reduced through tougher laws on gun ownership. Liberals argue that legal restrictions on gun ownership could save lives. Conservatives say that... (GunPolicy.org)
Paraguay,Bolivia,Argentina,United States
Top Paraguay Official Reveals Arms Trafficking Secrets
10 March 2016
InSight Crime (Bogota)
A raid on a weapons "supermarket" in Paraguay has led officials to offer details of the inner workings of the country's arms trade, depicting a familiar mix of corruption, stolen military arms, and guns legally bought in the United States.
On March 9, security forces discovered an arsenal of high powered weaponry in a raid on a house in Paraguay's capital city of Asunción, which included machine guns, assault rifles, and armour piercing weapons, reported ABC. So far,... (GunPolicy.org)
German MPs Query Germany-Mexico Gun Trafficking [ES]
1 March 2016
El Universal (Mexico)
[Translated summary: German Members of Parliament ask the Mexican government to clarify Heckler & Koch gun trafficking from Germany to Mexico, with possible links to a mass shooting of 43 students.]
Diputados alemanes pidieron al gobierno mexicano que aclare el probable tráfico de armas germanas que se han usado en conflictos dentro del país, como fue el caso de la agresión y desaparición forzada de los 43 normalistas de Ayotzinapa, Guerrero, en septiembre de 2014,... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico,United States,Africa,Americas,Asia,Oceania,Europe
The Mechanics of Gun Trafficking from the United States
1 March 2016
Small Arms Survey (Geneva)
When one thinks of arms traffickers, the image that often comes to mind is of the stereotypical 'Merchant of Death' – ambitious, well-connected, globetrotting entrepreneurs who single-handedly arm warlords and insurgents across the world. While there is some truth to the stereotype, most illicit arms traffickers do not fit this profile.
The latest Issue Brief from the Small Arms Survey—Dribs and Drabs: The Mechanics of Small Arms Trafficking from the United... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico's Gun Dealers Are Unfazed by Obama
26 February 2016
Global Post (Boston)
MEXICO CITY — Javier scoots onto a plastic stool in a courtyard. He reaches beneath his shirt and pulls out a shiny Smith & Wesson semi-automatic pistol. He deftly spins it through his hands, ejects the magazine, and holds it out for inspection.
"This one's new, straight from its packaging," he says.
It will cost 15,000 pesos with a box of ammo, around $810.
Javier, who only gave his first name, operates this illicit little gun mart in Tepito market, a famed... (GunPolicy.org)
Restricted Guns Up 82% in Canada Under Tory Government
11 February 2016
iPolitics (Canada)
The number of restricted firearms across Canada rose more than 82 per cent while Prime Minister Stephen Harper was in power, with the sharpest increase after the Conservatives formed a majority government.
The increase is found in calculations made by iPolitics from statistics found in several reports of the federal Commissioner of Firearms, which released its 2014 report last month.
One of the biggest increases was in Alberta, where the number of restricted guns rose... (GunPolicy.org)
New Report on Firearms Trafficking from US to Mexico
11 January 2016
US House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs - Democrats, Media release
WASHINGTON -- Representative Eliot L. Engel, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today welcomed the release of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report he commissioned on U.S. efforts to halt illegal firearms trafficking to Mexico. Representative Engel requested the report in May 2014.
"With at least 70 percent of firearms recovered at Mexican crime scenes coming from the United States, our Congress has a responsibility to do much more to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: US House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs - Democrats
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)
US Man Jailed for Posting Handgun, Assault Weapons to Australia in Xbox
12 August 2014
Australian Associated Press
A US man who hid an assault rifle in a DVD player and a 9mm pistol in an Xbox console, and posted them to customers in Australia, has been jailed for two years.
Adam Joseph Bunger, 34, wept in a Bowling Green, Kentucky, court when he explained he did it to pay for his girlfriend's college education.
"Maybe you should have gotten two extra jobs instead of doing this," replied US District Judge Joseph McKinley, radio station WKU reported.
Bunger had pleaded guilty to... (GunPolicy.org)
Big Demand for Crime Guns in Canada
22 June 2014
Windsor Star (Ontario), Blog
The men hugging each other in a Windsor bar looked like old friends catching up, but the police trailing them knew better.
Investigators say they were at Rack n' Roll Club on Forest Glade Drive for a gun sale, one of many that supplied Toronto gangsters with firepower as they peddled drugs, settled scores and waged a bloody power struggle.
The salesman was Windsor's Lamar Porter, who already had more than 20 criminal convictions. The buyers were Siyadin Abdi, also... (GunPolicy.org)
Unsuspecting Canadian Drivers Drawn into World of Weapons Smuggling
20 June 2014
Windsor Star (Ontario), Blog
The gun smugglers called him "fool" – one of many Windsorites they used to unwittingly mule firearms over the border.
Buried in volumes of recently released Toronto police documents is the frightening revelation that Windsor gun runners hide firearms and GPS devices in the cars of unsuspecting Canadians to sneak them through customs.
For Windsor's Lamar Porter, who police say was the main source of guns for Toronto's murderous Dixon City Bloods, it appeared to be... (GunPolicy.org)
Op-Ed: The 'Have Gun, Will Shoot' Mindset in India and America
11 June 2014
Daily Pioneer (India), Opinion
In the US, powerful pro-gun lobbies have repeatedly sabotaged every attempt by lawmakers to make the possession of guns more difficult. In India too, it's not very difficult to secure a gun licence. This is a bad omen
Lawmakers in California in the United States are now mulling stricter gun control laws after a young man in the University of California killed six college students and himself. The young man was able to buy three guns and go on a rampage despite warnings... (GunPolicy.org)
American Sentenced in Fiji Over Bribery, Gun Charges
31 May 2014
Fiji Times
An American national who attempted to bring in guns and ammunition into the country had his sentence changed after the High Court reviewed it.
Sonny Blake was convicted of bribing a Customs officer and possession of firearms without a license by the Magistrates Court.
He was given a 12-month jail term suspended for five years, fined $1000 and conviction not recorded.
In his judgment Justice Paul Madigan said in this age where commercial intercourse was paramount and... (GunPolicy.org)
China Claims Most Smuggled Guns Arrive in Courier Packs from US
27 May 2014
China Daily
Cooperation with other countries is being intensified to combat arms smuggling, according to an official at the General Administration of Customs.
Last year, Chinese customs officials investigated 50 cases of smuggling involving firearms and ammunition, an increase of 16.3 percent from the previous year.
Authorities confiscated 5,916 guns, 882 gun parts and 13,000 rounds of ammunition in these cases.
"The smuggling of drugs or firearms poses serious threats to... (GunPolicy.org)
We Need Better Data for a Serious Gun Control Debate in America
27 May 2014
Huffington Post (USA), Blog
Even before the massacre of six people in Santa Barbara had reached its bloody conclusion, the Great American Gun debate was taking shape. Some headlines described a deranged lunatic intent on retribution against women. Others honed in on the premeditated nature of the killing spree and argued that better armed civilians could have prevented the carnage. Still more highlighted how access to a semi-automatic pistol dramatically increased the number of dead and injured.... (GunPolicy.org)
Major Haul of Smuggled Guns Seized in Bahamas
16 April 2014
Tribune (Bahamas)
FREEPORT – Following a major firearm seizure in Exuma, a Bahamas Customs official expressed concerns about the new smuggling techniques that are being employed by gun smugglers in the Bahamas.
The illegal importation of firearms is a major challenge for Bahamian law enforcement authorities. Guns are used in about 60 per cent of violent crimes in the country.
In the Bahamas, the annual rate of firearm homicide per 100,000 population was 22.2 in 2010, according to an... (GunPolicy.org)
IRA Florida Gun-Running Case is Reopened
9 April 2014
BBC News
Police are to reinvestigate claims that the Provisional IRA bought guns from America and smuggled them into Northern Ireland in the late 1990s.
It follows a BBC Spotlight programme that alleged a senior member of Sinn Féin was involved in a gun-running operation from Florida.
A self-confessed gun-runner told the programme Sean 'Spike' Murray was involved in smuggling guns before and after the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
Mr Murray has denied the allegations.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
US Airline Pilot Caught With Loaded Handgun at Canadian Airport
3 April 2014
Calgary Herald (Alberta)
Authorities confirmed the loaded handgun that an American pilot is accused of attempting to bring through Calgary airport security was a personal weapon.
In addition, he was not part of a federal program that allows certain trained flight crew members to be armed on flights.
The pilot with SkyWest Airlines was arrested after screening officers at the U.S. security checkpoint discovered what appeared to be a loaded firearm in a bag that was passing through an X-ray... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Couple Accused of Gun Trafficking, Over 45 Weapons Seized
24 March 2014
Toronto Sun (Ontario)
TORONTO - An Ontario couple has been arrested in a firearms trafficking investigation where more than 45 weapons were seized, Toronto Police say.
On March 16, the Canada Border Services Agency working on a tip from Toronto Police Service's Firearm Enforcement Unit stopped a man and a woman as they crossed into Canada on the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls with their two children.
"These are gun smugglers and they sell them on the streets," Toronto Det.-Sgt. Rob... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
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)
Arrest of Gun-Toting American at Canadian Border Enrages US Gun Community
5 February 2014
National Post (Toronto)
"Screw Canada."
"Another reason not to venture to the dark north."
Gun-related message boards lit up this week over news of the arrest of an American man at the Canadian border.
Retired U.S. Army sergeant major Louis DiNatale and his wife were on a romantic getaway from Kentucky to Vermont when they say their GPS led them astray to the border.
When DiNatale failed to declare a loaded handgun in the centre console — he says he simply forgot it was there — he was... (GunPolicy.org)
Case Against US Man Illustrates Canada's Zero-Tolerance Gun Policy
3 February 2014
Los Angeles Times
Louis DiNatale didn't intend to enter Canada when he and his wife wound up on a bridge from New York state to Ontario province one day in September, misdirected by an unreliable GPS. What began as an American couple's getaway to Vermont quickly turned into a lesson on the stark difference between the U.S. and Canada when it comes to gun laws.
DiNatale, whose request to turn around and cross back into the U.S. was denied, then made another mistake. When a border... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Policy No Longer Domestic as Weapons are Smuggled to Mexico
1 February 2014
National Catholic Reporter (Kansas City)
Mexico, a state with highly restrictive gun laws, minimal arms manufacturing, and only one gun shop in the entire country, is awash in firearms, many of them from the United States. A study published last year by the Trans-Border Institute at the University of San Diego estimates that upward to a quarter-million weapons are purchased in the U.S. and smuggled into Mexico annually.
Amid the hyperviolence of Mexico's war on drugs, this southward flow of illicit arms has... (GunPolicy.org)
Number of Guns Confiscated at US Airports Jumped by 20 Percent in 2013
8 January 2014
Huffington Post (USA)
From Jan. 1st to Dec. 26th in 2013, the TSA saw a 20 percent increase from the previous year in the amount of guns it confiscated in the U.S. from passengers trying to smuggle them into their carry-ons.
In 2013, a total of 1,828 guns - the highest amount recorded since the TSA began tracking smuggled firearms - were confiscated across the nation's airports, according to a recently released analysis of TSA data by the Medill National Security Journalism Initiative.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
American Gun Running: A Lot of Canadians Want Smuggled Handguns
17 December 2013
Windsor Star (Ontario), Blog
Riccardo Tolliver pulled up to the Ambassador Bridge customs booth, his pulse quickening, his nerves rattling, firepower on his mind. But he dared not show anxiety – not with almost 40 handguns hidden in door panels of his black Hummer H2.
He had hired a friend to drive, it being the first time Tolliver personally smuggled guns across the Canadian border. He figured as a passenger he would not be flagged.
He was wrong.
Border officers noticed a drunk-driving... (GunPolicy.org)
Luck, Police Collaboration Nail Long-time US-Canada Gun Runners
17 December 2013
Windsor Star (Ontario), Blog
The biggest Windsor-Detroit gun-smuggling ring ever busted came crashing down because of a seatbelt.
One unbuckled belt. One routine traffic stop. A bunch of odd answers. And 16 illegal firearms hidden in a trunk.
Special Agent Brian Beardsley with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, knew he had something big the night he took a call in March 2005 from the Monroe County Sheriff's Department saying officers found 16 handguns with serial... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Côte d'Ivoire,Liberia
Liberia Govt Officials Allegedly Involved in Secret Firearm Deals
11 December 2013
New Dawn (Monrovia)
Details emerging from the latest UN Panel of Experts report on Liberia have unveiled some chilling and staggering information as to how government officials and or political appointees are secretly acquiring firearms.
The UN Panelists appointed to monitor the arms embargo and other military related activities here in pursuant to UN resolution 2079 (2012), said most of the firearms were either purchased from returning mercenaries from the Ivory Coast or through other... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
Police Crack Down on China's Online Gun Sales
25 November 2013
Global Times (China)
Peng Di (pseudonym), an engineer from Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, did not expect to spend the rest of his life in prison or face the death penalty, for a hobby.
Despite the fact that China has many gun enthusiasts, the hobby has its risks. Peng went further than simply studying guns and decided to buy 1,300 air gun pellets online from a US vendor in 2011.
Peng was charged with smuggling ammunition after he bought over 1,000 non-military bullets from... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Govt Launches Study of Gun Industry to Combat Crime, Smuggling
22 November 2013
Toronto Star (Ontario)
OTTAWA — The federal government is launching an "in-depth" study of the country's civilian firearms industry as part of a program to combat gun crime and weapons smuggling and trafficking.
A request for proposal seeking research bids was posted this week by Public Works.
The study, "Characteristics of the Canadian Firearms Industry Supplying the Civilian Market," is to be completed by March 31, 2014.
Public Safety Canada wants up-to-date details on who is... (GunPolicy.org)
American-Tongan Held in Fiji on Illegal Gun Charges After Smuggling Attempt
19 November 2013
Matangi Tonga
NADI, Fiji - An American national of Tongan ethnicity has been charged for bribery of a public official and illegal possession of arms and ammunition after he attempted to smuggle firearms past security officials at Fiji's Nadi Airport last week.
According to media reports, the accused Sonny David Bernard Blake (29) was arrested on Wednesday November 13 when he arrived at Nadi Airport from Los Angeles, and allegedly tried to bribe custom officers with USD $40 in an... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Police Find 'Staggering Collection' of Guns After Customs Tip-Off
14 November 2013
Times-Colonist (British Columbia)
Police unveiled a "staggering collection" of firearms Wednesday, seized from a Prince George home following an investigation that began when border guards came across two suspicious packages.
Karl Haus, 53, now faces 17 charges in relation to the haul from a Prospect Point home in the Hart Highlands where police uncovered nine rifles — a fully-automatic M-16 and a fully-automatic AK-47 among them — as well as three handguns, two of which were loaded, and two... (GunPolicy.org)
Arab Spring Fallout Fuels Mediterranean Gun, Drug Smuggling Rise
8 November 2013
SwissInfo / Reuters
LONDON - The chaotic fallout of the "Arab Spring" is fuelling a surge in the smuggling of drugs, weapons and people across the Mediterranean, and cash-strapped regional powers are struggling to respond.
Last month, European leaders in Brussels turned down calls from southern European states already hard hit by the euro-zone crisis for additional support to tackle record numbers of migrants attempting to cross to the continent in frequently perilous journeys arranged by... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Gets 20 Months For Gun Smuggling
4 November 2013
Grand Forks Herald (Canada)
Two men who pleaded guilty to smuggling guns to Canada after being arrested in Grand Forks were sentenced last month to federal prison.
But his stepmother said undercover Mounties posing as Hell's Angels intimidated Shawn Hartnell for months to do a gun deal.
Hartnell, 30, was sentenced Oct. 17 to 20 months in federal prison, followed by two years of probation, with credit for the nine months he's served since his Feb. 5 arrest in Grand Forks.
His associate, Dylan... (GunPolicy.org)
ATF Head Still Boxed in by Politics, Low Resources in America
6 October 2013
Minnesota Public Radio / Associated Press
WASHINGTON - When President Barack Obama picked B. Todd Jones to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, it looked like the moment had arrived when the beleaguered ATF would reassert itself as an agency with teeth.
It was January, and the nation was embroiled in a rare debate on gun control, the result of the massacre at a Connecticut elementary school the previous month. The White House pushed for tougher gun laws and Congress seemed unusually... (GunPolicy.org)
US, Puerto Rico Drug Trafficking Sting Nets Over 170 Guns
27 September 2013
Washington Post / Associated Press
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Federal agents will start targeting high-level drug traffickers in Puerto Rico with intelligence gathered during a three-month blitz on criminal activity in the U.S. territory, the Department of Homeland Security said Thursday.
The campaign is part of operation "Caribbean Resilience," which began in July 2012 and focuses on the smuggling of drugs, weapons, money and migrants.
The agency says agents have seized some 53,000 pounds (24,000... (GunPolicy.org)
Canada,Australia,United States,United Kingdom
Hard Evidence: Does Gun Control Work?
20 September 2013
SBS (Australia), Series
This week brought news of yet another gun massacre in the United States at Washington Navy Yard. It is the latest in a string of 146 mass shootings, with more than 900 victims since 2006. The tragedy gives us pause to reflect on the "common sense" gun controls proposed by president Barack Obama but blocked by gun lobby senators only a few months ago.
Among other measures, Obama's proposals sought to reform the national firearm purchase check system, so that offenders... (GunPolicy.org)
Nigeria Customs Seizes Smuggled Arms Concealed in Household Cargo
18 September 2013
This Day (Lagos)
A cache of arms and ammunition which were allegedly concealed and smuggled into the country through the Ports and Terminal Multi-Services Limited (PTML), Tincan Island, Apapa, Lagos, have been impounded by examination officers of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS).
The examination officers, who were said not to have relied on the declaration of the contents of the container to be just two vehicles and other household items, have also arrested the agent simply... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexican Drug Cartel Leader's Assault Rifle Traced to US Felon Gun Seller
12 September 2013
San Antonio Express-News (Texas)
An assault rifle seized during the July arrest of one of Mexico's most violent drug lords — Miguel Angel "Z-40" Treviño Morales — has been traced to a shady gun seller whose Spring Branch home was searched last week and netted what authorities said was a "small arsenal."
More than 10,000 rounds of ammunition, 76 guns and $15,000 in cash were seized from Manuel "Manny" Rodriguez, 65, who was sentenced in 2002 to 47 months in the federal penitentiary after being... (GunPolicy.org)
US Cop Among Brothers Charged in Gun Trafficking Case
6 September 2013
New York Times
A New York City police officer and his two brothers, one of whom is also a law enforcement agent, smuggled military-grade firearms capable of piercing body armor and shooting down airplanes to the Philippines, prosecutors said on Friday.
Prosecutors said that the officer, Rex G. Maralit, joined his brothers, Wilfredo Maralit, a Customs and Border Protection officer at Los Angeles International Airport, and Ariel Maralit, who lives in the Philippines, in the smuggling... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Charged With Smuggling Handguns from US to Canada
6 September 2013
Vancouver Sun (British Columbia)
An Osoyoos man has been charged after allegedly selling dozens of smuggled firearms to gangsters in the Okanagan and Metro Vancouver.
Tyler Ryan Cuff, 30, is believed to have used his dual U.S.-Canadian citizenship to legally purchase Glocks and other handguns at various Washington State gun shows.
Cuff then allegedly smuggled the firearms into B.C. inside both a truck and car passing through the border crossing between Osoyoos and Oroville, Washington.
Sgt. Lindsey... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Seize 183 Guns from Licensed Canadian Owner 'Supplying Gangs'
30 August 2013
Vancouver Sun (British Columbia)
Police have seized a 183-gun arsenal in a remote area of the B.C. Interior and arrested a man who investigators allege was purchasing assault rifles and other weapons legally and then selling them to the highest bidder, possibly to gang members and other criminals.
The province's Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit - an RCMP-led team that targets organized crime - announced the seizure.
Thursday, almost a week after raiding the home of a 63-year-old man in Tatla... (GunPolicy.org)
New York's 254-Gun Bust: All Smuggled from Lax Gun Law States
19 August 2013
BBC News
New York City police have arrested 19 people in what authorities are calling the city's largest-ever guns bust.
Police recovered 254 firearms, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.
The guns were brought to the city from the US states of North and South Carolina by traffickers travelling on buses, authorities said.
Mr Bloomberg is one of the most prominent proponents of strict gun control in the US, criticising the easy availability of firearms.
"Year after year guns flow... (GunPolicy.org)
South America,United States,Mexico,Central America,Caribbean,Brazil
Lax US Gun Laws Blamed for Worsening Latin American Violence
31 July 2013
Los Angeles Times
Lax U.S. gun regulations are enabling the international trafficking of high-powered weapons and fueling the spread of gun violence in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Council on Foreign Relations argues in a report urging President Obama to take action on initiatives that have foundered in Congress.
More than 70% of the 99,000 weapons recovered by Mexican law enforcement since 2007 were traced to U.S. manufacturers and importers, the council report said, citing... (GunPolicy.org)
Americans' Disregard for Foreign Gun Laws Often Ends Badly (2 of 2)
24 July 2013
KSL (Utah)
SALT LAKE CITY — A 19-year-old is now banned from Canada after she and a friend drove across the border by accident.
Tatiana McEwan and one of her girlfriends took their first road trip to Washington. For protection, her friend's boyfriend stashed a handgun in McEwan's car. When the teens unexpectedly found themselves at the Canadian border, their car was searched.
Finding the handgun, the patrolmen didn't believe the girls were merely lost.
"We're two 19-year-olds... (GunPolicy.org)
Americans' Disregard for Foreign Gun Laws Often Ends Badly (1 of 2)
23 July 2013
Winnipeg Free Press (Manitoba)
A major with the U.S. Air Force is expected to be released from custody later today or Wednesday after being arrested June 26 for smuggling guns into Canada.
Maj. Christopher Doyle Sanders, 46, is facing several charges of smuggling under the Customs Act and weapons charges after he was stopped at the Emerson border crossing June 26.
Provincial court Judge Dale Schille agreed earlier this afternoon to a joint recommendation from Crown and defence counsel for Sanders'... (GunPolicy.org)
Bermudian Student Jailed for Gun Smuggling Attempt
13 July 2013
Royal Gazette (Bermuda)
A Bermudian college student has been jailed after he admitted importing two BB guns.
Shaquille Crockwell, 21, from Rock Lane West, Hamilton Parish, pleaded guilty yesterday to importing the prohibited weapons on April 22.
Magistrates' Court heard that Crockwell had returned to the Island on the day in question from his studies in Rhode Island.
While going through customs at LF Wade International Airport, Crockwell declared some throwing knives, which he brought for a... (GunPolicy.org)
Smuggling Ring Sent Guns from America to Australia
2 July 2013
NewsChannel 5 (Nashville)
NASHVILLE, Tennessee - It sounds like the script from a summer movie. Federal agents in Nashville worked with investigators from Australia to break up an elaborate gun smuggling ring.
The initial raid was big news half way around the world last year.
News programs in Australia reported that when authorities searched an apartment in New South Wales, they found numerous guns.
One TV reporter in Australia revealed one of the guns, "sparked the interest of detectives. It... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Smuggler Sentenced to Death in China
6 June 2013
Global Times (China)
Shanghai No.1 Intermediate People's Court sentenced a Zhejiang Province man to death with a reprieve Thursday for smuggling of firearms and ammunition from the US into China.
The primary defendant, Wang Ting, 33, was one of 17 people sentenced Thursday for smuggling or illegally possessing firearms. The other defendants received prison sentences ranging from 15 years to 19 months.
By giving Wang a death sentence with a reprieve, the court will postpone his execution... (GunPolicy.org)
Alleged Gun Smuggler Investigated in Liberia
6 June 2013
News (Monrovia)
Police in Monrovia are investigating a man identified as Bernard Cooper in connection with illegal entry of guns in Liberia. Cooper is believed to be a Liberian-American national.
Sources told this paper that suspect Cooper was arrested Friday, May 31, 2013 in the vicinity of the Monrovia City Hall in Sinkor and taken to the headquarters of the Liberia National Police for investigation.
During preliminary probe by criminal investigators on Saturday, June 1, 2013 after... (GunPolicy.org)
Study Indicates 50% of US Dealers Depend on Guns Smuggled to Mexico
6 June 2013
ThinkProgress (USA), Blog
A recent study not only confirms the claim that many of the guns used in the ongoing violence in Mexico are from the United States, but finds that some U.S. gun dealers depend on this illegal gun running to stay afloat.
Researchers at the University of San Diego's Trans-Border Institute and Brazil's Igarapé Institute put together a groundbreaking model to determine why Mexico, which possesses some of the toughest gun laws in the world, is so awash in firearms. In... (GunPolicy.org)
Six Arrested in US for Illegally Exporting Guns to Thailand
5 June 2013
Nation (Bangkok)
US authorities have arrested and indicted a Thai woman residing residing in Berkeley, California, and five others for illegally exported restricted firearm parts from the US to Thailand, US federal prosecutors said Monday.
US media quoted US Attorney's Office as saying that Supanee Saenguthai, 35, a Thai citizen is one of six people who were arrested over the weekend for conspiring and then attempting to violate the Arms Control Export Act.
Five additional defendants... (GunPolicy.org)
US Allows Tracing of Bulk Semi-Automatic Gun Sales to Mexican Gangs
31 May 2013
Reuters
A federal regulation aimed at detecting bulk sales of semi-automatic rifles to Mexican drug gangs was upheld Friday by an U.S. appeals court.
A unanimous panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the Obama administration acted within its authority to adopt the 2011 rule, which affects firearms sellers in states bordering Mexico.
The Gun Control Act of 1968 "unambiguously authorizes" the rule, and it is unrealistic to argue, as gun... (GunPolicy.org)
Saudi Arabia,Libya,Mexico,Germany
Weapons Exports Reveal Faults in German System
30 May 2013
Deutsche Welle
Germany prides itself on having "strict, even restrictive regulations" for the export of weapons of war. All the same, German weapons regularly show up in regions they should not be in.
For years, every single government coalition in Germany has stated that the country has particularly strict regulations for sales of weapons of war to foreign countries. Regularly, however, weapons used abroad but "made in Germany" get into the news. People are outraged when assault... (GunPolicy.org)
Germany,Nigeria,China,United States,United Kingdom
Former Doyen of UK Gun Lobby Pleads Guilty to More Gunrunning
17 May 2013
Democrat and Chronicle (USA)
British arms dealer Gary Hyde has admitted helping smuggle illegal AK-47 magazines into the United States for sale by a Chili-based firearms wholesaler, federal court records show.
Hyde signed a plea agreement in late April but it was not filed until this week, records show.
Hyde admitted that he had helped alter the markings on the 5,760 magazines so their country of origin — China — would not be known. In the U.S., there is a federal ban on the importation of... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Jailed for Gun Smuggling Between US and Caymans
1 May 2013
CayCompass.com (Cayman Islands)
A Caymanian man accused in a gun smuggling ring that operated between Grand Cayman and south Florida between 2008 and 2009 has been sentenced to nearly four years in United States federal prison.
Mikkyle Brandon Leslie was sentenced before Judge Robin Rosenbaum Monday in Fort Lauderdale following a plea deal his attorneys reached with federal prosecutors earlier this year. Leslie could have faced between 20 to 30 years in prison if he had gone to trial and been... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Soldier Faces Charges After Gun Smuggling Investigation
23 April 2013
CBC News (Canada)
An investigation into an international weapons smuggling operation has led police to raid an Ontario army base and lay more than 30 charges against a Quebec soldier.
Ontario provincial police say the raids conducted at CFB Borden and several locations in Quebec netted hundreds of firearms, gun enhancements and parts, including silencers and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
They say officers also seized documents related to the production of prohibited firearms parts... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Pipeline: Mules Pay High Price for Smuggling on Canada Border
19 April 2013
Toronto Star (Ontario)
Chantelle Batte didn't know she had successfully smuggled a small arsenal of guns, including a machine gun with a silencer, into Canada until police showed up at her door and arrested her days later.
Batte, a single mom from Sarnia, is just one of the many people used to mule guns across the border each year.
An ongoing Star investigation reveals that border officers seize few of the guns destined for the criminal market in Toronto and across Ontario.
Today, we look... (GunPolicy.org)
India's Anti-Terrorist Squad Busts Gun Smuggling Gang
19 April 2013
Pioneer (India)
LUCKNOW - Sleuths of the Anti-Terrorists Squad (ATS) arrested four persons and claimed to have busted a gang which is smuggling parts of arms from overseas and assembling them here to dispose it off later to hardened criminals at higher rates. They said to have recovered arms in large quantity besides equipments and tools used for assembling.
Giving the details of the above development here on Thursday afternoon, ADG (law and order) Arun Kumar, said that the ATS is... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Running into Mexico on the Rise as US Admits Lack of Data on Guns
4 April 2013
San Marco Mercury
As the gun control debate swirls around issues like background checks and mental health, a new study reveals that gun running into Mexico remains a large-scale problem.
In their report, titled "The Way of the Gun," researchers at the University of San Diego's Trans-Border Institute estimated that as many as 253,000 firearms were purchased in the United States from 2010 to 2012 for the sole purpose of being trafficked across the border into Mexico. The figure is nearly... (GunPolicy.org)
Canada Police Seize Loaded Assault Weapon in Trafficking Bust
20 March 2013
Edmonton Journal (Alberta)
Calgary police were disturbed to find a loaded AK-47 assault rifle — the first weapon of its kind seized in the city in recent years — during a recent trafficking bust.
"It's shocking we found such a high-calibre weapon in the hands of criminals," said Staff Sgt. Steven Drennan with the Calgary Police Service's guns and gangs unit.
While the city has seen a growing weapons trade over the years, this is the first time in recent history a genuine high calibre AK-47... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico Gun Trafficking Benefits Nearly 50% US Dealers - Study
20 March 2013
InSight Crime (Bogota)
A new study found that nearly half of United States firearms dealers are economically dependent on demand from Mexico, while under 15 percent of illicitly trafficked arms are seized at the border, highlighting the US role in Mexican gun violence.
The study, titled "The Way of the Gun: Estimating Firearms Traffic Across the U.S.-Mexico Border," aimed to quantify the US role in feeding Mexico's gun violence, which continues to rise despite tight gun control policies and... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Regional Police Uncover Huge Stash of Firearms
20 March 2013
Oshawa Express (Ontario)
Durham Regional Police Inspector Mario Lessard of the Criminal Intelligence Branch was surrounded by a room full of guns.
There were weapons strewn about everywhere, all part of a massive seizure.
Grenades, landmines, 67 guns and a small cannon were recently found in a Bancroft home where a couple now faces more than 600 charges as a result.
But what does Durham have to do with this? According to Insp. Lessard, Durham is a member of the Provincial Weapons Enforcement... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
More Than 250,000 Guns a Year Illegally Smuggled into Mexico - Study
19 March 2013
Fox News Latino
The Fast and Furious gun-running scandal that continues to haunt the U.S. Department of Justice highlighted a frightening fact: Illegal firearms are flowing into Mexico from the U.S. at an alarming rate.
More than two percent of all firearms bought in the United States -- about 253,000 -- end up south of the border, up from 1.75 percent in 1990, according to a binational report by the Trans-Border Institute in San Diego and the Igarape Institute, a research center in... (GunPolicy.org)
US President Urged by NGOs to Support Tough UN Arms Trade Treaty
25 February 2013
Reuters
Three dozen arms control and human rights groups have written to U.S. President Barack Obama ahead of new arms-trade negotiations at the United Nations next month, urging him to back a tough treaty that would end loopholes in international weapons sales.
Arms control campaigners say one person every minute dies worldwide as a result of armed violence and a convention is needed to prevent the unregulated and illicit flow of weapons into conflict zones and fueling wars... (GunPolicy.org)
Canada Govt Claim to Have Curbed Illegal Guns Falls Flat
16 February 2013
Yahoo (Canada) / Macleans (Canada)
As Americans debate their culture of guns with unprecedented intensity, concern in Canada about the spillover of firearms across the border might be expected to heat up too. Even before the school-shooting carnage at Newtown, Conn., which prompted U.S. President Barack Obama to propose a raft of politically contentious new gun-control measures, Canadian federal politicians regularly talked tough about the scourge of U.S. handguns turning up on Canada's city streets.... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexican Artist Turns Guns Into Musical Instruments
13 February 2013
New York Times / Associated Press
MEXICO CITY — The guns that have caused so many deaths in northern Mexico are now making music.
Mechanical hammers ping against ammunition magazines from assault rifles. Gun barrels cut to different lengths ring like marimbas. Pistol parts strike metal plates, like cymbals, to create rhythmic, syncopated sounds.
"It's important to consider that many lives were taken with these weapons, as if a sort of exorcism was taking place," sculptor Pedro Reyes said in a... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Arrested for Alleged Gun Smuggling Scheme
7 February 2013
Grand Forks Herald
A Canadian man was arrested this week by federal agents at a Grand Forks motel after they say he took $24,000 in cash for six guns he thought would be smuggled into Canada.
Shawn Hartnell, 29, appeared in federal court in Grand Forks on Wednesday.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick Chase, Hartnell faces two charges.
One count alleges that, as a Canadian citizen in the United States on a "non-immigrant," visa, Hartnell was illegally possessing firearms.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
Mali,Libya,United States,West Africa,Niger
Internationalist Blog: How Libyan Weapons Fueled Mali's Violence
29 January 2013
Council on Foreign Relations, Blog
The violence that has plagued once-stable Mali since late 2011 should have come as no surprise to Western governments, for it is a direct function of NATO's Libyan intervention. By adopting a "light footprint" approach in Libya, the alliance unwittingly contributed to a security vacuum that allowed countless weapons to stream out of Libya and fuel insurgency, extremism, and crime in neighboring countries. One of these countries was Mali, where the flood of weapons from... (GunPolicy.org)
Bolivia,United States,Colombia,Brazil,Argentina
Bolivia Breaks Gun Trafficking Ring, Weapons from US to Brazil
28 January 2013
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Bolivian authorities broke up a network suspected of smuggling guns from the United States to Brazil's First Capital Command (PCC) gang, highlighting this Andean nation's role as a transit route in the region's illicit arms trade.
On January 25, authorities arrested four Bolivian nationals in the city of Santa Cruz and seized an arms shipment worth $150,000 that was destined to be sent across the border to the Brazilian PCC gang, reported EFE news agency.
Among the 28... (GunPolicy.org)
US Could Learn from South Korea's Gun Control
25 January 2013
Korea Times
The recent shooting tragedies in the United States and ensuing debates on gun control are shocking and almost incomprehensible to South Koreans because they don't face such issues pertaining to firearms.
There are strict laws here regarding the possession of hand guns. Citizens can only buy hunting guns and air rifles after obtaining a license from the police. They are only allowed to use guns for a limited period of time, usually during the hunting season.
At other... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico,Peru,Ecuador,United States
Criminals Used Mexican Postal Service to Move Drugs, Guns
23 January 2013
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Revelations over how criminal groups used Mexico's public postal service to transport drugs, guns and contraband have highlighted the need for authorities to tighten the country's postal inspection regime.
In an interview with El Economista, ex-Sepomex Director Purificacion Carpinteyra described how criminals transported illicit goods in trucks bearing the Sepomex logo and even earned genuine Sepomex contracts through offering discount or even free transportation... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia Re-Stocks Private Arsenal to Pre-Buyback Gun Numbers
13 January 2013
Sydney Morning Herald
Australians own as many guns now as they did at the time of the Port Arthur massacre, despite more than 1 million firearms being handed in and destroyed, new research reveals.
A University of Sydney study has shown there has been a steady increase in guns imported into the country over the past decade, with the number of privately owned guns now at the same level as 1996.
Estimates suggest there were 3.2 million firearms in Australia at the time of the Tasmanian... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
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)
Mexico,Honduras,El Salvador,Guatemala
Guatemala: More Than 4,000 Firearms Seized So Far in 2012 [ES]
20 December 2012
Prensa Libre (Guatemala)
[Translated summary: In 2012, Guatemala Police seized 4,302 firearms and captured 2,185 people for illegal possession and carrying of firearms.]
La Policía decomisó desde el 1 de enero al 15 de diciembre recién pasado 4 mil 302 armas de fuego y capturó a 2 mil 185 personas sindicadas de tenencia y portación ilegal.
CIUDAD DE GUATEMALA.- Las autoridades informaron que el objetivo del decomiso es evitar la circulación ilegal de armas, pues estas llegan a manos de... (GunPolicy.org)
Bolivia,Peru,United States,Colombia
Bolivia Busts Gun Smuggling Ring as Gun Control Debate Continues
12 December 2012
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Bolivian police dismantled an arms trafficking network reportedly run by a former soldier, just as the government is discussing drafting a law that would increase penalties for smuggling weapons.
Police seized 31 weapons as part of the operation, including machine guns, rifles, bazookas, and over 3,600 bullets, reports Bolivian newspaper Los Tiempos. The former soldier who ran the smuggling network trafficked weapons from suppliers in Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru, the... (GunPolicy.org)
Canada Govt Quietly Defers Gun Marking Plans, Tells Gun Lobby First
5 December 2012
CBC News (Canada)
The Conservative government has quietly shelved rules on serial numbers for guns that would have helped keep Canada in compliance with its international conventions on arms smuggling.
The decision came through an order-in-council — a cabinet decree — that was not formally announced by the Harper government but has been posted among dozens of other orders on the Privy Council Office website.
A single paragraph on the website states the long-delayed regulations,... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Smuggling Suspects on Trial in China
29 November 2012
East Day (China) / Shanghai Daily (China)
Seventeen suspects involved in cross-border weapons smuggling went on trial yesterday at the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People's Court.
The defendants were charged with part or all of three crimes: illegal smuggling, possession and trade of weapons and ammunition.
The suspects were arrested in June after a Sino-US joint law enforcement operation cracked the arms smuggling network.
Most of the defendants are gun enthusiasts and shooting fans, authorities said. They... (GunPolicy.org)
Antigua & Barbuda,United States
Antigua Gets Boats from US to Fight Gun Trafficking
27 November 2012
Caribarena News (Antigua)
ST JOHN'S, Antigua - After considerable delay and quite some nagging, the Antigua & Barbuda Coast Guard has finally received two much-needed 'Interceptor Vessels' to aid in its fight against human trafficking, drug and gun smuggling and in search and rescue operations.
The 33-foot class A interceptor vessels come as part of US President Barack Obama's Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) and Sea Secure Program. They were officially handed over on Monday during a... (GunPolicy.org)
Illegal Ammo Shipment from US Seized in Venezuela
27 November 2012
Fox News Latino (USA) / EFE News Agency
Venezuela's militarized police on Tuesday seized 18,000 rounds of ammunition hidden in a container unloaded from a vessel that arrived from the United States, the Interior Ministry reported.
The ammunition found in the northwestern port of Maracaibo was hidden in boxes of electrical appliances imported from Miami, ministry press secretary Jorge Galindo said on Twitter.
The Venezuelan government issued a decree in February banning sales of guns and ammo as part of an... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
Authorities Identify US Networks Trafficking Guns to Colombia
13 November 2012
InSight Crime (Bogota)
US and Colombian police say that they have uncovered evidence of two Florida-based networks which smuggled arms into Colombia, evidence of the role US gun traffickers play in arming criminal groups in the country.
El Tiempo reported that the discovery of an illegal arms shipment in Bogota's international airport resulted in Colombian and US authorities identifying two separate family-run arms trafficking networks which sent weapons from central and south Florida to... (GunPolicy.org)
Authorities Close Down US - Australia Smuggling Route
19 October 2012
Sky News (Australia)
An illegal gun supply route between Nashville, Tennessee and Sydney has been shut down in a joint operation by Australian and US law enforcement officers.
Three men have been arrested in Nashville and more arrests were expected in Sydney, NSW Police and Australian Customs and Border Protection said on Friday.
Officers from the two services have been working with the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the US Drug Enforcement Administration for several... (GunPolicy.org)
Puerto Rico,Mexico,Honduras,Barbados,United States,Colombia
US Man Breaks Silence on Pre-Fast and Furious Operation, 'Castaway'
8 October 2012
Kansas City Star (Missouri) / Miami Herald
A sensational election-season report into the botched Operation Fast and Furious gun-tracking operation has cast new light on a simultaneous Florida firearms investigation linked to violence in Colombia, Honduras and Puerto Rico.
Called Operation Castaway, the Florida case has received far less attention than Fast and Furious. The latter became an embarrassing distraction for Obama's administration when it was implicated in the death of a federal agent and Mexico... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Fined for Smuggling Guns, Parts Over Canada Border
5 October 2012
Edmonton Journal (Alberta) / Calgary Herald (Alberta)
EDMONTON - A Sherwood Park man has been fined $9,000 in court for smuggling after Canadian border guards found disassembled guns in his vehicle.
On Thursday, Dean Barret Regehr pleaded guilty to Customs Act charges of smuggling, undervaluation and evading compliance with the act related to a Sept. 4 incident at the Coutts border crossing, said a news release from the Canada Border Services Agency. Regehr declared to customs officials that he had one shotgun, but... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Edmonton Journal (Alberta) / Calgary Herald (Alberta)
United Kingdom,Malaysia,United States
Calls for Higher Enforcement of Gun Laws, Ending Smuggling
18 September 2012
New Strait Times
Crimes involving firearms are becoming too commonplace these days. Consider the following incidents, as reported in the last few weeks:
Aug 9 Robbers shot at a victim who chased them at Pandan Perdana after robbing him of a handphone and some cash;
Aug 25 A robber, armed with an automatic pistol, struck at a jewellery shop in Jalan Datuk Bandar Tunggal, Seremban;
Aug 26 Mat Keya Jusoh, a coffee shop owner, was shot dead in a drive-by shooting in Kampung Bukit... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Americas,Suriname
Suriname Signs OAS Agreement to Tackle Gun Smuggling
12 September 2012
Caribbean News Now
WASHINGTON, United States - The Organization of American States (OAS) and the government of Suriname on Tuesday signed a cooperation agreement for the donation of a firearms marking machine to the Caribbean Community country, in order to improve its capabilities to combat the illicit trade in weapons. This initiative is part of the efforts outlined by OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza that define the organization as a strategic actor in the fight against... (GunPolicy.org)
Former American Soldier Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Guns to China
6 September 2012
New York Times / Reuters
NEW YORK - A former member of the U.S. National Guard on Thursday pleaded guilty to smuggling shipments of firearms from New York City to China, federal prosecutors said.
Joseph Debose, 30, formerly a staff sergeant with a unit of the U.S. Special Forces National Guard, was arrested in May in a sting operation by federal agents in North Carolina, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn. At the time of his arrest, he was carrying a .45 caliber pistol and 12... (GunPolicy.org)
US Businessman Accused of Smuggling Guns Into Liberia
29 August 2012
Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St Paul)
A federal grand jury has indicted a 38-year-old Twin Cities businessman for allegedly smuggling firearms into the West African nation of Liberia for the past several years.
McHarding Degan Galimah faces a single smuggling charge under an indictment handed up Aug. 22 and unsealed this week in Minneapolis.
Galimah, also known as Mac, allegedly shipped firearms to Liberia without a proper license between April 2009 and April 2012.
Liberia endured several years of civil... (GunPolicy.org)
US Man in Mexico Ammo Smuggling Case Gets Reduced Charges
24 August 2012
InSight Crime (Bogota)
A Mexico judge has reduced the charges against an American trucker accused of smuggling a truck full of rifle ammunition across the border, accepting his claim that he only crossed into the country by accident.
Mexican border officials arrested Jabin Bogan in Ciudad Juarez this April with 268,000 rounds of ammunition in his vehicle. Bogan said he made a wrong turn and accidentally crossed into Mexico. One of his attorneys said a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP)... (GunPolicy.org)
Victims of Gun Violence in Mexico Take Peace Campaign to US
11 August 2012
Inter Press Service News Agency
MEXICO CITY - "The United States should stop producing so many weapons, which cause us so much harm. That country also suffers from so much violence, as billions of dollars go into manufacturing guns."
That is the message that anti-crime activist Fernando Ocegueda will take to the public in the United States, during a one-month visit to that country by the Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity, made up of 70 family members of victims of violence in Mexico.
"We... (GunPolicy.org)
Cayman Islands,United States,Caribbean
Witnesses in Fear as Caymans, US Gun Smuggling Case Heads to Court
9 August 2012
CayCompass.com (Cayman Islands)
US prosecutors have declined to release names and addresses of the witnesses and co-conspirators involved in a gun-running operation between south Florida and Grand Cayman after attorneys for one of the suspects in the case requested those records earlier this year.
"The disclosure of the names and addresses of government witnesses is likely to endanger the safety of the witnesses and the viability of the prosecution," prosecutors noted in a 26 July court filing.... (GunPolicy.org)
Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,United States
The Arms Trade Treaty and the US Gun Lobby's Misleading Rhetoric
11 July 2012
Arms Control Today (USA)
The ongoing conflict in Syria - like recent wars in Burma, Congo, Liberia, Sudan, and Sierra Leone - underscores the urgent need for common standards for international transfers of conventional weapons and ammunition, as well as legally-binding requirements for all states to review exports and imports - particularly for arms transfers that could lead to human rights abuses or violate international arms embargoes.
While the United States and a few other countries have... (GunPolicy.org)
Alleged Gun Smugglers with Links to Mexican Drug Gang Arrested in US
10 July 2012
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Twenty people have been arrested in Texas accused of being members of a ring which trafficked weapons to the Zetas drug gang, drawing attention again to the role of the US in supplying weapons to Mexican criminals.
The detainees are accused of forming part of a "straw buying" ring that provided at least 33 automatic rifles to the Mexican drug gang late last year. Ten of the 20 accused pleaded not guilty in a court in San Antonio, reported Notimex. According to the... (GunPolicy.org)
Israel,Taiwan,United States,Sweden,Germany,France,United Kingdom,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa
Talks Begin at UN on Global, Legally Binding Arms, Ammo Trade Treaty
4 July 2012
Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS — The world's nations began a final push Tuesday for the first legally binding global treaty that would regulate the international arms trade and try to prevent the transfer of weapons to armed groups and terrorists.
The 193-member U.N. General Assembly is expected to approve the treaty, which has been in the works since 2006, when the U.S. voted against the resolution that launched the process. The Obama administration later reversed the George W.... (GunPolicy.org)
Greek Police Charge Alleged Smugglers Running Guns from US to Crete
30 June 2012
Athens News (Greece)
An arms-smuggling ring bringing weapons from the United States to Greece, with Crete as their main destination, was caught in a joint operation set up by the Attica police Organised Crime department and the U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement service.
The three men arrested during the operation in Greece were led before a Zakynthos first-instance court prosecutor on Saturday to face criminal charges.
The three suspects were arrested on Friday during coordinated... (GunPolicy.org)
The Truth About the Fast and Furious US-Mexico Gun Running Scandal
27 June 2012
Fortune (USA)
A Fortune investigation reveals that the ATF never intentionally allowed guns to fall into the hands of Mexican drug cartels. How the world came to believe just the opposite is a tale of rivalry, murder, and political bloodlust.
FORTUNE -- In the annals of impossible assignments, Dave Voth's ranked high. In 2009 the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives promoted Voth to lead Phoenix Group VII, one of seven new ATF groups along the Southwest border... (GunPolicy.org)
US Atty Gen Contempt Citation 'Hollow Political Theatre' - All About Guns and Fear
27 June 2012
Fox News (USA)
The Republican majority's vote to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of congress is historic. No Attorney General has ever been so explicitly condemned by the Congress.
But the contempt citation is a hollow political theater. It has no substance – zero.
It will not produce any more documents or evidence about the botched sting operation to halt gun-running between the U.S. and Mexico.
And after Obama Justice Department and White House lawyers offered to... (GunPolicy.org)
Ecuador,Venezuela,United States,Colombia
Colombia Busts Alleged FARC Arms Dealer
21 June 2012
InSight Crime (Bogota)
A suspected arms trafficker whose network is accused of supplying 500 rifles to the FARC rebels has been arrested in Colombia.
Carlos Enrique Pombo was arrested in Cali in a joint operation between Colombia and US law enforcement, and Interpol. US authorities accuse Pombo's network of smuggling some 500 rifles into Colombia for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group, reported El Tiempo.
The accused trafficker has been operating since 2003,... (GunPolicy.org)
2 Haitians Charged of Gun Smuggling from US into Haiti [FR]
20 June 2012
Haiti News 509
[Translated summary: Federal Agents arrested two Haitian in Jacksonville, USA, for illegal import of 13 firearms into Haiti.]
JACKSONVILLE, Etats-unis – Les Agents Fédéraux ont arrêté deux haïtiens à Jacksonville, le mercredi 20 juin, et les ont accusés d 'avoir illégalement importé en contrebande 13 armes à feu en Haïti, avec des plans d 'entrer clandestinement avec plus de 100 autres armes bientôt.
Niyo Baptisme et Jude Fontus accusés de l'affaire ont... (GunPolicy.org)
New Mexico Ousted Mayor, Gun-runner Sentenced to 51 Months in Prison
15 June 2012
Latinos Post (USA) / Reuters
The ousted mayor of a small New Mexico border town who helped run nearly 200 firearms to a violent Mexican drug cartel was sentenced on Thursday to 51 months in prison, authorities said.
Eddie Espinoza, 52, the former mayor of Columbus, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Robert Brack in federal court in Las Cruces, New Mexico, U.S. Attorney Robert Pitman said.
Brack also ordered three years of supervised release for Espinoza, who pleaded guilty in July... (GunPolicy.org)
More Than 100,000 Illegal Guns Destroyed in 150 Chinese Cities
13 June 2012
China Daily
Police in 150 Chinese cities destroyed more than 100,000 illegal guns on Tuesday, as part of an ongoing crackdown that officials say is dramatically reducing gun-related crime across the country.
As Ministry of Public Security officials also prepared to dispose of a further 250 tons of illegal explosives in the next few days, Vice-Minister of Public Security Huang Ming said the incidence of both crimes has been declining rapidly.
Gun-related crime has fallen 46... (GunPolicy.org)
China Announces 23 Arrests in Joint US-China Gun Smuggling Scheme
12 June 2012
CBS News (USA)
BEIJING — Chinese police on Tuesday announced the arrests of 23 people as part of a joint U.S.-Chinese investigation into a gun trafficking ring that smuggled dozens of firearms into the country.
The arrests announced by the Ministry of Public Security follow the detention of three men in the United States last month in connection with the scheme. They included Joseph Debose of North Carolina, a staff sergeant in a U.S. National Guard special forces unit, along with... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
Iraq,Lebanon,Venezuela,United Arab Emirates,Canada,Syria
No Gun Control Plus Idle Youth Equals Recipe for Trouble - Opinion
6 June 2012
National (Abu Dhabi), Opinion
'The weapon first, fighting second," goes an Arabic proverb, which pretty much explains why there is so much conflict in the world today. But it also describes perfectly what I have had the misfortune of seeing as I've travelled and worked in war zones across the region.
I remember the time I was in Iraq, and the family I was staying with insisted that I carry some form of weapon as "defence" and protection. Even their grandmother carried a small hand gun in her purse... (GunPolicy.org)
Weapons Seized in Raid Reveal US-Canada Gun Running [FR]
29 May 2012
24 Heures (Montreal)
[Translated summary: Peacekeepers dismantled a firearms trafficking network on the territory of the Kahnawake reserve. The firearms were bought on the US market and illegally imported into Canada, others were legally bought in Canada by registered permit holders then re-sold.]
KAHNAWAKE - Une opération policière visant le démantèlement d'un réseau d'armes à feu a eu lieu, mardi matin, sur le territoire de la réserve de Kahnawake.
Les Peacekeepers de Kahnawake,... (GunPolicy.org)
Germany,United Kingdom,Asia,United States,Australia
Illegal Guns a Booming Trade through International Mail Order Services
27 May 2012
Courier-Mail (Brisbane)
Thousands of guns - some broken down into 30 pieces - are being seized by Australian Customs as criminals use the internet to widen their networks.
Gun pieces hidden in bags of screws, tools and car parts are being found by scans, as soaring international mail deliveries become an increasing challenge for authorities.
The Sunday Mail can reveal that more than 4000 guns, parts and magazines were seized by Customs between 2008 and 11.
The internet is being used for... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Deaths Now Outpacing Motor Vehicle Deaths in 10 US States
26 May 2012
Oakland Tribune (California)
Last week, the Violence Policy Center, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank and pro-gun control advocacy group, released a study showing that there were more guns deaths than motor vehicles deaths in 10 U.S states in 2009, the last year for which data was available.
California, which has relatively strict gun laws compared to other states, was not included on the list. But its three closest neighbors, Nevada, Arizona and Oregon, were. Law enforcement officials in... (GunPolicy.org)
US Agents Break Up Gun Smuggling Ring to China - Voice of America
24 May 2012
Voice of America
A U.S. federal court Thursday formally charged a Chinese national with taking part in a gun smuggling ring between the United States and China.
The court ordered Zhifu Lin to remain in jail until his next court appearance. Another Chinese national, Lilan Li, was arraigned earlier this month.
Federal agents also arrested a sergeant in the U.S. National Guard, Joseph Debose, for allegedly supplying the weapons.
The three are suspected of altered the serial numbers on... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Who Began Smuggling 1,000 Guns to Egypt Arrested in Florida
16 May 2012
Orlando Sentinel (Florida)
Federal authorities arrested a man in Orlando this week who allegedly told an undercover agent that he wanted to smuggle up to 1,000 firearms to Egypt.
Gamel Saad was arrested following a sting Monday. According to a criminal complaint, Saad bought three handguns from an undercover agent, wrapped them in towels, and put them inside a shipment of car parts he was sending to Egypt.
Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives began investigating... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexican Couple Admit to 27,000-round Ammo Cache in Texas
15 May 2012
Reuters
Two illegal immigrants pleaded guilty in Texas on Monday to possessing 27,000 rounds of assault rifle ammunition along the U.S.-Mexico border, where cross-border weapons smuggling has increased in recent years, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Police in Laredo, Texas, discovered the ammunition after they stopped a Dodge Ram pickup truck that failed to stop at a stop sign in March, U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson said in a statement.
Weapons traffickers along the... (GunPolicy.org)
Five-seven Semi-Automatic Pistol Arrives on Colombian Black Market
9 May 2012
InSight Crime (Bogota)
The Five-seven semi-automatic pistol, capable of piercing body armor, is already a favored weapon of the Mexican cartels. Now there are signs that this "cop killer" gun has found its way into the Colombian black market.
A spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has described the Five-seven as "the weapon of choice" for Mexico's criminal organizations. The weapon first gained the attention of Mexico law enforcement after it was used... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Dealers Bypass US Feds, Sell Guns to Foreign Buyers at Airport
8 May 2012
Gun Reports (USA)
According to a recent open letter from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to Federal firearms licensees (FFLs), "It has recently come to the attention of [the agency] that some Federal firearms licensees (FFL) are arranging for the exportation of firearms and ammunition through an in-person disposition to foreign purchasers at the airline ticket counter of local international airports. Industry members are advised that this manner of disposing... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,France,China,Pakistan,Afghanistan,Sweden
Pakistan a 'Very Gun-friendly Society,' 9 in 10 Owners Unlicensed
30 April 2012
Dawn (Karachi)
On January 25 this year, 32-year-old Waqas, a garment factory employee was hit by a bullet in New Karachi and he died. The bullet was not fired from the gun of a target killer, but by friends of a bridegroom amidst late-night wedding celebrations.
Two children aged 10 and 12, died in Sialkot in a similar incident on February 20, when the jubilant brother of a bridegroom unleashed a burst of bullets.
Such accidents, almost an every-day affair in Pakistan, never make it... (GunPolicy.org)
Fourfold Rise in Guns, Parts Smuggled to Australia, Most from USA
25 April 2012
Gympie Times (Queensland)
Firearm seizures at Australian borders have exploded four-fold over the past five years with most failed import attempts coming from the United States.
Australian Customs and Border Protection figures provided to APN Newsdesk show firearm, firearm parts, magazine or accessory detections in Australia increased from 225 in the 2006-07 financial year to 977 in the last financial year.
The biggest year for detections was in 2009-10 when Australian Customs discovered... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico Seizes 268,000 Rounds of Ammunition from US Truck at Border
18 April 2012
Washington Post / AP
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico — Mexican customs inspectors seized 268,000 rounds of assault rifle ammunition found in a U.S. truck at a border crossing in Ciudad Juarez, authorities reported Wednesday.
Angel Torres, a spokesman for federal prosecutors in northern Chihuahua state, said a 37-year-old man from Dallas, Texas, was detained for trying to drive the truck across the border from El Paso, Texas.
Torres said the driver, who is being held pending investigation on... (GunPolicy.org)
90% of Guns Seized in Mexico Traced Back to US - ATF 2009 Report
16 April 2012
Latin American Herald Tribune (Venezuela)
MEXICO CITY – An exhibit of photographs and art at a Mexico City museum seeks to draw attention to the impact of arms smuggled into Mexico from the United States and gather signatures for a campaign demanding that Washington put an end to arms trafficking.
"Adios a las armas. Contrabando en las fronteras" (Goodbye Firearms. Contraband at the Borders), which opened on Nov. 30 at Mexico City's Museum of Memory and Tolerance, has been seen by about 30,000 visitors,... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Owner Smuggled Assault Weapon Parts from US to Australia - Cops
14 April 2012
Daily Telegraph (Sydney)
Gun parts which could be assembled to make a military assault rifle similar to that used in the Port Arthur massacre have been removed from the streets of Sydney in the latest police raid and crackdown on illegal weapons.
The illegally imported parts, which slipped into the country through Australia Post, were uncovered on Thursday when detectives raided a property near Port Macquarie and another owned by the same man in Sydney's south.
Among the large cache of... (GunPolicy.org)
Ethiopia,South Africa,Burkina Faso,Sierra Leone,West Africa,Ukraine,Côte d'Ivoire,Eastern Europe,Russia,Central African Republic,Iraq,Afghanistan,United States,Colombia,Angola,Liberia,North Africa,West Asia,Africa
Shadowy 'Merchants of Death' Behind Africa's Illegal Gun-Running
11 April 2012
Think Africa Press (London)
Arms dealer Viktor Bout was sentenced to 25 years by a US federal court last week.
Widely known as the 'merchant of death', the 45-year-old Russian has delivered weapons and arms to a wide range of presidents, insurgents and rebels in Africa and the Middle East including the likes of Charles Taylor in Liberia and Jonas Savimbi in Angola. He was caught in a US sting in which his services were solicited for the supply of weapons to Colombia's FARC rebels.
His companies... (GunPolicy.org)
What a Nerve: Mexican President Suggests a US Role in Gun Running
10 April 2012
The Hill (Washington DC)
The nerve of President Calderon of Mexico. How dare he come to the United States and utter two words Americans are no longer allowed to speak? I heard them myself in the Rose Garden last week: gun control.
Calderon's comments came in response to a reporter's question about the ongoing drug wars in Mexico, in which 11,000 people were killed in 2010 alone. What are you doing about the guns?
He began by noting that the level of gun violence in Mexico began to escalate in... (GunPolicy.org)
Art and Photo Show Focuses on Trade in Firearms, Deadly Effects in Mexico
5 April 2012
Huffington Post (USA) / AP
MEXICO CITY — An art and photo show focusing on the trade in firearms and their deadly effects in Mexico may soon be going to the United States, the same place where many of the weapons come from.
The show, "A Farewell to Arms. Contraband on the Border," uses photos and artwork to illustrate how the illegal weapons trade has affected Mexico, where more than 47,000 people have died in drug-related violence since late 2006.
The non-governmental groups Global Exchange... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Pleads Guilty in Botched 'Fast and Furious' US Gun-running Sting
5 April 2012
Reuters
PHOENIX - A man pleaded guilty on Thursday to two felony counts of purchasing and running high-powered rifles to Mexico from Arizona under the botched "Fast and Furious" federal sting operation tied to the murder of a U.S. federal agent.
Jaime Avila Jr. was among a ring of 20 defendants charged with buying high-powered firearms including Kalashnikov type assault rifles and Barrett sniper rifles to run to the Mexican cartels.
The purchases were made in the Phoenix area... (GunPolicy.org)
Europe,Asia,South East Asia,China,United States
Gun Runners 'Using Internet and Express Delivery' in China – Police
5 April 2012
China Daily
Police success at border checkpoints forces arms traffickers to change
Gun smugglers are using the Internet and express delivery networks for trafficking arms into China, a police officer said.
Police broke up 69 gun-smuggling rings nationally last year, and smashed 20 gangs, Yan Zhengbin, deputy director at the public security management bureau under the Ministry of Public Security, told China Daily.
Nineteen cases involved fully assembled guns, while the remainder... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Mexico,Central America,Honduras,Guatemala,El Salvador
El Salvador Soldiers Accused of Selling Guns to Guatemala, Honduras Gangs
2 April 2012
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Prosecutors in El Salvador ordered the arrest of eight soldiers and one civilian linked to an arms trafficking network that may have supplied thousands of weapons to drug gangs in Guatemala and Honduras.
On March 30, the office of El Salvador's Attorney General (FGR) ordered the arrest of the nine suspects, alleging that they had participated in a scheme which involved siphoning off weapons that were slated to be destroyed, and selling them to drug trafficking... (GunPolicy.org)
Year's Jail, Life Ban for Vet Caught Smuggling Gun Parts US-Canada
29 March 2012
880 CKLQ AM (Manitoba)
A 47 year old former member of the military has been sentenced to one year in jail for smuggling a submachine gun part into Canada from the United States.
He did so by hiding it in a bag of empty beer cans when crossing the border on November 5th, 2011.
Cameron Eugene Bell says he was going to just display the parts of the gun as art.
Along with one year in jail he was sentenced to a 15 year firearms ban and lifetime restricted weapons... (GunPolicy.org)
Feds Caught Top Man in US-Mexico Drug Cartel Gun Running, Let Him Go
19 March 2012
Los Angeles Times
Federal agents stopped the main target of the ill-fated Operation Fast and Furious in May 2010. After they questioned him, he disappeared back into Mexico, and the program went on to spiral out of control.
WASHINGTON — Seven months after federal agents began the ill-fated Fast and Furious gun-tracking operation, they stumbled upon their main suspect in a remote Arizona outpost on the Mexican border, driving an old BMW with 74 rounds of ammunition and nine cellphones... (GunPolicy.org)
Legal US Gun Sales Arm Drug Cartels - Mexican Soldiers Take Weapons
15 March 2012
Reuters
Recent focus on the relationship between U.S. guns and Mexican cartels has been limited to the ATF's "Fast and the Furious." That plan had agents selling assault rifles to Mexican gun runners so that they could track high-ranking cartel members.
Though the ATF's actions are a bit questionable, there's actually a completely legal -- and perhaps more harmful -- way the U.S. is arming Mexican cartels. It's called "direct commercial sales" and it's operated by the State... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Germany,Europe,Australia
In Wake of Glock Seizure, Australian Minister Defends Gun Control Efforts
15 March 2012
ABC News (Australia), Transcript
TONY EASTLEY: According to Tony Abbott Sydneysiders this morning not only face peak hour traffic but a reign of terror on the streets because of the illegal importation of hundreds of handguns from Europe and he puts it down to the Federal Government's lack of border control. The Opposition Leader says it can all be sheeted home to the Government.
On Tuesday police and other Federal and state authorities arrested alleged members of a gun smuggling syndicate who'd... (GunPolicy.org)
Africa,Americas,Asia,Europe,Oceania,Somalia,United States,Russia,Egypt,Iran,Pakistan
A 'Bulletproof' Arms Trade Treaty Could Slow the Global Flow of Guns
8 March 2012
MediaGlobal News (New York)
Every day, according to Amnesty International, thousands of people are killed, injured, raped, and forced to flee from their homes as a result of armed conflict, armed violence, and human rights violations and abuses perpetrated using conventional arms.
As violence continues unchecked around the world, a coalition of humanitarian and health organizations is rallying support for a "bulletproof" global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), to be discussed in July, that would stymie... (GunPolicy.org)
Timor-Leste,Thailand,Sri Lanka,Myanmar,Indonesia,South Asia,South East Asia,Israel,Iran,Cuba,United States,Japan,China,Brunei,Philippines,Pakistan,India,Asia
UN Urges Asian Nations to Help Curb Global Trade in Illegal Guns
6 March 2012
Jakarta Post
The United Nations is urging all nations in the Asia region to implement concrete solutions to stop illegal trading in small arms and light weapons.
"Over the past decades, trade has made this region grow so phenomenally. If you are a region where international trade is what makes you tick, you better also make sure that you are seen as doing trade in the right way," UN disarmament affairs official Daniel Prins told reporters on the sidelines of opening the Asian... (GunPolicy.org)
Ecuador,Paraguay,United States
Ecuadoran Smuggled 46 Boxes of Gun Parts, Minneapolis to Paraguay
5 March 2012
Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St Paul)
An Ecuadoran man who helped smuggle 46 boxes of gun parts from Minneapolis to Paraguay was sentenced Monday in St. Paul to two years in federal prison and faces almost certain deportation upon his release.
Fabian Lojano-Lojano, speaking through an interpreter, apologized for his actions and told U.S. District Judge Richard Kyle that he didn't know what he was doing when he shipped AK-47 gun parts to Paraguay without obtaining a proper license.
"I made the mistake and... (GunPolicy.org)
3 Former New York City Police Officers Plead Guilty in Gun-smuggling Case
27 February 2012
New York Times
Three former New York City police officers pleaded guilty on Monday to taking part in a scheme to illegally transport firearms across state lines, the authorities said.
"As they admitted today, these police officers moonlighted as criminals, and even planned to use their badges to cover their illegal activity," the United States attorney in Manhattan, Preet Bharara, said in a statement.
Gary Ortiz, 28, who was an active-duty officer in the 71st Precinct in Brooklyn,... (GunPolicy.org)
Canada Border Guards Seize 75 Guns Hidden in Truck, Charge American
22 February 2012
Globe & Mail (Toronto) / CP
COUTTS, Alta. — Border officials in Alberta have seized a cache of guns hidden inside a vehicle trying to get into Canada.
Officers found 75 firearms, including 48 handguns, stowed inside a pickup truck at the Coutts crossing on Tuesday.
Officials say it is the largest handgun seizure in the port's history.
The driver of the truck told officers he was travelling to Alaska and was not carrying any firearms.
RCMP arrested 54-year-old George Foster of Florida.
He... (GunPolicy.org)
Southern Africa,South Africa,Swaziland,Angola,Congo (DRC),Mozambique,Namibia,Zimbabwe,Central America,South America,Caribbean,Central Africa,Europe,Asia,Africa,Americas,Oceania,Botswana,China,Czech Republic,Germany,Russia,United States,Philippines,Italy
High Gun Death Risk for Young African Men, Women at Home - UN Study
19 February 2012
Southern Times (Southern Africa)
WINDHOEK - Young men in Southern Africa are at the greatest risk of cold-blooded murder, while women in the region are more likely than others from around the world to be killed in domestic violence, a UN agency says.
The statistics from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) come as the region battles to contain the proliferation of gun-related crimes.
Experts have said gun-related crime is a major problem in South Africa and Swaziland, and is on the rise in... (GunPolicy.org)
Egypt,Mexico,Iran,United States,Syria,Russia,China,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa
Collapse of UN Arms Trade Treaty Talks Narrowly Averted - Reuters
17 February 2012
Reuters
UNITED NATIONS - Negotiators on Friday narrowly averted the collapse of talks on a world arms trade treaty to regulate the $55 billion global weapons market, agreeing on ground rules for negotiations after days of procedural wrangling.
Delegates and advocates for tougher oversight of global arms sales said the agreement set the stage for a monthlong conference in July to draft the treaty.
Arms control campaigners say one person every minute dies as a result of armed... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexican President Unveils 'No More Weapons!' Billboard on US Border
17 February 2012
Washington Post / AP
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico — President Felipe Calderon on Thursday unveiled a "No More Weapons!" billboard made with crushed firearms and placed near the U.S. border. He urged the United States to stop the flow of weapons into Mexico.
The billboard, which is in English and weighs 3 tons, was placed near an international bridge in Ciudad Juarez and can be seen from the United States.
Calderon said the billboard's letters were made with weapons seized by local, state and... (GunPolicy.org)
US Consular Employee Arrested with 17 Pistols at Pakistan Airport
14 February 2012
AAJ News (Pakistan)
US national William Charles was arrested at the Peshawar airport on Tuesday morning. The police found 17 9mm pistols and numerous 9mm bullets in his possession, AajNews reported.
Sources revealed, that the US national was traveling on flight PK218 which was heading to Islamabad from Peshawar when he was detained by the ASF personnel.
William Charles is employed by the American consulate in Peshawar.
According to a local news channel, the Airport Security Force... (GunPolicy.org)
Texas: Desperate Housewives Buy Assault Rifles for Mexico's Drug Cartels
8 February 2012
Reuters
SAN ANTONIO - Nine Texas men and women have been sentenced to prison for purchasing firearms for Mexico's Los Zetas drug cartel, and a dozen others face charges linked to a Department of Justice probe into weapons trafficking, officials said on Wednesday.
U.S. Attorney Robert Pitman said that in many cases, the purchasers were paid a couple of hundred dollars to buy a weapon and hand it to a smuggler.
"Firearms smugglers employ individuals in the United States with no... (GunPolicy.org)
Jamaica,United States,Caribbean,Haiti
Jamaica Destroys Thousands of Guns to Combat Trafficking and Crime
7 February 2012
Chicago Tribune / AP
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Roughly 2,000 firearms were melted down in a blazing furnace Tuesday as part of an effort designed to combat gun trafficking and corruption in Jamaica while reducing violent crime.
Police, government and U.N. officials destroyed pistols and revolvers by pitching them into a kiln glowing bright orange at a cement factory in the capital of Kingston. Most of the guns were decommissioned or seized in police operations over the years.
National... (GunPolicy.org)
How America's Lax Gun Laws Enable Drug Cartel Killings in Mexico
5 February 2012
Washington Post, Editorial
Do America's failed gun policies contribute to the terrible violence in Mexico? Alejandro A. Poire Romero makes a compelling case that the answer is yes.
Law enforcement officials in both countries acknowledge that 70 to 80 percent of the traceable guns seized in Mexico can be tracked to the United States. Mr. Poire Romero, a top Mexican national security and criminal justice official, offers additional evidence that the United States has been an enabler of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Jamaica,United States,Caribbean
Jamaica Calls on US for Concrete Support in Fight Against Illegal Gun Trafficking
4 February 2012
South Florida Caribbean News
WASHINGTON, DC - Jamaica's Ambassador to the United States Her Excellency Audrey Marks has called on the United States government to work with the Caribbean to fulfil the 2007 pledge made by the USA and CARICOM Member States to enhance co-operation in eradicating the illegal gun trade in the Region.
Ambassador Marks told a hearing on US-Caribbean Security Cooperation that was held by the United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control on Wednesday, that... (GunPolicy.org)
China,United States,Ghana,Nigeria
Nigerian Civilians Hold 2 Million Guns, Security Forces 600,000
30 January 2012
Nation (Nigeria)
Members of the dreaded insurgent group, Boko Haram, armed robbers and hired assassins have done great havoc with guns acquired illegally. Where are they coming from? OLUKAYODE THOMAS and JOKE KUJENYA examine the sources of illegal arms into the country.
The ruins are still visible on the police zonal headquatres in Kano. The offices of the State Security Service (SSS) and the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) testify to the Boko Haram bombing and armed assaults of... (GunPolicy.org)
Assembling Illegal Guns with Imported Pieces, Growing Trend within Sydney's Underworld
29 January 2012
Daily Telegraph (Sydney)
Criminals are assembling illegal weapons in backyard firearm factories after importing them piece-by-piece over the internet.
The Sunday Telegraph can reveal the parts are being sourced from legitimate gun dealers in the US and pieced together in NSW after arriving in the mail undetected.
Detective Superintendent Ken Finch, commander of the Firearms and Organised Crime Squad (FAOCS), said a number of unrelated individuals had already been arrested and charged over the... (GunPolicy.org)
US Suggested Mexico Allow Illegal Guns to Cross Border to Cartels
28 January 2012
Washington Post / AP
WASHINGTON — Newly released Justice Department emails sent to Capitol Hill for a congressional inquiry into a gun-smuggling operation indicate that the head of the department's criminal division suggested letting some illicit "straw" weapons buyers in the U.S. transport their guns across the border into Mexico where they could be arrested.
According to the emails turned over to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Friday night, the Justice official,... (GunPolicy.org)
Normally Law-Abiding Mexicans Take Up Illegal Guns for Protection
28 January 2012
National Public Radio (USA)
In Mexico, where criminals are armed to the teeth with high-powered weapons smuggled from the United States, it may come as a surprise that the country has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the world.
Law-abiding Mexicans who want a gun to defend themselves have no good options. Either they fight government red tape to get a legal permit, or they buy one on the black market.
After an outbreak of violence, one embattled community in northern Mexico called... (GunPolicy.org)
Thailand,Malaysia,Indonesia,Kuwait,Qatar,Mexico,Peru,Venezuela,Colombia,Bolivia,Somalia,Nepal,Oman,Latvia,Mauritius,Guyana,Congo (DRC),Bosnia & Herzegovina,Saudi Arabia,Liberia,Kazakhstan,Singapore,Dominican Republic,Jordan,Trinidad & Tobago,United Arab Emirates,Guatemala,Honduras,Chile,Ecuador,Argentina,Zimbabwe,Zambia,Uganda,Tanzania,Senegal,Congo (ROC),Nigeria,Niger,Namibia,Morocco,Mauritania,Malawi,Côte d'Ivoire,Egypt,Burkina Faso,Brazil,Tunisia,Sri Lanka,Pakistan,Philippines,Yemen,United States,Italy,Germany,Israel,Austria,Russia,Africa,Americas,Asia,Europe,South Africa,Algeria,Angola,Botswana,Ghana,Guinea,Madagascar
Brazilian Gun Industry Seeks New Markets: Africa and Asia [PT]
27 January 2012
Publica (Brazil)
[Translated summary: With the support of the Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs, Brazilian gun manufacturers seek new markets in countries with a history of human rights violations: Tunisia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Philippines and Yemen. Brazil is among the six countries in the world with annual exports exceeding $ 100 million, according to recent research from Small Arms Survey. According to the Army, responsible for supervising and controlling exports from 2005 to... (GunPolicy.org)
In Wake of Botched Gun Trafficking Probe, US Reveals New Sting Rules
27 January 2012
Chicago Tribune / Reuters
WASHINGTON - The Obama administration on Friday revealed new reforms undertaken to improve how it conducts undercover gun trafficking investigations in the wake of a botched operation in which scores of weapons disappeared.
The reforms require additional oversight of undercover operations, including those that involve more than 50 firearms, and, in most cases, ends the practice of paying gun dealers to serve as confidential informants.
Additionally, a new review... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico Catches Alleged Major Gun Smuggler for Sinaloa Drug Cartel
19 January 2012
New York Times / AP
MEXICO CITY — Mexican police say they have captured one of the main smugglers of illegal weapons for the Sinaloa drug cartel.
Federal police say Eduardo Avila Ojeda smuggled guns, ammunition and explosives into Mexico to be used by the cartel.
Police said Thursday that the 34-year-old suspect was captured Wednesday in the northern city of Culiacan.
Culiacan is the capital of Sinaloa state, home to the cartel of the same name.
Mexican officials have long blamed... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Dealers on Mexico Border Must Report Multiple Sales
18 January 2012
InSight Crime (Bogota)
A ruling by a US judge on tracking the sale of high-powered firearms in states on the southern border is a step forward for authorities trying to legislate against the flow of guns into Mexico.
Federal Judge Rosemary Collyer upheld an order made last year by the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The ATF asked more than 8,000 gun dealers in Arizona, Texas, California and New Mexico to report sales of multiple semi-automatic rifles to one... (GunPolicy.org)
Former Marine Gets 10yrs for Smuggling US Guns to English Crime Gangs
10 January 2012
News & Observer (North Carolina)
GREENVILLE -- A former U.S. Marine has been sentenced to 10 years in prison today for illegally trafficking dozens of handguns to the United Kingdom.
Steven Neal Greenoe, 37, a former Raleigh resident, pleaded guilty in federal court to the charges, which allege that the joint U.S. and U.K. citizen took nine trips from North Carolina – where he grew up – purchased handguns, and concealed a total of 63 pistols in his luggage before returning to England, where he... (GunPolicy.org)
Ending the Flood of Illegal Guns in America - Wall Street Journal Opinion
23 December 2011
Wall Street Journal, Opinion
Historians have long debated who was the first person to call the U.S. Senate the "world's greatest deliberative body." Soon we may ask who was the last person to believe it. Our dysfunctional Congress has repeatedly failed to perform its duties under the Constitution to pass a budget, to advise and consent on presidential nominations, and, perhaps most tragically, to curb illegal handgun violence.
In New York, we've recently seen only too dramatically the consequences... (GunPolicy.org)
US Federal Police Investigate Florida-Cayman Islands Gun Smuggling Ring
12 December 2011
CayCompass.com (Cayman Islands)
United States federal law enforcement authorities are investigating a firearms smuggling operation between south Florida and Grand Cayman that's been ongoing since at least 2008, according to US District Court records obtained by the Caymanian Compass.
The investigation, a branch of which led to the 2009 arrest, conviction and incarceration of four local men in US federal prison, caught up with a fifth suspect, Mikkyle Brandon Leslie – known in Cayman as Brandon... (GunPolicy.org)
Guatemala,Mexico,United States
Texas Gun Shop Sold 'Infantry Squad' Weapons to Mexican Cartel Smugglers
8 December 2011
Guardian (UK)
It was nothing more than a routine inspection for federal agents. But as they browsed the records of Carter's Country gun shop in Houston, investigators picked up on a series of big sales. For cash.
Federal agents were alerted not only by the number of guns involved – sometimes a dozen at a time – but the type. Time and again buyers walked out of Carter's Country clutching assault rifles, semi-automatic pistols with armour-piercing bullets and powerful sniper... (GunPolicy.org)
Thailand,Colombia,Russia,United States,Uganda,Rwanda,South Africa,United Arab Emirates,Belgium,Sudan,Somalia,Côte d'Ivoire,Liberia,Angola,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,Congo (DRC)
Stopping the Trade in Death, Gun Trafficking, Smuggling - Opinion
6 December 2011
New York Times, Opinion
On a dark November morning in 2004, I woke up in my bungalow overlooking Lake Kivu, tense with anticipation. Our small United Nations team was about to undertake a surprise inspection of three airfields in eastern Congo, notorious for smuggling operations.
With the backing of U.N. peacekeeping forces and a U.N. Security Council mandate, we searched almost every incoming and outgoing aircraft that day. By evening, we had the evidence to link several aviation front... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Nuts Need Fear, Conspiracies, Obama to Hate, Flourish, Raise Money
1 December 2011
New York Times, Opinion
PHOENIX — When it became clear in the early fall of 2008 that Barack Obama, son of a Kansan and a Kenyan, would be the 44th President of the United States, many citizens rushed to their gun shops, stocked up on ammo and camo, and tried to fortify their nests with all manner of lethal weapons.
Though he had said nothing about gun control in the campaign, Obama, to a certain kind of person, appeared to be a grave threat to the Second Amendment. He was urban —... (GunPolicy.org)
Caribbean,Central America,South America,North America,United States,Uruguay,Colombia,Mexico,Argentina,Brazil,Paraguay,Bolivia,Chile,Ecuador,Peru,Venezuela
Latin American Governments Target Gun Runners, Countries Making Guns
28 November 2011
United Press International
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay - Latin America's increasingly ambitious Mercosur regional bloc is aiming to focus on small arms suppliers who are seen as being behind the region's endemic and seemingly insurmountable problem of violent crime.
The area's disparate armed groups, guerrillas with political agenda and drug-related gangs have drawn attention from Mercosur's watchdog committees as senior officials explore ways of containing organized crime, rooting out myriad networks... (GunPolicy.org)
Guatemala,Mexico,United States,Central America
Guatemala and the Black Market for US Weapons
25 November 2011
InSight Crime (Bogota)
The trafficking of weapons over the U.S.-Mexico border is well-documented -- lesser known but also significant is the sale of U.S. weapons to Guatemalan government contractors, which are then siphoned off to criminal groups.
The Mexican government has focused much of its efforts to stop arms trafficking on the smuggling of weapons over the U.S. border. This strategy ignores other sources of weapons, and other entry points. Central America, for example, represents a... (GunPolicy.org)
Guatemala,United States,Mexico,Costa Rica,South America,Caribbean,Central America
Gun Trade Drives Soaring Latin American Homicide Rates, say Experts
24 November 2011
AFP
SAN JOSE — Illegal weapons trafficking has turned Latin America into a region of bloodletting in which over 40 percent of the world's homicides take place, experts warned Wednesday.
"Forty-two percent of homicides with a firearm that happen worldwide take place in Latin America, though only 10 percent of the world's population lives here," said Nobel laureate and former president Oscar Arias, citing UN data, at a conference of experts.
Although weapons such as... (GunPolicy.org)
Texas Border Town a Hotspot for US-Mexico Ammunition Smugglers
22 November 2011
KVUE.com (Texas)
EAGLE PASS, Texas – The small border town Eagle Pass has become a big corridor for ammunition smugglers who supply violent drug cartels.
In November, there was a large spike in smuggling activity.
"Just this month alone there have been three separate seizures totaling 700 magazines for AK-47 rifles," said Randy Clark, Patrol Agent in Charge for the U.S. Border Patrol station in Eagle Pass.
On Nov. 3, Border Patrol agents seized three black duffle bags near the Rio... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico,United States,Central America,El Salvador,Guatemala,South America
Black Market Gun Runners Develop New Central American Routes - Report
21 November 2011
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Because the recent spike in drug-related violence in Mexico has coincided with the 2004 expiration of the U.S. assault weapons ban, and because a significant portion of the weapons used in Mexican crimes have been traced to U.S. vendors, Mexican officials often accuse liberal U.S. gun laws of being a major obstacle to a safer Mexico. Indeed, President Felipe Calderon made precisely this point during a speech to U.S. Congress in 2010.
U.S. officials have not denied that... (GunPolicy.org)
Central America,Mexico,United States,Guatemala
Arms Trafficking, Business of Death: Guns in Central America [ES]
16 November 2011
Contralinea (Mexico)
[Translated Summary: Contralinea magazine details the routes by which guns are trafficked into Mexico, including the flow of arms from the US directly to Guatemala, and then over Mexico's southern border. English translation at: http://bit.ly/uBnEGu]
En la última década, México pasó del lugar vigesimosegundo al quinto en tráfico de armas en el ámbito mundial. Se calcula que cada día ingresan al país unas 2 mil para abastecer a los cárteles de la droga, la... (GunPolicy.org)
Libya,United States,Europe,France,Niger,Mali,Chad,Ukraine,China,North Africa
Hundreds of Thousands of Libyan Assault Rifles Looking for New Owners?
15 November 2011
Time (USA)
More than three weeks after Libya's rebels killed Muammar Gaddafi, arms experts say the task of finding and securing the mountain of weaponry abandoned by Gaddafi's forces in their final rout has been complicated by a lack of international funding and coordination, as well as conflicting priorities among Western and African governments about which weapons pose the biggest threat.
While U.S. and European officials have sounded the alarm about the threat posted to... (GunPolicy.org)
Dumping Canada's Gun Registry Risks More Gun Running - Federal Memo
15 November 2011
CTV News (Toronto) / Canadian Press
OTTAWA — Scrapping the requirement to register rifles and shotguns could fuel illegal firearms trafficking across the Canadian border, warns an internal federal memo.
It says the move would weaken import controls by eliminating a requirement for border officials to verify firearms coming into the country.
"Such a loophole could facilitate unregistered prohibited and restricted firearm trafficking into and through Canada," says the declassified memo, originally... (GunPolicy.org)
Algeria,France,Mauritania,Mali,Israel,Egypt,United States,West Africa,Niger,North Africa,Libya
Smuggled Libyan Arms Threaten to Destabilise Swath of African Continent
12 November 2011
Wall Street Journal
Weapons smuggled from Libya after the collapse of Moammar Gadhafi's government are flowing through the surrounding region, the president of the west African nation of Niger said Friday, a development that threatens to destabilize a swath of the continent already struggling against ethnic unrest and a regional branch of al Qaeda.
"Arms were stolen in Libya and are being disseminated all over the region," President Mahamadou Issoufou told reporters following a meeting... (GunPolicy.org)