Gun Policy News
Firearm smuggling, arms trafficking in North America
Mexico's Bold Move Against Gun Companies
1 September 2022
Arms Control Association
Of 193 member states of the United Nations, Mexico has the fifth-largest number of unregistered firearms in civilian hands, behind the United States, India, China, and Pakistan.(1) This availability of firearms and the violence it enables have major destructive consequences. In Mexico, guns are the weapon of choice in 70 percent of total homicides and 60 percent of homicides committed against women. Guns are also the main tool in homicides of young people.
Gun violence... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
Former Honduran President Pleads 'Not Guilty' to US Federal Trafficking Charges
10 May 2022
CNN
Former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández on Tuesday pleaded not guilty in US court to federal drug trafficking and firearms possession charges.
The indictment in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York charges Hernández with cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
"As is charged in the indictment, Hernández abused his position as... (GunPolicy.org)
Dominican Republic,United States
A Rhode Island Man was Arrested for Trafficking the Firearms to the Dominican Republic
9 January 2022
CNN
A Rhode Island man was arrested in New York Thursday for allegedly selling or attempting to sell more than 100 guns that he produced at his home, according to the US Attorney's Office Southern District of New York.
Most of the guns were untraceable "privately made firearms" (PMF's), known as "ghost guns."
Robert Alcantara, 34, was charged with one count of conspiracy to traffic firearms and one count of making false statements, the US Department of Justice said in a... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Australia,New Zealand,United Kingdom,Falkland Islands,Mexico
How US Gun Culture Stacks Up With the World
26 November 2021
CNN
Ubiquitous gun violence in the United States has left few places unscathed over the decades. Still, many Americans hold their right to bear arms, enshrined in the US Constitution, as sacrosanct. But critics of the Second Amendment say that right threatens another: The right to life.
America's relationship to gun ownership is unique, and its gun culture is a global outlier.
As the tally of gun-related deaths continue to grow daily, here's a look at how gun culture in... (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)
The Deadly Toll of California's Craft Weapons
18 May 2021
Guardian
When Brian Muhammad, a program manager at a gun violence prevention group in California, asked a 16-year-old boy in 2018 how young people were getting guns, he assumed the answer would be Nevada, the neighboring state with looser gun laws.
"Who would waste time going to Nevada when you can just get them in the mail and put it together?" the Stockton teen nonchalantly replied.
Three years later, homemade weapons known as "ghost guns" have risen to the top of the Biden... (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)
South Africa,United States,United Kingdom
Gun Trafficking from US to UK Increasing
12 August 2020
New York Times
Handguns are quietly being smuggled into Britain, despite tough gun-control laws. The police fear that the illegal weapons are contributing to a rise in gang-related crime.
NORTHAMPTON, England — Josh Bains was 28 when he was killed after an argument over a drug debt of about $50 just a few miles from the English village where he grew up — with a gun that had traveled thousands of miles from America.
His was one of a rising number of gun deaths in recent years... (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)
More Than 2 Million Illegal Weapons Enter Mexico in the Last Decade
14 August 2019
Universidad de Guadalajara T.V
The Mexican government has records of 2,12,573 weapons that entered the country illegally in the last decade, and a large percentage of them have still not been recovered, Defence Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said today.
Since this is a clandestine activity, the Mexican authorities rely on data provided by the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the minister explained at a press conference accompanied by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López... (GunPolicy.org)
Trump ATT Decision Was Built On an NRA Lie
29 April 2019
Washington Post, Opinion
President Trump announced on Friday — during a speech that pandered to special-interest groups and was symbolic of his administration's disdain for multilateral agreements — that the United States would "unsign" the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), a landmark agreement that regulates the international trade in conventional arms.
It took more than five years of negotiations to develop the ATT, and I spent those years as a consultant in the treaty process, working with... (GunPolicy.org)
How a Delco Man Sought to Use Stolen U.S. Military Weapons to Wage War in Liberia
28 June 2018
Philadelphia Inquirer
As federal prosecutors in Philadelphia wrapped up their case this week against Thomas Woewiyu – the Collingdale man on trial for allegedly lying to U.S. immigration authorities about his role in Liberia's first protracted and bloody civil war in the '90s – they shifted focus toward examining the part he played in arming rebels led by warlord Charles Taylor.
The deal was negotiated over years in a seedy Miami warehouse, a historic Washington hotel, and even the... (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)
Traffickers Flood Mexico with Easily Bought American Guns [ES]
22 November 2016
Vice News (US)
[Translated summary: Although Mexico has some of the strictest gun legislation in the world, with only one shop where guns can be bought legally, there are more than 15 million guns in circulation and 85% are illegal. One of the main reasons is the proximity of the USA, where guns are easily available. Almost 100,000 Mexicans died of gun wounds in the last decade.]
Es casi la media noche del 11 de octubre y la policía recibe una llamada de emergencia alertando de una... (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)
Half of Toronto's Crime Guns Come from Local Dealers, Owners
19 November 2016
Toronto Star (Ontario)
Danny Santapaga, a self-employed financial adviser, bought 14 guns on 10 different occasions over seven months.
Plumber Graham Jovanovic purchased nine firearms over five weeks. University student Justin Green obtained 23 handguns during a 22-month period, including 15 from one store. Security guard Andrew Winchester acquired 47 handguns in a six-month buying binge.
These Toronto men have no apparent connection to one another. But they share a common thread.
Each... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Background Checks Work, May Hamper Suicide Prevention
17 November 2016
Channel News Asia (Singapore), Reuters
Gun control laws that mandate a background check before a gun can be temporarily transferred to a friend or family member may interfere with suicide prevention efforts, researchers say.
The research team looked at what happens when people want to temporarily remove firearms from their home because they fear someone in the house might be considering a suicide attempt. In some states, they found, gun control laws may actually hamper the ability to easily transfer a gun... (GunPolicy.org)
Stricter US Gun Laws Linked to a Reduction in Homicide [FR]
16 November 2016
Tribune de Genève
[Translated summary: An analysis of 30 studies published since 1970 has concluded that stricter gun laws are linked to a reduction in homicide in the United States. Background checks and licensing are specially effective. Another study published by JAMA linked a Florida law that gives citizens the right to use a firearm if they feel in danger to an increase of 24% in the rate of homicide.]
Des lois plus strictes sur le contrôle de la circulation des armes à feu sont... (GunPolicy.org)
Stronger US Gun Laws Linked to Lower Gun Homicide Rates
14 November 2016
EurekAlert (New York)
Stronger firearm laws are associated with reductions in firearm homicide rates, concludes a narrative review published in the November 14 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine.
Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital reviewed all available articles published in peer-reviewed journals from January 1970 to August 2016 that focused specifically on the connection between firearm homicide and firearm laws. Of the 582 abstracts found, only 34 met the criteria for inclusion.... (GunPolicy.org)
US States with Tighter Gun Laws Have Fewer Homicides [ES]
14 November 2016
La Información (Dominican Republic)
[Translated Summary: According to a US study, states with tighter firearms laws show a higher decrease in firearm deaths. The most successful laws are those ones which improve background checks for potential buyers and require a permit to buy a firearm, among others.]
Leyes más estrictas para controlar la circulación de armas de fuego están relacionadas con una reducción de los homicidios en Estados Unidos, concluye un análisis de más de 30 estudios publicados... (GunPolicy.org)
Honduras,United States,South America
Firearm Trafficking Soaring in Honduras - Customs [ES]
11 November 2016
La Tribuna (Honduras)
[Translated summary: Every month, Honduran customs seize an average of 35 to 40 firearms of US and South America origin. Among the seized arms are pistols, shotguns, hunting rifles and ammunition. Police say the increase in crime is the reason Hondurans want to arm themselves, and trafficked guns cost one fifth of legal guns.]
Un promedio de 35 a 40 armas de fuego o municiones provenientes de Estados Unidos y de Suramérica decomisan al mes funcionarios de Aduanas de... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Dominican Republic
Many More American Guns Seized in Dominican Republic [ES]
4 November 2016
Acento (Dominican Republic)
[Translated summary: 115 firearms, 57,000 rounds of ammunition and military equipment of American origin were seized in the Dominican Republic in the last two months. Among the firearms were pistols, rifles, pellet guns, shotguns, revolvers and one automatic machine gun.]
SANTO DOMINGO -- Los esfuerzos de las autoridades de Estados Unidos por frenar el tráfico ilegal de armas de fuego y municiones desde su territorio hacia la República Dominicana hasta el momento han... (GunPolicy.org)
In New York, 74% of Crime Guns Come from Other States [ES]
25 October 2016
El Diario (US)
[Translated Summary: Although New York has strong gun control legislation, other states have less restrictive laws. As a result, 74% of the seized guns in New York come from the "Iron Pipeline" states. Authorities seized nearly 53,000 guns from crime between 2010 to 2015. The firearms most used by criminals are handguns, 83% of those seized.]
Pese a que el estado de Nueva York tiene leyes de control de armas muy fuertes, estas no frenan a los traficantes que facilitan... (GunPolicy.org)
New York Official Study: Weak-Law States Flood NY With Guns
24 October 2016
New York Times
The .40-caliber pistol used to kill a New York City police officer last year was bought in South Carolina on Feb. 28, 2008.
A 9-millimeter pistol used in a murder-suicide in a Buffalo neighborhood had been bought in Georgia on June, 12, 2010, just 102 days before the double shooting.
And a 9-milimeter pistol used to fatally shoot a couple on Long Island in 2010 was bought in South Carolina on April 10, 2009.
Those are among the 52,915 guns used in crimes that law... (GunPolicy.org)
Amazingly, There Is No US Federal Law Against Gun Trafficking
13 October 2016
Mother Jones (USA)
Rep. Caroline Maloney (D-N.Y.) first learned that there is no federal law against gun trafficking at, of all places, a Fast and Furious hearing. In June 2011, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform convened to scrutinize the gunrunning sting known as Fast and Furious, which had flown off the rails when agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) allowed assault weapons to land in the hands of Mexican drug cartels. Much of... (GunPolicy.org)
Spain,United States,Greece,Italy,Turkey,France,Syria
Europol Dismantles Spain/Syria/Libya Gun Trafficking Network
11 October 2016
EFE News Agency
A huge haul of arms and drugs was seized from a trafficking network run by Syrian nationals, Spain's police said Tuesday.
A total of 109 people were arrested and 100 tons of hashish, 11,400 firearms, over a million ammunition rounds and 10 tons of explosives were seized in an international operation against a trafficking network that sold drugs to arm jihadist groups in countries like Libya.
The joint operation was carried out by security forces from Spain, Italy,... (GunPolicy.org)
Weapon Buyback Destroys 328 Guns in Ecatepec, Mexico [ES]
2 October 2016
Jornada (Mexico)
[Translated Summary: In 2 years of the "Firearms Exchange" campaign in Ecatepec, Mexico, 328 rifles and handguns, 59 grenades and 874 cartridges have been exchanged and destroyed .The exchange is voluntary, pacific and anonymous and the State pays an estimate in cash or electronic devices. Every year 400 children die by accidents, suicides and homicides caused by guns, and 72.2% of deaths are caused by firearms among young people.]
A dos años de las campañas de... (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)
South America,Central America,Mexico
Latin America Recent Seizures Reveal Thriving Gun Trade [ES]
22 September 2016
InSight Crime (Bogotá)
[Translated summary: A series of recent raids and reports highlights the thriving arms trade in Latin America which continues to disrupt countries and entire regions. For example, a report by Prensa Libre found the 9mm pistol has been the weapon most commonly confiscated by Guatemala's National Police.]
Una serie de redadas e informes recientes ponen de relieve el floreciente negocio de armas en toda Latinoamérica, lo que sirve tanto para beneficio de los grupos... (GunPolicy.org)
USA Guns Stolen from Cars Fuel 'Iron Pipeline' Traffickers [ES]
22 September 2016
Zócalo (Mexico)
[Translated summary: In the US, between 300,000 and 600,000 guns are stolen each year, according to a study from Harvard and Northeastern Universities. Almost 6,000 gun thefts from cars were reported in 2015. These weapons fuel the 'Iron Pipeline' East Coast trafficking route, and are often used in crime.]
Washington -- En Estados Unidos roban entre 300 mil y 600 mil armas al año, según información de un estudio de Harvard y Northeastern University, y en muchas... (GunPolicy.org)
Guns Are Stolen in America As Often As Once Every Minute
21 September 2016
The Trace (USA)
ATLANTA — Landen Boyd parked his Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck at a construction site south of downtown Atlanta and went to work, leaving his black Smith & Wesson 9mm in a case underneath the center console.
It was the fall of 2006, and Boyd, a 37-year-old construction superintendent, was overseeing the development of an apartment complex across the train tracks from Mechanicsville, a high-crime neighborhood. When noon came, Boyd hitched a ride to eat lunch with... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico,Central America,South America
Recent Seizures Point to Thriving Latin American Gun Trade
21 September 2016
InSight Crime (Bogotá)
A series of recent raids and reports highlights the thriving arms trade throughout Latin America, which serves to both profit illicit groups and to facilitate criminal violence in the region.
During a recent conference on armed violence in Central America, Ana Yancy Espinoza, academic director of the Costa Rican organization Fundación Arias, presented the results of an investigation on regional arms trafficking.
According to a press release from the Foundation for... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Owners Lose Up to 60,000 Firearms a Year to Thieves
21 September 2016
Guardian
Landen Boyd parked his Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck at a construction site south of downtown Atlanta and went to work, leaving his black Smith & Wesson 9mm in a case underneath the center console.
While Boyd was eating lunch at a nearby rib joint, someone chucked a brick through his truck's back window, crawled inside, grabbed his weapon, and fled.
The Smith & Wesson vanished into Atlanta's underworld for more than two years. The handgun resurfaced when police... (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)
Central America,Mexico,South America,United States
USA, Stop Enabling Latin America's Gun Addiction - Letter
11 September 2016
Americas Quarterly, Letter
Dear Mister / Madam President,
As the world's largest arms exporter, the U.S. plays an outsize role in fueling Latin America's insatiable addiction to firearms. To take one example, during most of the 1980s, El Salvador was the largest consumer of U.S. military hardware in the Americas, feeding one of the most vicious civil wars in Latin American history. And while the conflict ended in 1992, the legacy of its arms transfers remains: U.S. officials estimate that almost... (GunPolicy.org)
Failures in the Fight Against Illegal Gun Transfers in US [FR]
8 September 2016
L'Orient-Le Jour (Beirut)
[Translated summary: After a two-year investigation, the US Department of Justice has concluded that undercover operations against gun trafficking by the ATF were poorly managed, and that the agents lacked training and supervision. For example, an infiltrated agent actually sold a gun and kept the profits, some of the retrieved guns were later stolen, and some agents misplaced sensitive documents.]
Des policiers fédéraux américains ont accumulé les bévues lors... (GunPolicy.org)
Medical Marijuana Patients Can't Buy Guns, Says US Court
7 September 2016
Washington Post
An appeals court ruled last week that a federal law prohibiting medical marijuana cardholders from purchasing guns does not violate their Second Amendment rights, because marijuana has been linked to "irrational or unpredictable behavior."
The ruling came in the case of a Nevada woman who attempted to purchase a handgun in 2011, but was denied when the gun store owner recognized her as a medical marijuana cardholder, according to court documents. S. Rowan Wilson... (GunPolicy.org)
Honduras,United States,El Salvador,Guatemala
Weapons are Everywhere in Honduras
2 September 2016
Swiss Peace
Even on my morning jog around a small, public park in Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras, I encounter two heavily armed, young soldiers guarding the park. Firearms are everywhere in Honduras. They are seen as an important means of self-defence and a way of ensuring personal safety. According to the Honduran Law on Controlling Explosives, Firearms and Munitions, every living person of majority age has the right to register up to five firearms. Politicians, judges,... (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)
United States,Afghanistan,Iraq
US Lost Hundreds of Thousands of Guns In Iraq, Afghanistan
24 August 2016
New York Times
Early this year, a Facebook user in Baghdad using the name Hussein Mahyawi posted a photograph of a slightly worn M4 assault rifle he was offering for sale. Veterans of the latest war in Iraq immediately recognized it. It was a standard American carbine equipped with a holographic sight, a foregrip that was military-issue during the occupation and a sticker bearing a digital QR code used by American forces for inventory control. Except for one detail — an aftermarket... (GunPolicy.org)
Over 40,000 Guns Seized in Mexico in the Past Four Years [ES]
23 August 2016
Milenio (Mexico)
[Translated Summary: According to a Mexican Chancellor, between December 2012 and July 2016, Mexico has seized over 40,000 guns, 23,000 high-calibre guns, 4,000 grenades and 5.6 million ammunition. 70% of these firearms come from American buyers or suppliers, and 60% of them are manufactured in that country. Over the US border there are at least 9,000 legal gun shops and over 23,000 licensed gun dealers who can sell over the internet and fairs, even in... (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)
US Traffickers Export Illegal Guns via Global Web 'Darknet'
11 August 2016
CNN
One day, Michael Andrew Ryan sat down at a computer, hopped onto a hidden part of the Internet known as the dark Web, called himself "Gunrunner" and opened for business.
His international weapons operation offered anyone a virtual laundry list of weapons with brand names that have become disturbingly familiar:
- Glock
- Beretta
- Uzi
- Highpoint
- Walther
To make these guns hard to trace, Gunrunner took off their serial numbers and shipped them to countries where... (GunPolicy.org)
US Study Finds 79% of Crime Guns Are Not Legally Owned
28 July 2016
Guns (US)
A study published this month finds 4 out of 5 guns recovered in crime are not owned by the perpetrator, who often obtained them through theft or trafficking.
The peer-reviewed study, "Gaps continue in firearm surveillance: Evidence from a large U.S. City Bureau of Police," was complied by a team of researchers led by Dr. Anthony Fabio of the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health, and published in this month's Social Medicine.
Fabio worked with... (GunPolicy.org)
Vast Majority of Guns Recovered in Pittsburgh Not Legal
25 July 2016
EurekAlert (USA)
PITTSBURGH -- Nearly 80 percent of perpetrators carrying a gun recovered by Pittsburgh Police were not the lawful owners, a strong indication that theft and trafficking are significant sources of firearms involved in crimes in southwest Pennsylvania, a new University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health analysis reveals.
The finding suggests a timely opportunity for collaboration between public health and law enforcement officials to better understand and... (GunPolicy.org)
Syria,Iraq,Jordan,Lebanon,Turkey,United States,Qatar,Saudi Arabia
Weapons of the Syrian War: Small Arms
19 July 2016
Defense One (USA)
Small arms were already plentiful in Syria before the war, thanks to years of Soviet and Russian support. More flooded in after the conflict began
First use: March 18, 2011. After the Assad regime detained more than a dozen teenagers as part of its Arab Spring crackdown, protesters burned down a police headquarters in the southern city of Dara'a. In response, police fired tear gas at protesters, and then opened fire on them.
Origin: Small arms were already plentiful... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
South America,United States,Central America,Mexico
USA Floods Mexico with 200,000 Illegal Guns Every Year [ES]
17 July 2016
RT (Moscow)
[Translated Summary: According to a Peruvian journalist, the abundance of firearms in any Latin American country is almost always directly proportional to its proximity to the local superpower. In 2014, over 28,000 American firearms valued at US$21.6 million entered legally to Mexico, but every year an average of 212,000 firearms enter illegally.]
En América Latina se registran 76.000 muertes por año vinculadas al uso de armas de fuego. Sobre este total la mayoría... (GunPolicy.org)
Indonesian Presidential Guards Involved in Illegal US Gun Trade
10 July 2016
Jakarta Globe
JAKARTA -- A US court has found a soldier participated in a scheme to purchase guns and send them to members of the Indonesian presidential security detail, an explosive report reveals.
Indonesian descendent, Audi Sumilat, of El Paso, Texas, pleaded guilty in federal court on Wednesday (06/07) to one count of conspiracy to make false statements in connection with the acquisition of firearms, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
In his testimony, Audi said he... (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)
Surge in US Firearm Sales Increased Trafficking to Mexico [ES]
22 June 2016
Noticieros Televisa (Mexico)
[Translated Summary: The surge in the sale of guns in Texas increased firearms trafficking to Mexico. According to Customs and Border Protection, in the last five years, 283 firearms and at least 5,000 bullets of numerous calibres have been confiscated in the US/Mexico border areas.]
En el estado de Texas, en Estados Unidos, la venta de armas sigue en aumento y más cuando en unas semanas, entrará en vigor una nueva ley donde, además de portar armas, se podrá... (GunPolicy.org)
United Arab Emirates,United States,Italy,Germany,United Kingdom,Netherlands,South Africa,Iran,North Korea,Saudi Arabia
Gun Trade Still Growing at Expense of Development - Study
8 June 2016
Inter Press Service News Agency
UNITED NATIONS - A report released by The Small Arms Survey here Monday shows the alarming rate at which the trade of small arms and light weapons has been increasing.
Under Goal 16 of the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the UN last September, UN member states have agreed to significantly reduce illicit arms trade flows by 2030.
"The Sustainable Development Agenda puts a clear emphasis on arms as one of the elements that will need to be taken into account for... (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)
West Asia,United States,South Asia
Gun Imports to Middle Eastern Countries Doubled - Study
6 June 2016
New York Times, Associated Press
Annual sales of small arms and light weapons to Middle Eastern countries nearly doubled in dollar terms in 2013 over the year before, as conflicts heated up across the region, according to a study released Monday.
Meanwhile, the U.S. was both the biggest exporter and importer of weapons ranging from pistols and military firearms to hunting rifles, ammunition and anti-tank guns, according to the report.
"Trade Update 2016: Transfers and Transparency," a study by the... (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)
Central America,South America,United States
Latin America's Fatal Gun Addiction Fuelled by US Arms Dealers
27 May 2016
Foreign Affairs (US)
During the 1980s, El Salvador was the single largest recipient of U.S.-issued military hardware in the Western Hemisphere. All manner of weaponry—including over 32,500 M-16s and 270,000 grenades—seeped into the country from 1980 to 1993. Most of it was destined for the military-led government so that it could wage a vicious war against the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front, or FMNL. Although the armed conflict officially ended in 1992, the guns, grenades,... (GunPolicy.org)
Canada Still Needs to Ratify the Arms Trade Treaty
25 April 2016
Open Canada, Opinion
Canada's leadership in banning landmines greatly impacted the international community. As a young adult, Amani Saini witnessed the effect first hand. Now, she asks: can we regain our role in the fight against illicit arms?
One August, more than 10 years ago, back when I was in secondary school, I sat on a stage in an auditorium in Kyoto, Japan, as a representative of Canada, at the closing ceremony of the international Ban Landmines! conference.
After delivering his... (GunPolicy.org)
Clinton Carefully Slants Vermont Gun Stats to Hit Sanders
13 April 2016
New York Times, Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- With New York's crucial presidential nominating contest looming, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton is framing gun laws in Bernie Sanders' home state of Vermont as a primary culprit of violent crime in the Empire State.
Her latest offensive, however, depends on a narrow and arguably irrelevant use of federal gun data.
Speaking on Long Island, New York, this week, Clinton said that when Sanders is "challenged on his gun stances, he frequently says:... (GunPolicy.org)
Providence, Boston Mayors Launch Gun Violence Partnership
8 April 2016
San Francisco Chronicle, Associated Press
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Mayors from Massachusetts and Rhode Island have announced a partnership aimed at reducing illegal gun trafficking and gun violence.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh joined Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza, both Democrats, and law enforcement officials at the New England Regional Gun Violence Summit in Providence.
Walsh announced a new program that brings several cities, including Boston and Providence, together with nonprofit Arms with Ethics to take part in... (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)
More US 'Fast and Furious' Guns Found at Mexico Massacre
17 March 2016
InSight Crime
Weapons linked to the controversial US anti-gun trafficking operation "Fast
and Furious" were found last spring at the scene of a bloody clash between Mexican police and a group of alleged cartel gunmen that left 43 dead, according to documents obtained exclusively by InSight Crime.
The previously unpublished documents, obtained through a freedom of information request, show how US and Mexican authorities traced weapons from the shootout in Michoacán to the now... (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)
In American Mass Shootings, Most Guns Were Quite Legal
26 February 2016
Washington Post
The death tolls change, the places change: Nine in a church, 23 in a restaurant, 26 in an elementary school, 14 at a holiday party. The faces in the memorial photos change the most.
But the weapons are the common denominator.
Mass killings in the United States are most often carried out with guns, usually handguns, most of them obtained legally.
There is no universally accepted definition of a mass shooting, and different organizations use different criteria. In this... (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)
A Comment on Canada and the UN Arms Trade Treaty
2 February 2016
Upfront Ottawa, Opinion
The Arms Trade Treaty was approved by the UN General Assembly on 2 April 2013
United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs – Strengthening Peace and Security through Disarmament
Trudeau-Dion Foreign Policy is more than formally agreeing to the UN Arms Treaty or seeking seats on the UN Security Council. It requires principled action on the "World Stage."
The United Nations, according to its mandate, is working "worldwide" to try and improve the lives and livelihoods... (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
Most Guns in US Mass Shootings Were Legally Obtained
5 December 2015
NBC News (USA)
The weapons used in this week's massacre in San Bernardino, California, were purchased legally, raising questions about how preventable gun violence is under current U.S. firearm laws.
Eighty-two percent of weapons involved in mass shootings over the last three decades have been bought legally, according to a database compiled by Mother Jones magazine that defines a mass shooting as taking the lives of at least four people in a public place. Using that criteria, Mother... (GunPolicy.org)
There are Now More Guns than People in the United States
5 October 2015
Washington Post
It's tough to know exactly how many guns we have in the United States. Most estimates of the number of guns in the U.S. use federal tallies of the firearms manufactured, imported and exported by U.S. gunmakers.
A 2012 Congressional Research Service report published exactly one month before the Sandy Hook school shooting put the number of civilian firearms at 242 million in 1996, 259 million in 2000, and 310 million as of 2009.
If that 310 million number is correct, it... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Yemen,Switzerland,Finland,Serbia
US Has 5% of World's Population, 31% of Mass Shootings
23 August 2015
EurekAlert! The Global Source for the Science News (USA) - American Association for the Advancement of Science
Chicago - Despite having only about 5 percent of the world's population, the United States was the attack site for a disproportionate 31 percent of public mass shooters globally from 1966-2012, according to new research that will be presented at the 110th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association (ASA).
"The United States, Yemen, Switzerland, Finland, and Serbia are ranked as the Top 5 countries in firearms owned per capita, according to the 2007 Small... (GunPolicy.org)
Guam,United States,Puerto Rico
15 July 2015
Pacific Daily News (Guam)
The timing of a recent court ruling from the Commonwealth Court of Puerto Rico could not be better, and may well set in motion a significant ripple effect in other U.S. Island jurisdictions, namely Guam and Hawaii.
The Puerto Rican court recently handed down a ruling on a class action lawsuit that was brought by the Ladies of the Second Amendment, or LSA, with 850 individual plaintiffs. The court ruling, confirmed by the Second Amendment Foundation, or SAF, was a... (GunPolicy.org)
Declines in National Reporting Reveal Failure of UNPoA
28 May 2015
Heritage Foundation (USA)
In 2001, the United Nations created the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat, and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (PoA). The PoA is not a treaty. Rather, it is a political mechanism for encouraging voluntary cooperation. On June 1–5, 2015, the Second Meeting of Governmental Experts (MGE2) under the PoA will be held in New York City.
The purpose of MGE2 is to allow nationally nominated experts to address technical... (GunPolicy.org)
Two Men Admit to Gun Trade Between Australia and US
28 April 2015
Australian (Sydney)
Two Sydney men behind a conspiracy that shipped handguns and cocaine to Australia in hollowed-out car engines have pleaded guilty to a string of charges in a US court.
Mohamed Metleg, 33, and Nawak Chaouk, 47, will next month face sentencing in Nashville, Tennessee, after they exploited weak local gun laws to procure weapons later seized from criminals in NSW.
The US District Court was told that on successive trips to Nashville in 2011 and 2012, the men bribed... (GunPolicy.org)
Nicaragua,Peru,Haiti,Dominican Republic,Cuba,Mexico,Honduras,Guatemala,Turkey,El Salvador,United States,Russia,Austria,Belgium,Colombia,Brazil,Czech Republic,Germany,Israel,Venezuela,Italy,Spain
16 January 2015
Los Angeles Times, Opinion
During the 1980s, El Salvador was the single largest recipient of U.S. military hardware and weaponry in the Western Hemisphere. Although the Central American country's civil war ended in 1992, the guns, grenades and bullets linger, as do their murderous effects. In September, a U.S. official from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives estimated that half the weapons available on El Salvador's vibrant black market were made in the United... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
Brothers in US Court Over Assault Weapons Smuggling to Philippines
12 June 2014
New York Times
It was an unusual example of family pressure, exerted by federal prosecutors against two brothers.
The brothers — one a former New York City police officer, another a former Customs and Border Protection officer — worked with another brother to ship and sell military-grade guns to customers in the Philippines.
On Thursday, as Rex and Wilfredo Maralit pleaded guilty to weapons trafficking, they were told by prosecutors that they would be eligible for reduced... (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)
The Best Reporting on Guns in America – A Collection from ProPublica
28 May 2014
ProPublica
Are Mass Shootings Increasing? Depends on How You Count Them
Criminologists have made the same point again and again: the number of mass shootings in America is not increasing. Experts told the Los Angeles Times that mass shootings represent only a small fraction of the annual deaths due to gun violence, and that police data indicate that the overall count of mass shootings per year has not shown any significant increase over time. This conclusion is based on the FBI's... (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)
Georgia's Lax, Lax Gun Laws Feed New York Crime Gun Market
22 May 2014
New York Daily News
When Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson put out a 558-count indictment against six firearms traffickers who conspired to sell illegal guns here, all 155 of the weapons recovered by the NYPD came from one place: Georgia.
If you think you've heard this story before, you have. Last September, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. indicted an individual who had illegally trafficked a huge stockpile of guns — via the post office — here from Georgia.
As... (GunPolicy.org)
Handguns Easily Resold to Potential Criminals in Canada
7 May 2014
Toronto Star (Ontario)
There are no safeguards in Canadian firearms legislation to prevent people from purchasing a large number of handguns and then illegally transferring them to potential criminals.
It's an area of the law that gun control advocates say needs to be strengthened, and was recently highlighted after a Toronto man was sent to prison for legally purchasing 47 handguns from two stores over five months and then illegally transferring 43 of them to an acquaintance, who acted as a... (GunPolicy.org)
County Gun Shop May Have Been Worst in US, Missing Guns and Illegal Sales
26 April 2014
Seattle Times
BURLINGTON, Skagit County — For more than 65 years, Kesselring Gun Shop has been a firearms fixture in the Northwest, arming hunters, target shooters and police from one of the largest inventories on the West Coast.
Until surrendering its federal firearms license last October, the family-owned gun store also may have been the worst gun retailer in America.
It was nearly a decade ago when inspectors with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)... (GunPolicy.org)
US Doctor Funds Gun Injury Research with $1 Million of His Own Money
22 April 2014
ProPublica
Federal funding for research on gun violence has been restricted for nearly two decades. President Obama urged Congress to allocate $10 million for new research after the Newtown school shooting. But House Republicans say they won't approve it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's budget still lists zero dollars for research on gun violence prevention.
One of the researchers who lost funding in the political battle over studying firearms was Dr. Garen... (GunPolicy.org)
Lawsuit Against US Gun Dealer Settled After Straw Purchase Results in Death
22 April 2014
Republic (Indiana)
CHICAGO — The parents of a slain Chicago police officer and a Mississippi gun shop they sued for selling the gun used to kill their son to a straw buyer said Tuesday that they reached a settlement.
Carolyn and Thomas Wortham III and Ed's Pawn Shop & Salvage Yard in Byhalia, Mississippi, said in a joint statement that they resolved the dispute "to the satisfaction of all parties."
The pawn shop agreed to increased vigilance on gun sales.
"The agreed policies will... (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)
Peru,Colombia,Jordan,Mexico,Guatemala,Honduras,Uruguay,Argentina,Brazil
Gun Thefts From Peru Army Supplies Points to Possible Corruption, Trafficking
3 April 2014
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Authorities in Peru say the majority of arms used by criminal groups are stolen from private owners and security forces, highlighting a common regional phenomenon that is often facilitated by corrupt officials.
Specialists consulted by El Comercio said the majority of pistols and shotguns used by criminal groups in Peru were stolen from legitimate owners, rather than acquired through the black market. Authorities reported that 1,767 firearms were declared lost or... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
Firearms Industry Benefits from America's Epidemic of Gun Violence
10 March 2014
Baltimore Post Examiner
America is a violent place by any standard. The national firearm-related death rate has held steady at 10.5 per 100,000 people since 1999, well above the global average. Some of its cities exhibit epidemic rates of gun death on par with crime-affected urban centers in Latin America and the Caribbean. Hard as it might be to believe, levels of lethal violence are actually at historic lows.
Declines occurred after the passage of specific legislation designed to prevent... (GunPolicy.org)
Colombia,Peru,Argentina,Mexico,El Salvador
Investigation Shows Colombia Military-Criminal Firearms Trafficking Ties
4 March 2014
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Prosecutors in Colombia have issued a warrant for a high-ranking army official who stands accused of leading a ring that sold military weapons to narco-paramilitary group the Urabeños, highlighting a common source of weapons for armed groups across the region.
Lieutenant Colonel Robinson Gonzalez del Rio led a group of four active members of the military, four retired members, two police and several private citizens that acquired guns, munitions and explosives for... (GunPolicy.org)
Pakistan,South Asia,Afghanistan,United States,Russia
Disturbing Firearms Proliferation in Pakistan
24 February 2014
Daily Times (Lahore)
The proliferation of small arms and light weapons is one of the major security challenges currently faced by South Asia and Pakistan in particular. The trafficking and varied availability of these weapons fuel communal conflict, political instability and pose a threat, not only to security, but also to viable development. According to the Red Cross, one out of every two casualties in a war is a civilian stuck in the crossfire. The easy use and light weight of small... (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)
China Charges Former Mining Magnate with Murder, Gun-Running
20 February 2014
Reuters
China unveiled dramatic details of charges against a former mining magnate on Thursday, accusing him of crimes ranging from murder to gun-running and extortion as part of a "mafia-style" gang he led.
In an announcement carried by the official Xinhua news agency, prosecutors in central China said they had laid charges against the former chairman of Hanlong Mining, which had tried to take over Australia's Sundance Resources Ltd.
Police last year announced the detention... (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)
Two-Thirds of Crime Guns Seized in Guyana Came from US or Brazil
30 January 2014
Caribseek News
GEORGETOWN - The Task Force on Narcotic Drugs and Illegal Firearms has recorded a total of 111 firearms seizures for 2012 compared to the 125 in the previous year.
This is according to the National Drug Report that was launched yesterday by Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee.
These include: 28 pistols, 39 revolvers, 31 shotguns, and 13 rifles; 31.5 percent of the weapons seized originated in the United States of America while a similar number originated in... (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)
Guatemala,Russia,Italy,United States,Honduras,El Salvador,South Korea,China,Belgium
Majority of Legal Guns in El Salvador Traced Back to US [PT]
6 January 2014
Vermelho / El Pais
[Translated summary: Around 60% of legal guns traced in El Salvador originate in the US according to ATF data. The US has a similar tracing system in place with Honduras and Guatemala. 70% of El Salvador's homicides are committed with firearms. Many of these guns are bought legally in America and trafficked to El Salvador.]
Cerca de 60% das armas legais rastreadas em El Salvador têm sua origem nos Estados Unidos. O dado, obtido graças a um programa de colaboração... (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)
Central America,Guatemala,El Salvador,United States
El Salvador Tracking Program Reveals Most Arms Come From US
2 December 2013
InSight Crime (Bogota)
A program to track El Salvador's hundreds of thousands of firearms has established that most come from the United States, suggesting civil war era weapons are being replaced through new arms trafficking networks.
With training from the US Office on Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), El Salvador's National Police (PNC) has tracked around 34,000 arms in the last two years, reported La Prensa Grafica. The aim is ultimately to track all legal registered arms, which the... (GunPolicy.org)
The Case for Tracing Guns: Europe/US Cooperation Catches Criminals
1 December 2013
OSCE
In 2010 the United Kingdom's National Ballistic Intelligence Service (NBIS) received a request to research the origin of three Glock pistols recovered in the North West of England. Within days, it had established that the weapons had been purchased from a weapons manufacturer in North Carolina, United States.
This was possible thanks to close collaboration with the American Bureau for Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (AtF) and the use of eTrace, its online tracing tool,... (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)
US Veteran Sentenced After Illegally Shipping Guns to Israel, Canada
28 November 2013
Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh)
A military veteran from Wheeling, W.Va., has been sentenced to five years of federal probation for illegally shipping guns to Israel, Canada and elsewhere.
Michael Frank, 26, admitted in January that he sold 24 weapons to foreign customers. The U.S. attorney's office had argued that he deserved at least four years in prison, while his lawyer asked for an alternative to jail time. He was sentenced Tuesday.
The case began in May 2012 after authorities in Jerusalem... (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)
South Sudan,Somalia,Burundi,Liberia,Ghana,United States,Europe,Zimbabwe,Uganda,Tanzania,Sudan,Nigeria,Namibia,Kenya,Ethiopia,Africa
How Disarmament in Africa Got More Complicated
5 November 2013
IPI Global Observatory
Africa is ground zero in the international debate on controlling the small arms and light weapons trade. For more than a decade, diplomatic activity to contain arms and ammunition transfers has been animated by a concern with instability and contagion generated by the continent's many wars. Leading think tanks, research groups, and advocacy organizations have repeatedly drawn attention to the way the burden of armed violence in Africa is a product of low-tech assault... (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)
'Cottage Industry' Feeds Illegal Gun Trade in Canada
24 October 2013
Vancouver Sun (British Columbia)
Some B.C. residents are capitalizing on the illicit gun trade by making gun parts and even firearms to sell to local criminals.
Cpl. Frank Grosspietsch of the RCMP's National Weapons Enforcement Support Team said a "cottage industry" has sprung up in B.C. in recent years among people willing to arm gangsters and other criminals.
B.C.-made noise suppressors - which muffle gunshots and are commonly and inaccurately called silencers - have been used in recent murders,... (GunPolicy.org)
Former Cop, Top Shooter Charged with Gun Trafficking in Canada
16 October 2013
Lethbridge Herald (Alberta)
A retired Lethbridge police officer accused in an illegal Calgary gun ring now faces new charges.
Daniel Francis Bennett, 65, is accused of falsely reporting to police that several handguns had been stolen from his West Lethbridge garage and then filing a bogus insurance claim. Calgary police later uncovered some of those guns as they searched for the source of an illegal weapons trade on the streets of Calgary.
Bennett, who retired from the Lethbridge Regional Police... (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)
Qatar,France,United States,England & Wales,Libya
Guns Openly Available For Sale in Libya on Facebook
17 September 2013
Independent (UK)
TRIPOLI - On a late July day in downtown Tripoli, a young man steps into a car idling next to the Libyan capital's iconic Martyrs' Square. From the back seat, he hands to the driver what Libyans refer to as a "Turkish pistol" and some bullets. In return, the driver hands him a thick stack of 10-dinar notes. The exchange had been arranged using one of the numerous Facebook "groups" created in recent months to link gun-sellers to gun-buyers through the social... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia,United States,Sweden,England & Wales,Germany
US Man Charged With Shipping Guns Internationally, Including Australia
12 September 2013
Courier-Journal (Kentucky) / Associated Press
In a secretive corner of the Internet, buyers and sellers can meet up in a marketplace where virtually anything is available.
That's where federal investigators say that 33-year-old Adam Joseph Bunger used various aliases to sell weapons to buyers overseas — including to people in countries with strict firearm purchasing and ownership laws.
Bunger is charged in federal court in Kentucky with shipping a firearm in foreign commerce, delivering a firearm to an... (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)
Russia,Trinidad & Tobago,Caribbean,Nicaragua,United States,Canada,Guinea-Bissau,Libya,Mexico,Colombia
Small Arms: The Worldwide Scourge
8 September 2013
Newsday (Trinidad & Tobago)
Trinidad and Tobago is awash with guns. Gang leaders, bandits, drug smugglers are armed and shooting at each other, at citizens, at the police without hesitation. The majority of the weapons are small arms and they are usually "imported" with illegal drugs or there is an exchange of drugs for arms. Drug cartels use their illicit profits to purchase these guns, the two trades being intertwined, according to the latest report from the United Nations Office for Disarmament... (GunPolicy.org)
Fear of Obama, Gun Control Panic Continue to Drive US Ammo Hoarders
8 September 2013
Maine Sun-Journal / Bangor Daily News
BANGOR — Ammunition and gun experts at the 36th annual Bangor Gun Show said there are a lot of rumors floating around about why there is an ammunition shortage, but they say it simply comes down to supply and demand.
"People are concerned they won't be able to get it, that our Second Amendment is under attack, so they're buying all they can," ammunitions dealer Jeff Holt, who with wife, Nancy, are the owners and operators of Farmington-based Appalachian Ammunition... (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)
NYPD Cop, Brothers Accused Of Gun-Trafficking to Philippines
6 September 2013
Newsday (New York)
An NYPD officer and two of his brothers were charged in federal court in Brooklyn on Friday with unlicensed international trafficking in high-powered weaponry including combat-style assault rifles and long-range sniper rifles.
Rex Maralit, 44, an officer in the Equal Employment Opportunity office at NYPD headquarters, was charged along with Wilfredo Maralit, 48, a Customs and Border Patrol officer at Los Angeles airport, and Ariel Maralit, 43, who lives in the... (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)
Brazil,Mexico,South America,Central America,Uruguay,Honduras,Chile,Venezuela,Colombia
Do Stricter Gun Laws Reduce Gun Violence in Latin America?
4 September 2013
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Latin America has some of the highest gun homicide rates in the world, despite certain countries having relatively strict gun control laws, raising the question: to what extent, if any, does tighter legislation help to lower homicide rates and violent crime in the region?
The short answer to this question is that there is no clear correlation. A look at six countries with widely differing gun legislation and gun homicide statistics - Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela,... (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)
What the Rest of America Can Learn From California's Strict Gun Laws
7 August 2013
Business Insider
California, the state with the strictest gun laws in the country, has seen a 56% drop in its gun death rate in the past 20 years, according to a study that the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence released last week.
The study points out that 5,500 Californians were killed by gunfire in 1993, but that number dropped to 2,935 by 2010. The number of people per 100,000 who were killed by guns also dropped dramatically from 1990 to 2010 (see chart at right, and note that the... (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)
US Finally Confirms ATF Director After Seven Years
31 July 2013
Reuters
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed a director for the federal agency that regulates firearms, fulfilling one of the demands President Barack Obama made after the Newtown, Connecticut, school shooting.
After a delay while lawmakers awaited the return of a colleague who was flying in from North Dakota, senators voted 53-42 to install prosecutor Todd Jones as director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The troubled bureau, which gun-rights... (GunPolicy.org)
Trade in Iron and Blood: Impact of American Guns on Mexican Violence
30 July 2013
Action on Armed Violence
For all the news and emotion surrounding the debate over mass-shootings and gun-control within the United States, another related tragedy has been unfolding simultaneously just across the border. But, unlike in the US, this tragedy has much greater bloodshed and much less media attention.
Since 2006, tens of thousands of people have been killed in Mexico in drug-related violence. The numbers dead are similar to a conventional war. But, in contrast to other conflicts... (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)
United States,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Australia,Finland,Africa,Germany
More Than 65 Countries Sign Arms Trade Treaty
3 June 2013
Time (USA)
More than 65 countries signed the landmark treaty regulating the multibillion-dollar global arms trade Monday and the United States announced it will sign soon, giving a strong kickoff to the first major international campaign to stem the illicit trade in weapons that fuel conflicts and extremists.
The announcement by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that the U.S. — the world's largest arms dealer — will sign is critical, but the treaty's ultimate strength rests... (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)
Recovered Guns Form a Sea of Steel in US
29 May 2013
Washington Post
Every few hours, in a routine that is sometimes grim but more often mundane, local police take a gun off the streets. Since 2000, nearly 50,000 guns have been recovered by authorities in the District and Prince George's County. That is enough to arm every law enforcement officer in Maryland, the District and Virginia, with a couple of thousand guns to spare.
Police confiscate guns after drive-bys, drug raids and traffic stops. They find them tossed on roofs and thrown... (GunPolicy.org)
New Detail from US Lawsuits Shows Industry Rejects Blame for Gun Crimes
29 May 2013
Newcastle Herald (New South Wales) / New York Times
The Glock executive testified that he would keep doing business with a gun dealer who had been indicted on a charge of violating firearms laws because "this is still America" and "you're still innocent until proven guilty".
The president of Sturm, Ruger & Co was not interested in knowing how often the police traced guns back to the company's distributors, saying it "wouldn't show us anything".
And an executive for Taurus International Manufacturing said his company... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Newcastle Herald (New South Wales) / New York Times
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)
United States,Mexico,Guatemala
Report Traces Arms Trafficking from US to Guatemala
8 May 2013
InSight Crime (Bogota)
A new report sheds light on a little-studied subject: the trafficking of US weapons into Guatemala, a relatively limited phenomenon that could be far bigger than suggested by the available data and may play a role in the continuing violence and criminality in that Central American nation.
The report (pdf), from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, reviews an analysis that the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted of... (GunPolicy.org)
German Arms Firm Illegally Sold Weapons to Mexico
7 May 2013
InSight Crime (Bogota)
A German arms manufacturer has admitted to illegally selling thousands of rifles to Mexico, where the weapons were reportedly used to commit human rights violations.
Heckler & Koch, which produces weapons such as pistols, machine guns, and grenade launchers, is under investigation by German authorities for exporting G36 rifles to several Mexican states where Germany prohibits gun sales, due to human rights concerns.
The company previously claimed it had only ever... (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)
Banned Handguns, Rifles with No Crime Links Found in Canadian Home
29 April 2013
CTV News (Toronto)
The London police drugs and guns unit seized over $5,000 worth of drugs, nine handguns and three assault rifles from a residence on William Street.
Police executed a search warrant at the London residence on Friday around 10 p.m.
Officers also found hundreds of rounds of ammunition and over $13,000 in cash.
Following a press conference on Monday afternoon, police released a list of all the firearms that were seized:
- Smith and Wesson .45 Calibre semi-automatic... (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)
Mother of Newtown Victim Steps In for Obama, Pleas for Gun Control
13 April 2013
Edmonton Journal (Alberta)
WASHINGTON - The mother of a 6-year-old boy killed in the Newtown, Connecticut, school shooting made a deeply personal plea from the White House for action to combat gun violence, choking back tears almost from the start of her speech.
Francine Wheeler, whose 6-year-old son, Ben, was killed in the Dec. 14 attack inside Sandy Hook Elementary School, stepped in for President Barack Obama to deliver the president's weekly radio and Internet address. She is the first... (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)
NRA Publishes Study Claiming US Schools Need Armed Guards
3 April 2013
Washington Post
A 225-page study commissioned by the National Rifle Association has endorsed and amplified the gun rights group's immediate response to the mass killing in Newtown, Conn.: that all schools in the United States should have police or armed staff members trained to confront a shooter.
Although ostensibly independent of the NRA, the examination of school safety issues, released Tuesday, provides the organization with an alternative narrative to the various gun-control... (GunPolicy.org)
Report Links High Rates of Gun Violence to Weak US Gun Control Laws
2 April 2013
New York Times
Many states with the weakest gun laws have the worst rates of gun violence, ranking high on numerous indicators, like gun homicides and suicides, firearm deaths of children, and killings of law enforcement officers, according to a report to be issued Wednesday by the liberal Center for American Progress.
Alaska ranked first in overall gun deaths, the report found, with 20.28 deaths per 100,000 people in 2010 — more than twice the national average — followed by... (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)
Africa,Americas,Asia,Europe,Oceania,United States,Russia,Italy,Germany,Brazil,Switzerland,Israel,Austria,South Korea,Belgium,Spain,Turkey,Norway,Canada,United Kingdom,Australia,France,Pakistan,Yemen,Honduras,El Salvador,Jamaica
Fact and Figures: Global Trade in Small Arms
18 March 2013
al Jazeera
Diplomats from around the world have gathered at the UN for talks on an international arms trade treaty, in an effort to stop the sale of illegal conventional arms.
Similar talks held last July failed, mainly due to the objections of the US and Russia, the world's two largest arms exporters.
Al Jazeera has compiled a list of facts related to the global production and trading of small arms.
1. Authorised international transfers of small arms, light weapons, their... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa
US Gun Lobby Stepping Up Its Opposition to UN Arms Trade Treaty
17 March 2013
Guardian (UK)
The National Rifle Association is stepping up its opposition to a UN treaty aimed at halting the illicit trade of guns into conflict zones, after months of silence on the issue believed to be due to its focus on domestic gun control.
Human rights campaigners said that the resurgence of the NRA's campaign was designed to "stir up anti-UN panic" ahead of the UN conference on the Arms Trade Treaty, which opens on Monday in New York. The Obama administration indicated in a... (GunPolicy.org)
Russia,China,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,United States
NRA Opposes UN Arms Trade Treaty
16 March 2013
Washington Post
The National Rifle Association, which is battling a raft of gun control measures on Capitol Hill, also has an international fight on its hand as it gears up to oppose a U.N. treaty designed to restrict the flow of arms to conflict zones.
Negotiations open Monday in New York on the Arms Trade Treaty, which would require countries to determine whether weapons they sell would be used to commit serious human rights violations, terrorism or transnational organized... (GunPolicy.org)
Sandy Hook Shooting May Make Almost No Difference in US Gun Control Laws
11 March 2013
Time (USA)
Here's a hard truth: all the emotion and outrage and sadness that followed the Dec. 14 shooting of 20 children and 6 adults at Sandy Hook elementary school may make almost no difference in federal gun control laws. How little is the Hill going to do on gun control? As things stand, Congress may not even pass two gun control measures that even some elements of the powerful gun lobby have suggested they could support. But if post-Sandy Hook gun control measures are badly... (GunPolicy.org)
How the White House Silenced US Gun Control Groups
7 March 2013
Politico (Washington DC)
President Barack Obama's gun control agenda is looking more doomed by the day, but gun control advocates still haven't said a word to complain.
That's no accident.
The White House knew its post-Newtown effort would require bringing key gun control groups into the fold. So the White House offered a simple arrangement: the groups could have access and involvement, but they'd have to offer silence and support in exchange.
The implied rules, according to conversations... (GunPolicy.org)
US Senate Panel Backs Tougher Penalties for Illegal Gun Trafficking
7 March 2013
Bloomberg (USA)
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee approved tougher penalties for illegal gun-trafficking in the first congressional vote on gun restrictions since the December shootings in Newtown, Connecticut.
Still, California Democrat Dianne Feinstein said her proposed assault-weapon ban is on a "very hard road."
The 11-7, almost party-line vote on the trafficking measure today emphasized the hurdles to passing gun legislation even after the Dec. 14 mass killing of 20 children... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Advocates Split with NRA on Call for More Background Checks
6 March 2013
Washington Post
Some of the gun lobby's strongest allies are breaking with the National Rifle Association to support proposals that would expand background checks for private firearm sales.
In behind-the-scenes talks with congressional staff members and others, gunmakers, dealers and other Second Amendment advocates have offered support for more instant criminal background checks, buoying the hopes of gun-control supporters, including President Obama, who has put a top priority on... (GunPolicy.org)