Gun Policy News
Gender, firearms and armed violence
90% of Costa Ricans Disagree With the Possession of Firearms
25 October 2022
Observador
Nine out of 10 Costa Ricans disagreed with gun ownership in Costa Rica. This was reflected in the National Survey on Citizen Security presented last week by the University of Costa Rica and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
This study was applied to 1,222 people, all over the age of 18. It has a confidence level of 95 per cent and an error of 2.8 per cent.
90.1% of those interviewed said they strongly and somewhat disagreed with anyone being able to own... (GunPolicy.org)
Brazil Armed by Bolsonaro and His Legacies
22 September 2022
Monde (Brazil)
Until 2019 the FAL rifle, produced by Imbel, was only used in the Brazilian Armed Forces, and in a few elite police units. In automatic mode, it is capable of firing bursts with up to 700 shots per minute. It also launches projectiles at 840 metres per second, and can hit a target with great effectiveness from up to 600 metres away. Because of its power to pierce armour, it has always been coveted by organised crime and bank robbery gangs. Before the Bolsonaro... (GunPolicy.org)
Saudi Women Take Up Shooting After Gun Ownership Legalized
13 September 2022
Saudi Gazette
Saudi women can now legally lock and load. In barely two years, Saudi women have earned the right to both drive and to own a firearm. While women have been legally behind the wheel since 2019, it was only last year that they were allowed to own firearms.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, shooting became popular with many Saudis as a social distanced and outdoor activity. Yet, some women have been shooting for far longer.
"At a young age my father taught me how to use and... (GunPolicy.org)
Women Living in Terror Because Their Ex-partners Have Guns
16 July 2022
Instituto de Estudios Comparados en Ciencias Penales y Sociales (INECIP)
During 2021 there were 251 femicides across the country and in 25 per cent of these a weapon was used; there is consensus that possession is often a projection of the power of the person who has it and a latent threat; the speed of justice and voluntary disarmament are key to addressing the problem. In the opinion of Aldana Romano, Director of INECIP.
When mutual friends introduced them to each other during a holiday, Marcela fell in love with Valentín. Although she... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Instituto de Estudios Comparados en Ciencias Penales y Sociales (INECIP)
Firearms in Uruguay: Lack of Information and Controls
12 July 2022
La Diaria Opinion (Uruguay)
Firearms: lack of information and controls
In recent weeks, some media outlets, parts of the political system and academia have addressed the issue of firearms control through a bill proposed by Frente Amplio senator Mario Bergara. The fact that a serious debate is beginning to take place on this issue is, in itself, good news.
According to official information from the Material and Arms Service of the Ministry of National Defence, the body in charge of the National... (GunPolicy.org)
Firearms Possession in Uruguay
13 June 2022
El Pays (Uruguay)
The current senator and former economy minister of the Frente Amplio, Mario Bergara, has come up with a proposal to make firearms possession more regulated and demanding than it is at present.
Government sources consulted by El País said in general terms that they wanted to study the main points of Bergara's proposal more closely, but hinted that it would be difficult for the ruling party to accept the opposition senator's idea.
Bergara based his proposal on several... (GunPolicy.org)
Record Number of Guns Registered in Uruguay
2 April 2022
El Observador (Uruguay)
In 2021 there was a record number of guns registered in Uruguay; three times as many were regularised as in 2019.
Across the country there are 606,704 registrations; 37% are revolvers; long guns are preferred in the coastal region.
In August 2014, a law of José Mujica's government sought to regulate the possession, carrying, commercialisation and trafficking of arms and ammunition. It was only implemented two years later, in December 2016, when the corresponding... (GunPolicy.org)
3 Million Firearms in Civilian Hands in Argentina
28 February 2022
Instituto de Estudios Comparados en Ciencias Penales y Sociales (INECIP)
There are more than 1.5 million registered weapons on the street in the possession of civil society in Argentina. Although by law the state is committed to reducing this number, the state itself "does not even do what the law requires, and it does so not only by omission but also by political decision," said Julián Alfie, coordinator of the Institute for Comparative Studies in Criminal and Social Sciences (Inecip) and researcher on the issue of civil society... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Instituto de Estudios Comparados en Ciencias Penales y Sociales (INECIP)
Murder-Suicide by Gun is an Everyday Occurrence in America
13 February 2022
Trace
Through the first six weeks of 2018, there were at least 76 incidents and 171 deaths.
On Saturday, a 45-year-old man fatally shot his parents at their home in eastern Kentucky and then drove to an apartment where he shot and killed his girlfriend and her mother before turning the gun on himself.
Joseph Nickell, the gunman, had a history that included domestic violence and substance abuse charges. But the grisly murder spree still came as a shock to some who knew the... (GunPolicy.org)
Jamaica,Venezuela,Honduras,Trinidad & Tobago,Colombia,Belize,Mexico,Brazil,El Salvador,Guatemala,Guyana,Ecuador,Haiti,Panama,Costa Rica,Dominican Republic,Uruguay,Paraguay,Nicaragua,Peru,Chile,Argentina,Bolivia
InSight Crime's 2021 Homicide Round-Up
1 February 2022
InSight Crime
In 2021, most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean experienced a marked increase in murders. Resurgent violence was to be expected after some of the world's longest COVID-19 lockdowns were lifted.
Much of the population found themselves sinking deeper into poverty. With schools late to reopen, teenagers returned to the streets with little to do, making them prime targets for recruitment.
The pandemic also made law enforcement more difficult. Police were... (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)
28 September 2021
Espresso
[Translation by GunPolicy.org]
Every day there are murders, death threats or crimes by those who possess a gun obtained easily with a regular licence. But only one number remains constant: that of murdered women. Giorgio Beretta: 'It is necessary to take firearms out of the hands of potential murderers'.
Eighty-five women have been killed since the beginning of the year, fifty-one by husbands, partners or exes. These are the numbers of feminicides in Italy. Eleven in... (GunPolicy.org)
Tightening Gun Control In South Africa
19 August 2021
Conversation (South Africa)
Statistics produced by the police and mortuary surveillance systems in South Africa have consistently shown that firearms are the most commonly used weapons to commit murder and other violent crimes, such as carjacking and house robberies.
With this in mind, the Civilian Secretariat for Police Services which serves as the technical advisory agency to the Minister of Police, wants to have the Firearms Control Act amended to introduce more stringent firearm licensing... (GunPolicy.org)
Fewer Guns Will Save Women's Lives in South Africa
16 August 2021
Institute for Security Studies (ISS)
Fifty-eight percent of South Africa's domestic violence murder victims from April to June 2020 were women, according to national police statistics. Sixty-seven percent of these women were killed by a current or ex-intimate partner. In such cases, femicide is the final act in a pattern of chronic and escalating abuse. South Africa's rate of femicide has been estimated at six times higher than the global average.
Research has consistently shown that having access to a... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Deaths and Crime on the Rise in Albania
21 July 2021
Exit News
Out of the 3,566 perpetrators of firearm incidents in the Balkans during 2020, 98% were men. Furthermore, the number of deaths from firearms has increased over the last few years.
This is according to the Armed Violence Monitor report, authored by the South Easter and Easter Europea Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC), functioning under the United Nations Development Programme and the Regional Cooperation Council.
The results... (GunPolicy.org)
The Many Ways Domestic Violence Foreshadows Mass Shootings
9 June 2021
Trace
The San Jose transit shooting is the latest to illustrate the deadly connection between intimate partner violence and mass murder. How are these seemingly separate issues intertwined, and what can be done to save lives?
More than a decade before a San Jose, California, transit employee killed nine co-workers on May 26, an ex-girlfriend accused him in court of physical abuse and sexual assault. The case did not lead to a criminal conviction or a permanent restraining... (GunPolicy.org)
The Imminent Need to Put Gun Violence on the Feminist Agenda
17 March 2021
Intersecta
While six out of every ten homicides of women are perpetrated with a firearm at the national level, recent estimates indicate that nearly eight million people in Mexico have access to a firearm in their own homes. Against this backdrop, what do we know about gun regulation in the country, and why is it urgent to put the issue of gun violence on the feminist agenda?
Since the implementation of the now familiar militarised security policies promoted by former President... (GunPolicy.org)
South African Women Turn to Fight Rape, Murder Scourge
7 February 2021
Guardian
For the dozens of women training at a shooting range near Johannesburg, learning how to use a gun has become a means of protection in a country where a woman is murdered every three hours.
For the first time in her life, Ntando Mthembu holds a revolver in her hands. Without hesitating, she fires 10 bullets towards a cardboard target.
Last November Mthembu's cousin, left alone in a house for several hours, was gang-raped and murdered.
"Before it happens to me, I want... (GunPolicy.org)
Jamaica,Venezuela,Haiti,Honduras,Trinidad & Tobago,Mexico,Belize,Colombia,El Salvador,Brazil,Puerto Rico,Guatemala,Pakistan,Panama,Costa Rica,Nicaragua,Uruguay,Dominican Republic,Peru,Ecuador,Paraguay,Argentina,Chile,Bolivia
InSight Crime's 2020 Homicide Round-Up
29 January 2021
InSight Crime
While unrest gripped much of Latin America in 2019, it was the coronavirus that took center stage and ripped through the region in 2020, upending everything from commercial trade to the operations of local gangs and transnational criminal organizations.
It's too early to tell with any degree of certainty how exactly the pandemic may have impacted levels of violence, but there were notable developments, including significant reductions in El Salvador, Guatemala,... (GunPolicy.org)
Insecurity and the Right to Bear Arms in Nigeria
4 November 2020
Guardian (Nigeria)
One of the cardinal responsibilities of government is the safeguard of lives and properties, provided under Section14 (2) (b) of the 1999 Constitution as amended. So paramount is this responsibility that the entire economic, social and political progress of any society depends on it.
Nigeria for the past decade has witnessed unprecedented amount of bloodshed, destruction of properties and displacement of people from their native homes and places of business. The level... (GunPolicy.org)
CSOs Must Join Fight Against Ghana Arms Proliferation
15 October 2020
Graphic Online (Ghana)
Civil society organisations (CSOs) have been urged to develop an evidence-based research for policy decisions to support government in the fight against illicit flow and proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) in the country.
The issue of SALW, according to the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons, had been a great concern to Ghana and the international community, and, therefore, a solid advocacy and research of the matter would put state... (GunPolicy.org)
Jamaica,Honduras,Trinidad & Tobago,El Salvador,Belize,Mexico,Colombia,Guatemala,Puerto Rico,Brazil,Panama,Costa Rica,Uruguay,Dominican Republic,Peru,Nicaragua,Ecuador,Argentina,Chile,Bolivia,Paraguay
InSight Crime's 2019 Homicide Round-Up
28 January 2020
InSight Crime
Unrest gripped much of Latin America and the Caribbean throughout 2019. From record violence in Mexico that recalled the darkest days of the drug war, to increased fighting among armed groups in Colombia vying for control in the absence of the FARC and a rise in massacres in Honduras, the region was again one of the world's most homicidal last year.
In its annual Homicide Round-Up, InSight Crime looks into the country-by-country murder rates and the factors... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Violence in Homicide Report Database
13 May 2019
Stuff (New Zealand)
An unprecedented Stuff investigation has identified every homicide in New Zealand in the past 15 years, revealing the vast majority of those who kill with guns are unlicensed and their weapon of choice is often a .22 calibre rifle or shotgun.
The Homicide Report, which has been nearly three years in the making, is the country's first publicly searchable database of homicides. It encompasses 1068 men, women and children killed from January 2004 to March 31, 2019.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
Sweden Calls for Tighter Penalties for Arms Smuggling
5 May 2019
Vägen ut
A black car rolls up a shot is fired from a gun and a young man falls to the ground. Another fatal shooting added to the statistics and another family losing a loved one. A total of 45 people lost their lives in fatal shootings last year, with the most deaths in the Southern Region and the most shootings in the Stockholm area.
The number of fatal shootings continues to rise and the prognosis looks bleak. Fatal violence has been declining for a long time. But the trend... (GunPolicy.org)
1 May 2019
Stuff (New Zealand)
The Homicide Report relies on information from more than 800 coronial findings, hundreds of court documents, police sources and news stories from Stuff's archives.
We categorised each case according to the victim's age and gender, their relationship to the killer, cause of death, location and a host of others.
We then analysed them to look for significant groupings of homicides with similar characteristics that might reveal some underlying problem or cause.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
Profile on Life and Work of Rebecca Peters
7 July 2018
Sydney Morning Herald
Flory Teletor was 17 when she began living with her boyfriend, Santo, in a cramped apartment in Guatemala City. Santo, who was 20, worked as a security guard. He was violent and controlling. He gave Flory a daily allowance of 20 quetzals ($3.50). She had to account for every cent; when she failed to do so, he would beat her. Sometimes, he would brandish the pistol he used for work, even shooting above her head. Flory was terrified, but she had already fled an abusive... (GunPolicy.org)
Access to Guns Helps Fuel Farmer Suicides - NZ Study
1 May 2017
New Zealand Farmer
A broken relationship, drink and a gun - these three factors are a "fatal combination" and account for a significant proportion of farmer suicides, especially among young men.
A gun was used by 40 per cent of the 185 farmers who took their lives between 2007-15, compared with 8 per cent in the general population.
The first study ever in New Zealand farm suicides shows that financial stress was a "negligible" factor, reported in fewer than 5 per cent of cases, nor were... (GunPolicy.org)
Women Are Gearing Up! More Women Getting Guns in US [ES]
22 November 2016
Telemundo (USA)
[Translated Summary: According to an American news channel, more women are applying for background checks; gun shop owners also note that more and more women are purchasing firearms. The owner of a shooting range says 80% of the students are women. In addition, gun advocates point to statistics showing that, every year, 200,000 women are using firearms to defend themselves from a sexual assault.]
A pesar de que hoy en día los controles para la compra de armas son más... (GunPolicy.org)
American Women Buying More Guns Than Ever, Claims Dealer
22 November 2016
Opposing Views (Canada)
National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NCIS) numbers indicate that 2016 is on pace to have the highest number of background checks for guns on record.
Up until the end of October, NCIS conducted 22,206,203 firearm background checks, which is less than 1 million away from the record year of 2015, which ran 23,141,970 firearm background checks. With two more months left to report, 2016 will likely surpass 2015 when the November numbers come through.
NCIS... (GunPolicy.org)
Serbia Asks Citizens to Report Those Who Own Illegal Guns
16 November 2016
SEESAC (Belgrade)
Belgrade – "Before it's too late" campaign was launched today, by the Coordination Body of the Government of Republic of Serbia, European Union and UNDP SEESAC to raise the awareness on the dangers of misuse of firearms, especially in the context of domestic and intimate partner violence.
Funded by the European Union and implemented by the Coordination Body for Gender Equality of the Government of Republic of Serbia, together with UNDP SEESAC, the campaign is taking... (GunPolicy.org)
Many Australian Domestic Abusers Get Their Guns Back
8 November 2016
Sydney Morning Herald
Scores of Victorians who had firearm licences revoked after being accused of stalking and beating their partners were handed their guns back last year, raising fears women are being put at real risk of harm or death at the hands of violent ex-partners.
According to previously unpublished data, 87 people who'd previously been banned from owning or using a firearm were granted approval by the courts to have their firearm licences reinstated in 2015-16, a rate of more... (GunPolicy.org)
Why US Domestic Abusers Often Get to Keep Their Guns
31 October 2016
The Trace (USA)
Last month, Rashied Mitchell shot and killed a Seattle mother, Tabitha Apling, in front of their two young children. At the time, Mitchell was subject to a court order barring contact with Apling, his ex-girlfriend. Mitchell had a rap sheet of at least 12 prior similar convictions, and had been arrested for an alleged domestic violence attack against Aplin just days before her death.
This scenario is not unusual. Under federal law, anyone convicted of domestic violence... (GunPolicy.org)
Four Ghana Regions Main Hubs of Illegal Gun Possession
30 October 2016
Ghana Web
The three Northern Regions and the Ashanti Region have been identified as the hub for the haulage of large cache of illegal weapons in the country with the Ashanti region serving as a major user and transit point across the country and beyond, a baseline study on the proliferation of small arms in the country has revealed.
The study further revealed that while analysis of the distribution of ownership of these arms with respect to age was more concentrated in ages... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Owner Licensing Soars 71% in Puerto Rico [ES]
9 October 2016
El Nuevo Dia (Puerto Rico)
[Translated summary: In Puerto Rico, there are 210,438 registered firearms among civilians and another 15,628 in gun shops. Ownership licences increased 70.9% between 2011 and 2015 while concealed carry licences rose 18.7%. Police also observe that firearm possession incremented among women, with 747 licences in 2011 and 1,980 en 2015.]
Se reporta un incremento en la expedición de licencias y permisos de portación, así como en el valor de las importaciones de este... (GunPolicy.org)
US Women Think They're Feminists If They Own Guns [FR]
5 October 2016
TV5 Monde (France)
[Translated summary: More American women are buying one or several firearms and seeing their ownership as a symbol of emancipation. Dealers say that 20% of their sales are to women, while a recent poll by the National Shooting Sport Foundation saw an increase of 15% between 2010 and 2013. The number of women who practice sport shooting increased from 1.8 to 3.3 million in the last 15 years.]
Mères de famille, vendeuses d'armes à feu et d'accessoires spécialisés,... (GunPolicy.org)
Research: 4.5 Million US Women Bullied with Guns by Partners
5 October 2016
The Trace (USA)
The least understood aspect of the role of guns in abusive relationships is also the most pervasive.
An estimated 4.5 million women in the U.S. have been bullied or coerced with a firearm by an intimate partner. Another 1 million have survived a gunshot wound or been shot at. Those are the central findings of the first systematic review on the nonfatal use of firearms in domestic violence.
"There hasn't been much research on guns and women in the first place," Susan... (GunPolicy.org)
4.5 Million US Women Threatened With Guns by Partners [FR]
4 October 2016
BFM TV (France)
[Translated summary: About 4.5 million women have been threatened with a firearm by their partners in the US, according to a report by the US National Library of Medicine. Another 1 million have survived a gunshot wound or been shot at. As the study explains, if the gun is used to threaten, it can create an intimidating environment.]
Une étude menée par des universitaires américains pointe l'usage "non mortel" des armes à feu par les hommes sur leurs partenaires.... (GunPolicy.org)
Increase in US Murder Rate Driven by Gun Homicide - FBI
26 September 2016
Guardian
Murders in the US rose 10.8% last year, the biggest single-year percentage jump since 1971, according to data released Monday by the FBI.
The rising violence was driven by an increase in the murders of black men, and by an increase in the number of gun murders. At least 900 more black men were killed in 2015 than in 2014, according to FBI data.
There were roughly 1,500 additional firearm murders in 2015. No other type of weapon saw a comparable increase. The number of... (GunPolicy.org)
Study: 70m Guns Added to US Gun Stock Over Past 20 Years
26 September 2016
Northeastern University (USA)
The estimated number of privately-owned guns in America grew by more than 70 million—to approximately 265 million—between 1994 and 2015, and half of that gun stock is owned by only 3 percent of the population, according to a comprehensive national survey co-led by Northeastern University.
The survey, conducted in collaboration with Harvard University, is the first nationally representative survey of... (GunPolicy.org)
Gender Gap Shrinks as American Women Join Gun Culture
22 September 2016
Christian Science Monitor
The stereotypical face of gun ownership in the United States has long been a white man, one who holds conservative political views and resides in a rural area. But that may be changing, according to an upcoming survey by public health researchers from Harvard and Northeastern universities.
The percentage of Americans who own guns decreased slightly between 1994 and 2015, dropping from 25 to 22 percent, and with it the proportion of male gun owners, the survey found.... (GunPolicy.org)
Men Use Guns to Murder Most of 1,600 US Women Each Year [ES]
21 September 2016
Nuevo Siglo (USA)
[Translated summary: More than 1,600 women were murdered by men in the US in a year and in 93% of the cases the victims knew their offenders, according to a study published by the Violence Policy Center. In 54% of the incidents, the perpetrator used a firearm. The study urges legislators to adopt laws to ensure that perpetrators of domestic violence don't have access to arms.]
Más de 1.600 mujeres fueron asesinadas por hombres en Estados Unidos en un año y en un 93... (GunPolicy.org)
More US Urban Women Now Own Handguns for Protection
21 September 2016
Guardian
She only owns a handgun. She's more likely than male gun owners to live in an urban area, and less likely to have grown up in a gun-friendly household.
And regardless of how many and what types of guns she owns, she's more likely to report owning firearms for protection than men.
This is the portrait of the American female gun owner, as depicted by the most definitive survey of US gun ownership in two decades. While gun ownership has long been dominated by men in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Men Use Guns to Murder Most of 1,600 US Women Each Year
20 September 2016
Violence Policy Center (Washington, DC), Media release
Washington, DC — More than 1,600 women were murdered by men in 2014 and the most common weapon used was a gun, according to the new Violence Policy Center (VPC) study When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2014 Homicide Data.
This annual VPC report is being released in advance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October. The study uses 2014 data, the most recent year for which information is available.
The study also ranks the states on the rate of women murdered... (GunPolicy.org)
Germany,France,Europe,Czech Republic
Czech President Touts New Law to Keep Guns for Self Defence
3 August 2016
New American (USA)
Reflecting a startling change of heart, Czech Republic President Miloš Zeman (shown), once opposed to private civilian ownership of firearms for self-defense, told local Czech newspaper Blesk: "Earlier I spoke often about limiting the ability [of citizens] to have large quantities of weapons. But after the terrorist attacks [in France], I have changed the idea." He is now pushing the Czech parliament to adopt a new law that would allow citizens to purchase, keep, and... (GunPolicy.org)
US Hidden Handgun Permits Up 215% Since 2007 - John Lott
1 August 2016
Bearing Arms
According to John R. Lott, Jr. with the Crime Prevention Research Center, the number of concealed handgun permit applications [was] 14.5 million during President Obama's administration. That's a 215% increase since 2007!
Another key finding in Lott's research follows females with firearms. According to the CPRC report's findings, "the number of women with permits has increased twice as quickly as the number of men with permits."
Evidence also "suggests that... (GunPolicy.org)
The NRA Accidentally Made a Great Case for Gun Control
19 July 2016
Nation (USA)
Cleveland —The National Rifle Association sent its top lobbyist, Chris Cox, onto the stage at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday night. Keeping with the theme of the proceedings—scary people are coming to kill you—Cox told a little parable:
Imagine a young mother at home with her baby, when a violent predator kicks the door in. He's a three-time loser who was released from prison early because some politician wanted to show their compassion. What's she... (GunPolicy.org)
Correlation Between Illicit Firearms and Violence in Serbia
13 July 2016
SEESAC (Belgrade)
"I am deeply saddened to see Serbia go through one of its most tragic weeks, following another mass shooting with five dead and twenty injured. The events in Zitiste a few days ago brought to light once again three major but often ignored problems – the large scale availability of illicit firearms, its impact on public safety and most specifically its impact on intimate partner and domestic violence.
As the rest of the Western Balkans, Serbia is awash with firearms.... (GunPolicy.org)
Gunman Shoots, Kills Wife & Four Others, Injures 20 in Serbia
2 July 2016
BBC News
Five people have been shot dead and at least 20 injured in a cafe in north-eastern Serbia.
Police say the gunman killed his wife and another woman, before randomly shooting at other customers at the cafe.
Three children were among those injured in the attack near the city of Zrenjanin, the interior ministry said.
The gunman was arrested and police are investigating his motive, which is believed to be jealousy.
Witnesses told Serbia's state TV that the attacker came... (GunPolicy.org)
Americas,Europe,Asia,Africa,Oceania
WHO Assembly Adopts Resolution to Prevent Interpersonal Violence
27 May 2016
World Health Organization, Media release
Delegates at the World Health Assembly have agreed resolutions and decisions on air pollution, chemicals, the health workforce, childhood obesity, violence, noncommunicable diseases, and the election of the next Director-General…
Global plan of action on violence
Delegates agreed a resolution on the WHO global plan of action on violence. Non-fatal acts of violence take a particular toll on women and children. 1-in-4 children has been physically abused; 1-in-5 girls... (GunPolicy.org)
Firearm Ownership Closely Tied to Suicide Rates - US Study
19 May 2016
Medical Xpress
States with higher estimated levels of gun ownership had higher incidents of gun-related suicides, with firearm ownership alone explaining 71 percent of the variation in state-level gun suicide rates for males and 49 percent for females, a new study by Boston University School of Public Health researchers shows.
The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, covers 33 years, from 1981 to 2013, and is the most comprehensive analysis of the association... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Trafficking Gangs Arrested in Algeria [FR]
5 May 2016
Le Matin d'Algérie
[Translated summary: Every day in Algeria there are more and more cases of violence in which young people are involved. In Batna, a network of gun traffickers was stopped by the national gendarmerie and two shotguns, one revolver, 227 cartridges and 960 capsules were seized.]
Dans la journée de mercredi, la faculté de droit a organisé un séminaire national sur la délinquance juvénile à l'auditorium de l'université. Ce rendez-vous a été une occasion pour... (GunPolicy.org)
Customs Confiscate More and More Guns in Switzerland [FR]
20 April 2016
Tribune de Genève
[Translated summary: Switzerland reports growing possession of illegal weapons among its citizens. Although most of them are knives, sprays and airguns, customs seized 76 firearms in 2015. Police explained that in most cases, people ignore that they are illegal in Switzerland.]
Si les hommes jeunes représentent encore la majorité des cas, le nombre de femmes en possession d'armes illégales explose.
Les procédures pour infraction à la loi sur les armes affichent... (GunPolicy.org)
Punjabi Buyers Queue for New Lightweight "Ladies' Revolver"
8 April 2016
Times of India
KANPUR -- Eager buyers from Punjab are queueing up to buy 'Nirbheek', the light-weight revolver made by Kanpur's Field Gun Factory exclusively for women. Sales figures reveal that of the total number of applications received for the gun, almost three-fourth were from Punjab.
"Nirbheek, meaning 'fearless' in Hindi, is fast becoming popular among Punjab folks. About 70-75% guns are being sold to arms dealers from Punjab. However, Delhi women top the chart in purchase of... (GunPolicy.org)
Québec: Bill to Impose Mandatory Gun Registration [FR]
5 April 2016
Institute National de Santé Publique Québec (Canada)
[Translated summary: In Québec, suicide is the leading gun-related cause of death. Between 2009 and 2013, an average of 127 people died annually as a result of gun suicide - most of them men in their own homes. Bill No. 64 aims to make the registration of firearms mandatory again.]
Les enjeux liés à l'accès aux armes à feu vont bien au-delà de leur utilisation dans le cadre d'activités criminelles. L'accessibilité aux armes à feu constitue un facteur de... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Institute National de Santé Publique Québec (Canada)
US Gun Law Loopholes Raise Fatal Domestic Abuse Risk
4 April 2016
Refinery 29 (USA)
The beginning of Jitka Vesel's story is familiar. Back in 2008, she briefly dated a man she met online. When she decided they didn't have a connection, she broke it off.
That's when Dmitry Smirnov began stalking her.
For three years, Smirnov pursued Vesel. She reported the harassment, changed her phone number, cut off contact with her stalker — even moved. In 2011, Smirnov followed Vesel to the parking lot of her workplace. He killed her, shooting her 12 times as... (GunPolicy.org)
Purse Gun for Women Named for Famous India Rape Victim
19 March 2016
Times of India
KANPUR - The light-weight handgun made exclusively for women after the Delhi gang rape incident, Nirbheek, may soon be available in multiple colours.
"Market feedback has shown that women want Nirbheek in multiple colours. Though we are ready for the switch over, a final decision is yet to be taken," said Sanjeev Kumar, additional general manager of the Field Gun Factory, on the occasion of Ordnance Factory Day here on Friday. The Field Gun Factory is producing the... (GunPolicy.org)
Will Gun Violence in the US Increase in the Next Decade?
13 March 2016
CBS News (USA), Poll
Nearly half of Americans (47%) think gun violence will increase in the U.S. over the next ten years, according to a new CBS News poll released Sunday. Just 14% think gun violence will decrease.
Americans differ on what causes gun violence. The availability of guns and current gun laws is the top answer -- particularly among Democrats -- though lack of gun training, crime, mental health issues, moral values, and other causes are also volunteered by many... (GunPolicy.org)
Africa,Americas,Asia,Europe,Oceania
13 March 2016
GunPolicy.org
With apologies for being absent so long, Gun Policy News bulletins are back. At least for now.
Beginning in 1997, our dozens of regional E-mail and RSS news feeds delivered daily bulletins of small arms-related mass media articles up to June, 2014. From today we'll try to do so again, at least until the end of 2016.... (GunPolicy.org)
Macabre Truth: US Toddlers Shoot, Kill More than Terrorists Do
13 March 2016
Guardian, Opinion
This week, in my country, considered by some of its more embarrassing denizens to be the "greatest country in the world", an outspoken Florida "gun rights" advocate left a loaded .45 calibre handgun in the back seat of her car and was promptly shot and wounded by her four-year-old child. Truly a pinnacle of human potential, much like the invention of paper in second-century BC China, or Aristotle holding forth in the Lyceum, or whoever first pointed out that Florida... (GunPolicy.org)
South African Women Most Likely to Be Shot by a Partner
7 March 2016
ISS Africa
Tomorrow is International Women's Day. Observed annually on 8 March, it is a time to not only reflect on progress made by women, but also a call to action for increasing the global momentum towards gender equality.
The prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is one of the clearest markers of continued inequality between men and women in any society. South Africa has particularly high levels of SGBV for a country not involved in conflict.
Between 29% and... (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)
10 Americans Who Shaped the Gun Debate This Year
28 December 2015
Trace (USA)
Deborah Azrael, gun-violence researcher
Despite some 300 million guns in circulation in America, research on guns and gun violence remains seriously underfunded. Among the handful of public health experts helping to expand the available pool of data is Dr. Deborah Azrael of Harvard's Injury Control Research Center. Azrael co-authored a seminal study in 2015 that found firearm suicide rates are higher in states with higher rates of gun ownership, underscoring the... (GunPolicy.org)
Most US Mass Shooters Get Their Guns Legally
3 October 2015
New York Times
Grant Duwe, a criminologist with the Minnesota Department of Corrections, has studied more than 1,300 mass murders that took place from 1900 to 2013. Of them, he classifies 160 as mass public shootings, ones in which at least four people were shot and killed in a concentrated period, excluding those in family settings or involving other crimes…
Those who study these types of mass murderers have found that they are almost always male (all but two of the 160 cases... (GunPolicy.org)
Strengthening Gun Laws Can Make South Africa Safer
29 September 2015
ISS Africa
Hlupha was eight when he got his first gun and his neighbour taught him to commit crime. His first robbery was of the post office in the small town where he lived. When Hlupha was 16, he shot a boy at school for flirting with his girlfriend. He committed many more crimes over a number of years until he was arrested and convicted for kidnapping, robbery and assault. When we met him he was in prison.
Velabahleke was 10 when he stole his first gun. He found his second gun... (GunPolicy.org)
We're Missing the Big Picture on Mass Shootings
25 August 2015
HuffPost
It felt like a summer of mass shootings.
You probably heard about the killings in Charleston, South Carolina, where a white gunman opened fire inside a historic black church, and the shooting in Lafayette, Louisiana, where a man targeted moviegoers inside a darkened theater. Or the shooting in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where an armed attacker sprayed a military recruitment center with bullets.
Here's one you may not have heard about.
On Aug. 8, David Conley allegedly... (GunPolicy.org)
Colombia,Brazil,Honduras,El Salvador,Venezuela,United States,Belize
Latin America Leads World on Murder Map
6 May 2015
Guardian (Latin America)
Latin America may be the most murderous continent on Earth, but huge improvements in public safety have been achieved in several major cities, according to a new homicide map of the world that is being launched this week.
Several metropolises that were once bywords for violent death – such as Medellín, Bogotá, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro - have seen murder rate declines of more than 60% over the past two decades thanks to improved living standards, better... (GunPolicy.org)
Wear Orange, Say No To Violence Against Women
26 November 2014
Samoa Observer
As part of 16 days of activism against gender based violence, the Pacific Small Arms Action Group has launched a report on arms, security and gender in the Pacific.
The report cautions Pacific governments that failing to address the gendered impacts of arms and security will lead to ineffective and inefficient policy.
Alistair Gee, Executive Director of Act for Peace and a member of the group, called on Pacific Island governments to work together to address the... (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)
US Shooter Bought Gun, Wrote: 'Who's the Alpha Male Now, Bitches?'
26 May 2014
Mirror (UK)
Part 6
Santa Barbara: Endgame
Age 19-22
21 Years Old
My first act of preparation was the purchase [sic] my first handgun. I did this quickly and hastily, at a local gun shop called Goleta Gun and Supply.
I had already done some research on handguns, and I decided to purchase the Glock 34 semiautomatic pistol, an efficient and highly accurate weapon.
I signed all of the papers and was told that my pickup day was in mid-December. That fell in nicely, because that... (GunPolicy.org)
How US Lobby Enables Gun Massacres, Other Nations Prevent Them
25 May 2014
Daily Beast
As a shooting spree leaves seven dead in California, the gun lobby is trying to thwart attempts to study gun deaths and officials who see gun violence as a public health crisis.
Yet another massacre occurred last night at an institution of learning, this time the University of California, Santa Barbara. The price we paid for the National Rifle Association's "freedom" was seven people murdered and seven injured at nine different crime scenes.
A young man who Santa... (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)
Spitting, Stalking, Rape Threats: How Gun Extremists Target Women
15 May 2014
Mother Jones (USA)
As Jennifer Longdon steered her wheelchair through the Indianapolis airport on April 25, she thought the roughest part of her trip was over. Earlier that day she'd participated in an emotional press conference with the new group Everytown for Gun Safety, against the backdrop of the National Rifle Association's annual meeting. A mom, gun owner, and Second Amendment supporter, Longdon was paralyzed in 2004 after being shot in her car by unknown assailants, and has since... (GunPolicy.org)
Why Don't We Know How Many People are Shot Each Year in America?
14 May 2014
ProPublica
How many Americans have been shot over the past 10 years? No one really knows. We don't even know if the number of people shot annually has gone up or down over that time.
The government's own numbers seem to conflict. One source of data on shooting victims suggests that gun-related violence has been declining for years, while another government estimate actually shows an increase in the number of people who have been shot. Each estimate is based on limited, incomplete... (GunPolicy.org)
US States Move to Keep Guns Out of the Hands of Domestic Abusers
8 May 2014
Nation (USA)
Lawmakers in Minnesota and Louisiana overwhelmingly passed bills this month barring people convicted of domestic violence from possessing or purchasing firearms, both states joining a national movement to keep guns out of abusers' hands.
Minnesota's bill, signed by Gov. Mark Dayton into law Monday, would expand existing handgun restrictions for convicted abusers to include rifles and shotguns and also prohibit anyone subject to a temporary restraining order from... (GunPolicy.org)
South African Gun Abuse Victim Tells Her Story
6 May 2014
Independent (Dublin)
On the same day Oscar Pistorius shot Reeva Steenkamp, young mother Astheera Jagessar reported her boyfriend for holding a handgun to her forehead after she spoke to another man.
It all started when an electrician arrived at her boyfriend's house when she was alone there. She wasn't sure why he turned up, so she called her partner and told him to come home. When he arrived back after having a few drinks, he was furious and jealous that Astheera was speaking to a... (GunPolicy.org)
In America, 'Scores of Bullying Victims Bring Weapons to School'
4 May 2014
Examiner (Denver)
Scores of bullying victims are bringing weapons to school, says new research offered in a presentation today. A recent study shows adolescents who are harassed in multiple ways most likely to carry gun or knife on campus, says the new study, "Exponential, Not Additive, Increase in Risk of Weapons Carrying by Adolescents Who Themselves Are Frequent and Recurrent Victims of Bullying." The abstract of the research is online. Bullying can take many forms. Students who have... (GunPolicy.org)
American Military Suicide: Often Young, White Men With Guns
26 April 2014
Washington Post
The Pentagon released final data on military suicides during 2012, painting a general picture of those more likely to take their own lives: Young, white men who used a gun and often had some history of mental health issues.
— Almost 93 percent were male
— 74 percent were white
— Almost 40 percent were between 17-24
— 65 percent used a firearm; almost 76 percent of those used a gun that was not issued by the military
— 25 percent died of asphyxiation,... (GunPolicy.org)
NRA Quietly Backs Down on Some Domestic Violence and Guns
22 April 2014
Huffington Post (USA)
WASHINGTON - For nearly a decade, the National Rifle Association successfully blocked a bill in Washington state that would have required alleged domestic abusers to surrender their firearms after being served with a protective order. Only those actually convicted of felony domestic violence, the nation's largest gun lobby argued, should be made to forfeit their gun rights.
This past year, the NRA changed its tune. As the bill, HB 1840, once again moved through the... (GunPolicy.org)
Haiti,Americas,Asia,Africa,Europe,South Sudan,Liberia,Oceania
Over 400,000 People Murdered Worldwide in 2012, 40 Percent Caused by Guns
10 April 2014
UN Dispatch (New York)
Almost half a million people across the world lost their lives in 2012 as a result of intentional homicide, with the highest murder rates logged in the Americas and Africa, and the lowest in Europe, Asia and Oceania, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reports.
"Too many lives are being tragically cut short, too many families and communities left shattered. There is an urgent need to understand how violent crime is plaguing countries around the world,... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun-Related Homicides Rising in Uganda - Report
9 April 2014
Observer (Kampala)
The number of cases of murder by shooting in Uganda rose by 14 per cent last year, the annual police report has shown.
The 2013 Crime, Traffic and Road Safety report, which was released in Kampala on Monday, shows that the police investigated 131 cases of gun-shot murder, compared to 115 the year before. Some 192 people were shot dead last year, the report said. Of these, 163 were men, 20 were women, six were boys and three were girls.
Releasing the report, Inspector... (GunPolicy.org)
Increasing Rate of Gun Ownership in Mexico
7 April 2014
Frontera NorteSur / Mexidata
More Mexicans are acquiring arms to defend their families and property. According to a university researcher, the number of firearms legally possessed in Mexico increased 53 percent from 2009 to 2012, jumping from 2,033,749 to 3,118,592 guns.
Ernesto Villanueva, a researcher for the National Autonomous University of Mexico's Institute of Legal Research, based his findings on data from the Mexican Defense Ministry (Sedena), which is in charge of registering firearms.... (GunPolicy.org)
Call for Israel to Sign Arms Trade Treaty to Prevent Gun Violence Against Women
4 April 2014
+972 Magazine, Blog
The Knesset Committee for Advancement of the Status of Women is about to discuss a national action plan, initiated by a wide coalition of feminist NGOs, for the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1325. The resolution calls for the adoption of a gender perspective in peace and security issues, or simply put – for the consideration of women's special security needs, and of the unique nature of harm they suffer. For the first time, the national action plan... (GunPolicy.org)
Almost One Third of 2013 Swedish Homicides Involved Guns
31 March 2014
Local (Sweden)
Last year testified to an upswing in deadly violence, new crime statistics revealed on Monday, as 87 people lost their lives to violence in Sweden, compared to 68 the year before. Almost one in three was shot.
Statistics collated by the National Crime Prevention Council (Brå) showed that 2013 was more violent than 2012, but over the longer term, fatal violence has gone down in Sweden. The statistics also included manslaughter.
"The number of cases of deadly violence... (GunPolicy.org)
Opinion: The US Gun Lobby's Craziest Target Yet
18 March 2014
New York Daily News, Opinion
The latest casualty of the National Rifle Association's wag-the-dog sway over Washington politics is Dr. Vivek Murthy, President Obama's choice to be surgeon general.
He's a brilliant young Harvard- and Yale-educated physician and instructor at Harvard Medical School who has founded both a tech pharmaceutical startup and a charity focused on HIV education in his parents' home country of India.
Among the many groups endorsing Murthy for the post are the American Cancer... (GunPolicy.org)
South Africa Asks: Where's Our Debate On Gun Control?
17 March 2014
Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)
"Guns, ammo and shooting are as much a part of everyday life [in Pretoria] as a trip to the dentist," an Australian journalist recently reported. It's a narrative we've been hearing a lot of from our international colleagues lately. South Africa, the gun-mad land of fear, where citizens hole up with firearms to defend themselves against any threat.
It's true for some. It's clearly true for the Pistorius family, with Beeld reporting last year that Oscar's father, three... (GunPolicy.org)
18 People Shot Daily in South Africa, Violent Crime Rate Remains High
12 March 2014
Deutsche Welle, Video
South African athlete Oscar Pistorius is on trial, charged with the pre-meditated murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, who died after being shot four times on Valentine's Day in 2013. The paralympic gold medalist is also charged with three firearms offenses.
While Pistorius has admitted to killing Steenkamp in his Pretoria home on February 14, he has pleaded not guilty and claims he fired through the bathroom door after mistaking her for an intruder.
The rate of... (GunPolicy.org)
Italian Teen Kills Self After Learning to Load Father's Gun Online
11 March 2014
Local (Italy)
A 17-year-old girl from the Sicilian province of Trapani, committed suicide after learning how to load a gun on the internet.
The pistol, which was kept unassembled in a safe at the family home in the town of Marsala, belonged to her father, an officer with the financial police, the local news website Marsalaviva.it reported.
The girl, named by the website as Simona Giacalone, is reported to have gathered information on the internet on how to assemble and load a... (GunPolicy.org)
One in Six Uruguayans Own a Gun, NGOs Say Real Number Higher [ES]
11 March 2014
Diario UNO de Entre Rios (Argentina)
[Translated summary: One in six people in Uruguay has a gun according to recent figures. There are officially 580,000 registered firearms in Uruguay but there are concerns about an increase in gun sales on the black market amid insecurity in the Latin American region. Citizens must pass a mental health exam and firearms training to own a weapon, while carrying a weapon requires further checks. There is a strong cultural acceptance of the defensive use of a firearm,... (GunPolicy.org)
US Study Shows Having a Gun in the House Doesn't Make a Woman Safer
23 February 2014
Atlantic (USA)
Christy Salters Martin is a professional boxer and the owner of a concealed carry permit. But when she attempted to leave her husband, she was shot with her own gun. Today, she cautions other women against making the same mistake. "Just putting a weapon in the woman's hand is not going to reduce the number of fatalities or gunshot victims that we have. Too many times, their male counterpart or spouse will be able to overpower them and take that gun away."
Wayne... (GunPolicy.org)
Focus on Risk of Guns at Home During South Africa Suicide Prevention Campaign
18 February 2014
Health24 (Cape Town)
Guns are 85% more lethal than any other means used to commit suicide. Gun Free South Africa urges gun owners to be responsible during Teen Suicide Prevention Week (16-22 February 2014) and hand in their guns to the police for destruction.
Gun Free South Africa's spokesperson, Adle Kirsten, "There are different ways to help prevent suicides, but one step is clear; reducing a suicidal person's access to a lethal weapon helps save lives."
Just a week ago a double tragedy... (GunPolicy.org)
Estranged Husband Crashes Baptism, Kills Ex-wife, Wounds 4 in Brazil
16 February 2014
Latin American Herald Tribune (Venezuela)
BRASILIA – A woman died and four other people were wounded Sunday when an armed man fired several shots in a church in the town of Guarulhos, near the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo, police said.
The incident occurred during the baptism ceremony for a baby and the woman who died – according to what police commissioner Joao Blase, who is handling the case, told reporters – was the child's mother.
Blase confirmed that some witnesses had said the man who fired the... (GunPolicy.org)
Falling Gun Registrations in Argentinian Region [ES]
10 February 2014
Diario El Argentino (Argentina)
[Translated summary: 47 guns were registered in the Argentinian region of Entre Rios in January 2014 according to data from the Provincial Weapons Registration Division (Repar). Most buyers are men over the age of 40 and the guns are purchased for hunting or sport shooting. The number of guns registered in the province fell from 645 in 2012 down to 566 in 2013 and it is estimated that there are 1.5 million registered in Argentina overall. Citizens must undergo a... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Debate: Is Price of an Armed America a More Dangerous America?
2 February 2014
Christian Science Monitor
ATLANTA - Charles Ingram and Robert Webster were neighbors in Florida, but friends said the two older men had little love for each other and often quarreled. On a spring day in 2010, the two men, both gun enthusiasts who had state permits to carry concealed weapons, got into another argument across their lawns.
This time, police later said, both men pulled out their weapons. When Mr. Webster began approaching, Mr. Ingram raised his gun, as did Webster. Two shots rang... (GunPolicy.org)
20 Young People a Day Hospitalized for Gun Injuries in America
27 January 2014
USA Today
Almost one child or teen an hour is injured by a firearm seriously enough to require hospitalization, a new analysis finds. Six percent of the 7,391 hospitalizations analyzed in 2009 resulted in a death, says the study in February's Pediatrics, released Monday.
The damage caused by gun-related injuries rarely gets the same attention as fatalities, "but that every day, 20 of our children are hospitalized for firearms injury, often suffering severe and costly injuries,... (GunPolicy.org)
Guns Primary Cause of Homicide in Trinidad & Tobago
26 January 2014
Guardian (Trinidad and Tobago)
T&T continues to rank in the top ten for homicides per capita around the world. This is according to a source at the United Nations Information Service. The United Nations Information Service has produced reports with statistics on homicides in 207 countries. The categories are: Homicides by most Populous City; by Firearms; by Sex; and Total Homicides in 2013, and is recorded per 100,000 citizens.
Calculations by the Sunday Guardian showed that between 2004 and 2009,... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,New Zealand,Europe
Guns Raise Risk of Suicide, Homicide, Shot Women: Global Meta-Analysis
21 January 2014
University of California, San Francisco, Media release
Someone with access to firearms is three times more likely to commit suicide and nearly twice as likely to be the victim of a homicide as someone who does not have access, according to a comprehensive review of the scientific literature conducted by researchers at UC San Francisco.
The meta-analysis, published online Jan. 20 in Annals of Internal Medicine, pools results from 15 investigations, slightly more than half of which were done after a 1996 federal law... (GunPolicy.org)
Europe,New Zealand,United States
Access to Guns Lifts Risk of Suicide, Homicide: Global Meta-Analysis
21 January 2014
Annals of Internal Medicine (Philadelphia)
Abstract
Background: Research suggests that access to firearms in the home increases the risk for violent death.
Purpose: To understand current estimates of the association between firearm availability and suicide or homicide.
Data Sources: PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Web of Science were searched without limitations and a gray-literature search was performed on 23 August 2013.
Study Selection: All study types that assessed... (GunPolicy.org)
Guns + Impulsive Teenagers = Family Tragedy in America - MSNBC feature
19 January 2014
MSNBC News (USA)
Michael Graham killed himself a year ago. The 13-year-old was at home in Brewster, N.Y., and used one of his father's unsecured guns to shoot himself on Jan. 14, 2013. The boy "definitely" acted on impulse – "without a doubt," his aunt Maureen Hutchins told msnbc.
"Did he have a bad day at school? Fight with a girlfriend? Things that happen to a 13-year-old – when you're that age – can seem overwhelming, but two hours later, you know, you move on," said Hutchins.... (GunPolicy.org)
New Gun for Indian Women Criticised as Increasing Risk, Unaffordable
17 January 2014
BBC News
India has launched a new handgun for women, named after a student who was gang-raped in Delhi in December 2012 and later died of her injuries. Officials say it will help women defend themselves, but critics say it's an insult to the victim's memory.
In his large office on Kanpur's Kalpi Road, Abdul Hameed, the general manager of the state-run Indian Ordnance Factory, shows me Nirbheek, the factory's tiniest gun.
"It's small, it's lightweight, it weighs only 500g... (GunPolicy.org)
India's New Gun for Women Slammed as 'Abhorrent'
14 January 2014
CNN
NEW DELHI, India - A light-weight gun named after an Indian gang rape victim has triggered a wave of criticism from advocates who call it "abhorrent."
Last week, an Indian state-run gunmaker introduced the .32-calibre revolver, made of titanium alloy, calling it a "valuable contribution to women's security."
The 500-gram firearm is called Nirbheek, meaning fearless in Hindi. The name was "inspired by Nirbhaya," said Abdul Hamied, the general manager of the Indian... (GunPolicy.org)
Over 19,000 Colombians Arrested for Illegally Carrying Weapons
13 January 2014
Prensa Latina (Havana)
BOGOTA - More than 19,000 Colombians were recently arrested for illegal carrying of weapons, which was described by the national police chief, Rodolfo Palomino, as a blow against illegal gangs involved in murders and theft.
Palomino said they seized 34,155 guns without licenses and 18 percent of the detainees claimed that the seized weapon was not theirs.
Palomino explained that early this year, 17 minors and 15 women were arrested for that offense (in 2013 the figure... (GunPolicy.org)
India Makes First Gun Designed for Women
12 January 2014
Fox News (USA)
An Indian gun manufacturer has made its first gun intended to help women defend themselves against rape.
According to The Times of India, the Indian Ordnance Factory (IOF) has manufactured Nirbheek, a .32 bore lightweight revolver. The gun is India's first firearm designed for women.
It is the factory's first handgun made of titanium alloy and weighs 500 grams.
The gun was released on Jan. 6, and is named in tribute to Nirbhaya, the pseudonym of the 23-year-old... (GunPolicy.org)
Florida's Largest Gun Dealer Bans Gun Rentals in Wake of Suicides
10 January 2014
Orlando Sentinel (Florida)
Shoot Straight, Florida's largest independent gun-shop chain, has stopped renting guns to prevent its eight Florida ranges from becoming suicide parlors.
Khaled Akkawi, founder of the Apopka-based chain, made the decision last month after the latest suicides at one his gun ranges.
"We've had enough," Akkawi said Friday. "They've been increasing real fast and the one common denominator — everyone is done with a rental gun."
Shoot Straight joins a growing number of... (GunPolicy.org)
Yale Students Recommend Public Health Approach to Gun Policy
20 December 2013
Hartford Courant (Connecticut), Opinion
In the year since the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, more than 11,161 people were killed with a firearm in the U.S., while an estimated 69,000 were shot and survived and 20,000 committed suicide with a firearm. Also, at least six other mass shootings — such as the Navy Yard shooting in Washington and a shooting that injured 13 people in Chicago's Back of the Yards neighborhood — were committed.
Although Sandy Hook motivated some states —... (GunPolicy.org)
Training Seminar in West Africa to Prevent Arms Trafficking [FR]
19 December 2013
Ici Lome
[Translated summary: The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping and Training Centre and the Togolese Government held a training seminar in December 2013 on firearms and ammunition. The aim is to prevent the uncontrolled trafficking and circulation of weapons amongst criminals and terrorists in West Africa, with an estimated 100 million small arms in Africa.]
Togo - Le Centre International kofi ANNAN en collaboration avec le gouvernement togolais organise du 17 au 18... (GunPolicy.org)
Women Twice as Likely to be Shot Dead by Partner Than by Stranger
13 December 2013
University of California / EurekAlert, Media release
SACRAMENTO, California — More intensive screening to identify firearm owners among individuals who are subject to domestic violence restraining orders, and streamlining processes to recover guns at the time those restraining orders are served could help enforce existing laws that prohibit these offenders from having firearms, a pilot study conducted by violence prevention experts at the University of California, Davis, and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public... (GunPolicy.org)
Behind the Bloodshed - The Untold Story of America's Mass Killings
4 December 2013
USA Today, Web page
Since 2006, there have been more than 200 mass killings in the United States.
Well-known images from Newtown, Aurora and Virginia Tech capture the nation's attention, but similar bloody scenes happen with alarming frequency and much less scrutiny.
USA TODAY examined FBI data - which defines a mass killing as four or more victims - as well as local police records and media reports to understand mass killings in America.
They happen far more often than the government... (GunPolicy.org)
Opinion: US Senator Calls for Background Checks on Private Gun Sales
30 November 2013
San Jose Mercury News (California), Opinion
Twenty years ago Saturday, the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act became the law of the land. This ground breaking gun-safety law requires background checks on all gun sales by licensed dealers.
Background checks on gun purchases work. The law has stopped more than 2 million convicted felons, domestic abusers and individuals with serious mental illnesses from purchasing firearms.
But the Brady Act has a big loophole: It does not require background checks on the... (GunPolicy.org)
Nigeria Drafts Law to Meet Arms Trade Treaty Requirements
24 November 2013
Daily Trust (Abuja)
ABUJA — At a workshop organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Abuja last week, 30 legal experts from the Ministries of Justice, Defence and Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly, received advice and tools for drafting a bill on the requirements of the Arms Trade Treaty and the Nigerian domestic law.
The treaty requires parties to prevent the illicit trade in conventional arms, comprising small arms and light weapons, tanks, missiles,... (GunPolicy.org)
20,000 Maltese Citizens Own Guns, Mostly Collectors - Eurostat Study
8 November 2013
Times of Malta
Some 20,000 Maltese were estimated to own firearms according to a study carried out by Eurostat.
However, only two per cent said they owned the gun for personal protection, much less than the EU average of 14 per cent. A total 21 per cent said they were collectors.
The study, conducted in collaboration with Misco last month, found that only seven per cent of those surveyed had owned a firearm.
Some 78 per cent said they agreed with cooperating with neighbouring EU... (GunPolicy.org)
Firearm Injuries Cost US Over $16 Billion in Hospital Care Over 9 Years
4 November 2013
ScienceDaily
Firearm injuries in the U.S. cost more than $16 billion in hospital resources between 2000 and 2008, according to new research released today at the American Public Health Association's 141st Annual Meeting in Boston.
According to the research, 275,939 victims of gunfire in the U.S. resulted in 1.7 million days of hospital service - an average of 6.7 days per incident. The average cost of medical treatment for each hospitalization was $59,620. Additionally, roughly one... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed Canadian Gun Owner with Assault Weapon Kills 2, Self
18 October 2013
CBC News (Canada)
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary says that Brian Dawe was wearing body armour and had an AK-47 assault rifle when he used a handgun to shoot two people dead in Conception Bay South earlier this week before he killed himself.
In a statement Friday afternoon, the RNC said Dawe also had hundreds of rounds of ammunition and a 9-mm handgun on him when they found his body at a cemetery in Mount Pearl.
According to the RNC, Dawe was in possession of the firearms legally,... (GunPolicy.org)
Argentina Youth Gun Homicides Points to Rising Organized Crime
15 October 2013
InSight Crime (Bogota) / La Nacion
Violent deaths among youth in Argentina are at a ten-year high in a pattern that may point to the rise in organized crime in the country.
In 2011, the most recent full year statistics are available, 794 people aged 15 to 29 were murdered, reported La Nacion; the total figure of 4,935 violent deaths in that age range is the highest since 2003.
The number of intentional homicides could be much higher. As reported by La Nacion, another 1,074 youth deaths were recorded as... (GunPolicy.org)
Time to Block Gun Violence Against Women in America
8 October 2013
Reuters
If October is like every other month, 46 women in the United States will be murdered with a gun by an intimate partner.
Public attention was gripped by the most recent mass shooting, at the Navy Yard in Washington, but during Domestic Violence Awareness month, we need to focus on the fact that women face a heightened risk of gun violence.
Women are more than three-and-a-half times as likely to be killed by an intimate partner as men. A gun in a household with a... (GunPolicy.org)
Children and Guns: The Hidden Toll of Unintentional Shootings in the US
28 September 2013
New York Times
The .45-caliber pistol that killed Lucas Heagren, 3, on Memorial Day last year at his Ohio home had been temporarily hidden under the couch by his father. But Lucas found it and shot himself through the right eye. "It's bad," his mother told the 911 dispatcher. "It's really bad."
A few days later in Georgia, Cassie Culpepper, 11, was riding in the back of a pickup with her 12-year-old brother and two other children. Her brother started playing with a pistol his father... (GunPolicy.org)
Over 80,000 Guns Collected in Burundi Disarmament Campaign [FR]
25 September 2013
Afriquinfos / Xinhua
[Translated summary: Over 80,000 small arms and light weapons have been seized from citizens in Burundi during a disarmament campaign. Officials have called on women leaders to be involved in the efforts, as victims of many of the crimes the disarmament is trying to prevent.]
BUJUMBURA - Plus de 80.000 armes légères et de petit calibre (ALPC) de différentes sortes ont été retirées de la population à la veille de la deuxième phase du désarmement civil, prévu... (GunPolicy.org)
There Will Be Another Mass Shooting in US According to Prediction
17 September 2013
Atlantic Wire (USA)
The next mass shooting will take place on February 12, 2014, in Spokane, Washington. It will be committed by an emotionally disturbed, 38 year-old white man who will kill seven people and wound six more at a place he used to work using a semi-automatic handgun he purchased legally in the state.
That, at least, is what a look at the data on past such shootings might indicate. We'll say at the outset: Every assertion in the first paragraph is a function of probability,... (GunPolicy.org)
Criminal Groups Use Women to Move Guns in Honduras
9 September 2013
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Authorities in Honduras say recent arrests of women transporting weapons indicate they are now being used by criminal groups for arms trafficking, among other tasks, another illustration that the role of women in organized crime is growing in Latin America.
According to a Honduran police spokesperson, six women have been arrested in recent days carrying weapons, reported El Proceso. Two of these women were caught September 2, after authorities stopped a bus northwest... (GunPolicy.org)
US Citizens Continue to Buy Guns in Fear of Tougher Laws
5 September 2013
Wall Street Journal
Permits to buy handguns in New Jersey — which has some of the strictest firearms laws in the U.S. — increased by 67% through June compared with the same period in 2012, according to data provided by the state police.
New Jersey issued 59,120 permits required to purchase handguns in the first six months of 2013, the data show. Through June 2012, 35,425 permits were issued, and 64,107 were obtained for the entire year.
Experts, gun-rights groups, and new gun owners... (GunPolicy.org)
Tougher Gun Law Sparks Hope For Lower Violent Crime Rate in Albania
16 August 2013
Southeast European Times
Albanian officials hope that the new law on the illegal possession of weapons will lead to a lower violent crime rate.
The new penal code, which came into law in June, increases the sentence for people convicted of illegal possession of weapons from three years maximum to three to eight years in prison. The new law also mandates that a sentence of no less than 10 years in prison be given to those who use weapons illegally in public places.
Police say that more than... (GunPolicy.org)
'Enduring Decrease' in Swiss Suicide Rate After Army Reduced Gun Access
30 July 2013
American Journal of Psychiatry
Objective - Firearms are the most common method of suicide among young men in Switzerland. From March 2003 through February 2004, the number of Swiss soldiers was halved as a result of an army reform (Army XXI), leading to a decrease in the availability of guns nationwide. The authors investigated the patterns of the overall suicide rate and the firearm suicide rate before and after the reform.
Method - Using a naturalistic study design, the authors compared suicide... (GunPolicy.org)
English MP 'Shocked' at Failure of Gun Owner Background Check Bill
23 July 2013
Lancashire Telegraph
An MP has said he is shocked plans to block abusive partners from owning guns haven't been taken up.
Hyndburn MP Graham Jones said he was planning to support measures aimed at tackling domestic abuse when parliament returns in September.
He said: "I am 'shocked' by a recent government vote that will mean people with a history of domestic violence can keep applying for firearms licences.
"Over the summer the government rejected a Labour amendment to the Anti-Social... (GunPolicy.org)
Africa,Americas,Oceania,Europe,Asia
Report: Most Armed Violence Has Nothing to Do With War
2 July 2013
Voice of America
A new report finds only a small percentage of people who die violently are killed as a direct result of war. The Small Arms Survey 2013 reports hundreds of thousands of people die every year as a result of armed violence while going about their daily activities.
The news media report daily on people killed by machine gun fire, mortars and other lethal weapons in conflicts such as Syria, Mali, and Afghanistan.
But according to the Small Arms Survey, these deaths... (GunPolicy.org)
The Untold Story of Gun Violence in America - Life-Altering Injuries
30 June 2013
Reuters
Miles Turner V, 18, was shot at least five times on a Chicago sidewalk last October. Doctors believed he might die, but he survived.
The high school football player, who had never been in any trouble, is now undergoing physical therapy, in hopes of being able to walk again.
"His life has changed dramatically from what it was," said his father, Miles Turner IV. "It's not easy."
Young Miles represents a largely untold side of the gun violence story. It's about the... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Owners Still Overwhelmingly White Males
12 June 2013
US News & World Report
The Pew Research Center's latest survey on gun control this week provided a familiar profile of the typical gun owner in the United States: adult, white and male. That profile differs greatly from the makeup of the country, according to Pew. White men represent just a third of the U.S. population, but about 60 percent of adults with guns in America today are white men.
This revelation isn't new. In April, Dan Baum, author of the recent book "Gun Guys: A Road Trip"... (GunPolicy.org)
Over 4,000 Guns Destroyed in South Africa
5 June 2013
Citizen (South Africa)
The destruction of thousands of confiscated and surrendered firearms and knives is aimed at making society safer, Gauteng police said yesterday.
Speaking at a briefing at ArcelorMittal in Vereeniging, Gauteng Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Mzwandile Petros said he was happy that the weapons had been permanently removed from the public.
"The confiscations were largely due to the community who provided tip-offs to police," he said. More than 4,000 firearms... (GunPolicy.org)
Suicides Account for Most US Gun Deaths
24 May 2013
Pew Research Center
Suicides by gun accounted for about six of every 10 firearm deaths in 2010 and just over half of all suicides, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Since the CDC began publishing data in 1981, gun suicides have outnumbered gun homicides. But as gun homicides have declined sharply in recent years, suicides have become a greater share of all firearm deaths: the 61% share in 2010 was the highest on record. That year there were 19,392... (GunPolicy.org)
US Defence Considers New Gun Policy as Military Suicide Rate Soars
15 May 2013
New York Times
After Specialist Freddy Hook, a medic with the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, killed himself in 2010, the trail of possible causes seemed long.
He had used illegal drugs: Was it the demons of addiction? His rocky relationship with his fiancée? A wrenching deployment to earthquake-ravaged Haiti or the prospect of an impending tour in Afghanistan?
As with most of suicides plaguing the military today, no one will know for sure.
"There are so many factors," said his... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Ownership Rises to Record Post-Gun Law Levels in Brazil [PT]
11 May 2013
Globo (Rio de Janeiro)
[Translated summary: The number of Brazilians who have been granted permission to own guns has risen to record levels in 2012, with 60% of the 31,500 permits granted being issued to civilians for that year. Between 2002-2012, citizens in the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina registered the most guns, with an estimated 8 million legal guns in Brazil overall despite the high cost of registering them. There are calls for stricter enforcement of... (GunPolicy.org)
13 People Shot Dead Each Day in India says NGO
6 May 2013
Post Noon (Hyderabad)
Hardly any noise is made in India about increasing use of firearms among civilians and related violence. We tend to think that it is an issue that needs to be tackled in places like the United States, perhaps because of recurring incidents of mass murders. But not here, in the land of the non-violent freedom movement, we say. However, with a staggering 40 million civilians owning guns, second only to the United States, discourses, questions and debates on the topic... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Suicides Soar Among White, Middle-Aged Americans
3 May 2013
Stuff (New Zealand) / Associated Press
The suicide rate among middle-aged Americans climbed a startling 28 per cent in a decade, a period that included the recession and the mortgage crisis, the government reports.
The trend was most pronounced among white men and women in that age group. Their suicide rate jumped 40 per cent between 1999 and 2010.
But the rates in younger and older people held steady. And there was little change among middle-aged blacks, Hispanics and most other racial and ethnic... (GunPolicy.org)
El Salvador Police Report 45% Drop in Homicides After Gang Truce
2 May 2013
InSight Crime (Bogota)
The number of murders in El Salvador so far in 2013 is 45 percent lower than the previous year, providing a reminder of the benefits of the country's gang truce at a time when the agreement is coming under increasing pressure.
From January to April this year, there were 694 recorded murders, according to the National Police (PNC), 530 less than the same period in 2012. January saw the highest number of murders with 191, while April had the lowest with 148, reported El... (GunPolicy.org)
More US Women Taking Up Guns, for a Variety of Reasons
1 May 2013
Korea Herald / Agence France Presse
FREDERICKSBURG, Virginia ― Proudly brandishing a target she had riddled with bullets, 62-year-old Sharon Schaefer could not hide her delight at joining America's growing number of gun-toting women.
"It was fun!" she exclaimed breathlessly, much to the approval of her instructor Teresa Ovalle.
"You did a good job, Sharon," said the former Marine, who had just given the senior citizen a crash course in pistols at the Fredericksburg Range, some 80 kilometers southwest... (GunPolicy.org)
Officials say US Gun Checks Would Stop Illegal Guns Getting to Bahamas
18 April 2013
Tribune (Bahamas)
Officials in the Bahamas had hoped that the now failed proposed measure to expand gun background checks in the United States would have assisted law enforcement here to stem the tide of illegal firearms into the country.
Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson, speaking to reporters yesterday, said any legislation that would have made it more difficult to traffic in firearms would have had a significant impact in the Bahamas.
"Very early on in our administration, the... (GunPolicy.org)
Guns of 15,000 Abusive Men Seized in Turkey
14 April 2013
Today's Zaman (Istanbul)
Family and Social Policy Minister Fatma Şahin has announced that the weapons of 15,000 men found to have been involved in violence against women have been confiscated as a protective measure since the Law on the Prevention of Violence against Women came into effect 13 months ago.
Speaking to the Akşam daily during her visit to Helsinki, Şahin provided some details about the implementation of Law No. 6284 on the Prevention of Violence against Women and the Protection... (GunPolicy.org)
New Research Shows Gender Divide on Gun Control in US
13 April 2013
Daily Mail (UK)
Nearly two thirds of women favour stronger gun laws compared to just 44 per cent of men, a poll has revealed - highlighting the enduring gender divide over the issue.
The numbers, from a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, show that gun control could be yet another hurdle for Republicans in their battle to win female votes.
Experts note this divide has been a long-standing trend, with a Pew Research Center survey from March showing current gap is similar to that between... (GunPolicy.org)
South Africa,Haiti,South Sudan,Sierra Leone,Liberia,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,Oceania,Southern Africa,Central America,East Asia,Southern Europe,Western Europe,North Africa,East Africa,South Asia,South America
Some 437,000 People Murdered Worldwide in 2012 - UNODC Study
10 April 2013
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Media release
VIENNA - Almost half a million people (437,000) across the world lost their lives in 2012 as a result of intentional homicide, according to a new study by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Launching the Global Study on Homicide 2013 in London today, Jean-Luc Lemahieu, Director for Policy Analysis and Public Affairs, said: "Too many lives are being tragically cut short, too many families and communities left shattered. There is an urgent need to... (GunPolicy.org)
Legally-Owned Guns Weapons of Choice in Domestics in Canada
5 April 2013
Ottawa Sun (Ontario)
Police say it's nearly impossible to prevent domestic-related murders like the one that rocked a Gatineau daycare Friday morning.
Hunting shotguns similar to the gun used in Friday's incident can be legally owned but police no longer know who they belong to.
"Since the long gun registry was abolished, there's absolutely no way now for law enforcement to know who owns or possesses long guns," said Ottawa police weapons expert Det. Chris O'Brien.
Most often, it's women... (GunPolicy.org)
South African Women Remain at Risk of Homicide by Their Partners
2 April 2013
News24 (Cape Town)
JOHANNESBURG - There has been no significant decrease in the rate of South African women murdered by their partners, the Medical Research Council of SA said on Tuesday.
"In South Africa, the murder of women by their partners remains a serious problem," senior researcher of the gender and health unit Naeemah Abrahams said in a statement.
According to a recent study led by Abrahams, the murder rate for women older than 14 was substantially lower in 2009 than in... (GunPolicy.org)
Kyrgyzstan Officials Consider Ban on Carrying Guns at Govt
26 March 2013
24 News Agency (Kyrgyzstan)
BISHKEK - At least 58 MPs have firearms in the amount of 164 units. Irina Karamushkina, member of SDPK faction stated today at a meeting of the Committee on Ethics and Regulations referring to the Interior Ministry's data.
According to her, four of them are women. "These are honorary and hunting weapons. But I think we should ban carrying of guns in the Parliament building. This object is guarded by officers of the 9th detachment of the State Committee for National... (GunPolicy.org)
Guns and Family Violence: How Many Tragedies Does It Take?
25 March 2013
al Jazeera, Opinion
On December 1, 2012, NFL linebacker Jovan Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins. He then drove to Arrowhead Stadium and then shot and killed himself in front of his two coaches and the general manager of his team, the Kansas City Chiefs. On February 14, 2013, South African track star Oscar Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp through the bathroom door of his home. Two well-known athletes, two horrifying acts. While we don't know... (GunPolicy.org)
Facts Show Guns Don't Offer Protection, Despite What the NRA Says
25 March 2013
Guardian (UK), Blog
"The one thing a violent rapist deserves is to face is a good woman with a gun!" That was Wayne LaPierre, executive director of the National Rifle Association, the standard bearers for America's gun lobby, making the case that personal firearms prevent rape.
The assertion that guns offer protection is a mantra the NRA has repeated often. In the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting, LaPierre opined: "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a... (GunPolicy.org)
Philippines,South East Asia,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa
Arms Trade Treaty or What? - Opinion
21 March 2013
Philippine Star, Opinion
In the next week or so, the members of the United Nations have an opportunity to agree an historic Treaty that would make a lasting difference to people across the world. It's not front-page news most of the time, but the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is within our grasp — and, with it, comes a chance to make a major contribution to the security of humankind. It will help to ensure that the uncontrolled movement of arms no longer threatens the security and prosperity of... (GunPolicy.org)
Romania,Burkina Faso,Poland,Russia,Latvia,Tunisia,Guinea,Senegal,Bulgaria,China,Africa,Europe,Côte d'Ivoire
Arms Proliferation and Abuse Shatter Communities in Côte d'Ivoire - AI
20 March 2013
Amnesty International (London)
Reckless and illegal arms supplies from Europe, Africa and China to the warring parties in Côte d'Ivoire over the past decade continue to fuel grave human rights abuses and violent crime in the country, Amnesty International said in a detailed report launched at the United Nations (UN) headquarters.
The 33-page report, Communities shattered by arms proliferation and abuse in Côte d'Ivoire, documents how a handful of states and a network of multinational arms... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
London Gun Murder Investigation Unit to Be Realigned, Merged
14 March 2013
Guardian (UK)
Police confirmation that they had moved the central core of Operation Trident – its dedicated murder investigation unit – to the homicide and serious crime command, effectively signals the end of Trident, the London-based organisation I founded with other community activists in the mid-1990s.
Back then, while the culture of gun crime affected whole communities and neighbourhoods, 90% of homicide victims were black, mainly black men. The police response was woeful,... (GunPolicy.org)
Europe,China,Asia,Americas,Oceania,Kenya,Cuba,Côte d'Ivoire,Africa,Central America,Russia,United States
Women Explain Why an Arms Trade Treaty Can Save Many Lives
7 March 2013
Amnesty International (London), Media release
It is estimated at least half a million people are killed with guns every year and on average a further 200,000 men, women and children die as an indirect result of armed conflicts and violence that are frequently fuelled by the uncontrolled flow of small arms.
And for every person that is killed in an armed conflict, many more are injured and tortured, raped, abused, forcibly disappeared, taken hostage or displaced. Even more have their access to food, water, shelter,... (GunPolicy.org)
A Guide to Mass Shootings in America
27 February 2013
Mother Jones (USA)
It is perhaps too easy to forget how many times this has happened. The horrific mass murder at a movie theater in Colorado last July, another at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin in August, another at a manufacturer in Minneapolis in September — and then the unthinkable nightmare at a Connecticut elementary school in December — are the latest in an epidemic of such gun violence over the last three decades. Since 1982, there have been at least 62 mass shootings* across the... (GunPolicy.org)
Growing Rate of 'Suicide by Cop' Shootings in Canada
27 February 2013
CBC News (Canada)
On the evening of Jul. 17, 2010, the RCMP in Okotoks, Alta., received a report of a domestic assault, and about six hours after the initial call, with the emergency response team deployed around his house, 39-year-old Corey Lewis stepped out the door.
"He took up a kneeling stance and raised an object to his shoulder and pointed it at the loudspeaker. The object he was holding appeared to have a silver tip and was dark in colour," according to Cliff Purvis, the... (GunPolicy.org)
Editorial: Violent, Drunk and Holding a Gun in the US
23 February 2013
New York Times, Editorial
Multiple mass shootings by deranged young men have made keeping firearms out of the hands of mentally ill people a big part of the gun debate.
Given the enormity of those crimes, that is understandable. Federal law does, in fact, prohibit gun ownership by mentally ill people if a judge has found them to be dangerous or they have been involuntarily committed to a mental hospital. President Obama has also issued executive orders to ensure that federal background checks... (GunPolicy.org)
New Australian Data Shows Most Gun, Knife Victims Know Killer
22 February 2013
Age (Melbourne)
Slain Victorians are four times more likely to have been killed as a result of domestic violence or by an acquaintance than under other circumstances, research from the Australian Institute of Criminology has revealed.
Knives and other sharp objects are the most often used weapons, with most offenders in domestic homicides being men who have killed female partners.
The findings have renewed calls for the Baillieu government to reinstate the $250,000 funding needed for... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Crime Falls in South Africa After Tougher Laws Introduced
19 February 2013
South Africa Info
The arrest of Olympic and Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius following the shooting of his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, at Pistorius' home in Pretoria last week has focused considerable attention, in the local and international media, on gun laws and gun ownership in South Africa.
In 2004, new legislation came into force in South Africa, in the form of the Firearms Control Act of 2000, that brought in significantly tougher controls on the ownership, possession... (GunPolicy.org)
How Strict Are South African Gun Laws?
15 February 2013
Time (USA)
The paralympian Oscar Pistorius has been charged with murder by a South African court following the death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, from gunshot wounds at his home within a gated Pretoria housing estate. The woman sustained wounds to her head and the upper body, and was reported to have been shot four times. A 9mm pistol was recovered from the scene.
According to Gunpolicy.org, there are just under 6 million licensed firearms in South Africa, which has a... (GunPolicy.org)
Female Gun Ownership in US About Protection, Power
10 February 2013
New York Times
PAINESVILLE, Ohio — Mary Ann Froebe stood feet apart with knees slightly bent and aimed the .22-caliber Ruger semiautomatic.
"You've got some adrenaline running through you right now," said Esther Beris, the coordinator of the northeastern Ohio chapter of A Girl and a Gun Women's Shooting League. "It's O.K., just relax."
Ms. Froebe, 42, a small-business owner who described herself as a "virgin gun shooter," concentrated and pulled the trigger. "It was awesome," she... (GunPolicy.org)
Tom Diaz on Converting to Gun Control and the Effect of Newtown
4 February 2013
Macleans (Canada)
Tom Diaz, 72, is one of the most prominent gun control advocates in the United States. A former senior policy analyst at Washington's Violence Policy Center — which considers firearms violence to be a public health issue rather than criminal issue — Diaz wrote Making a Killing: The Business of Guns in America in 1999. It explored the links between political lobbying by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and gun manufacturers. Last year, dismayed by a decade of... (GunPolicy.org)
How the AR-15 Became the Most Wanted Gun in America
2 February 2013
New York Times
PASADENA, Maryland - The phone rings again at Pasadena Pawn and Gun, and a familiar question comes down the line: "Got any ARs?"
The answer is no. Pasadena Pawn and Gun, a gun retailer and pawnshop 15 miles south of Baltimore, is pretty much sold out of America's most wanted gun, the AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle. Since the massacre in Newtown, Conn., in December, the AR-15, the military-style weapon that the police say was used in the shootings, has been selling... (GunPolicy.org)
Fact-Check: Dispelling Pro-Gun Myths in America
31 January 2013
Mother Jones (USA)
By cutting off federal funding for research and stymieing data collection and sharing, the National Rifle Association has tried to do to the study of gun violence what climate deniers have done to the science of global warming. No wonder: When it comes to hard numbers, some of the gun lobby's favorite arguments are full of holes.
Myth #1: They're coming for your guns.
Fact-check: No one knows the exact number of guns in America, but it's clear there's no practical way... (GunPolicy.org)
Costa Rica to Tighten Gun Control, as Gun Crime Rises
25 January 2013
Tico Times (Costa Rica)
Two years ago, 32 women, 48 children and 172 men were killed by firearms in Costa Rica.
Those statistics glow from backlit posters on Avenida Escazú, southwest of the capital, and overlook highways in Curridabat, east of the city, emblazoned on giant billboards.
"The goal is to inform people that firearms in general have a negative effect," said Randal Arias, director of the governance and justice program at Costa Rica's Peace and Democracy Foundation and manager of... (GunPolicy.org)
India: Delhi Women Rush for Gun Licences after Fatal Gang Rape
3 January 2013
South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)
Hundreds of women in Delhi have applied for gun licences following the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman by six men in a bus in the city last month.
The news underlines the widespread sense of insecurity in the city, deep before the incident and deeper now, as well as the lack of faith in law enforcement agencies.
The ashes of the victim of the attack - who died on Friday after 13 days in hospitals in India and Singapore and was cremated in Delhi in a secret... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Leader Rejects Proposals to Loosen Gun Controls
7 December 2012
Winnipeg Free Press (Manitoba)
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper has rejected recommendations from his firearms advisory committee and is suggesting the group's membership may need revisiting.
Documents obtained by the Coalition for Gun Control reveal the committee advising Public Safety Minister Vic Toews wants some prohibited weapons, including handguns and assault rifles, reclassified to make them more easily available.
The 14-member group is also pushing to make firearm licences good for... (GunPolicy.org)
On École Shooting Anniversary Quebec Battles for Its Own Gun Registry
6 December 2012
Yahoo (Canada) / CBC News (Canada)
Quebec is moving forward on plans to create its own version of the former federal long-gun registry.
In light of the anniversary of the Montreal Polytechnique massacre, the Parti Québécois has announced the government will move forward with a bill that will make long-gun registration mandatory. The provincial registry will be implemented as soon as Quebec can obtain the necessary data from the Canadian Firearms Registry.
The federal long-gun registry was created by... (GunPolicy.org)
Costa Rica,Mexico,Honduras,Guatemala,Colombia,Brazil,El Salvador
Study Shows South America Gun Deaths More Likely in Cities [ES]
5 December 2012
Prensa Libre (Guatemala) / EFE News Agency
[Translated summary: A new study found that over 60 percent of gun homicides in Costa Rica, Guatemala and El Salvador occur in large cities. ]
GINEBRA - El informe titulado "Violencia urbana armada" señala que las capitales de los países concentran buen parte de la violencia, por ejemplo la Ciudad de Guatemala o Managua, que contabilizan un 42 por ciento del total de los homicidios armados a nivel nacional.
El estudio, basado en cifras oficiales, revela también las... (GunPolicy.org)
Namibia Authorities Worried Over Rising Armed Domestic Violence Rates
28 November 2012
New Era (Namibia)
OSHIKANGO — Crimes of passion are among the top offences committed in the country and they are a serious cause for concern, says police Inspector-General Sebastian Ndeitunga.
Lieutenant-General Ndeitunga made this observation during the inauguration of a new police station at Oshikango on Monday. A total of 31 men from several regions across the country have been arrested between January and November for murdering at least 32 women after their love relations hit the... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Violence Falling in Bermuda, Cops Hope New Plan Continues Trend
27 November 2012
Royal Gazette (Bermuda)
National Security Minister Wayne Perinchief has defended his Ministry's record on fighting gang violence.
But Government will implement a National Crime Reduction Plan which will "raise the game" on fighting crime even further, the media was told yesterday.
At Alaska Hall Mr Perinchief said that his Government had been "proactive" in fighting gang crime. An "easy guide" on community action and gang prevention had been widely distributed and well received, and... (GunPolicy.org)
'Crisis' of Armed Violence in South Sudan Despite Disarmament, says NGO
27 November 2012
Médecins Sans Frontières, Media release
JUBA — A report released today by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) highlights the devastating impact of violence on the lives and health of civilians in South Sudan's Jonglei state. Women and children as young as four months old are among the victims. Healthcare is threatened as medical facilities are targeted and destroyed.
Jonglei state has a long history of intercommunal cattle-raiding; however, since 2009 thousands of civilians, women and children have been... (GunPolicy.org)
GPNHeader: Guns Where Tobacco Was in 1950s: Death Toll Amenable to Science
25 November 2012
Denver Post (Colorado)
Gun violence must be treated as a public-health issue — such as alcohol, smoking and traffic — say people concerned about gun-related death rates from mass shootings and random shots nationwide.
"Guns are where tobacco was in the 1950s," said Garen Wintemute, director of the Violence Prevention Research Program, who practices emergency medicine at the University of California at Davis School of Medicine. "There's a little bit of science and a great deal of... (GunPolicy.org)
South Africa Women Face Higher Risk of Violent Death with Gun in Home
22 November 2012
South Africa Government News Agency (Tshwane)
PRETORIA — Women are three times more likely to die violently if there is a gun in the house, Minister for Women, Children and People with Disabilities Lulu Xingwana said on Thursday.
"Domestic violence becomes even more deadly when guns, legal or illegal, are present in the home because they can be used to threaten, injure or kill women and children," Xingwana said.
This is according to the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) Women's Network.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
Canada Long Gun Registry Closes, as Evidence Shows Need for Info
16 November 2012
Toronto Star (Ontario)
OTTAWA — It was a quiet death.
Two weeks ago, with no fanfare and no formal announcement, the federal Conservatives oversaw the end of the long-gun registry.
All that the Mounties kept was information on long guns held in Quebec, until a court challenge by that province to keep the data is settled.
Now, just as quietly, along comes the long-gun registry's obituary in the form of the annual report for 2011 on the firearms program.
Vic Toews, minister of public... (GunPolicy.org)
Call for Higher Gun Taxes in Dominican Republic [ES]
19 October 2012
Listin Diario (Dominican Republic)
[Translated Summary - There are calls for the Dominican Republic to increase the taxes for gun possession and carry licences to reduce violence against women and children. However others have called for tougher controls on those who can access firearms.]
SANTO DOMINGO - La ministra de la Mujer, Alejandrina Germán, pidió hoy incluir el aumento de los impuestos de la expedición y renovación de licencia de armas de fuego en el proyecto de reforma fiscal integral,... (GunPolicy.org)
Swiss Man Shoots Dead Estranged Wife, Injures Self in Attempted Suicide
29 September 2012
Local (Switzerland)
A 40-year-old woman was shot dead at a hairdressers in the canton of Aargau on Wednesday by a man believed to be her husband, who then turned the gun on himself.
The incident occurred around 10.30am in a hair salon in Wettingen, a town of 20,000 people.
Cantonal police said the man, aged 51, entered the salon and shot several bullets at the woman who died on the spot.
The attacker was seriously wounded by self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
He was transported by... (GunPolicy.org)
Papua New Guinea Finds Success with Restorative Justice After War
28 September 2012
Science Magazine
Papua New Guinea has a fearsome reputation for violent conflict. Between 1991 and 2010, about 500 clan wars killed about 1% of the Enga, the nation's largest linguistic group. But on page 1651 of this issue, researchers document an astonishing turn toward peace among the Enga. Starting around 2005, the people began to rely on compensation in village courts to resolve offenses that once might have triggered war, and by 2011, few Enga waged war. "Now people don't want... (GunPolicy.org)
United Kingdom,Malaysia,United States
Calls for Higher Enforcement of Gun Laws, Ending Smuggling
18 September 2012
New Strait Times
Crimes involving firearms are becoming too commonplace these days. Consider the following incidents, as reported in the last few weeks:
Aug 9 Robbers shot at a victim who chased them at Pandan Perdana after robbing him of a handphone and some cash;
Aug 25 A robber, armed with an automatic pistol, struck at a jewellery shop in Jalan Datuk Bandar Tunggal, Seremban;
Aug 26 Mat Keya Jusoh, a coffee shop owner, was shot dead in a drive-by shooting in Kampung Bukit... (GunPolicy.org)
New Survey of US Gun Sellers Shows Easy Access for Criminals
11 September 2012
Futurity / UC Davis (United States)
A new survey reveals that 54.9 percent of US firearms dealers and pawnbrokers believe it's too easy for criminals to get guns in America.
The UC Davis Firearms Licensee Survey is believed to be the first of its kind to gather the views of federally licensed firearms dealers and pawnbrokers on important social issues and the firearms business itself, as well as to collect data on the characteristics of these business establishments.
The survey was conducted by the UC... (GunPolicy.org)
Punjab Women Take Up Guns to Shoot Criminals, Rebels, 'Spoiled Brats'
1 September 2012
Tribune (India)
CHANDIGARH - Septuagenarian Amrik Kaur of Amarkot, a recipient of the Shaurya Chakra, a top civilian gallantry award, wants arms licences for both her daughters-in-law to carry forward the family tradition of keeping its women armed.
Amrik Kaur — once known as the "lioness of the border areas" — used to engage militants in night-long encounters during the peak of militancy in Punjab. Though she lost her husband Shahbeg Singh and domestic help Mukhtyar Singh in one... (GunPolicy.org)
Venezuela Calls for Gun Control
27 August 2012
Christian Science Monitor, Web page
Venezuela has one of the highest murder rates in the world, and illegal firearms are prevalent. More than 130,000 illegal arms were turned into the state last year as part of a pilot disarmament program.
As in many countries in the Western Hemisphere, a vigorous debate is going on in Venezuela about how to control the possession and use of illegal weapons. Amid a climate of extreme ideological polarization and varied political agendas, perceptions and misinformation... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia Police Union Opposes Pro-Gun Panel Advising on Law Change
27 August 2012
Brisbane Times (Queensland)
More people will die as a result of gun crime if the Newman government carries through on a plan to reduce red tape for gun owners, the Queensland Police Union says.
The stark warning came as Premier Campbell Newman sought to reassure the community, saying that while the government was examining the gun licence renewal process it would not relax ownership rules.
Firearms dealers, sporting shooters and hunters are represented on a new Newman government committee... (GunPolicy.org)
Who Owns Northern Ireland's 153,000 Legally Held Guns?
23 August 2012
The Detail (Ireland)
As the Department of Justice consults on proposed changes to firearms licensing laws here, The Detail can reveal information about the owners of Northern Ireland's 153,459 legally held guns.
Almost 60,000 members of the public own over 146,000 firearms with the remaining 7,018 legally held guns belonging to serving police and prison officers.
The Detail has been given rare access to information stored on the PSNI's Shogun firearms database in response to a Freedom of... (GunPolicy.org)
North Ireland Authorities Release Gun Data
23 August 2012
Guardian (UK), Blog
The Detail has been given rare access to information stored on the Police Service of Northern Ireland's (PSNI) Firearms database in response to a Freedom of Information request.
We have analysed detailed information provided on each of the 59,585 people living in Northern Ireland who currently hold firearms licences. In each case, we were given each gun owner's age, gender, the police district they live in, the number of weapons they own and the conditions of use on... (GunPolicy.org)
Legal Gun Ownership in Northern Ireland - the Guardian
22 August 2012
Guardian
The Detail has been given rare access to information stored on the Police Service of Northern Ireland's (PSNI) Firearms database in response to a Freedom of Information request.
We have analysed detailed information provided on each of the 59,585 people living in Northern Ireland who currently hold firearms licences. In each case, we were given each gun owner's age, gender, the police district they live in, the number of weapons they own and the conditions of use on... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Law Change Lowers 'Femicide' Rate in South Africa But Work Needed
22 August 2012
Money Web (South Africa)
One to two women killed are killed by their husbands, boyfriends or partners.
Most South African women are killed by their husbands, boyfriends or same sex partners, a Medical Research Council (MRC) study has found.
"In South Africa every one to two women killed are killed by her partner," said MRC gender and health researcher Naeemah Abrahams on Tuesday.
The study, giving comparative figures of 1999 and 2009, indicated an overall decrease in female homicides as well... (GunPolicy.org)
Increasing Demand for 'Status Symbol' Guns in India
16 August 2012
Indian Express
Is procuring a gun that difficult? Not quite it seems. The recent arrest of three Osmania University students for possessing illegal arms settles the debate to some extent. But when it comes to issuing gun licences, the Hyderabad Police is fairly conservative.
However, even by their conservative stats, it appears that more and more number of people, including a few women, in the twin cities are queuing up to get a licence.
Half of the applications are usually rejected... (GunPolicy.org)
UK NRA Boss Calls US NRA Fanatical: LaPierre 'Made Me Physically Ill'
9 August 2012
Telegraph (UK)
On the rainy summer's morning that I arrive at Bisley, a sprawling collection of colonial buildings and rifle ranges set in 3,000 acres of Surrey heathland, news is breaking about a policeman who has been shot dead in Essex. An unfortunate coincidence, this, given that I've come here not to write about gun crime but to meet some typical – that is to say, non-deranged – gun owners.
In a clubhouse which has silver trophies in display cabinets and sepia photographs of... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Sales to Women, Elderly Jump in Colorado After Mass Shootings
9 August 2012
CBS News (USA)
AURORA, Colorado - Gun shops in the Denver area report seeing more and more people buying guns and taking gun safety classes after the Sikh temple shooting in Wisconsin on Sunday, close on the heels of the Colorado theater shooting last month, according to CBS Denver.
Applications for conceal carry permits have doubled and tripled in the surrounding counties since the shootings, the station reports.
Although the sheriff's office says that some permits were already in... (GunPolicy.org)
Tampering With Guns Results in Hundreds of Casualties in Yemen
2 August 2012
Yemen Observer
Abdulkhaleq, 8-year-old child, was killed last Wednesday when he was tampering with Russian-made pistol in his district of al-Qaflah, Amran governorate. According to the police, the bullet lodged in his head and died on the spot.
In another accident, an 8-year-old child killed his father during his tampering with a machine gun in his home in Sabwah governorate.
According to the Ministry of Interior, the bullet launched from his fathers' gun that the child was playing... (GunPolicy.org)
Analysis: US Households Disarm, But Fewer Gun Owners Own More Guns
1 August 2012
CNN
A decreasing number of American gun owners own two-thirds of the nation's guns and as many as one-third of the guns on the planet - even though they account for less than 1% of the world's population, according to a CNN analysis of gun ownership data.
The data, collected by the Injury Prevention Journal, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the General Social Survey and population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, found that the number of U.S. households... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Violence: The Public Health Issue Politicians Want to Ignore
24 July 2012
Forbes (USA)
On the morning a 24-year old man armed with two Glock automatic handguns, a shotgun, an AR-15 assault rifle and chemical gas went on a shooting rampage at a midnight screening of a Batman movie, the National Rifle Association sent out a tweet to its 6,000 followers: "Good morning, shooters. Happy Friday! Weekend plans?"
Perhaps we can excuse the horrible timing and chalk up the insensitivity of the tweet to a clueless social media coordinator who didn't quite notice... (GunPolicy.org)
Celebratory Shootings, Stray Bullets in the US [ES]
19 July 2012
BBC News
[Translated summary: Doctor Garen Wintemute, emergency physician and expert on the Prevention of Violence at University of California, Davis, began an investigation throughout the United States to determine the effect of stray bullets in the population.]
Oakland, California. Enero 10, 2008. Christopher Rodríguez, un niño de 10 años, tomaba una lección de piano cuando se produjo el robo de una gasolinera en el vecindario. Hubo disparos. Una de las balas atravesó la... (GunPolicy.org)
South African Medics Carry Handguns After Attacks On-Duty
18 July 2012
Times (South Africa)
Facing the threat of violence daily , paramedics are now arming themselves so that they can get on with the business of saving people's lives.
This emerged yesterday during a judgment in the case of two men accused of raping two paramedics in Roodepoort, on the West Rand, in 2010.
Private paramedics who spoke to The Times claimed that up to 60% of emergency workers at certain emergency services companies carried weapons to protect themselves against attack while on... (GunPolicy.org)
More Indian Women Getting Gun Licences for Self-Defence
15 July 2012
Times of India
INDORE - Firearms and guns are catching the fancy and imagination of Indore women like never before. This year in the first half gun licenses were issued to six women as against the 12 in the past year. Officials say the number would go up by the end of the year.
In the past women hardly applied for gun licenses except for transfer of licenses issued in their late husband's name, said a senior official. But now, there are several applicants seeking license for fresh... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Buybacks Target Wrong Guns, Owners: Money Could Be Better Spent
15 July 2012
WNYC News (New York)
A Queens lawmaker last week called for more gun buy-back programs in the wake of a triple fatal shooting. But experts cast doubt on the effectiveness of the program to thwart crime.
Councilman James Sanders urged Queens District Attorney Richard Brown at press conference last Tuesday to hold another gun amnesty event. The most recent borough-wide buy-back program netted 922 guns.
Buybacks allow gun owners to turn over their weapons in exchange for money, no questions... (GunPolicy.org)
More Than 300 Struck by Stray Bullets in US Between 2008-09 - Study
9 July 2012
Youth Today (USA)
More than 300 people in the United States were struck by stray bullets between March 2008 and February 2009, often from shootings unconnected to the victims, according to a new study by researchers from the School of Medicine at the University of California, Davis.
Published in The Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, the study calculated the frequency of stray-bullet shootings during an 11-month period – a phenomenon, according to researchers, that resulted in... (GunPolicy.org)
German Club Allows Unlicensed Visitors to Try Out Guns: 2 Injured
9 July 2012
Local (Germany)
Organisers of a public relations event at a German gun club were left red-faced on Sunday, after a woman accidentally shot a man in the foot. Both had to be treated for injuries.
The embarrassing - and painful - accident happened at the open day at a shooting club in the small town of Sallgast in the state of Brandenburg, eastern Germany, the Express newspaper reported.
The club took the ill-fated decision to allow visitors without firearms licenses to try out guns... (GunPolicy.org)
7,987 Guns Registered under Women's Names in Guatemala [ES]
18 June 2012
Prensa Latina (Havana)
[Translated summary: Responding to the increase of violence Guatemalans turn to firearms, as shown by the increase of licence applications.]
Guatemala - Las guatemaltecas encuentran en las armas de fuego una forma de defenderse de la violencia y aumentó el número de las que solicitaron licencia o ya las registraron para portarlas, afirma hoy una publicación.(RadioPL)
Ese incremento fue confirmado por la Dirección General de Control de Armas y Municiones, en tanto... (GunPolicy.org)
Domestic Violence Now Predictable, Most Deaths in Arizona Involve Guns
10 June 2012
USA Today
PHOENIX – Pamela Blaies handed her daughter a pamphlet on domestic violence, opening it in her hands to point out specific signs of an abusive relationship.
"Look at this. Look at all this. See this? This is you," Pamela told 28-year-old Amanda Blaies-Rinaldi.
"… your partner controls everything.
"… your partner calls you names or yells at you.
"… your partner shoves, pinches, hits, punches, kicks or otherwise hurts you.
"… your partner destroys your... (GunPolicy.org)
Report Details Arizona Mass Shooting: Neo-Nazi Shot 4 in the Head
29 May 2012
Seattle Times / AP
GILBERT, Ariz. — All four people killed by a former neo-Nazi before he turned the gun on himself this month in a quiet Phoenix suburb were shot in the head, according to a police report released Tuesday that paints the clearest picture yet of the gruesome crime scene.
Various Gilbert police officers and detectives wrote about what they saw at the home where they believe Jason Todd "JT" Ready, 39, shot and killed his girlfriend and three others, including a toddler,... (GunPolicy.org)
Guatemala Reported 149 Women Killed with Firearms [ES]
23 May 2012
Prensa Libre (Guatemala)
[Translated summary: A total of 227 women were murdered in Guatemala, most of them with firearms (149), in the first quarter of 2012, representing 16.74% less than the same period of 2011, said an official source.]
Un total de 227 mujeres fueron asesinadas en Guatemala, la mayoría de ellas con armas de fuego, en en el primer cuatrimestre de 2012, lo que representa un 16,74 % menos que el mismo periodo de 2011, reveló hoy una fuente oficial.
CIUDAD DE GUATEMALA -... (GunPolicy.org)
Growing Number of Indian Women Turning to Firearms for Protection
21 May 2012
Guardian (UK)
When Dr Harveen Kaur Sidhu travels from her home in an upmarket neighbourhood of the north-western Indian city of Chandigarh, she always slips her lightweight .22 revolver in her bag. The gun is a new purchase – Sidhu got her licence only a year ago – but now the 33-year-old dentist won't travel without it.
"I don't have faith in the police to protect me. There are so many attacks on women these days. It's everybody's right to defend themselves. I think all women... (GunPolicy.org)
In Turkey, Debating a Woman's Right to Have a Gun in Domestic Violence
19 May 2012
National Public Radio (USA)
In Turkey, hundreds of women die each year at the hands of a husband or family member, in a society that critics say too often ignores violence against women. After years of frustration, one organization has shaken up the debate with a controversial proposal: arming women and training them to defend themselves.
Looking back, Yagmur Askin thinks perhaps she should have paid more attention on her wedding day, when her husband's family welcomed her by saying, "You enter... (GunPolicy.org)
West Africa,Ghana,Mali,Liberia
African Media Tasked to Assist Security Agencies Fight Arms Trafficking
20 April 2012
Ghana News Agency
Mr Jones Applerh, Executive Secretary, Small Arms and Light Weapons Commission, (SALW), on Friday appealed to the media to help security agencies control small arms proliferation in the country, especially before, during and after the December polls.
He urged the media to use the power of mass communication to expose the dangers of illicit proliferation of small arms into Ghana and other West African States.
Mr Applerh was addressing a three-day capacity building... (GunPolicy.org)
Record Number of Gun Permits in Hawaii, More Women Taking Gun Classes
18 April 2012
News Now (Hawaii)
HONOLULU – Numbers released by the Department of the Attorney General show a record number of permits were issued for firearms and a record number of firearms were registered in Hawaii in 2011.
Last year 14,460 permits were issued statewide compared to 12,214 in 2010. And 36,804 firearms were registered in Hawaii in 2011 compared to 31,390 the year before.
"Most of the folks we get are acquiring firearms for the purposes of protection," said Bill Richter, President... (GunPolicy.org)