Gun Policy News
Media mentions of .50cal small arms and ammunition
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)
Bolsonaro's Gun Laws Arm Brazil's Brazen Bank Thieves
22 September 2022
Reuters
In August last year, Brazilian farmer Reinaldo Huijsmans reported a break-in at his house in the town of Maracaju, where thieves stole six legally registered weapons, including a T4 Taurus assault rifle.
Huijsmans, 39, is one of hundreds of thousands of Brazilians now registered to own guns, a group whose ranks have surged six-fold since far-right President Jair Bolsonaro was elected in 2018 and began loosening gun laws.
Two months later, Huijsmans' T4 turned up 1,300... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico's Bold Move Against Gun Companies
1 September 2022
Arms Control Association
Of 193 member states of the United Nations, Mexico has the fifth-largest number of unregistered firearms in civilian hands, behind the United States, India, China, and Pakistan.(1) This availability of firearms and the violence it enables have major destructive consequences. In Mexico, guns are the weapon of choice in 70 percent of total homicides and 60 percent of homicides committed against women. Guns are also the main tool in homicides of young people.
Gun violence... (GunPolicy.org)
2 August 2022
Small Arms Review
Its society beset by civil wars in the last fifty years, Yemen is awash in small arms. Nearly every Yemeni male over the age of ten carries some form of weapon, from the traditional jambiya (curved dagger) to assault rifles, as personal apparel and icons of masculinity. In the remote mountains and wadis, open carry of an assault rifle is not only common and widely accepted, but is considered de rigueur. Even heavy weapons such as the DsHk 12.7 machine guns and RPG-7s... (GunPolicy.org)
Dozens of 3D-printed Firearms Sold at Buyback in Houston, Texas
2 August 2022
Fox 26 Houston (Texas)
Houston leaders say they will no longer accept 3D-printed firearms, also known as ghost guns, at future gun buyback events after one man allegedly exchanged dozens of them over the weekend.
"We're going to exclude those next time around," said Mayor Sylvester Turner. "This is a program designed for people who want to voluntarily relinquish their guns."
On Saturday, city officials held their first gun buyback event in Houston. The mayor's office says more than 840... (GunPolicy.org)
Jamaica Pushes for Higher Standards of Investigation and Prosecution for Gun Crimes
7 July 2022
The Ministry of National Security
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security, Courtney Williams, says the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) is working to develop and promote higher standards for the investigation and prosecution of trafficking in firearms and related crimes.
While speaking at today's launch of a five-day training workshop, which is being organised by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Williams explained that the proliferation and increased access to illegal... (GunPolicy.org)
In Puerto Rico, Buying a Gun Is Now Easier Than Ever
26 June 2022
Global Press Journal
The Puerto Rico Weapons Act of 2020, which made legally obtaining and carrying a firearm much easier, is now over two years old — and Puerto Ricans are buying guns as never before. Nearly 100,000 gun licenses were issued in 2020 and 2021 in total, compared to around 1,200 in 2017.
[Chart in the original]
The Puerto Rico Weapons Act of 2020 was established to create a "new law that conforms to the current reality by seeking a balance between the constitutional right... (GunPolicy.org)
United Kingdom,Australia,United States,New Zealand
Australia, UK, New Zealand Tackled Mass Shootings
1 June 2022
CNN, Opinion
A man – almost always a man – commonly with no criminal history and no diagnosis of mental illness, armed with a lawfully obtained semiautomatic 'assault' weapon, kills and injures a large number of innocents in a place they imagined to be safe.
It happens around the world, but horrifyingly more and more often in the United States, most recently in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York.
To those of us who live in culturally similar nations, but where the... (GunPolicy.org)
Ukraine,United States,Russia,Turkey,Germany,United Kingdom,Poland
What Weapons Have Other Countries Supplied to Ukraine?
17 March 2022
Guardian
The US president, Joe Biden, has announced an $800m (£610m) package of arms to Ukraine as the west steps up military aid against invading Russia forces.
The west's military assistance to Ukraine began cautiously with helmets and flak jackets but now includes drones that can destroy Russian tanks and artillery from 50 miles away.
The west has repeatedly refused to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine but is now supplying a range of powerful weapons. They... (GunPolicy.org)
Jamaica Hatches New Plan to Seize Illegal Guns as Murders Soar
10 February 2022
InsightCrime
As attention continues to focus on Jamaica's spiraling homicides, the country's prime minister has promised to stem the violence by clamping down on illegal firearms – a proposition that is easier said than done.
More than 90 guns have been seized as part of the government's "Get Every Illegal Gun" campaign, which launched in early February. The Jamaica Constabulary Force confiscated the latest batch at a gated community in Trelawney after a shootout that left a top... (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)
Permits to buy firearms on the rise
28 January 2022
El Sol de México
During the first half of Q4, 16,150 [firearm licences] were granted, 31% more than in the first three years of Peña Nieto's term.
His history with the use of firearms goes back to his childhood. When he was six years old, he would go hunting with his father in the mountainous areas on the outskirts of the ranchería where he lived in Tepalcatepec, Michoacán. His old man would show him how to hold and aim the shotgun to shoot deer, birds and other species. Now, nearly... (GunPolicy.org)
Kyrgyzstan: Gun Control Needs to be Tightened
21 January 2022
Central Asian Bureau for Analytical Reporting (Cabar Asia)
In recent years, mass attacks on educational institutions have become widespread in various countries. If such tragedies were previously known to the world from the West, now they are known from all over the world, including Russia. Last year, the former Soviet Union countries were shocked by the tragic events in Russia: 15 people were killed by gunmen at Perm University and Kazan high school. Given the common information space shared between Russia and Central Asian... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Central Asian Bureau for Analytical Reporting (Cabar Asia)
Lebanese Rush to Buy Weapons for Personal Security
30 December 2021
The National (Lebanon)
The business of firearms dealer Abdullah has been booming since Lebanon's economy collapsed.
He sells at least three rifles a day – Kalashnikovs are popular among households in fear for their safety as crime rates soar. He also sells boxes of ammunition and grenades.
An automatic rifle or machinegun costs between $400 and $1,400.
His sales have risen threefold since the financial crisis began in 2019, even though the dollar value of the minimum wage has dropped to... (GunPolicy.org)
Panama to Exchange Illegal Weapons for Food Stamps
13 December 2021
Tiempo (Panama)
The plan, which is an initiative of the Panamanian government and the Ministry of Public Security, was launched on Monday.
The Panamanian government on Monday launched a programme for the voluntary exchange of illegal weapons for vouchers to buy in supermarkets and shops, at a time when the country is experiencing a rise in homicides, the vast majority of which are committed with firearms.
The "Pacificando Mi Barrio" programme, which involves the exchange of weapons,... (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)
Fewer Firearms in Portuguese Homes
25 September 2021
Diario de Noticias (Portugal)
New licences decrease every year
PSP estimates that there are fewer firearms in the home, taking into account those voluntarily surrendered and new weapons acquired, but stresses that this decrease "may not constitute a trend" due to the pandemic.
In an assessment made to Lusa news agency regarding the two years of the entry into force of the weapons law, which aims to limit the number of firearms in the home, the Public Security Police said that "there has been a... (GunPolicy.org)
China's position on Gun Control
20 September 2021
CNN
Last week, a 47-year-old man stormed into a law firm in China's Wuhan city and shot dead a lawyer who he had 'some disputes with,' according to Chinese state media. He then stuffed his gun, just under 20 inches (50 centimeters) long, into a tennis racket bag and left.
The fatal shooting shocked many in China, which has some of the world's strictest gun control laws -- so much so, that some people thought initial reports were about yet another American shooting.
'When... (GunPolicy.org)
Argentina,Brazil,Chile,Colombia,Mexico
Gun Laws in Latin America's Largest Economies
26 August 2021
Council of the Americas (COA)
Countries may adopt stringent gun control laws, but their efforts are complicated by international arms smuggling. We explore policies in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico.
For government across Latin America, reducing violence and providing security are top agenda items. AS/COA Online looks at gun-related legislation in Latin America's largest economies, identifying regulations for arms licensing. In Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico, gun... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico Sues US Gunmakers to Stop Weapons Crossing Border
4 August 2021
Guardian
The Mexican government has launched legal action against US gunmakers in an unprecedented attempt to halt the flow of guns across the border, where US-made weapons are routinely used in cartel gun-battles, terror attacks on civilians – and increasingly to challenge the state itself.
The Mexican government is suing six gunmakers in a Massachusetts court, alleging negligence in their failure to control their distributors and that the illegal market in Mexico "has been... (GunPolicy.org)
3D-printed Guns Becoming More Accessible
31 July 2021
Al Jazeera
There are mounting concerns over the proliferation of 3D-printed weapons amid growing arrests across Europe of people downloading and or trying to build their own guns.
"All you need is a weekend's worth of time and $50 for the materials".
That was the advice of Stephan Balliet, a German Neo-Nazi who has been sentenced to life in prison for killing two people after attempting to attack a synagogue in the city of Halle on October 9, 2019.
Balliet, 27, was referring to... (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)
United States,Mexico,Central America,Honduras
US-made Guns are Active in Central America
16 April 2021
The Guardian
The stray bullet from the gang fight struck Katery Ramos when she was 12 years old, playing on the dirt street in the poor Planeta neighbourhood of San Pedro Sula, Honduras. "I was standing up for a moment, afterwards I fell," she told me, sitting with her mother in a scrubby field near her home.
The bullet entered just above her waist and didn't hurt, she said. But when she arrived at the hospital, the doctor announced that it had cut through her spine. She was... (GunPolicy.org)
The Dominican Republic To Buy Back Privately Owned Guns
22 March 2021
Telesur (Venezuela)
This policy seeks to reduce the levels of violence associated with the illegal possession of weapons in this Caribbean country.
The Dominican Republic's President Luis Abinader announced that a program to buy illegal weapons will start on April 6 to reduce the violence levels.
Besides the destruction of the weapons, his plan establishes compensation in cash and coupons redeemable for any product in commercial establishments.
It also includes compensation for police,... (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)
Azerbaijan,Armenia,Russia,Israel,Turkey,United States,United Kingdom
Arms Supplies to Armenia and Azerbaijan
17 February 2021
EVN
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been embroiled in an intense and violent ethnic conflict over Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) for over three decades. The conflict is at the very core of the modern statehoods of both countries. It has resulted in two full-scale wars in 1992-94 and 2020 and regular skirmishes, with the most significant one being the 2016 Four Day April War. The conflict has led to both countries becoming among the most militarized countries in the world. A 2019... (GunPolicy.org)
More Than 100,000 Californians Have Bought A Gun In Response To Covid-19 Crisis, Report Finds
20 October 2020
Guardian
More than a hundred thousand Californians have bought a gun since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, a new report has found, in a surge of gun sales that has experts worried about the risk of suicide and deadly instances of domestic violence.
Researchers at the University of California, Davis, found that 110,000 people in California purchased a firearm in direct response to the coronavirus. About 47,000 of the buyers were first-time gun owners. Buyers cited... (GunPolicy.org)
South Africa,United States,United Kingdom
Gun Trafficking from US to UK Increasing
12 August 2020
New York Times
Handguns are quietly being smuggled into Britain, despite tough gun-control laws. The police fear that the illegal weapons are contributing to a rise in gang-related crime.
NORTHAMPTON, England — Josh Bains was 28 when he was killed after an argument over a drug debt of about $50 just a few miles from the English village where he grew up — with a gun that had traveled thousands of miles from America.
His was one of a rising number of gun deaths in recent years... (GunPolicy.org)
Certain Laws Could Reduce Gun Deaths by More Than 10%
15 June 2020
Science
Nearly 40,000 people were killed by firearms in the United States in 2018, but curbing these numbers has been a statistically tricky—and politically fraught—problem. Now, a study that tracked individual gun laws over time suggests states can reduce gun deaths significantly by doing three things: limiting children's access to guns, restricting concealed-carry permits, and restricting "stand your ground" policies.
The study isn't without its flaws, but the basic... (GunPolicy.org)
Burkina Faso Arming Civilians to Fight Jihadists
9 March 2020
New Humanitarian
KOUPELA, Burkina Faso
Tirog Seydou wants his government to do a better job at fighting the extremist groups that are plaguing his country and encroaching on his town. But the 42-year-old trader from Burkina Faso worries that a new scheme to provide civilians with weapons is no answer to the well-armed militants.
"It's better to invest in the army than militia," said Seydou, seated at a restaurant in Koupela, a town in the country's Center-East region.
Passed by... (GunPolicy.org)
Nigerian Security Bans Display of Firearms in Public
29 January 2020
Daily Independent (Nigeria)
The Commandant General of the corps, Abdullahi Gana Muhammadu of NSCDC, has banned members of the Civil Defence armed squad from the display of firearms, especially in public places.
He said this when he paid a condolence visit to the former governor of Imo state and serving Senator Rochas Okorocha to commiserate with him on the demise of an illustrious son of the state.
Abdullahi maintained that the order was necessitated by the need to prevent future occurrences of... (GunPolicy.org)
Homemade Firearms, 'Ghost Guns' and Crime in the US
5 December 2019
The Trace
What exactly is a ghost gun?
The term "ghost gun" is used by media, police, and sometimes the firearms industry to describe homemade weapons devoid of serial numbers or other identifying markings that enable them to be tracked to their maker, seller, or original owner.
For years, law enforcement authorities referred to these weapons as simply "homemade" guns or "kit" guns. "Ghost gun" is a relatively new term.
How are ghost guns made?
A variety of ways.
The most... (GunPolicy.org)
What Do We Know About Violent Crime In Sweden?
28 October 2019
Local (Sweden)
Has there been a rise in the number of explosions and shootings? Here's a look at what we do and don't know about violent crime in Sweden.
How much violent crime happens in Sweden?
In 2018, statistics from the National Council on Crime Prevention (Brå) showed there were 108 cases of deadly violence, a slight decrease from 2017 when there were 113 cases. The 2018 figure worked out as 1.06 incidents of deadly violence per 100,000 inhabitants of Sweden, and since 2002... (GunPolicy.org)
How American Gun Laws Are Fueling Jamaica's Homicide Crisis
29 August 2019
New York Times
She came to Jamaica from the United States about four years ago, sneaking in illegally, stowed away to avoid detection. Within a few short years, she became one of the nation's most-wanted assassins.
She preyed on the parish of Clarendon, carrying out nine confirmed kills, including a double homicide outside a bar, the killing of a father at a wake and the murder of a single mother of three. Her violence was indiscriminate: She shot and nearly killed a 14-year-old girl... (GunPolicy.org)
Survey Reveals a Third of NZ Gun Owners Distrust Gun Lobby
13 August 2019
The Conversation
The terrorist attacks on the Christchurch Muslim community on 15 March this year resulted in a political response that was decidedly different from what usually follows mass shootings in the United States.
The speed of legislative action, banning military-style semi-automatic weapons (MSSAs) within days of the attack, was remarked on both at home and around the world. Some gun owners began handing over their MSSAs to police voluntarily after the attacks, and hundreds... (GunPolicy.org)
Jordanians Polarized by Effort to Restrict Firearms
22 July 2019
Al-Monitor
The Jordanian government is pushing to amend a 67-year-old law regulating the possession of firearms in the kingdom. If the amendments pass, Jordanians would have six months to hand over unlicensed handguns, automatic and semi-automatic firearms or face heavy penalties. The proposed amendments would also restrict the issuance of new licenses and cancel permits to carry guns. The legislation to replace the current 1952 law is being debated in an extraordinary session of... (GunPolicy.org)
Twice as Many Weapons in the Hands of Civilians as are Registered
22 June 2019
Perfil, Web page
After the Minister of Security, Patricia Bullrich, declared at the end of last year that "whoever wants to be armed should be armed", it is estimated that in Argentina there are more than 3 million firearms in circulation in the hands of civilians and, of that total, half are not registered. The alarming figure arises from a report to which the Educational Profile Research Team had access, which was prepared by the Institute of Comparative Studies in Criminal and... (GunPolicy.org)
9 June 2019
Bangkok Post
"If you have a gun, shoot me," shouted Preecha Kunthong before he was hit with several bullets between the eyes and killed on May 19 in Saraburi's Muang district while buying a packet of instant coffee.
The 59-year-old man, who had that morning gone to breakfast with a friend at the local market, allegedly fell into an argument with the shooter as he stood in line at a convenience store opposite Saraburi Hospital.
This story isn't an unusual one in the country with... (GunPolicy.org)
Increasing number of household with firearms in Austria
6 May 2019
Salzburger Nachrichten
Die Zahl der Schusswaffen in Privatbesitz ist im Jahr 2018 in Österreich angewachsen, allerdings in geringerem Ausmaß als zuletzt. Mit Stichtag 1. Jänner 2019 waren 1,056.203 private Schusswaffen registriert, ein Plus von 3,2 Prozent binnen Jahresfrist. Bis 1. Mai legte der Besitz weiter kontinuierlich zu - auf 1,068.582 Schusswaffen, teilte das Innenministerium der APA auf Anfrage mit.
Im Jahr 2018 verlief der Anstieg gleichmäßig durch alle Bundesländer und... (GunPolicy.org)
Unclear Statistics as Guns Become Tougher to Obtain in Hungary
25 April 2019
Nepszava
According to experts, the number of official gun owners is greatly exaggerated, but more people are illegally possessing rifles, pistols, and other items.
Firearm abuses are not common in Hungary, and even in recent days, armed mischief involving airsoft rifles is a rarity. However, weapons are a serious risk and their records must be up-to-date, accurate and unmistakable even in peaceful times. In Hungary, however, there is complete confusion in armament statistics.... (GunPolicy.org)
Public Health Response to Suicide In Japan Leads to Decrease
8 April 2019
Reuters
AKITA, Japan - Taeko Watanabe awoke one cold March night and found a trail of blood in the hallway, a bloody cleaver on her son Yuki's bed and no trace of him in the house. Then police discovered a suicide note in his bedroom.
"They found him in a canal by the temple and wrapped him in a blanket. After an autopsy, he came home in a coffin. I fell apart," she recalled, eyes welling up as she sat by a photo of Yuki and a Buddhist altar laden with flowers and Fuji... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Law Change Fast-track has 'Outpaced' Gun Lobby
2 April 2019
Radio New Zealand
The speed with which the government has fast-tracked changes to firearms laws has left the gun lobby in a spin, according to an Australian academic.
By the end of next week, politicians expect the Arms Amendment Bill to come into force.
It will ban semi-automatic weapons and military style semi-automatics, with the exception of shotguns and low-calibre rifles.
Parts, magazines and ammunition which can make a gun illegal will also be banned, and there will be tougher... (GunPolicy.org)
How the Gun Lobby Made NZ Less Safe
17 March 2019
Sydney Morning Herald, Opinion
Australians over 40 can identify with the grief gripping New Zealand just now. We felt it in the aftermath of the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, when 35 people were murdered and dozens more wounded at the popular holiday location in Tasmania. Just as in Christchurch, the Port Arthur killer was a 28-year-old loner with no criminal record armed with semi-automatic weapons.
A global outpouring of grief has come after at least 49 people were killed in a Christchurch mosque... (GunPolicy.org)
Samoan Police Launch New Gun Amnesty
1 October 2018
Samoa Observer
Members of the public who will use a two-months gun amnesty to bring in their unregistered and illegal guns will get a $50 Electric Power Corporation voucher.
This was announced yesterday when the Police launched a two-month long amnesty in a bid to collect unregistered and illegal guns. The amnesty ends on 30 November 2018.
This is the third amnesty under the leadership of Police Commissioner, Fuiavaili'ili Egon Keil.
Acting Prime Minister, Tuitama Dr. Leao... (GunPolicy.org)
More Than 50,000 Firearms in the Hands of Private Individuals
3 August 2018
Postimees (Estonia)
According to the Police and Border Guard Board, 26,000 people in Estonia have 54,000 firearms at their disposal.
The number of people holding a weapons permit is evenly distributed throughout Estonia. Where more people live, there are also more gun license holders. There are 10,312 holders of a weapons permit in Tallinn and Harju County, followed by 2,285 in Tartu County and 2,054 in Ida-Virumaa. The smallest number of gun owners is in Hiiumaa, the smallest county in... (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)
238,700 People Carrying Firearm Licences in NZ
16 June 2018
Stuff (New Zealand)
A lobby group is arguing there is a "cascade of failure" in controlling gun control in New Zealand.
Mike Loder, from Shooters Lottery, says the biggest step police should take to reduce the number of cases of criminals pulling guns on cops is to tackle recidivism.
Data from the Ministry of Justice showed since the 1980s, 51 offenders had been convicted for two or more offences for use of a firearm against law enforcement officer.
Between 2016 and 2017, 368 people... (GunPolicy.org)
The Origins of Illegal Firearms in the UK - BBC Reality Check
10 May 2018
BBC News
Over the bank holiday weekend, a spate of shootings across England hit the headlines. They add to a picture of rising gun crime, after more than a decade of big decreases.
Although gun-related offences have risen for the past four years, there were still less than half as many gun crimes in England and Wales last year as there were in the early 2000s.
Where Do the Guns Come From?
Guns are very tightly controlled in the UK. Those that end up on the black market often... (GunPolicy.org)
Smuggled Military Weapons Seized Near Thai-Cambodian Border
18 April 2018
Nation (Bangkok)
Thai authorities have arrested a man suspected of smuggling illegal weapons from Cambodia to Thailand, according to Cambodian National Police.
On Tuesday night, Thai authorities intercepted a vehicle at a checkpoint in Klaing Yai district, in Thailand's Trat province, about 50 kilometres from Cambodia's Cham Yeam checkpoint, a Cambodian National Police website announcement reads.
The weapons seized included two that appear to be Chinese-made Type-95 assault rifles,... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Theft in Australia - ABC News
9 April 2018
ABC News (Australia)
The number of firearms stolen across Australia has almost doubled in the past decade, according to new figures.
The data, obtained by lobby group Gun Control Australia (GCA) under Freedom of Information (FOI) laws, reveal that almost 27,000 firearms have been reported as stolen across the country between 2007 and 2017.
The figures show that the number of gun thefts has increased from just over 1,700 in 2007-8 to nearly 3,300 in 2016-17.
Hunting rifles account for the... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia's Gun Laws Can't Work in America – For Now
30 March 2018
Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
Thirteen mass shootings in 18 years, 112 victims shot dead. While this may seem to describe contemporary America, it actually describes a late 20th-century period in Australia. The country's final slaughter occurred in Tasmania in 1996 – the Port Arthur massacre. A lone, "pathetic social misfit" – as described by the judge – killed 35 people. The first 29 bullets from this young man's AR-15 rifle ended the lives of 20 innocents in just 90 seconds.
For... (GunPolicy.org)
Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,Yemen,China,Israel,Russia,Brazil,United Kingdom,Germany,India,Canada,Austria,Australia,Mexico,United States,Japan,South Africa
How to Buy a Gun in 15 Countries
2 March 2018
New York Times
Many Americans can buy a gun in less than an hour. The process takes months in some countries. Here are the basic steps for how most people buy a gun in 15 of them. Many countries have exceptions for specialized professions, and local laws vary.
United States
1) Pass an instant background check that considers criminal convictions, domestic violence and immigration status.
2) Buy a gun. Many states have additional buying restrictions, including waiting periods and... (GunPolicy.org)
Over 60,000 Registered Firearms in NZ
14 February 2018
Scoop (New Zealand)
Address to Otago University Public Health Summer School, Wellington
By Chris Cahill
President, NZ Police Association
The Police Association welcomes the timing of this symposium because it is clear to us that New Zealand needs to have a co-operative, common sense conversation about firearms.
We need to avoid resorting to extremes which we see paralysing jurisdictions such as the United States.
It has to be noted that the NRA has even inserted itself into our firearms... (GunPolicy.org)
How the AR-15 Became The Most Popular Rifle In America
14 December 2017
CNN
Larry Hyatt had never seen such a frenzy.
The lines at Hyatt Guns, his shop in Charlotte, North Carolina, snaked out the door. The deep, green-walled warehouse bills itself as the largest gun shop in America, but even then Hyatt had to stretch to meet the demand.
At one point, he dispatched 37 salespeople to man the cash registers. He put up velvet ropes and hired a police officer. He even put a hot dog stand outside.
It was just after the Sandy Hook massacre -- and... (GunPolicy.org)
2017 Australian Gun Amnesty Results by Jurisdiction - SSAA
9 November 2017
Sporting Shooters' Association of Australia
The inclusion of gun dealers and an option to register or sell legal firearms has paved the way for high participation rates in the national firearms amnesty. The SSAA successfully lobbied the Federal Government to base the three-month amnesty on the successful Queensland version, with most states and territories adopting this proven model.
From the available data, it is clear the jurisdictions that allowed dealers to process firearms at gunshops and enabled licence... (GunPolicy.org)
The Gun Nuts In Our Parliament
14 October 2017
Saturday Paper (Australia)
While Australian gun laws are lauded as the world's most stringent, fringe political parties and lobbyists are doing their best to erode them.
Of course David Leyonhjelm is troubled by what happened in Las Vegas two weeks ago, when Stephen Paddock, with his arsenal of 23 guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition, carried out America's worst modern-day mass killing. Of course he finds it "disturbing".
From a distance of several hundred metres, high in the Mandalay... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Gun Data Shows Extent of Private Arsenals in Suburban Australia
11 October 2017
ABC News (Australia)
Private gun owners are stockpiling arsenals of more than 300 firearms in suburban homes in some parts of the country, according to new data obtained by the Greens.
Key points:
- Police data reveals the top 100 private arsenals across NSW
- In the Sydney suburb of La Perouse, one person owns 305 guns
- Greens MP David Shoebridge said the caches were "honeypots for criminals" and posed a risk to public safety
The trend is thought to be driving an overall increase in... (GunPolicy.org)
The Killer Quirk Hiding in Australia's Gun Laws
7 October 2017
Sydney Morning Herald
It has become part of the script of the larger American mass shootings. Amid the public expressions of grief and disbelief, the utterances of prayers and the tributes to the dead, Australian-style gun laws become, for a time, part of the American national debate.
The effectiveness of Australian-style gun laws has even crept into the diplomatic conversation. After she spoke with her American counterpart Rex Tillerson this week, Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister Julie... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia's Firearms Amnesty Collects More Than 50,000 Guns
5 October 2017
Guardian
More than 50,000 firearms will be destroyed after being handed in during the three-month national firearms amnesty.
The final figures, released on Friday, showed that the number of surrendered firearms doubled in the final month of the amnesty from 25,999 to 51,461 by 30 September.
Almost half were surrendered in New South Wales, which received 24,965 firearms despite collecting a further 67,323 in three other gun amnesties since the first national one in... (GunPolicy.org)
1.5 Million Firearms Estimated to be in NZ
4 October 2017
Stuff (New Zealand)
As the United States comes to terms with one of its deadliest mass shooting in modern history after 59 people massacred at a Las Vegas music festival, the bitter argument about gun control will be a talking point yet again. Brad Flahive and Andy Fyers take a look at the gun debate in New Zealand.
The small seaside town of Aramoana was the site of New Zealand's worst mass murder in modern history. After an argument with his neighbour, David Gray shot and killed 13... (GunPolicy.org)
At What Age Is a Child Permitted to Fire a Gun in Australia?
4 May 2017
ABC News (Australia)
Despite the National Firearms Agreement which passed in just 12 days in response to the Port Arthur Massacre in 1996, there is no one national gun law and no single age at which a child can use a firearm across the states and territories.
Roanan Cornish was 12 years old when he first used a firearm.
The thirteen-year-old, who lives on a farm just outside of Bendigo in central Victoria, learned how to correctly handle a .22 calibre rifle as part of a firearm safety... (GunPolicy.org)
Fight Against Arms Proliferation in Mauritania
12 April 2017
Authentique (Mauriania)
[Translated content]
The Public Authority has finally decided to act to curb the circulation and trade of arms in the country and particularly in Nouakchott! This is at least what we have learned from reliable sources. This was prompted by the death last week of a young resident of the Moughataa of Ryadh as a result of the explosion of a grenade he was handling, but also by the arrest last week of an officer of the National Guard, accused of having supplemented a... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Sales Soared, No Panic Buying on US 'Black Friday' [ES]
27 November 2016
CNN
[Translated summary: Buyers crowded gun shops during 'Black Friday' in the US. The law bans gun buying as a gift, so big discounts were the main factor boosting sales. Some gun dealers had stocked up before the elections in the hope of panic buying if Hillary Clinton won.]
Multitudes de compradores llegaron a las tiendas de armas durante el pasado viernes negro, el gran día del año para este negocio.
Ciertamente, las ventas de armas en el viernes negro no están... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Sales Boom in America's 'Black Friday' Shopping Spree
25 November 2016
CNN
The Black Friday weapon sales are not driven by the Christmas spirit since gun laws in many states prohibit buying guns for someone else. The sales are driven by sharp discounts.
Not far from New York City, hundreds of shoppers packed into RTSP, a gun shop and firing range in Randolph, New Jersey, lured by Black Friday discounts of 5% to 10% for guns, ammunition and accessories.
Dr. Joseph Feldman, a surgeon from neighboring Montville, was buying a $500 Sig Sauer... (GunPolicy.org)
Traffickers Flood Mexico with Easily Bought American Guns [ES]
22 November 2016
Vice News (US)
[Translated summary: Although Mexico has some of the strictest gun legislation in the world, with only one shop where guns can be bought legally, there are more than 15 million guns in circulation and 85% are illegal. One of the main reasons is the proximity of the USA, where guns are easily available. Almost 100,000 Mexicans died of gun wounds in the last decade.]
Es casi la media noche del 11 de octubre y la policía recibe una llamada de emergencia alertando de una... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Owners Plan to Eliminate Curbs on Ownership - NYT
22 November 2016
New York Times
HOUSTON — Before the election, gun rights activists were so worried Hillary Clinton would win the presidency that some of them bought extra ammunition and guns, fearing a crackdown on certain weapons, bullets and magazines.
They're not worried now. Instead, since the election of Donald J. Trump, gun advocates have been rejoicing, crowing about their political clout and plotting ways to eliminate many remaining curbs on gun ownership and use as they await one of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Control 'Eroded' in Canada, Now More Guns on the Streets
20 November 2016
Toronto Star (Ontario)
Weakened gun laws and how they're enforced have led to a spike in the number of restricted firearms in the hands of Canadians — and ultimately in hands of criminals, a leading gun-control advocate says.
Wendy Cukier, president of the Coalition for Gun Control, said relaxed licensing processes and legislative changes under the past Conservative government "eroded strict controls" that limited access to certain firearms.
The number of restricted firearms — a... (GunPolicy.org)
Half of Toronto's Crime Guns Come from Local Dealers, Owners
19 November 2016
Toronto Star (Ontario)
Danny Santapaga, a self-employed financial adviser, bought 14 guns on 10 different occasions over seven months.
Plumber Graham Jovanovic purchased nine firearms over five weeks. University student Justin Green obtained 23 handguns during a 22-month period, including 15 from one store. Security guard Andrew Winchester acquired 47 handguns in a six-month buying binge.
These Toronto men have no apparent connection to one another. But they share a common thread.
Each... (GunPolicy.org)
Trump Softens Gun Promises, Gun Rights Not a Priority [ES]
18 November 2016
Newsweek (USA)
[Translated Summary: During his presidential campaign Donald Trump promised to swiftly "unsign" the executive actions President Obama issued in January regarding background checks and to abolish gun-free zones at schools and on military bases. In addition, he promised to allow Americans to carry hidden handguns across all 50 states. However, after the election he softened his tone and it now appears that gun rights are mo longer a priority.]
A lo largo de sus casi 17... (GunPolicy.org)
Social Media Used for Gun Sales, Trafficking in Venezuela [ES]
18 November 2016
Entorno Inteligente
[Translated summary: Venezuelans now use social media like Whatsapp, BBM, Snapchat and Instagram to illegally buy and sell guns. A Beretta 92FS pistol can be purchased for 2.7 million Venezuelan bolivars (270,000 USD). Official data from 2012 calculates that the country has between 1.2 and 1.5 million unregistered guns. Until March, 2016, only 48,000 firearms had been destroyed.]
Los índices de violencia y criminalidad siguen en un preocupante ascenso. Para completar... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Policy Pointless Without Funds for Public Health Research
17 November 2016
Dallas Morning News (Texas), Editorial
To make an informed decision, you need information. And that's exactly what everybody involved in America's bitter gun debate doesn't have.
Guns kill more than 33,000 Americans a year, yet the clock stopped on government research into this epidemic two decades ago. As is frequently noted, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has funded no in-depth studies of gun violence, its causes, or proposals for its reduction since 1996. That's when the so-called... (GunPolicy.org)
Stiffer Sentences for Illegal Gun Possession in Argentina [ES]
16 November 2016
La Nación (Argentina), Agencia DyN
[Translated Summary: Argentina's Chamber of Deputies approved a bill that sets more severe sentences for gun carrying and possession. For illegal possession, sentences can go from six months to eight years if the firearm has been modified from its original condition. And for illegal carrying, sentences can be from four to eight years, depending on the case.]
Cámara de Diputados aprobó hoy y giró al Senado un proyecto impulsado por el Frente Renovador y apoyado por... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun-carrying Restrictions May Be Wiped Out Under Trump
14 November 2016
Guardian
With Donald Trump in the White House, tourists from other states may soon be able to bring their guns to shops of Fifth Avenue, the plaza at Rockefeller Center and other New York City sights.
Advocates say they expect Congress to finally pass a sweeping gun rights law that could dismantle local gun-carrying restrictions in states including New York, New Jersey, Maryland, California and Hawaii.
These changes could come soon. If Congress passes a federal right-to-carry... (GunPolicy.org)
Marianas to Register Firearms After Court Nixes Gun Controls
14 November 2016
Guns (US)
Despite a federal ruling issued in September that struck down a handgun registration scheme in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, local lawmakers have passed another.
After a series of lawsuits ended the U.S. territory's total ban on handgun ownership, the local government adopted the Special Act for Firearms Enforcement earlier this year. The law imposed sweeping gun control measures, licensing schemes and strict rules regarding how one carries and... (GunPolicy.org)
India Places US$1 Billion Order for Ammunition and Weapons
10 November 2016
Chinatopix (New York)
India continues the breathless pace of modernizing the Indian Armed Forces and after ordering new submarines, tanks, surface-to-air missile systems, artillery, assault rifles and fighter jets since the start of 2016 is now placing an order for over $1 billion in ammunition and weapons from international suppliers.
India recognizes it faces critical shortages of ammunition in all its armed services and is bypassing prescribed routine acquisition procedures by invoking... (GunPolicy.org)
Nevada, California, Washington Voted for Stronger Gun Control
9 November 2016
Time (USA)
Nevada, California and Washington all voted in favor of enhanced gun control on Tuesday, while Maine narrowly rejected universal background checks for private gun sales despite millions of dollars spent there by national gun control advocates.
Maine's rejection of the gun control ballot measure, and the narrow support for a similar measure in Nevada, showed the limits of well-funded national organizations pushing for expanded background checks around the country.... (GunPolicy.org)
President Trump: What Can He Do About US Gun Laws? [FR]
9 November 2016
La Croix (France)
[Translated summary: Trump has said that he supports more freedom in the purchase of firearms. But, there already are specific gun control laws in several states, and it is not going to be possible to decree "total freedom" in purchases on a federal level. For example, California has just passed a law that makes background checks mandatory for buying ammunition.]
Ce qu'il a dit
Donald Trump a défendu une liberté totale sur les ventes d'armes, quitte à exercer son... (GunPolicy.org)
Background Checks on All Gun Sales Now to Be Law in Nevada
9 November 2016
Las Vegas Review Journal (Nevada)
Nevadans voted in favor of expanded background checks for private gun sales by the thinnest of margins Tuesday.
The "Yes" vote on Question 1, which would require in-person background checks for all guns sold among friends, online and at gun shows, was approved by a 50.45 percent to 49.55 percent margin, which amounted to less than 10,000 votes statewide.
Starting Jan. 1, Nevadans looking to conduct a private sale or transfer of a gun will have to go to a federally... (GunPolicy.org)
Bengal is Becoming Hub of Illegal Handguns and Ammunition
6 November 2016
Economic Times (India)
Meandering roads lead to chaotic lanes. Then the roads vanish, as do the lanes. What remains are muddled passages between cluttered households. Most of these lead to deadends and the rest, chock-ablock with not-so-friendly-looking people, are almost unapproachable. Unlike in most neighbourhoods, locals here don't guide visitors to addresses. Most of the queries go unanswered and are at best met with a reluctant nod. These inimical streets of Kankuli village in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Senegal Has Issued 1,000 New Gun Licences This Year [FR]
3 November 2016
Senxibar (Senegal)
[Translated summary: To own a firearm in Senegal, applicants must provide a copy of their national ID, criminal record, health certificate, 4 photographs, pay a fee of 2,000 francs and pass an interview to see if their activities are dangerous and establish their need for a firearm. According to official data, 1,000 licences have been issued so far in 2016.]
La sécurité oui,… la tradition et le prestige aussi
La sécurité est le premier motif invoqué pour... (GunPolicy.org)
Five US Gun Violence Researchers Get $3.3 Million in Grants
2 November 2016
The Trace (USA)
Federal dollars for research into gun violence are hard to come by, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reluctant to step over a 20-year Congressional restriction on funding firearms studies.
A rare bright spot emerged last week, however, when the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) awarded more than $3.3 million to five private institutions for firearms research. The funding will support inquiries into some of the most pressing questions regarding gun... (GunPolicy.org)
Paraguay Stores Thousands of Smuggled, Seized Guns [ES]
1 November 2016
La Nación (Paraguay)
[Translated summary: In the warehouse of Paraguay's War Material Direction (Dimabel) there are 10,000 seized firearms. Around 50% are revolvers and pistols and the rest are shotguns and machine guns that can pierce armored vehicles. Authorities explain that illicit firearms come from the US disassembled, are re-assembled in the country and then sold at the border.]
Una ametralladora capaz de perforar camiones blindados, así como escopetas y pistolas, son algunos de... (GunPolicy.org)
Yemen,Turkmenistan,Finland,Uzbekistan,Saudi Arabia,United Arab Emirates
Finland Under Scrutiny for Rising Arms Exports to Conflict Zones
1 November 2016
Modern Tokyo Times
As the global economy continues its slow recovery from the 2008–2009 worldwide recession, armament sales appear to have been one of the few recession-proof export sectors. The greater Middle East has been main emporium for such purchases. While the United States and Russia remain the world's two leading armaments exporters, other countries have also rushed in to fill niche markets, such as small arms, training aircraft and light artillery. Notably, Finland has been... (GunPolicy.org)
California Gun Control to Licence All Ammunition Buyers - NYT
1 November 2016
New York Times
California has the nation's strictest gun laws. There is a waiting period, a written test and a number of restrictions on guns and gear. Some voters pondering Proposition 63 have asked: Haven't we done enough?
Gavin Newsom, the lieutenant governor, says no. He's developed the initiative that would push the state's gun limits even further.
Under Proposition 63, ammunition purchasers would be treated similar to gun purchasers. Before a Californian could buy even a... (GunPolicy.org)
Over 1.5 Million Legal, 4 Million Illicit Guns in Argentina [ES]
31 October 2016
Noticias y Protagonistas (Argentina)
[Translated summary: There are 1,541,497 registered firearms and 979,508 licensed gun owners in Argentina. The country has four gun factories that manufactured 74,983 firearms between January and August 2016. 13,940 firearms were imported and 45,836 exported in the same period. It is estimated that there are between 1.5 million and 4 million illicit firearms. Between 1997 and 2013 there were 38,002 gun homicides and 13,672 suicides. In 2013, 71.1% of homicides were... (GunPolicy.org)
UK Border Security Gaps Could Let Terrorists Bring in Guns
28 October 2016
Guardian
Weaknesses in Britain's border security may allow terrorists to get the guns they need to attack London, a report has warned.
The report, for London mayor Sadiq Khan, warns of rising firearms use in the capital over the summer, with the potential for weapons smuggled in by organised criminals being acquired by terrorists.
The study by Lord Toby Harris says that a major terrorist attack could inflict a severe casualty toll on London, and makes 127 recommendations to... (GunPolicy.org)
What Conservatives Get Right About Guns - Guardian US Expert
28 October 2016
GQ (US)
I grew up in Connecticut, firmly on one side of the gun culture war. My parents thought it was wrong even to let kids play with toy guns. But I made a vow to myself when I started covering this debate: I would not be one one of those New York City journalists who writes ignorant, condescending stories about "gun nuts."
As it expanded into the United States, the liberal British newspaper The Guardian did something most media outlets haven't done: it assigned a reporter... (GunPolicy.org)
India Tries Once Again to Buy 185,000 Army Assault Rifles
27 October 2016
Bloomberg (USA)
India's armed forces have embarked on a shopping spree for modern assault rifles, body armor and helmets, providing a potential boost to global arms suppliers.
The 1.3 million-strong military is abandoning its two decade-old Indian made rifles and seeking to outfit its infantry with more up-to-date equipment, scouting for a new model on the global market for 185,000 assault rifles. The Ministry of Defence also needs to buy hundreds of thousands of helmets and tens of... (GunPolicy.org)
Support for Assault Weapon Ban at Record Low in US - Gallup
26 October 2016
Gallup (US)
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The fewest Americans in 20 years favor making it illegal to manufacture, sell or possess semi-automatic guns known as assault rifles. Thirty-six percent now want an assault weapons ban, down from 44% in 2012 and 57% when Gallup first asked the question in 1996.
Assault rifles have been a contentious issue in American life for decades. Two years after President Bill Clinton signed a federal assault weapons ban in 1994, Gallup found that a solid... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico Seized 152,528 Guns from Drug Gangs in 10 Years [ES]
24 October 2016
Crónica (Mexico)
[Translated summary: Most of the 152,528 guns the Mexican army has confiscated from drug dealers are high-calibre weapons. Among them there are machine guns, rifles, shotguns, almost 60,000 handguns and over 19,000 AK-47 pattern rifles. They also found rocket launchers and mortars.]
La mayoría de las armas que el Ejército mexicano ha asegurado en flagrancia y en operativos a los grupos criminales en diez años de lucha contra el narcotráfico es de grueso calibre;... (GunPolicy.org)
Wanted Criminals Arrested, Arms Seized in Pakistan
22 October 2016
Business Recorder (Pakistan)
Police on Friday claimed that they have arrested 115 wanted criminals and recovered huge cache of arms and ammunition from their oppression during ongoing strike and search operations against anti-social elements in various areas of district Mardan.
Addressing a news conference in district Mardan, superintendent police (SP)- Operation, Shafiullah Khan Gandapoor said that on the special directives of district police officer (DPO) Fasial Shahzad, several crackdown team... (GunPolicy.org)
Hidden Handguns on Campus Will Increase Tragedies in Texas
21 October 2016
Washington Post, Opinion
Texas this year became the eighth state to require state colleges and universities to allow civilians with permits to carry concealed guns in public places. As a result, the University of Texas at Austin — a school that 50 years ago suffered the trauma of the nation's first campus mass killing — must allow guns to be brought onto campus.
To those behind the campus-carry movement making such inroads in Austin and other state capitals, that's a good thing. This... (GunPolicy.org)
Recent Gun Figures from Australia's CrimTrac Lack Credibility
21 October 2016
University of Sydney Media Release, Media release
University of Sydney gun policy expert, Associate Professor Philip Alpers has questioned the accuracy of registered
firearms data published by CrimTrac, the federal agency responsible for counting gun owners and their firearms.
In Table 2.23 at page 63 of its 2015-16 Annual Report, the following conclusions seem to lack credibility:
- An increase of 1.2 million registered firearms in Australia in the past three years
- A sudden decrease of 900,000 registered... (GunPolicy.org)
US 'National Dialogue Has Changed' on Guns - 130 of the Worst
21 October 2016
New York Times
John R. Houser was dangerously mentally ill, too ill to carry a gun. Of that, there is little doubt.
Over 16 years, Mr. Houser, 59, had been charged with hiring a man to burn down a lawyer's office and named in a domestic violence complaint. In 2008, after Mr. Houser threatened to kill his daughter's fiancé, a judge issued a temporary restraining order and ordered him hospitalized for psychiatric evaluation. In 2014, he threatened to shoot law enforcement officers who... (GunPolicy.org)
Six out of 10 Favour Carrying Hidden Handguns in Mexico [ES]
19 October 2016
Lopez Doriga
[Translated Summary: According to a study, 59 out of 100 Mexicans think government should allow them to carry hidden handguns in public, in private vehicles and in shops for self defence. When asked, 41% said they would buy a gun.]
A 59 de cada cien mexicanos les parece que las leyes deben permitir la posesión de armas más allá del hogar para emplearlas en legítima defensa y creen que deben autorizarse en el auto o negocio para defenderse de la criminalidad.
El... (GunPolicy.org)
Italy,Russia,Moldova,Libya,Ukraine
Jihadi Tomb Raiders, Italian Mafia Sell Antiquities for ISIS Guns
18 October 2016
Daily Beast (USA)
A fuzzy photo shows the decapitated marble head of an ancient Roman statue; the grainy image is standing in for the gilded sales bills usually displayed in the world's finest auction houses. There are no certificates of authenticity or patrimony for these artifacts either, just maps with red markings.
This is no ordinary art show.
The maps in question show ancient Roman and Greek tombs that have been pillaged in Libya. These artifacts have been put on the market by... (GunPolicy.org)
Why US Gun-Control Movement Fails: Focus on Wrong Victims
18 October 2016
Nation (USA)
On the evening of November 22, 2013, as the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination drew to a close, Kenneth Mills Tucker, 19, sent a tweet letting the world know his plans for the night: "Out with the gang Dooney Wayne n Rell what's going on tonight. My last weekend being a teenager." It was to be Kenneth's last weekend ever.
Shortly after 3 am on November 23, a residential area of northwest Indianapolis crackled with gunfire from an automatic... (GunPolicy.org)
Toronto Saw 50% Increase in Shootings So Far This Year [FR]
17 October 2016
Journal de Montreal, Agence QMI
[Translated summary: Over 325 shootings have been reported in 2016 in Toronto, an increase of 52% in relation to 2015. According to the police, there have been 54 homicides and 30 people killed by guns. In 2015 there were 18 gun victims and a total of 39 homicides.]
TORONTO -- La mort d'un adolescent de 17 ans, abattu de sang froid dans une pizzeria dimanche, a rappelé que la violence par arme à feu a grandement augmenté depuis le début de l'année à... (GunPolicy.org)
One Great Way to Reduce Gun Violence? A Whole Lot of Data
15 October 2016
Wired (San Francisco)
At their core, data tell stories. They reveal patterns, show changes over time, and confirm or challenge our theories. And in cities across the country, mayors, police chiefs, and other local leaders are turning to data to help them understand and address gun violence, one of the most persistent crises they face.
Innovative, data-driven programs are showing encouraging results. To keep high school students on the right track, the city of Chicago scaled up a... (GunPolicy.org)
DIY Submachine Guns Are Popping Up Across the West Bank
14 October 2016
Washington Post
AZZUN — In the predawn hours, 150 Israeli troops, including masked special forces operatives, arrived in this Palestinian town in armored personnel carriers and hardened jeeps to hunt for guns and gun makers. They found one of each. The operation was deemed a success.
The raid in Azzun is part of an aggressive campaign by Israel to rid the occupied West Bank of guns — specifically a crude kind of do-it-yourself, handmade submachine gun known on the Palestinian... (GunPolicy.org)
Amazingly, There Is No US Federal Law Against Gun Trafficking
13 October 2016
Mother Jones (USA)
Rep. Caroline Maloney (D-N.Y.) first learned that there is no federal law against gun trafficking at, of all places, a Fast and Furious hearing. In June 2011, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform convened to scrutinize the gunrunning sting known as Fast and Furious, which had flown off the rails when agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) allowed assault weapons to land in the hands of Mexican drug cartels. Much of... (GunPolicy.org)
Higher Rates of Gun Death in US States with Weaker Gun Laws
12 October 2016
Mother Jones (USA)
The rates of gun violence in the 10 states with the weakest gun laws are more than three times higher than those in the 10 states with the strongest gun laws. That's one of the major findings of a new report from the Center for American Progress (CAP) that analyzes 10 indicators of firearm violence—including suicide, murder, fatal gun accidents, and mass shootings—in all 50 states and finds a "strong" correlation between gun violence and weak gun laws.
The states... (GunPolicy.org)
US Groups Push New Gun Control Evidence, Election Sways
11 October 2016
New York Times
With guns emerging as a major flash point in the presidential race and campaigns nationwide, gun-control advocates are spending tens of millions of dollars on a central message: Stronger firearms laws can reduce gun violence.
Although the National Rifle Association has long rejected that assertion, a growing body of evidence from academics, advocacy groups and others supports the link between gun restrictions and a reduction in violence.
The latest analysis comes out... (GunPolicy.org)
Most Americans Support Common-Sense Gun Regulation - NYT
10 October 2016
New York Times, Editorial
The vast majority of Americans — about nine in 10 — support reasonable, common-sense gun regulations. The numbers are only slightly lower among gun owners and members of the National Rifle Association. And yet, year after year, lawmakers in Congress and in statehouses across the country, all beholden to the gun lobby, act as if the opposite were true.
They reject even mild, sensible laws — such as background checks and bans on gun ownership by domestic abusers or... (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)
One US Gun's Journey: 42 Bullets Fired, 2 Killed, 5 Wounded
7 October 2016
Chicago Tribune
The young woman arrived home to find a footprint still visible on her front door.
Her South Shore apartment had been broken into, and the small safe she kept under her bed was missing, along with the black .40-caliber Glock handgun she kept inside.
Over the next year, that Glock would fire 42 bullets, leaving shell casings scattered on walkways, porches and side streets. In the hands of a street gang, the gun was used in at least five separate shootings that left two... (GunPolicy.org)
In Buyback, Halifax Police Swap 152 Guns for Bus Tickets [FR]
4 October 2016
ICI Radio Canada
[Translated summary: Halifax regional municipality states that its gun amnesty program has been a success. In two weeks police collected 152 firearms, 123 of which were long guns, 18 handguns and 11 pellet guns. Owners who gave up their arms received 50 bus tickets.]
La Municipalité régionale d'Halifax affirme que son plus récent programme d'amnistie pour les armes à feu illégales a été couronné de succès. En deux semaines, du 12 au 23 septembre, la police... (GunPolicy.org)
Canada: 152 Guns Swapped for Bus Tickets in Halifax Amnesty
3 October 2016
CBC News (Canada)
Halifax is declaring its latest gun amnesty campaign a success after the two-week program saw 152 guns turned over to police for safe disposal.
Through the Fares for Firearm program, people were given 50 bus tickets — a $100 value — in exchange for their unwanted guns.
"I believe that with these weapons off the streets, it certainly increases the safety at large for the Halifax Regional Municipality," said Ted Upshaw, a public safety advisor with the city.
Out... (GunPolicy.org)
Texas Spree Killer a Lawyer with Nazi Symbols, Legal Firearms
26 September 2016
New York Times, Associated Press
A disgruntled lawyer wearing military-style apparel with old Nazi emblems had two weapons and more than 2,500 rounds of live ammunition when he randomly shot at drivers in a Houston neighborhood Monday before he was shot and killed by police, authorities said.
Nine people were injured during Monday morning's shootings on the street in front of a condo complex; six were shot and three had eye injuries from flying glass. One person was in critical condition and another... (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)
South America,Central America,Mexico
Latin America Recent Seizures Reveal Thriving Gun Trade [ES]
22 September 2016
InSight Crime (Bogotá)
[Translated summary: A series of recent raids and reports highlights the thriving arms trade in Latin America which continues to disrupt countries and entire regions. For example, a report by Prensa Libre found the 9mm pistol has been the weapon most commonly confiscated by Guatemala's National Police.]
Una serie de redadas e informes recientes ponen de relieve el floreciente negocio de armas en toda Latinoamérica, lo que sirve tanto para beneficio de los grupos... (GunPolicy.org)
Argentina Province Will Destroy Another 15,000 Guns [ES]
21 September 2016
Diario Panorama (Argentina)
[Translated summary: 15,000 guns are ready to be destroyed in a province of Argentina. These firearms were discarded by police and security forces, seized in crimes, or voluntarily surrendered by civilians in the last disarmament campaing. According to official data, there are 1.5 million firearms registered and 979,500 owners with licences in the country.]
Son las descartadas por las fuerzas de seguridad, las incautadas en delitos y las de usuarios civiles.
Según el... (GunPolicy.org)
Brazil 57 Experts Oppose Bill to Weaken Gun Law [PT]
21 September 2016
Sul 21 (Brazil)
[Translated summary: A group of 57 researchers from Brazil and abroad have published a manifesto against the revocation of the Disarmament Statute. The document aims to inform society of the available scientific evidence confirming the effectiveness of the Statute as a tool to save lives. The evidence refutes the idea that more guns mean less violence.]
Um grupo de 57 pesquisadores de instituições públicas e privadas de ensino e pesquisa no Brasil e no exterior... (GunPolicy.org)
Brazil 57 Experts Warn Against Bill to Weaken Gun Law [PT]
21 September 2016
O Globo (Brazil), Editorial
[Translated summary: A manifesto against the revocation of the Disarmament Statute was signed by 50 experts with the support of 13 organisations linked to issues associated with the reduction and prevention of violence in Brazil. The bill to repeal the statute would reduce the minimum age for gun purchases from 25 to 21 and relax the eligibility criteria for a gun licence, among others.]
Manifesto contra a revogação da lei, a ser lançado hoje em Brasília, alerta... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico,Central America,South America
Recent Seizures Point to Thriving Latin American Gun Trade
21 September 2016
InSight Crime (Bogotá)
A series of recent raids and reports highlights the thriving arms trade throughout Latin America, which serves to both profit illicit groups and to facilitate criminal violence in the region.
During a recent conference on armed violence in Central America, Ana Yancy Espinoza, academic director of the Costa Rican organization Fundación Arias, presented the results of an investigation on regional arms trafficking.
According to a press release from the Foundation for... (GunPolicy.org)
800,000 Guns, Mostly Illegal, Circulate in Honduras [ES]
20 September 2016
SwissInfo, Reuters
[Translated Summary: The International Committee for Human Rights estimates that between 800,000 and one million firearms circulate in Honduras, while about 282,000 are properly registered. Many of these are used by 60,000 security guards in private companies, while others are illegal or non-registered.]
Honduras, con más de 4 000 homicidios por año, es uno de los países más violentos del mundo y los derechos humanos, sector en el que la cooperación helvética... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Trafficking Network Dismantled in Colombia [ES]
20 September 2016
El Tiempo (Bogotá)
[Translated summary: 40 people accused of gun trafficking were captured in Colombia. During the operation, 5 machine guns, 30 rifles, more than 50,000 cartridges, grenades, over 50 handguns and 2 sniper rifles were seized.]
Luego de un operativo conjunto entre el Ejército y la Policía fueron capturadas 40 personas, en varias ciudades del país, a las que se les sindica de traficar armas con el Eln y bandas criminales. Los presuntos delincuentes incluso tenían una... (GunPolicy.org)
Guatemala Why 9mm and .38 Illicit Handguns Proliferate [ES]
19 September 2016
Prensa Libre (Guatemala)
[Translated summary: The most common guns used in crimes in Guatemala, for their cheap prices and their characteristics, are the 9 mm pistol and the .38 revolver. According to the experts, the 9 mm can be disassembled in 5 pieces that are interchangeable with other pistols, as long as they are the same brand and calibre. Criminals use them so they can hide evidence by changing the barrels.]
Armas utilizadas en crímenes son desarmadas y sus piezas vendidas en mercado... (GunPolicy.org)
Main Motivation to Own a Gun: Fear of Other People - US Study
19 September 2016
The Trace (USA)
Amid a historic plunge in the national violent crime rate, more Americans than ever are arming themselves to protect against attack by other people, a new survey of U.S. gun ownership by researchers at Harvard and Northeastern universities reveals. Their weapon of choice is a handgun, which is portable and easily concealable, and in many states, can be carried in an increasing number of public places.
Pistols, revolvers, and other handguns account for a majority of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Study Shows 3% of Americans Own Nearly Half the Guns in US
19 September 2016
Guardian
Americans own an estimated 265m guns, more than one gun for every American adult, according to the most definitive portrait of US gun ownership in two decades. But the new survey estimates that 130m of these guns are concentrated in the hands of just 3% of American adults – a group of super-owners who have amassed an average of 17 guns each.
The unpublished Harvard/Northeastern survey result summary, obtained exclusively by the Guardian and the Trace, estimates that... (GunPolicy.org)
Morocco: Police Must Use Guns More to Fight Crime [FR]
18 September 2016
Le 360 (Morocco)
[Translated summary: To face an increase in crime, Moroccan police will be required to use their firearms more often. Police sources explain that this is a right they haven't employed until now because the level of crime in Morocco was not as high as in other countries. Morocco has around 50,000 police officers and most of them carry Beretta pistols and HK machine guns.]
Pour faire face à la montée de la criminalité, la police marocaine serait désormais appelée à... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Dismantle Massive Online Gun Market in Thailand
18 September 2016
Bangkok Post
Police have cracked a massive online market in firearms, including high-powered war weapons and assault equipment, in a series of lightning raids across the country.
In early morning action on Saturday on 76 locations in many provinces, a combined taskforce of officers from three police divisions detained 20 suspects and seized 141 firearms.
The raids were launched after it emerged that teenage students were buying firearms through social media and then committing... (GunPolicy.org)
US Seniors More Likely to Die in Suicide than Younger People
15 September 2016
The Trace (USA)
Older Americans are more likely to die in a suicide attempt than members of any other age group, and most of the fatalities are caused by a firearm.
Gun suicides happen at a rate of 12 per 100,000 Americans over the age of 65 — the highest rate of all age groups, close only to the 10 per 100,000 reached by people between the ages of 45 and 64.
Out of the 42,773 people who committed suicide in 2014, 18 percent were over 65, according to the Centers for Disease... (GunPolicy.org)
US 'Floods' Mexico with Guns - Ministry of Foreign Affairs [ES]
14 September 2016
Mi Morelia (Mexico)
[Translated Summary: Over 13 million illegal firearms are circulating in Mexico, and 10 million of those are presumed to be in hands of organized crime. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs points out that in four US states on the border with Mexico, there are at least 9,000 legal gun shops and over 23,000 licences to sell them over the Internet and at gun shows.]
La violencia que ha asfixiado al país en los últimos 15 años tiene uno de sus orígenes en la laxitud... (GunPolicy.org)
Pink Pistols, the US LGBT Group that Embraces Guns [ES]
13 September 2016
Hoy Los Angeles
[Translated summary: In the days after 49 people were fatally shot at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando, the LGBT gun group Pink Pistols started to receive more attention, with new locations opening across the US and Canada. Members believe that owning guns will make their community safer, while the vast majority of LGBT activists say becoming armed is not the answer.]
Jonathan Fischer nunca sabe quién se sorprenderá más cuando -como a él mismo le gusta decirlo-... (GunPolicy.org)
El Salvador,Central America,United States
M16, AK Assault Rifles Often Used By Gangs in El Salvador
12 September 2016
InSight Crime (Bogotá), El Faro
The government of El Salvador's militarized campaign against the country's street gangs has been met by an increasingly heavily armed reaction. El Faro's investigation indicates that the gangs' growing use of assault rifles is an echo of the civil war that ended almost 25 years ago.
"Our presumption is that many are from the civil war," responds Mauricio Ramírez Landaverde, the Minister of Public Security, when questioned on the origin of the weapons that Salvadoran... (GunPolicy.org)
Americans Shoot, Kill Themselves More Often Than Others
12 September 2016
Washington Post
A year later, I remain haunted by the death of a friend, 39 when he shot himself, because I'm pretty sure his life could have been saved.
Local police called his death a "suicide by gunshot" — one of more than 20,000 people a year who take their own lives with a firearm. Yes, it's true: More people use guns to kill themselves than to kill others, according to 2012 statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Suicides may be the great untold story... (GunPolicy.org)
Pink Pistols: Gun-Toting Gay Americans, Trained and Armed
12 September 2016
Philadelphia Inquirer
Gwen Patton does not carry a gun specifically because she is a lesbian. She carries a gun because she believes random evil can put its hand on you at any moment - and gay people face additional danger.
"Yeah, because someone mugs you on the street, they want your wallet, they want your watch, they want money. A woman might also face a threat of rape," she says. "Another level is when they don't like you for what you are. There's a quantum leap in danger."
That's why... (GunPolicy.org)
Central America,Mexico,South America,United States
USA, Stop Enabling Latin America's Gun Addiction - Letter
11 September 2016
Americas Quarterly, Letter
Dear Mister / Madam President,
As the world's largest arms exporter, the U.S. plays an outsize role in fueling Latin America's insatiable addiction to firearms. To take one example, during most of the 1980s, El Salvador was the largest consumer of U.S. military hardware in the Americas, feeding one of the most vicious civil wars in Latin American history. And while the conflict ended in 1992, the legacy of its arms transfers remains: U.S. officials estimate that almost... (GunPolicy.org)
Twenty-year Record: 400 Shot in Chicago in August [FR]
7 September 2016
A l'Encontre (Switzerland)
[Translated summary: August was the most violent month in Chicago in almost 20 years. According to the Chicago Police, around 400 people have been victims of firearms and 78 were killed. Since the beginning of the year, there have been 487 homicides while 2015 had a total of 491.]
Ils ne seront jamais inculpés, mais les vrais criminels responsables de la violence dans des villes comme Chicago siègent à l'Hôtel de ville et dans les conseils d'administration des... (GunPolicy.org)
Amnesty Exchanges Guns for Bus Tickets in Canada [FR]
7 September 2016
Ici Radio Canada
[Translated summary: From September 12 to 23, citizens of Halifax, Canada, will be able to exchange a firearm for 50 bus tickets. City councillor Ted Upshaw has made the proposition in reaction to a series of shootings that affected the city in spring. There have been 5 gun homicides so far this year. The last amnesty in 2009 retrieved 1,074 firearms.]
La Ville d'Halifax approuve son programme d'amnistie pour les armes à feu illégales. Du 12 au 23 septembre, il sera... (GunPolicy.org)
Brazil,Colombia,Mexico,Venezuela,United States,India,Nigeria,South Africa,El Salvador
World is Far Less Violent: Global Murders Halving in a Decade
7 September 2016
Foreign Affairs (USA)
The world has never been safer than it is right now. Most forms of violence have dropped precipitously over the past few centuries. Although conflict deaths recently spiked (the war in Syria accounts for one third of all war-related killings today), fewer people are dying from warfare than at virtually any time in human history. Terrorist violence also increased over the past two years—especially in six countries the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia—but it still... (GunPolicy.org)
El Salvador Criminal Gang Uses Mostly US-Made Rifles [ES]
7 September 2016
El Faro (El Salvador)
[Translated summary: "Maras" gangsters in El Salvador use assault weapons. The authorities, former soldiers, experts and even gang members confirm that most of them come from the civil war of the 80's. Police seize at least one rifle every 3 days and the most common are the M-16, the AK-47 and the Galil.]
El gobierno del FMLN combate contra mareros equipados con fusiles de asalto. Autoridades, excomandantes, excombatientes, académicos, expertos y los propios... (GunPolicy.org)
Why US Gun Tracing Center Is Not Allowed Computers [ES]
7 September 2016
Actualidad RT
[Translated summary: A US law makes sure that the government can't create a searchable database of all firearm owners. According to the NRA, registering all the firearms in a single place will allow the government to easily confiscate them. Thus, the National Tracing Center has to look for records manually, and a search that could take seconds, takes more than a week.]
A diferencia de lo que muestran las películas, en EE.UU. no existe ningún sistema íntegro de... (GunPolicy.org)
Medical Marijuana Patients Can't Buy Guns, Says US Court
7 September 2016
Washington Post
An appeals court ruled last week that a federal law prohibiting medical marijuana cardholders from purchasing guns does not violate their Second Amendment rights, because marijuana has been linked to "irrational or unpredictable behavior."
The ruling came in the case of a Nevada woman who attempted to purchase a handgun in 2011, but was denied when the gun store owner recognized her as a medical marijuana cardholder, according to court documents. S. Rowan Wilson... (GunPolicy.org)
Switzerland: Gun Suicides Fall as Soldiers Leave Guns at Work
7 September 2016
The Trace (USA)
Thomas Reisch, a psychiatrist and researcher in Switzerland, was reviewing the rates of suicide in his country when he noticed something unusual. Right around 2004, the number of gun suicides substantially declined. Reisch, who serves as the medical director of a psychiatric hospital just outside of Bern, wondered why.
Switzerland, a peaceful country of about eight million people, is typically regarded for its pristine ski resorts, economic prosperity, and... (GunPolicy.org)
Ten Essential Facts About Guns and Suicide - Myths Cost Lives
6 September 2016
The Trace (USA)
Despite an alarming uptick in homicides in some urban areas in the last few years, violent death rates are significantly lower than they were in the 1990s. There is one notable exception to this trend. Suicide rates for men and women have steadily increased for the past 15 years.
The statistics are bleak. Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the U.S. From ages 10 to 34, it is the second leading cause. Last year, at least 40,000 people in the U.S. died by... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Trafficking Network Dismantled in Spain, Lithuania [ES]
5 September 2016
20 Minutos (USA)
[Translated summary: 52 people were arrested in a raid that dismantled a drug and arms trafficking network linking Spain and Lithuania. Police reported that at least 50 guns were seized, AK-47 and Makarov pistols among them. The network purchased guns from collectors and repaired them in workshops to make them operational and sell them.]
Cincuenta y dos personas fueron arrestadas en un operativo que desmanteló una red de tráfico de drogas y armas que operaba en... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian City Mulls Gun Amnesty to Slow Armed Violence
4 September 2016
CBC News (Canada)
If you had a gun, would you trade it in for 50 bus tickets? That's part of a proposed amnesty program Halifax regional council will consider Tuesday.
The proposal comes following gun violence in the Halifax area this past spring. There have been nine homicides in HRM in 2016 so far — at least five of those killings involved guns.
How it would work
The report said the program would run for two weeks — between Sept. 12 and Sept. 23 — and it would give people the... (GunPolicy.org)
More 'Assault Rifle' Firearm Models Join Police Guns in Canada
3 September 2016
Guns (USA)
Canadian police are integrating the controversial AR-15 into the hands of patrol officers as firearm related crimes more than triple in some provinces.
According to several Canadian news outlets, the cities of Winnipeg, Regina and Toronto steadily added the carbine to their arsenal for use in high risk vehicle stops and home entries this year.
"We're seeing stuff we haven't seen before," Sgt. Derek Lamer told the Regina Leader-Post. "We've gone to gun calls and (the... (GunPolicy.org)
Main US Gun Tracing Centre Deliberately Buried in Bureaucracy
1 September 2016
Mother Jones (USA)
Two agents with suits and trim haircuts lean against a cubicle wall in the cavernous red-brick building that houses the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' National Tracing Center in Martinsburg, West Virginia. They're laughing about one of the gun lobby's favorite myths: the notion that the government has a database with the names of every gun owner in America, and that one day, maybe very soon, it will sweep across the country to confiscate... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago Sees Deadliest Month of Gun Violence in 10 Years
1 September 2016
New York Times
In a city wrestling with a rise in gun violence and turmoil in its police department, August seemed like the longest month. By midnight on Wednesday, 90 murders had occurred in August alone, making it the deadliest month in Chicago in about 20 years.
Chicago, the nation's third-largest city, has experienced more homicides this year than the bigger cities of Los Angeles and New York combined.
The number of deaths here this year, 471, is about 50 percent higher than the... (GunPolicy.org)
7,000 Guns Registered During Campaign in Bolivia [ES]
31 August 2016
El País (Bolivia)
[Translated summary: During a program in Bolivia, civilians registered 7,000 firearms. Any owner with unregistered guns must surrender or register them and obtain a licence. Bolivia divides the registration into four categories: guns for self-defence, for hunting, for collectors and for other activities. Unlicensed citizens could face prison sentences.]
A nivel nacional fueron más de 7.000 armas de fuego registradas, de las cuales 495 corresponden a la ciudad de... (GunPolicy.org)
Admirable People at US Federal Bureau of Way Too Many Guns
30 August 2016
GQ (USA)
Say there's a murder. Blood everywhere, a dead guy on the floor. The cops come in with their yellow tape, chalk line, the little booties, cameras, swabs, the fingerprint dust. One of them finds a gun on the floor. The gun! He lifts it with his pinkie, examines it, takes note of the serial number. Back at the station, they run a trace on the gun. A name pops up. It's the wife! Or: It's the business partner! It's somebody's gun, and this is so exciting because now they... (GunPolicy.org)
Czech Republic,Austria,Switzerland,Germany
Europeans Buy More Guns in Fear of Jihadist Attacks [ES]
27 August 2016
Actualidad RT
[Translated Summary: In the Czech Republic, the number of firearm owners reached 300,000 in the first five months of 2016. Gun dealers in Switzerland and Austria say they've also seen a surge in interest towards firearms following jihadist shootings in Europe. Germans are choosing self-defence devices, like sprays and blank guns.]
El número de europeos que compra armas de fuego y dispositivos de autodefensa aumenta con cada día que pasa, informa Reuters. Las... (GunPolicy.org)
Professors, Students' Opinions About Guns on Campus - NYT
27 August 2016
New York Times
As classes began here at the University of Texas this past week amid a new law allowing concealed handguns on college campuses in the state, an accounting student quietly strapped on a pistol and headed to class.
A pre-med sophomore joined a raucous protest against the law.
A professor who had sued to stop the law resigned herself to teaching with handguns in the classroom.
And the college president sought out ways to safeguard the campus culture that he cherished... (GunPolicy.org)
Even Trump Backers Favour More Gun Sale Background Checks
27 August 2016
Guardian
Even as the partisan divide on gun rights widens in the US, an overwhelming majority of both Clinton and Trump supporters say they support several of the gun control reform proposals that have failed to pass Congress over the past few years, according to a new national survey from the Pew Research Center.
Seventy-five percent of Trump supporters said they favor background checks on private gun sales and sales at gun shows, as did 90% of Clinton supporters. And 82% of... (GunPolicy.org)
In Fear of Attack, Some Europeans Buy More Guns and Sprays
23 August 2016
New York Times, Reuters
Europeans in a number of countries are seeking to arm themselves with guns and self-defense devices in growing numbers following a series of attacks by militants and the mentally ill.
Some weapons sellers also link their increased business to the arrival of huge numbers of migrants in Europe, although a German police report stated that the vast majority do not commit crimes of any kind in the country.
The picture is patchy, with no up-to-date data available at a... (GunPolicy.org)
Seizure of 'Weapon of War' Guns Increased 20% in Spain [ES]
23 August 2016
El País (Colombia)
[Translated summary: Approximately 20% of the 2,250 seized firearms in Spain in the last five years are weapons of war. Also, in the current year, about 1,073 firearms have been seized, 152 people have been arrested, at least four sweatshops have been shut down; there, assault rifles and semiautomatic guns were reactivated and ended up in countries at war.]
Los investigadores calculan que, en los últimos dos años, un pequeño negocio ubicado en el sótano de un... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,China,Germany,United Kingdom,France,Russia,Spain,Italy,Israel,India,Saudi Arabia,United Arab Emirates,Pakistan,Australia,Turkey,Singapore,South Korea,South Sudan,Ukraine
Killer Facts: The Scale of the Global Arms Trade, Gun Totals
22 August 2016
Amnesty International (London)
Transfers of heavy conventional weapons
The top 10 exporters of conventional arms (excluding small arms/ light weapons – SALW) 2010-15
USA: US$55.006 billion
Russia: US$42.404 billion
China: US$9.943 billion
Germany: US$ 9.467 billion
France: US$ 8.932 billion
UK: US$ 7.627 billion
Spain: US$ 5.310 billion
Italy: US$ 4.360 billion
Ukraine: US$ 4.156 billion
Israel: US$ 3.280 billion
The top 10 importers of conventional arms (excluding SALWs) 2010-15
India:... (GunPolicy.org)
Delhi's Authorities in a Fix Due to Illegal Firearms Market
21 August 2016
New Indian Press (India)
As it grapples with rising gun crime, procuring a firearm in Delhi is as easy as ordering takeaway. AK-47s, Chinese Star pistols, Walther PPKs and more are available for the gangster or terrorist who shops with ease in the city's gun bazaar. Incidents of gun-related deaths have gone up in Delhi.
A Delhi Police constable was shot dead over the weekend by bag snatchers, a first of its kind. Earlier, Delhi Police's Anti-Terror Unit busted an international gang of gun... (GunPolicy.org)
Armed and Aging: Should Seniors Face Tighter Gun Controls?
18 August 2016
New America Media
Richard Swift grew up in the era of John Wayne and Gene Autry, cinematic cowboys whose armed antics drove his daydreams. He had a BB gun years before the first whiskers sprouted on his chin. At 12, he got a .22-caliber rifle that he'd lug around the hills and fields of his rural southeastern Pennsylvania burg, shooting targets and learning to hunt.
"Mostly, I was just shooting things that were there, like a stick floating down the creek. I'd shoot bumblebees if they... (GunPolicy.org)
At Mexico's Lone Gun Store, Even the Boss Discourages Sales
17 August 2016
Times-Union (Florida), Associated Press
MEXICO CITY — There's just one place in all of Mexico where you can legally buy a gun. It's tucked away in an anonymous building on an army base in the capital, staffed by soldiers.
Those who enter must surrender any cellphones, tablets or cameras, remove caps and pass through a metal detector. Weapons are kept in locked glass cases, unlike many of the 50,000-plus U.S. gun shops where used-gun racks on showroom floors allow easy access and clerks are happy to let you... (GunPolicy.org)
Want to Reduce Gun Violence? Halt the War on Drugs
16 August 2016
Newsweek (USA), Opinion
Every December 5, American beer, wine and spirit enthusiasts celebrate Repeal Day. It was on this day in 1933 that the United States officially passed the 21st Amendment, effectively ending the failed "noble experiment" known as Prohibition.
This was not only a good day for liberty and libations; it also marked the end of a violent era in American history.
The transport and sale of illicit booze became a prolific criminal enterprise backed by well-armed, violent... (GunPolicy.org)
Surgeon Frustrated After Decades of Sewing Up Shot Children
12 August 2016
Houston Chronicle (Texas)
Dr. David Wesson points to a spot below his belly button. That's where the .22-caliber bullet pierced the abdomen of the first pediatric gunshot victim he ever treated.
The boy was 1 month old. He was perched on the kitchen table. His father had been cleaning a rifle when it unexpectedly discharged. The bullet ricocheted through the infant's body.
The surgeon's finger traces upward across his white coat, zig-zagging like a child's pencil following the lines of a maze:... (GunPolicy.org)
Of 500 Million Illegal Guns in West Africa, 70% Are in Nigeria
11 August 2016
Daily Trust (Abuja), Editorial
At the National Consultation on Physical Security and Stockpile Management (PSSM) in Abuja, organized by the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC) and the Presidential Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PRESCOM), it was revealed that Nigeria hosts 350 million or 70 per cent of the 500 million illegal arms in West Africa.
UNREC's director, Ms Olatokunbo Ige, provided the statistics during the consultation in Abuja and said... (GunPolicy.org)
US Approves $1.15bn Military Arms Sale to Saudi Arabia
10 August 2016
Guardian, Agence France Presse
The United States has approved the possible sale to Saudi Arabia of up to 153 tanks, hundreds of machine guns and other military gear in a deal worth $1.15bn.
The announcement coincided with news that Saudi-led coalition warplanes had resumed air strikes on Yemen's capital for the first time in three months, killing 14 people and shutting the airport after UN-brokered talks were suspended.
Elizabeth Trudeau, a state department spokeswoman, said she was "very... (GunPolicy.org)
Is Hollywood Feeling the Heat for Its Gun Culture?
9 August 2016
NBC News (USA)
A rash of recent mass shootings and violent clashes between police and people of color may have helped to create a climate of squeamishness around gun culture in an unlikely place -- Hollywood.
For years, critics mostly on the right have laid at least part of blame for acts of gun violence on the images and plot lines emanating from the film, music and television industries. While their defenders have always cited the difference between art and reality, as well as... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Maker Gains Recognition for Indonesian Assault Rifle
8 August 2016
Jakarta Post
The Pindad SS1-V1 left not only a definite hole in the US Marine Corps' body armor, but also a big impression on participants of the recent Rim of Pacific joint military training in the Kaneohe Bay Marine Corps Base, Hawaii.
Admiration for the Indonesian-made assault rifle was sparked during a zeroing test on July 10. A zeroing test, conducted at a range of 25 meters, measures the power of each participating corps before the joint training begins.
Major Indra Fauzi... (GunPolicy.org)
Sweden Allows Only Responsible People to Have a Gun Licence
8 August 2016
Vox (USA)
Twenty years ago, I headed to Sweden for a sabbatical year to study the country's attitudes toward hunting. As a responsible hunter, I brought my own guns — an old 12-gauge shotgun and a Remington .30-06 — because I didn't want to miss a shot or wound an animal using unfamiliar, borrowed firearms.
As a sociologist I thought that bringing my own firearms would give me some firsthand experience with European gun laws. That happened sooner than I expected.
My... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Ranges Legally Rent Machine Guns to Customers
5 August 2016
Miami Herald
The instructor's face wore a frown, and I was worried that I'd committed some safety violation that was going to get me kicked out of the rifle range. When you're firing the same kind of machine gun that killed Osama bin Laden, a weapon that can spit out 900 bullets a minute, the rules are many, and strictly observed.
The instructor leaned closer. "Stop firing little bursts," he urged me. "You're not getting the real fun of the gun. This time, when you pull the... (GunPolicy.org)
One Million Illegal Guns, 6,700 Seized in Honduras [ES]
4 August 2016
Radio HRN (Honduras)
[Translated summary: Honduras confiscated 6,700 firearms in the last two years, most of them from gangs. Types include AK-47 and AR-15 rifles, .45, .38 and 9 mm handguns, shotguns and handmade guns. It is estimated that the cost of the arms seized since 2014 exceeds 100 million lempiras (4.38 million USD). About 1 million illegal firearms circulate in Honduras and 400,000 are legally registered.]
En lo que va del año van más de 1,400 armas de fuego incautadas lo que... (GunPolicy.org)
US Fiream Tracing System Crippled by Gun Lobby Opposition
4 August 2016
Officer (USA)
WASHINGTON — When Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife shot 14 people to death in San Bernardino, Calif., in December, law enforcement agents raced to track down one of their best leads: the guns used in the attack.
Within hours, they had identified Enrique Marquez Jr., Farook's neighbor, who provided background on the couple and was later indicted on terrorism and firearms charges.
Yet despite the urgency of the gun trace — and hundreds of similar searches conducted... (GunPolicy.org)
UN Says 70% of Illegal Guns in West Africa Are in Nigeria
3 August 2016
Vanguard (Lagos)
ABUJA — The United Nations has raised alarm over proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons (SALW) in Nigeria, with over 350 million.
According to the organisation, 70 per cent of estimated 500 million of such weapons said to be circulating in West Africa is domiciled in the country.
Director of United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa, UNREC, Ms. Olatokunbo Ige, gave this startling statistics at the ongoing National... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Maker Stocks Surge After Record Background Checks
1 August 2016
Guardian
The gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson's share price reached an all-time high on Monday after it was reported that the background checks for new guns had set a new record for July.
Shortly after the FBI announced July's figures on Monday afternoon, shares in the second largest gun manufacturer hit $30.59 each. Smith & Wesson's shares closed the day at an all-time high of $30.36, up 3% for the day and beating a previous record high of $29.37 set in March.
Shares in Sturm... (GunPolicy.org)
Oceania,West Asia,Asia,Americas,Africa,United States
Global Mass Shooting Study Uses Bad Methodology - Critics
28 July 2016
Fox News (USA)
A much-heralded and widely cited study of 171 countries over nearly a half century purports to show more guns mean more mass shootings, but critics say the report uses bad methodology in a way that rigs the results.
The study by Adam Lankford, a criminal justice professor at the University of Alabama, was published in the journal Violence and Victims in January and has been cited by media outlets -- including The New Yorker, The Washington Post and Time magazine. But... (GunPolicy.org)
Over 1,000 Guns Seized in Operations in Mexican City [ES]
20 July 2016
Excelsior (Mexico)
[Translated Summary: Coordination Team in Tamaulipas, MX informed that between the 24th of June to the 14th of July, over 697 rifles, 171 handguns, 117 grenades, 3 rockets, 16 grenade launchers, 227,178 different calibre cartridges and 5,994 clips were seized.]
En el marco de la Estrategia de Seguridad Tamaulipas contra la delincuencia Fuerzas Federales y Estatales aseguraron en 20 días todo un arsenal que incluye cohetes, lanzagranadas, casi mil armas de fuego de... (GunPolicy.org)
Syria,Iraq,Jordan,Lebanon,Turkey,United States,Qatar,Saudi Arabia
Weapons of the Syrian War: Small Arms
19 July 2016
Defense One (USA)
Small arms were already plentiful in Syria before the war, thanks to years of Soviet and Russian support. More flooded in after the conflict began
First use: March 18, 2011. After the Assad regime detained more than a dozen teenagers as part of its Arab Spring crackdown, protesters burned down a police headquarters in the southern city of Dara'a. In response, police fired tear gas at protesters, and then opened fire on them.
Origin: Small arms were already plentiful... (GunPolicy.org)
South America,United States,Central America,Mexico
USA Floods Mexico with 200,000 Illegal Guns Every Year [ES]
17 July 2016
RT (Moscow)
[Translated Summary: According to a Peruvian journalist, the abundance of firearms in any Latin American country is almost always directly proportional to its proximity to the local superpower. In 2014, over 28,000 American firearms valued at US$21.6 million entered legally to Mexico, but every year an average of 212,000 firearms enter illegally.]
En América Latina se registran 76.000 muertes por año vinculadas al uso de armas de fuego. Sobre este total la mayoría... (GunPolicy.org)
New Irish Taskforce Targets 'People Running Around With Guns'
15 July 2016
Irish Examiner (Dublin)
A 50-strong taskforce to tackle gangland crime will be unveiled by the Government next week
The gardaí, drawn from experienced crime investigators, will be appointed to the Special Crime Task Force on a full-time basis.
Plans for the taskforce were announced by Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald and Garda commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan on May 31 as part of their response to organised crime and the murderous Kinahan-Hutch feud.
Seven people had been killed by that... (GunPolicy.org)
51 Times More Gun-Related Deaths In USA Than In Canada
8 July 2016
National Observer (USA)
Five police officers were killed in a Dallas mass-shooting Thursday night, blocks away from where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated 53 years ago.
Twelve police officers and two civilians were shot during the attack that saw one sniper — who targeted white police — open fire on officers working a peaceful protest in response to police shootings in Minnesota and Louisiana.
In Dallas, the shooter, 25-year-old Micah Johnson, was trained in the military and... (GunPolicy.org)
Over 31,500 Firearms Delivered to Peruvian National Police [ES]
7 July 2016
Peru 21
[Translated summary: With a US$13 million investment, Peruvian government acquired 31,557 firearms manufactured in the United States. These were given to the National Police to fight crime and insecurity. The lot includes 28,707 9x19 mm pistols, 150 assault rifles, 50 sub-machine guns, 5 sniper rifles and 50 pistols for the Police special units.]
Con una inversión de 13 millones de dólares, el Gobierno adquirió 31,557 armas de fuego fabricadas en Estados Unidos y... (GunPolicy.org)
US Latinos Much More Often Die by Gunshot Than Whites
5 July 2016
Fox News Latino (USA)
Since 1999, more than 50,000 Latinos have been killed by guns – a number far higher than that for whites – according to a recent study.
Between the years of 1999 and 2014, 50,456 Hispanics were killed by guns, with two-thirds of those deaths being homicides and 29 percent suicides. There were also 944 gun-related deaths, or about 2 percent, deemed unintentional, and 1,549 (3 percent) having an undetermined intent or the result of legal intervention, according to... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gunworks Now Makes, Sells Pioneering Nazi Assault Rifle
29 June 2016
CNN
Working replicas of the Nazis' storm rifle, widely considered to be the world's first assault rifle, are now being produced in the U.S.
"It's been a surprise hit with us," said Mac Steil, co-owner of Hill & Mac Gunworks in Georgia, which has taken orders for 2,000 rifles since the product launch in January. "We sold more rifles the first day than we thought we'd sell all year."
Hill & Mac Gunworks, a startup in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, is reproducing the STG... (GunPolicy.org)
Fear, Loathing and Guns: Sensory Overload at NRA Death Mall
25 June 2016
Guardian
"A frightened population is obedient."
– Hunter S Thompson
"I'm not scared about going to jail. Somebody's got to do something to knock the fear out of these negroes."
– Muhammad Ali
At the 145th National Rifle Association annual meetings and exhibits, you could see and purchase replica flintlock muskets like the kind Daniel Boone used, "wardrobe" handguns the size of a cellphone, a carriage-mounted 1883 Gatling gun, historic firearms from the Renaissance down... (GunPolicy.org)
More and More Gun Deaths Among Hispanics in USA [ES]
24 June 2016
El Informador (Mexico)
[Translated summary: The rate of firearm deaths among Hispanic Americans was 4.69 gun deaths per 100,000 citizens in 2014, double the rate of gun death for white Americans. Over 50,000 Hispanics died between 1999 and 2014, 66% due to homicides and 29% due to suicides.]
WASHINGTON - El índice de muertes de hispanos por armas de fuego en Estados Unidos fue en 2014 de 4.69 fallecimientos por cada 100 mil habitantes, por encima del dato nacional y dos veces más que el... (GunPolicy.org)
Second Day of Gun Control Protest in US Congress
23 June 2016
Newshub (New Zealand)
Chaos in the US House of Representatives has stretched into a second day after Republicans refused demands by Democrats, who staged a "sit-in", to bring up gun control legislation in the wake of the nation's worst mass shooting in modern history.
Scores of Democrats flooded the chamber for more than 14 hours, sitting on the floor and chanting in a "sit-in" protest, taking over the House even as the Republican leadership shut off television cameras and microphones as... (GunPolicy.org)
Surge in US Firearm Sales Increased Trafficking to Mexico [ES]
22 June 2016
Noticieros Televisa (Mexico)
[Translated Summary: The surge in the sale of guns in Texas increased firearms trafficking to Mexico. According to Customs and Border Protection, in the last five years, 283 firearms and at least 5,000 bullets of numerous calibres have been confiscated in the US/Mexico border areas.]
En el estado de Texas, en Estados Unidos, la venta de armas sigue en aumento y más cuando en unas semanas, entrará en vigor una nueva ley donde, además de portar armas, se podrá... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Deaths Dropped After Australian Control Laws, Study Says
22 June 2016
Discover Magazine
Gun deaths dropped in Australia following a massive buyback program and tighter gun laws, according to a new study published Wednesday. However, the scientists say they can't decisively prove a connection.
Researchers from the University of Sydney compared firearm deaths both before and after the 1996 Port Arthur Massacre, when a gunman killed 35 people and wounded 23 others. That mass shooting prompted Australian legislators to take action, launching a firearm buyback... (GunPolicy.org)
Assault Rifles, Handguns Transform US Firearm Industry
21 June 2016
New York Times
At one time, military-style assault rifles like the ones used at a nightclub in Orlando, Fla., and in other mass shootings represented a relatively small segment of sales for gun manufacturers.
But in recent decades, such guns serve as one of the two financial pillars of the firearms industry, along with smaller handguns that are designed to be concealed, which have been the biggest driver of sales.
Together, the popularity of the assault rifles and small handguns... (GunPolicy.org)
How Racial Prejudice Helps Drive US Opposition to Gun Control
21 June 2016
Washington Post
Last week, Sen. Chris Murphy made a small splash by filibustering on the Senate floor until, he said, Republicans agreed to allow a vote on a modest gun control measure. When the nation has debates like this, commentators often focus either on what was meant by the Second Amendment, or on who supports and who opposes such regulations, examining public opinion divisions along partisan, geographical, or other lines.
My research has identified a different factor, however,... (GunPolicy.org)
Slaying of MP is Surprising Due to Low Gun Violence in the UK
16 June 2016
USA Today, Opinion
The Associated Press "Urgent" wire started flashing.
"British lawmaker Jo Cox has died after shooting attack in her constituency," it said in the usual dry language of such alerts.
And I felt my heart thumping.
How could this have happened in the land of my birth and upbringing? How could the American scourge of gun violence that had just killed 49 innocents in Orlando – and, to be honest, to which I have become almost numb – have spread there?
After all, in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Orlando Shooting Unlikely to Bring Major New Gun Laws - NYT
16 June 2016
New York Times
WASHINGTON — It didn't happen after a congresswoman was shot in the head at an official event. It didn't happen after 20 children were gunned down in their elementary school classrooms. It didn't happen after terrorists fired on a holiday party at an agency that provided services for people with disabilities in Southern California.
Now, after the worst mass shooting in American history, major new gun control legislation is still not likely to pass in... (GunPolicy.org)
Peak US Research Body Avoids Studying Gun-Related Deaths
16 June 2016
ABC News (USA)
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studies a variety of public health threats every year, from infectious diseases to automobile safety. But for 15 years, the CDC has avoided comprehensive research on one of the top causes of death in the U.S.: firearms.
While the CDC keeps surveillance data on gun injuries and deaths, it has not funded a study aimed at reducing harm from guns since 2001. The CDC estimates that firearms are one of the top five causes... (GunPolicy.org)
Côte d'Ivoire Has Added Markings to 99% of Police Guns [FR]
15 June 2016
Amnesty International (France), Media release
[Translated summary: Under the Arms Trade Treaty, the states of West Africa have improved their firearm stock management. Now every gun is marked with a code that shows where it comes from. Also, every time a gun enters or leaves an armoury, the code allows officials to know who gave the order and why. Now, the National Police of Côte d'Ivoire has marked 99% of its guns.]
Après deux décennies de crises, la Côte d'Ivoire est aux avant-postes de la lutte contre la... (GunPolicy.org)
Six US Politicians, Leaders in Gun Violence Prevention
15 June 2016
Salon (USA)
The House of Representatives acknowledged the victims of last weekend's Orlando massacre in predictable fashion on Monday: not with discussion of why a man once on an FBI terror watchlist was able to legally purchase the guns he used to kill at least 49 people, but with a time-honored ritual that has become so commonplace as to lose all meaning: the moment of silence.
Speaker Paul Ryan called for the obligatory gesture, bowed his head for a few seconds, and then... (GunPolicy.org)
German Mass Shootings Tightened Gun Law, Gun Deaths Fell
15 June 2016
Los Angeles Times
Tough gun control laws in Germany that were rigorously tightened after two ghastly school shootings in 2002 and 2009 have helped cut the number of firearm killings in half to about 50 a year, according to experts.
Germans are known to admire America and its freedoms, but they were horrified by the arrival of distinctly American-style school shootings in their backyard in Erfurt in 2002 and Winnenden in 2009. They have been equally as shocked by the shooting deaths by a... (GunPolicy.org)
AR-15, the Most 'Domestic' Weapon of War in America [ES]
13 June 2016
El Mundo (Spain)
[Translated summary: After a mass shooting, fear causes Americans to acquire more and more firearms for "self-defense". Some seem even more deadly, like the AR-15, an assault rifle. It is estimated than in the last five years, civilians have bought more than 1.5 millions guns. Prices start at 500 dollars.]
Cualquier vendedor de armas en EEUU sabe que un tiroteo masivo es una buena noticia para el negocio. Y más si es la mayor matanza en la historia del país. Lejos de... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Lobby Calls Orlando Assault Weapon 'America's Rifle'
13 June 2016
New York Times
In recent years, the AR-15 has become, simultaneously, one of most beloved and most vilified rifles in the country.
It is no surprise why the gun is so reviled by gun control advocates. Omar Mateen, the gunman in the attack this weekend on a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., used a spinoff of the rifle produced by SIG Sauer to kill nearly 50 people.
The military-style weapon has also been the gun of choice in several other mass shootings: at an elementary school in... (GunPolicy.org)
Assault Rifle the Weapon of Choice in US Mass Shootings
13 June 2016
Malay Mail (Kuala Lumpur)
WASHINGTON — When Omar Mateen entered an Orlando, Florida, nightclub yesterday to carry out the deadliest mass shooting in US history, he wielded a weapon that has been used in massacres from California to Connecticut: a military-inspired semi-automatic rifle.
Though so-called assault rifles account for a small fraction of the United States' 30,000 annual gun deaths, they have been used in at least 10 mass shootings since 2011, according to a database compiled by... (GunPolicy.org)
Easier to Buy Gun in US Than For a Gay Man to Donate Blood
13 June 2016
Huffington Post (USA)
America's gun laws are being challenged once more in the wake of the Orlando nightclub shooting.
More than 50 people were injured and 49 died after Omar Mateen opened fire at the Pulse nightclub in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Mateen, who was killed in a shootout with police, was armed with an AR-15 assault type rifle, a handgun and an explosive device.
The 29-year-old purchased at least two firearms legally within the last week or so, said Trevor Velinor of... (GunPolicy.org)
Another Rapid-Fire Shotgun Brings Gun Control Call in Australia
13 June 2016
Guardian, Australian Associated Press
A new rapid-fire shotgun has hit the Australian market, prompting fresh calls from gun control advocates for the nation's firearms laws to be tightened.
As federal and state law enforcement officials prepare to meet in Sydney this week to discuss firearm regulation, the Pardus LAX is being billed as "the new entrant" in the lever action market. More than 7,000 Adler rapid-fire shotguns have been sold in Australia in just six months.
A 12-month ban on a version of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Orlando Gunman Was 'Cool and Calm' After Massacre
13 June 2016
New York Times
ORLANDO — The gunman who went on a shooting rampage in a popular gay nightclub here shot nearly all of his victims in the first stages of the assault, then was utterly "cool and calm" while he talked by phone to law enforcement officials about further carnage, claimed allegiance to the Islamic State and praised the Boston Marathon bombers, officials said on Monday.
As officials offered new details about the worst mass shooting in American history, which left 49... (GunPolicy.org)
What We Know About the Pulse Nightclub Shooting in Orlando
12 June 2016
Everytown for Gun Safety
In the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, a gunman shot and killed at least 49 people and shot and injured at least 53 others inside Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, FL. According to a law enforcement source, the gunman had been a person of interest in two FBI investigations in 2013 and 2014 and at the time was placed on a terrorist watch list. Due to a loophole in federal law, the government is unable to block gun sales to people who have been investigated for... (GunPolicy.org)
Switzerland Wins EU Exemption to Keep Army Guns at Home
10 June 2016
SwissInfo
European Union countries agreed on Friday on new measures to tighten gun controls in the wake of the deadly attacks in Paris last year. Switzerland has gained a special clause to allow its militia army soldiers to keep their guns at home.
Although not an EU-member, the Swiss are obliged to follow the move as they have signed up to the cross-border Schengen agreement. This allows for passport-free travel within its 26 signatories, and thus potentially for the... (GunPolicy.org)
Czechs Plan to Vote Against Europe's New Gun Control Laws
10 June 2016
Breitbart News Network
VISNOVA/LUXEMBOURG – European Union governments should agree tighter gun control laws on Friday in the wake of Islamist shooting attacks in France and Belgium, despite opposition from some states which say they will hurt only law-abiding enthusiasts.
The Czech Republic is among the loudest critics of rules that EU officials expect to secure comfortable majority backing when the 28 interior ministers meet in Luxembourg on Friday. It argues the measures will not... (GunPolicy.org)
Maine Gun Safety Groups Get $3 Million Bloomberg Donation
7 June 2016
Sun Journal (Maine), Associated Press
AUGUSTA — Maine gun safety advocates preparing for a big, costly fight over a background checks measure on the November ballot have received more than $3 million from a nonprofit backed by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Maine voters this fall will consider an initiative requiring background checks before gun transfers and sales between unlicensed firearm dealers. The measure has family, hunting and self-defense exceptions.
Federal law requires... (GunPolicy.org)
Biggest US Gun Control Group Endorses Hillary Clinton
3 June 2016
New York Times
A major gun control group has endorsed Hillary Clinton, offering a lift to her campaign in a tighter-than-expected primary race in California and as she tries to pivot to a general election matchup with Donald J. Trump.
The group, Everytown for Gun Safety, announced its endorsement through a statement released early on Friday, the day after its National Gun Violence Awareness Day campaign.
"Gun Sense Voters have a champion in Hillary Clinton," John Feinblatt, the... (GunPolicy.org)