Gun Policy News
Gun theft, robbery and 'leakage' of weapons
Guns in High Demand in Papua New Guinea
19 October 2021
Post-Courier (Papua New Guinea)
As the 2022 National General Election looms, firearms are being smuggled into the Highlands region from various parts of the country, says an identified firearms dealer.
According to the dealer who is from the Southern Highland's upper Mendi area who agreed to speak to the Post-Courier anonymously, the demand for firearms has increased significantly –– especially from intending candidates from the Highlands.
The dealer said that most weapons are supplied from... (GunPolicy.org)
Afghanistan and Libya: All Weapons in the Hands of Islamic Terrorists
22 September 2021
Corriere della Sera (italy)
Afghanistan, Libya and Syria are the three crises that today fuel the archipelago of Islamic extremism. Three countries that are out of control and where Western intervention has increased the risk to global security. In Doha, in recent months, the Americans negotiated the withdrawal from Afghanistan with the Taliban, promising: we will leave, but you will not allow al Qaeda or other extremist groups to operate in the country. We know how that went. And when countries... (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)
North Africa,Slovakia,Czech Republic,France,Serbia,Burkina Faso,Mali
Sahel: Serbian Weapons Used by Brutal Armed Groups
24 August 2021
Amnesty International
Amnesty International's arms experts have identified Serbian-manufactured weapons in videos posted by armed groups operating in the Sahel, including an Islamic State affiliate which has claimed responsibility for hundreds of civilian deaths. The new rifles, some the latest available models, match trade records of Serbia's sales to Burkina Faso, suggesting the weapons were recently sold to the government before falling into the hands of armed groups.
Amnesty... (GunPolicy.org)
Serbia,West Africa,Burkina Faso,Mali
Identified Serbian Weapons in Stockpiles of Armed Groups in Sahel
24 August 2021
Amnesty International
Amnesty International's arms experts have identified Serbian-manufactured weapons in videos posted by armed groups operating in the Sahel, including an Islamic State affiliate which has claimed responsibility for hundreds of civilian deaths. The new rifles, some the latest available models, match trade records of Serbia's sales to Burkina Faso, suggesting the weapons were recently sold to the government before falling into the hands of armed groups.
Amnesty... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
Liberia Amends Domestic Firearms Control Legislations
12 July 2021
All Africa (Liberia)
The Liberia National Commission on Small Arms (LiNCSA) continues to make significant gains to ensure the domestication of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) in Liberia.
Of recent, and having attracted funding and technical assistance from Expertise France, the leadership of the Small Arms Commission has been meeting, in constructive sessions with influential government institutions, mainly relevant Committees of the national legislature, civil society stakeholders and the... (GunPolicy.org)
New York Defines Illegal Firearms Use as a 'Public Nuisance'
7 July 2021
Conversation
Could calling the illegal use of firearms a "public nuisance" bring an end to the gun industry's immunity from civil lawsuits?
New York will soon test that notion. State lawmakers recently amended New York's public nuisance statute to specifically include marketing and sales practices that contribute to gun crimes. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the bill on July 6, 2021, after declaring gun violence a "disaster emergency."
I've been researching lawsuits against the gun... (GunPolicy.org)
Liberia Embarks on a Five-year Strategic Plan for Arms Control
8 June 2021
Analyst (Liberia)
The Liberia National Commission on Small Arms (LiNCSA) has concluded three-day stakeholders' validation sessions to endorse a five-year Strategic Plan (2021-2025) that has been formulated to provide strategic direction for the Commission. The Plan will essentially guide management decisions, planned programs and activities in the accomplishment of its general and specific mandates and institutional sustainability. The five-year Strategic Plan builds and improves on... (GunPolicy.org)
Liberia to Amend the Firearms and Ammunition Control Act of 2015
31 March 2021
Liberia National Commission on Small Arms (LiNCSA)
Liberia is leading the reform efforts within in West Africa to conform to provisions of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) by ensuring the validation to amend the Firearms and Ammunition Control Act of 2015 and the Act creating the National Small Arms Commission of Liberia.
The new Arms Commission Act when enacted by the National Legislature will expand its mandate to regulate all categories of conventional arms including small arms, light weapons their ammunition and related... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Liberia National Commission on Small Arms (LiNCSA)
PNG Police Gun Running, Drug Smuggling, says Own Minister
18 September 2020
Guardian
Papua New Guinea's police force is the most corrupt public agency in the country, engaged in drug-smuggling, gun-running, and land theft, and beset by "a rampant culture of police ill-discipline and brutality", its own police minister has said, in an extraordinary condemnation of his own force.
Police minister Bryan Kramer used the occasion of PNG's independence anniversary to launch a swingeing attack on the police force, saying its endemic corruption would take... (GunPolicy.org)
'Gaps in the system': Move to overhaul paper-based gun licensing system
16 July 2020
Sydney Morning Herald
Criminals are exploiting gaps and inconsistencies in the gun licensing systems of different states and territories to funnel legal firearms into the black market, illegally dispose of guns and move their licences to other states without immediate detection.
Gun owners who lose their licence are also registering their firearms in other states - without any red flags initially being raised - because some states and territories are still operating on largely paper-based... (GunPolicy.org)
Liberia: End Proliferation of Small Arms in ECOWAS Region
28 November 2019
Front Page Africa (FPA)
The 11th Annual National Commissions on Small Arms (NATCOM) meeting of the ECOWAS 15 Member States kicked off Tuesday, November 26, in Monrovia with a call on member states to collaborate to end the proliferation of small arms in West Africa.
Liberia's Chairperson on Small Arms, Att'y Teklo Maxwell Grigsby said hosting the meeting is Liberia is timely because there have been many gains made by the Liberian Small Arms Commission.
He said there is a need to accelerate... (GunPolicy.org)
PNG Gun Dealer's Licence Cancelled for False Declarations
22 November 2019
Post-Courier (Port Moresby)
Acting Police Commissioner David Manning has cancelled a PNG dealer's license [sic] for making false declarations in the end user certificate.
Documents held by the Royal PNG Constabulary indicated that the PNG firearms dealer had imported high powered firearms specifically for the exclusive use of the Royal PNG Constabulary and not for sale or transfer to a third party.
However, a review recently carried out by the Royal PNG Constabulary and international partner... (GunPolicy.org)
Nigerian Governor Illegally Imported 1,000 Ak-47 Guns, Two Million Bullets
8 November 2019
Premium Times (Nigeria)
The Nigerian government has confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that a former Ogun State governor, Ibikunle Amosun, did not get approval to import weapons into Nigeria.
Mr Amosun, a serving senator, requested and received approval for a duty waiver to import only 13 armoured personnel carriers for police operations in Ogun State in 2012, Ben Akabueze, the director-general, Budget Office of the Federation, told PREMIUM TIMES in a recent letter.
The federal government's... (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)
Illegal Shotgun Used in Darwin Mass Shooting
5 June 2019
BBC News
A man alleged to have killed four people and injured another in the Australian city of Darwin used an illegal pump-action shotgun, police say.
The 45-year-old suspect, known to police, was arrested about an hour after the first shots were fired on Tuesday.
Police said he carried out attacks at several locations and may have been searching for a "specific individual".
It was not terror-related, they added.
Authorities have not identified the victims nor the... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Violence in Homicide Report Database
13 May 2019
Stuff (New Zealand)
An unprecedented Stuff investigation has identified every homicide in New Zealand in the past 15 years, revealing the vast majority of those who kill with guns are unlicensed and their weapon of choice is often a .22 calibre rifle or shotgun.
The Homicide Report, which has been nearly three years in the making, is the country's first publicly searchable database of homicides. It encompasses 1068 men, women and children killed from January 2004 to March 31, 2019.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
Results of WA Gun Control Campaign
3 January 2019
West Australian (Perth)
Close to 7 per cent of WA gun owners targeted in a six-week operation recently were pinged by police for allegedly not storing guns properly.
Police charged 185 gun owners with non-compliance offences out of 2710 addresses checked, with officers alarmingly finding 26 firearms had been lost or stolen. About 400 firearms, including 28 handguns, were seized.
Seventy-two people were charged with 320 unrelated offences. Operation Bluesun Commander Jo McCabe said she was... (GunPolicy.org)
How a Delco Man Sought to Use Stolen U.S. Military Weapons to Wage War in Liberia
28 June 2018
Philadelphia Inquirer
As federal prosecutors in Philadelphia wrapped up their case this week against Thomas Woewiyu – the Collingdale man on trial for allegedly lying to U.S. immigration authorities about his role in Liberia's first protracted and bloody civil war in the '90s – they shifted focus toward examining the part he played in arming rebels led by warlord Charles Taylor.
The deal was negotiated over years in a seedy Miami warehouse, a historic Washington hotel, and even the... (GunPolicy.org)
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 Underground Gun Problem: Hundreds Seized
26 February 2018
Australian Associated Press
- 869 illegal guns have been seized by Queensland police ahead of the Games
- The majority of the guns had been stolen from licensed gun owners
- 440 charges have been laid as a result, including drug trafficking and theft
- In some cases thieves are breaking down walls of houses to get to gun safes
Almost 900 weapons have been seized in Queensland this month as police attempt to reduce the number of illegal firearms and related offences ahead of the Commonwealth... (GunPolicy.org)
More Guns Than Adults in Some Hunter, NSW Towns
31 January 2018
Sydney Morning Herald
The Hunter is gun mad - and proud of it - with shooters stockpiling almost 100,000 registered firearms.
A Fairfax Media investigation can reveal that the number of registered firearms in the region has increased by about 30,000 - or a third - in the past five years.
In 2012 there were almost 70,000 registered firearms in the Hunter, compared to 99,502 in July last year. This equates to, on average, an additional 16 guns per day.
In the same time, the number of people... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Investigate Hack of Guns Database
18 November 2017
Age (Melbourne)
Police are investigating the hacking of a gun club database that may have exposed where more than 1500 semi-automatic handguns are stored.
The private details of 540 members from the Port Melbourne club, including the types of weapons they owned, is believed to have been compromised this month, potentially exposing them to the theft of guns worth at least $5000 each on the black market.
Most members own multiple guns, and store them in their homes.
One Melbourne... (GunPolicy.org)
Illicit Firearm Trends in Sri Lanka
29 October 2017
Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)
Early last month, traffic policemen who became suspicious of a licence plate intercepted a hybrid vehicle in which the occupants had Chinese-made assault weapons.
By all indications, if not for the vigilance of the two traffic policemen and sheer luck, a violent crime could have been committed in Gampaha town in broad daylight.
In the incident on October 2, police recovered three T56 assault rifles. The vehicle had been travelling on the road near Gampaha Hospital... (GunPolicy.org)
397 Charges for Former Sydney Gun Dealer
2 June 2017
Australian Associated Press
A former Sydney firearms dealer has been charged with almost 400 firearms and explosives offences including charges related to unregistered and unsecured weapons.
The 71-year-old man was charged on Wednesday after a two-year multi-agency investigation into a former dealership in Terrey Hills, during which a number of firearms and explosive material, including gunpowder were seized, although 78 firearms remain unaccounted for, police said.
The man has been charged with... (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 Shop Loses 130 Handguns to Thieves in Western Australia
24 March 2017
ABC News (Australia)
Western Australia's Police Commissioner is calling for tighter regulations affecting gun stores and owners following the "highly organised" theft of 130 handguns from a Perth store.
But gun lobby groups have dismissed his comments, saying WA is already the most regulated state in Australia and any further controls would be overkill.
It comes after police revealed 130 handguns including revolvers and semi-automatics were stolen from Barry and Son Firearms in Beckenham... (GunPolicy.org)
Firearm Dealer Theft Worth $650,000 on Black Market - ABC News
22 March 2017
ABC News (Australia)
More than 100 handguns have been stolen from a firearms store in Perth's southern suburbs, with police describing the theft as a highly organised heist and saying there could be "disastrous" consequences.
Police said 130 handguns including revolvers and semi-automatics were stolen from Barry and Son Firearms in Beckenham on the night of March 11.
The guns are valued at about $5,000 each on the black market, taking the total value of the stolen firearms to... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Owners' Addresses Revealed in Simple Privacy Blunder
28 December 2016
Sydney Morning Herald
Dozens of home addresses of gun owners have been easily obtained in a simple privacy blunder that a veteran police officer fears may be utilised by thieves.
The treasure trove of addresses has been discovered by simple online searches of publicly available information. It has prompted a warning from NSW Police's Firearms Squad to "use common sense when providing personal details in conjunction with information about firearms".
A gun owner and veteran police officer,... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Gun Owners Lose 3,000 Guns to Thieves Each Year
29 November 2016
Guardian
More than 6000 guns have been reported stolen across Australia over two years and there are fears they are flowing into the illicit firearms market.
Figures obtained under freedom of information from each state by Gun Control Australia showed 6451 guns were stolen between 2013 and 2015.
Most of those guns were stolen in rural and regional areas from homes or rural dwellings including farm houses.
Most thefts occurred in Victoria where 1451 were stolen in the two-year... (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)
Balkan Gun Trafficking Fears Grow Amid Major Security Alerts
20 November 2016
Irish Times (Dublin)
Serbia is urgently checking state arms depots after scores of guns were found to be missing from a military warehouse, fuelling concern over Balkan weapons smuggling amid a series of major security scares around the region.
Serbia's defence ministry said military intelligence, military police and other agencies were investigating the disappearance of weaponry including 70 semi-automatic pistols, five automatic rifles and two cases of ammunition.
Last week Serbia... (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)
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)
Syria,Iraq,Slovakia,European Union
Europe Split on Reforms and Regulations to Curb Gun Violence
14 November 2016
EUObserver (Belgium)
EU lawmakers are meeting on Tuesday (15 November) for another round of backroom talks to curb gun violence and prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons on the black market.
Debates around the European Commission's EU firearms directive reform, proposed in the aftermath the Paris November terrorist attacks, appears to be advancing as positions converge between the two co-legislatures at the European Parliament and the Council, representing member states.
"There is a... (GunPolicy.org)
New Legal Guns in Tasmania Jumped from 57 to 1500 in 2016
5 November 2016
Mercury (Tasmania)
Almost 1500 extra firearms have come into Tasmania over the past year — a massive jump from the previous 12 months when there were just 57.
It comes as police figures show some owners are stockpiling firearms across the state.
Anti-gun activists say the figures are alarming but firearm owners say there is nothing to fear.
About 100 individuals, excluding collectors or dealers, possess arsenals of 20 or more firearms, according to the data.
The largest registered... (GunPolicy.org)
British Police Fear Stolen Guns May Fuel Terrorist Attacks [ES]
31 October 2016
ABC News (Spain)
[Translated summary: British Police fear a terrorist attack with firearms in the UK. With 800 licensed firearms lost each year, these guns could be sold by gangs to Jihadist terrorists. During the last two years, police disrupted 10 attempted attacks, and in half of them terrorists were going to use firearms.]
La policía británica, en una rara declaración, ha reconocido que teme un ataque islamista con armas de fuego en ciudades del país, al modo de los que sufrió... (GunPolicy.org)
Guns-and-Terrorism Links Worry British Police, Crime Authority
31 October 2016
East Lothian Courier (UK), Press Association (UK)
Half the foiled terror plots in the UK in the past two years involved a plan to buy guns, police have said, amid a surge in the number of weapons found in major British cities.
Concerns about firearms falling into terrorist hands are running high after a record level of gun seizures in London and similar spikes in Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Liverpool.
Authorities fear that links between street gangs and terrorists could give extremists access to weapons and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: East Lothian Courier (UK), Press Association (UK)
900 Firearms Stolen from Gun Shops in US Carolinas This Year
31 October 2016
WSOC/TV (USA)
CHARLOTTE -- There have been 900 guns stolen from stores in the Carolinas in 2016 and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives officials said it's the fastest rate in the U.S.
Federal agents are working around the clock to solve the cases but the connection between the crimes isn't clear.
Guns have been stolen from 81 firearms shops in the Carolinas since January.
"We've had approximately 900 that have been taken through burglary, larceny or robbery," ATF... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Iraq,Afghanistan
US Lost Track of Millions of Guns Sold to Middle East After 9/11
30 October 2016
The Washington Diplomat (US)
The United States has flooded Iraq and Afghanistan with billions of dollars worth of small arms since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and has lost track of millions of them, according to a recently published report on 412 Department of Defense contracts by the London-based advocacy nonprofit Action on Armed Violence.
People often associate U.S. military assistance with heavy hardware such as armored fighting vehicles, anti-tank weapons and attack helicopters.... (GunPolicy.org)
South African Police Destroy 23,000 Illegal Firearms [ES]
29 October 2016
Prensa Latina (Havana)
[Translated summary: Around 23,000 seized, illegal firearms have been destroyed by South African police. It is estimated that 9,200 of these guns were related to crime. Each day, an average of 18 people die by gunshot in South Africa. The minimum age to own a firearm is 21. The number of guns per person is limited and a firearm licence must be periodically renewed.]
Pretoria -- Unas 23 mil armas de fuego ilegales confiscadas por la Policía sudafricana fueron... (GunPolicy.org)
Vital Details Missing from New York's Gun Trafficking Report
26 October 2016
The Trace (USA)
A new analysis of the provenance of 53,000 crime guns by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office is a stark reminder of the limitations of state firearm restrictions — and of the public's ability to obtain detailed information about the flow of guns within the United States.
The report, released Tuesday, reveals that three out of four firearms recovered by police in the Empire State were purchased somewhere else — most often, Virginia, the Carolinas,... (GunPolicy.org)
Brazil's Merchants of Death: Unchecked Gun Exports Kill - NYT
23 October 2016
New York Times, Opinion
RIO DE JANEIRO — As Brazil weathers the worst political and economic crises in living memory, Brazilians can hardly be blamed for being distracted. But there is a subject that the country's politicians — and citizens — are not discussing, even though it risks tarnishing Brazil's international reputation as an advocate of peacebuilding and diplomacy: an unchecked arms industry and its involvement in foreign conflicts around the globe.
The fingerprints of Brazil's... (GunPolicy.org)
Europe's Pro-gun Lobbies Dilute Planned EU Gun Control Law
21 October 2016
Deutsche Welle
The European Commission's attempts to ban the most dangerous semi-automatic weapons, such as AK-47 assault rifles, are being watered down thanks to pressure from a pan-European alliance of gun associations, according to documents leaked to "Der Spiegel" magazine.
The Commission's proposal, drawn up in the wake of last year's terrorist attacks at the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris, is due to be finalized over the coming weeks by the European Parliament, the Commission,... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia,Afghanistan,Russia,Central Asia,Pakistan,China,Turkey,Brazil
UN Rule of Thumb Suggests 600,000 Illegal Guns in Australia
21 October 2016
Age (Melbourne)
As many as 600,000 illegal guns could be circulating in the Australian underworld, but national efforts to control the spread is being hampered by inconsistencies between states, a firearms intelligence report has found.
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission report on guns - to be released on Friday, the same day as state and federal government representatives meet to thrash out a way to combat illegal firearms - also backs a national amnesty.
Chris Dawson,... (GunPolicy.org)
US Dilemma: Destroy or Recirculate Guns Seized in Crime?
17 October 2016
WFMY News
GREENSBORO -- Some police departments across the state are facing a gun dilemma and it's not what you might think.
The recent uptick in violent crimes and more aggressive police initiatives to curb it, means some, like the Greensboro Police Department, are taking a lot of guns off the streets.
But a state law is presenting a dilemma where some of those departments can't decide what to do with the guns once a case is over and they no longer need the gun for... (GunPolicy.org)
UN Approved Arms Imports: Guns Resold in Somalia Markets
11 October 2016
New York Times, Reuters
Many guns imported by the Somali government with U.N. approval are being resold by arms dealers on the black market in the nation's capital Mogadishu, two Western diplomats said.
Such sales violate a three-year-old deal which exempted government weapons imports from a U.N. arms embargo. The U.N. Security Council partially lifted it in 2013 to equip government forces fighting al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants.
The United Nations imposed a blanket arms embargo on... (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)
2,075 Firearms Seized by Police in El Salvador This Year [ES]
4 October 2016
El Mundo (El Salvador)
[Translated Summary: El Salvador Police have seized 2,705 firearms in 2016. In this cache, there were 318 rifles (AK-47 and G3), 279 shotguns, 1,872 handguns and one M 60 machine gun. 474 of them were seized from gangs during police operations. There has been an increase of 77% in the seizure of firearms in relation to last year.]
La Policía Nacional Civil (PNC) ha incautado 2,705 armas de fuego en el 2016, de las cuales 318 son fusiles AK 47, M16, G-3 y de otros... (GunPolicy.org)
Panama Police Lose 100 Military Guns, Grenades to Theft [ES]
28 September 2016
Panamá América
[Translated summary: At least 100 assault rifles, machine guns and grenades were allegedly stolen from the Institutional Protection Service, as reported by a lawyer with the Firearm Owners Association of Panama. The Association also noted that they receive between 15 and 30 gun theft complains each year, but that the police seize 1,500 in the same time.]
La supuesta pérdida de al menos un centenar de fusiles de asalto M4, ametralladoras y granadas dentro de los... (GunPolicy.org)
80% of Legal Guns in Africa End Up on the Black Market [FR]
27 September 2016
Le Soleil (Senegal)
[Translated summary: To ensure safety, African countries buy their guns through legal channels. However, 80% of these arms are diverted, stolen or transferred by corrupt intermediaries, according to Marc Finand, member of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy. He estimates that 150 million firearms circulate in the continent.]
Pour assurer leur sécurité, les Etats achètent des armes via des canaux légaux. Cependant, en Afrique, 80% de ses armes se retrouvent, par... (GunPolicy.org)
South America,Central America,Mexico
Latin America Recent Seizures Reveal Thriving Gun Trade [ES]
22 September 2016
InSight Crime (Bogotá)
[Translated summary: A series of recent raids and reports highlights the thriving arms trade in Latin America which continues to disrupt countries and entire regions. For example, a report by Prensa Libre found the 9mm pistol has been the weapon most commonly confiscated by Guatemala's National Police.]
Una serie de redadas e informes recientes ponen de relieve el floreciente negocio de armas en toda Latinoamérica, lo que sirve tanto para beneficio de los grupos... (GunPolicy.org)
USA Guns Stolen from Cars Fuel 'Iron Pipeline' Traffickers [ES]
22 September 2016
Zócalo (Mexico)
[Translated summary: In the US, between 300,000 and 600,000 guns are stolen each year, according to a study from Harvard and Northeastern Universities. Almost 6,000 gun thefts from cars were reported in 2015. These weapons fuel the 'Iron Pipeline' East Coast trafficking route, and are often used in crime.]
Washington -- En Estados Unidos roban entre 300 mil y 600 mil armas al año, según información de un estudio de Harvard y Northeastern University, y en muchas... (GunPolicy.org)
Guns Are Stolen in America As Often As Once Every Minute
21 September 2016
The Trace (USA)
ATLANTA — Landen Boyd parked his Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck at a construction site south of downtown Atlanta and went to work, leaving his black Smith & Wesson 9mm in a case underneath the center console.
It was the fall of 2006, and Boyd, a 37-year-old construction superintendent, was overseeing the development of an apartment complex across the train tracks from Mechanicsville, a high-crime neighborhood. When noon came, Boyd hitched a ride to eat lunch with... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico,Central America,South America
Recent Seizures Point to Thriving Latin American Gun Trade
21 September 2016
InSight Crime (Bogotá)
A series of recent raids and reports highlights the thriving arms trade throughout Latin America, which serves to both profit illicit groups and to facilitate criminal violence in the region.
During a recent conference on armed violence in Central America, Ana Yancy Espinoza, academic director of the Costa Rican organization Fundación Arias, presented the results of an investigation on regional arms trafficking.
According to a press release from the Foundation for... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Owners Lose Up to 60,000 Firearms a Year to Thieves
21 September 2016
Guardian
Landen Boyd parked his Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck at a construction site south of downtown Atlanta and went to work, leaving his black Smith & Wesson 9mm in a case underneath the center console.
While Boyd was eating lunch at a nearby rib joint, someone chucked a brick through his truck's back window, crawled inside, grabbed his weapon, and fled.
The Smith & Wesson vanished into Atlanta's underworld for more than two years. The handgun resurfaced when police... (GunPolicy.org)
Australia Mulls More Gun Control as Gun Crimes Spike - NRA
20 September 2016
America's First Freedom
Hillary Clinton has said Australia's 1996 gun ban—and subsequent confiscation and destruction of over 650,000 guns from pump shotguns to rimfire .22 rifles from lawful people like you—is an idea "worth considering on the national level."
Australians beg to differ.
Today, 20 years after Australia's gun ban, gun crime is skyrocketing in Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city. And now politicians are talking about passing new gun-control laws to further disarm... (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)
Chasing a Silver Bullet: How Melbourne Became a Gun City (3)
13 September 2016
Age (Melbourne)
He was 22 years old the first time he got caught with a gun. Police chased him down on foot and recovered a stash of drugs and a revolver. He was charged and released on bail.
Five months later, he would be caught with more drugs and another gun - this time a .22 calibre semi-automatic pistol.
For these crimes, he got nine months jail and a community corrections order.
Angelo's* next run in with the law - five months after his release from prison - would see the now... (GunPolicy.org)
New National Gun Amnesty to Be Announced in Australia
13 September 2016
Age (Melbourne)
State and federal ministers and attorney-generals requested an amnesty be considered by senior officials in the National Justice and Policing Senior Officials Group last year.
These officials gave a unanimous in-principle support for an amnesty last month.
State ministers must agree to proceed, however, support for an amnesty is strong and it is understood the timing will be settled before the end of the year.
Victoria's Police Minister Lisa Neville said the state... (GunPolicy.org)
Surge in Melbourne Gun Crimes Calls for a New Gun Buyback
12 September 2016
Age (Melbourne), Editorial
"Melbourne is in the grip of an unprecedented wave of gun violence." With these words, The Age this week began a three-day investigative series that should concern every citizen of a metropolis that has repeatedly snared the accolade of "world's most liveable city".
Our comprehensive package is about more than liveability; it is a matter of life and death. As gun-related crime has surged, innocent people have been killed in the crossfire, and more will be unless... (GunPolicy.org)
Young, Dumb & Armed: How Melbourne Became a Gun City (1)
12 September 2016
Age (Melbourne)
Sunday at the south-side club is gangster night. The blokes in streetwear - G Star Raw, Adidas, Louis Vuitton man-bags - the women in not much.
It's an exhibition of murky trades: drug dealers, bikies, standover men, the underworld's rising stars and wannabes.
They come from across the city to party and be seen, sweeping into the sprawling neon-lit club like royalty.
The ones flush with cash can spend big to get a VIP booth above the action, while the up-and-comers... (GunPolicy.org)
Failures in the Fight Against Illegal Gun Transfers in US [FR]
8 September 2016
L'Orient-Le Jour (Beirut)
[Translated summary: After a two-year investigation, the US Department of Justice has concluded that undercover operations against gun trafficking by the ATF were poorly managed, and that the agents lacked training and supervision. For example, an infiltrated agent actually sold a gun and kept the profits, some of the retrieved guns were later stolen, and some agents misplaced sensitive documents.]
Des policiers fédéraux américains ont accumulé les bévues lors... (GunPolicy.org)
Law Aims to Reduce Gun Violence in Dominican Republic [ES]
2 September 2016
Al Momento
[Translated Summary: In the Dominican Republic, Deputy Victor Bosonó says that in the 90s there were eight to ten deaths from gunfire per hundred thousand inhabitants. That number has now tripled, with "80% of homicides committed with firearms". A new gun control law tackles illegal possession of all firearms -- home guns, civilian or military guns, modified or stolen from a soldier.]
El diputado Reformista, Víctor Bisonó, consideró que la ley para el Control y... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Afghanistan,Iraq
US Lost Hundreds of Thousands of Guns In Iraq, Afghanistan
24 August 2016
New York Times
Early this year, a Facebook user in Baghdad using the name Hussein Mahyawi posted a photograph of a slightly worn M4 assault rifle he was offering for sale. Veterans of the latest war in Iraq immediately recognized it. It was a standard American carbine equipped with a holographic sight, a foregrip that was military-issue during the occupation and a sticker bearing a digital QR code used by American forces for inventory control. Except for one detail — an aftermarket... (GunPolicy.org)
Number of Missing and Stolen Firearms Increases in Chile [ES]
22 August 2016
Notimerica (Spain)
[Translated summary: In 2010 there were 11,751 firearms missing in Chile, a number that increased to 20,200 in 2016. Also, 7,457 arms were reported stolen in 5 years. As at July this year, Chile has 805,564 registered firearms.]
SANTIAGO DE CHILE -- Las autoridades chilenas y la Policía están preocupadas por el aumento progresivo del número de armas de fuego, especialmente las que no se encuentran regularizadas y perdidas.
Desde el año 2010 se reportaron 642... (GunPolicy.org)
Venezuela Destroys 2,000 Guns, Plans Bullet Registry - NYTimes
17 August 2016
New York Times
Venezuelan police crushed and chopped up nearly 2,000 shotguns and pistols in a Caracas city square on Wednesday, as the new interior minister relaunched a long-stalled gun control campaign in one of the world's most crime-ridden countries.
Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said the event marked the renewal of efforts to disarm Venezuelans, through a combination of seizures and a voluntary program to swap guns for electrical goods.
Venezuela has the world's second... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexican Cartels Infiltrate Australia With Illegal Guns, Drugs
12 August 2016
Sporting Shooters' Association of Australia, Media release
Mexican drug cartels on a mission to expand their networks are actively pursuing once unreachable countries like Australia to peddle illicit drugs and firearms. It sounds like a script for a Hollywood crime thriller but a new report has revealed this is the harsh reality our island nation must face. The findings come as anti-gun lobbyists and Green-leaning politicians continue to criticise theft from licensed owners for contributing to a growing black market, while... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
Police Lose 60 Pistols, Rifles, Machine Gun in Canada [FR]
7 August 2016
La Presse (Montréal)
[Translated summary: Between 2008 and March 2016, agents of the Canadian Mounted Police have lost 48 firearms. Another 12 were stolen from them. Types include rifles, shotguns, pistols and one machine gun. Police must store their arms safely; they can face criminal charges if they are responsible for the loss or theft.]
Une adolescente de Winnipeg atteinte par balle a frôlé la mort l'an dernier. Le pistolet de son assaillant s'est révélé être une arme de service... (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)
Adler Shotgun Ban Must Be Broader, Gun Control Australia Says
1 August 2016
Guardian
An extended government ban on the Adler A110 shotgun won't stop use of "DIY kits" to enhance the firepower of similar weapons that have been approved, leading to renewed calls for the ban to be broadened.
Last week the justice minister, Michael Keenan, announced an extension of a one-year ban on the importation of the Adler A110 shotgun.
The ban was initiated in 2015 amid growing concerns about rapid-fire weaponry into Australia, as the state and federal governments... (GunPolicy.org)
Pistols, Automatic Rifle Stolen from US Army Base in Germany
30 July 2016
International Business Times (UK)
A US investigation unit has revealed that a collection of firearms were stolen from the Panzer Kaserne Army base near Stuttgart in Germany. Special agents from the US Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) expressed concern that the weapons could find their way into the wrong hands or could be sold on the black market.
Weapons often tend to get misplaced on the base and though the Army did not confirm when the arms went missing, it indicated the theft occurred a few... (GunPolicy.org)
Another US Startup Designs a Low-Tech 'Smart Gun' Pistol
28 July 2016
Forbes (USA)
On first glance, it looks familiar to anyone who has seen a version of the Glock 17 pistol, the sleek handgun popularized by law enforcement around the country. But behind the trigger is a multi-colored, six-digit keypad that looks more like something you'd find on a door alarm than a gun.
The keypad stands out on the otherwise black pistol, a visual cue that the SMART 2 is not your ordinary handgun. It's also the reason why, according to the weapon's makers, it isn't... (GunPolicy.org)
US Study Finds 79% of Crime Guns Are Not Legally Owned
28 July 2016
Guns (US)
A study published this month finds 4 out of 5 guns recovered in crime are not owned by the perpetrator, who often obtained them through theft or trafficking.
The peer-reviewed study, "Gaps continue in firearm surveillance: Evidence from a large U.S. City Bureau of Police," was complied by a team of researchers led by Dr. Anthony Fabio of the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health, and published in this month's Social Medicine.
Fabio worked with... (GunPolicy.org)
The European Countries with Most Privately Owned Guns [ES]
26 July 2016
Irispress (España)
[Translated Summary: According to the UN, EU gun sales total around €300,000 million [sic.] a year. Switzerland, Finland, and Cyprus have the highest gun-per-civilian rate (40 firearms per 100 civilians); while in Germany there are an estimated 30 firearms per 100 civilians, three times more than in Spain. Over 500,000 of these legal firearms from the EU have been lost or stolen and ended up in the black market.]
Aunque sobre el papel parece difícil, lo cierto es... (GunPolicy.org)
Ukraine, After War, Becomes a Trove For Black Market Arms Trade
25 July 2016
Reuters
On Feb. 12 last year, the same day that a ceasefire ended the worst of the fighting in eastern Ukraine between rebels and government forces, a former rebel fighter seized a chance to turn his inside knowledge of the conflict into hard cash.
He traveled to a spot on the Russian-Ukrainian border where he retrieved a cache of weapons hidden there earlier by his comrades in the pro-Russian rebel movement.
Four days later, shortly before 6:00 p.m., he and a friend showed... (GunPolicy.org)
Vast Majority of Guns Recovered in Pittsburgh Not Legal
25 July 2016
EurekAlert (USA)
PITTSBURGH -- Nearly 80 percent of perpetrators carrying a gun recovered by Pittsburgh Police were not the lawful owners, a strong indication that theft and trafficking are significant sources of firearms involved in crimes in southwest Pennsylvania, a new University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health analysis reveals.
The finding suggests a timely opportunity for collaboration between public health and law enforcement officials to better understand and... (GunPolicy.org)
Caribbean,American Samoa,Niue,Palau,Northern Mariana Islands,Nauru,Cook Islands,Fiji,Micronesia,French Polynesia,Marshall Islands,Kiribati,Papua New Guinea,Samoa,Solomon Islands,Tonga,Tuvalu,Vanuatu,New Caledonia
Addressing Gun Violence in the Caribbean and the Pacific
15 July 2016
The Diplomat (Japan)
"The seas bring us together, they do not separate us."
–Constitution of the Federated States of Micronesia
The Caribbean and the Pacific each offer a unique and contrasting perspective toward addressing armed violence. Despite sharing similar challenges as Small Island Developing States (SIDS), each region faces very different circumstances on the ground. In light of this, each region has taken a different approach toward addressing armed violence. The Pacific stands... (GunPolicy.org)
Indian Mobs Target Police, Troops, Snatch Scores of Firearms
13 July 2016
Times of India
NEW DELHI -- Security forces are bracing for the first Friday prayers after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani against the backdrop of growing evidence of a secessionist plot to raise an arsenal with arms snatched from security forces.
According to sources, a mob took away around 70 semi-automatic and automatic weapons of J&K police after storming a police station in Damhal Hanji Pora in Kulgam two days ago.
On Tuesday, two separate attempts were... (GunPolicy.org)
1,300 Guns Destroyed in Ghana, 1.1 Million Still in Wrong Hands
11 July 2016
Graphic Online (Ghana)
The National Small Arms Commission (NSAC) last Saturday destroyed 1,300 illegal guns in the country but warned that there were still more than 1.1 million of such firearms and light weapons that might be in wrong hands.
The guns, which were marked and broken before being set on fire, included locally made single- and double-barrelled shotguns, locally made and imported pistols, pump action guns and local mortars.
The number of illegal firearms in wrong hands means that... (GunPolicy.org)
Guns Continue to Proliferate, Russia Blocks Inquiry in Darfur
7 July 2016
Guardian
"I fired my first gunshot when I was nine," says Salih. "For years after that I was very eager to do it again. I owned my first weapon when I got to 14. It was an AK-47."
Salih is now 38, but guns have been a permanent fixture in his life. Growing up in Darfur in one of the Arab tribes that has been at war with other ethnic groups in the region since 2003, he says it quickly became clear the only way to protect his family was to get a weapon of his own.
In the 13... (GunPolicy.org)
Tighter Gun Laws Worked in South Africa, Says 17-year Study
27 June 2016
Rand Daily Mail (South Africa)
Fewer people are being shot dead in South Africa thanks to stricter gun legislation, according to a 17-year study drawing on mortuary data.
SA Medical Council researcher Richard Matzopoulos, writing in this month's edition of SA Medical Journal, said this is proof that gun control works.
The gun-related deaths dropped from about 9540 a year between 1997 and 2000 to 3793 around 2007, a decrease of more than 60%.
This coincided with the gradual implementation of... (GunPolicy.org)
Saudi Arabia,United States,Jordan
CIA Guns for Syrian Rebels Stolen for Jordanian Black Market
26 June 2016
New York Times
Weapons shipped into Jordan by the Central Intelligence Agency and Saudi Arabia intended for Syrian rebels have been systematically stolen by Jordanian intelligence operatives and sold to arms merchants on the black market, according to American and Jordanian officials.
Some of the stolen weapons were used in a shooting in November that killed two Americans and three others at a police training facility in Amman, F.B.I. officials believe after months of investigating... (GunPolicy.org)
Ten Guns a Week Stolen in Western Australia: Handguns Too
26 June 2016
Sunday Times (Western Australia)
Almost 1000 guns have been reported stolen in WA in the past two years, with many feared to be in the hands of criminals.
WA Police figures show 992 firearms were reported stolen between April 2014 and April this year - an average of almost 10 a week.
Most of the stolen guns - 906 - were "long arm" firearms, such as rifles, and two thirds of all the reported thefts (612) happened in regional WA.
WA Police said it only recovered about 90 stolen guns each year, meaning... (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)
Mexico's Public Security Forces Lost 13,000 Guns in 10 Years
7 June 2016
InSight Crime (Bogotá)
Nearly 13,000 guns have been lost or stolen from Mexico's public security agencies over the last ten years, according to a recent report, a telling reminder that the country's black market weapons don't just come from north of the border.
The majority of the 12,878 weapons that went missing or were stolen during that period disappeared in Mexico City, Mexico State, Chihuahua, Guerrero and Jalisco, according to documents from Mexico's National Institute of Transparency,... (GunPolicy.org)
New Zealand Police Lose Control of 230,000 Unregistered Guns
3 June 2016
Stuff (New Zealand)
A firearms safety specialist says the tragic death of a two-year-old girl in Auckland should never have happened.
Counties Manukau police have charged a 26-year-old man with unlawful possession of a pistol after he was taken into custody in relation to a death at a house in Favona Rd.
He will appear in court on Friday.
Police said the youngster died at the property in Mangere on Thursday morning.
The oft-quoted figures of around 230,000 licence holders and around... (GunPolicy.org)
Organised Criminals Target Australian Rural Gun Owners
29 May 2016
Sydney Morning Herald
Organised criminals and bikies are using associates to steal from country gun owners to bolster weapon caches, with more than 90 per cent of all stolen firearms in NSW now coming from rural areas.
In one case in the past 18 months, people infiltrated a gun club in northern NSW to work out who had firearms at their home before stealing them.
More recently, police uncovered 28 guns at a man's house in Sydney's west that had been allegedly stolen from several properties... (GunPolicy.org)
Security Firms a Big Source of Guns for Criminals in Brazil
23 May 2016
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Over 30 percent of all weapons belonging to private security firms in Rio de Janeiro end up in the hands of criminals, authorities say, highlighting an important yet often overlooked source of firearms for criminal groups throughout Latin America.
A Federal Police report accessed by Globo states that at least 17,662 firearms were diverted or stolen from the stockpiles of private security companies in Rio de Janeiro state over the last 10 years. This figure represents... (GunPolicy.org)
NZ Collector Loses 11 Machine Guns, Assault rifles to Thieves
19 May 2016
New Zealand Herald
A white stationwagon seen near a Dargaville property could hold the key to the theft of 11 automatic weapons - including submachine guns and assault rifles - stolen from the gun safe.
Dargaville Police are appealing for sightings of the white stationwagon that was seen near a house that was later discovered to have been burgled and a number of firearms stolen.
About 5.30pm on Tuesday, the occupants of a residential Dargaville property found they had been burgled.
As... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Dealers Lose 12,000 Firearms to Thieves in Two Years
19 May 2016
News Max
More than 12,000 handguns, shotguns, and rifles were stolen from gun stores between 2013 and 2015, an increase of 28 percent, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
More than 1,100 federally licensed gun dealers were robbed, according to ABC News.
"We know from experience that as soon as those guns are stolen, we have a very short period of time between when those guns go from the legal market into criminal hands and then are being... (GunPolicy.org)
Guns for Destruction Found Instead in Argentina Crime [ES]
10 May 2016
Sin Mordaza (Argentina)
[Translated summary: An Argentinian minister was ordered to incinerate 700 guns last year. In the next months police found 17 of them in the hands of criminals, indicating that they were diverted to the illegal circuit before arriving at the furnace.]
Son unas 700 piezas que el exministro Raúl Lamberto había ordenado incinerar. 17 de ellas aparecieron en manos de delincuentes, y se desconoce cuántas más podrían estar en esa situación.
En noviembre del año... (GunPolicy.org)
Active Soldiers Were Trafficking Guns in Colombia [ES]
28 April 2016
RCN Radio (Colombia)
[Translated summary: Active soldiers in Colombia had a gun trafficking network where they sold parts of machine guns and ammunition stolen from military armouries.]
Un suboficial, dos soldados profesionales y un civil al servicio del Ejército conformaban una red encargada de comercializar armas y partes para las mismas, así quedó evidenciado en medio de un operativo que las autoridades señalaron como una acción de contrainteligencia coordinada con el CTI de la... (GunPolicy.org)
Putin Launches New Russian Police Force to Target Guns
28 April 2016
Moscow Times
U.S. gun enthusiasts live in constant fear of the federal government confiscating their weapons. For Russian gun owners, such a fear may be about to become a reality. On April 14, President Vladimir Putin, announced the formation of a new National Guard, and declared one of its key functions would be to control firearms.
"We are creating the National Guard to limit the circulation of weapons in the country," he told the Russian people during his annual "direct line"... (GunPolicy.org)
Uruguay Concerned at Attempted Thefts from Military Arsenal
27 April 2016
InSight Crime (Bogota)
A rise in attempted arms thefts from Uruguay's military barracks in 2016 has sparked debate over the criminal nature of the perpetrators involved, and again drawn attention to the country's role as a source of weapons for regional arms traffickers.
During a meeting of the Uruguayan Senate's security commission on April 26, Senator Javier García said 32 attempts to enter barracks and steal weapons have occurred in 2016. Of these, 11 led to exchanges of gunfire,... (GunPolicy.org)
Europe,Eastern Europe,Croatia,Bulgaria,France,Albania,Saudi Arabia,Syria,Serbia,West Asia,Iraq,Yemen,Slovakia,Sudan
Balkan Gun Trade Fuels Crime, Terrorism in Europe, Asia
16 April 2016
Economist
The arsenal discovered in the apartment of Reda Kriket, a suspected terrorist arrested on March 24th near Paris, included explosives, Kalashnikov AK-47 rifles and a machine pistol from Croatia. The terrorists who staged the attacks last November in Paris employed AK-47s made by Zastava, a Serbian manufacturer. The Kouachi brothers, who attacked the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo the previous January, used Kalashnikov ammunition made in Bosnia. Whatever else these... (GunPolicy.org)
One Gun a Day Stolen in South Australia, Going to Crims
11 April 2016
Advertiser (Adelaide)
More than one gun a day is lost or stolen in SA, prompting calls for a crackdown on "irresponsible" owners amid fears the weapons are falling into criminal hands.
As the nation prepares to mark the 20th anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre later this month, The Advertiser can reveal that 2294 guns have been reported as missing in the past four years
They include pump-action shotguns, semiautomatic pistols and assault rifles.
Police said "criminals value firearms... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Clubs Growing by 10% Each Year in Australia's Capital
9 April 2016
ABC News (Australia)
A sharp rise in the number of registered guns in Canberra reflects a boom in recreational shooting and should not be seen as a concern, shooting clubs say.
There are currently 19,200 registered firearms in the ACT, up from 17,000 in 2013.
While gun control advocates have condemned that number as extraordinarily high for a primarily urban area, sporting shooters said they were surprised the figure was so low given a boom in the sport.
Sporting Shooters Association of... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Campaign Aims to Curb Flood of Rapid-fire Shotguns
7 April 2016
Herald Sun (Melbourne)
A flood of new rapid-fire shotguns into Australia has prompted a landmark petition to ban the semi-automatic-style weapons.
Gun control experts fear the proliferation of the Adler A110 model due to loopholes will have deadly consequences, with more than 600 registered in Victoria since September.
The Alannah and Madeline Foundation is launching the petition, almost 20 years on from the Port Arthur massacre, which saw 35 people shot dead.
Its "Keep Australia safe from... (GunPolicy.org)
Asia,United States,Africa,Libya,Yemen,Iraq,Syria
Middle East: Militias Use Facebook Groups to Sell Weapons
6 April 2016
New York Times
A terrorist hoping to buy an antiaircraft weapon in recent years needed to look no further than Facebook, which has been hosting sprawling online arms bazaars, offering weapons ranging from handguns and grenades to heavy machine guns and guided missiles.
The Facebook posts suggest evidence of large-scale efforts to sell military weapons coveted by terrorists and militants. The weapons include many distributed by the United States to security forces and their proxies in... (GunPolicy.org)
France,Slovakia,Germany,Eastern Europe,United Kingdom
East Europe's Shadow Gun Market Fuels Terrorism in West
18 March 2016
Black Sea, Der Spiegel, Le Soir
The trafficking of Communist-era weapons leads from a Slovakian website to last year's ISIS terror attack in Paris and new regulations have failed to stop the sale of deadly weapons to criminals, we can reveal.
7 January 2015. Chérif Kouachi and his brother Said leave a bloodbath in the newsroom of magazine Charlie Hebdo. Two days later, Kouachi's close contact, Amedy Coulibaly, assaults the kosher supermarket Hyper Cacher in Paris.
When Coulibaly takes the... (GunPolicy.org)
New Zealand: Police Have No System to Track Stolen Guns
11 March 2016
Stuff (New Zealand)
Thousands of guns stolen each year in New Zealand are ending up in the arms of gang members but police have no systems in place to track guns or what has been stolen.
Owner of Timaru's Gun City Wayne Golightly said police have told him that more than 100 firearms have been stolen in South Canterbury in the past year and about 2000 across New Zealand.
But police were unable to supply information under the Official Information Act about the number of burglaries... (GunPolicy.org)
Paraguay,Bolivia,Argentina,United States
Top Paraguay Official Reveals Arms Trafficking Secrets
10 March 2016
InSight Crime (Bogota)
A raid on a weapons "supermarket" in Paraguay has led officials to offer details of the inner workings of the country's arms trade, depicting a familiar mix of corruption, stolen military arms, and guns legally bought in the United States.
On March 9, security forces discovered an arsenal of high powered weaponry in a raid on a house in Paraguay's capital city of Asunción, which included machine guns, assault rifles, and armour piercing weapons, reported ABC. So far,... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico,United States,Africa,Americas,Asia,Oceania,Europe
The Mechanics of Gun Trafficking from the United States
1 March 2016
Small Arms Survey (Geneva)
When one thinks of arms traffickers, the image that often comes to mind is of the stereotypical 'Merchant of Death' – ambitious, well-connected, globetrotting entrepreneurs who single-handedly arm warlords and insurgents across the world. While there is some truth to the stereotype, most illicit arms traffickers do not fit this profile.
The latest Issue Brief from the Small Arms Survey—Dribs and Drabs: The Mechanics of Small Arms Trafficking from the United... (GunPolicy.org)
Despite Firearms Act, Mauritius Has Free Flow of Guns [FR]
27 February 2016
Defimedia (Mauritius)
[Translated summary: In Mauritius, possession and use of firearms are regulated by the Firearms Act. Every year, the owners must renew their licences. Police accurately control a firearm's characteristics and the amount of ammunition the owner can have. Anyone who infringes the Firearms Act can be fined and face prison time.]
Des coups de feu à Goodlands après qu'un véhicule ait percuté un chien. En décembre, deux personnes ont été atteints par balles à... (GunPolicy.org)
Could Smart Guns Solve America's Gun Death Epidemic?
24 February 2016
Guardian
A federal agent lost his loaded gun in San Francisco last week after leaving the firearm on top of his car and driving off. In September, police say a man with a Glock 26 pistol stolen from a federal immigration officer's car shot and kill a beloved Oakland artist. And in July, a man allegedly used a federal ranger's semi-automatic pistol to shoot 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle in a random San Francisco killing.
The thefts and resulting gun violence have raised questions... (GunPolicy.org)
El Salvador Govt Turned Blind Eye to Official's Arms Trafficking
16 February 2016
InSight Crime (Bogota)
A recent report points once again to the role high-ranking El Salvador military officials play in driving that nation's illicit arms trade, helping fuel rampant gang violence and bloodshed.
Since 2010 El Salvador's National Civil Police (Policía Nacional Civil - PNC) and several other state institutions bought over $500,000 worth of guns, munitions, and bulletproof vests from the arms businesses of retired army major Miguel Ángel Pocasangre Escobar, reported La... (GunPolicy.org)
South Sudan Parliament Deliberates on New Gun Control Bill
10 December 2015
Radio Tamazuj (Sudan)
South Sudan's National Legislative Assembly on Wednesday deliberated a firearms control bill presented by the head of parliament's committee of defense and security Hon. Samuel Duar Deng.
While tabling the bill for its second reading, Deng requested the lawmakers to deliberate and pass it into law.
Meanwhile, the Minority Leader Onyoti Adigo described the bill as important but he questioned why cabinet members were not present in the house to discuss the issue.
"Now,... (GunPolicy.org)
Brazil Congress to Consider Bill Loosening Gun Control
24 November 2015
Americas Society / Council of the Americas (AS/COA)
A measure that would loosen gun control in Brazil—home to one of the largest absolute number of homicides globally—is wending its way through Congress. Supported by the so-called "bullets, beef, and bible" caucus, the legislation could dismantle the country's landmark 2003 disarmament legislation.
Where does the bill stand?
On November 3, a congressional committee approved the bill, which now heads to the Chamber of Deputies floor. Called the Gun Control Statute,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Americas Society / Council of the Americas (AS/COA)
France,Bosnia & Herzegovina,Croatia,Kosovo,Macedonia,Montenegro,Serbia
How Did the 13 November Paris Killers Get Their Guns?
17 November 2015
Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)
How Did the 13 November Paris Killers Get Their Guns?
Full details of the arms used in the 13 November massacres will emerge in time. This post provides some information on illicit automatic weapons, such as the Kalashnikov, in France, and how they reach illicit markets.
Overall, it appears that there is a pool of several thousand illicit military style firearms in France and relatively small numbers are trafficked in from abroad. Such quantities mean that terrorists... (GunPolicy.org)
Spike in Handgun Crimes Reveals Australia's Secret Problem
10 November 2015
New Daily (Australia)
The black market for guns is bigger than previously understood and crimes involving handguns are rising sharply, shows never-before-seen data published today by The New Daily.
Australians may be more at risk from gun crime than ever before with the country's underground market for firearms ballooning in the past decade.
Previously unseen police statistics show that the number of pistol-related offences doubled in Victoria and rose by 300 per cent in New South Wales.... (GunPolicy.org)
One Gun for Every Eight Citizens in Victoria, Australia
23 October 2015
Yahoo! 7 News (Australia)
Victoria has one gun for every eight citizens, with 35,000 new guns flooding into the state in the past year.
Gun control groups say the numbers are frightening but shooters say the rise is because more people are appreciating shooting as a safe and fun sport.
Victoria had 764,767 registered guns in 2014-15, up from 728,999 the previous year.
"It's a startling number and I believe it's a frightening number in terms of the increase of licensed guns in Victoria," Gun... (GunPolicy.org)
Strengthening Gun Laws Can Make South Africa Safer
29 September 2015
ISS Africa
Hlupha was eight when he got his first gun and his neighbour taught him to commit crime. His first robbery was of the post office in the small town where he lived. When Hlupha was 16, he shot a boy at school for flirting with his girlfriend. He committed many more crimes over a number of years until he was arrested and convicted for kidnapping, robbery and assault. When we met him he was in prison.
Velabahleke was 10 when he stole his first gun. He found his second gun... (GunPolicy.org)
'Chaotic' UK Gun Licensing a Danger to Public, Says Watchdog
15 September 2015
Guardian
Britain faces new gun massacres unless the chaotic firearms licensing regime is overhauled, a police watchdog has warned.
The public are at risk because of a litany of failures and inconsistencies in the way prospective and existing gun-owners are vetted and monitored, inspectors found.
In a highly critical report, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) said lessons had not been learned in the wake of tragedies such as the killing of 12 people by taxi... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Raid Gun Owner Homes in Melbourne Licensing Blitz
9 September 2015
Moonee Valley Leader
ESSENDON - Sixteen firearms were seized after a crackdown on expired licences in Melbourne's northwest.
Police, including members of the operations response unit, swooped on unlicensed firearm owners in Moonee Valley, Hume and Moreland over the August 29-30 weekend. Acting Inspector Anthony Brown said it was about ensuring people were complying with their obligations under the Firearms Act.
Future operations, expected to take place in the coming weeks, will also... (GunPolicy.org)
France,Slovakia,Denmark,Belgium,Spain,Czech Republic
Charlie Hebdo Killers Bought Their Guns Legally in Europe
18 February 2015
Euronews (France)
The automatic rifles used in the terrorist attacks in Paris last month may have been decommissioned weapons legally bought in Slovakia and reconverted to fire live ammunition, Euronews can reveal.
French police are exploring whether weapons used in the deadly assaults on the Charlie Hebdo offices and at a Kosher supermarket were purchased in a shop inside the European Union, according to a joint investigation with the Slovakian Nový čas newspaper.
The weapons are... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Police Warn Against 'Firearm Selfies'
8 December 2014
Shanghai Daily (China), Xinhua
MELBOURNE - Australian gun owners who post "selfies" on social media displaying their guns and ammunition could make themselves targets for thieves, police warned on Monday.
Police detectives in the state of Victoria have said there has been an influx of social media "firearm selfies" -- people taking pictures of themselves with guns -- which inadvertently advertises gun ownership and can lead to targeted thefts.
Senior Sergeant Andrew Armstrong warned that criminals... (GunPolicy.org)
6,000 Illegal Gunmakers in the Philippines
14 November 2014
Bloomberg (USA)
Hidden beneath tarpaulins in the backyard of a house in the central Philippine city of Danao, Lito puts the finishing touches on a replica .45-caliber Colt Officer's Model pistol. It will join the more than 600,000 illegal guns in circulation in a country where the homicide rate outstrips the U.S.
The money he makes from guns supplements his income as a farmer and helped Lito, 52, send two children to college. Still, he thinks often of the suffering that may come from... (GunPolicy.org)
Estonia Student Shoots, Kills School Teacher With Father's Legal Revolver
27 October 2014
Associated Press / Yahoo! News
TALLINN — A 15-year-old student shot and killed his teacher during class Monday in a town in southern Estonia — the first known school shooting in the Baltic nation.
Four other students were in the classroom at Paalalinna School in the town of Viljandi, police spokeswoman Tuuli Harson said. She said the shooter was apprehended and no one else was injured in the early-afternoon attack at the school of 450 students.
Government officials said the victim was a... (GunPolicy.org)
South America,Central America,Caribbean,Cuba,United States,Russia,Nicaragua,Israel,El Salvador,Honduras,Europe,Belgium,Czech Republic,Germany,Italy,South Africa,Spain,Colombia,Mexico,Venezuela,Brazil,Argentina,Chile,Paraguay,Panama,Ecuador
Small Arms Trade a 'Dramatic Threat' to Latin America
13 October 2014
NACLA
Small arms and gun violence present the most dramatic threat to public safety in Latin America and the Caribbean. After decades of uncontrolled proliferation, at least 45 million to 80 million small arms and light weapons—that is, weapons operated by an individual or small group, including handguns, assault rifles, grenades, grenade launchers, and even man portable surface to air missiles—are circulating throughout the region.(1) Gunshots kill between 73,000 and... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Blitz Nets Illegally Stored Guns in Western Australia
10 August 2014
ABC News (Australia)
A spike in gun thefts from rural properties prompts a WA police blitz on illegally stored weapons.
A spike in gun thefts from rural properties has prompted a West Australian police crackdown on the storage of firearms by licensed owners.
During the two-week blitz, officers visited 400 properties, seizing more than 150 illegally stored guns.
Police had earlier warned 16,500 gun owners in the Great Southern they would be facing random checks on their firearms storage... (GunPolicy.org)
Lost in Afghanistan: 465,000 Small Arms - US Can't Track Weapons it Sends
29 July 2014
Miami Herald / McClatchy
WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon has shipped Afghan security forces tens of thousands of excessive AK-47 assault rifles and other weapons since 2004 and many have gone missing, raising concerns that they've fallen into the hands of Taliban or other insurgent rebels.
John F. Sopko, the U.S. special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, found in a report released Monday that shoddy record-keeping by the Defense Department, the Afghan National Army and the Afghan... (GunPolicy.org)
220,553 Legally Registered Guns in Dominican Republic
10 July 2014
Dominican Today
SANTO DOMINGO - Dominican Republic's population has 220,553 legally registered guns, most of them pistols of various calibers, but instead of defense for their owners, they also make them a target of thugs who sell them, but often commit murder.
An example of this is the arrest of Juan Carlos de la Cruz (El Menor), 24, over the weekend, carrying a 9mm pistol stolen from a Police major. The detainee said he got the gun from "Ronny" in exchange for two grams of cocaine,... (GunPolicy.org)
Dominican Republic Minister Says Gun Import Ban Ineffective [ES]
29 June 2014
Listin Diario
[Translated summary: The Defence Minister of the Dominican Republic says the ban on importing firearms has done more harm than good, adding that 98% of firearm deaths and injuries are caused by illegal weapons.]
SANTO DOMINGO - El ministro de Defensa aseguró que la prohibición de la importación de armas de fuego ha hecho más mal que bien al país.
El almirante Sigfrido Pared Pérez reveló que el 98 por ciento de las muertes y heridas que se cometen son producidas... (GunPolicy.org)
Uruguay Authorities Concerned About Children with Handguns [ES]
24 June 2014
El Pais (Uruguay)
[Translated summary: Authorities are concerned about the use of handguns and other firearms by children in Uruguay. Many of the handguns come from Argentina, because they are cheaper, but it is not clear how youths are obtaining the firearms.]
"Que los menores estén bien armados, es la realidad de hoy. En el pasado usaban armas más antiguas y precarias. Ese es su comportamiento", dijo a El País la jueza de Adolescentes, Aída Vera Barreto.
Una opinión similar... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Police Campaign to Battle Gun Crime
16 June 2014
Australian (Sydney)
Police have enlisted a big gun of their own as part of a campaign to rein in illegal firearms.
Victoria Cross recipient Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith has joined NSW Police in making an appeal to the community to dob in illegal gun owners.
"I have seen what guns can do in wartime," Corporal Roberts-Smith said in a video message in Sydney on Monday.
"Like many others, I have served my country … now it's your chance to protect the community by phoning crime stoppers and... (GunPolicy.org)
Tasmanian Police Launch Public Appeal to Round Up Illegal Guns
16 June 2014
ABC News (Australia)
Tasmania Police has launched a two-week effort to help rid the state of illegal firearms.
Operation Unification starts is part of a nationwide campaign that aims to curb the manufacture, importation and use of illegal firearms.
According to police, most illegal firearms were once legal and had either been stolen or were unregistered.
In the last financial year, 192 firearms were stolen and just 23 recovered.
Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Joel said some weapons... (GunPolicy.org)
El Salvador's Military Suspected of Dealing Firearms to Gangs
16 June 2014
InSight Crime (Bogota)
El Salvador's street gangs have been ambushing police with military-grade weapons, leading to fears the gangs, for the first time, have police outgunned. Is the Salvadoran military the source of their firepower?
In recent months, gangs have shot at police with M-16 and AK-47 assault rifles in multiple lethal attacks, raising questions about the source of their weaponry. Now, an investigation has unearthed evidence that the military itself is trafficking guns, and El... (GunPolicy.org)
New Zealand Police Say Firearms Not a Target for Burglars
13 June 2014
Radio New Zealand International (Shortwave)
Police do not believe firearms were the primary target in an Auckland burglary in which 16 guns and 5000 shotgun shells were stolen.
The haul from the house in the eastern suburb of Buckland's Beach on Thursday included rifles, shotguns and semi-automatic guns.
Police said jewellery, silverware and alcohol were among other items taken.
Detective Senior Sergeant Darrell Harpur said they were treating it as a general burglary and did not believe the firearms, which... (GunPolicy.org)
Opinion: Pistorius and the Unfinished Gun Ownership Debate in South Africa
12 June 2014
Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg), Opinion
When Oscar Pistorius first entered the courtroom where he stood accused of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, the case raised great interest. It was followed online, on radio and even watched on TV, where it received a lot of coverage. While some see the spotlight put on gun ownership by the trial as nothing but the "negligent actions of but one famous public figure", recent headlines evidence that the problem is much deeper than that.
Some of the headlines... (GunPolicy.org)
Stolen Firearm Incidents Trigger NSW Police Crackdown on Guns
12 June 2014
ABC News (Australia)
Police are preparing to audit hundreds of gun owners in the Busselton area.
They are about to launch Operation Gun Safe, which involves visiting gun owners at their properties to ensure their weapons are properly stored.
The five-month long operation comes in response to a number of incidents involving stolen firearms, including a situation where offenders pointed a stolen gun at an officer.
Officer in charge Steve Principe says the audit will involve a number of... (GunPolicy.org)
Homicide Spree Highlights Illicit Firearm Proliferation in Pakistan
8 June 2014
Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)
A hike in gun crimes including homicides, attempted murders and robberies using weapons ranging from 9 mm pistols to T-56 assault rifles, has highlighted the threat posed by firearms getting into the hands of criminals; but the Government's response to the problem has been slow, with little follow-up action on pledges made to various UN bodies to deal with the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, particularly in a postwar scenario.
May and June alone, there... (GunPolicy.org)
As UK MP Suggests Relaxing Laws, Secret Life of Britain's Guns Uncovered
7 June 2014
Voice of Russia, Audio
The leader of the UK Independence party, Nigel Farage, has suggested in an interview that Britain's gun laws should be relaxed. He said it was party policy for hand guns to be legalised and licensed in the UK. They've been banned for the last 18 years following the Dunblane School shooting in 1996.
VoR's Juliet Spare hosts a discussion.
Recent statistics from London's ambulance service reveal paramedics were called to 973 victims under the age of 25 suffering a gun or... (GunPolicy.org)
Jersey Gun Ownership Down Since 2012
7 June 2014
BBC News
The number of registered guns and gun owners in Jersey has fallen since 2012.
Police records show there are 1,514 firearm owners which is a 16% drop over the past two years.
Between them, the island's gun owners keep 9,328 guns, including air rifles and pistols, which is 4% down since 2012.
Gun ownership in Jersey has been in the spotlight since a Glock 9mm pistol went missing from an unlocked car on Friday 30 May.
The pistol was handed in two days later by a member... (GunPolicy.org)
Top Ranking Filipino Policemen Accused of Selling High-Powered Firearms
6 June 2014
Gulf News (Dubai)
Manila - Nineteen top ranking policemen and 10 private businessmen have been accused of facilitating the sale of 1,000 high-powered firearms stolen from the Philippine National Police (PNP) to communist rebels.
An investigation is also ongoing for the alleged sale of government-issued firearms and ammunition to a separatist Filipino-Muslim rebel group in the southern Philippines, sources told Gulf News.
Chief Supt. Raul Petrasanta, regional director of the Philippine... (GunPolicy.org)
Corrupt South African Cops May Have Sold Guns from Firearm Amnesty
5 June 2014
News24 (Cape Town)
JOHANNESBURG - An investigation into the possible sale of firearms handed to police during an amnesty period is under way, the Hawks said on Wednesday.
"There was nothing to investigate before until we came across new information and decided to follow it all up," spokesperson Paul Ramaloko said.
The investigation would focus on Gauteng first. The probe followed the arrest of three people at a house in Norwood, Johannesburg, where police found more than 300 firearms,... (GunPolicy.org)
Army Blocks Gun Trafficking Probe, El Salvador Corruption Suspected
4 June 2014
InSight Crime (Bogota)
An apparent attempt to hinder an investigation into arms trafficking in El Salvador's army has sparked a harsh exchange of words between government officials and raises questions about what the military may have to hide.
On May 30, military personnel barred members of the Attorney General's Office from seizing documents as part of a probe into the illegal theft and sale of arms by high-ranking military officials between 2009 and 2013.
El Salvador's Attorney General... (GunPolicy.org)
Malaysian Regional Police Reprimanded Over Missing Firearms
4 June 2014
New Straits Times (Malaysia)
GEORGE TOWN - The Penang police logistics and management division has been directed to buck up.
State police chief Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi said the division should do more to check on asset management following the discovery of missing firearms and other items between 2010 and last year.
He said several firearms and gun magazines have been found missing during the period.
Also found missing, he said were handcuffs, motorcycles, holsters and gun pouches.
Abdul... (GunPolicy.org)
Kuwaiti Officials Investigate 25 Guns Lost from Military Camp
23 May 2014
Qatar News Agency
KUWAIT - Kuwaiti acting Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammad Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah who is also acting Interior Minister and Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has ordered the formation of an ad-hoc security committee to fully and urgently investigate the loss of 25 pieces of weapon from the Special Forces' military camp.
An Interior ministry statement issued here last night said the committee includes the General Administration of Criminal Investigations and the... (GunPolicy.org)
Georgia's Lax, Lax Gun Laws Feed New York Crime Gun Market
22 May 2014
New York Daily News
When Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson put out a 558-count indictment against six firearms traffickers who conspired to sell illegal guns here, all 155 of the weapons recovered by the NYPD came from one place: Georgia.
If you think you've heard this story before, you have. Last September, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. indicted an individual who had illegally trafficked a huge stockpile of guns — via the post office — here from Georgia.
As... (GunPolicy.org)
Smart Guns Are a Smart Choice for Consumers
19 May 2014
Washington Post, Opinion
I have spent my entire life designing and developing firearms. My designs and patents, which include the USP family of pistols, the HK416 assault rifle, G36 assault rifle and XM25 grenade machine gun, are currently in use by multiple branches of the U.S. armed forces and numerous federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, as well as the militaries of Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain, among many others. I am the first non-U.S. citizen to win the Chinn Award... (GunPolicy.org)
Scottish Police Chief Secretly Authorises 440 Officers to Carry Handguns
18 May 2014
Daily Record (Scotland)
More than 400 police officers across Scotland have been secretly authorised to carry handguns in a holster while on routine patrol, we can reveal.
Permission was given by Police Scotland Chief Constable Sir Stephen House without any requirement for approval by politicians.
It means specialist officers are routinely allowed to carry handguns on duty – even though there may be no obvious threat to them or the public.
Previously, firearms officers had to collect... (GunPolicy.org)
Hundreds of Guns Missing from Official Storage in Philippines
16 May 2014
ABS-CBN News (Manila)
MANILA, Philippines - At least 63 short firearms imported by a private gun dealer and kept in the storage facilities of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Firearms and Explosives Office (FEO) at Camp Crame in Quezon City have been confirmed to be missing, an official said yesterday.
FEO chief Senior Superintendent Roberto Po said at least 10 FEO personnel were placed under investigation after the loss was discovered on Wednesday.
An employee of Juavi Gun Store, who... (GunPolicy.org)
Crime, Conflict and Illegal Mining Fuel Ecuador Arms Trafficking
13 May 2014
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Illegal mining, Colombian armed criminal groups and common crime are the three main markets for Ecuador's illegal arms trade, according to authorities, as the black market continues to be a headache for both that country and its neighbor Colombia.
During 2013 and the first three months of 2014, Ecuador's Armed Forces seized 4,530 illegal firearms, and 457,310 rounds of ammunition, reported El Comercio. An unnamed top police official told the newspaper that some of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Congo (DRC),Africa,Sudan,South Sudan,Bulgaria,Iran
Chasing Bullets, Firearms in the Democratic Republic of Congo
13 May 2014
IRIN (UN News)
Virunga National Park — Her job is to track and trace small arms and ammunition in Africa's conflict zones.
Each bullet, assault rifle, mortar, rocket or other item of military hardware she documents forms a piece of a huge jigsaw being created by the UK-based NGO Conflict Armaments Research (CAR) to map the precise flows of conflict weaponry in Africa.
Moving within the ebb and flow of the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) conflict, the investigator, who asked... (GunPolicy.org)
Belize Cop Charged Over Theft of Eight Revolvers from Police Safe
7 May 2014
Breaking Belize News
Police have arrested and charged one of their own in connection with the theft of a cache of weapons and ammunition from inside a safe at the San Pedro Police Station over the Labor Day holiday.
Constable Yannick Wade, 27, has been arrested and charged for the two counts of kept firearm without a gun license and two counts of kept ammunition without a gun license. PC Wade has been additionally charged for the crime of theft.
The charges arose out of the theft of eight... (GunPolicy.org)
South African Ballistics Centre Gun Thefts Put Crime Cases at Risk
4 May 2014
Independent/IOL Daily News (South Africa)
DURBAN - Security at the police ballistics testing centre in Amanzimtoti has been called into question following the theft of seven firearms, which was only discovered last week.
The guns, some of which are the property of the Durban metro police, disappeared from the centre after a shooting in Lamontville.
There are indications that police officers were involved in the theft as the weapons, which were confiscated for testing, had been signed out and have since... (GunPolicy.org)
Death Threats Stop US Gun Store From Selling 'Smart' Gun. Why?
3 May 2014
Christian Science Monitor
ATLANTA - Andy Raymond, a Rockland, Md., firearms dealer, found out how much some people who love guns and the Second Amendment really hate some guns, causing the owner of Engage Armament this week to reverse his plan to sell the Armatix iP1, the nation's first "smart" gun.
The German-made Armatix iP1 won't fire unless it's in proximity of a special watch, thus making it useless if stolen. Gun control advocates, including Attorney General Eric Holder, have cited such... (GunPolicy.org)
Austrian Govt Denies Export Permit to Guatemala for 3000 Handguns [ES]
2 May 2014
El Periódico (Guatemala)
[Translated summary - The Austrian government has denied a permit for the export of 3000 Glock pistols due to concerns about the high rate of corruption and crime in Guatemala, and the risk that the firearms could be diverted for criminal purposes.]
La decisión fue tomada por dicho país luego de una investigación en la que se concluye que existe un alto índice de corrupción y criminalidad en Guatemala, y que el uso de armas podría desviarse para fines... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago Teen Girl Guns Down Rival in Facebook Dispute Over Boy
29 April 2014
New York Daily News
Another virtual diss has turned into a real-life tragedy.
A Facebook feud between two 14-year-old girls over a boy ended when one gunned down the other on a Southside Chicago porch in broad daylight Monday afternoon, police said.
The unnamed teen perp, who has been charged with murder as a juvenile, whipped out a stolen .38-caliber handgun about 4:50 p.m. and tried to shoot into a crowd of people. The gun jammed and the girl handed it to someone else, who cleared the... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Man Arrested After Stealing Guns From School Club
29 April 2014
Daily Telegraph (Sydney)
A man charged with stealing several rifles and shotguns from a Brisbane Catholic school will remain behind bars as police try to track down the weapons.
Jason Francis Williams, 43, was remanded in custody after he appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Williams and a 27-year-old woman have been charged with breaking into a high-security building at St Joseph's Nudgee College and removing about 10 firearms.
A large amount of ammunition was also stolen... (GunPolicy.org)
County Gun Shop May Have Been Worst in US, Missing Guns and Illegal Sales
26 April 2014
Seattle Times
BURLINGTON, Skagit County — For more than 65 years, Kesselring Gun Shop has been a firearms fixture in the Northwest, arming hunters, target shooters and police from one of the largest inventories on the West Coast.
Until surrendering its federal firearms license last October, the family-owned gun store also may have been the worst gun retailer in America.
It was nearly a decade ago when inspectors with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)... (GunPolicy.org)
Firearms Amnesty in Martinique Recovers Over 800 Guns [FR]
14 April 2014
Le Monde (France)
[Translated summary: Since the beginning of the year, out of 13 homicides, 10 were committed with firearms. Since the start of the amnesty, over 800 firearms have been recovered. Most firearms circulating in Martinique are shotguns that were diverted during robberies and then altered (sawed-off shotguns).]
Le 26 février, en plein jour, un jeune homme de 29 ans était froidement abattu sous les yeux de sa mère au coeur du quartier Godissard, une cité populaire de... (GunPolicy.org)
Seven Guns Stolen from New Zealand Home, Second Recent Gun Theft
8 April 2014
Radio New Zealand International (Shortwave)
Seven firearms were stolen from a Hamilton property during the weekend.
Police say the owner had his weapons hidden and locked up in a garage but left the keys in his unlocked car after going to bed.
The offenders used tools found inside the garage to force entry into the gun cabinet.
It is the second theft of firearms in the region in recent weeks. In March, eight weapons were stolen from a rural property at Opoutere on the Coromandel Peninsula.
Police say it is... (GunPolicy.org)
Peru,Colombia,Jordan,Mexico,Guatemala,Honduras,Uruguay,Argentina,Brazil
Gun Thefts From Peru Army Supplies Points to Possible Corruption, Trafficking
3 April 2014
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Authorities in Peru say the majority of arms used by criminal groups are stolen from private owners and security forces, highlighting a common regional phenomenon that is often facilitated by corrupt officials.
Specialists consulted by El Comercio said the majority of pistols and shotguns used by criminal groups in Peru were stolen from legitimate owners, rather than acquired through the black market. Authorities reported that 1,767 firearms were declared lost or... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian Farms Targeted for Guns by Crime Gangs
27 March 2014
The Conversation (Australia), Blog
Revelations of the theft of firearms from Victorian MP Peter Crisp's farm draws attention to a genuine but often overlooked link between farm crime and criminal events in urban communities.
Discussions with farm communities and Victoria Police over recent months show there is a growing trade in firearms stolen from farms across rural and regional areas by criminal elements. Police in Western Australia are also aware of the link between guns stolen from rural properties... (GunPolicy.org)
Personalised Guns May Prevent Unintentional Shootings, Homicides in Pakistan
25 March 2014
Dawn
The school boy from Karachi knew he wasn't supposed to, but he got hold of it anyway.
It was his father's handgun, and he was showing it to a classmate who was visiting him at home. What happened next was tragic. The gun went off accidently, shooting the visiting youngster in the head and killing him.
This was nearly twenty years ago, and gun fatalities at the hands of youngsters in Pakistan have only worsened. GunPolicy.org estimates that at least 18,000,000 guns are... (GunPolicy.org)
Africa,North Africa,Russia,Syria,Mali,Qatar,Turkey,Libya,Egypt,Chad,Somalia,Nigeria,Niger
Libya's Guns Free-For-All Fuels Region's Turmoil
22 March 2014
St Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)
TRIPOLI — At the heart of the Libyan capital, the open-air Fish Market was once a place where residents went to buy everything from meat and seafood to clothes and pets. Now it's Tripoli's biggest arms market, with tables displaying pistols and assault rifles. Ask a vendor, and he can pull out bigger machine guns to sell for thousands of dollars.
Libya, where hundreds of militias hold sway and the central government is virtually powerless, is awash in millions of... (GunPolicy.org)
US National Guardsmen Sentenced for Stealing Machine Guns From Armory
21 March 2014
Lodi News-Sentinel (California)
Stockton resident Stephen Gooden, 40, was sentenced on Thursday by United States District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. to one year in prison and a $1,000 fine for possessing a machine gun, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.
According to court documents, Gooden and Sacramento resident Luis Castro, 28, were members of the California National Guard and stole two M-4 machine guns from the National Guard's armory in Lodi.
Gooden then sold the machine... (GunPolicy.org)
Small Arms Commission Begins Nationwide Marking of Weapons in Ghana
19 March 2014
Ghana Web
The National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons has begun a nationwide exercise to mark all weapons of the various security agencies.
The exercise which started with the military will be extended to other security agencies such as the Police, prisons, immigration and the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS).
The marking of weapons involves a systematic embossment of unique identification numbers on firearms to make them easily identifiable and... (GunPolicy.org)
South Africa Asks: Where's Our Debate On Gun Control?
17 March 2014
Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)
"Guns, ammo and shooting are as much a part of everyday life [in Pretoria] as a trip to the dentist," an Australian journalist recently reported. It's a narrative we've been hearing a lot of from our international colleagues lately. South Africa, the gun-mad land of fear, where citizens hole up with firearms to defend themselves against any threat.
It's true for some. It's clearly true for the Pistorius family, with Beeld reporting last year that Oscar's father, three... (GunPolicy.org)
Over 5,000 Kalashnikovs, Other Guns Stolen from Ukrainian Military Bases
15 March 2014
Tasnim News Agency
TEHRAN - Fears of possible armed assaults and provocation in Ukraine and neighboring countries are on the rise after yet another report that rocket grenade launchers, firearms and munitions have been stolen from a military warehouse in western Ukraine.
A source in the Ukrainian Interior Ministry told RIA Novosti that the coup appointed Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has recently been notified that a large cache of guns and ammunition was missing from one of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Absentee Australian Landholders Warned About Securing Guns Against Theft
12 March 2014
ABC News (Australia)
People who have to leave rural properties for extended periods of time are being warned they could face prosecution for not taking reasonable precautions to secure guns.
It comes as police in the Walgett area investigate the theft of guns from a property at Burren Junction, that could have been stolen any time between late 2012 and when the owner returned last week.
The seven stolen firearms included Remington, Winchester, Erma, Eddystone and Swedish Mauser rifles and... (GunPolicy.org)
Where Did 900 High-Powered Guns Go, Philippines Police Ask
4 March 2014
ABS-CBN News (Manila)
MANILA - The police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) said it is more than halfway done in its investigation on the 900 firearms that were registered with the Philippine National Police (PNP) that later went missing.
Police Senior Superintendent Roberto Fajardo explained that they first encountered the problem when the PNP leadership launched "Oplan Katok," a campaign focused on the accounting of licensed firearms.
"Nung hinanap namin, nawawala yung... (GunPolicy.org)
Colombia,Peru,Argentina,Mexico,El Salvador
Investigation Shows Colombia Military-Criminal Firearms Trafficking Ties
4 March 2014
InSight Crime (Bogota)
Prosecutors in Colombia have issued a warrant for a high-ranking army official who stands accused of leading a ring that sold military weapons to narco-paramilitary group the Urabeños, highlighting a common source of weapons for armed groups across the region.
Lieutenant Colonel Robinson Gonzalez del Rio led a group of four active members of the military, four retired members, two police and several private citizens that acquired guns, munitions and explosives for... (GunPolicy.org)
Irish Gun Control Review Sparks Calls for Compensation
1 March 2014
Journal (Dublin)
A review of firearm licensing in Ireland has prompted questions over how gun owners will be compensated if they lose currently legal guns.
The Department of Justice confirmed that a joint review of licensing is currently underway with An Garda Síochána, although no concrete proposals are yet in place.
Licenses can be sought for a number of different firearms from the age of 16.
Sport and hunting
It is thought that over 200,000 licenses have currently be issued,... (GunPolicy.org)
Angola Police Chief Wants Control of Police Guns to Prevent Diversion, Crime
28 February 2014
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
The Commander of National Police in central Bie province, commissioner Eduardo Fernando Cerqueira, advised Friday the police officers to leave their firearms in police stations to better control the material and avoid guns to be in the hands of unauthorized people.
The commissioner was speaking at the ceremony of 38th anniversary of National Police which is being marked on Friday, considered necessary for the police officers to avoid taking firearms to their houses, as... (GunPolicy.org)
Eight Guns Lost or Stolen Every Week in Ireland Last Year
24 February 2014
Herald (Dublin)
Almost 1,300 firearms, including shotguns and rifles, have been lost or stolen over the past four years.
Official figures obtained by the Herald show around 1,134 registered weapons, mainly shotguns and rifles, were stolen in the last four years.
Some 159 weapons were lost, most of which were shotguns, but also included in the list are 18 rifles and one airgun, which went missing last year.
Last year alone eight firearms were lost or stolen every week.
There are... (GunPolicy.org)
Australian MP Under Pressure Over Unregistered Gun Charges
24 February 2014
Guardian (UK)
Pressure is building on the Victorian premier, Denis Napthine, to reveal when he knew a member of his government, Mildura MP Peter Crisp, was facing firearms charges.
Crisp confirmed on Saturday he had been charged with keeping unregistered guns at his farm in NSW but said he would be "strongly defending" himself.
"I reject charges relating to unlicenced possession of a prohibited firearm on my primary production land," he said. "All reasonable precaution was taken to... (GunPolicy.org)
West Africa,Central African Republic,Sudan,Nigeria,Congo (DRC),Cameroon,Libya
Arms Smuggling to Nigerian Criminals Threatens Cameroon
21 February 2014
IRIN (UN News)
YAOUNDE — Recent arms seizures and arrests of traffickers in Cameroon's Far North Region have highlighted the escalating insecurity caused by Boko Haram in neighbouring Nigeria and the impact of the unrest in the Central African Republic (CAR) and Sudan.
In January, Cameroon's security forces arrested a man attempting to transport 655 guns to Nigeria. In September 2013, 5,400 AK-47 rifles were seized on a pick-up truck in Maroua, the capital of Far North Region,... (GunPolicy.org)
Claims Ukraine Rioters Seized Over 1,500 Guns From Security Forces
19 February 2014
Eurasia Review / RT
Ukraine's security service has announced it is launching a counter-terror operation. Radicals have seized over 1,500 firing arms and 100,000 bullets in the last 24 hours, the service said.
The recent events in Ukraine have shown "the escalation of violence and a massive use of firearms by the extremist groups. In many parts of the country, public authorities, military installations and depots with munitions are being seized. Court buildings are burning, the vandals are... (GunPolicy.org)
'We Need The iPhone Of Guns.' Will Smart Guns Transform The Gun Industry?
18 February 2014
Washington Post
One of California's largest firearm stores recently added a peculiar new gun to its shelves. It requires an accessory: a black waterproof watch.
The watch's primary purpose is not to provide accurate time, though it does. The watch makes the gun think. Electronic chips inside the gun and watch communicate with each other. If the watch is within close reach of the gun, a light on the grip turns green. Fire away. No watch means no green light. The gun becomes a... (GunPolicy.org)
Germany,Moldova,Austria,Bosnia & Herzegovina,Sweden,Canada,Switzerland
Experts Help Moldova Authorities Curb Gun Theft, Smuggling [DE]
17 February 2014
Österreich Journal
[Translated summary: Austria has sent experts to Moldova to advise on small arms and ammunition storage and management under the OSCE framework. Sweden, Canada, Germany and Switzerland will participate in the programme by 2017, which aims to prevent smuggling of stolen ammunition.]
WIEN (bmlvs) - Insgesamt zehn Experten des Bundesheeres unterstützen ab dem 05.03. die OSZE-Mission in der Republik Moldau. Dort werden vorerst vier Angehörige der Heereslogistikschule und... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Homicides, Diversion Up in US State After Background Checks Removed
17 February 2014
BBC News
Researchers claim a new study provides some of the most compelling evidence yet for tighter gun controls in the US.
The team followed the consequences of the State of Missouri repealing its permit-to-purchase handgun law in 2007.
The law had required purchasers to be vetted by the local sheriff and to receive a licence before buying a gun.
Reporting soon in the Journal of Urban Health, the researchers will say that the repeal resulted in an immediate spike in gun... (GunPolicy.org)
Albania Arrests Six for Arms Trafficking
14 February 2014
Balkan Insight (Sarajevo)
Six suspects, including a police officer and an employee of the Ministry of Interior, were arrested on Thursday, accused of arms trafficking between Albania and Kosovo.
During the arrest of the suspects, police sequestered four AK-47 automatic rifles, 12,780 rounds of ammunition and a number of spare parts for automatic weapons.
"The operation for their arrest was finalized outside the Kalimash tunnel, [on the highway that connects Albania with Kosovo] while the... (GunPolicy.org)
Kenyan Cop Shot, Gun Stolen After Weapon Seized From Gang
10 February 2014
Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu)
A traffic police officer was Monday morning shot and wounded in the head before he was robbed of his AK-47 rifle by gunmen on a motorbike in Kombani, Kwale County.
Police suspect the attackers were followers of Somalia's Al-Shabaab gang. Another female officer was slightly injured after she was wrestled by the gunmen who escaped after the incident along the Lunga Lunga highway.
Area police boss Richard Muguai said police have launched investigation and a hunt to... (GunPolicy.org)
Boston Plans Gun Buybacks After Shooting Death of 9-Year-Old by Brother
9 February 2014
Reuters
Boston plans to launch a gun buyback program in a bid to reduce shootings following the death last week of a 9-year-old boy who was shot by his 14-year-old brother in an apparent accident, Mayor Marty Walsh said.
Walsh, who took office last month, said he was still developing a specific plan, including how much would be paid and how collection would work, with the city's newly appointed police commissioner, William Evans.
"It's a short-term solution," Walsh told... (GunPolicy.org)
Puerto Rico Man Jailed for 109 Years After Fatal Shooting of Wife
8 February 2014
Latin American Herald Tribune (Venezuela)
SAN JUAN - Pablo Casellas Toro, the son of a former Puerto Rico treasury secretary now on the U.S. federal bench, was sentenced here Thursday to 109 years in prison for the murder of his wife.
Casellas was convicted Jan. 22 of killing wife Carmen Paredes on July 14, 2012, at the couple's home in the affluent San Juan suburb of Guaynabo.
"I want to make it clear that this conviction and this sentence that you are ready to impose are an injustice, because I did not kill... (GunPolicy.org)
Bosnia & Herzegovina,European Union
EU, BiH Join Forces to Combat Weapons Smuggling
3 February 2014
Southeast European Times
BANJA LUKA - By co-operating with EU member countries, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is reducing the amount of illegal weapons smuggling, but the Union is still concerned about the situation.
"The fight against illicit firearms trafficking is high on the EU's agenda, both within the territory of the EU and in our co-operation with third countries. EUROPOL's Serious and Organised Threat Assessment for 2013 shows that this is a key issue to tackle in the Western Balkans... (GunPolicy.org)
Firearm Amnesty Begins in Martinique, 138 Guns Seized in 2013 [FR]
2 February 2014
La Croix (France)
[Translated summary: Martinique authorities have begun a two-month firearms amnesty. The campaign hopes to prevent crime and officials say 138 firearms were seized in Martinique in 2013, including some which were illegally imported or stolen. A similar campaign in Guadeloupe last year was very successful.]
Comme les Guadeloupéens l'an denier, les Martiniquais sont invités par l'autorité préfectorale à remettre les armes à feu en leur possession dans le cadre... (GunPolicy.org)
Myanmar's Border Police Seek Weapons Upgrade
30 January 2014
Eleven (Myanmar)
Myanmar's police on duty in conflict-prone border areas across the country have asked to be equipped with modern weaponry, citing a number of attacks on police in Maungdaw, Rakhine State.
Since 2001, police say, they have been attacked at least seven times by Muslims in Maungdaw.
A police sergeant was killed on July 11, 2001 in an attack in Thugyi Village, Maungdaw Township. The same year on November 23, an attack on Laungdon Police Station in northern Maungdaw killed... (GunPolicy.org)
Two-Thirds of Crime Guns Seized in Guyana Came from US or Brazil
30 January 2014
Caribseek News
GEORGETOWN - The Task Force on Narcotic Drugs and Illegal Firearms has recorded a total of 111 firearms seizures for 2012 compared to the 125 in the previous year.
This is according to the National Drug Report that was launched yesterday by Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee.
These include: 28 pistols, 39 revolvers, 31 shotguns, and 13 rifles; 31.5 percent of the weapons seized originated in the United States of America while a similar number originated in... (GunPolicy.org)
Philippines Cops Investigated Over Guns 'Released' to Civilian Groups
26 January 2014
Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines — President Benigno Aquino III has ordered an investigation into the reported release of up to 900 high-powered firearms to various groups by a unit of the Philippine National Police.
In a recent informal dinner, the President did not name the unit being investigated in Camp Crame. He only said the reported release of the firearms to police auxiliaries and private security companies seemed "excessive" so he wanted it looked into.
"A PNP unit in... (GunPolicy.org)
NGO Survey Shows 2 Million Unregistered Guns in Chile [ES]
19 January 2014
Terra (Chile)
[Translated summary: NGO Activa says there are around 2 million unregistered firearms in Chile and only 758,593 registered firearms, after a survey done in 2013. The study showed 9.22 weapons on average are seized each day in the country and 3.25 weapons per day in urban areas.]
Según la ONG Activa, en el país circularían cerca de 2 millones de armas de fuego no inscritas, frente a las 758.593 que se encuentran registradas por la policía.
La directora de la... (GunPolicy.org)
Illegal, Homemade Guns in Hands of South African Youth
18 January 2014
Independent/IOL Daily News (South Africa)
CAPE TOWN - Teenage hitmen as young as 14 are terrorising the streets of Mitchells Plain, and while police battle to curb the rampant gun trade, the increasing use of homemade firearms threatens to further derail any chance of controlling gang violence.
Mitchells Plain's worst areas, such as Beacon Valley, have at least one illegal gun on every street, according to police.
Gangs are using the bravado of youths as a means to eliminate their rivals, sometimes with crude... (GunPolicy.org)
Malaysian Police Under Fire Over Missing Guns, Some Used in Crimes
14 January 2014
Malaysian Insider
Police are to review their standard operating procedure (SOP) on the issuance of firearms to off-duty personnel following two recent incidents in which drunk policemen had their weapons taken from them.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said a new SOP was needed to address this problem.
"It (SOP) should be reviewed so that what happened two days ago will not occur again," he told reporters after attending a Malidur Rasul gathering at SK Mati... (GunPolicy.org)
Criminologists, Sociologist: More Guns Not the Answer in Trinidad
12 January 2014
Guardian (Trinidad and Tobago)
Seepersad: Broader approach to crime needed
For Dr Randy Seepersad, head of the University of the West Indies' (UWI) criminology department, the 2,500 new guns for police officers is not the answer. In a phone interview yesterday, Seepersad said police officers already have weapons. He was not certain if the minister was bringing in the extra weaponry to correspond with an increase in the police force, but said the Government was taking a suppressive approach to crime.... (GunPolicy.org)
UK Gangs Load Up on Antique Guns, No Registration Required
12 January 2014
Independent (UK)
Surrounded by a fearsome array of 2,000 assorted lethal weapons ranging from a rocket-propelled grenade to a homemade blunderbuss, Tony Gallagher points to a rack of 100-year-old revolvers straight out of a cowboy film. He said: "We're seeing a few more of these on the streets now."
As a forensic expert for the National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS) at its high-security laboratory in an anonymous building in a Birmingham suburb, Tony and his colleagues know... (GunPolicy.org)
Last US State Passes Concealed Carry Gun Law, Cops Wary of Changes
9 January 2014
JC Online (Indiana) / USA Today
CHICAGO - Illinois is now the last state in the U.S. to allow average citizens to carry around concealed firearms.
On Sunday, it joined a two-decade long parade of jurisdictions ranging from Arizona to Vermont that have loosened their gun laws at the same time violent crime rates were dropping across the country.
"For years, we heard from gun control groups that concealed-carry laws would result in an increase in crime," said Larry Keane, general counsel for the... (GunPolicy.org)
Fatal Shooting May Be Linked to Gun Thefts From Indonesia Police Station
7 January 2014
Jakarta Globe
JAYAPURA - An unidentified armed group fatally gunned down an ojek driver in the Wuyuneri hamlet, located in the Puncak Jaya district of Papua, on Tuesday morning.
Abdul Halil, a 43-year-old motorcycle taxi driver, originated from Makassar, South Sulawesi. He was taking a customer from Mulia to Wuyuneri. As they arrived at state high school SMU 1, someone shot him in the face.
It's not yet clear how many people were involved in the shooting.
Sr. Comr. Pujo Sulistyo,... (GunPolicy.org)
Colombian Armoury Missing Half Its Weapons as Count Begins
6 January 2014
InSight Crime (Bogota)
An arms inspection at a military barracks in Cali, Colombia, has found 500 weapons missing out of 1,000 counted, with another 15,000 still to be checked, as a major investigation into weapons trafficking between security forces and criminal groups begins.
The inventory check at the barracks of the Colombian Army's Third Brigade, where weapons recovered by security forces in the country's third-largest city are stored, is being carried out by the country's Prosecutor... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Maker Turns Down $15m Deal With Pakistan
5 January 2014
Associated Press / The Big Story
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — A Utah-based gun manufacturer has turned down a $15 million deal to supply Pakistan with precision rifles, citing concerns they could eventually be used against U.S. troops.
Mike Davis, sales manager at Desert Tech, said the company was on a short list for a contract with Pakistan, but spurned the opportunity because of unrest in Pakistan and ethical concerns.
It was a difficult decision because of the amount of money involved, he said, and... (GunPolicy.org)
Japanese Defence Officials Fear Assault Rifle Stolen in 'Unprecedented' Case
26 December 2013
Japan News / Yomiuri Shimbun
The Ground Self-Defense Force has been unable to find an assault rifle that went missing at the force's Higashi Fuji Maneuvers Area in Shizuoka Prefecture in October, it has been learned.
As the force was unable to find the Howa Type 89 assault rifle after a two-month intensive search, it has concluded that the rifle was taken by somebody. The force's police unit has began an investigation on suspicion of theft.
The rifle, which was issued to a GSDF member, was not... (GunPolicy.org)
18 December 2013
Examiner Newspaper
December:
- Theft of 14 firearms from a house at Glenorchy.
- Several shots fired in Franklin Street, Swansea.
November:
- Shots fired at a house in Homer Street, St Helens.
- 197 firearms surrendered in amnesty in Launceston.
- Shots fired near Pioneer Parade, Ravenswood.
- Operation Web nets seven handguns or pistols and a prohibited military-style weapon.
- Theft of six firearms from a Margate house.
October:
- What appear to be home-made replica firearms are... (GunPolicy.org)
More Than Half of Americans Now Have Tougher Gun Laws
12 December 2013
Mother Jones (USA)
An unthinkable massacre ignites an intense national debate. Then, Congress does nothing. The powerful gun lobby wins again. End of story.
[Interactive charts of US state gun laws are displayed in the original]
So went the popular narrative last spring with the collapse of gun control legislation on Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, scores of people have been wounded or killed in five new mass shootings and other gun rampages around the country, and an estimated 30,000 have... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Côte d'Ivoire,Liberia
Liberia Govt Officials Allegedly Involved in Secret Firearm Deals
11 December 2013
New Dawn (Monrovia)
Details emerging from the latest UN Panel of Experts report on Liberia have unveiled some chilling and staggering information as to how government officials and or political appointees are secretly acquiring firearms.
The UN Panelists appointed to monitor the arms embargo and other military related activities here in pursuant to UN resolution 2079 (2012), said most of the firearms were either purchased from returning mercenaries from the Ivory Coast or through other... (GunPolicy.org)