Gun Policy News
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2017 Australian Gun Amnesty Results by Jurisdiction - SSAA
9 November 2017
Sporting Shooters' Association of Australia
The inclusion of gun dealers and an option to register or sell legal firearms has paved the way for high participation rates in the national firearms amnesty. The SSAA successfully lobbied the Federal Government to base the three-month amnesty on the successful Queensland version, with most states and territories adopting this proven model.
From the available data, it is clear the jurisdictions that allowed dealers to process firearms at gunshops and enabled licence... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
Police Find '3D-Printed Submachine Gun' Factory in Australia
23 November 2016
Guardian, Australian Associated Press
A highly sophisticated weapons production facility using 3D printers and computers to make machine guns has been uncovered in a series of raids across the Gold Coast.
Police say they found four homemade automatic submachine guns, silencers, ammunition, a replica handgun, a .45 calibre pistol and equipment used to make weapons at two Nerang businesses, as well as a pill press.
The equipment used to make the weapons included computers, a 3D printer, drill presses and... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Raid 'First of its Kind' Illegal Gun Factory in Australia
23 November 2016
Brisbane Times (Queensland)
Police say sophisticated gun factory found during raids at the Gold Coast on Friday is the first of its kind in Queensland.
Officers executed search warrants on four residential properties and two industrial sheds finding drug labs, a weapons factory, drugs, guns, ammunition and 3D printer.
The guns found included four "uzi-style" submachine guns, three silencers and two handguns while drugs seized included steroids, cannabis, ecstasy and amphetamines.
Five people... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Raid Illegal Gun Makers in Moscow, 24 Russian Regions
25 October 2016
Tass (Russia)
MOSCOW -- Operatives of the Russian Interior Ministry's Main Criminal Investigation Department have liquidated a workshop of illegal arms producers in southwest Moscow, the ministry's press office told TASS on Tuesday.
"Operatives of the Russian Interior Ministry's Main Criminal Investigation Department and the Federal Security Service have carried out searches in Moscow and the Moscow Region at the places of residence of four lawbreakers to find and seize 22 pistols... (GunPolicy.org)
DIY Submachine Guns Are Popping Up Across the West Bank
14 October 2016
Washington Post
AZZUN — In the predawn hours, 150 Israeli troops, including masked special forces operatives, arrived in this Palestinian town in armored personnel carriers and hardened jeeps to hunt for guns and gun makers. They found one of each. The operation was deemed a success.
The raid in Azzun is part of an aggressive campaign by Israel to rid the occupied West Bank of guns — specifically a crude kind of do-it-yourself, handmade submachine gun known on the Palestinian... (GunPolicy.org)
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)
US Gunworks Now Makes, Sells Pioneering Nazi Assault Rifle
29 June 2016
CNN
Working replicas of the Nazis' storm rifle, widely considered to be the world's first assault rifle, are now being produced in the U.S.
"It's been a surprise hit with us," said Mac Steil, co-owner of Hill & Mac Gunworks in Georgia, which has taken orders for 2,000 rifles since the product launch in January. "We sold more rifles the first day than we thought we'd sell all year."
Hill & Mac Gunworks, a startup in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, is reproducing the STG... (GunPolicy.org)
Since 1934, US Gun Lobby Created Fear of the 'Slippery Slope'
8 June 2016
The Trace (USA)
For the first time in a decade, the firearms industry has become a primary target in the gun debate. The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton regularly hammered Bernie Sanders during the primaries over his vote for a 2005 law that grants gun manufacturers and retailers broad immunity from liability lawsuits. And the families of Sandy Hook victims are now challenging that legislation in a lawsuit against Remington, the parent company for the... (GunPolicy.org)
UK War Veteran Jailed Over Huge Stash of Illegal Weapons
30 April 2016
Daily Mail (UK)
A pensioner has been jailed for possessing a 'terrifying arsenal' of illegal weapons at his home in Greater Manchester - including guns, shells and a missile.
RAF veteran Harry Jones was secretary of the Tameside Gun Club for nearly 40 years and was a trusted authority on weaponry.
But his obsession with firearms led to him amassing the huge stash of weapons, including nine handguns and an Al Capone-style Tommy gun kept in a violin case - all in full working... (GunPolicy.org)
Japanese Man Arrested For Craft Firearms
3 September 2015
The Firearm Blog
A 60 year old man in Japan was recently arrested for building homemade guns of his own design. According to him it was his hobby for the last 40 years. He used scrap anvils as a source of hardened steel and crafted his own ammunition using toy caps and casted lead bullets.
[Photos in the original:]
- A double barreled muzzle-loading percussion lock. The barrels are rotated between shots.
- A submachine gun which is trying to decide whether its an AR or a... (GunPolicy.org)
Only 12 Glocks Found Since Australia Post Smuggling Ring Busted in 2012
14 January 2015
Australian Associated Press
A Glock pistol found in an Aladdin's cave of drugs and firearms this month allegedly came from an imported guns cache that has featured in high-profile Sydney crimes.
More than 200 Glock pistols were illegally funnelled to Australia from Germany before Strike Force Maxworthy smashed the firearms racket in 2012.
The pistols have popped up in high-profile crimes, including the shooting of notorious criminal Bassam Hamzy's aunt in March 2013.
Maha Hamze was shot in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Big Demand for Crime Guns in Canada
22 June 2014
Windsor Star (Ontario), Blog
The men hugging each other in a Windsor bar looked like old friends catching up, but the police trailing them knew better.
Investigators say they were at Rack n' Roll Club on Forest Glade Drive for a gun sale, one of many that supplied Toronto gangsters with firepower as they peddled drugs, settled scores and waged a bloody power struggle.
The salesman was Windsor's Lamar Porter, who already had more than 20 criminal convictions. The buyers were Siyadin Abdi, also... (GunPolicy.org)
Jamaican Police Seize 13 Firearms, Over 2000 Rounds in Two Days
29 May 2014
Jamaica Observer
ST CATHERINE, Jamaica - Police operating in Kingston West and St Catherine divisions say that in less than 24 hours, they removed 13 firearms and more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition from the possession of criminals
The lawmen also apprehended a man they believe is the leader of Kingston's notorious Scare Dem Crew Gang.
The police said they were able to accomplish this in separate incidents between Wednesday, May 28 and Thursday, May 29.
Reports are that about 1:30... (GunPolicy.org)
UK Police Seized Over 320 Firearms in London since April 2013
17 April 2014
Guardian (UK)
Police have seized 30 firearms including assault rifles, sawn-off shotguns, an Uzi sub-machine gun and a Thompson machine gun in one of the largest arms finds recorded in London.
The huge arsenal, which included a large amount of ammunition, was found at an address in Waltham Forest, east London, after Metropolitan police officers executed a search warrant on Wednesday morning.
A 51-year-old man was arrested and remains in custody, the Met said..
Detectives from... (GunPolicy.org)
UK Teen Jailed After Ordering Assault Weapon Online, Delivered to Home
14 March 2014
Telegraph (UK)
A teenager who bought a machine gun online and had it delivered to his family home, along with hundreds of rounds of ammunition and nunchucks, has been jailed for six years.
Reza Khalilzada, 18, was caught hiding an assault rifle under his bed which he had ordered from a US website.
Police were alerted after suspicious customs officials in the US examined a heavy box destined for Khalilzada's address in Pinner, Middlesex, in August last year.
Instead of the ceramic... (GunPolicy.org)
Germany,Africa,Americas,Europe,Asia,Mexico
Oberndorf: The Tiny German Town that Armed the World
25 February 2014
Guardian (UK)
The town of Oberndorf should look a lot nicer. Nature offered plenty of blessings. Its 14,000 inhabitants live sheltered in the green and rocky Neckar valley, where the narrow, sparkling river Neckar grooves its way through the Black Forest in one of Germany's most picturesque corners. This is the heart of Baden-Württemberg: tranquil and prosperous, the sunniest and warmest part of Germany. Yet Oberndorf's town centre doesn't include the cobbled square lined with... (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)
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)
Australian Gun Dealer Linked to Gangs, Breaches of Gun Permits
9 January 2014
Herald Sun (Melbourne)
EXCLUSIVE - An arms dealer who supplies high-powered guns to the Australian Defence Force has been questioned over weapons permit breaches and suspected underworld connections.
The dealer, who has been allowed to import lethal weapons for more than a decade, has links with a group of ex-soldiers whose associates include underworld figures and bikies.
For six years, the dealer's firm has been the subject of multiple probes by state and federal authorities, including... (GunPolicy.org)
Authorisation to Carry Guns Full-Time in Uniformed Irish's Gardai
1 January 2014
Independent (Dublin)
This is the first time that uniformed gardai have been given permission to carry guns full-time since the foundation of the force almost a century ago. The move has been sanctioned after a review of the operation of the five regional support units (RSUs) since their introduction in 2008.
Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan has ordered that all the regional response units will be permanently armed after a rise in the number of incidents requiring garda firepower.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
Bahamas Police Seize Over 100 Guns in New Tracing Operation
6 December 2013
Bahamas Weekly
NASSAU, Bahamas - An enhanced effort by the RBPF Firearms Tracing and Investigations Unit, aimed at ridding the streets of illegal firearms is paying off.
Officers assigned to the Unit have removed more than 100 illegal weapons off streets across New Providence since its implementation in September 2013.
The recovery of five (5) illegal weapons off the streets of New Providence on Thursday 5th December 2013, was yet another example of the excellent work of the... (GunPolicy.org)
'Alarming' Cache of Illegal Assault Weapons Found in Australia
28 November 2013
Sky News (Australia)
A Queensland father and his two sons have been charged over an enormous cache of 328 illegal weapons and 4.2 tonnes of ammunition.
It's believed to be the largest haul of illegal weapons ever uncovered in the state.
Police raided their 800-hectare property at Moonford, near Monto, inland from Bundaberg, on Monday.
They found the enormous stockpile including automatic and semi-automatic firearms, many of which had been modified.
An MP5 navy sub machine gun used in... (GunPolicy.org)
German Police Find 200 Guns, Grenades in Pensioner's Home
12 November 2013
Local (Germany)
German arms experts unveiled one of the biggest private weapons hauls ever found on Monday. Examining the 200 firearms, which were found in a pensioners home and included grenades, a bazooka and machine gun, took hours.
Spread over four huge tables at the Hannover State Office of Criminal Investigations were 142 pistols, 29 automatic pistols, 28 revolvers, 11 hand grenades, two machine guns, two land mines, an Uzi, a Skorpion submachine gun, a Kalashnikov, a bazooka... (GunPolicy.org)
South Sudan,Somalia,Burundi,Liberia,Ghana,United States,Europe,Zimbabwe,Uganda,Tanzania,Sudan,Nigeria,Namibia,Kenya,Ethiopia,Africa
How Disarmament in Africa Got More Complicated
5 November 2013
IPI Global Observatory
Africa is ground zero in the international debate on controlling the small arms and light weapons trade. For more than a decade, diplomatic activity to contain arms and ammunition transfers has been animated by a concern with instability and contagion generated by the continent's many wars. Leading think tanks, research groups, and advocacy organizations have repeatedly drawn attention to the way the burden of armed violence in Africa is a product of low-tech assault... (GunPolicy.org)
Two Men Convicted Over Illegal Guns Bound for Scotland
11 October 2013
BBC News
Two men have been convicted of being involved in a plot to buy guns and ammunition destined for Scotland.
The £3,500 consignment was discovered after being abandoned at Carlisle railway station in August last year.
During a trial at Liverpool Crown Court, Barry Kelly and Craig Colquhoun denied trying to buy the stash.
Two other men who supplied the weapons, William Dempsey, a serving soldier, and Martin Ashdown, pleaded guilty to firearm offences.
The trial heard... (GunPolicy.org)
28 August 2013
Cairns Post
A Queensland Police sergeant has resigned in disgrace over an anti-corruption probe into an alleged stash of illicit weapons found in his private armoury that had been handed in under the gun amnesty.
Former officer-in-charge of Ravenshoe Police Station Michael Musumeci, a licensed gun collector and amateur war historian, resigned two weeks ago as part of an ongoing internal audit and investigation by Ethical Standards Command. Detectives reportedly found an arsenal of... (GunPolicy.org)
'Pillar Of The Community' Lived Double Life as UK Gangland Gun Dealer
6 August 2013
Daily Mail (UK)
A Tory candidate has been jailed for 16 years for selling submachine guns he smuggled from Serbia to drugs gangs in Britain.
Marcus Simpson, who narrowly missed out on being elected to his local council, offered gangsters a 'menu' of weapons that included a Scorpion submachine gun, a laser-sighted assault rifle and Walther PPKs, plus silencers and ammunition.
Simpson, 42, was a Conservative candidate for Corby, Northamptonshire, in the 2011 local elections. He lost by... (GunPolicy.org)
Irish Police Uncover Dissident Arms Cache in North Dublin
11 July 2013
BBC News
Irish police (Garda) say they have made their biggest ever find of dissident republican arms and explosives at a location in north Dublin.
Guns, ammunition and 15kg of Semtex explosive were found on land at the Old Airport Road in Cloghran.
Superintendent David Taylor said the seizure was a major blow to the activities of dissident republicans.
The arms were retrieved last week and included former Provisional IRA weapons.
Replica and real guns including an UZI 9mm... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Charge Gun-Runner in French Mass Shooting
3 June 2013
Local (France)
French police have charged a 30-year-old man with supplying weapons used by Islamist gunman Mohamed Merah when he killed seven people in and around the southern city of Toulouse last year.
Fetha Malki, a Toulouse resident with a history of petty crimes, was charged over the weekend with complicity in murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise and ordered held without bail.
He faces other charges of receiving stolen goods and selling illegal weapons.
Judicial... (GunPolicy.org)
Nationwide Gun Blitz Key to Australia Crime Crackdown
23 May 2013
Daily Telegraph (Sydney)
Police will launch an unprecedented national crackdown on illegal firearms and their black-market supply lines in the first Australia-wide effort targeting gun violence.
In the same week a 12-year-old Minto girl had a gun pointed at her head and a man was taken to hospital after a shooting in Mascot, a two-week blitz on firearms will begin tomorrow, with hundreds of police around the nation on standby to respond to tips from the public.
NSW Police bosses will join... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Govt Budgets to Seize Rifles Easily Converted to Automatic
1 May 2013
Global News (Canada)
Six years after approving German-made rifles that can be converted to machine guns "in minutes" – guns that by law should have been prohibited to begin with – the federal government will spend up to $260,000 buying them from their owners.
In February 2007, the RCMP classified the SSD BD38, a semi-automatic replica of a German Second World War-era sub-machine gun, as a 'restricted' firearm, meaning that it had the same legal status as a handgun. That classification... (GunPolicy.org)
Tanzania Police Seize Assault Weapon, Pistols
10 April 2013
Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
DAR ES SALAAM - Police in the city have recovered three guns and 33 bullets from different locations. The weapons were reportedly to be used by suspected bandits in commiting robberies.
The firearms were recovered in a special round up carried out by police after receiving intelligence information from citizens, according to Dar es Salaam Special Zone Police Commander, Mr Suleiman Kova.
He said that one sub machine gun (SMG) was recovered at Kimbangulile area in... (GunPolicy.org)
Irish Police Chief Rejects Reissue of Machine Guns After Cop Shooting
27 March 2013
BBC News
The Commissioner of the Irish police has rejected calls for detectives to be reissued with Uzi submachine guns.
Martin Callinan said it "would not have made the slightest bit of difference" if a murdered detective had been armed with an Uzi.
Detective Adrian Donohoe was shot during a robbery on 25 January 2013.
The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) passed a motion calling for the reissue of the Israeli-made weapons at its conference.
The guns,... (GunPolicy.org)
Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,Nepal
Nepal Decides to Endorse UN Small Arms Treaty
9 March 2013
Xinhua
KATHMANDU - With the objective of controlling the illegal trade of small arms like pistol, Nepal has decided to endorse the UN small arms convention which is being discussed among the UN members at present.
"Nepal supports the bid to regulate and control the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons," the Kathmandu Post quoted a government official, as saying, on Saturday.
"It is of prime importance that the small arms do not reach the non-state actors, who may... (GunPolicy.org)
Russian Police Raid Illegal Gun Workshop Making and Repairing Guns
7 March 2013
RIA Novosti (Russia)
MOSCOW – The police and the Federal Security Service (FSB) have uncovered an underground arms factory and large cache of firearms in the Moscow Region, the Interior Ministry reported on Thursday.
"Two underground workshops for arms re-engineering were liquidated and four suspected criminal gang members were arrested," the police reported in a statement.
The workshops were based in two garages west of Moscow, where the security forces discovered at least nine machine... (GunPolicy.org)
Illegal Guns Easy to Get in Malta, Homicide Rate Doubled in 2012
20 February 2013
Times of Malta
The police are holding a Maltese man in his 30s in connection with the murder of Ronald Galea, who was shot outside his meat factory in Ħal Far on Monday.
The man, who the police said was "assisting investigations", works in a field similar to that of the victim, Assistant Police Commissioner Pierre Calleja said during a press conference yesterday.
He did not reply when asked whether the man was cooperating with the investigation but said that tests to determine... (GunPolicy.org)
PNG Government Buys 32 'High-Powered' Guns, for Guards
25 January 2013
Post-Courier (Port Moresby)
Papua New Guinea's acting Clerk of Parliament Simon Ila has purchased 32 high-powered guns and about 10,000 ammunition for Parliament security guards at a cost of K556,000.
This is on top of side-arms for some Ministers and Members of Parliament who also have armed personnel from the Special VIP protection Unit.
Among the purchase was a very high-powered weapon only issued to the military and for special forces – the HK MP7 A1 which cost K38,500 for one, with its 30... (GunPolicy.org)
PNG Parliament Denies Buying Guns After Alleged Security Threat
25 January 2013
Business Spectator / Australian Associated Press
Papua New Guinea's parliamentary speaker has denied reports the acting clerk has bought $A250,000 of machine guns for parliamentary security.
The Post-Courier on Friday carried a front-page story citing a letter by acting clerk Simon Ila to police officials advising of the purchase despite the objections of police commissioner Tom Kulunga.
PNG's parliamentary speaker, whose office denied knowledge of the purchase on Thursday night according to the paper, cancelled a... (GunPolicy.org)
Malaysia Cop Acquitted of Fatal Youth Car-Chase Shooting in Appeal
5 December 2012
New Strait Times (Malaysia)
SHAH ALAM - Police corporal Jenain Subi was acting within the scope of his duties when he opened fire at the Proton Iswara driven by teenager Aminulrasyid Amzah two years ago.
The High Court found that Jenain had only answered was only doing his duty when he tried to stop a speeding vehicle.
Judge Datuk Abdul Rahman Sebli said this yesterday before acquitting Jenain after allowing his appeal against his conviction and sentence of five years' jail for causing the... (GunPolicy.org)
SE Asian Soldiers Rent Army Machine Guns as Tourist Lure, Cash Cow
27 November 2012
New York Times
PHNOM PENH — Just after a Honda pickup truck screeched to a halt beyond the decommissioned Soviet-era Antonov aircraft, four resolute-looking Chinese men with a military escort climbed out, slammed the doors shut and neatly arranged a series of firearms they had been carrying on a nearby table.
Once the pistols' magazines were loaded with shiny golden bullets, they began emptying round after round into paper targets at a distance of 25 meters, or 82 feet.
Nearby,... (GunPolicy.org)
Authorities Catch Gun Runners in Nigeria with Assault Weapons
5 November 2012
Daily Trust (Abuja)
LAFIA — A syndicate of gun runners, led by a native doctor, Daniel Danladi, have been nabbed by a team of men of the State Security Service (SSS) in Nasarawa State.
The team also also recovered three AK47 rifles and a sub-machine gun.
Abubakar Bubuche, state director of the security agency, who paraded the five suspects at the directorate's office in Lafia, on Tuesday afternoon, said charms, as well as 48 rounds of ammunition, were also recovered from the suspects... (GunPolicy.org)
Weapons Seizures Rise as UK Police Crackdown on Gangs, Gun Suppliers
31 October 2012
Scotsman (Edinburgh) / Edinburgh Evening News (Scotland)
Silenced pistols, rifles and sub-machine gun rounds are among the firearms seized in the past year by the elite unit set up to take down organised crime in the Lothians.
Officers from the Serious and Organised Crime Unit also
recovered seven shotguns, two revolvers and two stun guns during raids on gang members and properties.
Hollow point bullets – dubbed "dum dums" – were also recovered.
The shells shatter on impact, where conventional bullets flatten, and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Scotsman (Edinburgh) / Edinburgh Evening News (Scotland)
Nigeria Authorities Seize Assault Weapons, Over 1,000 Bullets from Sect
13 September 2012
This Day (Lagos)
Operatives of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in Borno State Wednesday arrested 11 suspected members of the Boko Haram sect in an overnight raid.
The suspects were arrested in the Waka-Biu region of the state.
Recovered from them were automatic weapons, ammunition and several homemade bombs.
Confirming the arrest, the spokesman of the JTF, Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, listed the dangerous weapons recovered from the sect to include a sub-machine gun, seven AK-47s, 1,568... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Control on French Agenda After Rise in Smuggling from East Europe
7 September 2012
Le Cawa d'AdmiNet (France)
Gun control has shot to the top of the political agenda in France in recent years because of massive influx of weapons from Eastern Europe.
Largely un-policed border crossings with countries like Italy have seen thousands of guns pouring into major cities over the past few decades from countries like Serbia and the Ukraine.
This has led to a huge increase in the number of criminals brandishing weapons, especially drugs gangs and ones linked to the Italian and Russian... (GunPolicy.org)
51 Guns Lost or Stolen from South Africa's Defence Force in Last 3 Years
5 September 2012
Defence Web (South Africa)
The South African National Defence Force has lost or had stolen 51 firearms since 2009, including 38 assault rifles, according to the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans.
Defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula stated that 51 firearms, including a machine gun and a grenade launcher, have been lost by or stolen from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) since 2009. This emerged in response to a parliamentary question posed by Pieter Groenewald of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Loaded Sub-Machine Gun Seized in $2.5m Australia Drug, Weapons Bust
4 September 2012
Adelaide Now
Police have uncovered a fully-loaded Uzi sub-machine gun in Adelaide as part of a major ice ring bust, in which more than $2.5 million in drugs and weapons were seized. …
It is the biggest drug bust this year.
The rare gun - which was found alongside other purpose-made weapons such as handguns and a sawn-off shotgun - is unusual in South Australia and police are concerned about its origins.
Two men and a woman have been arrested after six house raids - on August... (GunPolicy.org)
Six People Die in Random Nightclub Shooting in Brazil
28 August 2012
Zee News (India)
RIO DE JANEIRO - Six people were killed and 14 wounded in a gunfight at a nightclub in the southeastern Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte, police said Monday, blaming the violence on a dispute between gangs.
Scores of people were inside the club late Sunday night when two armed men burst in as a band was playing and started firing indiscriminately.
One of the intruders was carrying a military-issue submachine gun, police said.
Several club patrons drew guns and... (GunPolicy.org)
Uganda Police Blame Gun, Ammo Smuggling for Rise in Murder Rate
24 August 2012
Observer (Kampala)
Police yesterday said murders in the country were on the rise because of the rampant influx of guns and ammunition through Uganda's porous borders.
Police publicist Simon Kuteesa told journalists that most of the murders in the country were a result of shooting, mob justice, assault, suicide and love gone bad.
"The major challenge we have is that our borders are porous and there is no way we can fight the influx of the ammunitions," Kuteesa said, as police released... (GunPolicy.org)
Venezuela Authorities Seize 22 Guns, Guard Shot at, During Prison Raid
16 August 2012
EFE News Agency / Fox News Latino (USA)
The warden of a prison in the northwestern Venezuelan city of Maracaibo escaped unharmed on Thursday when a group of inmates shot at him, authorities in Zulia state said.
The prison chief came under attack while investigating a report of armed inmates in one of the cellblocks, state Security and Public Order Secretary Odalis Caldera told Efe.
The warden was accompanied by members of the police team responsible for security outside the prison walls and the attack "was... (GunPolicy.org)
Thai MP Accidentally Kills Secretary With Submachine Gun During Meal
13 August 2012
BBC News
Police in Thailand say that they will charge a member of the Thai parliament with causing death by negligence for accidentally shooting his secretary dead with a submachine gun.
They say that the accident happened in a restaurant on Sunday night.
Senator Boonsong Kowawisarat took out a 9mm Uzi submachine gun while waiting for food, the Bangkok Post reported.
He told police the gun accidentally discharged and his secretary was shot in the stomach.
Police say that the... (GunPolicy.org)
Guyana Police Accused of Selling Sub-Machine Gun Owned by Criminal
14 July 2012
Kaieteur News (Guyana)
Less than a week after Acting Police Commissioner Leroy Brumell warned corrupt ranks to turn in their badges, five TSU ranks are under investigation for allegedly collecting $360,000 to release a man whom they had nabbed with drugs and a loaded submachine gun.
Kaieteur News understands that the incident occurred on Thursday in Kitty and that three of the ranks, including a cadet officer, are under close arrest at the Brickdam Police Station.
Investigators have seized... (GunPolicy.org)
Misclassified Handguns to Be Deleted with Canadian Long Gun Registry
19 June 2012
Global News (Canada)
A Global News investigation has found dozens more misclassified firearms which might be deleted with the long gun registry.
Yesterday, Global News reported finding 361 handguns and three automatic weapons classified as if they were mainstream rifles or shotguns, which, all other things being equal, means that their data will be deleted.
Since that story appeared, we have found more than 120 weapons in the firearms registry which aren't classified at all. They include... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Seizures Skyrocket, NSW Police Focus on Tracing
30 May 2012
Australian Associated Press
SYDNEY - A spike in gun seizures in NSW has intensified calls for a national ballistics testing system to help authorities link weapons to crimes.
The latest police figures show nearly 4500 firearms have been seized in NSW since January 2011, with more than a third of those located in the past two months.
Police Minister Michael Gallacher on Wednesday watched the destruction of 142 of these weapons, including a "Dirty Harry" style .45 calibre revolver, an Uzi... (GunPolicy.org)
Sydney, NSW Gun Seizures Soar, But Only 10% Are Handguns
30 May 2012
Australian Associated Press
A spike in gun seizures in NSW has intensified calls for a national ballistics testing system to help authorities link weapons to crimes.
The latest police figures show nearly 4500 firearms have been seized in NSW since January 2011, with more than a third of those located in the past two months.
Police Minister Michael Gallacher on Wednesday watched the destruction of 142 of these weapons, including a "Dirty Harry" style .45 calibre revolver, an Uzi submachine gun, a... (GunPolicy.org)
Year's Jail, Life Ban for Vet Caught Smuggling Gun Parts US-Canada
29 March 2012
880 CKLQ AM (Manitoba)
A 47 year old former member of the military has been sentenced to one year in jail for smuggling a submachine gun part into Canada from the United States.
He did so by hiding it in a bag of empty beer cans when crossing the border on November 5th, 2011.
Cameron Eugene Bell says he was going to just display the parts of the gun as art.
Along with one year in jail he was sentenced to a 15 year firearms ban and lifetime restricted weapons... (GunPolicy.org)
Multiple Shootings Highlight Growing Illegal Gun Trade in France
27 March 2012
Christian Science Monitor
France's strict gun laws sharply limit legal ownership. But illegal trafficking is on the rise – at prices that people like Toulouse gunman Mohamed Merah can afford.
PARIS - As the prosecutor listed the weapons gunman Mohamed Merah amassed before going on a shooting rampage in Toulouse, French citizens received a stark reminder that gun trafficking doesn't only affect unstable countries. It's happening in France, too – a nation that is anything but gun-friendly.... (GunPolicy.org)
French Public Amazed at Toulouse Mass Killer's Arsenal of Illegal Guns
23 March 2012
Reuters
PARIS - As France asks itself whether it could have done more to prevent Islamist gunman Mohamed Merah shooting dead seven people in a killing spree that shook the nation, there is one question that refuses to go away: how did he obtain so many guns.
The size and nature of the arsenal amassed by Merah - who stockpiled at least eight guns including a Kalashnikov assault rifle and an Uzi machine pistol - has focused attention on the easy availability of illegal weapons... (GunPolicy.org)
Las Vegas Tourist Machine Gun Range Features Gun-toting Hostesses
5 March 2012
New York Times
LAS VEGAS — For Vegas die-hards bored with the $750 tasting menu at Guy Savoy, the $250 Elton John tickets at Caesars or the $200,000 baccarat bet at the Bellagio, this city is serving up a new way to find high-priced thrills.
Machine Guns Vegas — an upscale indoor shooting range complete with skimpily dressed gun-toting hostesses — opened last week a half-mile from the Strip with an armory of weapons and a promise to fulfill the desires of anyone wanting to... (GunPolicy.org)
Major Seizures of Guns Mainly Firearm Dealer Imports - Australia Customs
14 September 2011
Daily Telegraph (Sydney)
December 23, 2008
Sydney
Huge haul of weapons including:
Assault rifles: Steyr F88, Norinco SKS, Marlin 60 and ADI SLR L1A1
Handguns: Beretta 92FS and Remington 870 Wingmaster
Shot guns: Mossberg 500A
Teargas
16cm rifle silencer
Pistol scope
Megatron Transformer
December 8, 2009
Sydney
980 rounds of FMJ green tip M855 Penetrator armour piercing bullets
July 25, 2006
Brisbane
Steyer tactical scout elite .308 calibre rifle, with telescopic sight
May 30,... (GunPolicy.org)
3 Men Charged with Production and Selling of Imitation Guns in China
15 August 2011
China Daily
XIAMEN, Fujian - Three men in East China's Fujian province have been charged with producing and selling imitation guns following a raid on a toy gun factory in Jinjiang city in July.
You Zhixian, a publicity officer with Jinjiang public security bureau, said the three suspects surnamed Huang, Ge and Chen had been arrested on suspicion of producing and selling imitation guns that could cause injury.
"More than 10,000 imitation firearms were discovered in the factory,"... (GunPolicy.org)
Citing God's Word, Indiana Gun Shop Owner Sold Submachine Gun to Felon
20 July 2011
Indiana Daily Student
An Ellettsville gun shop owner was arrested for several serious weapons violations July 19, after a seven-month-long investigation by the Monroe County Sheriff's office.
Law enforcement received a tip in January that Donald Mullendore, 61 of Ellettsville, might be selling firearms in violation of federal law.
A criminal investigation then followed, according to a press release from the office of the U.S. District Attorney for Southern Indiana, Joesph Hogsett.
An... (GunPolicy.org)
Uzi Submachine Gun, Pistol, Rifles Seized Near School in Jamaica
20 June 2011
Jamaica Gleaner
The St Catherine South police yesterday seized four illegal guns within an eight-hour period and charged one man with breaches of the Firearms Act.
The guns were seized in Waterford and Old Harbour, respectively.
About 9:45 a.m., a team, led by Senior Superintendent Colin Pinnock, went along Caymanas Drive in Waterford, St Catherine.
Following the searches of a number of premises, the team inspected bushes near the Waterford Primary School.
This resulted in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Gang Gun Used to Shoot Innocent UK Girl Had Been in 6 Other Shootings
12 April 2011
BBC News
Two men have been been jailed for life for shooting dead a 16-year-old as she waited for pizza in an east London takeaway. What the jury did not know was the gun that killed her had been used in six other shootings.
On a Wednesday evening in April last year, Agnes Sina-Inakoju met two friends at a chicken and pizza shop in Hoxton, east London.
Agnes, who was described by her family as "charismatic, ambitious, loving and caring", had been doing well at school and had... (GunPolicy.org)
Deadly Arsenal of Self Confessed British 'Gun Fanatic' Jailed for 16 Years
8 April 2011
Daily Mail (UK)
It is a fearsome array of weapons including a Kalashnikov, Uzi sub-machine gun, shotguns and pistols.
But this astonishing arsenal was not seized from a gang of organised criminals, but the private collection of a fruit and veg trader.
David Evans had claimed he only bought replica weapons to use for 'war games' in his loft, where he kitted out mannequins with imitation guns to recreate scenes from war movies such as Saving Private Ryan.
But yesterday the... (GunPolicy.org)
Policeman in Divorce Row Fires Submachine Gun at US SWAT Team, Dies
28 March 2011
Star-Ledger (New Jersey)
PISCATAWAY — A Piscataway police sergeant died from a gunshot wound after he barricaded himself in his home, told police he had hostages, then stepped on his front porch and fired a submachine gun at officers who returned fire, authorities said.
David Powell, 46, of 130 Parkside Ave., was pronounced dead in his home at 1:41 a.m. today, about 10 hours after the incident began, Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan said in a statement this afternoon.
Ballistic... (GunPolicy.org)
Major American Cities Police Chiefs Name New Head to Steer Gun Control
6 March 2011
Star-Ledger (New Jersey)
NEWARK — Standing at the intersection of Court and Broome streets in Newark last year, city Police Director Garry McCarthy surveyed a crime scene that looked like a war zone.
He was staring at a sport-utility vehicle riddled with bullets, its front end looking like "swiss cheese." At McCarthy's feet lay more than 40 shell casings, most of them spat from the barrell of an assault rifle.
Less than two miles away, a similar scene unfolded in Newark's South Ward. Five... (GunPolicy.org)
Ex-police Chief Acquitted in Machine Gun Shooting Death of 8yr-old Boy
15 January 2011
Boston Globe
The emotionally racked trial of a former Pelham police chief charged in connection with the accidental shooting death of an 8-year-old boy at a gun fair came to an end yesterday with a jury acquitting Edward Fleury, who cried at the verdict.
Fleury, 53, was found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter and multiple counts of furnishing a machine gun to a minor. Christopher Bizilj of Ashford, Conn., lost control of an Uzi submachine gun and shot himself in the head in... (GunPolicy.org)
US Police Chief Cleared in Fun Shoot Machine Gun Death of 8yr-old Boy
14 January 2011
BBC News
A Massachusetts jury has acquitted a man who organised a gun fair where a boy accidentally shot himself dead with an Uzi sub-machine gun.
Prosecutors said Edward Fleury, a former police chief, should have foreseen the risk in providing Christopher Bizilj, 8, with the gun.
He was found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter after showing the boy's father allowed him to fire the weapon.
The boy lost control of the weapon, which flipped and shot him in the head.
Mr... (GunPolicy.org)
Ex-police Chief Found Not Guilty in Machine Gun Death of 8yr-old US Boy
14 January 2011
Reuters
Jurors reached an acquittal verdict on Friday in the trial of a former police chief in the accidental fatal shooting of an 8-year-old boy at an October 2008 event at Westfield Sportsman's Club.
The shooting event had been organized and sponsored by former Pelham police chief Edward D. Fleury, who had been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
The child, Christopher Bizilj, was killed instantly by a shot to his head while firing a 9mm micro Uzi submachine gun. The... (GunPolicy.org)
Arizona Rampage Handgun's Reputation Built on Style, Ease of Use
12 January 2011
Wall Street Journal
Police and gun dealers say Glock semiautomatic pistols, including the lightweight model allegedly used in the Tucson rampage last weekend, are among the most popular firearms in the U.S. because they are easy to use, reliable and accurate.
"The Glock is a very popular weapon, generally not only with the law enforcement but with civilians," said James Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, which represents about 330,000 street-level officers. "It's... (GunPolicy.org)
Teen Gun Supervisor Says He Warned Dad About Uzi Which Killed 8yr-old
7 January 2011
Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts — A teenager who supervised an 8-year-old who shot himself with an Uzi submachine gun at a 2008 gun fair testified Friday that he told the boy's father that "it wasn't a good idea" to let the child fire it.
Michael Spano was a witness in the trial of Edward Fleury, whose company co-sponsored the exhibition at the Westfield Sportsman's Club. Fleury has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and other charges in the death of... (GunPolicy.org)
Father Testifies in US Submachine Gun Shooting That Killed His 8-year-old
6 January 2011
Boston Globe
A chilling video shown in Hampden Superior Court today captured the moment an 8-year-old boy from Connecticut fatally shot himself with an Uzi submachine gun at a 2008 gun show in western Massachusetts.
The video, which showed the boy squeezing the trigger and the automatic weapon suddenly tilting upward and then backward in his small hands before he apparently shot himself, elicited shrieks from shocked spectators in the courtroom and the jury box.
Christopher... (GunPolicy.org)
Court: 'Reckless Behavior' Led to 8yr-old Boy's Uzi Death at US Fun Shoot
4 January 2011
Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - "Reckless and illegal actions" by a former police chief led to the accidental death of a boy who shot himself in the face with an Uzi submachine gun at a gun show, a prosecutor said Tuesday.
But others, including the boy's father, made the fatal decisions, a defense attorney said.
Former Pelham Police Chief Edward Fleury, whose company co-sponsored the event, has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and furnishing a weapon to a... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Collector Fires Machine Guns on Backyard Range, Irks Neighbours
27 December 2010
Charlotte Observer (North Carolina)
WESLEY CHAPEL -- Weekend mornings, John Famolari's two young children love to play baseball and soccer in their spacious backyard - at least until their neighbor across the creek breaks out his machine guns.
In a wooded lot about 500 feet away, Dr. Michael Land regularly uses a Thompson submachine gun and other automatic weapons for target practice. The racket often makes it hard for Famolari and his wife to talk - and even harder for them to entertain guests at their... (GunPolicy.org)
Massachusetts Gun Buyback Nets Nearly 200 Firearms for Destruction
19 December 2010
Telegram & Gazette (Massachusetts) / AP
WORCESTER — Officials say almost 200 firearms were collected during Worcester's annual "Goods for Guns" program, including a 9mm submachine gun and an AK-47.
Organizers say 69 handguns were turned in during the recent two-day event, along with 65 semi-automatic weapons and 59 rifles.
People receive Walmart gift certificates in return.
The program's intent is to keep guns from falling into the wrong hands and being used in violent acts. Donated guns usually are... (GunPolicy.org)
Jury Can See, Not Hear, 8yr-old Boy's Uzi Death at US Gun Fun Fair
17 December 2010
Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - A judge ruled Friday that jurors in the manslaughter trial of a former western Massachusetts police chief won't hear audio from the most graphic part of a video that shows an 8-year-old boy accidentally shooting himself to death with an Uzi submachine gun.
Hampden Superior Court Judge Peter Velis' ruling came as jury selection resumed in the case of former Pelham Police Chief Edward Fleury, whose company co-sponsored a 2008 gun fair where... (GunPolicy.org)
Death of 8yr-old Becomes Symbol of Lost Struggle for US Gun Control
12 December 2010
Herald (Scotland)
Gun control campaigners in the USA are waving the white flag after a year of crushing setbacks.
Shocking mass murders and shooting accidents that would scandalise any other developed nation barely register in the public consciousness. As the death toll rises, the National Rifle Association's (NRA) string of legislative and legal victories continues.
Against this backdrop comes the latest gun-related horror story: a former police chief in Massachusetts is on trial for... (GunPolicy.org)
Ex Police Chief's Sudden Illness Delays Trial in Uzi Death of 8yr-old US Boy
8 December 2010
Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - The manslaughter trial of a former Massachusetts police chief charged in the death of an 8-year-old boy who accidentally shot himself with an Uzi submachine gun at a fair has been postponed indefinitely after the defendant fell ill.
Edward Fleury's lawyer, Rosemary Curran Scapiccio, said Wednesday that he is hospitalized with an illness she did not have permission to publicly disclose.
The Republican of Springfield reports that Scapiccio... (GunPolicy.org)
Judge Will Let Jurors See Video of 8yr-old Being Killed by Uzi at Gun Show
8 December 2010
New York Times
BOSTON — A judge ruled Tuesday that jurors can be shown video of an 8-year-old boy accidentally shooting himself in the head with a submachine gun at a gun show, setting up an unusually grisly courtroom scene in the manslaughter trial of a former police chief who organized the event.
Judge Peter A. Velis of Hampden Superior Court in Springfield, Mass., is still deciding whether audio from after the shooting — in which the boy can be heard screaming and his father... (GunPolicy.org)
Trial Begins in Case of 8yr-old Killed Firing Uzi at Massachusetts Gun Show
5 December 2010
Associated Press
BOSTON - Eight-year-old Christopher Bizilj — 4-foot-3 and 66 pounds — stepped up to the firing range to shoot an Uzi as his father and 11-year-old brother watched from a few feet away.
As Christopher fired the 9mm micro submachine gun at a pumpkin, the weapon flipped backward and shot him in the head. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Prosecutors brought manslaughter charges against the gun club where the machine gun shoot took place, two men who supplied... (GunPolicy.org)
Bid to Block Father's Video of Boy Being Killed with Uzi at US Gun Fun Fair
3 December 2010
Associated Press
As a former Massachusetts police chief heads to trial on manslaughter charges in the accidental shooting death of an eight-year-old boy at a gun fair, prosecutors and defence lawyers are wrangling over a horrific piece of evidence: a videotape of the shooting taken by the boy's father.
Former Pelham police Chief Edward Fleury is scheduled to go on trial next week in the 2008 death of Christopher Bizilj, who was killed when he lost control of an Uzi at a gun fair and... (GunPolicy.org)
'The Gun': How Automatic Weapons, AK-47 Changed the Way we Kill
26 October 2010
Salon (USA), Book review
Few common objects are as shrouded in mystery as the gun.
I don't mean to suggest large numbers of people are unfamiliar with guns, because in this country, that's not the case. The long tradition of routine, practical gun ownership in the United States continues to this day, in rural areas especially. According to a regular Gallup poll question, somewhere between 38 percent and 42 percent of U.S. households contain at least one firearm. I visited many a firing range... (GunPolicy.org)
Everyman's Gun: Sheer Numbers Make AK-47 the World's Main Killing Tool
16 October 2010
Wall Street Journal, Book review
The AK-47 is the most numerous and widely distributed weapon in history, with a name and appearance that are instantly recognized worldwide. Designed in the late 1940s for the Soviet Army, the Avtomat Kalashnikova 47 ("Automatic of Kalashnikov 1947") became the universal weapon by the late 20th century, used by armies, militias and terrorists in practically every armed conflict, and by all sides in most of them. Even the United States has purchased mass quantities of... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed Canadian 'Gun Lover' Pleads Guilty to Making Machine Guns
3 September 2010
Telegram (Newfoundland)
With homemade, automatic weapons in front of him, Const. Chris Young doesn't understate the potential danger.
"These things can be devastating in the wrong hands," the RCMP officer says.
The firearms on the table include a .22-calibre rifle and an AK-M (AK-47) rifle that were turned into automatic weapons.
Also laid out are a 1911-style pistol and a German submachine-gun. Both were handcrafted.
All four weapons are the handiwork of Jason Patrick Loder, who even... (GunPolicy.org)
Manila Mass Shooting, 9 Dead in Tourist Bus: 10 Things Police Got Wrong
24 August 2010
BBC News
A security analyst who has worked in counter-terrorism with the British Army and Scotland Yard, Charles Shoebridge, says the officers involved in Manila's bus siege showed great courage - but they were not properly trained or equipped for the task.
Here are 10 areas where, in his view, they could have done better.
1. Determination
The first officers who tried to storm the bus were driven out by gunshots from the hostage taker, former policeman Rolando Mendoza. "They... (GunPolicy.org)
Pacifist Politician Accused of Illegally Selling Machine Guns in Germany
14 August 2010
Local (Berlin)
Germany's socialist party The Left, has been hit by an embarrassing scandal, with a mid-ranking functionary charged with illegal trade in military weapons.
Manfred Hämmerle, chairman of the party in Hückelhoven near the Dutch border, has been accused of illegally selling a submachine gun, and possibly a Kalashnikov AK47 as well as an Uzi machine gun.
Der Spiegel magazine, which reported the story on Saturday, said he could face at least a year in prison if convicted... (GunPolicy.org)
Gang's 'Communal' Submachine Gun Seized from Ontario Apartment
9 August 2010
Toronto Sun (Ontario)
A machine gun that was reportedly being passed between Hamilton gangsters was found by police during a raid of a local apartment, police said Monday.
Officers in the Gangs and Weapons Enforcement Unit (GWEU) had been getting information since November 2009 about a MAC-10 submachine gun "that was being passed around between numerous Hamilton gang members and associates," a Hamilton Police press release said.
The information culminated Friday when cops received further... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Seize Loaded Submachine Gun from Gang-linked Ontario Home
9 August 2010
Hamilton Spectator (Ontario)
Hamilton police have seized a nasty, fully-loaded 9 mm submachine gun from a Park Street South apartment.
The gangs and weapons enforcement unit seized the weapon Friday night after receiving information about a rapid fire weapon they've been hearing about on the street since November last year.
George Andrew Nossey, 46, of Hamilton, faces numerous weapons charges.
Sergeant Terri-Lynn Collings said word on the street was that someone had "a Mac 10" and it was being... (GunPolicy.org)
Trinidad Police Submachine Gun 'Lost' by Elite-unit Officer, Found Buried
27 July 2010
Trinidad and Tobago Express
A police officer attached to the Witness Protection Programme lost a sub-machine gun in a weekend incident that investigators were still trying to unravel yesterday.
The gun and ammunition were found buried in Barrackpore yesterday and six people were arrested.
The police corporal had, at first, said he was robbed of the weapon in San Fernando, just before midnight last Saturday.
He later told a story about driving along a lonely road in Barrackpore, where he was in... (GunPolicy.org)
Calgary Police Find Machine Guns, Assault Weapons, Handguns in Raids
24 June 2010
Calgary Sun (Alberta)
The police seizure of 16 firearms — including a possible submachine gun — indicates the troubling scope of illegal weaponry on city streets, say cops.
Following a tip, plainclothes officers on Tuesday observed what appeared to be a weapons transaction involving a 9 mm Uzi submachine gun-style weapon in a parking lot on Heritage Gate S.E.
Three men were arrested at the scene and a 2004 Audi A4 seized.
On the same day, police raided a home in Edgemont where they... (GunPolicy.org)
Massachusetts Mulls Limiting Firearm Sales to 1 Gun per Buyer per Month
8 June 2010
Boston Globe
A proposal to limit the number of guns a person can buy in Massachusetts is being mulled by the Legislature's Judiciary Committee today, sparking hope among supporters that the bill may finally come to a vote.
The bill, introduced by Governor Deval Patrick in May 2009, would prevent people from buying more than one gun a month. It is winding its way through committee as the state and the city of Boston grapple with the shooting deaths of two 14-year-old boys in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Shoots 6 Judges, Kills 3 in Chinese Court Following Domestic Dispute
1 June 2010
Xinhua
YONGZHOU, Hunan - A man killed himself after shooting three judges dead and injuring another three judges in a local court office Tuesday in central China's Hunan Province, said local authorities.
The incident happened at about 10:05 a.m. at Lingling District People's Court in Yongzhou City, said the city's public security department.
The gunman, Zhu Jun, barged into an office on the fourth floor of the court building. He shot the judges in the office before killing... (GunPolicy.org)
Soldiers Shoot, Kill Wives, Colleagues, Family in Tanzania Military Camps
15 May 2010
Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
TABORA — A soldier with the Tanzania People's Defence Forces (TPDF) in Tabora stabbed his wife to death before proceeding to shoot down his niece and a neighbour on Friday night. He then turned the gun on himself.
The killings threw the town into shock and rekindled the not-so-distant memories as early in the year, another soldier had opened fire on two colleagues in Kasulu, killing them on the spot.
In the Friday incident, whose motivation is yet to be known, the... (GunPolicy.org)
Toronto Gun Enthusiast Lost 50 Handguns, Submachine Gun to Thieves
17 March 2010
680 News Radio (Toronto)
TORONTO, Ontario - Six men now face more than 540 charges in connection with a break-and-enter investigation, according to Toronto police.
Last month, a downtown apartment was broken into at 59 Isabella St. The thieves were able to make off with 50 handguns, two shotguns and an Uzi sub-machine gun. The suspects also stole a large-screen television.
After executing search warrants in the GTA, Toronto police were able to recover 10 of the 50 handguns, the... (GunPolicy.org)
Philippine Election Gun Ban Yields More Arrests for Illegal Firearms
10 February 2010
Panay News (Philippines)
SAN JOSE, Antique – The effective implementation of the Antique Police Provincial Office (APPO) of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) gun ban has yielded positive results.
APPO Information Officer PO3 Rodelio B. Canja said that from January 10 to 28, three persons were arrested and one is at-large.
Confiscated on separate operations were five high-powered fire arms, two fragmentation hand grenades, two bladed weapons and 35 rds of assorted ammunitions.
In... (GunPolicy.org)
New York Traffickers Ship AK-47s, Submachine Guns, Pistols to Jamaica
14 January 2010
Gleaner (Jamaica)
With 14 days into the new year, the island's security forces have seized more than 1,000 assorted rounds of ammunition and at least 27 illegal firearms, including four high-powered weapons and a number of semi-automatic pistols.
The cracks in the existing security system at Port Bustamante were tested on Monday, when a Jamaican connection in New York sent a shipment containing 12 illegal guns and more than 700 rounds of ammunition.
Up to late Tuesday, two women and a... (GunPolicy.org)
Business Booming at Vegas Machine Gun Range
8 January 2010
Forbes (USA), Blog
LAS VEGAS -- Mining. Cattle-ranching. Machine gun rentals. If you're a Berkeley-bred crunchie that combination is the stuff of nightmares. If you're entrepreneur Billy Conn, however, it's a living. And, thanks to a weak dollar and ever-tightening firearms laws, business at the machine gun range is good.
Conn will only say that the privately-held Las Vegas Gun Range & Firearms Center is a "multi-million" dollar business. However tough firearms laws, a weak dollar, and... (GunPolicy.org)
Maguindanao Arms Seizure Recovers Number of Police-Issued M16s
28 December 2009
Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines — Several high-powered firearms seized in a series of raids in Maguindanao province over the past weeks were police-issued firearms, Philippine National Police Director General Jesus Verzosa said on Monday.
In an interview, Verzosa said that of the more than 800 firearms seized throughout the province of Maguindanao during and after the declaration of martial law there, more than 20 were PNP-issued.
He said most of those that were PNP-issued were... (GunPolicy.org)
Cache of Assault Weapons Stolen, Owner Arrested for Illegal Possession
24 December 2009
Contra Costa Times (California)
CONCORD, California - Intruders took a small cache of assault weapons from a house this week, and police made an arrest.
The only man they arrested, however, was the homeowner — for having the weapons in the first place.
Police were called to a home in the 1600 block of Allegro Avenue about 2 a.m. Wednesday after getting reports of a home invasion, said police Lt. Garrett Voerge.
A roommate told officers that two men entered the home and at gunpoint, took several... (GunPolicy.org)
Ontario Attorney General Voices Strong Support for Long Gun Registry
14 December 2009
Hill Times (Ottawa), Opinion
TORONTO — Canada's long-gun registry helps to save lives, protect communities, and prevent crime. It is an important public safety resource that our police use every day in the important work they do.
This fall a federal private member's bill to eliminate Canada's long-gun registry has been working its way through Parliament and will soon be considered by a House of Commons committee. As a government that is doing everything in its power to stop the agony caused by... (GunPolicy.org)
Sydney Men Charged with Alleged Manufacture of Submachine Guns
11 December 2009
Australian Associated Press
Two men, including a bikie, have been charged over the manufacture of illegal firearms after police seized rifles, knuckle dusters and firearm parts in Sydney.
Officers raided a home in Charles Street, Blacktown, about 4.30pm yesterday, police said.
Police allege illegal submachine guns, lightweight automatics or semi-automatic weapons were being made at the home.
A 43-year-old man was arrested and police seized a submachine gun, several registered and unregistered... (GunPolicy.org)
Essex Police Say 90% of 'Firearm Incidents' Involve Only Imitation Guns
5 December 2009
Daily Mail (UK)
An innocent game of cops and robbers used to provide two benefits - lots of fun and a basic understanding of right and wrong.
But children caught playing with a toy gun today have been warned they face something far more memorable - a raid by armed police marksmen.
Officers have told parents to avoid buying youngsters plastic guns for Christmas in case passers-by mistake them for dangerous weapons.
The warning has been issued by Essex Police, where a spokesman said... (GunPolicy.org)
As US Gun Ownership Falls, Arms Industry, Gun Lobby Recruit Children
28 November 2009
Guardian (UK)
In the distance, there is snow on the ridges of the Rocky Mountains, but down here in the plains of Colorado there is only dust and sweat. In a layby just south of Denver, Texas Marshal is standing in the sweltering heat preparing for the showdown. He tips back his black felt bronco hat, pulls out his .45 Colt revolver and gives the barrel a slow, deliberate spin. Five brass bullets sink into the chambers and the gun goes back in its holster, ready to draw, his hand... (GunPolicy.org)
Conservatives Distorting Firearm Facts to Suit Gun Lobby in Canada
8 November 2009
Toronto Star (Ontario), Editorial
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's law-and-order Conservatives have no valid reason to kill off Canada's rifle and shotgun registry, beyond pandering to their rural constituencies. So they've resorted to playing up the cost of the so-called "long gun" database and denying its usefulness, trying to cast it in the worst possible light.
And sadly, with support from a handful of spineless New Democrats and Liberals, the Harper government nudged forward a private member's bill... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed UK Public School Sport Shooter Gets 4yrs for Smuggling Guns
23 September 2009
BBC News
A student found with 200 weapon parts in his East Lothian home has been jailed for almost four years.
Ramsay Scott, 21, bought £20,000 worth of gun components on the internet using his mother's credit card.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how the former public schoolboy was interested in extreme violence and had trawled websites linked to massacres.
Scott, who was sentenced to three years and nine months in jail, earlier admitted breaches of the Firearms Act.... (GunPolicy.org)
Rash of Gun, Ammo Seizures in Trinidad Includes Uzi Submachine Gun
22 September 2009
Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday
Fourteen persons were arrested during the early morning hours of Sunday after being found with five firearms, including a high-powered Uzi sub-machine gun, and 137 rounds of assorted ammunition.
They are expected to all appear before a Port-of-Spain magistrate today to answer charges of illegal possession of arms and ammunition.
According to a police report, at about 2.30 am, Western Division Task Force officers raided a house at Morvant Old Extension Road, Morvant... (GunPolicy.org)
US Police Chief Can't Avoid Charges in Machine Gun Death of 8yr-old Boy
3 September 2009
Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts — A judge has denied a former Massachusetts police chief's motion to dismiss some charges he's facing in connection with the death of an 8-year-old boy at a gun show.
Edward Fleury, who resigned as Pelham's chief in March, is charged with manslaughter and four counts of furnishing a machine gun to a minor in connection with the death of Christopher Bizilj of Ashford, Conn.
Bizilj lost control of an Uzi submachine gun and shot himself... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Take 36 Guns, Assault Rifles, Ammunition from Queensland Bikies
27 August 2009
Courier-Mail (Brisbane) / AAP
Police raids on outlaw motorcycle gangs uncovered an arsenal of weapons, including semi-automatic AK-47s, handguns, silencers, detonators and ammunition.
The discovery of the weapons cache, allegedly belonging to the Odins Warriors organisation, comes as the State Government tightens laws to crack down on the gangs, vowing to destroy them by tearing down clubhouses and banning members from socialising if there was evidence of illegal behaviour.
The new regulations... (GunPolicy.org)
Machine Guns, 100 Illegal Firearms Taken from Australian Gun Traffickers
27 August 2009
Sydney Morning Herald / AAP
Police raids and an undercover operation have netted more than 100 illegal firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition in a crackdown on an alleged Wollongong-based gun trafficking network.
Three men — Michael Zarakas of Fairy Meadow, Aristos Dionys of Mangerton and Andrew Kafizas of Wollongong — face a total of 110 firearm trafficking charges between them.
The trio appeared before Magistrate Paul Johnson at Wollongong Local Court on Thursday but did not apply... (GunPolicy.org)
Yemen Fights to Control Rampant Weapon Trafficking and Gun Violence
10 August 2009
BBC Worldwide Monitoring, Transcript
SANA'A — In Yemen, weapons are considered the main cause of murder and acts of terrorism. However, the heavy weapons that used to be on offer in markets are no longer available due to the government's tough stand on this matter, which arms dealers in the country have resisted. However, you still can buy what you want from black market traders: Anti-aircraft missiles, cannons, offensive weapons, as well as artillery ammunition boxes.
In the regions of the north that... (GunPolicy.org)
Church Shooting Rampage Botched in Germany as Machine Gun Jams
31 July 2009
Associated Press
BERLIN — An 82-year-old man who planned a shooting rampage at a meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses was deterred because his submachine gun jammed, police said Friday. He was overpowered and arrested.
The man entered the group's meeting hall in the western city of Bielefeld on Thursday evening, wielding the weapon, police said in a statement.
The hall was evacuated and the man quickly left the building, waving the gun as he walked toward his car. He was then overpowered... (GunPolicy.org)
Masked 82yr-old Pensioner Waves Machine Gun in German Church
31 July 2009
The Local (Germany)
An 82-year-old man who entered a meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses armed with a submachine gun, three magazines, a Samurai sword and a knife has been arrested, Bielefeld police reported on Friday.
Some 81 members of the church were gathered in their Kingdom Hall on Dunlopstraße in the city's Sennestadt district when a congregation member noticed the masked elderly man enter the vestibule waving the machine gun around 8:45 pm on Thursday.
The witness quietly informed the... (GunPolicy.org)
Submachine Gun Cache Found in Malaysia Included Unused Weapons
8 July 2009
New Straits Times (Malaysia)
IPOH — Some of the firearms recovered by police near the North-South Expressway in Bercham have never been used, said Perak police chief Datuk Zulkifli Abdullah.
To date, police believe that the cache of weapons and ammunition had not been used in any crime, he said after the monthly assembly at the state police contingent headquarters yesterday.
On May 24, workers of a cement factory found two bags in the bushes near the factory, containing six submachine guns,... (GunPolicy.org)
Born on 6 July, 1947: The AK-47 Assault Rifle, an All-Purpose Killer
6 July 2009
Wired (USA)
1947: The AK-47, one of the world's first operational assault rifles and probably the most durable and enduring small-arms weapons ever made, goes into production in the Soviet Union. More than 60 years later, it remains the standard infantry weapon in numerous armies, and a mainstay in the arsenals of rebels, drug traffickers and terrorists worldwide.
The AK-47 was the brainchild of self-taught inventor Mikhail Kalashnikov, the son of peasants. He was inspired to... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Dealer Tells His Story After 3 Years' Jail in Zimbabwe Under Mugabe
3 July 2009
SW Radio Africa (London), Transcript
Violet Gonda: My guest on the programme Hot Seat is Michael Peter Hitschmann who was released from jail on Thursday. The former police constable was initially arrested for allegedly plotting to assassinate President Robert Mugabe at his birthday celebration in Manicaland in 2006. He served a total of 40 months for possessing dangerous firearms without a licence. I spoke with the firearms dealer on the day he was released and first asked him how he was feeling.
Michael... (GunPolicy.org)
Feds Seize 75 Weapons from Virginia Man Making, Selling Machine Guns
27 June 2009
Washington Post
Federal agents raided an Alexandria man's home and seized 75 guns after he sold three machine guns to an undercover agent beginning in April, authorities said yesterday.
John M. Walker, 50, was charged with illegally converting semiautomatic weapons into fully automatic ones, court records show. Fully automatic weapons are legal but heavily regulated. Walker was not a licensed dealer, according to Special Agent Mike Campbell of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms... (GunPolicy.org)
Malaysia Probes Political, Crime Links to Illegal Submachine Gun Cache
27 May 2009
New Straits Times (Malaysia)
KUALA LUMPUR — A cache of weapons and ammunition found in Bercham, Perak, on Sunday night could be linked to the chaotic political situation in the state, police say.
This is one of the possibilities police are probing, besides the possibility of the cache being used for criminal or militant activities.
What is certain, though, is that the weapons and ammunition were brought in from a neighbouring country. Checks revealed that the cache was not from the armoury of... (GunPolicy.org)
NSW Police Seize Machine Guns, Assault Weapons in Sydney Gang Raid
2 May 2009
Australian Associated Press
NSW police have set up a new strike force following the discovery of a military cache of weapons at a south Sydney unit.
Detectives from NSW Police and the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) found an arsenal of weapons, including a Thompson submachine gun (commonly known as a Tommy gun), a fully automatic AK47 assault rifle, several handguns, Tasers and ammunition when they raided a Kogarah unit at 7.30am (AEST) on Friday.
They also found bulletproof vests, ballistic... (GunPolicy.org)
Machine-guns, Assault Weapons, Handguns Found in Sydney Gang Bust
2 May 2009
Sydney Morning Herald
A Comanchero safe house containing machine guns, bullet-proof vests, a ramming device, a police badge and uniforms has been found after a federal drug investigation, police say.
As a result of information from the Australian Crime Commission, which has been investigating pseudoephedrine sales in Sydney, St George police raided an apartment in Belgrave Street, Kogarah, and said they found a cache of guns, ammunition and police gear.
Five automatic pistols, a Thompson... (GunPolicy.org)
New Law Would Ban Machine Guns for Children Under 16 in Connecticut
1 April 2009
Hartford Courant (Connecticut)
Responding to the tragic death of an 8-year-old Connecticut boy at a Massachusetts gun club, a key legislative committee voted Tuesday on a measure designed to keep machine guns out of the hands of anyone under 16.
The judiciary committee passed the bill, which prohibits the physical transfer of such weapons to children, in response to the death of Christopher K. Bizilj, an Ashford boy who lost control of a Micro Uzi submachine gun and accidentally shot himself in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Indianapolis Man Charged After Hundreds of Weapons Found in Home
17 March 2009
IndyChannel 6 News (Indiana)
INDIANAPOLIS — The Marion County Prosecutor's Office has charged a man more than four months after investigators discovered a huge weapons cache in his home.
Officers were called to Earl Moore's home in the 7000 block of Lantern Road on a welfare check last October, after the 60-year-old's daughter said she found a suicide note and empty gun holster.
Investigators discovered more than a 100 guns, including a 20 mm Russian anti-tank rifle capable of piercing through... (GunPolicy.org)
Assault Weapons, Submachine Gun, Handguns Seized in Jamaica
16 March 2009
Jamaica Observer
Police in St Andrew South seized 10 firearms and recovered 77 rounds of ammunition during raids conducted in several hot spot communities in that division since the start of this month.
Among the seizures the cops mentioned were an M15, a Remington, and an SK assault rifle, while an Intratec Submachine Gun, several 9mm pistols, revolvers and home-made firearms completed the haul.
Deputy Superintendent Lennox Harper of the Hunts Bay Police Station could not say exactly... (GunPolicy.org)
Stolen Guns Fuelled Bangladesh Border Guard Mutiny, Bloodbath
13 March 2009
Daily Star (Dhaka)
Daisy Ahmed missed a heartbeat when she saw something wrapped in BDR uniform lying abandoned at the entrance to her house in Ganaktuli, a locality adjacent to the fifth gate of border guards' headquarters.
After the February 25-26 mutiny that degenerated into a bloodbath at their HQ, most of the riflemen reportedly fled through the gate 5.
It was 9:00 in the night the next day when everybody thought the wrapped thing was a rifle. But the police discovered a... (GunPolicy.org)
British Police Find Uzi Submachine Gun Under Hut in Wolverhampton
10 March 2009
Wolverhampton Express and Star (UK)
An Uzi machine gun and ammunition has been discovered hidden under a hut in a Black Country residential street.
The find came at a house in the Merridale area of Wolverhampton after police received a tip-off.
Detectives are hunting for the gangsters who aimed to use it. The house owner had no idea that the weapon, which has been sent for forensic testing, was being concealed on his property. The gun was found by members of the West Midland Police Serious and Organised... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed BC Gun Dealer Smuggled Armour-piercing Ammo 'For Gangs'
4 March 2009
Chilliwack Progress (British Columbia)
Military-style weapons and armour-piercing ammo that police believe was bound for the gang war now raging in metro Vancouver were displayed at the RCMP training centre in Chilliwack today.
"These weapons are tremendously powerful," Cpl. Peter Thiessen told reporters. "This ammo is powerful enough to shoot through any bullet proof vests on the market today."
An international package on its way to a postal outlet in Surrey was seized Feb. 21 by customs officers with the... (GunPolicy.org)
BC Gun Dealer Surrenders Submachine Gun, 'Armour-piercing Ammo'
3 March 2009
Chilliwack Times (British Columbia)
Sgt. Rob Tan of the Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team stood just 10 metres away from a dummy made of coiled fire hose that was wrapped in a vest of body armour and he repeatedly fired .223-calibre bullets out of his C7 rifle.
The shooting wasn't a training exercise, it was a demonstration of the power of some of the guns currently in the hands of criminals on the streets of the Lower Mainland.
The bullets — which are legal to own and which were shot out of a... (GunPolicy.org)
California Police Chief Accused of Stealing, Trading Court Evidence Guns
26 February 2009
Times-Standard (California)
Former Blue Lake Police Chief David Ray Gundersen was held to stand trial Wednesday on a single charge of felony grand theft, but just barely.
Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Bruce Watson seemed to waver Wednesday, before ruling there was sufficient evidence to hold Gundersen to stand trial on the charge, which alleges that he took firearms from Trinidad Police Department evidence and used them to trade for a submachine gun and a silencer — weapons Gundersen... (GunPolicy.org)
86 per cent of World Gun Deaths Among Children Under 15 Occur in America
26 February 2009
International Herald Tribune / AP
NEW YORK — An 11-year-old boy in Pennsylvania is accused of killing his father's pregnant fiancee with the shotgun he got as a Christmas present. In Arizona, an 8-year-old boy fatally shoots his father and his father's roommate. An 8-year-old boy accidentally shoots himself with an Uzi at a gun show in Massachusetts.
All of those stories sparked shocked headlines, but on a national level, the American public's response to the recent incidents has been muted, and... (GunPolicy.org)
Manitoba Drug Bust Yields US Machine Pistol 'Legally Bought in Ohio'
21 February 2009
Winnipeg Sun (Manitoba)
A submachine gun capable of emptying a 30-round clip in under 30 seconds was seized during a raid at a North End home last Sunday, city police said yesterday.
There is no record of the AB-10 submachine gun in Canada but investigators have determined it was legally bought in Ohio in 2001.
Winnipeg police Det. Const. Rob Duttchen — a member of the National Weapons Enforcement Support Team — and his partner are working with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,... (GunPolicy.org)
Rush to Buy Guns Includes More Women, Say Florida Gun Show Dealers
28 January 2009
Florida Trend
MIAMI — It was a tough day for Victor Bean. Typically, a weekend in September would find 3,300 people at his Victor Bean Southern Classic Gun and Knife Show in Miami. But the threat of a hurricane had people in line at Home Depot and Publix, making for a very slow day for Bean, a friendly 49 year old. "When things are slow, we joke, 'Where's Bill Clinton when you need him?' "
Many a true word spoken in jest. Two months later, Barack Obama won the presidency, and... (GunPolicy.org)
Seattle Feds Seize One Man's 'Armageddon' Cache - 37 Machine Guns
21 January 2009
Seattle Times
A 65-year-old Spokane man has been ordered held in custody on federal charges of illegally possessing automatic weapons and illegally storing explosives in a Bellevue commercial storage shed while agents investigate how he came to possess a huge military-grade arsenal that included grenade launchers, machine guns and plastic explosives.
Ronald Struve, heavyset and bearded, appeared in Seattle before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mary Alice Theiler on Tuesday after being... (GunPolicy.org)
Vintage Rifles Can't Fight New Face of Urban Terror: Top Indian Cops
20 January 2009
Indo-Asian News Service
GUWAHATI — Vintage World War I era firearms like the .303 rifles are no match to the new face of terror — heavily armed with sophisticated weapons and gadgets, said top Indian police officials here advocating the need for replacing them with sophisticated weapons like the Israeli Uzi and the German MP5 submachine guns.
"We are still using the .303 rifles which are accurate and good in the field, but not in a combat situation while fighting terrorism in cities. The... (GunPolicy.org)
Winnipeg Police Seize 'Cobbled-together' Submachine Gun in Gang Bust
13 January 2009
Winnipeg Sun (Manitoba)
A submachine-gun seized during a gang house raid in Winnipeg's North End last week is unlike anything a police firearms expert has seen locally before.
What makes the gun so unique — and troubling, police say — is the way it was cobbled together.
"It looks like a hybrid or amalgam of gun parts," said police Det. Const. Rob Duttchen, a member of the National Weapons Enforcement Support Team.
Shotguns Stolen
Possibly homemade, the submachine-gun and five sawed-off... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Seizures of Criminal Handguns Soar in Liverpool Gang Estates
12 January 2009
Liverpool Daily Echo
The number of guns recovered in two Liverpool estates hit by teenage gang crime nearly doubled in two years.
It is three times more likely a hidden firearm will be seized in Croxteth than neighbouring Norris Green.
New figures obtained by the ECHO revealed police discovered 16 guns in L11 and L12 this year, compared with nine two years before that.
Among the illegal haul were a sub-machine gun, revolvers and rifles.
Statistics obtained under the Freedom of... (GunPolicy.org)
Global Gun Control Campaign Spotlights AK-47: 'Today's WMD of Choice'
25 December 2008
Straits Times (Singapore)
Terrorists used it in the recent attacks on Mumbai. Pirates have used it to attack merchant shipping in the Gulf of Aden. Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden uses it as a background prop whenever he broadcasts another fiery denunciation of the United States and the West.
Weapons of mass destruction such as the atomic bomb have stoked fears of a nuclear apocalypse. But when the history of the late 20th century is finally written, the humble AK-47 assault rifle will arguably... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Chief Pleads Not Guilty in Uzi Death of 8yr-old Boy at US Gun Club
23 December 2008
Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts — A police chief in western Massachusetts pleaded not guilty Monday to involuntary manslaughter in the death of an 8-year-old boy who accidentally shot himself with an Uzi at a gun show.
Pelham Chief Edward Fleury owns COPS Firearms & Training, which promoted the October show where Christopher Bizilj shot himself in the head.
Fleury's lawyer, David Kuzmeski, also entered not guilty pleas on Fleury's behalf to four counts of furnishing a... (GunPolicy.org)
Some Machine-gun Shoots in Texas Let Children Attend, Fire Weapons
22 December 2008
Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas)
Chris Hipes enjoys the challenge of a shooting match so much that he started the North Texas Submachinegun Match about five years ago.
But he isn't sure he wants his daughter to participate.
She's only 7 months old now, but he said she'll have to be well-trained — and ready both physically and mentally — before she can take part in these events.
"It's an inherently dangerous sport," said Hipes, a 35-year-old maintenance supervisor in Denton. "It's like NASCAR. If... (GunPolicy.org)
UK Grandmother 'Petrified' After Receiving Police Machine Gun in the Mail
10 December 2008
Telegraph (UK)
Catherine Roots had been expecting a horse harness in the post, instead she opened her package to find a Heckler & Koch black submachine gun.
The package was delivered by a courier to Mrs Roots when it should have been sent to firearms officers at the nearby police headquarters.
She called the station and two armed officers turned up and took it away.
Police later explained a gun supply company made a mistake with the postcode when they sent it to Dorset Police in... (GunPolicy.org)
8yr-old Dies at Gun Club: Massachusetts May Ban Machine Guns for Kids
5 December 2008
Republican (Massachusetts)
BOSTON — State legislators called for tightening laws on gun clubs and the use of weapons by minors, following the criminal charges issued on Thursday in the death of an 8-year-old Connecticut boy who accidentally shot himself with a submachine gun at the Westfield Sportsman's Club.
State Rep. Michael A. Costello, co-chairman of the Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, said he would hold an oversight hearing and take testimony to determine what laws... (GunPolicy.org)
Genuine Handguns So Rare in UK, Converted Gas Guns Now the Rage
24 November 2008
New Statesman
The blanket ban on handguns following the massacre of 16 children in Dunblane in 1996 means Britain has some of the toughest controls yet street gun crime has risen inexorably
If you get shot today in London, Manchester or Liverpool, chances the weapon will be a converted handgun.
The conviction of a 13 year-old boy in south London last week for possession of a converted Russian CS gas pistol, highlighted the pervasive use of these weapons and underlined the... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago Gun Dealer Faces Extradition to Canada for Smuggling Firearms
16 November 2008
National Post (Toronto)
TORONTO — Canadian officials have told the United States they want to bring a Chicago gun dealer to Toronto to stand trial on charges of smuggling more than 200 handguns across the border.
The case, which may be a first for Canada, appears to signal a harder line against gun smugglers as Toronto grapples with a rash of gang-related shootings that have claimed several innocent bystanders.
Seventy per cent of the crime guns seized by Toronto police have been smuggled... (GunPolicy.org)
Uzi Recoils, Questions Echo: US Boy's Death Spurs Gun Law Scrutiny
28 October 2008
Boston Globe
WESTFIELD — As his father raised his camera, an 8-year-old boy aimed an Uzi at a pumpkin set up at a shooting event. Before his father could focus, the third-grader from Connecticut squeezed the trigger, and the high-powered weapon recoiled and fatally shot the boy in the head.
The death of Christopher Bizilj at the Westfield Sportsman's Club Sunday has raised questions about how someone so young could be allowed to shoot an automatic weapon, which can fire hundreds... (GunPolicy.org)
8yr-old Firing Machine Gun 'Beyond Comprehension,' Says Police Chief
28 October 2008
Xinhua
BEIJING — The death of an 8-year-old U.S. boy who accidentally shot himself in the head with an Uzi at a gun fair has raised many questions again about the country's gun control system, according to media reports.
On Sunday, Christopher Bizilj of Ashford, Conn., lost control of the submachine gun while firing it with an instructor watching at the Machine Gun Shoot & Firearms Expo at a sportsman's club in Westfield, Massachusetts, police said.
As the third-grader... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Safety Experts, Enthusiasts Wonder Why 8yr-old Was Firing Uzi
28 October 2008
Associated Press
WESTFIELD, Massachusetts — With an instructor watching, an 8-year-old boy at a gun fair aimed an Uzi at a pumpkin and pulled the trigger as his dad reached for a camera.
It was his first time shooting a fully automatic machine gun, and the recoil of the weapon was too much for him. He lost control and fatally shot himself in the head.
Now gun safety experts — and some gun enthusiasts at the club where the shooting happened — are wondering why such a young child... (GunPolicy.org)
Dad Stood Behind 8yr-old as He Fired Uzi, Killed Himself at US Fun Day
27 October 2008
Republican (Massachusetts) / Boston Globe / AP
WESTFIELD, Massachusetts — An 8-year-old boy who accidentally shot himself to death Sunday had his father's permission to participate in a machine gun shoot at the Westfield Sportsman's Club.
Christopher Bizilj, of Ashford, Conn., was firing a 9 mm Micro UZI machine gun at a pumpkin around 2 p.m. when he lost control of the automatic combat-type weapon and shot himself once in the head.
He died at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.
"I gave permission for... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Probe US Machine Gun 'Fun' Event After 8yr-old Boy Dies Firing Uzi
27 October 2008
Reuters
BOSTON — Authorities in Massachusetts are investigating a gun fair where an 8-year-old boy died after accidentally shooting himself in the head with an Uzi submachine gun while under adult supervision, police said on Monday.
Christopher Bizilj lost control of the weapon on Sunday at the Machine Gun Shoot & Firearms Expo at a sportsman's club in Westfield, a city about 96 miles west of the state capital Boston, police said.
He was rushed to hospital, where he was... (GunPolicy.org)
8yr-old American Boy Dies Firing Submachine Gun with Dad at Gun Club
27 October 2008
Boston Globe
An 8-year-old boy died yesterday at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield after he accidentally shot himself in the head at a Westfield gun club, Westfield Police reported.
Police said the child's death, caused by a fully automatic Uzi machine gun, appears to have been an accident, but it remains under investigation.
The Westfield Police Department released a statement about what they described as a self-inflicted, accidental shooting, which occurred at 2 p.m. at the... (GunPolicy.org)
One and a Half Miles of Guns, 'Gun-nuttery' at Virginia Weapon Market
17 September 2008
Washington City Paper (DC)
The Nation's Gun Show took place this past weekend in Chantilly, Virginia. I attended looking to meet a few members of armed America and, hopefully, D.C. residents shopping for revolvers — so far the only handguns they can buy.
First things first. After spending several hours trolling "one and a half miles of guns, knives and accessories," I meet only two D.C. residents: two young men in khakis and oxford shirts who blanch as soon as I say I'm a reporter. When I ask... (GunPolicy.org)
Illegal Handguns in Britain: Cheap, Easy to Get and on a Street Near You
31 August 2008
Guardian (UK)
[Photo: A Webley revolver pistol. [sic.]]
The gun shown here, a Webley, is up for sale in London for £150, one of hundreds of such weapons that are easily and cheaply available on the streets of the UK's big cities, a Guardian investigation can reveal.
The variety of weapons on offer in Britain is extensive and includes machine guns and shotguns, as well as pistols and converted replicas. A source close to the trade in illegal weapons contacted by the Guardian listed... (GunPolicy.org)
Terrorists, Criminals Free to Buy Assault Weapons at US Gun Shows
16 August 2008
Boston Globe, Opinion
A dangerous "gun show loophole" continues to allow criminals and terrorists to legally buy and sell guns in the United States on a cash-and-carry, no-questions-asked basis.
At approximately 5,000 gun shows each year in 32 states, criminals and terrorists are allowed to purchase firearms from private gun dealers without an ID or background check. Although many gun dealers are federally licensed and therefore legally required to contact the National Instant Criminal... (GunPolicy.org)
Submachine Gun, Assault Weapons Seized in Canadian Crime Busts
31 July 2008
Winnipeg Sun (Manitoba)
In what's becoming almost a monthly event, Winnipeg police displayed a pair of menacing and operational guns yesterday that were seized Tuesday from people who may have gang ties.
Found In Apartment
Winnipeg police spokeswoman Const. Jacqueline Chaput said the Second World War-era Sten submachine gun, high-capacity magazine and Winchester shotgun were found in an apartment suite in the 3500 block of Portage Avenue during a search conducted by the force's organized... (GunPolicy.org)
Did US 'Mercenary' Firm Use 'Straw Purchase' to Buy Assault Weapons?
22 June 2008
News & Observer (North Carolina)
The private military company Blackwater has found an unusual way to skirt federal laws that prohibit private parties from buying automatic weapons. Blackwater bought 17 Romanian AK-47s and 17 Bushmasters, gave ownership of the guns to the Camden County sheriff and keeps most of the guns at Blackwater's armory in Moyock.
Tiny Camden County — population 9,271 — is one of the most peaceful in North Carolina. In the last 10 years, there have been two murders, three... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed Canadian Gun Collector Walks on 50 Trafficking Charges
20 June 2008
Winnipeg Free Press (Manitoba)
A man accused of letting two dozen high-powered guns fall into the wrong hands has walked free on a legal technicality, the Free Press has learned.
Terry Gale was arrested in 2002 following a raid on his Fort Rouge home. It was the largest weapons investigation in Manitoba history.
Gale's case finally made it to court this month — but the case abruptly collapsed earlier this week when a judge ruled Winnipeg police breached his rights and conducted an illegal search... (GunPolicy.org)
Submachine Gun, 60 Handguns, Rifles Taken from California Ex-convict
11 June 2008
Pasadena Star-News (California)
ALTADENA — An ex-convict was in custody Wednesday after authorities served a search warrant at his home and discovered more than 60 guns — from hunting rifles to a Tec-9 submachine gun.
Donald Williams, 55, of Altadena was arrested Tuesday after detectives obtained a warrant to search his home on North Fair Oaks Avenue.
Most of the firearms were rifles, but investigators also found handguns and shotguns.
Williams was convicted in 1994 of assault with a deadly... (GunPolicy.org)
27 Handguns, Machine Pistols Seized from US-Canada Gun Runners
11 June 2008
Windsor Star (Ontario)
Police have severed the pipeline of an international criminal organization that was allegedly smuggling high-powered, illegal firearms into Windsor to trade them to Toronto gangs for ecstasy.
The eight-month undercover investigation, which centred on Windsor and involved authorities on both sides of the border, has resulted in the arrest of five people in Detroit and a brother, 18, and sister, 21, in South Windsor.
Investigators in Windsor seized ammunition magazines,... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Criminals Easily Steal Shotguns from Legal Owners - Police
28 May 2008
Winnipeg Free Press (Manitoba)
The shotgun seems to be the firearm of choice for Winnipeg criminals, judging by the sheer number of them police pull off the street.
According to Det. Rob Duttchen, a Winnipeg police officer who's a member of the National Weapons Enforcement Support Team (NWEST), the shotgun's status as a non-restricted weapon means they are easy to get, and therefore widely used in crime.
"That's the easiest firearm to obtain lawfully. Ergo, it's the largest percentage of guns... (GunPolicy.org)
Millionaire Chicago 'Collector' Had 80 Firearms, Machine Guns, No Licence
10 May 2008
Chicago Sun-Times
Benjamin Stevens kept a .50-caliber machine gun — along with more than 80 other firearms and 50,000 rounds of ammunition — in his Lake Forest mansion because he collects historic weaponry, his attorney said Friday.
The millionaire businessman, who was arrested a day earlier when police raided his north suburban home, had acquired all the firearms legally and kept most in his basement, defense attorney Douglas Zeit said as Stevens made his first court... (GunPolicy.org)
Fifteen US States Consider 'Silly' Laws to Ban, Restrict Imitation Guns
3 May 2008
Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Concerns that realistic-looking toy weapons are confusing police and threatening safety have led 15 states to try going beyond gun control and cracking down on fake firearms.
Officer Micheal Hoover knows a fair amount about guns as a sniper instructor for a Tennessee SWAT team. He recalls the night two years ago when a car pulled up beside him on a highway and the passenger waved what looked like an Uzi.
"It scared me," he said. "If anyone is... (GunPolicy.org)
Suicidal RCMP Gun Expert Gets 9mths for Illegal Submachine Gun, 'AK-47'
12 April 2008
Ottawa Sun (Ontario)
An RCMP civilian firearms expert who dumped a semi-automatic rifle and a submachine-gun off Hwy. 417 was sentenced to nine months of house arrest this week after the judge concluded the troubled man is no threat to the public.
Stacey D. Cherwonak, 41, pleaded guilty to a string of gun-related charges, including having prohibited weapons and knowingly having guns obtained by an offence.
His crimes could have had terrible consequences, Justice Ann Alder said. Yet up... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Collector Had 70 Illegal Firearms, Handguns, Submachine Gun
9 April 2008
Regina Leader-Post (Saskatchewan)
REGINA — There wasn't any sinister intention behind a fearsome arsenal of guns and ammunition found inside a south Regina home two years ago, a Regina court heard on Wednesday.
Instead, the defence told court that Murray Dalrymple Hogg's impressive and varied collection of firearms was a kind of savings plan, an investment for a man of modest means.
"This is his Registered Retirement Savings Plan, so to speak," lawyer Mervin Ozirny said, appearing for Hogg at Regina... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Tracing, Registries Enable Philadelphia Cops to Nab 25 Gun Traffickers
8 April 2008
Philadelphia Daily News
District Attorney Lynne Abraham and other law-enforcement officials announced yesterday that through the efforts of the city's Gun Violence Task Force, 25 more people have been charged with the illegal transfer of guns.
Task-force agents last month snatched Lewis Ford, 25, a convicted felon, and Daaiyah Powell, 26, in their home on Ashley Street near 19th, West Oak Lane.
There, they found a .45-caliber submachine gun in Ford's 8-year-old son's bedroom, authorities... (GunPolicy.org)
US Drug Enforcement Agents Lost 91 Guns in 5½ Years, Mainly from Cars
28 March 2008
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The Drug Enforcement Administration is losing more guns but fewer laptops than it was about five years ago, the Justice Department's inspector general said Friday.
The follow-up report found that some of the same problems cited in a 2002 audit remain: Policies for storing weapons and laptops are not always followed and, when they are lost, officials don't regularly report them.
The report credited the DEA with a 50 percent reduction in the frequency... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed Gun Collector Loses 35 Illegal Weapons to New Jersey Police
26 March 2008
Record (New Jersey)
RUTHERFORD — Police seized a cache of 35 weapons on Tuesday, including illegally modified assault rifles and machine guns from the Hastings Avenue apartment of a gun collector, authorities said.
The State Police Street Gang Unit North and borough detectives found an armory of loaded guns and 3,000 rounds of ammunition in the apartment of Joseph Leone, 57.
"Laying around in the closet, out in the open, in the dresser drawer … they were all over the place," State... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Injuries Increase as Armed UK Police Shoot Themselves, Colleagues
16 March 2008
Daily Mail (UK)
The number of armed police officers accidentally shooting themselves — and other colleagues — has soared in the past five years.
Now, nearly half of all injuries caused by police shootings are the result of officers blasting themselves or a colleague, often during bungled training and demonstrations.
Since 2003, there have been seven incidents in which armed police injured themselves or a fellow officer due to the careless handling of a gun, compared to just... (GunPolicy.org)
Ugandan Military Seize 'Massive Cache' of Illegal Guns in West Nile Region
15 March 2008
Sunday Vision (Kampala)
A massive cache of illegal arms has been seized by security agencies in the West Nile region, in the past fortnight.
With the accumulation of illegal arms in the West Nile, following the 20-year-old LRA war and other armed conflicts in the neighbouring region's neighbouring countries, the security agencies swung into action early this month, to halt it.
The operation by security and intelligence services and local people, followed an arrest of a suspected arms... (GunPolicy.org)
Africans Have Reason to Celebrate: Gun Runner Victor Bout is Behind Bars
9 March 2008
Chicago Tribune
JOHANNESBURG — Africans have an extraordinary reason to celebrate this week. True, for untold thousands of their war dead, the news comes too late. But this is a rare occasion, a bittersweet coda, to remember them by: Victor Bout is finally behind bars.
Most people have never heard of Bout. That's the way he has always liked it.
Bout, Butt, Boutov, Budd or Bulakin — the paunchy and mustachioed Russian former intelligence officer accused by Interpol of assembling... (GunPolicy.org)
Aussie Gun Collector, Porn Dealer Illegally Sold 24 Guns, Submachine Gun
10 February 2008
Advertiser (Adelaide)
Criminals will laugh at the "grossly inadequate" sentence imposed on an Adelaide porn dealer who sold guns to the Melbourne underworld, a court has heard.
Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Pallaras, QC, today said William Nash should serve more time for selling a police-issue sub-machine gun to the Condello family.
He told the Court of Criminal Appeal mobsters and gangsters would "be watching" Nash's six-month sentence and $56,000 fine.
"They will laugh at this... (GunPolicy.org)
Heavy Gunfight Closes Notorious Pakistani Arms Bazaar, Darra Adam Khel
5 February 2008
Washington Times
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A notorious arms bazaar that provides a source of weapons for al Qaeda-backed fighters in Pakistan's northwestern areas faces closure after heavy fighting between government troops and Islamic militants late last month, reports from the area said.
The fighting erupted Jan. 25 when militants loyal to South Waziristan insurgent commander Baitullah Mehsud blocked the strategic Kohat Tunnel, 30 miles south of Peshawar, and seized four civilian... (GunPolicy.org)
German Gun Maker Heckler & Koch Supplied Weapons Used in Kenya Crisis
1 February 2008
African Executive (Nairobi)
Hundreds of people have been killed during the recent post-election unrest in Kenya, many of them from bullet wounds. The UN-news-agency IRIN reported that in Kisumu alone, 44 people were shot dead, some of them apparently in the back on escaping. Many pictures from the fighting scenes carry the G3 assault-rifle of Heckler & Koch (H&K), the standard weapon of the Kenyan army and police for more than thirty years. According to the well-informed Jane's Intelligence, those... (GunPolicy.org)
Retired Canadian Mountie Gets 5yrs Jail for Selling Guns, Submachine Gun
29 January 2008
Toronto Star (Ontario)
A retired RCMP officer who provided guns for a legendary con man has been sent to jail for five years for 10 firearms offences.
David Kift, 50, who served in the RCMP for 18 years and wrote a self-published book, The Naked Mountie, had been found guilty in December by Superior Court Justice Paul Rivard.
"Mr. Kift committed an egregious breach of trust. He presented himself as a retired RCMP officer," Crown prosecutor Beverley Richards told the judge yesterday. He... (GunPolicy.org)
Petite 'Singapore Girls' Wowed US Machine Gun Buyers, Export Arms Trade
6 January 2008
Straits Times (Singapore)
She was one of Singapore's first weapons salesmen and had her audience of seasoned weapons buyers awestruck by the time she finished her firing demonstration.
The year was 1983. Local weapons maker Chartered Industries of Singapore (CIS) had made its first light machine gun, the Ultimax 100, and wanted to introduce itself to the global arms market with a bang.
Pitted against reputable weapons makers who had been in business since the days of single-shot muskets, CIS'... (GunPolicy.org)
Britain Inches Closer to Banning Replica, Deactivated, Convertible Guns
9 December 2007
Observer (UK)
Three years after they were jailed, police are still unearthing the murderous legacy of Britain's most prolific gun barons. From their ramshackle store in the Derbyshire village of Little Eaton, an unlikely father and son duo presided over an underworld racket that provided Uzi sub-machine guns and AK-47 rifles to organised crime syndicates.
They sold thousands of deactivated weapons — guns that had been made safe — but then included in the manifest detailed... (GunPolicy.org)
Nevada Man Arrested Smuggling Machine Gun Parts from Germany to US
28 November 2007
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — A Nevada man was charged with attempting to smuggle in parts of a World War II-era submachine gun by hiding them inside a Porsche he was importing from Germany to the Port of Long Beach, authorities said Wednesday.
Peter Scharf, 43, of Henderson, Nev. Was arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles Tuesday after being charged with smuggling and importing a machine gun without a license, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Virginia Kice... (GunPolicy.org)
Philippine Gun Law Was Enforced by a Lie: 'Gun Radar' Aided Confiscation
28 November 2007
Sun Star (Philippines), Column
The firearms-related provisions of the Revised Administrative Code of 1917 weren't all bad.
Based on the law, bona fide and active members of gun clubs accredited by the Chief of Staff of the Philippine Army are not required to make the deposit or give the bond prescribed by the section.
It is safe to speculate though that the members of these early gun clubs were no more than Americans and Philippine-born Hispanic elites.
The sweet deal was that licenses issued... (GunPolicy.org)
Jamaican Police Seize Smuggled US Army Handgun, Assault Weapons
26 November 2007
Jamaica Gleaner
Flying Squad detectives and their United States counterparts are now actively trying to determine how a gun registered to the U.S. army entered Jamaica.
The weapon — a .45 Colt pistol — was seized at premises in Harbour View, east Kingston, yesterday morning.
Sgt. Curtis Ashman of the Flying Squad said while most of the guns smuggled into the island from South America and Haiti were linked to the guns-for-drugs trade, his department is stumped by the discovery of... (GunPolicy.org)
Brief Layman's Glossary of Firearm and Ammunition Terminology - BBC
12 November 2007
BBC News
Most people in the UK will have never come across a real gun and the terms used, while they are readily recognisable, need some explanation.
BALLISTICS
Ballistics is the science concerned with the functioning of firearms and the dynamics of projectiles, from bullets through artillery and right up to rockets.
Forensic ballistics experts are able to determine various characteristics which can link bullets and guns with crime scenes. Different guns will leave... (GunPolicy.org)
Brief Guide to the World's Best Known Guns and Major Gun Makers - BBC
12 November 2007
BBC News
The global trade in small arms is big business — 1,250 companies in at least 92 countries produce weapons, parts or ammunition. But who are the big players?
ARMALITE
Makers of the M4 and M16 assault rifles, which are popular with the US armed forces and soldiers from many other nations. The design was quickly bought by Colt.
Armalite weapons were also popular with the IRA, hence the republicans' long-time policy of the "Armalite and the ballot box", meaning... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Man Sold 40 Guns, Submachine Gun to Undercover Cops
6 November 2007
CKNW Radio (Vancouver)
While police across the lower mainland continue to investigate a series of fatal shootings, a young man from the Fraser Valley is going to prison for selling guns with enough fire-power to penetrate a bullet-proof vest.
Steven Ryan Porsch admitted to selling 40 firearms — including a full-powered machine gun — to undercover police.
The 22-year old has been sentenced to 16 years, minus the equivalent of 40-months for time already served.
Crown prosecutor Todd... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Police Seize Submachine Gun, Handguns in 'Routine' Home Visit
30 October 2007
Chilliwack Progress (British Columbia)
A submachine-gun, a pistol fitted with a silencer and a three rifles were found among a cache of nine weapons seized at a Shaw Avenue home by Chilliwack RCMP officers investigating a stolen vehicle report Sunday.
"We'll never know what their intended use was, but obviously it was no good," Const. Lea-Anne Dunlop said yesterday.
"Anytime we can take one gun off the street it's a success," she said. "To take this many certainly puts a dent in criminal activity."
Three... (GunPolicy.org)
Mozambique Men Charged With Gun Running, Selling Submachine Gun
22 October 2007
Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo)
MAPUTO — The Mozambican police arrested two illegal arms dealers in the Gorongosa district, in the central Sofala province recently, reports Friday's issue of the daily 'Noticias'.
Tomas Estevao Cadapita, 39, and Luis Manuel Voque, 43, were caught red-handed while trying to sell a sub-machine gun, a mortar shell and a grenade, presumably coming from a base of the former rebel movement Renamo in the Maringue district, where Renamo armed men are still stationed.
... (GunPolicy.org)
Firearm Homicide in Perspective: UK Gun Murders 58 per Year; USA 11,624
19 October 2007
Yorkshire Post (UK)
Sixteen-year-old Jonathan Matondo was found dead in a park in the Burngreave area of Sheffield two nights ago. He had been shot in the head.
Police investigations are ongoing, but people in the neighbourhood have reported their fear of gun-toting gangs recently seen roaming
local streets.
Only a few weeks ago, 11-year-old Rhys Jones was shot in the neck and killed in a pub car park in Liverpool after finishing a game of football. He'd allegedly been attacked by a... (GunPolicy.org)
Scotsman Jailed for Submachine Gun He 'Thought Was Paintball Gun'
9 October 2007
Dunbarton Reporter (Scotland)
A man caught with a sub-machine gun in his wardrobe has been jailed for five years.
Ex-roofer Gary Trainer failed to convince a judge he thought the weapon was a harmless imitation used for paintball games.
He tried to contest the tough minimum sentence for such a breach of the Firearms Act, brought in after the Dunblane massacre.
Trainer explained how he and friends used an abandoned boatyard on the Clyde to "hang out" and had done so since their schooldays.... (GunPolicy.org)
No Trigger Happy Gun Culture in Malta, But 'Serious Anomalies' in Gun Law
1 October 2007
Times (Malta), Editorial
For some odd reason, current gun licensing laws in Malta have given rise to serious anomalies.
On one hand, prospective hunters have to wait months to get called for a test to permit them to procure their guns. On the other hand, if one wants to buy a firearm that is not going to be used for hunting, all one has to do is join a target shooting club. It takes about a month to get registered. This involves basic training on how to handle a weapon, knowledge of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Japanese Police Charge Dead Gun Collector Over Submachine Gun, Pistol
5 September 2007
Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan)
Police will file papers Wednesday with prosecutors against a deceased man from whose house in Yokohama they seized a submachine gun, a pistol and 179 rounds of ammunition in June.
The man, 52, died of an unnamed disease at his home in Isogo Ward, on May 28, and his sister, 55, and nephew, 26, found a 9mm automatic pistol and 159 rounds of 9mm ammunition inside a desk in a study on the first floor on June 10.
The police searched the house on June 14 after being... (GunPolicy.org)
Assault Rifles, Armour Piercing Weapons Flood Mexico from US Gun Shows
15 August 2007
Associated Press
MEXICO CITY — Authorities are sounding the alarm about an influx of assault rifles, armor-piercing pistols and fragmentation grenades from the United States, weapons that they say are increasingly being used to kill police and soldiers fighting drug cartels.
U.S. and Mexican law enforcement officials report a sharp increase in both the flow and firepower of U.S. weapons across the border. Particularly worrisome are assault rifles and "cop-killer" pistols.
Mexico... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed US Gun Dealer 'Stole Dozens of Firearms,' Including Machine Gun
14 August 2007
Virginian-Pilot (Virginia)
NORFOLK — A former manager of A&P Arms has been charged with stealing dozens of firearms, including a submachine gun, from the local chain and selling or giving away some of the weapons.
Marcus A. McCall of Virginia Beach made his first appearance Monday in U.S. District Court, where a magistrate ordered him jailed pending a bond hearing Thursday.
Agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested McCall over the weekend after an... (GunPolicy.org)
Small Number of US Gun Shops Sell Large Number of Guns Used in Crime
12 July 2007
International Herald Tribune / AP
NEW YORK — When criminals need guns, they have plenty of options in a country with nearly 100,000 licensed gun stores. But drug dealers and other crooks do not shop just anywhere. They have their favorites.
In Compton, California, gangsters preferred Boulevard Sales & Service, a shop police said was so felon-friendly, some salesmen offered tips on how to buy a gun despite a criminal record.
In Philadelphia, shady gun buyers sent girlfriends to a suburban pawn shop,... (GunPolicy.org)
Jailed UK Collector Finally Cleared Over 'Perfectly Legal' 900-gun Arsenal
11 July 2007
Bromley Times (London)
Today a gun dealer who proved his innocence slams a police investigation that left him to suffer an agonising ten-month wait in custody in two of London's toughest jails.
Michael Shepherd, 56, faced 32 years in prison after being arrested in September last year following an 18-month operation by the Met police's anti-gun crime Trident squad.
The raid on his house opposite a primary school in Dartford uncovered a haul of 900 weapons and about 4,000 rounds of... (GunPolicy.org)
Terrorist's Weapon of Choice: AK47 'The People's Gun '
5 July 2007
Telegraph (UK), Book review
The AK47 has become a global brand, the Adidas or Coca-Cola of small arms, with about seven million of them in Sudan alone. In Iraq there is one legally owned Kalashnikov per household; not counting those in the hands of Iraqi insurgents and al-Qa'eda terrorists. In video recordings Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri are never seen without one, straddled across their laps or propped against the cave wall.
Among the black gangs of New Orleans who have watched too... (GunPolicy.org)
Tanzanian Villager Caught With Illegal Submachine Gun, Jailed for 15 Years
15 June 2007
Daily News (Tanzania)
BUKOBA — A resident of Lusahunga Village, in Biharamulo District, Philbert Kanyanya (32), was yesterday sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by the Bukoba Resident Magistrate's Court after he was convicted of unlawful possession of a sub-machine gun (SMG) with 29 rounds of ammunition.
Prosecuting, Police Inspector Shaweji Alawi told Kagera Resident Magistrate Wilbard Mashauri that on August 25, 2005, the accused together with another person, who was not brought in... (GunPolicy.org)
Forget the Gunfight Fantasies: In a Shoot-out, the Feds Always Win
2 May 2007
Huntsville Times (Alabama), Column
When events like the Virginia Tech massacre occur, The Times and other newspapers quickly become forums for people who favor stronger gun-control laws and those who oppose such measures, or who think that we have already gone too far in the direction.
The division is so wide that the only common ground you can find is probably in the O.K. Corral. Different folks have incredibly strong opinions both ways.
I don't expect this issue to be resolved in my lifetime.... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Gun Lobbyist, Mountie Expert Charged Over Illegal Machine Guns
25 April 2007
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
OTTAWA — The arrest of an RCMP ballistics technician on charges of possessing illegal assault rifles is forcing the Mounties to check their firearms labs across the country to make sure no guns are missing.
The technician, Stacey D. Cherwonak, 40, has been suspended pending the outcome of his trial on 15 weapons charges, including possessing a version of the U.S. Army's M-16 and a Chinese model of an AK-47.
He is also charged with building a Sten submachine gun from... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Asia,United Nations
Fear of US-Style Gun Massacres Resonates in Asia, Australia
17 April 2007
Reuters
SYDNEY — The U.S. shooting massacre in Virginia resonated across Asia on Tuesday with Australia rejecting the negative "gun culture" in America and the anti-gun lobby in the Philippines saying it feared similar carnage.
Prime Minister John Howard said tough Australian gun laws introduced after a mass shooting in Tasmania in 1996 had prevented the U.S. gun culture emerging in his country.
In contrast the anti-gun lobby in the Philippines, nicknamed "The Wild West of... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed English Gun Collector Jailed for Selling Firearms to Club Mates
4 April 2007
BBC News
A gun enthusiast who supplied three close friends with illegal weapons has been jailed for four-and-a-half years.
Retired driving instructor Paul Williams, 60, from Trevor, Denbighshire, admitted dealing in prohibited firearms and ammunition.
Mold Crown Court heard he supplied a selection of pistols and even a sub-machine gun converter kit.
Judge John Rogers QC said Williams had chosen to "disregard" gun law changes after the 1997 Dunblane massacre.
The court... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed Canadian Gun Owners Have Lost 17,000 Firearms to Criminals
14 February 2007
Ottawa Citizen (Ontario), Series
The list reads like a SWAT team's inventory or a catalogue for a military museum: Uzis, AK-47s, vintage Tommy guns, German assault rifles and a compact submachine-gun capable of firing 900 rounds a minute.
They are some of the most efficient combat firearms ever made and many of them are in the hands of Canadian criminals. More than 1,200 of these prohibited-class firearms have been reported stolen in the past six years and only a fraction of them have been... (GunPolicy.org)
Canadian Gun Enthusiasts Legally Own 7,100 Full-auto 'Machine Guns'
13 February 2007
Ottawa Citizen (Ontario), Series
Dave Tomlinson belongs to one of the most exclusive clubs in the country. It hasn't accepted a new member since 1978 and is unlikely to do so again. If you don't already belong, owning the one thing you would need to join could get you arrested.
Mr. Tomlinson, a firearms advocate and proud Uzi owner, is one of a shrinking group of Canadians permitted to keep fully automatic weapons — machine-guns, submachine-guns and other firearms that can shoot a stream of bullets... (GunPolicy.org)
Popular Assault Rifle Lookalikes Designed to Evade Canadian Gun Bans
12 February 2007
Ottawa Citizen (Ontario), Series
Its name alone evokes images of guerrilla resistance fighters or Iron Curtain military might. With its wooden pistol grip and distinctive banana-shaped magazine, the AK-47 is the world's most recognizable assault rifle.
From the jungles of Africa to the streets of Baghdad, the low cost, deadliness and reliability of Mikhail Kalashnikov's rifle have made it a favourite of conventional armies and insurgents alike.
Although the AK is prohibited in Canada, inexpensive... (GunPolicy.org)
Knob Creek, Kentucky: 2 Days Firing the Deadliest Guns Civilians Can Buy
11 February 2007
Sunday Herald (Glasgow)
Richard Parker has a problem with his 50-calibre sniper's rifle, but firepower isn't it. Made by Hampshire-based company Accuracy International, the rifle's cigar-sized bullet reputedly slams into distant targets with more force than Dirty Harry's famous .44 Magnum at point-blank range.
"With the right ammunition," muses Parker, an amiable 57-year-old marketing executive from Indiana, "you can take out a tank." Accuracy isn't the problem either: Parker can hit a... (GunPolicy.org)
Supply, Demand Make it Tough to Control Global Gun Trade
3 February 2007
Athens Banner-Herald (Georgia)
Mikhail Kalashnikov, the inventor of the AK-47 submachine gun, now regrets his handiwork.
"I wish I had invented a lawnmower," he lamented in 2002. You can see why. Reliable, low-tech and inexpensive, millions of AK-47s are in circulation around the world, arming not just military forces but also terrorists, organized criminal groups and even gangs. Larry Kahaner, who wrote a history of Kalashnikov's creation, depicts it as a cultural icon.
Most transactions involving... (GunPolicy.org)