Nouvelles sur les armes à feu
Only Three Countries Have a Constitutional Right to Bear Arms
23 November 2022
Business Insider
- Only three countries in the world currently have a constitutional right to own a gun: the US, Mexico, and Guatemala.
- Six other countries used to have a constitutional right to bear arms, but they've since repealed those laws.
- The US is the only country with a right to keep and bear arms with no constitutional restrictions.
The right to keep and bear arms is a longstanding, often glorified right protected by the US Constitution.
Americans own nearly half of all... (GunPolicy.org)
The Shoddy Conclusions of the Man Shaping the Gun-Rights Debate
3 November 2022
New Yorker / The Trace
In 1957, the small-arms manufacturer Armalite created the AR-15—short for Armalite Rifle—at the invitation of the U.S. Army, which was seeking an effective lightweight combat weapon. When the Department of Defense reviewed a version of the rifle in 1962, during the early stages of the Vietnam War, its report stated that the gun's "lethality" and "reliability" were "particularly impressive." From forty-nine feet away, it noted, an Army Ranger fired a round into a... (GunPolicy.org)
90% of Costa Ricans Disagree With the Possession of Firearms
25 October 2022
Observador
Nine out of 10 Costa Ricans disagreed with gun ownership in Costa Rica. This was reflected in the National Survey on Citizen Security presented last week by the University of Costa Rica and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
This study was applied to 1,222 people, all over the age of 18. It has a confidence level of 95 per cent and an error of 2.8 per cent.
90.1% of those interviewed said they strongly and somewhat disagreed with anyone being able to own... (GunPolicy.org)
Re-evaluate Carrying of Arms in Ecuador - Legislator
7 October 2022
Gaceta (Ecuador)
Defending oneself against crime that plagues the civilian population could become a reality in Ecuador. The carrying and possession of firearms is back on the table for debate in the South American country's legislature, in the midst of a prison crisis and the worst violence rate in the nation.
"Weapons for what?" Fidel Castro once said in one of his first speeches upon taking power in Cuba, disarming the civilian population and ensuring that any attempt at resistance... (GunPolicy.org)
29 September 2022
Instituto Sou da Paz
On Thursday (29/09), the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) decided to ban the transportation of weapons and ammunition throughout the country by CACs (hunters, sport shooters and collectors) during the election. The restriction will be in effect for 24 hours prior to and 24 hours after the vote.
The decision reinforces the Court's commitment to free and secure elections and comes in the wake of a series of recommendations made by civil society organisations and unions... (GunPolicy.org)
Brazil Armed by Bolsonaro and His Legacies
22 September 2022
Monde (Brazil)
Until 2019 the FAL rifle, produced by Imbel, was only used in the Brazilian Armed Forces, and in a few elite police units. In automatic mode, it is capable of firing bursts with up to 700 shots per minute. It also launches projectiles at 840 metres per second, and can hit a target with great effectiveness from up to 600 metres away. Because of its power to pierce armour, it has always been coveted by organised crime and bank robbery gangs. Before the Bolsonaro... (GunPolicy.org)
Bolsonaro's Gun Laws Arm Brazil's Brazen Bank Thieves
22 September 2022
Reuters
In August last year, Brazilian farmer Reinaldo Huijsmans reported a break-in at his house in the town of Maracaju, where thieves stole six legally registered weapons, including a T4 Taurus assault rifle.
Huijsmans, 39, is one of hundreds of thousands of Brazilians now registered to own guns, a group whose ranks have surged six-fold since far-right President Jair Bolsonaro was elected in 2018 and began loosening gun laws.
Two months later, Huijsmans' T4 turned up 1,300... (GunPolicy.org)
21 September 2022
Teletica.com (Costa Rica)
Muggings are now a familiar element for Costa Ricans and are one of the most common crimes committed in the country, with at least one per hour on any given day of the year.
Since weapons are one of the most common tools used by criminals to commit this type of crime, it is worth reviewing some figures on the possession of weapons in the country.
There are 217,000 registered arms in Costa Rica, but only 18,000 people have a permit to carry them, a proportion that... (GunPolicy.org)
Booming Gun Ownership Triggers Fears for Brazil Vote
12 September 2022
France24
Clutching his bulky black rifle at a firing range in the Rio de Janeiro suburbs, a handgun strapped to his thigh, Freitas proudly repeats one of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro's maxims: "An armed populace will never be enslaved."
Freitas is part of a demographic that has boomed in Bolsonaro's Brazil: since the former army captain became president in 2019, the number of registered gun owners has more than quintupled, from 117,000 to 673,000, as the administration... (GunPolicy.org)
Court Suspends Bolsonaro's Gun Law Over Risk of Political Violence
6 September 2022
Plataforma
"O início da campanha eleitoral exaspera o risco de violência política", o que "torna de extrema e excecional urgência a necessidade" de se restringir o acesso às armas e munições", escreveu Fachin.
O juiz disse ter tomado a decisão "à luz dos recentes e lamentáveis episódios de violência política", sem especificar se se referia a eventos nacionais como o assassinato a tiros de um tesoureiro do Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT) por um agente bolsonarista ou... (GunPolicy.org)
Mexico's Bold Move Against Gun Companies
1 September 2022
Arms Control Association
Of 193 member states of the United Nations, Mexico has the fifth-largest number of unregistered firearms in civilian hands, behind the United States, India, China, and Pakistan.(1) This availability of firearms and the violence it enables have major destructive consequences. In Mexico, guns are the weapon of choice in 70 percent of total homicides and 60 percent of homicides committed against women. Guns are also the main tool in homicides of young people.
Gun violence... (GunPolicy.org)
Jamaica and Haiti Swap Drugs and Guns
30 August 2022
InSight Crime
Criminal gangs in Jamaica and Haiti are engaged in a deadly trade: the exchange of marijuana for guns.
Boats loaded with up to 3,000 pounds of cannabis take off from Jamaica's coastline, speeding across the Caribbean to nearby Haiti, where the drugs are swapped for handguns and high-powered assault weapons. The boats return with the firearms, which are then sold off piecemeal or in bulk.
The guns-for-drugs trade, as it is known in Jamaica, is greased by traffickers... (GunPolicy.org)
More soldiers… and more violence
26 August 2022
El Sol de México
More soldiers… and more violence
Although the deployment of soldiers has increased, homicides have not decreased in the country. In some states with a strong presence of organised crime, such as Durango, Michoacán and Guerrero, the number of soldiers has even decreased.
The deployment of the military has increased during the government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, but it has not counteracted the violence on Mexican territory, as the number of... (GunPolicy.org)
Five Killed in Gun Attack and Explosion in Port City in Ecuador
14 August 2022
Independent (Ireland)
Gunfire and a subsequent explosion has left at least five people dead, 15 injured and several others missing, as well as damaging homes, in the Ecuadorian port city of Guayaquil.
Ecuador's Prosecutor's Office said its agents were gathering evidence to establish the cause and motive for the attack in the Cristo del Consuelo neighbourhood.
Interior minister Patricio Carrillo tweeted that organised crime in Ecuador is now attacking with explosives.
Sunday's violence "is... (GunPolicy.org)
Uruguay Becoming Arms Trafficking Hub Between Argentina and Brazil
12 August 2022
InSight Crime
Uruguay has been making regular seizures of weapons smuggled in from Argentina, indicating that the country is becoming a preferred transit hub for arms traffickers.
In the latest case, ten people were convicted of arms and ammunition trafficking in early August, according to Uruguay's Interior Ministry.
Beginning last November, Uruguayan authorities uncovered a network smuggling weapons into the country's Soriano and Río Negro departments.
In late July, security... (GunPolicy.org)
Dozens of 3D-printed Firearms Sold at Buyback in Houston, Texas
2 August 2022
Fox 26 Houston (Texas)
Houston leaders say they will no longer accept 3D-printed firearms, also known as ghost guns, at future gun buyback events after one man allegedly exchanged dozens of them over the weekend.
"We're going to exclude those next time around," said Mayor Sylvester Turner. "This is a program designed for people who want to voluntarily relinquish their guns."
On Saturday, city officials held their first gun buyback event in Houston. The mayor's office says more than 840... (GunPolicy.org)
Panama Destroyed 23,426 Illegal Firearms over Four Years
29 July 2022
Estrella de Panama
Entre el 1 de julio de 2019 y el 29 de julio de 2022, la Policía Nacional (PN) ha destruido 23 mil 426 armas de fuego ilegales. Las armas de fuego fueron decomisadas y recuperadas, durante diversos operativos y acciones preventivas entre la PN y el Ministerio Público en todo el país."Esta destrucción de armas es el producto del compromiso y esfuerzo de los estamentos de seguridad del país, con el firme objetivo de garantizar la paz y la sana convivencia de los... (GunPolicy.org)
Jamaica to Introduce the The Firearms (Prohibition, Restriction and Regulation) Act, 2022
29 July 2022
Jamaica Information Service
The House of Representatives recently approved the report and recommendations of the Joint Select Committee on the Firearms (Prohibition, Restriction and Regulation) Act (2022).
The Report outlines the recommended changes to the Bill, following the review and deliberations of the Joint Select Committee.
"Having regard to the number of amendments, it is proposed that the original Bill that was tabled on February 10, 2022, be withdrawn and a new amended Bill be tabled,"... (GunPolicy.org)
Dominican Gun Dealers Scoff at Import Ban
25 July 2022
Dominican Today
Santo Domingo -- In four years, the Ministry of the Interior and Police issued 57 permits to import firearms, although a decree prohibits doing so.
The entity does not know how many weapons have been introduced into the national territory despite the that the law empowers it to establish the maximum and amount that must be imported by each gun shop.
With an unreliable database, as admitted by the deputy minister of weapons, Aníbal Amparo García, the institution... (GunPolicy.org)
El Salvador Arrests Thousands but Gangs Keep Their Guns
22 July 2022
InSight Crime
Almost four months into a nationwide crackdown, El Salvador's government has failed to disarm its notorious street gangs.
It started at the end of March, when President Nayib Bukele revealed the government's official hashtag: #GuerraContraPandillas, or the 'war against the gangs.' The government boasts it has already arrested more than 45,000 so-called "terrorists," claiming these are almost all suspected members of the infamous Mara Salvatrucha (MS13) street gang, or... (GunPolicy.org)