To view information on international gun related news items, small arms policy, firearm violence prevention and incidents, collected from global media click here
USA
To view data on the numbers of Firearm deaths of children and teenagers (0 - 19) in the USA visit http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/data/firearm-deaths-children-teens-manner-2002.pdf
To view an interview with a member of The Brady Campaign in the USA regarding International Gun Law Comparisons visit http://www.videojug.com/interview/international-gun-law-comparisons-2
A gun show loophole in the United States allows unlicensed, private dealers to sell guns to people without conducting background checks. There are approximately 5,000 gun shows every year across the United States and 40% of sales at these shows are by unlicensed sellers who are not required to perform background checks. The ATF says that gunshots are the second leading source of crime guns. Although 15 states have taken action to close this loophole, 35 states have not! A campaign is underway to close the gun show loophole so that ALL sellers of guns will have to conduct background checks on who they sell guns to.
Source:- http://www.protesteasyguns.or/
CANADA
Following several fatal shootings by armed Police of individuals armed with what were later found to be imitation guns, there have been calls for all imitation guns to be licensed. To view details visit http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2010/02/23/ottawa-fake-guns-firearms-act.html
New Year Celebratory Gunfire
The New Year was marred by gun deaths around the world caused by celebratory gunfire. In Georgia US four year old Marceul Peters was killed when a bullet from an AK-47 entered the Church where he was sitting with his family, fatally wounding him in the head. There were other incidents in Medellin, Columbia; Guatemala City, Guatemala; Veracruz, Mexico; Naples, Italy; and El Zapote, Honduras.
The impact of aerial gunfire has been reduced by 25% in Brazil by keeping better data, allowing police to investigate incidents as crimes, rather than accidents.
RECENT INTERNATIONAL INCIDENTS
MAY 5th Turkey 44 killed by gunmen at a wedding ceremony, victims include bride and groom, family members and guests including six small children. Six other victims, including a three year old girl, are critically ill in hospital. The deaths are said to be linked to a long standing family feud. For more information click here.
Source: BBC
MAY 5th Florida USA Thirteen year old Nathan Bellar escaped death by running to a neighbour's home after his father Troy shot and killed his wife Wendy, five month old baby Jack and 8 year old brother Ryan. The father then turned the 7.62 mm rifle on himself.
Source: Daily News US/World News 5th May
53 DEAD IN 25 DAYS - MASS SHOOTINGS IN USA
MARCH 10, SAMSON, Ala. A gunman kills 10 people and commits suicide in a rampage that spanned two dozen miles across the southern Alabama countryside. Police say Michael McLendon had struggled to keep a job and left behind lists of employers and co-workers he believed had wronged him.
MARCH 22, OAKLAND, Calif. A man pulled over in a routine traffic stop fatally shoots two officers and then kills two more in a gunfight in which the suspect was also killed. Relatives say Lovelle Mixon, 26, had been frustrated about not finding work and feared returning to jail.
MARCH 29, SANTA CLARA, Calif. USA A man shoots and kills his two children and three other relatives, then kills himself at a family housewarming party in an upscale neighborhood. Investigators don't yet know the motive of Devan Kalathat, a 42-year-old engineer at Yahoo.
MARCH 29, CARTHAGE, N.C. USA A man opens fire in a nursing home and kills seven elderly residents and a nurse who cared for them. Investigators say Robert Stewart, 45, apparently had targeted an estranged wife, a nurse's assistant who escaped by hiding in a bathroom.
APRIL 3, BINGHAMTON, N.Y. USA A gunman bursts into an immigrant center and kills 13 people before killing himself. Police say Jiverly Wong, a 41-year-old Vietnamese immigrant, was apparently upset about losing his job and about people picking on him for his limited English.
APRIL 4, PITTSBURGH USA A gunman wearing a bulletproof vest opens fire on officers responding to a domestic disturbance call, killing three of them. Police say Richard Poplawski, 23, had been upset about losing his job and feared the Obama administration was poised to ban guns.
APRIL 4, GRAHAM, Wash. USA A man fatally shoots his five children in their mobile home and then takes his own life in his car miles away. Relatives identified the father as James Harrison. A motive was not yet known.
Source: Associated Press Foreign, Sunday April 5 2009
Over 30% of United States households have firearms. Research indicates a correlation between the percentage of homes with firearms and the numbers of firearms deaths.
Source Global Firearm Deaths (Toronto: Small Arms/Firearms Education and Research Network 2005), www.ryerson.ca/SAFER-Net/issues/globalfirearmdeaths.html; also United Nations (UN) the Eighth International Crime Victims Survey, 2000. Prepared by the Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute, 2003, http://www.unicri.it/wwd/analysisicvs/data.php
INTERNATIONAL ACTION NETWORK ON SMALL ARMS (IANSA)
The International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) is the global movement against gun violence - a network of 800 civil society organisations working in 120 countries to stop the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons (SALW). IANSA seeks to make people safer from gun violence by securing stronger regulation on guns in society and better controls on arms exports. It represents the voices of civil society on the international stage, for example in the UN process on small arms, and draws on the practical experience of its members to campaign for policies that will protect human security.
IANSA is composed of a wide range of organisations concerned with small arms, including policy development organisations, national gun control groups, women's groups, research institutes, aid agencies, faith groups, survivors, human rights and community action organisations.
What does IANSA do?
IANSA aims to reduce small arms violence by:
- raising awareness among policymakers, the public and the media about the global threat to human rights and human security caused by small arms.
- promoting civil society efforts to prevent arms proliferation and armed violence through policy development, public education and research
fostering collaborative advocacy efforts, and providing a forum for NGOs to share experiences and build skills.
- facilitating civil society participation in global and regional processes
- promoting the voices of survivors, in solidarity with them and their families.
Source: http://www.iansa.org/
CONTROL ARMS
A Campaign run jointly by Amnesty International, International Action Network on Small Arms and Oxfam International, calling for a global legally binding Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) to stop weapons being used to fuel conflict, poverty and human rights abuses. Thousands of people are killed, injured, raped, and forced to flee from their homes as a result of the unregulated global arms trade. The Control Arms campaign is calling for an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), to ease the suffering caused by irresponsible transfers of conventional weapons and munitions.
Since it’s beginning in October 2003, Control Arms has gathered the support of over one million people worldwide. In December 2006, 153 governments voted at the United Nations to start work on developing a global Arms Trade Treaty. The following year, over 100 states submitted responses to the UN Secretary General's consultation on the proposed Treaty. In 2008, work began in earnest on developing an ATT, as a Group of Governmental Experts hold a series of meetings to discuss the initiative at the UN. http://www.controlarms.org/en
NORWAY
The IANSA Women’s Network is calling for Norway to amend its gun laws after the fatal shooting of a woman by her former partner. One third of Norwegian households contain a firearm. The Firearms Act requires all gun license applicants to be screened for previous criminal convictions, but does not require spouses of applicants to be consulted as part of the process. Sarah Masters, IANSA WN Coordinator said: “Consulting spouses and partners is an essential tool in keeping women safe from guns. IANSA urges governments in the region to amend their gun laws with this provision as a matter of urgency.”
Source www.iansa.org/women
FINLAND
The Finnish Ministry of Interior has announced the first proposals for strengthening gun laws in the wake of recent mass shootings at Tuusula and Kauhajoki. The proposals include raising the minimum age for a handgun permit to 20, and only considering applicants who belong to certified shooting clubs and have undergone specific training. A first handgun permit will be granted for up to five years, which may be extended until further notice thereafter. Permit holders will have to prove to the licensing authorities every five years that they have a genuine reason to posses their weapons. The police will have access to mental health information and doctors will be able to notify the police of people whose mental health renders them unsuitable to own firearms. The proposal will be sent for wider consultation before the government submits it to the Parliament in June.
Source:-
http://www.intermin.fi/intermin/bulletin.nsf/PublicbyIdentifierCode/20090311013?opendocument&3
SWITZERLAND - VOTE ON TIGHTER GUN CONTROLS
Traditionally Swiss part-time soldiers have kept their weapons at home, but campaigners in the Green party, the Social Democrats, rights groups and others, believe the accessible weapons have led to suicides and homicides. There is to be a referendum on weapon storage, setting up a national firearms register and whether or not to ban citizens from particularly dangerous weapons such as pump action rifles and automatic weapons for personal use. The nation was shocked when in 2006 the former Ski star Corinne Rey-Bellet and her brother were shot dead by her husband with an army gun. He killed himself the next day. A report published in November by the Swiss Defence Ministry found a higher risk of family killings, threats and suicides where guns were easily available in households.
Source:- http://www.pr-inside.com/swiss-to-vote-on-tighter-gun-r1076082.htm
AUSTRALIA - BANS THE IMPORT OF MILITARY STYLE GUNS
Guns resembling military weapons and designed to appeal to young men will be banned from being imported into Australia. The Federal Government will change import regulations to tighten controls on firearms that have a "military-style appearance”. Manufacturers have now begun developing firearms that look more like machine guns in an attempt to appeal to a younger market. These firearms could cause unnecessary fear and apprehension in the community, which is why the regulation has been extended to cover these new types of weapons. There will also be stricter import controls on magazines for fully automatic firearms. Customs officials will be provided with a template of the real firearms. If the imports resemble real military firearms, they will be destroyed.
Source - Daily Telegraph l9th December 2008
