IANSA Update 11 January 2008
Celebratory gunfire incidents mark end of 2007
UN: GGE meet to discuss ammunition
Argentina: latest figures on gun buyback
DRC: News from peace conference in Goma
US: President Bush signs legislation to improve checks on gun buyers
Other news: UK will ban deactivated firearms; Geneva Forum disarmament calendar; job at Ploughshares; condolences to Kenya
Celebratory gunfire incidents mark end of 2007
Preliminary research by IANSA indicates that at least 15 people died and 77 were injured in 13 countries over the festive period due to celebratory gunshots. Read more here.
UN: GGE meet to discuss ammunition
A UN Group of Government Experts (GGE) is holding the first of its three sessions on surplus ammunition stockpiles in Geneva 14- 18 January. Sixteen States submitted their views earlier last year, commenting on security risks presented by their surplus stockpiles and the possibilities of implementing new regional, national or sub-regional frameworks for eliminating them or managing them better. Some governments, including Mexico, believe that reducing surplus ammunition requires strong regulation of manufacture, transfer and possession of ammunition. Experts have been appointed from Bangladesh, Bolivia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Korea (South), Morocco, Norway, Peru, Russia, Serbia, South Africa, UK and US. The Chair of the GGE is Michael Hasenau from the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Read more here.
Argentina: latest figures on gun buyback
The ongoing gun buyback and destruction program in Argentina has resulted in 70,000 weapons and 450,000 rounds of ammunition being collected since 10 July 2007. More than 20,000 weapons were destroyed in October in the presence of civil society. The next destruction is scheduled later this year to destroy 30,000 weapons. Read more here.
DRC: News from peace conference in Goma
The peace conference for the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) started on 6 January in Goma. It will end on 14 January. The conference should address arms trafficking, according to an article in the Congolese newspaper Le Potentiel on 11 January. The article extensively quotes a recent report by IANSA member GRIP on arms trafficking in the DRC.
Article
Research
US: President Bush signs legislation to improve checks on gun buyers
The US President signed legislation requiring the state governments to provide the National Instant Check System (NICS) with the names of all convicted criminals and people declared by a court to be mentally ill. This means gun dealers will be able to perform instant background checks on customers seeking to purchase firearms. Convicted criminals and individuals who have been certified mentally ill are prohibited from purchasing guns under US law. The problem of missing records was highlighted in April 2007, when the Virginia Tech gunman's name was absent from the database, despite his history of mental illness. The NICS Improvement Act was passed unanimously through Congress in December 2007 and was signed by President Bush on 8 January 2008.
Other news
- Deactivated guns are excluded from the UK gun laws, even though many can be reactivated to fire lethal ammunition. On 10 January, the Home Office announced plans to ban deactivated guns by the end of the year. The police and British IANSA members welcomed the initiative. Read more here.
- The Geneva Forum disarmament calendar for 2008 is now online. The calendar highlights meetings and conferences related to disarmament and arms control taking place both within and outside Geneva. Read more here.
- Project Ploughshares, the Canadian ecumenical peace centre, is seeking a full time Program Associate to work on disarmament issues. Applicants should contact Nancy Regehr at nregehr@ploughshares.ca
- IANSA members are invited to send messages of solidarity to our colleagues in Kenya during this turbulent time. Please send your thoughts to contact@iansa.org
Join the IANSA Women's Network: email
women@iansa.org
Join the Million Faces petition in support of a global Arms Trade Treaty
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