IANSA Update 13 March 2009

Alabama and Germany: 26 people shot dead just 12 hours apart
Finland: First proposals on gun law reforms
Canada: Gun laws under threat 20 years after the Montreal massacre
Scotland: 13th anniversary of the Dunblane tragedy
Liberia: Civil society and States urge plan to recognise women in DDR
Other news: Fifth Summit of the Americas; job vacancies

Alabama and Germany: 26 people shot dead just 12 hours apart
Campaigners in Germany and the US are calling for gun laws to be tightened after 26 people were killed in two mass shootings just 12 hours apart. In Winnenden near Stuttgart (Germany), a 17 year old used a Beretta semi-automatic pistol from his father’s collection to kill 3 teachers and 9 students at Albertville Secondary School on Wednesday 11 March. Eight of the students were girls. The gunman also killed three passers-by in a nearby town before committing suicide. Twelve hours earlier, on Tuesday 10 March, ten people were murdered in Alabama (US) by a man with an SKS assault rifle, a Bushmaster assault rifle and a .38 calibre handgun. The killer shot passers-by, women, two babies and his own mother before turning the gun on himself. Read more here.

Finland: First proposals on gun law reforms
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. Read more here.

Canada: Gun laws under threat 20 years after the Montreal massacre
Gun laws in Canada are under serious threat due to a Private Member’s Bill to be presented to Parliament for a second reading on 1 April 2009. The new bill will relax controls on restricted and prohibited guns (including handguns, assault weapons and machine guns), as well as eliminating the registration of rifles and shotguns. It extends the licensing period for 10 years for all gun owners (including owners of handguns and assault weapons), reducing the opportunities for review updating of information. Representatives of the Coalition for Gun Control said: “Our gun law is not only a monument to those who were killed on 6 December 1989 at l’École Polytechnique; but is recognised worldwide as an effective tool for reducing gun violence targeting women. It would be a travesty if the gun laws were dismantled in the 20th anniversary year of the Montreal massacre.” Read more here.

Scotland: 13th anniversary of the Dunblane tragedy
Today is the 13th anniversary of the tragedy at Dunblane Primary School in Scotland, where 16 small children and their teacher where murdered by a man with legally owned handguns. The victims’ families campaigned successfully for a ban on handguns in the UK. Read more here.

Liberia: Civil society and States urge plan to recognise women in DDR
Following the launch of Liberia’s National Action Plan on Resolution 1325, civil society, governments and UN agencies are calling for action in areas that require more attention. These include measures to ensure the full and effective implementation of 1325 by recognising local communities as leaders in DDR processes, and the involvement of women in all aspects of DDR. They are also calling upon the UN to deal with systematic rape and sexual violence as part of the disarmament process, to bring an end to impunity. The latter two points are in line with presentations made by IANSA women at the 53rd UN Commission on the Status of Women last week. Read more here.

Other news

• IANSA members have an opportunity to put gun violence prevention and human security on the agenda at the Fifth Summit of the Americas. The Summit will take place from April 17–19 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Register here.
  
• * Job vacancies are available in the Maldives and Papua New Guinea for UNDP; International Alert is seeking a London-based strategy manager and the Quaker UN Office in Geneva is looking for a Programme Assistant. IANSA Job Board.
  

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