WFSA Current News - April, 2004

April 27, 2004

Japan and organized crime
            An article released today through Dow Jones Reuters announced that Japan will set up a new National Police Agency, with a view to concentrating on gun crime.
            A set of programs is to be introduced to draw together the various police administrations that exist in Japan . It is expected also that under the new programs, Japan will be more involved with China , Russia and South Korea in the exchange of information about gun crime.

April 23, 2004

Venezuelan gun registration efforts renewed
            Homicide rates in Venezuela rose thirty per cent between 2001 and 2002. A poor nation, it has considerable violent crime, often with a political bent, and especially in the cities.
            The country has officially had a longstanding gun registry, managed by the armed forces. Now, in the wake of rising crime, the Defence Minister has announced all lawful arms imports will be suspended and the issue of new gun licences will be frozen. The aim is said to be to “modernize” the gun registry.
            It is not clear how the plan to stop lawful gun imports will in any way reduce the illegal traffic in firearms amongst criminals. It is also not clear how attempts to track legal firearms will prevent crime.

  April 16, 2004

Japan increases gun sales
Japan yesterday announced higher projections of gun sales throughout the rest of 2004. These are now expected to rise by 13%, well above the originally expected figure of 5%.
            Miroku makes sporting shotguns in Japan for Browning, based in the United States, on an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) basis. Browning is a very old and respected company with a long line of inventions to its credit. Undoubtedly the manufacture is high quality and the product receives favourable attention from the sporting gun market.
            Japan in its international role has, however, taken a position advocating consistently more and more restrictive measures against the private, civilian ownership of guns in other countries.

April 15, 2004  

The right to hunt
            Legislation has been set in motion at state level in Louisiana, USA, to guarantee the right to hunt, to fish and to trap.
            The activities have been described in the documentation as “a valued natural heritage that shall be forever preserved for the people”.
            Many countries have gone to considerable trouble to preserve the rights of their indigenous peoples to hunt and fish, using modern equipment. Very few have engaged with the idea that the entire community has a substantial portion of its population which considers hunting and fishing to be integral human rights.

 
April 2, 2004

Gun ban on basis of calibre
            In California, USA, an article from the San Francisco Chronicle today has correctly said that banning sales of a .50 calibre rifle will predictably have no effect on crime
            Such rifles are used by military forces and by civilians in specialized, long-range target shooting competition. The present ban will affect Contra Costa County only, although possible statewide bans may follow if wider legislation is successfully passed in the legislature.
          The article suggests that it is the power of the rifle that has made the idea of a ban attractive to the county. However, it is such a large firearm, at near to five feet in length and three to five times the weight of a conventional hunting rifle, that it holds no interest for the average gun owner, and only very precise applications. Bans on legal sale could not have any possible impact on a potential criminal or terrorist user, who would not be going through legal channels in any case.
            There is an association of target-shooting users of the rifle, and in the article a representative is quoted as saying that in the eighty years of its availability there has never been a single street crime committed with this style of arm. Legitimate owners once again become the target of legislation intended to affect misuse.
            A ban based on the power of a particular style of gun, whether by action, by calibre, or by size, has never been shown to reduce crime.

April 1, 2004

Gun collection vans in Australia
            Following increasing problems with crime in the Australian state of New South Wales, the handgun confiscations there have been extended. In a report today through Australian Associated Press, the “buyback”, as it is called in Australia, has been extended for a further three months, “to ensure all licensed shooters whose firearms were banned are compensated”. These are the guns being surrendered. Only the law-abiding can be told to surrender their now-banned handguns, because they are operating openly and their names are known, in contrast to criminal owners operating covertly. The latter keep their illegal guns.
            It has already been established by studies that both the numbers of licensed shooters committing crimes and the numbers of registered handguns used in crimes are negligible.             Travelling throughout the state, specially equipped motor vehicles are serving as collection points for once-legal but now-banned registered sporting handguns. Calibres above .38 are now prohibited, as are barrel lengths under 120mm for semi-automatic actions and 100mm for revolvers.
            No evidence exists to show any drop in total crime rates has followed previous sweeping gun bans enacted in Australia.