 The World Forum on The Future of Sport Shooting ActivitiesWFSA News and InformationNovember 2005November 26, 2005Gun density not related to crimeThe Independent Institute has run an article by US criminologist Don B. Kates about the recent San Francisco decision (known as Proposition H) to confiscate all handguns and ban all gun sales. The article is noteworthy in that it offers comparative figures from different countries. "Accepting the mythology that guns cause murder," Kates says, "areas with high violence rates ban guns." The article points to a series of factors always unmentioned by anti-gun activists who attempt to drive government policy. First, the article refers to the study published in December, 2004, by the National Academy of Sciences. This reviewed 43 government publications, 253 journal articles, 99 books, and then its own research, and concluded that it could not isolate a single example of legislation directed against guns that reduced the incidence of murder or violent crime. This is overlooked by health-advocacy proponents. The piece then goes on to list a few European nations having high levels of gun density but at the same time very low murder rates. Norway, which has the highest rate of lawful gun ownership in Western Europe, has the lowest murder rate, and it is much lower than gun-restrictive England's. Only one European nation bans all legal gun ownership, Luxembourg, and it has the highest murder rate behind only Russia, and ten times that of Norway. Holland has the lowest rate of gun ownership in Western Europe, and its homicide rate is 50 per cent higher than Norway's. The article identifies several authorities (Professor Hans Toch of the State University of New York-Albany, the Florida State criminologist Gary Kleck, and University of Massachusetts Professors James Wright and Peter Rossi) who all began their research with a view on the whole against private firearm ownership, but whose viewpoints shifted after years of study. The article is available at http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1621. November 23, 2005EU role in Africa increasingIn 2002, a plan called the Kimberley Process was put in place to act as a watchdog over the diamond trade. Now, the European Union has taken on the task of increasing the scrutiny originally intended by the signatories to monitor the trade and stamp out so-called conflict (or blood) diamonds. Gemstones are a natural resource long used as illicit hard currency to provide illegal funding on the African continent, and civil-war-related activity has been the focus of this. The Kimberley Process is a means of certification which was initiated to follow the precious stones over every stage of their lives, from mining and processing through to their final outlets of sale. A report from www.insnet.org ( http://www.insnet.org/ins_headlines.rxml?cust=2&id=2003) cites the EU Observer as claiming 99.8% of diamond production is covered by members of the Kimberley Process. However, the current move putting Brussels into position as the Vice Chair for 2006 and then Chair for 2007 has revolved around criticism in a recent report from the NGO Global Witness to the effect that the organization has not been working effectively, citing “lack of effective monitoring capacity and political will”. November 7, 2005Experts report on hunting in South AfricaSouth Africa's Minister of Environmental Affairs, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, earlier this year set up an expert panel to draft hunting industry standards. Those appointed had very wide expertise surrounding wildlife management and biology. A total of forty-one written and twenty-eight oral submissions were taken, with four commissioned research papers examining the hunting industry, its regulation, implications for conservation, and world best practice. Three principles were central: sustainable use of wildlife ensuring species viability, humane treatment of animals, and the ethics of hunting. Included in the report was investigation of the economics of hunting. It has now emerged in final form, as the Report to the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism - Panel of Experts on Professional and Recreational Hunting in South Africa. The overall value of hunting in South Africa in the single hunting season of 2003-4 was assessed at somewhere between 603 million and 3.7 billion rand. The report found the need for more systematic cooperation between government and the hunting industry, the establishment of a research forum, and more involvement with stakeholders. The aim, it said, should always be to increase the level of scientific management of game. Many conclusions were formed, and they involved the entire spectrum of hunting practices. Included were the following. The use of dogs for tracking game and retrieving it is acceptable, but shooting by artificial light, the use of baits and shooting from vehicles are not. Many complexities were noted in the relationship between public land and the hunting community, including also those large areas where fences do not separate the two. It is accepted that some culling is required in reserves, and recommendations about the method are included. The report sees gamebirds as a greatly under-used resource which should be more widely hunted for the sustainable economic benefit. The Minister was encouraged by the report to make formal recognition of national representative organizations to speak for the diverse interests found throughout the hunting and other associated industries. In addition, a call was made for more options to include "previously disadvantaged individuals" in training programs associated with these industries. November 3, 2005ASEAN interest in small armsThe Xinhua News Agency has reported that Asian and European Union representatives have attended the latest Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Forum seminar on small arms. The EU has shown increasing interest in restricting illegal traffic in small arms, and it has recently called for an international treaty covering them. Its strategy to counter the production and trafficking of these arms incorporates recommendations for tagging and marking intended to trace ammunition, and regulations across the board, military and civilian, directed at halting movement of illegal arms. ASEAN concerns include arms surplus and transfer controls, brokering, and the management of both military and civilian-owned arms. There is an increasing emphasis on regional co-operation. EU member states are encouraged to support the move towards an international treaty intended to trace and to mark both small arms and ammunition. At this three-day conference, the EU delivered a speech, delivered by the British Ambassador to Cambodia, Mr David Reader. Xinhua quotes him as saying: "The European Union support for this seminar is part of our overall effort on Small Arms and Light Weapons and an integral part of the EU's work on conflict prevention".
November 1, 2005Gun laws fail to lower Australian crime ratesAustralia's Sydney Morning Herald has published an article quoting the New South Wales head of the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, Dr. Don Weatherburn, as saying the restrictive Australian gun laws brought in during 1996 have failed to have any noticeable effect on crime. The downward trend in homicide, the article says, began before the introduction of the gun laws, and the armed robbery and abduction rates have more to do with "the heroin drought and good policing" than with the gun legislation. Registered guns in the state have increased by 25 per cent in three years, and there has been an increased interest in sport shooting. Dr Weatherburn is quoted as saying that a fall in the criminal use of handguns appeared to have "…more to do with the arrest of those responsible than the new laws". November 1, 2005Brazil referendum against guns lostThere was a resounding no in the national referendum in Brazil asking the population whether the sale of guns and ammunition should be banned to all civilians. Since that time, considerable speculation has taken place about why this occurred. With 64% of the vote in favour of the continuation of lawful gun ownership, many news outlets have run articles deploring the result, and citing the high rate of gun violence in Brazil as a reason why fresh legislation should have been passed. The Miami Herald - http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/world/13038714.htm - gives the usual conflated "gun deaths" figure for Brazil, which is proportionally higher than that of the United States, and outlines details of severe criminal problems and possible abuse of power by various authorities including the police. It then suggests that fear in the rural population was a big factor in the referendum no vote, which went as high as 87% in the rural areas. The very large country has considerable gun ownership for subsistence purposes. Disclaimer: Posting of an article on the WFSA website does not constitute an endorsement by the WFSA of any view, policy position, statement or averred fact contained within the article. Articles are made available for informational purposes only. |
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