The World Forum on The Future of Sport Shooting Activities

WFSA News and Information



July 2007 Latest News

July 30, 2007

Olympic pistol shooting in the UK?

According to Scotsman.com, discussions are under way regarding a modification in the total ban on handgun ownership in the United Kingdom, with a view to assisting potential medal-winners in the London Olympics scheduled for 2012.

Under the complete ban on legal ownership of handguns, which has failed to bring down crime rates in the United Kingdom, competitive pistol shooting has been impossible, with long-term competitors having to leave the country to go nearby countries such as France in order to practise.

The absurdity of this has been raised many times over the last years, and no doubt again during the recent meetings between the Government and representatives of the British Olympic Association and the Great Britain Target Shooting Federation. Any British competitor under the current bans cannot train regularly, and this is of course a great disadvantage, especially against those from countries where target shooting is regarded benignly.

The article (at Scotsman.com) suggests any exemptions would be limited in number, and also temporary, expiring at the conclusion of the Games.

July 24, 2007

Kenyan meeting about small arms

A July 23-24 conference in Nairobi has called for complete revision of the Firearms Act in Kenya. The Director of Police Operations, David Kimaiyo, said increased border surveillance has failed to bring about an improvement in crime rates.

Quoting the commonly used figure suggesting that small arms kill a half million people each year, he criticized the Act for not providing penalties sufficient to act as a deterrent.

Attendees at the conference were drawn from a wide variety of sources, including military, police, customs and wildlife management. The goal of the meeting was to increase awareness surrounding the Nairobi proticol.

The Regional Centre on Small Arms had a prominent role in the conference, and its secretary, Francis Sang, called for regularizing of the entire region's gun laws, which he described as too weak.



July 15, 2007

South African disappointment with gun laws

Following recent news reports about the unexplained loss of guns out of official inventories, and also the involvement of a local official in illegal trafficking, South Africa's Business Day has aired concerns about the prospect of another coming campaign to the effect that only the military and the police should be allowed to own guns.

A country world famous for the quality of and opportunities for hunting there, South Africa has seen the forced closure of almost all of the legitimate trade outlets for sporting arms, with difficulties increasing and the laws inhospitable to people wishing to use firearms for lawful purposes.

The article says it is completely obvious that the Firearms Control Act, which has been noted for its stringency, has had no success in bringing down crime. In fact, the article goes on to say, it has most likely contributed to a rise in crime, as predicted by those who spoke out against it before its inception.

Interestingly, it points out the long, failed history of legislation against lawful firearms owners as a mechanism to reduce crime. It continues, asking for scrapping of the present system, after adequate consultation with organizations of lawful user groups. It is obvious, the article says, "that criminals will never be disarmed".



July 8, 2007

Nigeria called on to introduce arms reform

A report put out by the Nigerian Campaign Against Arms Trade Network (CAAT) has called on the government to examine the means by which arms are transferred into the country, and to discover the means by which they get into the hands of those who misuse them. The aim is to bring an end to not only illicit trafficking but also to the manufacture of small arms in Nigeria.. Such a treaty, the report says, must include all conventional arms, including civilian-owned firearms for hunting and sport shooting. It argues for an international Arms Trade Treaty

The report criticizes the existing legislation as outdated, and calls for the heavy regulation and limitation of all private firearms ownership in Nigeria. It likens the need for such regulation to the acceptance of the requirement for global treaties about the regulation of large-scale weapons of war such as nuclear devices. The report admits that most of the world’s small arms are held by private individuals, and claims that these are routinely misused, thereby providing the need for heavy regulation.

However, it is also believed that a sum of one billion Naira has been set aside for the local manufacture and distribution of an automatic assault rifle within the country, at the same time as these other steps are being considered to remove such arms from the populace.

More details are available at Link to All Africa.com.



July 1, 2007

European Parliament calling for gun law changes

A report currently before the European Parliament has broken new ground in a number of its requirements. Drafted by German Green Gisela Kallenbach, it coincides with demands made by the Internal Market Committee.

The report calls for information about individual firearms to be held in national databases for twenty years, and to be open to other member states, which will be required to view illegal manufacturing and trafficking of arms as criminal offences. Firearms would need to be marked with unique identification numbers, and member states would need to keep "a computerised and centralised data filing system", retaining the information for a period no shorter than twenty years. This amounts to universal registration of longarms.

No evidence exists in any country in the world showing that such registration lowers either murder or suicide rates. Registration has recently been rejected in New Zealand, and the Canadian flirtation with it continues in the process of abandonment after huge expense brought no resulting lowering of crime.

Broadly conforming to the UN Protocol against the illicit manufacture of and trafficking in firearms, the report, which will be voted on in September, goes even further in requiring member states to inform the European Parliament of measures they adopt to implement the directive.


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.