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February 2008 Latest News

February 12, 2008

Brazil aims to continue disarmament work

At the end of January the "Map of Violence of Brazilian Municipalities 2008", a study, was released jointly by the Ministries of Justice and Health. According to a report by Global Insight Limited, at the time of the study release, Luiz Paulo Barret, Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, announced that the Brazilian disarmament campaign would be re-launched as part of the previously running national security program. President Lula subsequently has signed a provisional measure extending the disarmament campaign for an indefinite period.

Despite a gradually falling annual murder rate, great emphasis as now been placed on the fact that the decline was running at two to three per cent more during one year, 2003-4, when the disarmament campaign was first begun. Such fluctuations in rates are not uncommon. A referendum to ban all private gun ownership in Brazil was defeated in October, 2005.

The article does not make it clear whether the usual misleading conflation of suicide figures with murders has been avoided in the study. It is remarked, however, that while so-called 'gun deaths' (which always incorporate suicides) are higher in some cities, the highest actual homicide rates are to be found in rural regions round the Amazon. These are said to be linked with the degrees of deforestation in the area, combined with a low police presence. It would be very misleading to compare murder rates in rural areas with 'gun deaths' in the city. In addition, if the rate of decline of murder rates refers solely to gun murders, the usual method substitution that follows legislation against guns is probably not being taken into account.

February 1, 2008

Illegal gun factory found in India

The Times of India has reported that a manufacturer of illegal handguns has been arrested in Bangalore. His one-man factory was located forty kilometres from the city after investigations had begun with the arrest of the buyer of a revolver. A substantial amount of materials necessary for the manufacture of guns was also found on the site during the raid.

According to the paper, over a period of six months 61 illegal guns had been confiscated from the city and surrounding areas. The district has suffered a recent increase in crime, and illegal arms are being brought into the city in increasing numbers despite the extremely strict gun laws that already apply in India. The local police are said to be putting increased effort into tracing illegal arms and ammunition.

According to a report in the Indian Tribune in 2005, there were more than 1,500 illegal gun manufacturers in the state of Bihar alone.