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May 2008 Latest News

May 30, 2008

Brussels hosts SALW meeting

The headquarters of NATO in Brussels has hosted a three-day conference on Small Arms and Light Weapons. Jointly sponsored by the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council countries and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, its stated aim is to further regional cooperation with regard to the illegal trade in arms and in particular to assist in implementing the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in SALW in All its Aspects.

Aurelia Bouchez, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary-General for Regional, Economic and Security Affairs, opened the meeting. NATO, she said, is an organization "determined to continue to play its part in that effort, reaching out to other international actors, and enhancing security for all".

The 2001 Programme of Action laid out numerous steps for states to follow at national and regional levels, most of these having global implications. Laws, regulations and export controls are coming under increased scrutiny, with a view to such symbolic events as the organized public destruction ceremonies of large numbers of firearms.

The continuing conference keeps attention focused in readiness for the coming Biennial Meeting of States on the UN Programme of Action, due to be held in New York from July 14 to July 18, 2008.



May 20, Nigeria

African arms classification

A group of experts from the fifteen countries constituting the Economic Community of West African States has met in Abuja, Nigeria, in order to finalize and adopt a new draft standardized form and a computer database concerning small arms. A draft plan of action for the Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons, their ammunition and related materials, and also exemption procedures, were all required to be organized.

The meeting was chaired by Mr. Napoleon Abdulai, who called on the ECOWAS Commission and member states to face the challenges around the issues of small arms and drive forward in all areas of implementation of new regulations.

Col. Mahamane Toure, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, described the exemption procedure as being the cornerstone of ECOWAS policy in its implementation of the Convention on Small Arms.

All of the member states will receive copies of these agreed documents in June this year, for their own national review.

ECOWAS is an organization that exists to promote economic integration in "all fields of economic activity, particularly industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, agriculture, natural resources, commerce, monetary and financial questions, social and cultural matters…” It also has its own funding through the ECOWAS Commission and the Bank for Funding and Development.

www.modernghana.com

May 6, 2008

Limited pistol shooting returns to the UK

After years of British pistol-shooting competitors being forced to do their training in other countries including France and Switzerland, The Scotsman has reported that a very limited relaxation of the laws has been approved in legislation.

The restrictive legislation bringing a total ban on legal handguns throughout the UK has left British competitors at a huge disadvantage in their training over a period when it has become increasingly clear no benefit has occurred in the lowering of crime rates. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has now announced that “special permission” is being given to competitors to practise their shooting in Olympic-style events on Ministry of Defence ranges, beginning in August.

The plan will not come into operation until after the Olympic Games in Beijing. However, if “successful”, the exemptions may be extended in the lead-up to the 2012 London Olympics, and from then to the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

Anti-gun activists have made their numerous protests on the basis of their view that bowing to the wishes of sportsmen puts the safety of the broader society at risk.

www.Scotsman.com

May 1, 2008

Philippines rejection of total gun ban

The House of Representatives in the Philippines has rejected the idea of pressing for an outright nationwide ban on guns. The Joson Bill had been introduced with a view to outlawing all firearms within the country, including for police. The chairman of the committee organized to review public order and safety, Rodolfo Antonino, called elements of the bill unrealistic.

The committee met at the end of April with parties both against and in favour of private firearm ownership in attendance. There are four individual gun bills now in play, with the intention of regulating numerous aspects of gun ownership, including sale and disposition, and costs related to guns themselves, their parts and their ammunition.

Orly Marquez of the group Peaceful Responsible Owners of Guns called for increased attention to be paid to criminals and for lawful gun owners to be left alone on the grounds that legislation directed against them does not solve problems of criminality. Gunless Society President Nandy Pacheco, according to Business World (link to www.gmanews.tv ), called the pro-gun case "selfish and anti-communitarian because it does not promote common good."


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