Small arms | GlobalPost

China supplying Africa with guns

Erin Conway-SmithDecember 3, 2012 07:15

JOHANNESBURG — China’s aggressive new strategy to sell weapons in Africa was on clear display at here recently. The pavilion for Chinese manufacturers was among the three largest at a defense exhibition earlier this year, amid worries over the growing number of Chinese small arms coming to Africa.

US weapons help fuel Mexican gang violence

Dudley AlthausDecember 3, 2012 07:15

MEXICO CITY — After a drugs gang murdered his son last year, the poet Javier Sicilia decided the best way to help staunch the flow of American guns fuelling the violence wracking his country would be to campaign across the border. But his appeal had little effect on the flow of assaul rifles and other small arms to the gangs responsible for most of the 60,000 people killed during the last six years.

In America, guns are a boom, regulation a bust

Jennifer WilmoreDecember 3, 2012 07:15

HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. — It’s no secret the United States is the world’s leading weapons exporter by far. However, America is also the top importer, a driving force behind a major increase in the global small-arms industry. Washington was chiefly responsible for the collapse of talks last summer on a UN arms trade treaty — a reflection of the vast political influence wielded by the US gun lobby, which is spending tens of millions of dollars to ensure the highly lucrative industry keeps expanding.

Q & A: Small arms not a black-and-white issue

Emily LodishDecember 3, 2012 07:15

The growing proliferation of small arms around the world is making ongoing conflicts more fatal and contributing to human rights violations. The value of authorized international transfers of small arms and light weapons reached $8.5 billion last year, according to one study — more than double the estimate from 2006. Many believe matters are getting worse. Or are they? Keith Krause, program director for the Small Arms Survey, which conducted the study, says the answer isn't so simple.