Posted on 06/19/2006 5:53:03 AM PDT by 300magnum
LONDON (Reuters) - Three in 10 people questioned in a six-nation survey have been the victim of gun crime or know someone who has been in the last five years, gun control campaigners said on Monday.
The survey of about 1,000 people in each of Brazil, Britain, Canada, Guatemala, India and South Africa found widespread support for tighter international restrictions on trade in firearms, the Control Arms campaign said in a statement.
Control Arms is a joint initiative by human rights group Amnesty International, charity Oxfam International and the International Action Network on Small Arms, made up of hundreds of groups from around the world seeking tighter gun controls.
The survey, carried out by pollsters Ipsos MORI in April and May, was released a week before a major United Nations conference on illicit trade in small arms opens in New York.
Control Arms says there are around 640 million small arms and light weapons in the world and eight million more are produced each year. Weapons kill more than 1,000 people every day, it says.
Control Arms called on governments to introduce global principles to regulate transfers of weapons and ensure that they do not end up in the hands of human rights abusers.
Thirty percent of respondents in the six countries said that either they, someone in their family or someone they knew had been threatened, injured or killed with a gun in the last five years.
The number of people answering "yes" to the question ranged from three percent in India, nine percent in Canada and 11 percent in Britain to 51 percent in both Brazil and Guatemala and 54 percent in South Africa.
More than 60 percent of those questioned said they were "worried about becoming a victim of armed violence," with Brazil recording the highest figure at 94 percent and Canada the lowest at 36 percent.
An average of 62 percent of all those surveyed said it was too easy to obtain a gun in their country.
Eighty-seven percent of all respondents wanted "strict international controls on where weapons can be exported to" and 89 percent backed better controls on arms coming into their country, the survey found.
The UN to the rescue.
We need to boot the UN. Now.
Maybe we could use "Eminent Domain" to kick 'em out, and use the building for high end apartments. :-)
Restrict international small arms sales? That sounds all very nice.
Criminals will continue to smuggle the weapons they always have, while licensed, lawful citizens have to pay $5,000 for a Glock 19.
Brazil and S. Africa are pretty bad.
In Rio, a friend was chased across a busy street during broad daylight by an armed robber.
In Jo'berg, an acquiantance ate dinner two doors down the street from another restaurant which was blown up later that evening.
Lumping those places in with Canada, the UK, and even India is going to provide extremely skewed statistics.
I got some guns they can fear. Molon Labe!
And we only have 80 million of them??? One eighth? We need to get on the ball, people.
I think the numbers indicate that we have 80 million gun OWNERS in the US, but those owners own over 200 million guns (with more being added every day).
My guess is that these numbers are on the low side of reality. Other stats say that 50% of households in the US own guns.
The survey of about 1,000 people in each of Brazil, Britain, Canada, Guatemala, India and South Africa found widespread support for tighter international restrictions on trade in firearms, the Control Arms campaign said in a statement.
Mostly countries that already have strict gun-control laws.
I'd be interested to know which of these countries, if any, that a law-abiding citizen can acquire and legally carry a handgun in.
Meanwhile, up north a bit, in Rwanda, the Foundation Against Hacking Blacks (FAHB) asked that the machette makers and sellers be driven out of business, saying "We don't need no steenking tools no how."
"Maybe we could use "Eminent Domain" to kick 'em out, and use the building for high end apartments. :-)"
Nahh.. a prison. It is a step up.
Oops, my bad. Two hundred million guns is a better start...
80 million gun owners. Some 300 million guns between them.
I still think we're slacking. A country of 260 million should have at least 500 million firearms in its possession.
That's only two per person. What's the big deal?
I'm working on it. I only have 8, but I'm building a 9th from pieces and parts. Got three more on my Wish List.
No doubt, in the minds of these people, the United States government is at the top of their list of "human rights abusers"...
Bless you.
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