Posted on 07/09/2009 1:08:17 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
GENEVA (AFP) Ballooning US demand and the handgun's surge in popularity drove up the global trade in small arms by more than a quarter between 2000 and 2006, a UN-backed study showed Thursday.
Those weapons in the hands of civilians, security forces or armed groups were behind the deaths of 450,000 people, said the authors of the Small Arms Survey 2009.
Pistols, revolvers, rifles and heavy machine guns accounted for 60 percent of deaths through intentional violence of any kind, including the use of bombs, knives or bare hands, whether in conflicts or crime, the experts said.
By 2006, the legal market for small arms and light weapons was worth 2.9 billion dollars (2.1 billion euros), a leap of more than 650 million dollars, said the survey, based on customs data collected by the UN from 53 countries.
Demand from the United States alone was responsible for 48 percent of the worldwide increase in imports, it found.
The real figure for the total global market was most likely to be above four billion dollars, once flawed controls and a lack of transparency in some countries were taken into account, according to the survey.
"Current data shows the global trade in small arms and light weapons is robust and even expanding, and that handguns are driving it," said survey programme director Keith Krause.
"We don't know whether these weapons are destined for civilians, police or military forces. But it is striking that handguns have outpaced all other small arms and light weapons over the period."
The United States was by far the biggest importer of pistols and revolvers, accounting for 54 percent or 173 million dollars of imports over the six year period.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
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Sorry about the double post.
Sorry about the double post.
When guns are outlawed, only GOVERNMENTS will have guns.
Yeah, but governments only kill people who disagree with them. Not many of us left these days, are there!
It’s far safer in Denver than in London. And seeing the trade disputes, more conservative governments and likely wars ahead of us, the despot nations of the UN would be safer to mind their own business.
It makes me proud to be an American.
Actually they've got damn good ones on sale there. Mine just arrived. I'm HAPPY. 34 cubic feet for guns, ammo and STUFF.
The big question is how long is it going to take to ramp up ammunition production so that there is finally enough in the stores? Heck, with this shortage, you could hire a hundred dozen unemployed people to do hand reloads and make a heck of a lot of money.
I contributed. My P6 was imported (ex-German police gun)..... Beautiful intrument indeed. Barely used, hardly any wear marks. Must’ve been shot 50 times or less.....
American individuals doing their thing to stimulate the economy.
Be proud!
Big Ones
and Little Ones
(Even that one will hold two handguns, I think)
Wanna bet that those in the hands of "civilians" were a very small part of that, and most of those were criminals. The majority of the 450K, would likely be "security forces", IOW, government goons.
This is why the founders put the Second Amendment into the Bill of Rights. For use against "government Goons", someone elses or our own. Of course now we've added "UN Goons" and "Mussleman" terrorists to the list of reasons for the "right of the people" to be exercised.
Laying the ground work for the UN treaty.
When the ban comes, that is how it will be. Enforcement is the real question.
Kinda sounds like advertisements for French rifles.
Never fired and only dropped once.
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