Small Arms Proliferating, Study Finds

NY Times ^ | 30 jun 02 | ELIZABETH OLSON

[white trash redneck]

ENEVA, June 29 — The recorded number of small arms around the world rose 16 percent last year, to 639 million, according to a new survey.

Civilians owned 377 million of those weapons, which included handguns and rifles, according to the study, the Small Arms Survey conducted by the Graduate Institute of International Studies, in Geneva. The school said that number represented a 25 percent jump in civilian ownership from the year before, but explained that much of the rise probably reflected improved data-gathering after its first-ever survey last year. That initial survey was issued just before the United Nations conference last July to forge an international agreement tightening controls on such weapons.

One of the new survey's surprising findings was how widespread gun production is throughout the world, said Peter Batchelor, project director for the Small Arms Survey 2002.

"Our figures show that more than 1,000 companies in some 98 countries around the world produce small arms and ammunition," he said. The previous report found that about 600 companies in 95 countries made firearms.

The study found that the United States and Russia dominated small-arms manufacture and export. China is thought to have a significant manufacture and export business, and it probably ranks among the top three countries in firearms manufacture, Mr. Batchelor said, but he added that the country keeps no formal statistics on production or sales.

The survey based its research on public sources, like the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and its 11-person research team verified the information, Mr. Batchelor said.

Arms manufacturers around the world make about eight million small arms yearly, the survey found. No more than two million such light weapons are destroyed annually, Mr. Batchelor said.

"It's trendy for governments to say they are taking back weapons, but the numbers show that not that many arms are actually being destroyed," he said. "Our conclusions are that the sale and stockpiling of such weapons is much larger than we imagined."

[white trash redneck]

Sounds like good news to me! And I like to think that, in a small way, I am helping to contribute to the "stockpiling of such weapons" in civilian hands.

[dead]

I get the impression that they think this is bad news.

[LenS]

To them, it is bad because it leads to greater freedom and prosperity.

[white trash redneck]

I get the impression that they think this is bad news.

Of course they do. OTOH, I find the news encouraging. It would be particularly interesting to compare firearms ownership in the US between, say, January 1999 (pre-Y2K and pre-9/11) versus now.

[Redcloak]

But this means that 4.6 billion people are lacking arms. The United States, as the world's only remaining superpower, should do something about this. Forget third world debt relief; those people need guns!

[white trash redneck]

No argument here. There was a town in GA, Kenesaw as I recall, that passed a law requiring all households to have a firearm. I can't give you a cite, but I recall reading a follow up story indicating that there had been no increase in accidental shootings, but there had been a decrease in burglaries, etc., presumably when the crooks decided to take their business to towns where there would be safer pickings.

[G-Bear]

And this is supposed to be bad because.........?

Forget Care and USAID, send 'em M-16's!

[Dick Vomer]

WE're number 1---WE're number 1---WE're number 1---WE're number 1---USA!---USA!!!---USA!---USA!!!---USA!---USA!!!

[mamelukesabre]

I agree. I too am working on my own stockpile. I've also been known to coerce my father into purchasing firearms and have a motive for doing so: I get his stockpile when he passes! hehe. I've tried the same tactics on my mother, but with no success. Right after the 9-11 incedent, I convinced my father to buy two new semi auto pistols and some reloading equipment. I figure to see a return on my efforts in about 2 decades or less. I know, that's terrible, but I can't help it.


Actually, I don't see the numbers as being that impressive. There are....what? 4 or 5 billion people on the planet?....maybe more? So the world manufactures 8 million per year and destroys 2 million per year....big deal! That's a net gain of 6 million per year.

At what rate does the world population increase each year? Is it more or less than 6 million persons per year?

You also have to consider the average useful lifespan of a firearm. It is probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 years. Less for these modern lightweight polymer handguns. That means that even though the world is destroying only 2 million per year, there is a greater number of firearms becoming obsolete or too worn to use each year and we don't really know how many that is.

At this point, without doing any more searching, I would have to guess that the small arms(serviceable) per capita figure world wide is dropping like a rock.

[mamelukesabre]

Do you recall the approx population of this town?

[Reactionary]

Small arms are "proliferating?"

That sounds suspiciously like they're breeding, doesn't it?

[pabianice]

The recorded number of small arms around the world rose 16 percent last year, to 639 million, according to a new survey.

And the problem is...?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Dog gone shame's what it is.

[Eagle Eye]

About a year ago I emailed the Sheriff's office asking about accidental shootings and they said that there was a decrease in accidental shootings. I didn't seek or obtain permisssion to quote the response or use the person's name, Xxxxxx@kennesaw.ga.us, so I won't.

[keithtoo]

Personification: The metaphorical representation of an animal or inanimate object as having human attributes -- attributes of form, character, feelings, behavior, and so on. As the name implies, a thing or idea is treated as a person.

Lib's seemingly cant use this device enough when discussing guns. Why the heck is that?

Guns, Cars and Keeping more of one's own income

These are three essential elements of a free people......and Leftists HATE all three.

[toddst]

And the problem is...?

Manufacturers aren't keeping up. There are way too many folks out there who don't have weapons!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The Libs believe that, somewhere, someone is having fun and they'd like to put a stop to it.

[GluteusMax]

"It's trendy for governments to say they are taking back weapons, but the numbers show that not that many arms are actually being destroyed," he said. "Our conclusions are that the sale and stockpiling of such weapons is much larger than we imagined."

This term needs refuting everytime it appears anywhere. It implies that the government grants the priviledge of borrowing their weapons. The government, at least in the USA, didn't own the weapons originally to "take them back" from the citizen owning them. Perhaps in third world nations the new owners took them from the armed forces they originally fought for when the revolution was over or whatever, but every time we see government "buy-back" programs or other such nonsense HERE we need to set the record straight.

[Kermit]

"Civilians owned 377 million of those weapons."

Hmmm, I thought Americans owned 400 million firearms, what's happened?