US News
Survey: US is largest importer and exporter of small arms
Jul 9, 2009, 22:15 GMT
Geneva - The United States was the world's leading exporter and importer of small arms, according to a new survey released Thursday by a Geneva university.
The annual Small Arms Survey, published by the Graduate Institute in Geneva and funded largely by the Swiss government, showed that the authorized global trade in small arms, light weapons and ammunition, jumped 28 per cent from 2000 to 2006, an increase of some 653 million dollars.
In all, the global authorized trade in shotguns, rifles, pistols and revolvers was about 1.44 billion dollars in 2006. About 140 million dollars in additional transfers were estimated to have not been captured by available customs data.
After the US, Italy, Germany, Belgium and Brazil were the largest exporters, over the six years. The other big importers were Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, Germany and France.
The authors of the report said they believed China and Russia to also be large exporters, but lacked access to concrete information.
The most transparent countries in terms of reporting on their direct arms sales were Switzerland, Britain, Germany and Norway, with the Netherlands, Serbia and the United States tied for fifth place.
Iran and North Korea had the worst levels of transparency, followed by South Africa, Russia and Israel.
The information in the report was largely based around information made publicly available by governments.
The international community spent 2.3 billion dollars on disarmament and other programs aimed at addressing the problems of illicit small arms proliferation, with only limited successes in certain areas.
Most guns, however, say the authors of the survey, start their lives legally, through authorized deals, turning into illicit arms at later stages.
The 334-page study, also looked into post-conflict situations in south Lebanon, Aceh in Indonesia and Afghanistan.
The authors of the report warned that with the proliferation of arms, countries coming out of conflict could become even more violent than they were during the fighting. They stressed that disarmament and reintegration were key to ending violence.
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Older Talkback
page: 1
because he's holed up in his basement on his computer 24/7 blathering about monkey boys, mommies, professors, etc. Anyway, this information shouldn't surprise anyone. Every other person in the US seems to have a concealed weapon according to news reports on crimes.
...people the world over buy guns....imagine....Russia doesn't discuss it...or China....man..these guys must do global warming science on the side.
People wouldn't shoot me...people either love me, or they know someone will shoot back. Now there's a lesson deterring crime kiddies!
Is a crime ridden country on the brink of financial and economic collapse.
To paraphrase 'ole Winston:
'It has been said that America is the worst form of nation, except all the others that have been tried.'
Paraphrase: a restatement of a text, passage, or work giving the meaning in another form.
What you did was NOT paraphrasing. What you did was an abortion, coming up with a Frankenstein monster that makes no sense.
1) shooting his foul mouth off and shooting himself in the foot at the same time.
2) shooting illicit drugs into his veins.
SP couldn't possible shoot a gun, it is too technologically complex for the moron. Besides, he would most likely put the muzzle in his mouth and try to catch the bullet with his teeth.
Hey, SP, are you still playing Russian Roulette with a fully loaded automatic? Stick the barrel in your arse and blow your brains out.
...empty libnazi response of ridicule, insult and weakling threats of physical harm that once came from the reactionary right, now emanates from the angry igorant left, none of which makes me wrong. Now run along and ask yourself why your daddie bought a pet monkey and never comes around anymore.
We can only hope.
I would agree, that was not afterall paraphrasing. You are correct to point that out.
The closing bit about 'abortions' and 'monsters' is a bit of an embarassing follow up, to what was an otherwise valid point.
(so I hit the 'Submit' button snickering at you)
Never spoke those words.
...Ronald Reagan proved it's true, anyway.
While it may be em-bare-assing to you, I don't care what goes on in your little morality. You f*cked it up, right royally.
My LOL button right back at you.
Regan proved a non-existing statement to be true? Smoke another doobie, SP. Go back to blowing smoke up your arse. Here's a news flash for you, EssPee, Ronnie Ray-gunz is dead.
...libnazis are never happy. The gun industry is enjoying record sales in the middle of a recession and someone just has to bitch.
how big of fools you idiots are on the right. Record gun sales because some genius thought they would start a rumor that Obama was going to 'take your guns'. You idiots on the right fell for it and whomever made up the rumor is getting rich. You idiotic fools.
...it just proves...nothing. What a person buys, legally, is none of my concern. Those who seem to think the one thing has to do with another make the mistake, constantly, of drawing wide conclusions from a very narrow set of facts, which themselves are suspect.
God you are stupid.
The 'point' is that you idiots on the fight fell for the lies of the right and now are buying guns and ammo at 40% above market value, making your buddies rich, when in fact you cannot prove Obama is going to do anything to change gun ownership. Stupid is as stupid does!
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all those gunsJul 9th, 2009 - 23:19:23
and no one has shot SP4. Yet. We can only hope and pray.
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