IANSA Update 11.11.2010

* Southern Sudan: Upper Nile State action network on small arms established
* Kenya: Policeman on shooting spree raises concern about armed officials
* US: 1.9 million gun purchase applications refused after background checks
* Bolivia: Documentary on women gun survivors wins international award
* Other news: Gothenburg Process conference in London; Court victory for South Africa Firearms Act; Screening of film about Virginia Tech Survivor; ‘Sexed Pistols’ book review; New ISS paper on arms control in Africa; Report on armed violence in Timor-Leste

On 6 November, The Upper Nile State Action Network on Small Arms (UNANSA) was established during a workshop in the northern border town of Malakal in Southern Sudan. The workshop focused on small arms and security in relation to the referendum on the independence of Southern Sudan scheduled for January 2011. The Southern Sudan Action Network on Small Arms (SSANSA) organised the event with support from Saferworld. Geoffrey Duke of SSANSA said, “The participants considered it necessary to establish a strong network in Upper Nile state that will be able to address issues relating to cross border conflicts associated with the availability of guns”. SSANSA is planning to facilitate the establishment of similar state ‘ANSAs’ in all the ten states of Southern Sudan.

10 people were killed when a policeman went on a shooting spree with a G3 assault rifle in Siakango, Kenya on 6 November. Two of his colleagues were among the victims. The Kenya Action Network on Small Arms (KANSA) said the incident raises concern about the handling of official firearms in Kenya, and the threat posed by the proliferation and misuse of small arms in general. They said, ”KANSA will keep monitoring the situation and take pro-active measures to enlist the support of stakeholders with a view to ensuring that the situation is contained”.
www.srickenya.org/networking.php?cat=5&sub=17

Since 1994 in the US, over 1.9 million applications to buy a gun have been refused due to the applicant’s failure to pass criminal background checks, according to a new report by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Background checks on people who wish to buy a gun from a licensed gun dealer are required under the ‘Brady Act’ of 1993. The Brady Campaign said this shows that, “Gun laws work by making it harder for dangerous people to get guns”. However, they stressed the need for the law to also apply to unlicenced dealers at gun shows. In a statement they said, “Our national policy should be: no background check, no gun, no excuses”.
www.bradycampaign.org/studies/view/217/

“Right to Mourn”, a documentary about of women survivors of urban gun violence in Rio de Janeiro, has won the award for Best Documentary at the International Film Festival of Bolívia. The film was produced in partnership with IANSA women at the Observatory on Gender and Armed Violence. Elizabeth Paulino, one of the survivors said the film “addresses a very painful subject, but a necessary one. It gives visibility to our struggle and it humanises the victims. It shows that these aren’t just statistics. They had a history.”
www.lutocomomae.com

Other news:

The “Gothenburg IV – Ecumenical Conference on Arms Trade” took place in London on the 27-31 October. The event was part of the Gothenburg Process, a joint effort of Swedish churches and Christian organisations, including IANSA members SweFOR, to deal with the production and trade in arms. Speakers included Joseph Dube of the IANSA Secretariat; IANSA members Roy Isbister of Saferworld, Oliver Sprague of Amnesty UK; Anna Macdonald of Oxfam GB; and Agnes Marcaillou of the UN Office of Disarmament Affairs.

Gun Free South Africa applauds a High Court decision confirming that the National Firearms Act is constitutional and that the state does not have to pay compensation for voluntarily surrendered guns.
www.gunfree.org.za/Home/tabid/1120/ctl/Details/mid/7461/ItemID/919/language/en-US/Default.aspx

‘Living for 32’, a new film about Colin Goddard, survivor of the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007 will be screened at New York University on 17 November.
http://livingfor32.com/

A review of the book ‘Sexed Pistols: The Gendered Impacts of Small Arms and Light Weapons’, written by IANSA woman Sarah Masters, has been published in the latest edition of the journal Gender and Development.
www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all?content=10.1080/13552074.2010.522000

The Institute for Security Studies has released a new issue of ‘Arms Control: Africa’. It focuses on recent arms control developments undertaken by African states including the adoption of the Kinshasa Convention on small arms control in Central Africa.
www.issafrica.org/uploads/Vol2Issue5.pdf

A report bringing together 2 years of research and analysis on armed violence in Timor-Leste has been released by the Timor-Leste Armed Violence Assessment project. It contains information on small arms proliferation, groups and gang violence, and sexual and gender-based violence.
www.timor-leste-violence.org/pdfs/Timor-Leste-Violence-Special-Report-12.pdf

Please send your news and stories for the Update to ranveig.svenning@iansa.org

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IANSA - International Action Network on Small Arms www.iansa.org