DOCSLIB.ORG

Small Arms in the Pacific

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Small Arms in the Pacific SMALL ARMS SURVEY 8 Occasional Paper No. 8 Small Arms in the Pacific Philip Alpers and Conor Twyford March 2003 A publication of the Small Arms Survey Small Arms in the Pacific Philip Alpers and Conor Twyford March 2003 A publication of the Small Arms Survey Philip Alpers and Conor Twyford The Small Arms Survey The Small Arms Survey is an independent research project located at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, Switzerland. It is also linked to the Graduate Institute’s Programme for Strategic and International Security Studies. Established in 1999, the project is supported by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, and by contributions from the Governments of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. It collaborates with research institutes and non-governmental organizations in many countries including Brazil, Canada, Georgia, Germany, India, Israel, Norway, the Russian Federation, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The Small Arms Survey occasional paper series presents new and substantial research findings by proj- ect staff and commissioned researchers on data, methodological, and conceptual issues related to small arms, or detailed country and regional case studies. The series is published periodically and is available in hard copy and on the project’s web site. Small Arms Survey Phone: + 41 22 908 5777 Graduate Institute of International Studies Fax: + 41 22 732 2738 47 Avenue Blanc Email: [email protected] 1202 Geneva Web site: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org Switzerland ii Occasional Papers No. 1 Re-Armament in Sierra Leone: One Year After the Lomé Peace Agreement, by Eric Berman, December 2000 No. 2 Removing Small Arms from Society: A Review of Weapons Collection and Destruction Programmes, by Sami Faltas, Glenn McDonald, and Camilla Waszink, July 2001 No. 3 Legal Controls on Small Arms and Light Weapons in Southeast Asia, by Katherine Kramer (with Nonviolence International Southeast Asia), July 2001 No. 4 Shining a Light on Small Arms Exports: The Record of State Transparency, by Maria Haug, Martin Langvandslien, Lora Lumpe, and Nic Marsh (with NISAT), January 2002 No. 5 Stray Bullets: The Impact of Small Arms Misuse in Central America, by William Godnick, with Robert Muggah and Camilla Waszink, November 2002 No. 6 Politics from the Barrel of a Gun: Small Arms Proliferation and Conflict in the Republic of Georgia, by Spyros Demetriou, November 2002 No. 7 Making Global Public Policy: The Case of Small Arms and Light Weapons, by Edward Laurance and Rachel Stohl, December 2002 No. 8 Small Arms in the Pacific, by Philip Alpers and Conor Twyford, March 2003 Occasional Paper No. 8 Small Arms Survey Small Arms in the Pacific Contents Acronyms and abbreviations vi About the authors vii Acknowledgements vii Individuals and organizations consulted viii Map 1 Pacific states xii Map 2 Conflict states: Bougainville and surrounds xiv Map 3 Conflict states: Solomon Islands and surrounds xv Summary xvi I. Introduction 1 Nations surveyed 1 Limitations of the research 1 II. Stockpiles and trafficking in the Pacific 3 Legal trade: Demand and supply 4 Who buys? 6 Who supplies? 6 American small arms most common 8 iii Trade within the region 9 Lawful stockpiles 9 Heavily-armed Pacific people 12 State security force stockpiles 12 The illicit small arms trade 16 Australia 16 New Zealand 18 Papua New Guinea 20 Conflicts in the region: Drivers of demand 24 Post-conflict zones as centres and sources of illicit trade 26 Conclusion 28 III. The impact of armed conflict on Pacific island communities 29 Armed conflict: Direct and indirect impacts 30 Measuring the impacts: The challenges of quantitative research in the Pacific 31 Crime and justice-related data 31 Health-related data 32 Armed crime 32 Fiji 33 Background 34 Forced displacement and increased migration 35 Job losses and declining incomes 35 Violation of IHL and human rights 36 Conflict-related trauma 36 Access to basic entitlements: Education and health 36 Impact on economic productivity and prosperity 36 Impact on tourism 37 Small Arms Survey Occasional Paper No. 8 Philip Alpers and Conor Twyford The Solomon Islands 38 Background 39 Forced displacement 40 Violation of IHL and human rights 40 Family breakdown, violence, and criminality 41 Access to basic services: Health and education 41 Targeting of development staff 42 Impacts on development assistance 42 Impacts on economic productivity and investment 43 Bougainville 44 Background 45 Major causes of death 46 Forced displacement 46 Violation of IHL and human rights 47 Trauma, violence, and the power of the gun 47 Access to services: Health and education 48 Targeting of development staff 49 Opportunity costs of peace programmes and weapons disposal 50 Impacts on economic productivity 50 Papua New Guinea 51 Armed crime 51 iv Undercounting gun violence 51 The impacts of tribal fighting in the Highlands 52 2002 election violence: Gunpoint democracy 53 Australia 54 New Zealand 55 Conclusion 55 IV. Pacific small arms legislation: Domestic and regional issues 57 Pacific firearms law: An overview 57 What is a small arm? 59 Civilian possession and use 59 Additional prohibitions without legislation 62 Ammunition 62 Preconditions for civilian licensing 62 Deterring small arms trafficking within and between states 65 Registration 65 Marking 65 Controls on manufacture and domestic trade 66 Import and export controls 67 Gun control by import tariff 69 Visiting vessels 69 Penalty regimes 70 Collection and destruction 72 Conclusion 73 Appendix 1: Firearm laws in the Pacific 74 Appendix 2: Pacific definitions of ‘arm’ and ‘firearm’ 76 Occasional Paper No. 8 Small Arms Survey Small Arms in the Pacific V. Disarmament Pacific style: Experiences in Bougainville and the Solomon Islands 81 Bougainville: Getting the house in order 81 Practical disarmament in Bougainville 83 Challenges to disarmament 85 Stakeholder perspectives on the weapon disposal process 87 The Solomon Islands: An uneasy peace 90 Early weapon surrenders 92 Five hundred high-powered rifles still missing 94 Deterrents to disarmament 95 Campaign 2002: A new start? 97 Peace for the Solomons? 99 Conclusion: Disarmament, Pacific style 100 Appendix 1: Extract from the 2001 Bougainville Peace Agreement 101 Appendix 2: Extract from the Townsville Peace Agreement 105 VI. Regional co-operation, the Nadi Framework, and the UN 2001 Small Arms Conference 108 Towards a common regional approach 108 The Nadi Framework: Developing model legislation 110 The UN 2001 Small Arms Conference Programme of Action: Implications for the Pacific 112 v Potential for successful implementation 115 Conclusion 117 Endnotes 120 Bibliography 130 Small Arms Survey Occasional Paper No. 8 Philip Alpers and Conor Twyford Acronyms and abbreviations ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation ADB Asian Development Bank ANU Australian National University AUD Australian dollar AusAID Australian Agency for International Development BETA Bougainville Ex-combatants’ Trust Account BPMG Bougainville Peace Monitoring Group BRA Bougainville Revolutionary Army BRF Bougainville Resistance Forces CPRF Community Peace and Restoration Fund (Solomon Islands) CRIN Customs Regional Intelligence Network DDA United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs DDR disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States EDA excess defence article EPG Eminent Persons Group EU European Union FF French franc FJD Fiji dollar vi FMS foreign military sales FRSC Forum Regional Security Committee (of the Pacific Islands Forum) FSM Federated States of Micronesia GDP gross domestic product GPG Guadalcanal provincial government GPMG general purpose machine gun GRA Guadalcanal Revolutionary Army ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross IFM Isatabu Freedom Movement IHL international humanitarian law IPMT International Peace Monitoring Team IPPNW International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War MEF Malaita Eagle Force MP member of parliament MPG Malaita provincial government NISAT Norwegian Initiative on Small Arms Transfers NSW New South Wales NZ New Zealand NZAID New Zealand Agency for International Development NZD New Zealand dollar OCO Oceania Customs Organization OPM Organisasi Papua Merdeka PFF Police Field Force PGK Kina (Papua New Guinea currency) PILOM Pacific Islands Law Officers’ Meeting PMC Peace Monitoring Council PMG Peace Monitoring Group PNGDF Papua New Guinea Defence Force Occasional Paper No. 8 Small Arms Survey Small Arms in the Pacific PPCC Peace Process Consultative Committee RNZAF Royal New Zealand Air Force RPNGC Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary RSIP Royal Solomon Islands Police SALW small arms and light weapons SID Solomon Islands dollar SLR self-loading rifle (often a NATO military assault rifle) SPCPC South Pacific Chiefs of Police Conference TMG Truce Monitoring Group TPA Townsville Peace Agreement UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNGA United Nations General Assembly UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNIFIL United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon UNOMB United Nations Observer Mission on Bougainville UNRISD United Nations Research Institute for Social Development USD US dollar UXO unexploded ordnance VT Vatu (Vanuatu currency) WDC Weapons Disposal Committee WHO World Health Organization WTO World Trade Organization vii About the authors Philip Alpers is a senior fellow at the Harvard Injury
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Heads of State Heads of Government Ministers For
    UNITED NATIONS HEADS OF STATE Protocol and Liaison Service HEADS OF GOVERNMENT PUBLIC LIST MINISTERS FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS COUNTRY HEAD OF STATE HEAD OF GOVERNMENT MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AFGHANISTAN His Excellency Same as Head of State His Excellency Mr. Mohammad Ashraf Ghani Mr. Mohammad Haneef Atmar Full Title President of the Islamic Republic of Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Afghanistan Republic of Afghanistan Date of Appointment 29-Sep-14 04-Apr-20 ALBANIA His Excellency His Excellency same as Prime Minister Mr. Ilir Meta Mr. Edi Rama Full Title President of the Republic of Albania Prime Minister and Minister for Europe and Foreign Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the Affairs of the Republic of Albania Republic of Albania Date of Appointment 24-Jul-17 15-Sep-13 21-Jan-19 ALGERIA Son Excellence Son Excellence Son Excellence Monsieur Abdelmadjid Tebboune Monsieur Abdelaziz Djerad Monsieur Sabri Boukadoum Full Title Président de la République algérienne Premier Ministre de la République algérienne Ministre des Affaires étrangères de la République démocratique et populaire démocratique et populaire algérienne démocratique et populaire Date of Appointment 19-Dec-19 05-Jan-20 31-Mar-19 21/08/2020 Page 1 of 66 COUNTRY HEAD OF STATE HEAD OF GOVERNMENT MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS ANDORRA Son Excellence Son Excellence Son Excellence Monseigneur Joan Enric Vives Sicília Monsieur Xavier Espot Zamora Madame Maria Ubach Font et Son Excellence Monsieur Emmanuel Macron Full Title Co-Princes de la Principauté d’Andorre Chef du Gouvernement de la Principauté d’Andorre Ministre des Affaires étrangères de la Principauté d’Andorre Date of Appointment 16-May-12 21-May-19 17-Jul-17 ANGOLA His Excellency His Excellency Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • Ultimax Layout
    THE LIGHTEST 5.56mm Calibre Machine Gun in the World The ultimate 5.56mm light machine gun... the lightest squad automatic weapon in the world that meets all modern combat requirements. Designed from the onset for one-man operation, the Ultimax 100 is a gas- operated magazine fed weapon. The Ultimax 100 incorporates a number of significantly outstanding features: PATENTED “CONSTANT RECOIL” PRINCIPLE LIGHTWEIGHT A revolutionary “Constant Recoil” concept practically The Ultimax 100, when fully loaded with 100 rounds of eliminates recoil and gives the Ultimax 100 exceptional ammunition, weighs only 6.8kg, lighter than many other controllability in automatic fire, better than any existing 5.56mm LMG empty. assault rifle and machine guns. FIREPOWER ACCURATE AND CONTROLLABLE The combination of lightweight and accuracy leads to The minimal recoil of the Ultimax 100 enables it to a dramatic increase in effective firepower. A saving of be fired accurately in full automation from the ammunition comes with accuracy and the lightness of hip, or with one arm. The controllability of the the weapon also enables the soldier to carry more Ultimax 100 is also unaffected even when fired ammunition. with the butt detached, a feature especially useful when space is limited or confined such QUICK RELEASE BARREL The Ultimax 100 comes with a quick-change barrel as in airborne or armoured infantry roles. feature. The barrels are pre-zeroed and can be changed quickly by the soldier. RELIABLE A 3-position gas regulator enables the weapon to function reliably even in adverse environment such as jungle, sub-zero and desert conditions.
    [Show full text]
  • Sovereign Sells US$1Bn Sukuk but Drops Conventional Tranches
    MARCH 31 2018 ISSUE 2227 www.ifre.com Bargain basement Bahrain: sovereign sells US$1bn sukuk but drops conventional tranches Tesla stumbles as markets face reality: fatal crash and downgrade push bonds below 90 Deutsche Bank hangs Cryan out to dry: Achleitner sounds out replacement CEOs EQUITIES PEOPLE & MARKETS LOANS EMERGING MARKETS Jitters hurt Asia Successful Golden €7.3bn of debt to Mannai gets IPOs: listings Belt law suit fund leveraged Qatar Inc back from China and prompts broader buyout of Akzo in the US dollar India struggle disclaimers Nobel unit bond market 06 07 09 12 SAVE THE DATE: MAY 22 2018 GREEN FINANCING ROUNDTABLE TUESDAY MAY 22 2018 | THOMSON REUTERS BUILDING, CANARY WHARF, LONDON Sponsored by: Green bond issuance broke through the US$150bn mark in 2017, a 78% increase over the total recorded in 2016, and there are hopes that it will double again this year. But is it on track to reach the US$1trn mark targeted by Christina Figueres? This timely Roundtable will bring together a panel of senior market participants to assess the current state of the market, examine the challenges and opportunities and provide an outlook for the rest of the year and beyond. This free-to-attend event takes place in London on the morning of Tuesday May 22 2018. If you would like to be notified as soon as registration is live, please email [email protected]. Upfront OPINION INTERNATIONAL FINANCING REVIEW Dead man walking? Rocket man t was another terrible week for Deutsche Bank. But this ast November, an analyst at Germany’s Nord/LB said it Itime it wasn’t John Cryan’s fault.
    [Show full text]
  • Gun Law History in the United States and Second Amendment Rights
    SPITZER_PROOF (DO NOT DELETE) 4/28/2017 12:07 PM GUN LAW HISTORY IN THE UNITED STATES AND SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS ROBERT J. SPITZER* I INTRODUCTION In its important and controversial 2008 decision on the meaning of the Second Amendment, District of Columbia v. Heller,1 the Supreme Court ruled that average citizens have a constitutional right to possess handguns for personal self- protection in the home.2 Yet in establishing this right, the Court also made clear that the right was by no means unlimited, and that it was subject to an array of legal restrictions, including: “prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms.”3 The Court also said that certain types of especially powerful weapons might be subject to regulation,4 along with allowing laws regarding the safe storage of firearms.5 Further, the Court referred repeatedly to gun laws that had existed earlier in American history as a justification for allowing similar contemporary laws,6 even though the court, by its own admission, did not undertake its own “exhaustive historical analysis” of past laws.7 In so ruling, the Court brought to the fore and attached legal import to the history of gun laws. This development, when added to the desire to know our own history better, underscores the value of the study of gun laws in America. In recent years, new and important research and writing has chipped away at old Copyright © 2017 by Robert J.
    [Show full text]
  • 24 June 2016 Excellency, I Refer to the Convention on Cluster
    THE SECRETARY-GENERAL 24 June 2016 Excellency, I refer to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), which entered into force on 1 August 2010. The Convention on Cluster Munitions prohibits the use, development, production, stockpiling, retaining and transfer of cluster munitions, establishes deadlines for the destruction of stockpiled cluster munitions and clearance of unexploded sub-munitions and contains robust provisions on assistance to cluster munition survivors. I welcome the fact that 100 States have become parties to the Convention since its adoption in 2008. I support all efforts aimed at achieving universal adherence to and full implementation of the provisions of the Convention. A widely supported and strictly implemented Convention would benefit the victims of cluster munitions and affected communities, save lives and prevent enormous human suffering. I would therefore like to encourage your country to consider, without delay, becoming a party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. By joining the Convention, your country would contribute significantly to the strengthening of international humanitarian law in the interests of promoting international security and preserving human life. Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration. BAN Ki-moon His Excellency Mr. José Eduardo dos Santos President of the Republic of Angola President of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) Luanda THE SECRETARY-GENERAL 24 June 2016 Excellency, I refer to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), which entered into force on 1 August 2010. The Convention on Cluster Munitions prohibits the use, development, production, stockpiling, retaining and transfer of cluster munitions, establishes deadlines for the destruction of stockpiled cluster munitions and clearance of unexploded sub-munitions and contains robust provisions on assistance to cluster munition survivors.
    [Show full text]
  • Political Reviews
    Political Reviews The Region in Review: International Issues and Events, 2017 nic maclellan Melanesia in Review: Issues and Events, 2017 volker boege, mathias chauchat, alumita durutalo, joseph daniel foukona, budi hernawan, michael leach, james stiefvater The Contemporary Pacic, Volume 30, Number 2, 461–547 © 2018 by University of Hawai‘i Press 461 political reviews • melanesia 531 ville. 6 April. https://www.economist.com/ early in the year, revealing that the news/asia/21720327-first-pacific-island country was experiencing cash flow -may-choose-stay-part-france-second problems due to financial mismanage- -could-split-papua [accessed 6 Feb 2018] ment (Aatai 2017a). It was alleged by The National. 2017a. Micah Vows to former Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Cancel apec. 31 May. https://www Lilo that the government’s reserve .thenational.com.pg/micah-vows-cancel had been reduced within two years -apec/ [accessed 6 Feb 2018] from si$1.5 billion to si$150 million ———. 2017b Polye Pledges to Help (si$100 = us$12.63). As a result, the B’ville Gain Independence. 19 May. government had to borrow to pay its https://www.thenational.com.pg/polye bills and settle other financial com- -pledges-help-bville-gain-independence/ mitments (sibc 2017b). Minister of [accessed 6 Feb 2018] Finance Snyder Rini assured the gen- Tlozek, Erik. 2017. Papua New Guinea eral public that government finances Loses UN Vote over Unpaid Annual Con- were stable and under control. This tributions. abc News (Australia), 23 Feb. was contrary to the government’s http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-24/ actual financial performance through- papua-new-guinea-loses-un-vote-over out the year because the government -unpaid-contributions/8298486 continued to delay the payment of [accessed 13 Feb 2018] bills and meeting its financial com- Vari, Mathew.
    [Show full text]
  • Growing up Indian: an Emic Perspective
    GROWING UP INDIAN: AN EMIC PERSPECTIVE By GEORGE BUNDY WASSON, JR. A DISSERTATION Presented to the Department of Anthropology and the Graduate School of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy june 2001 ii "Growing Up Indian: An Ernie Perspective," a dissertation prepared by George B. Wasson, Jr. in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Anthropology. This dissertation is approved and accepted by: Committee in charge: Dr. jon M. Erlandson, Chair Dr. C. Melvin Aikens Dr. Madonna L. Moss Dr. Rennard Strickland (outside member) Dr. Barre Toelken Accepted by: ------------------------------�------------------ Dean of the Graduate School iii Copyright 2001 George B. Wasson, Jr. iv An Abstract of the Dissertation of George Bundy Wasson, Jr. for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Anthropology to be taken June 2001 Title: GROWING UP INDIAN: AN EMIC PERSPECTN E Approved: My dissertation, GROWING UP INDIAN: AN EMIC PERSPECTN E describes the historical and contemporary experiences of the Coquille Indian Tribe and their close neighbors (as manifested in my own family), in relation to their shared cultures, languages, and spiritual practices. I relate various tribal reactions to the tragedy of cultural genocide as experienced by those indigenous groups within the "Black Hole" of Southwest Oregon. My desire is to provide an "inside" (ernie) perspective on the history and cultural changes of Southwest Oregon. I explain Native responses to living primarily in a non-Indian world, after the nearly total loss of aboriginal Coquelle culture and tribal identity through v decimation by disease, warfare, extermination, and cultural genocide through the educational policies of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • The Truth About Guns 2018 Fact Sheet
    Children’s Defense Fund Protect Children, Not Guns The Truth About Guns March 2018 1. A gun in the home increases the risk of homicide, suicide, and accidental death. Contrary to what many people believe, having a gun in your home doesn’t make you safer but instead endangers you and your loved ones. A gun in the home makes the likelihood of homicide three times higher,1 suicide three to five times higher,2 and accidental death four times higher.3 For every time a gun in the home injures or kills in self-defense, there are 11 completed and attempted gun suicides, seven criminal assaults and homicides with a gun, and four unintentional shooting deaths or injuries.4 2. Many children live in homes with loaded and unlocked guns. Every parent and grandparent must be careful where their children play and ask if there is a gun in the home. One third of all households with children under 18 have a gun and 45 percent of gun-owning households with children do not store all of their firearms safely.5 Three in 4 children ages 5-14 with gun-owning parents know where firearms are kept in the home and 22 percent have handled a gun in the home without their parents’ knowledge.6 More than half of youths who committed suicide with a gun obtained the gun from their home, usually a parent’s gun.7 3. Guns make violence more deadly. Contrary to what the gun industry says, guns do kill people. Guns make killing easy, efficient, and somewhat impersonal, thereby making anger and violence more deadly.8 An estimated 41 percent of gun-related homicides and 94 percent of gun-related suicides would not occur if no guns were present.9 The use of a gun in family or intimate assaults increased the risk of death 12 times.10 4.
    [Show full text]
  • GOVERNING Magazine February 2017
    THE STATES AND LOCALITIES February 2017 America’s urban centers face a new era of uncertainty. GOV02_covers.indd 5 1/17/17 3:23 PM Only18 % of surveyed legislators currently sit on a committee with cybersecurity as part of its mandate. Download the Cybersecurity Policy Guide at: governing.com/cyberguide Produced by: __________Designer __________Creative Dir. 100 Blue Ravine Road Folsom, CA 95630 916-932-1300 __________Editorial __________Prepress www.erepublic.com CMY grey T1 T2 T3 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 5 25 50 75 95 100 Page # __________Other ____________OK to go BLACK YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN VOL. 30, NO. 5 02.2017 New York City is attempting to eliminate its traffi c fatalities. STATE OF THE CITIES 38 COUNTING DOWN TO ZERO Can cities end pedestrian deaths? By Daniel C. Vock 26 THE URBAN OPPOSITION Big-city mayors have a lot to lose by confronting the 44 A LITTLE LEARNING new Republican government in Washington. Many Universal pre-kindergarten is widely admired. But of them are planning to do it anyway. it’s hard to fi nd—and even harder to fund. By Alan Greenblatt By Mattie Quinn 32 A THOUSAND CUTS SPECIAL SECTION In much of the country, state help to localities has been slashed. That won’t change anytime soon. WOMEN IN GOVERNMENT Profi les of the 25 newest members of the PHOTO BY DAVID KIDD PHOTO BY DAVID COVER IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM By Mike Maciag and J.B. Wogan Governing Institute's leadership program for women in the public sector.
    [Show full text]
  • Under the Second Amendment
    PROTESTS, INSURRECTION, AND THE SECOND AMENDMENT The Gun Rights Movement and “Arms” Under the Second Amendment By Eric Ruben, Assistant Professor, SMU Dedman School of Law, and Fellow, Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law PUBLISHED JUNE 2021 Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law Introduction After Donald Trump supporters breached the U.S. Capitol on January 6 wielding weapons including tasers, chemical sprays, knives, police batons, and baseball bats, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) remarked that the insurrection “didn’t seem . armed.”1 Johnson, who is A-rated by the National Rifle Association (NRA),2 observed, “When you hear the word ‘armed,’ don’t you think of firearms?”3 For many, the answer is likely yes. This essay describes how the gun rights movement has contributed to the conflation of arms and firearms. In doing so, it shows how that conflation is flatly inconsistent with the most important legal context for arms — the Second Amendment. Neglecting non-gun arms obscures how Americans actually own, carry, and use weapons for self-defense and elevates guns over less lethal alternatives that receive constitutional protection under District of Columbia v. Heller.4 Now is the time to place gun rights into the broader Second Amendment context, on the eve of the Supreme Court’s next big Second Amendment case, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Corlett.5 Heller’s Definition of Arms and Its Potential Implications The Second Amendment protects arms, not firearms,6 and in Heller, the Supreme Court defined an arm as any “[w]eapon[] of offence” or “thing that a man wears for his defence, or takes into his hands,” that is “carr[ied] .
    [Show full text]
  • Database Americas, W Europe, C&E Europe, Africa, Oceania DONE.Xlsx
    Country Position Name Email Twitter Australia Prime Minister Mr. Scott Morrison Twitter: @Scott Morrison Minister of Foreign Affairs Ms. Marise Payne [email protected] Twitter: MarisepayneMP UN Ambassador in New York H.E. Mr. Mitch Fifield [email protected] Twitter: @AustraliaUN Disarmament Ambassador in GenevaH.E. Ms Sally Mansfield [email protected] Fiji President Mr. Jioji Konrote Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Frank Bainimarama [email protected] Twitter: @FijiPM UN Ambassdor in New York H.E. Ms. Satyendra Prasad [email protected] Twitter: @ThomsonFiji UN Ambassdor in Geneva H.E. Mrs. Nazhat Shameen Khan, [email protected] Indonesia President Mr. Joko Widodo [email protected] Twitter: Jokowi_ID Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Retno Marsudi [email protected] Twitter: Portal_Kemlu_RI UN Ambassdor in New York H.E. Mr. Dian Triansyah Djani [email protected] Twitter: @indonesiaunny UN Ambassdor in Geneva H.E. Mr. Hasan Kleib [email protected] Marshall Islands President Mr. David Kabua Twitter: @President_Heine Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Jalan Subok [email protected] Twitter: @MinisterSilk UN Ambassdor in New York H.E. Ms. Amatlain Elizabeth Kabua [email protected] Twitter: @RMIMission UN Ambassdor in Geneva H. E. Ms. Doreen Debrum [email protected] New Zealand Prime Minister Ms Jacinda Ardern [email protected] Twitter: @MFATgovtNZ Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Winston Peters [email protected] Twitter: @NZUN UN Ambassdor in New York H.E. Mr. Craig John Hawke [email protected] Disarmament Ambassador H.E. Mrs Dell Higgie [email protected] Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • Regulating Gun Ownership in Wartime China (1937-1945) Lei Duan
    PRESENTATION FOR THE AACS ANNUAL CONFERENCE Private Guns, National Politics: Regulating Gun Ownership in Wartime China (1937-1945) Lei Duan In early 1940, the female communist cadre Wei Gongzhi wrote to the Henan Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). After three-month long social survey in Henan province, she observed that “weapons can be brought anywhere by ordinary civilians in Henan, and so foreign and indigenous guns are available in every village.”1 Evidence from several sources confirms that almost each county in west and south Henan province had more than 10,000 guns in the hands of civilians. The Henan Provincial Committee of the CCP was pleased to see the general prevalence of private guns in local society of Henan. These communist cadres were aware of the importance of mobilizing the armed civilians to develop the CCP’s power in Henan province. The CCP quickly endeavored to organize these armed people and make use of their potential military power. It was proved that the CCP’s policies towards armed civilians played an important part in enhancing its power in North China. Wei was not alone in this observation. Newspapers during the Republican period were filled with criminal cases of shootings and firearm smuggling in which the firearms figured prominently. These accounts together suggest new aspects of Chinese society in the first half of the 20th century when many civilians became owners of private guns. Not only in Henan, many sources in the first half of 20th century prove that personal weapon ownership was surprisingly common in Wartime China (1937-1945), when many civilians became owners of guns for self- defense.
    [Show full text]