ATF loses its own guns and laptops to carelessness
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms lost 76 weapons and 418 laptops over the last five years due to carelessness and theft, an audit has found.
From CNN:
Of the 76 missing weapons, 35 were stolen from agents’ homes, hotel rooms or vehicles, the report said. Some of the others were left in public places or [...]
Small arms flooding into Iraq with no monitoring
Amnesty International is reporting that thousands of small arms is flooding into Iraq with no monitoring or tracking done by the United States and the United Kingdom.
From the Guardian:
There is no clear accountable audit trail for some 360,000 small arms supplied to the Iraqi security forces, many by the US and UK, it says. Subcontracting [...]
US guns continue to flow into Mexico
Guns purchased at border shops are continually flowing into Mexico and contributing to the ongoing drug wars.
From the LA Times:
High-powered automatic weapons and ammunition are flowing virtually unchecked from border states into Mexico, fueling a war among drug traffickers, the army and police that has left thousands dead, according to U.S. and Mexican officials.
The munitions [...]
90 percent of guns seized in Mexico are from United States
Richard A. Serrano, “U.S. guns arm Mexican drug cartels,” Los Angeles Times, August 10, 2008.
One out of every 10 civillian owned guns lost
The 2008 Small Arms Survey was released last week and claimed that 650,000 guns were lost by civilian owners and ended up in the hands of militants.
From the AP (via the IHT):
One of every 1,000 civilian-owned guns in the world is lost or stolen and can wind up in the hands of militants in nations [...]
Iraq focusing on arms smuggling from Iran
The Associated Press is reporting that US forces in Iraq are attempting to crack down on arms being smuggled into the country from Iraq.
From the AP (Via Google News):
The effort is aimed at smugglers who supply Shiite extremist groups with rockets, missiles, mortars and assembled explosive devices that have killed many U.S. troops.
Former US Congressman working as Arms Trafficker
According to Wired News, Former US Congressman Curt Weldon is working as an arms broker to supply Iraq and Libya with weapons.
From Wired News:
Former congressman Curt Weldon is helping broker deals between Russian and Ukranian weapons suppliers and the Iraqi and Libyan governments as part of his new job with a private American defense consulting [...]
US Ambassador helped cover up arms
The US Ambassador to Albania is said to have taken part in helping cover up a Chinese shipment of arms.
From the NY Times:
An American ambassador helped cover up the illegal Chinese origins of ammunition that a Pentagon contractor bought to supply Afghan security forces, according to testimony gathered by Congressional investigators.
A military attaché has told [...]
More weapons being found in Iraq
The Associated Press is reporting that more and more weapons are being found in Iraq.
Via Yahoo News:
Weapons caches are turning up with increasing frequency in public places in Iraq — from a bakery to a fish farm — as recent security gains embolden more civilians to come forward with tips, U.S. and Iraqi military officials [...]
US and Mexico aims to stop arms smuggling across border
The United States and Mexico are cooperating to stem the flow of illegal arms flowing into Mexico from US gun shows.
From the Dallas Morning News:
Tons of heroin and cocaine move north across the Southwestern border. And millions of dollars and truckloads of weapons move south – feeding the escalating levels of violence that have turned [...]
