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Nearly one gun for every American, says Survey
United Nations, July 09: The United States has by far the largest number of publicly owned firearms in the world and is approaching the point where there is one gun for every American, according to the small arms survey 2003.
United Nations, July 09: The United States has by far the largest number of publicly owned firearms in the world and is approaching the point where there is one gun for every American, according to the small arms survey 2003.
But in surprise findings, the survey found that Europeans are more heavily armed than commonly believed, while there are far fewer small arms in Afghanistan and sub-Saharan Africa than previously estimated.
According to the independent survey released yesterday, the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States "had little effect on the size of the global stockpile of 639 million known small arms." The survey said its estimate of the global value of small arms production remains unchanged at about USD 7.4 billion - with the United States and Russia accounting for more than 70 per cent of production. The estimate of the legal small arms trade - USD four billion a year - also remains the same, with the European Union dominating the international export market.
The survey of global small arms was released on the second day of a week-long UN meeting reviewing progress toward implementing a UN Program adopted two years ago to combat small arms trafficking.
More than 30 researchers contributed to the project, which is coordinated at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva and financed by a dozen western governments. Bureau Report
According to the independent survey released yesterday, the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States "had little effect on the size of the global stockpile of 639 million known small arms." The survey said its estimate of the global value of small arms production remains unchanged at about USD 7.4 billion - with the United States and Russia accounting for more than 70 per cent of production. The estimate of the legal small arms trade - USD four billion a year - also remains the same, with the European Union dominating the international export market.
The survey of global small arms was released on the second day of a week-long UN meeting reviewing progress toward implementing a UN Program adopted two years ago to combat small arms trafficking.
More than 30 researchers contributed to the project, which is coordinated at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva and financed by a dozen western governments. Bureau Report