For immediate release 18 June 2010
Gary Mauser, Professor Emeritus, Simon Fraser University, representing Canada’s National Firearms Association, addressed the United Nations Biennial Meeting of States on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) on June 16th.
In his invited speech he told UN delegates that "two demonstrably false assumptions lie at the core of UN disarmament efforts: first, that SALW exacerbate criminal violence, and second, that action plans to reduce civilian access to SALW will mitigate that violence."
Professor Mauser's conclusion was, "research shows that banning civilian guns increases people's vulnerability, fails to reduce violence, and merely empowers criminals and terrorists at the expense of the innocent."
Professor Mauser told the UN delegates: "The campaign to disarm civilians rests upon junk science. No methodologically sound study has found that civilian firearms ownership is a driving force behind civil unrest or criminal violence. A wide variety of other factors have been found to be important: lack of economic freedom, organized crime, non-democratic government, governmental corruption, drug trafficking, and a history of violent ethnic conflict."
Professor Mauser observed that support is lacking for the claim that firearm registration systems has been or could be effective in reducing access to SALW by criminals or terrorists, and consequentially would reduce criminality, inter-ethnic conflict or instability. He illustrated his claim by pointing to the failure of both Canada and South Africa to set up national firearm registration systems. He observed that, "In no country in the world have such regulations proved effective in reducing criminal violence - not Canada, not the UK, not New Zealand, not South Africa. Note the political and developmental divergence of these countries."
Professor Mauser was invited to address the UN by the World Forum on the Future of Sport Shooting Activities. The World Forum is a UN accredited non-governmental organization and represents over one hundred million hunters and sport shooters worldwide. Representatives from the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI), CILA and Safari Club International were also invited by the World Forum to speak to the United Nations.
Professor Mauser's research and UN address is available on his website, www.sfu.ca/~mauser, and on SSRN.
For further information, please contact professor Mauser at 604-936-9141 or mauser@sfu.ca. His full address to the UN is on the NFA website.
Canada’s National Firearms Association is this country’s main advocacy organization supporting firearms ownership, recreational and competitive shooting disciplines, and self-defense. The NFA lobbies governments for fair firearms legislation, supports legal action against unfair firearms law and promotes the repeal of unfair firearms legislation. Contact Canada’s National Firearms Association at 1-877-818-0393, or on the web at www.nfa.ca
Gary Mauser, Professor Emeritus, Simon Fraser University, representing Canada’s National Firearms Association, addressed the United Nations Biennial Meeting of States on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) on June 16th.
In his invited speech he told UN delegates that "two demonstrably false assumptions lie at the core of UN disarmament efforts: first, that SALW exacerbate criminal violence, and second, that action plans to reduce civilian access to SALW will mitigate that violence."
Professor Mauser's conclusion was, "research shows that banning civilian guns increases people's vulnerability, fails to reduce violence, and merely empowers criminals and terrorists at the expense of the innocent."
Professor Mauser told the UN delegates: "The campaign to disarm civilians rests upon junk science. No methodologically sound study has found that civilian firearms ownership is a driving force behind civil unrest or criminal violence. A wide variety of other factors have been found to be important: lack of economic freedom, organized crime, non-democratic government, governmental corruption, drug trafficking, and a history of violent ethnic conflict."
Professor Mauser observed that support is lacking for the claim that firearm registration systems has been or could be effective in reducing access to SALW by criminals or terrorists, and consequentially would reduce criminality, inter-ethnic conflict or instability. He illustrated his claim by pointing to the failure of both Canada and South Africa to set up national firearm registration systems. He observed that, "In no country in the world have such regulations proved effective in reducing criminal violence - not Canada, not the UK, not New Zealand, not South Africa. Note the political and developmental divergence of these countries."
Professor Mauser was invited to address the UN by the World Forum on the Future of Sport Shooting Activities. The World Forum is a UN accredited non-governmental organization and represents over one hundred million hunters and sport shooters worldwide. Representatives from the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI), CILA and Safari Club International were also invited by the World Forum to speak to the United Nations.
Professor Mauser's research and UN address is available on his website, www.sfu.ca/~mauser, and on SSRN.
For further information, please contact professor Mauser at 604-936-9141 or mauser@sfu.ca. His full address to the UN is on the NFA website.
Canada’s National Firearms Association is this country’s main advocacy organization supporting firearms ownership, recreational and competitive shooting disciplines, and self-defense. The NFA lobbies governments for fair firearms legislation, supports legal action against unfair firearms law and promotes the repeal of unfair firearms legislation. Contact Canada’s National Firearms Association at 1-877-818-0393, or on the web at www.nfa.ca
