Timeline Guns

Timeline of Guns

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1000         Gunpowder was invented in China about this time.
    (V.D.-H.K.p.179)

1250        China began manufacturing guns.
    (WSJ, 1/11/99, p.R14)

1271        Aug, Jacob, an Italian-Jewish trader, arrived at the harbor of Zaitun in southeast China, 4-years before Marco Polo arrived. He wrote a manuscript that surfaced in 1997, translated by David Selbourne, a British scholar. Jacob described printing with movable wooden type, paper money, free daily newspapers, mass-circulation booklets, use of gunpowder, the practice of foot-binding, and tea-drinking. He also noted a lot of pornography and a liberated female sexuality. He described a foreign community with some 2,000 Jews and a great number of Muslims as well as Africans and Europeans and the oncoming threat of a Mongol invasion.
    (SFEC, 9/21/97, p.A23)

1526        In Italy the Beretta family made crossbows. With advancing technology the family launched into firearms (1550).
    (WSJ, 1/11/99, p.R42)(Econ, 11/18/06, p.64)

1550        In Italy the Beretta family branched into guns.
    (WSJ, 1/11/99, p.R42)

1657        By this time the White Tower of London was no longer inhabited by royalty and was almost completely given over to the storage of gunpowder.
    (Hem, 9/04, p.28)

1689        Dec 16, English Parliament adopted a Bill of Rights after Glorious Revolution. The Bill of Rights included a right to bear arms.
    (MC, 12/16/01)(WSJ, 8/6/02, p.D6)

1718        May 15, James Puckle, a London lawyer, patented the world's 1st machine gun.
    (MC, 5/15/02)

1769        Aug 18, Gunpowder in Brescia, Italy, church exploded and some 3,000 were killed.
    (MC, 8/18/02)

1814        Jul 19, Samuel Colt, inventor of the first practical revolver, was born.
    (HN, 7/19/98)

1818        Sep 12, Richard Gatling (d.1903), American inventor, was born. The Gatling gun, an early type of machine gun, was named after him.
    (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Jordan_Gatling)

1828        May 16, Sir William Congreve (b.1772), British artillerist and inventor, died. In 1805 he developed the Congreve Rocket.
    (MC, 5/16/02)(WUD, 1994 p.310)

1836        Mar 5, Samuel Colt manufactured the 1st pistol, a 34-caliber "Texas" model.
    (MC, 3/5/02)

1849        Jul 31, Benjamin Chambers patented a breech loading cannon.
    (MC, 7/31/02)

1852        Smith & Wesson founded its business in Springfield, Mass. Horace Smith, a toolmaker, and Daniel Wesson, a former apprenticed gunsmith, combined their skills to produce a revolutionary handgun.
    (WSJ, 9/12/97, p.A20)(SSFC, 1/28/07, p.F3)

1854        Aug 8, Smith and Wesson patented metal bullet cartridges.
    (MC, 8/8/02)

1856        Mar 25, A.E. Burnside patented the Burnside carbine.
    (MC, 3/25/02)

1861        Jun 5, Federal marshals seized arms and gunpowder at Du Pont works in Delaware.
    (MC, 6/5/02)

1862        Jul 8, Odore R. Timby patented a revolving gun turret.
    (MC, 7/8/02)

1862        Nov 4, Dr. Richard Gatling received patent # 36,836 for his machine gun. In 2008 Julia Keller authored “Mr. Gatling’s Terrible Marvel: The Gun That Changed Everything and the Misunderstood Genius Who Invented It.”
    (www.civilwarhome.com/gatlinggun.htm)(Econ, 6/14/08, p.102)

1865        Jul 8, C.E. Barnes of Lowell, MA, patented the machine gun.
    (MC, 7/8/02)

1895        Chinese authorities discovered a consignment of some 1000 revolvers hidden in casks of cement that had been shipped by the Scientific Agricultural Society, a group organized by Sun Yat-sen aiming to overthrow the Qing emperor.
    (ON, 10/08, p.6)

1897        The Sears Roebuck catalog offered a gun for 68 cents.
    (WSJ, 12/17/03, p.B1)

1903        Feb 26, Richard Gatling (b.1818), American inventor, died. The Gatling gun, an early type of machine gun, was named after him. In 2008 Julia Keller authored “Mr. Gatling’s Terrible Marvel.”
    (WSJ, 6/3/08, p.A19)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Jordan_Gatling)

1907        Aug 13, Alfred Alwin Felix Krupp, arms manufacturer, was born in Essen, Germany.
    (MC, 8/13/02)

1912        Jun 7, US army tested the 1st machine gun mounted on a plane.
    (SC, 6/7/02)

1912        Jul 16, A Naval torpedo, launched from an airplane, was patented by B.A. Fiske.
    (MC, 7/16/02)

1914        Aug 10, At Luik, German 12"/16.5" guns reached Belgian boundary.
    (MC, 8/10/02)

1920        England passed a Firearms Bill to regulate private use.
    (WSJ, 8/6/02, p.D6)

1921        Wyandotte Toys of Wyandotte, Mich., was founded and initially concentrated on toy pistols.
    (SFC, 2/15/03, p.E7)

1922        Apr 16, Annie Oakley shot 100 clay targets in a row, to set a women's record.
    (HN, 4/16/98)

1935        Jul 25, Adnan Khashoggi, billionaire arms dealer, was born.
    (SC, 7/25/02)

1938        The US Federal Firearms Act banned firearm sales to known felons.
    (WSJ, 12/16/03, p.A4)

1939        May 15, US Supreme Court Justice James McReynolds in the US vs. Miller case said that the 2nd Amendment did not bar restrictions on the ownership of sawed-off shotguns, because the regulations did not have a "reasonable relationship" to militias. A District Court had held that section eleven of the National firearms Act violates the Second Amendment. It accordingly sustained the demurrer and quashed the indictment. The Supreme Court rejected the decision of the lower court.
    (USAT, 12/23/98, p.10A)(www.hoboes.com/Politics/Firearms/miller/)

1941        Aug 20, Adolf Hitler authorized the development of the V-2 missile.
    (HN, 8/20/98)

1942        Jun 14, The first bazooka rocket gun, produced in Bridgeport, Ct., demolished a tank from its shoulder-held position.
    (MC, 6/14/02)

1943        Jul 13, Greatest tank battle in history ended with Russia's defeat of Germany at Kursk. Almost 6,000 tanks took part and 2,900 were lost by Germany.
    (MC, 7/13/02)

1944        Sep 5, Germany launched its first V-2 missile at Paris, France.
    (HN, 9/5/98)

1947        May 22, The 1st US ballistic missile was fired.
    (MC, 5/22/02)

1947        Aug 18, Naval torpedo and mine factory exploded at Cadiz, Spain, killing 300.
    (MC, 8/18/02)

1947        In Russia Sgt. Mikhail Kalashnikov (b.1919) created the AK-47 automatic rifle. In 2008 Michael Hodges authored AK 47: The Story of a Gun.”
    (SFC,11/3/97, p.A12)(WSJ, 6/3/08, p.A19)

1954        May 14, The US military unveiled a Nike guided missile at the SF Presidio. Plans were to ring 13 critical areas in the US with such missiles.
    (SFC, 5/14/04, p.F5)

1954        The Uzi machine gun was first made by Israel Military Industries. Uzi Gal, the inventor of Israel's Uzi submachine gun, died in Philadelphia after a long illness in 2002. The Netherlands was the 1st country outside Israel to buy Uzis in 1958.
    (AP, 9/9/02)(SFC, 9/10/02, p.A16)

1957        Aug 26, The Soviet Union announced it had successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile.
    (AP, 8/26/97)

1959        Aug 12, The 1st ship firing of a Polaris missile was from Observation Island.
    (SC, 8/12/02)

1960        Jul 20, The submarine George Washington became the 1st submerged sub to fire a Polaris missile.
    (MC, 7/20/02)

1968        Apr 6, Gunpowder stocks at a sporting-goods store exploded and 43 were killed in Va.
    (MC, 4/6/02)

1968        The Gun Control Act of this year regulated firearms above .50-caliber as destructive devices and required registration and owner’s fingerprints. Enforcement was up to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF). It barred the import of assault weapons even if they were reconfigured if they were not found to have legitimate "sporting purposes."
    (WSJ, 3/24/97, p.A12)(SFC,10/17/97, p.A4)
1968        In the wake of the Kennedy and King assassinations the US Congress expanded gun ownership prohibitions to include dishonorably discharged veterans and other groups.
    (WSJ, 12/16/03, p.A4)

1971        Nov 18, The US federal Airborne-Hunting Act prohibited shooting animals from planes without license.
    (WSJ, 12/9/03, p.A1)(www.fws.gov/laws/lawsdigest/AIRBORN.HTML)

1974        Taser, a voltage emitting handgun, was created. In 2004 the handheld device fired 2 probes up 21 feet with a peak load of 50,000 volts. Jack Cover (d.2009 at 88), a NASA researcher, began developing the Taser in 1969 to combat hijackings and riots. The initial name, TSER, came from the 1911 book “Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle.” The additional “a” in the name was added later. The Los Angeles Police Dept. began using the devices in 1980.
    (USAT, 7/4/04, p.2A)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taser)(SFC, 2/16/09, p.B3)

1986        Dec 17, Eugene Hasenfus, the American convicted by Nicaragua for his part in running guns to the Contras, was pardoned, then released.
    (AP, 12/17/97)

1986        Gun-rights groups successfully lobbied for law allowing firearms to be transported across state lines.
    (WSJ, 12/16/03, p.A4)

1987        May 14, A Colt revolver, the Peacemaker of 1873, sold at auction for $242,000.
    (http://tinyurl.com/ps7vw)

1987        Sep 1, In California S. Brian Wilson, Vietnam veteran, had his legs sliced off when a munitions train at the Concord Naval Weapons Station ran him over during the Nuremberg Actions protest against weapons shipments to Central America.
    (SFC, 6/10/97, p.A19)(AP, 9/1/97)

1988        Jul 22, Some 500 US scientists pledged to boycott Pentagon germ-warfare research.
    (MC, 7/22/02)

1993        Nov 10, The U.S. House of Representatives passed the so-called "Brady Bill," which called for a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases.
    (AP, 11/10/98)

1993        Nov 20, The U.S. Senate ended a filibuster against the Brady Bill, which imposed a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases, and passed it by a 63-36 vote; the Senate also approved legislation implementing the North American Free Trade Agreement, 61-38.
    (AP, 11/20/98)

1993        Nov 24, The US Congress gave its final approval to the Brady handgun control bill. It established a 5-day waiting period for handgun sales.
    (AP, 11/24/98)

1993        Nov 30, President Clinton signed into law the Brady bill, which required a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases and background checks of prospective buyers.
    (AP, 11/30/98)

1994        Feb 28, Brady Law, imposing a wait-period to buy a hand-gun, went into effect. It amended a 1968 law that prohibited felons from buying guns and imposed a 5-day waiting period for handgun purchases to allow for a criminal record check.
    (MC, 2/28/02)(SFC, 12/4/96, p.A5)

1994        May 6, The US House passed the assault weapons ban.
    (MC, 5/6/02)

1994        Jul 28, Congressional negotiators agreed on a crime-fighting package that included hiring 100,000 new police officers, banning assault-style weapons, vastly expanding the death penalty and putting third-time felons behind bars for life.
    (AP, 7/28/99)

1994        Aug 21, The US House, by a vote of 235-195, passed a $30 billion crime bill that banned certain assault-style firearms.
    (AP, 8/21/99)

1994        Sep 13 President Clinton signed into law a $30 billion anticrime bill. It included a 10 year ban on assault weapons, which expired in 2004.
    (AP, 9/13/99)(SFC, 9/10/04, p.A1)

1994        Oct 22, President Clinton, campaigning in San Francisco for California Democrats, demanded that schools expel gun-toting students; he earlier accused Republicans of plotting to gut his education package.
    (AP, 10/22/99)

1995        Apr 26, The US Supreme Court led by Chief Justice William Rehnquist overturned a federal law banning gun possession near schools on the grounds that it was beyond the scope of congress power to regulate interstate commerce.
    (SSFC, 9/4/05, p.A3)(http://tinyurl.com/6zlv6)

1995        Jun 30, President Clinton, speaking in Chicago, proposed an even tighter ban on armor-piercing handgun ammunition known as "cop-killer" bullets.
    (AP, 6/30/00)

1995        Oct 22, President Clinton, campaigning in San Francisco for California Democrats, demanded that schools expel gun-toting students after earlier accusing Republicans of plotting to gut his education package.
    (AP, 10/22/00)

1996        A Utah law granted a concealed weapons permit to anyone who is 21 or older, who can prove “good character” and attends a short firearms course.
    (WSJ, 5/24/04, p.A6)

1997        Feb 27, Legislation banning most handguns in Britain went into effect.
    (AP, 2/27/98)

1997        Jul 1, In the UK a new handgun law took effect as a result of the 1996 massacre at the school in Dunblane, Scotland.
    (SFEC, 6/29/97, p.A13)

1997        The Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) became operational under a joint US Air Force-Navy program. It was GPS for guidance and was 1st used in Afghanistan.
    (WSJ, 4/8/03, p.A10)

1999        Feb 11, A federal jury in New York found several gun makers responsible in three area shootings for letting guns fall into the hands of criminals; other manufacturers were cleared. Several gun manufacturers were found negligent for marketing and distribution practices but awarded limited damages. The plaintiffs suffered a setback in 2001 when the New York Court of Appeals invalidated such claims.
    (SFC, 2/12/99, p.A3)(AP, 2/11/04)

1999        May 12, The US Senate rejected 51 to 47 a Democratic proposal that would have required background checks for firearms sales at gun-shows. A GOP proposal for voluntary checks passed 53 to 45.
    (SFC, 5/13/99, p.A3)

1999        May 13, The GOP leadership agreed to approve background checks for all buyers at gun shows following angry calls from constituents.
    (WSJ, 5/14/99, p.A1)

1999        May 14, The US Senate approved a Republican plan to require background checks at gunshows 48-47.
    (SFC, 5/15/99, p.A3)

2000        Mar 17, Smith and Wesson signed an unprecedented agreement with the Clinton administration to, among other things, include safety locks with all of its handguns to make them more childproof; in return, the agreement called for federal, state and city lawsuits against the gun maker to be dropped.
    (AP, 3/17/01)

2000        Apr 1, Smith & Wesson, a US gun maker, agreed to introduce a series of safety measures.
    (SFEC, 4/2/00, p.A1)

2000        May 14, In Washington DC tens of thousands took part in the Million Mom March for tougher gun laws.
    (SFC, 5/15/00, p.A1)

2001        Jan 1, In Canada a new federal gun control measure went into effect. It called for the licensing and registration of all shotguns and hunting rifles.
    (SFC, 1/5/01, p.A16)

2001        May 14, Promising to be a "determined adversary" toward gun violence, President Bush announced plans to mobilize federal and local prosecutors who would focus exclusively on gun-related crimes.
    (AP, 5/14/02)

2001        Jul 1, In Michigan a state law went into effect that allowed virtually any gun owner to carry a concealed weapon in public.
    (SFC, 9/12/01, p.C6)

2001        Jul 9, The Bush administration announced that it opposed a UN draft to restrict the sale of small arms. The US was the leading exporter of small arms.
    (SFC, 7/10/01, p.A8)

2001        US Attorney Gen. John Ashcroft proclaimed that the 2nd Amendment refers to individuals rather than groups aligning himself with gun-rights advocates.
    (WSJ, 12/16/03, p.A4)

2002        Nay, Bernard Kerik, a NYC police commissioner, joined the board of stun-gun manufacturer Taser Int’l. In 2004 Kerik was appointed by Pres. Bush to take over the Dept. of Homeland Security.
    (SFC, 12/10/04, p.A8)

2002        Sep 7, Uzi Gal (79), the inventor of Israel's Uzi submachine gun, died in Philadelphia of a long illness. [see 1954]
    (AP, 9/9/02)(SFC, 9/10/02, p.A16)

2002        Aug 5, The coral-encrusted gun turret of the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor was raised from the floor of the Atlantic, nearly 140 years after the historic warship sank during a storm.
    (AP, 8/5/03)

2002        Aug 18, US federal agents said they had seized over 2,300 unregistered missiles at a counter-terrorism school, High Energy Access Tools (HEAT), in Roswell, New Mexico, that was training students from Arab countries and arrested its Canadian leader.
    (Reuters, 8/18/02)(WSJ, 8/19/02, p.A1)

2002        Sep 7, Uzi Gal (79), the German-born inventor of Israel's Uzi submachine gun, died in Philadelphia of a long illness. [see 1954]
    (AP, 9/9/02)(SFC, 9/10/02, p.A16)

2002        Joyce Lee Malcolm authored “Guns and Violence: The English Experience.”
    (WSJ, 8/6/02, p.D6)

2003        Apr 26, Charlton Heston (78), diagnosed with Alzheimer's, stepped down as president of the NRA and Kayne Robinson took over.
    (SSFC, 4/27/03, A8)

2003        Dec 22, Brazil's Pres. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed a sweeping gun-control law in an effort to rein in what he called "an epidemic of murder by firearms."
    (AP, 12/23/03)

2004        Feb 23, James Joseph Minder (74) resigned as chairman of Smith & Wessen Holding Corp. following revelations that he had served years in prison for armed robbery in Michigan, where he was once known as the "Shotgun Bandit."
    (WSJ, 3/8/04, p.A1)

2004        May 22, The Frazier Historical Arms Museum opened in Louisville, Ky. It focused on the evolution of armaments and the historical events in which they were used.
    (WSJ, 6/16/04, p.D8)(www.frazierarmsmuseum.org/)

2004        Sep 13, The US ban on assault rifles, signed in 1994 by Pres. Clinton, expired. The expiration means firearms like AK-47s, Uzis and TEC-9s can now be legally bought.
    (SFC, 9/10/04, p.A1)(AP, 9/13/04)

2004        The Utah Legislature passed a law requiring the Univ. of Utah to lift a ban against students and employees carrying firearms.
    (WSJ, 5/24/04, p.A1)

2004        R.L. Wilson authored Silk and Steel: Women at Arms," an account about women and firearms throughout history.
    (SFC, 3/26/04, p.F1)

2005        Mar 15, The US charged 18 people with a scheme to smuggle shoulder-fired missiles and other military gear from former Soviet states. One person was still at large.
    (WSJ, 3/16/05, p.A1)

2005        Apr 26, Florida’s Gov. Bush signed legislation giving people the right to meet “force with force,” effective Oct 1.
    (SFC, 4/27/05, p.A5)

2005        May 17, Russia and Venezuela signed a contract for 100,000 Russian assault rifles to be provided to the Latin American nation.
    (AP, 5/18/05)

2005        Nov 8, SF voters rejected Prop B, which would have allowed $208 million in general obligation bonds for street and sidewalk improvements; Prop A passed for capital improvements in the SF Community College District; Prop H won making it illegal for city residents to possess handguns; Prop F won ending rotating closure of firehouses. Phil Ting, incumbent Assessor-Recorder, won his election bid. In 2008 an Appeals court agreed with 2006 ruling that local governments have no authority under California law to prevent people from owning pistols.
    (SFC, 11/9/05, p.B3)(SFC, 1/10/08, p.B3)

2005        Killings with guns in the US numbered around 14,000 for this year. There were another 16,000 suicides by firearm and 650 fatal accidents.
    (Econ, 4/21/07, p.11)

2006        Feb 21, Taser Intl. said it is working to deliver electricity to the human body using 12-guage shotgun shells. Test models of the XREP reached 100 feet. The US military challenged the company to extend the range to 330 feet.
    (SFC, 2/22/06, p.A2)

2007        Feb 15, It was reported that shooting ranges continued to operate in Cambodia despite government cancellation of licenses in 1997. Tourists were able to fire 30 rounds with an AK-47 for $30. Other offers included tossing grenades at chickens for $200 and killing a cow with a rocket-propelled grenade for $555.
    (SFC, 2/15/07, p.14)

2007        Apr 16, Shootings in a dorm and classroom at Virginia Tech left 32 people dead. Two people died in a dorm room, and 31 others were killed in Norris Hall, including the gunman, who put a bullet in his head. At least 15 people were hurt, some seriously. Two professors from India and Israel were among the dead at the Virginia Tech shooting, the deadliest in US history. The gunman was a South Korean national named Cho Seung-Hui (23). Cho was an undergraduate student in his senior year majoring in English who lived on campus. His residence was in Centerville, Virginia, and he had resident alien status. Between shootings Seung-Hui took time to e-mail videos, photos and writings to NBC. Virginia law allowed Cho to buy one gun each month.
    (AP, 4/16/07)(AP, 4/17/07)(AFP, 4/17/07)(WSJ, 4/19/07, p.A1)(Econ, 4/21/07, p.27)

2007        Aug 28, The annual Small Arms Survey said there are nine guns for every 10 people in the United States, with about 270 million firearms in circulation. Worldwide, civilians now have access to 650 million small arms, from handguns to semiautomatic rifles, an arsenal that far outstrips what is held by police and militaries.
    (AP, 8/29/07)

2007        Oct 12, In central South Africa the Oerlikon GDF-005, a German-made computer-controlled anti-aircraft gun, went haywire during a training exercise killing 9 South African soldiers and wounding 14 others.
    (AP, 10/12/07)(http://blog.wired.com/defense/2007/10/robot-cannon-ki.html)

2008        Jan 8, Pres. Bush signed legislation aimed at preventing the severely mentally ill from buying guns.
    (WSJ, 1/9/07, p.A1)

2008        Apr 9, Thai police dropped charges against Viktor Bout (41), a Russian man accused of being one of the world's most prolific black market arms dealers, saying they will proceed with hearings to extradite him to the United States.
    (AP, 4/9/08)

2008        Apr 18,    South Africa's main transport union thwarted the delivery of a controversial shipment of Chinese arms destined for Zimbabwe, saying its workers would not offload the cargo. The Chinese ship left the South African harbor and headed for neighboring Mozambique. Angola and Mozambique said the ship is not welcome. China defended the cargo against international criticism.
    (AFP, 4/18/08)(AP, 4/19/08)(AFP, 4/22/08)(SFC, 4/23/08, p.A2)

2008        Apr 24, China said a shipment of arms bound for Zimbabwe will be recalled after South African workers refused to unload the vessel and other neighboring countries barred it from their ports.
    (Reuters, 4/24/08)

2008        Jun 26, The US Supreme Court ruled that Americans have a right to own guns for self-defense and hunting, the justices' first major pronouncement on gun rights in US history.
    (AP, 6/26/08)

2008        Aug 28, Grant Wilkinson (34) was jailed for life for running Britain’s biggest-ever gun factory which converted dozens of replica submachine guns into deadly weapons used in nine gangland murders. He legally bought 90 replica Mac-10s in 2004, saying they were for use on the set of the James Bond film "Casino Royale" and paying 55,000 pounds in cash.
    (AFP, 8/28/08)

2008        Sep 5, An Israeli defense official said Israel has allowed Palestinian security forces in the West Bank to receive a shipment of about 1,000 Kalashnikov rifles and tens of thousands of bullets in a step aimed at bolstering the moderate Palestinian government there. The weapons shipment reached the Palestinians through Jordan about one week ago.
    (AP, 9/5/08)

2008        Sep 23, Mexico said it plans to search 10 percent of all vehicles entering the country from the United States in an effort to curb arms smuggling.
    (AP, 9/24/08)

2008        Sep 29, US warships and helicopters surrounded a hijacked cargo ship loaded with Sudan-bound tanks and other arms to keep the weapons from falling "into the wrong hands." The shipment of 33 Russian-designed tanks, rifles and ammunition on the Ukrainian-operated Faina was headed for Sudan, not Kenya as previously claimed by Kenyan officials.
    (AP, 9/29/08)

2008        Alexander Rose authored “American Rifle: A Biography.”
    (Econ, 10/18/08, p.96)

2009        Feb 12, Canada said its federal police will no longer use stun guns against suspects merely resisting arrrest or refusing to cooperate because the guns can cause death. At least 20 Canadians have died after being zapped by stun guns.
    (SFC, 2/13/09, p.A4)

2009        Feb 18, Fifty-one Democrats and 2 Republicans, sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to enforce a ban on importing assault weapons, saying many such guns are later smuggled south to arm Mexico's ruthless drug cartels. The ban was implemented under the administrations of Pres. George H.W. Bush and Pres. Bill Clinton, and the US government can enforce it under provisions of the 1968 Gun Control Act. But the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has quietly abandoned the ban in recent years.
    (AP, 2/18/09)(AP, 2/24/09)

2009        Feb 25, Russian news agencies quoted Chief Military Prosecutor Sergei Fridinsky as saying that his office has exposed an attempt by military officers to smuggle $18 million worth of stolen Russian weapons to China via Tajikistan.
    (AP, 2/25/09)

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