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Dec 18, 2009

More criminals going high-tech



This 2008 file photo shows guns seized by Washington, DC police over the years stored in the firearms examination section at police headquarters. -- PHOTO: AFP

WASHINGTON - CRIMINALS in the United States are increasingly armed with high-caliber and automatic weapons during robberies and murders, according to a study by the Police Executive Research Forum. Some 53 per cent of police from 166 police forces reported 'noticeable increases' in the use of large-caliber handguns including 9mm weapons such as the Parabellum or 357 Magnum and 10mm weapons such as the Smith and Wesson. An increase in the use of semi-automatic weapons with high-capacity magazines capable of firing more than 10 rounds was reported by 38 per cent of police, and 37 per cent said they had seen an increase in the use of assault weapons. The study found 60 per cent of police officers did not believe gun availability had increased over the past year, and only 27 per cent thought that guns were more accessible than in 2008. But US gun rights lobby group the National Rifle Association said the main problem was not the weapons but the criminals who used them. 'The real issue is the high-caliber criminal, not the high-caliber firearms,' NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam told USAToday newspaper. ed a day in the United States, a country of 304 million residents. In 75 per cent of the murders, the victim is killed with a gun, according to offiAccording to Federal Bureau of Investigation figures, 45 murders are committcial statistics. In the European Union, where some 497 million people live, there are on average eight murders a day. -- AFP