Amnesty International on the AK-46 in 2006

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Amnesty International

Filming the killers in the crate

AK-47 displayed by Geoff Cotton for Amnesty International

Display of the AK-47 by Amnesty International

Geoff Cotton displaying the AK-47

Showing off AK-47 for Amnesty International

Type of exit wound produced by the AK-47

The AK-47 and the type of exit wound on the model

The AK-47 on display for Amensty International

The AK-47 the weapon that kills many innocent people

 

Copyright photographs taken by Andrew Murphy

All copying strictly forbidden in part or whole

 

Control Arms Campaign

Shoppers stunned by AK47 machine guns available on the Royal Mile

Shoppers on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh were shocked today (9 March) to find a shop selling AK47 machine guns. The salesman for Teleshop brandished the deadly weapon while giving a full sales pitch to potential customers  - revealing four decimated mannequins to illustrate the awesome firepower of the weapon.

But onlookers were relieved to find that the Teleshop weapons store is actually a stunt by Amnesty International to highlight the ease with which weapons can be bought and sold due to lax controls on the international arms trade. Amnesty’s ‘roadshow’ is touring high streets across the UK with fake salespeople demonstrating the ease with which an AK47 can be sold, assembled and fired.

Amnesty International’s Programme Director, Scotland Rosemary Burnett said:

“It’s true that the idea of someone selling machine guns on the Royal Mile is disturbing. But for many people around the world guns like the AK47 are a terrifying part of everyday life. In some countries people tell us that guns are as easy to come by as a pack of cigarettes.

“Over a thousand people die every day from armed violence – yet there is a scandalous lack of international controls to stop weapons getting into the wrong hands.

“People can do something about this. Just by texting the word ‘ARMS’ and their full name to 84118, they can join a global petition that we will present to the United Nations in June, calling for an Arms Trade Treaty to keep guns out of the wrong hands. And by joining the Control Arms Campaign they can help us stop the human rights abuses that are happening every day around the world.”

The Control Arms campaign is a joint initiative run by Amnesty International, Oxfam and the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA). The AK47 stunt is part of the build up to the campaign's 100 Days of Action, which will run as a countdown to the United Nations Small Arms Conference to be held in June this year. The 100 Days of Action will be launched in Glasgow on Thursday 16 March.

Cinema-goers at Vue cinemas across Scotland will also see Amnesty’s new spoof advertisement offering AK47 machine-guns for sale among the ads for cars and soft drinks. Presenters talk up the firepower and reliability of the AK47, as a young boy demonstrates that the gun is so easy to use even a child can fire it. They are even offered free ammunition when they call to place their order with advertisers Teleshop.

National arms controls around the world are riddled with loopholes, allowing weapons to be sold to conflict zones and countries which repress and torture their people. A 2005 report from Amnesty International exposed shipments of over 240 metric tonnes of weapons, including millions of rounds of Kalashnikov ammunition, from eastern Europe to governments in Africa’s war-torn Great Lakes region and then to armed groups and militia in the eastern DRC that have been involved in massacres. Worryingly, three of the companies involved in these arms deliveries operated from the UK.

British arms brokers are easily able to evade lax controls, simply by stepping outside the country to conduct their deals.  Current UK procedures are also woefully inadequate at monitoring how arms exports are used, prompting government minister Ian Pearson to concede that the UK has little knowledge or control over where its arms exports end up.

Amnesty International, Oxfam and IANSA are calling for an international Arms Trade Treaty which would create legally binding arms controls and ensure that all governments regulate arms sales to the same basic international standards. The UK is one of over 50 countries that have stated their support for such a treaty.

The Teleshop advert is running in cinemas nationwide for four weeks, and will be seen by an estimated two million people. The film has been made possible thanks to Pearl and Dean, who have provided Amnesty International with the media space.
       
The cinema ad is part of a much wider campaign. A glossy mail order ‘small arms catalogue’ from the fictitious Teleshop company - shot by celebrity photographer Sean Gleason - will feature models posing with machine guns and automatic pistols.  A viral email campaign is already surprising internet users with fake special offers for weapons.

To join the million faces petition, you just need to text ‘ARMS’ and your full name to 84118.

Striking Statistics:

Golden, the shop on the High Street used for this stunt, is run by Tom McCarthy, a Vietnam veteran with experience of AK47s

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