Assault rifles: UK export licenses 1998-2002
Changes to British arms export guidelines have led to a relaxation of controls and a significant increase in particular areas of the trade, according to a new report for the Control Arms Campaign. It reveals that the UK government is applying weaker controls to the export of components, compared to the export of full weapons systems. These double standards allow British small arms components to be sold to countries where the UK government might forbid the sale of whole guns, including Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Zambia.
'Lock, Stock and Barrel' , shows that exports of components (barrels, butts, firing and trigger mechanisms, ammunition chambers, magazines) rather than entire weapons systems creates a smokescreen that hides the true extent of the British small arms trade. Oxfam, Amnesty International and IANSA call on the British government to tighten up their arms export policy and treat components in the same way as complete systems. More |
