December 1997
Dr. Natalie J. Goldring
Link: http://www.basicint.org/wtpubs.htm

INTRODUCTION

Although largely neglected by analysts and policymakers until quite recently, light weapons proliferation represents a pervasive and continuing problem. Light weapons have probably been responsible for most of the recent killing in conflicts, despite the regular involvement of both light and major conventional weapons in many conflicts.

This paper addresses one aspect of the light weapons problem, presenting the preliminary results of a project to develop strategies which would overcome domestic obstacles to the control of light weapons. It demonstrates that it will be difficult, if not impossible, to control the illicit international market in light weapons without monitoring and controlling domestic access to weapons. In the United States, for example, two key obstacles to light weapons control are the activities of "pro-gun" groups such as the National Rifle Association (NRA), and the U.S. government's failure to enforce controls on light weapons transfers.

The first section of the paper discusses issues related to domestic control of light weapons. The focus is on domestic issues in the United States, supplemented with brief overviews of recent initiatives on domestic gun control in the United Kingdom and Australia. The section provides several examples of how the US government has helped create the problems it now faces (such as armed drug lords) through inadequate controls on light weapons transfers. To have effective international controls, it will be important to enforce existing laws governing sales of weapons and to provide sufficient resources to control national borders. It will also be important for the United States to work with other governments on efforts that recognize and deal with the interrelationship between drug trafficking and gun trafficking.

The next section provides an update on recent international efforts regarding light weapons. It describes the results to date of three UN efforts focused on small arms and light weapons: the UN Disarmament Commission's work on illicit transfers, the UN Economic and Social Council's (ECOSOC) study on firearms regulations, and the UN Panel of Governmental Experts on Small Arms. It also provides an update on the recent Organization of American States (OAS) convention on illicit weapons.

The third section of the paper focuses on the ways in which "pro-gun" organizations such as the National Rifle Association (NRA) have actively opposed controls on light weapons and small arms, while arguing disingenuously that they oppose illegal weapons transfers. The NRA in particular is devoting extensive resources to opposing international controls, in addition to its traditional campaigns to block domestic gun measures, be they safety measures or actual controls on weapons purchases.

The fourth section of the paper presents preliminary policy options. These include strategies for sharing ideas and policy proposals with domestic gun control groups as a means of bridging the gap between campaigns dedicated to reducing violence on a national level and those focusing on controlling international flows of weapons. Just as the absence of domestic controls will tend to undermine international restraint efforts, the presence of domestic controls may increase the likelihood of successful international restraint efforts.