Work areas

The problem of small arms proliferation is multidimensional– that is why such a broad array of organisations around the world are so concerned about it. On this page you will find the latest news and resources on some of the hot topics for groups working against small arms and light weapons.

Latest news

South Africa: Over 32,000 guns collected during amnesty
National gun laws, Weapons collection and destruction

Some 32,169 guns are no longer in circulation thanks to the joint efforts of South Africa’s police and citizens during the nationwide Firearms Amnesty, which ended on 11 April.

Central American governments will create firearms database
Regional Cooperation

A firearms information exchange system is being created in Central America.

KANSA Update
Regional Cooperation

28 member organisations gathered for the Kenya Action Network on Small Arms (KANSA) General Assembly in Nairobi on 11-12 March.

Colombia: Two-thirds of murdered women are shot
Women, gender and guns

64% of Colombian women that were killed between 2004 and 2008 were shot, said a report by the National Institute of Legal Medicine.

Photo-essay on US gun show
Border controls, National gun laws

Significant improvements in the operation of the largest gun show in Arizona State (US) aredescribed in new photo-essay by the Violence Prevention Research Programme at the University of California in Davis.

Latest resources

Gender, Peace and Security Update from PRIO
Women, gender and guns
The first ‘Gender, Peace and Security Update (GPS)’ for 2012 from the Peace Research Institute Oslo, features PRIO researcher and Deputy Director Inger Skjelsbæk’s new book ‘The Psychology of War Rape: Studies from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the launch of the US Peace Research Endowment'.
NGO Presentations at the PoA PrepCom, 21 March 2012
UN Small Arms Process

Representatives of civil society spoke in the afternoon plenary session of the preparatory committee (PrepCom) for the 2012 Review Conference (RevCon) on 21 March 2012.

The importance of international cooperation and assistance to improve stockpile management in Africa
Stockpile management and security, UN Small Arms Process

This article was written by Félix Kokou Aklavon, member of the International Advisory Council (IAC) and the Togolese Action Network on Small Arms (RASALT) for the Small Arms Monitor during the preparatory committee for the 2012 Review Conference on the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms (PoA).

The Arms Flyers: Commercial Aviation, Human Rights, and the Business of War and Arms
International trade controls

The report presents (Part I and Part II) a series of cases - from the 1980s to present - that illustrate and document the continuous involvement of aviation companies in the business of war, namely in the arms supply chains and also in covert operations, all of which have often resulted in consequent severe violations of human rights, from Nicaragua to Armenia, from D.R. Congo to Afghanistan and Rwanda.

What should the UN Programme of Action PrepCom 2012 Achieve?
UN Small Arms Process

The purpose of the PrepCom is to lay the groundwork for the RevCon, 27 August – 7 September 2012. The PrepCom is expected to produce a draft agenda for the RevCon i.e. which solutions to the problem of gun violence are open for discussion.