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

Ammunition exports to Egypt
International trade controls

Ammunition used against protesters in Egypt in recent months may have been exported to the country from the Czech Republic and other states as recently as August 2011

New data on guns in India
Armed violence and development

New data on guns and gun violence in India is now available on the gunpolicy.org Country Page ‘India — Gun Facts, Figures and the Law'. It includes the option to compare data with other countries, and produce time-series charts of gun ownership, injury and death rates.

Launch of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence
Women, gender and guns

The 25 November is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the launch of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence.

El Salvador: Police seize 12 guns per day
Marking and tracing

Police in El Salvador have seized an average of 12 weapons per day so far in 2011. According to Hugo Ramirez Mejia, Deputy Director of Public Safety, a total of 3,915 firearms were seized between January 1 and November 15.

New paper on small arms imports
International trade controls

A new research paper from the Small Arms Survey gives an overview of states’ small arms imports in the last decade.

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.