Small arms - carried by small arms

Small weapons – deadly impact: There are many ways to describe the problem of small arms causing conflict, disability and death. There are at least 500 million small arms around the world: pistols, rifles, machine guns, rocket launchers, grenade launchers etc. Their number is continuously on the increase because more and more new weapons are being produced, exported and disseminated – but few only are scrapped. Most weapons are produced and sold legally, most often from one government to another. But many of them somehow find their way into the hands of rebels, robbers and others who terrorize innocent citizens. The problem of small weapons is their clandestine transition from legality to illegality. Small arms are one of the major causes for the many armed conflicts around the globe. Although industrial states like to pose themselves as peace makers and peace keepers, they are also the producers of the majority of small weapons that are being sold around the world. The trade with small arms is a lucrative business and an important source of income for them.

Compared to other conventional large weapons (jet fighters and tanks, for instance), small arms are relatively inexpensive, but just as deadly. The can easily be transported, they are easy to handle – also by children who are being misused as soldiers. To many small arms are carrying small arms and light weapons. These weapons are robust and simple to maintain. They can easily be smuggled across borders and turned into illegal weapons.

The situation is especially bad in Africa where weak governments are unable to protect their citizens in remote regions of the country where war lords and rebel groups intimidate the population. A case in point is the Democratic Republic Congo where the government in Kinshasa is unable or unwilling to control the war lords in the east. The result: continued armed conflict, human rights abuses, violence, systematic rape, displacement and death. Without small arms from the US, Russia or Germany, this would not be possible. Small arms are among the most effective means of mass destruction.

To reduce the enormous conflict potential of small arms, the world community needs to re-think its approaches to weapons production and dissemination. Decisive action is needed. But the fight against the proliferation and abuse of small weapons is a stony road that will take years to be successful. Success in this areas will only be achieved if people realize that their safety must be achieved less with weapons than with the resolve for justice, peace and reconciliation.

Here you’ll find additional information and background material on this topic:

Small Arms, Children and Armed Conflict: Framework for Effective Action.pdf
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