Introduction

Abstract

From conflict to crime, from acts of terrorism to the innumerable acts of violent repression by states, the use and misuse of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) is the common ingredient. SALW misuse in conflict and crime is estimated to result in over 500,000 deaths per year, and countless other injuries (Small Arms Survey, 2001, p. 1). For example, one oft-cited statistic indicates that in 90 per cent of conflicts since 1990, SALW have been the primary weapons used in fighting, and have contributed to the increased proportion (between 30 and 90 per cent) of civilian deaths in those conflicts (ICRC, 1999).

The death toll from small arms dwarfs that of all other weapons systems — and in most years greatly exceeds the toll of the atomic bombs that devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In terms of the carnage they cause, small arms, indeed, could well be described as ‘weapons of mass destruction’ … Small arms proliferation is not merely a security issue; it is also an issue of human rights and of development. The proliferation of small arms sustains and exacerbates armed conflicts. It endangers peacekeepers and humanitarian workers. It undermines respect for international humanitarian law. It threatens legitimate but weak governments and it benefits terrorists as well as the perpetrators of organized crime. (Annan, 2000)