Small Arms Pose a Peril That Must Not Be Forgotten

In July 2001, a United Nations conference, now mostly forgotten, was convened to address the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.

The conferees worked hard and concluded their meeting with a detailed program of action to combat weapons proliferation. But two months later, the attacks of Sept. 11 focused the world’s attention elsewhere, and the global war on terror utterly eclipsed the seemingly smaller and less-pressing issue of small arms.

That was unfortunate. Looking at the nature of violence and conflict in the world today, it is clear that the proliferation of small arms and light weapons -- including assault weapons, rifles and handguns as well as such weapons as grenades and mortars -- must be front and center in any strategy to end small wars and combat terrorism.

Terrorism is not conducted by suicide bombers and hijackers alone. Across the globe, civilians are systematically terrorized by armed bands, insurgent militias, informal rebel armies and even by their own governments. Small arms and light weapons -- which kill more people each year than conventional weapons like bombers, tanks and gunships -- are the tools of their business.

There are an estimated 639 million firearms in circulation around the world, many of which are recycled repeatedly from one conflict to another.

In Liberia, for instance, militia armed with AK-47s carry out summary executions and terrorize villages, raping and mutilating women and girls. In Nepal, civilians are targeted for killing by gunmen carrying assault rifles from leftover conflicts in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan in a determined ideological campaign. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, armed factions waving machine guns have driven thousands of civilians from their homes and into the wilderness.

In South Africa, firearms are the leading cause of fatal injuries for civilians over the age of 14. In Bosnia and Rwanda, AK-47s, machine guns and grenades were used to help carry out the genocides. In Sri Lanka, AK-47s and M-16s were employed to forcibly recruit children into armed service.

Small arms don’t discriminate between civilians and combatants. Of the estimated 300,000 small-arms deaths in conflicts every year, the majority are civilians. And small arms blur the line between combat and crime; between state-sanctioned war and terrorism.

The costs of small-arms proliferation are high. Economies decline in the face of continuing armed conflict, governments falter, infrastructure deteriorates and development aid dries up. When countries like Bosnia and Rwanda are engulfed by genocide, aided in both cases by small arms, it can take dozens of years to recover.

The problems are particularly acute in many of the world’s poorest countries and particularly in multiethnic societies with a history of tension, according to the United Nations. Also at grave risk are countries emerging from long wars of national liberation, where combatants are being re-integrated into society and where weapons are still available for insurgents, terrorists or criminals.

Small arms are prerequisites for terrorists; they turn what might otherwise be motley collectives into up-and-running armed factions. Machine guns and automatic rifles confer status on fringe players who want to be taken seriously. Recall the pre-9/11 footage of Osama bin Laden firing his AK-47 surrounded by armed disciples. The message was clear: “Pay attention to us.”

Today almost any group, however small or remote, can easily arm itself. The reality is one of basic supply and demand: Where loose regulation and corruption dominate, as in much of the world, guns are a ready commodity. Of the more than 600 million weapons in the global firearms stockpile, about 59% are in the hands of civilians. Depending on where the guns are in the long consumer chain, the transfers may be “legal,” gray market or plainly illegal. Embargoes are not usually a serious obstacle to those with a burning cause to fight for; there are always brokers ready to meet their needs.

But understanding the problem is not the same as solving it. This month, the United States and other governments around the world have the opportunity to reengage on the small-arms issue, when member states return to the United Nations for a follow-up to the 2001 conference to assess progress made on combating the scourge of small arms.

It is imperative that states take their global obligations on small arms seriously. Standardizing export controls, preventing middlemen from circumventing legal channels and improving the tracing of the flow of weapons worldwide would not only deter the illegal transfer of small arms but also make it easier to capture and punish those who participate in such activities.

The logistical and administrative challenges of controlling them are incredibly daunting. Yet before Sept. 11, there was already good reason to take aggressive measures to stop their indiscriminate flow around the world. Now, it’s more essential than ever.

Rachel Stohl is senior analyst at the Center for Defense Information in Washington and a steering committee member of the International Action Network on Small Arms.