May 11, 2017.
This report documents certain failures in some countries across world regions to properly dispose of and destroy excess small arms and light weapons (SALW), and their ammunition. It illustrates the different ways that excessive, poorly secured, weapons, especially firearms and ammunition, leak out into the hands of abusers and to those unauthorised to trade and use them, and the dire consequences that result from such failures.
Careful management of stockpiles of small arms, light weapons and their ammunition as well as the destruction of surpluses undoubtedly helps to reduce the risk of the diversion of such weapons to crime, terrorism and armed conflict. Military and specialist policing weapons and ammunition are considered surplus when they exceed the requirements of the State defence and security forces. Surpluses should include obsolete and illegally manufactured items as well as unlawfully held and confiscated weapons and ammunition, including by civilians. Many governments around the world have been working diligently to secure their stockpiles of weapons and to dispose of surpluses. Though progress has been made over the past two decades, there are still many failures worldwide, as the examples show in this report.