What are Small Arms and Light Weapons?
The term “small arms and light weapons” refers to a class of lethal weapons that are both easy to use and easy to transport. They cover a wide range of arms, from pistols, assault rifles, and machine-guns to grenade and rocket launchers, anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns, and shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile launchers (also referred to as man-portable air-defense systems, or MANPADS).
The Problem
After the cessation of conflict, excess small arms and light weapons can be left behind in abandoned stockpiles or depots. Such stockpiles, often haphazardly organized and poorly maintained and secured, pose a serious threat to human life and security. Vulnerable to massive explosions, they could accidentally kill or injure nearby civilians. Vulnerable to theft, they could get into the hands of insurgents, criminals, or others intending harm. Once in the wrong hands, small arms and light weapons are capable of feuling regional conflicts, disrupting development and peacebuilding activities, and some even of destroying passenger aircraft from the ground.
