MISSING PIECES - Inter-Parliamentary Union
MISSING PIECES - Inter-Parliamentary Union
MISSING PIECES - Inter-Parliamentary Union
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<strong>MISSING</strong> <strong>PIECES</strong><br />
of gun violence are civilians. Finally, there is widespread acknowledgement<br />
amongst many governments that civilian-held firearms are an important<br />
contributor to the illicit trade in and misuse of weapons through theft, careless<br />
storage, and deliberate private sale. 3<br />
While momentum is gaining, many governments have yet to establish<br />
robust regulatory systems to adequately control civilian-held guns. Others<br />
have strongly crafted laws but fail to implement or enforce them. A number<br />
of examples throughout this theme demonstrate the central role of parliamentarians<br />
in developing national regulatory controls over small arms in<br />
circulation within state borders, improving existing standards and mechanisms<br />
and closing easily exploited loopholes.<br />
Given that the regulation of civilian guns is an issue on which there is<br />
a lively debate and many special interests (including commercial gun<br />
producers, consumers and weapons industry supporters), it is important<br />
to approach the topic with a solid basis in accurate and informative statistical<br />
evidence and analysis.<br />
HUMAN (IN)SECURITY: CIVILIANS AND GUN VIOLENCE<br />
The Small Arms Survey estimates that 60 per cent of the global stockpile<br />
of 640 million guns are in civilian hands—including those of farmers,<br />
sporting shooters, criminal gangs, armed insurgents, collectors, private<br />
security guards, and citizens of all ages. 4 The role of civilian-used guns to<br />
undermine human security is well documented.<br />
• Civilians are the principal victims of gun violence, with an estimated<br />
200,000–270,000 people losing their lives to gun homicide or suicide<br />
in countries ‘at peace’ each year—up to five times as many than die<br />
directly in situations of war. 5<br />
• Worldwide, there are four gun homicides for every gun suicide. In North<br />
America and Europe, however, gun suicide rates surpass those of firearm<br />
homicides. 6<br />
• Injury, rape, robbery, and kidnapping committed with guns affect countless<br />
civilians around the world annually. 7 Arming can escalate violence,<br />
which fuels fear, which can in turn lead to further arming.<br />
• The majority of users and abusers of guns globally are men. 8 They are<br />
also the primary victims of gun violence, particularly males between<br />
the ages of 14 and 44 years. 9<br />
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