The Scope and Implications of a Tracing Mechanism for Small Arms ...

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Domestic record-keeping varies between manual paper driven systems
and advanced automated computer databases. In the Southern African
context, for example, only Namibia and South Africa have automated
record-keeping systems. Other countries in the region, such as Botswana,
have a manual paper based system.
In the UK, the Ministry of Defence maintains a database for all
domestically manufactured or imported military weapons for issue to the
British Armed Forces. However, transfers of surplus military weapons
between commercial arms dealers are not recorded on this database. The
UK is not untypical amongst EU member States in that it does not yet have
a national database of all firearms and ex-military small arms in private and
commercial ownership. Instead, reliance is placed on legislation requiring
firearm owners and commercial arms dealers to maintain for ten years
individual records for each weapon in stock plus details of all transactions.
Automated national record-keeping systems speed up the tracing
process and avoid the risk of tipping-off rogue arms dealers. The latter is a
constant problem caused when police and customs officers have to visit a
dealer’s premises to physically inspect the register looking for specific
transactions. The absence of a remote access national database, which
records transactions in the private sector, greatly reduces the effectiveness
of sensitive police enquiries to trace the sources of illicit weapons.
In Northern Ireland, the authorities have created a ballistics register for
every police and civilian held firearm. At the time of registration or import,
every weapon has to be submitted to the police for test firing. The fired
bullet and cartridge case are then retained by the police for forensic
comparison in the event that the weapon is used in crime or, in the case of
police weapons, a lawful shooting. This novel approach has a number of
benefits, including crime prevention, as firearm owners know their weapon
can be readily traced if it is used in a criminal shooting.
3.2.2 Regional Systems—Information Exchange and Tracing
Southern African countries recently agreed the SADC Protocol on
Firearms as the regional mechanism for exchanging information. However,
only two States have so far ratified the Protocol. In practical terms there is
very little exchange of information taking place because some countries find