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

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Figure 2: : The different sub-categories of SALW
Involvment (armed conflict—crime)
Status of weapons (illicit,
unauthorized, military, etc.)
Technical features
It is interesting to see here how the categorization and definition of
weapons differ according to the purpose and the environment in which
they are used. A definition of “arms” that is too broad causes a significant
bias in the analysis of statistics concerning the impact these weapons have
on crime.
2.2 WHAT ARE THE CONTROVERSIAL ASPECTS OF THE
CATEGORIZATION OF SALW?
Whether the context is an armed conflict or a criminal organization,
firearms are omnipresent and cannot be considered as ordinary
commodities. The only way to effectively trace them is if all weapons were
subject to marking, registration and tracing in perfectly well established and
coordinated operations at the regional, national and international levels.
Such measures unfortunately cannot be applied today to the categorization
of SALW or to their widespread use.
The widespread distribution of SALW and their illicit involvement in
armed conflicts has reinforced the political will to purely and simply ban
firearms. People who maintain that “SALW cause serious physical and
psychological damage to children” or “in times of conflict, SALW carry
violence to a climax…” are not speaking of the weapons that effectively
play a role in violence. Which weapons are these, and what is their real
impact? Who has never heard of a Kalashnikov? Kalashnikovs are included
in the categorization of SALW, but what of their history and technical