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

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SALW include weapons of war, defence weapons, as well as hunting and
sporting weapons. Should different measures not be applied to each type
of weapon that experts have to deal with? Let us now attempt to identify
the characteristics of the different categories and types of SALW that would
optimize tracing operations.
With this goal in mind, two broad divisions become readily
distinguishable: intrinsic elements (i.e. those elements that relate to the
weapon, such as the serial number and technical features) and extrinsic
elements (those features that instead relate to the crime with which the
weapon is associated and to the information contained in the police
reports). Let us take a closer look at these two classes.
On a purely technical basis, marking—and especially the serial
number—enables only the identification of the last legitimate owner. Thus,
marking alone is not sufficient to effectively trace a weapon as it only allows
a part of its history to be reconstituted (in fact, its primary purpose is to allow
a weapon or object in general to be identified). Marking also discloses the
name of the weapon’s manufacturer and, in certain cases, the date of
manufacture (as with the semi-automatic Colt 1911), as well as technical
information about the weapon (its calibre, etc.) and information linked to
any stamps on the weapon.
Taken together, these elements are useful to identify a weapon, and
obtaining them constitutes the first level of a tracing operation. In this case,
how would it be possible to trace a weapon—i.e. monitor its involvement
in different transactions—in illegal circles? The answer to this question leads
us to the second level of the intelligence exercise. The identification of the
perpetrators, the detection of criminal networks, and the monitoring of
weapon flows are made possible by the use of extrinsic data. For this
reason, all the registered data concerning the weapon must allow it to be
linked to both a technical and a criminal history. It may seem completely
unrealistic to hope to obtain such information for weapons involved in
armed conflicts, but we will look at the extent to which experts nevertheless
manage to pinpoint certain trends.
We shall now attempt to integrate the notions of forensic intelligence
into the subject at hand. It is indeed interesting to note that one of the
recurring practices of arms traffickers is the means they use to obliterate
firearm serial numbers, 8 which would suggest that it is essential to take into