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

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imagine being able to effectively trace a weapon given such shortcomings
and the absence of solid data? The knowledge of weapons-related criminal
and technical data is a sine qua non condition, in the context of a PT, that
allows experts to optimize tracing operations and to propose a clearer and
more up-to-date picture of the situation with regard to crime and armed
conflict.
Such shortcomings can be explained by the fact that certain countries
(like China) are loath to deliver information about the weapons in
circulation within their borders—for strictly military reasons.
Let us also not forget that in Switzerland there are many collectors or
simply amateurs of arms who have numerous undeclared weapons. Before
the federal law on firearms (or LArm) came into force, some Swiss cantons
kept registers of collectors and other owners of weapons requiring a permit
(essentially weapons considered as implements of war). Since the law came
into effect, only foreigners who hold an “A” or a “B” residence permit are
monitored by the cantonal authorities [Gallusser, private conversation,
2000]. Collectors’ firearms are likely to escape being monitored.
Weapons that do not require a purchasing permit can also hamper the
tracing mechanism. How can such weapons be kept track of when they
have not been registered, given that it is entirely feasible that they may be
used with the intention to commit crimes or simply to kill?
Home-made and illegally manufactured weapons also pose serious
problems for the tracing mechanisms that are currently in place. In this
respect, the Small Arms Survey pointed out that there were “in South Africa,
between 20,000 and 30,000 home-made weapons in circulation in 1997;
between 1994 and 1999, 16,781 home-made arms (including rifles, guns
and revolvers) had been recovered. This figure represents 16% of the total
number of illegal arms recovered by the police”. 27 These numbers show
how widespread the problem is; resorting to technical features alone—
including the serial number—would not allow this type of weapon to be
traced effectively.
In conclusion, the Viva Rio study on the weapons recovered by the
Brazilian police allows us to better appreciate the merits of a tracing
mechanism. In spite of the shortcomings we have highlighted throughout
this paper, tracing operations can produce useful results; in the context of