Small Arms

Small arms and light weapons (SALW), which can be categorized as conventional weapons, kill more civilians than any other type of weapons. Most of the recent conflicts were fought mainly using SALW to cause wide-spread killing and mass-destruction. Yet, the topic of SALW control and disarmament has only come up in recent years. Therefore it is worth taking a closer look at these weapon systems, their distribution, availability, trafficking, and international control through treaties.