Arms trafficking

Arms trafficking are the illegal trafficking of weapons. Global arms trade impact democracy,
development and security. The arm trade is deeply connected to the corruption, because the illicit
trafficking of firearms is a high- profit activity that binds many times the illicit black market to the official
market. Illicit arms trafficking fuels civil wars, contributes to sky-rocketing crime rates and feeds the
arsenals of the world's worst terrorists.
1

Most of the statistics have shown that weapons and guns used for trafficking have been collected from
public sources such as: arrest, law enforcement etc. According to a study released by the Trans-Border
Institute at the University of San Diego, around 250,000 guns were purchased in the United States and
smuggled into Mexico each year from 2010 to 2012. Security officials on both sides of the border seized
14 percent of the guns smuggled into Mexico. The study estimates that up to 47 percent of U.S. guns
stores rely upon some demand from Mexico in order to stay in business.
2

According to another statistic made by the Congressional Research Service in 2004, shows that the top 5
worldwide arms exporters are
3
:




ACTIONS AGAINST ILLICIT GUN TRAFFICKING
Very recently gun attacks took place in different locations around the world. As a consequence people
died and some other experienced that cruel reality of gun violence. Therefore, measures and legislations
have been enacted in order to combat the illegal arms trafficking. For instance the European Union in
2010 adopted the European Action Plan in order to strike down the illegal trafficking of weapons and it
strengthens the laws and national rules.
4

Other global institutions which are working under the legal framework against firearms are:
(i) the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small
Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (PoA), adopted at the United Nations Conference on the Illicit
Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects from 9-20 July 2001
(ii) The International Instrument to Enable States to identify and Trace, in a Timely and Reliable Manner,
Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons (ITI) from 2005

1
http://www.fas.org/asmp/campaigns/smallarms/IssueBrief3ArmsTrafficking.html
2
http://www.havocscope.com/number-of-guns-purchased-in-the-u-s-smuggled-into-mexico-between-2010-2012/
3
http://www.fas.org/asmp/resources/govern/109th/CRSRL33051.pdf
4
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-12-841_en.htm
1. United States $18.55 billion
2. Russia $4.6 billion
3. France $4.4 billion
4. United Kingdom $1.9 billion
(iii) Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, Adopted by the
Eighth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, Havana,
Cuba, 27 August to 7 September 1990.
COLOMBIA
The state of Colombia is a significant example of dealing with illegal gun trafficking. It is significant
because it shows how foreign countries get involve and maintain civic conflicts in order to develop a
market for gun trafficking. The policy implication of the US government in Colombia has a great impact
on the Colombias political conflict
5
and it is speculated that the US government distributed small- arms
trafficking for supporting the guerilla groups and other organizations.

5
http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/firearms-protocol/legal-framewrok.html