Weapons and ammunition identification

The proliferation and use of small arms and light weapons play an important role in numerous issues of global concern, such as armed conflict, crime, governance, and development. Knowledge of these weapons is key to understanding and reporting on these and other critical issues.

The Small Arms Survey recently conducted the third and fourth in a series of workshops for journalists, aimed at expanding and improving reporting on weapons and ammunition. The two workshops, held in early December 2016 in Tunis in cooperation with the Center for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces - Geneva (DCAF) and its Trust Fund for North Africa, provided an overview of the contemporary landscape of weapons proliferation and control, including how weapons make their way from legitimate users to non-state armed groups and criminal organizations. Participants working in North Africa and beyond were also taught how to record and identify weapons and ammunition encountered in the field with a particular focus on tracking the sources of weapons and understanding the strategic and diplomatic implications of their proliferation.

By encouraging closer collaboration between journalists, researchers, and other specialists, the Survey aims to contribute to a better understanding of the dynamics of weapons and confli

• More information on the Tunis workshop
  
  

The Small Arms Survey has developed several tools and publications to assist with weapons identification.

• Podcast 'Reporting from the Frontline: Weapons Identification for Journalists'

• Issue Brief 'Documenting Small Arms and Light Weapons: A Basic Guide'

• Research Note ‘Documenting Weapons in Situations of Conflict: Methods and Trends’: offers an overview of the Survey’s efforts to document weapons and ammunition in conflict areas, and of the principal trends emerging from this research.

• Weapons and ammunition identification tools: Weapons ID database and Small Arms ID Cards (also in Spanish)

• Ammunition Tracing Kit: designed to enable rapid, reliable, and responsible reporting of small-calibre ammunition in a variety of circumstances.

• HSBA Arms and Ammunition Tracing Desk: for detailed assessments of the arms and ammunition circulating in South Sudan and Sudan.