Producers

Small arms and light weapons are produced in a range of enterprises, from small workshops to some of the most technology-intensive production facilities in the world. The bulk of the world's small arms and light weapons are legally manufactured in relatively large factories.

Small arms and light weapons vary enormously according to size, cost and destructive capacity. Producers are highly differentiated according to their products.

Legal production takes place in factories that are recognised as legitimate enterprises by the host state. However, some illicit production, albeit on a small scale, takes place outside of this framework.
 
 

Legal Production

The majority of small arms and light weapon production facilities operate with the consent of a host state. The point at which a weapon becomes part of the illicit trade therefore takes place after the weapon has left the factory.

Legal small arms and light weapon producers range from large state-owned companies, which manufacture a wide range of small arms and light weapons; to large, privately owned companies; to small, specialist producers of weapons.
 
 

Illicit Production

In global terms, illicit craft production comprises a tiny proportion of weapons manufacturing. Its impact on the proliferation of small arms at the local level can nevertheless be great.

Illicit production can involve relatively large enterprises operating under the auspices of a regional authority, such as in the case of Transdnestr; fairly small-scale production of small arms and a few types of light weapons by armed groups, such as in the case of the LTTE in Sri Lanka or the FARC in Colombia; or very small workshops such as can be found in Ghana, Pakistan or the Philippines.
 
 

Their Products

The Small Arms Survey uses the term 'small arms and light weapons' broadly to cover small arms intended for both civilian and military use, as well as light weapons intended for military use.

Small arms include revolvers and self-loading pistols, rifles and carbines, sub-machine guns, assault rifles, and light machine guns.

Light weapons include heavy machine guns, hand-held under-barrel and mounted grenade launchers, portable anti-aircraft guns, portable anti-tank guns, recoilless rifles, portable launchers of anti-tank missile and rocket systems, portable launchers of anti-aircraft missile systems, and mortars of calibres of less than 100 mm.

When possible, the Small Arms Survey follows the definition - more correctly, the list - used in the United Nations Report of the Panel of Governmental Experts on Small Arms.

Discussions on the technical characteristics of arms and ammunition can be found in various sources.