Victims, Survivors, and Costs

Small arms can affect human potential and well-being both directly and indirectly. They are responsible for the majority of battle-related conflict deaths. Small arms misuse imposes significant humanitarian and development costs to developing countries in which public institutions are failing. Firearms are also important contributors to crime and societal violence - they are used in 40 per cent of homicides worldwide. The prevalence of small arms misuse, both in conflict and crime, is leading analysts to examine the economic costs of gun violence, in an effort to assess the cost-effectiveness of interventions designed to reduce it.
 
 

Conflict Deaths

Small arms and light weapons are responsible for the majority of direct conflict deaths. An estimated 60 to 90 percent of all direct conflict victims are killed with a firearm. Due to methodological issue, estimates on the total number of direct conflict deaths remain somewhat uncertain, but the total direct conflict death toll was possibly between 80,000 and 108,000 in 2003. Interesting case studies have emerged from individual conflicts, while other conflicts remain highly under-researched. In particular, in countries with less developed health care systems and insufficient humanitarian aid, the indirect conflict death toll is often much higher than the number of people killed by direct conflict violence.
 
 

Humanitarian and Developmental Costs

Small arms and light weapons availability is increasingly regarded as a major risk factor to humanitarian and development priorities. It has demonstrated consequences - both direct and indirect - on public health, access to basic needs and entitlements, micro and macro-economic development, and real and perceived security. Crucially, SALW contribute to escalated perceptions of insecurity - a key factor that undermines daily routines, mobility, and social capital. The Small Arms Survey has placed considerable emphasis on highlighting the human cost of small arms, particularly through the prism of relief and development action. Small arms have contributed to the erosion of humanitarian access, as well as increased displacement and militarization. What is more, SALW misuse has severe implications for development - particularly for the achievement of the Millenium Development Goals and the implementation of post-conflict recovery and development planning programmes.
 
 

Crime and Societal Costs

Used in 40 percent of the world's homicides, firearms are a common tool for perpetrating societal violence. Whether gun accessibility affects overall levels of violence is, however, subject to heated discussions. The lethality of guns increases the risk of injury and death and raises perceptions of threat, but, in some cases, the legal ownership of firearms may also contribute to deterring crime. The balance between these two effects is the subject of ongoing debate about the relationship between small arms and crime, small arms and suicide, and the impact of small arms control on levels of violence.
 
 

Economic Costs

Examining the impacts of gun violence from an economic perspective can serve as an essential component in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of violence prevention and reduction initiatives. Small arms make violence worse for societies by increasing the average cost of violent injuries. Countries and regions pay very different price tags, however. In developed countries, high costs are frequently used to justify more spending on violence prevention. Developing countries that cannot afford to care for victims will probably spend less than they should and thus leave victims even more vulnerable.