Small Arms Trade and Killing Innocents
By Kamala Sarup
It is true, small arms kill more people around the world than any other sort of weapon. We should not forget If we do
arms trade then we will have a hard time persuading peace. People are agree that small arms trade expenses is
unnecessary. Trouble is that what I consider absolutely essential might be peace and only peace. Only way to eliminate
arms trade in a system is to beat on the politicians.
We must fight for more efficient, responsible, less authoritative law and order for the world. Only way of accomplishing
that, peacefully in a peace is spread the world.
Arms trade does not, contrary to popular opinion. There are many examples of groups of anti arms groups of people today.
I don't agree that I am making any insinuations and I certainly agree that the any authority offers little to peace.
It's a matter of fear, I'm sure. Fear of change, fear of the unknown. They'd rather keep the failed state of affairs. We
have seen often in history where leaders have not thought out the details and ended up with a situation worse than
before the change.
1. A two-week U.N. conference reviewing efforts to fight the illegal weapons trade ended in failure Friday, with nations
too divided on too many contentious issues to agree on the best way to combat a scourge that fuels conflict worldwide.
After days of negotiations, delegates gave up their bid to agree on an "outcome document" meant to reflect their
consensus on the most serious threats and the best way to fight the illegal trade in small arms, worth about $1 billion
a year. The conference was reviewing progress made toward achieving a 2001 program of action to curb the illicit sale of
pistols, assault rifles, machine guns and other light weapons. The global trade in small arms is worth about $4 billion
a year, of which a fourth is considered illegal, according to the annual Small Arms Survey, an authoritative report on
such weapons. The arms cause 60 percent to 90 percent of all deaths in conflicts every year. (Source:NICK WADHAMS
Associated Press Writer, 2006.)
2. The gun trade is worth $4 billion (2.2 billion pounds) a year of which a quarter may be unauthorised or illicit.
There are 640 million guns in the world and another 8 million new guns are manufactured annually by over 1,200 companies
in 92 countries. Ten to 14 billion units of ammunition are manufactured every year, enough to kill everyone in the world
twice over. (Source:Reuters 2006)
3. From Africa to Bosnia, back to Africa and on to the Middle East -- the often secretive flow of guns and bullets
follows the world's cycle of wars. "Small arms in Europe are not as cheap as they used to be at the end of the 1990s ...
partly because the initial flood of weapons from former East Bloc armories has slowed down," said one European arms
broker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisals from his small, tight-knit community. "But there are
still ample supplies left around. For AK-47s particularly all the old East Bloc countries still have some surplus new
weapons and, of course, there are lots of used ones," he told Reuters. ( Source:Jeremy Lovell, Tue Jun 20, 2006 Reuters)
4. Anti-gun activists say they want the 2006 review conference to back a new treaty or, failing that, international
guidelines governing arms transfers. Those would aim to prevent, for example, deals with criminals or terrorists, or for
use in a genocide or in violation of a U.N. arms embargo. (Source:Reuters, Fri Jun 23, 2006 Irwin Arieff)
5. Illegal trafficking in small arms and light weapons stirs up the civil unrest in poor countries that blocks their
social, political and economic development. Illegally traded small arms and light weapons end up not only fomenting
internal strife in poor countries but also promoting terrorism and organized crime such as human trafficking and drug
smuggling. (Source:Nuncio Catholic News Service 2006.)
6. In a globalised world this is a growing threat, and national legislation is often inadequate. In the coming year, UN
experts will have to come up with workable proposals to plug the legislative gaps that illicit small arms brokers
exploit. (Source:July 4, 2006 The East African)
Yes, I and others will agree that most people want anti arms trade actions. It is true, In any war, many groups that in
principle are against bearing arms, do not want to take them up. They want to help in their way to protect the life. I
think, If when an aggressor attacks, all people have to do to avoid injury and friends is extend our hand in peace.
I think let world authority not to do whatever they want with the world security as long as we have the option to
support peaceful world. But the real problem is that people are forced out; then government do what they want with the
money they looted from us. It's all an issue of control.
Governments must and should eliminate misery, terrorism and deaths. The governmental is for good medicine,
transportation, agriculture, communications, power, education, for examples, are must be share around the world.
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(Journalist and Story Writer Kamala Sarup (M.A.in Journalism) is an editor of peacejournalism.com. Some of the main
focus of the e-magazine has been on disarmament, conflict resolution, nonviolent sanctions, conflicts and crises. Its
activities include training,research and supports peace, democracy and development in societies undergoing crisis and
change. Kamala Sarup is specialising in in-depth reporting and writing on Peace Resolutions, Anti war, Women, Terrorism,
Democracy, Development)