While the threats of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons dominate the news and the policy agenda, small arms and light weapons continue to kill an average of 300,000 people each year, primarily civilians. Sometimes referred to as “the real weapons of mass destruction,” small arms, are an ever present threat to global security, as well as to the lives, human rights, and economic development of people all over the world. Despite the negative consequences associated with small arms, the U.S. and other countries have yet to effectively address the licit and illicit global small arms proliferation problem. Better regulation of the trade in these dangerous weapons is the best way to keep them out of the hands of people who would use them to do harm. Without global action, led by the largest arms suppliers, people will continue to live in daily fear of armed violence in their communities.
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