Contrary to the impression given by Hollywood's depictions, most firearms seized from drug traffickers and gang members in the United States are handguns, not automatic rifles or sub-machine guns. In this podcast, senior researcher Matt Schroeder highlights and explains key findings from his analysis of more than 140,000 records on firearms seized from criminals in eight US cities. These findings were released this summer as a chapter in Small Arms Survey 2014: Women and Guns.

The second part of the two-part podcast discussing the Small Arms Survey's engagement in measuring  SDG Goal 16, which focuses on peaceful and inclusive societies, access to justice, and accountable institutions. This episode examines SDG Target 16.4, which calls for a significant reduction in illicit arms flows. Beyond acknowledging the link between illicit weapons, armed violence, and insecurity, it is crucial to identify ways of measuring and understanding the illicit arms trade.

Measuring illicit arms flows is one of the challenges faced by states in their efforts to monitor progress in implementing Sustainable Development Goal 16, target 16.4. Fulfilling its mission as the principal international source of impartial and public information on all aspects of small arms and armed violence, the Small Arms Survey brings in a series of podcasts the voices of researchers with relevant experience concerning the issue at hand.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that form Agenda 2030 provide a universal policy framework within which states have agreed to operate as a means towards sustainable development. SDG16 sets out to achieve peaceful, just, and inclusive societies, with its fourth target focusing specifically on significantly reducing illicit arms flows.
 

The third installment of the Small Arms Survey podcast series on illicit arms flows discusses Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG16), target 16.4, and its associated indicator, 16.4.2.

This webinar on weapons and explosives in North and West Africa was organized by the Survey's Security Assessment in North Africa (SANA) project. It is the first of a 5-part series of SANA Expert Briefings.

Small Arms Survey expert David Lochhead joins moderator Alaa Tartir (SANA Project Lead) for this discussion.The briefing was held on 11 May 2021 via Zoom.

The Small Arms Survey 2012: Moving Targets looks at what is changing, and not changing, in relation to armed violence and small arms proliferation. Chapters on firearm homicide in Latin America and the Caribbean, drug violence in selected Latin American countries, and non-lethal violence worldwide illustrate that security is a moving target; armed violence continues to undermine security and well-being around the world. The goal of curbing small arms proliferation, embodied in the UN Programme of Action, appears similarly elusive.

The Small Arms Survey 2013: Everyday Dangers explores the many faces of armed violence outside the context of conflict. Chapters on the use of firearms in intimate partner violence, the evolution of gangs in Nicaragua, Italian organized crime groups, and trends in armed violence in South Africa describe the dynamics and effects of gun violence in the home and on the street.

Small arms trafficking across the western half of the border between Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has remained largely unexamined. The legacy of armed conflict in both countries, the presence of armed groups such as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) on both sides of the border, and poor border control would suggest the possibility of a robust trade in small arms.