NCJ Number
237745
Journal
Internal Security Volume: 2 Issue: 1 Dated: 2010 Pages: 75-89
Date Published
2010
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This article discusses legal countermeasures used by the United Nations and the European Union to combat the problem of illegal weapons trafficking and manufacturing.
Abstract
The article focuses on the countermeasures that could be taken by international community and countries in order to tackle with the problem of illicit weapons trafficking and manufacturing. One of the most efficient tools in the field of preventing and combating the above phenomena is implementing the tracing of weapons. Tracing means systematic tracking the history of firearms and in certain cases also its parts and ammunition; checking the background of the weapon and its users in order to perceive the moment of shifting the weapon from legal into illegal market and detect the perpetrators operating in this shady business. Tracing concept is deeply rooted both in European Union and United Nations legal heritage and derives respectively from the so-called EU Firearms Directives as well as UN Vienna Firearms Protocol and UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects. Tracing is based on three linked pillars: marking of weapons and ammunition, exchange of information and recordkeeping understood as registering all weapons and keeping track of production, import, sale, transfer from government stockpiles, deactivation, destruction. The exchange of information can be executed both domestically and internationally, including the intermediation with international institutions such as Interpol. Article also explains in detail the characteristics of weapon tracing instruments or manuals worked out both by European Union and United Nations, their inter-dependence and main differences as well as reasons behind applied approaches of both stakeholders. (Published Abstract)