Publications

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Illicit Small Arms, Light Weapons (SALW) and their ammunition pose a serious global threat to the security of individuals, communities, and nation states. This SALW Identification Guide provides specialized agencies, security forces, and actors involved in regulating illegal trafficking of weapons and ammunition with access to critical information in a compact, user-friendly format.

This Guide contains an overview of different SALW and ammunition markings as well as photographs, technical data and their known geographical distribution to help identify some of the most common weapons currently in circulation. The accurate identification, documentation and reporting of weapons and ammunition that has been seized or captured on the battlefield is a cornerstone of counter-diversion and tracing initiatives aimed at reducing illicit proliferation. Systematic marking, precise identification and reliable recordkeeping practices are equally essential to effectively managing national weapons and ammunition stockpiles through their lifecycle from production to ammunition stockpiles through their lifecycle from production to destruction.

The Guide facilitates the preparation and implementation of SALW-control field assessment missions and has proven to be a valuable training aid in enhancing national and regional weapons and ammunition management capacity in various conflict-affected contexts. A practical Ammunition Documentation Tool to accurately photograph, measure and identify commonly found ammunition calibers is included.