Global Study on Firearms Trafficking 2020

Firearms trafficking affects all parts of the world and impacts on society in multiple ways. It is a major concern in the context of human security, and it is central in law enforcement efforts and activities. Firearms are instrumental in much violence, particularly homicide; they are often used by organized criminals and they support operations related to armed conflicts and terrorism. The most common form of weapons trafficking involves small arms and light weapons; however, the character of this trafficking can vary significantly in different geographical contexts and in relation to different weapons. The 2020 Global Study on Firearms is responding to the requests (2010, 2016) by the Conference of Parties to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime on data collection and analysis related to trafficking in firearms.Building on the 2015 UNODC Study on Firearms, this report analyses the flows of firearms trafficking, the types of firearms that are trafficked, how this trafficking is conducted, how it is related to other types of crime and how firearms enter the illicit market.