Introduction

Gun-free zones (GFZs) are to be found in every country. Legislation may differ, but typically civilians are not allowed to bring a gun into police stations, courts, parliaments, sports stadiums, airports, etc. While these areas could technically be qualified as “gun-free zones” (“gun-free” always applying to civilians, not to military, police or even private security companies), they are not the focus of this paper. This paper centers on GFZs established as a—mostly regional or local—complement to existing national regulation, as a specific ad hoc tool to prevent and reduce armed violence in communities where a large proportion of (attempted) homicides is perpetrated with illegal guns: countries affected by high levels of armed violence (above 20 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants) or countries in post-conflict settings. Also, the paper does not go into detail on GFZs associated with armed conflict (e.g., “zones of peace” and refugee camps).

Sustainable Development Goals:

Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions