This article was originally published by SIPRI on 23 October 2014. It was published as part of a collaborative partnership between SIPRI and Economists for Peace and Security (EPS).The complete report can be accessed here.
Since the turn of the century, and in large part due to the commendable efforts of the Small Arms Survey in Geneva, we have learned much about small arms, including handheld firearms. We now know much more about firearm users, firearm misuse, the consequences of firearm misuse, complementary products such as ammunition, and legal and illicit firearm supply routes and networks. Nonetheless, relatively little is known about the firearm industry itself—that is, its manufacturers.