According to former UN Secretary General kofi Anan: “The world is flooded with small arms and light weapons numbering at least 500 million, enough for one of every 12 people on earth. Most of these are controlled by legal authorities, but when they fall into the hands of terrorists, criminals and irregular forces, small arms bring devastation. They exacerbate conflict, spark refugee flows, undermine the rule of law, and spawn a culture of violence and impunity. In short, small arms are a threat to peace and development, to democracy and human rights.”

“Small arms are easy to buy: in some places, an AK-47 assault rifle can be bought for as little as $15, or even for a bag of grain. They are easy to use: with minimal training, even a child can wield one. They are easy to conceal and transport. Since they require little maintenance, they can last for decades. They cause big losses: the Inter-American Development Bank has estimated the direct and indirect costs of small arms violence at $140 to $170 billion per year in Latin America alone. Most of all, they are deadly. According to the independent Small Arms Survey 2001, small arms are implicated in well over 1,000 deaths every single day, the vast majority of them women and children.”

Margaret Coker in her article: Illegal Small Weapons Pose Global Threat which deals with the Somalia situation, gives a graphic picture of how serious is the problem in some societies

Amid stalls selling tomatoes and live chickens at the Bakhar Market, a jarring cry pierces the clatter. “Guns for sale! You need a gun?” asks a teenage boy, pointing to rows of Kalashnikov assault rifles hanging like sides of beef in wooden kiosks along the dusty, rutted street.

After two customers test-fire some of the displayed merchandise, a slightly used Russian-made AK-47 with a well-oiled muzzle and polished wood butt changes hands for $200.

“The Kalashnikov is a weapon all fighters love. It will shoot whether it’s covered in mud or filled with sand. It’s so easy, even a child can use it,” said Ali Stilla, an arms dealer and father of three

Guyana which at one time was not seriously affected by this problem has now joined those countries where this problem is of serious concern and this has been acknowledged by Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee who said that a gun culture is becoming more evident in Guyanese society and the current trend must be discontinued.

In this regard, the recent signing of a MOU between the US and Guyana paving the way to allow for illegal firearms entering this country to be traced through a web based project called ‘e-Trace’, at no local cost.

It also clear that the current global trend is showing increasingly that criminal activities in different countries have many common denominators, and therefore in finding solutions it is imperative that a collective approach and global cooperation and collaboration among government and respective law enforcement agencies be adopted.

One of the major reasons for the success of the criminal enterprise has been the global cooperation among the criminal syndicates and actors. So it is only logical that global cooperation among countries should be adopted.

With respect to the above Anan correctly observed: “To fight back, we need better laws and more effective regulations. States have established international norms in the areas of nuclear non-proliferation, and banned chemical and biological weapons and anti-personnel land-mines. Yet there is no such framework of binding norms and standards to eliminate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.”