SALW Guide

The Interactive Guide on Small Arms and Light Weapons is an online database that provides information on the global distribution of, and how to identify commonly used* small arms and light weapons (SALW) in organized violence. It is designed to build knowledge on how to recognize different types, makes and models of commonly used SALW; to collect data on the global and country-specific spread of these SALW; and to describe some of their visual and technical specifications.

The guide is not an exhaustive list of all SALW that are used around the world.

The interactive Guide was developed by BICC in close cooperation with the Bundeswehr Verification Center (BwVC) and with generous support of the Federal Foreign Office, Germany.

* This is based on information provided by the German Bundeswehr Verification Center.

The SALW Guide is also a contribution to the UN Programme of Action (PoA) to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects.