Every three minutes[i], a person was killed with a firearm.
A significant portion of these deaths involve illegal weapons trafficked across borders and even continents, often by organized criminal networks engaged in a wide array of illicit activities.
Here are ten essential questions about firearms trafficking, its recent trends and key patterns – answered.
A firearm is a portable barrelled weapon designed or modified to expel a shot, bullet or projectile through explosive force.
Firearms trafficking involves cross-border transfers of firearms, their parts, components or ammunition that are unauthorized by at least one of the countries involved, or which lack proper identification or markings.
Illegal weapons have high market value, and traffickers profit significantly from their sale.
Gun trafficking undermines all dimensions of peace and security. Here are a few examples:
War
Trafficked weapons fuel deadly conflicts by empowering the warring parties and enriching the traffickers. Armed groups supplied with illicit arms may engage in violence, undermining state authority, prolonging war and preventing peace.
In the Sahel, for example, firearms trafficking has been a key driver of deadly violence. Competition for the control of gold mining sites in Chad, coupled with the presence of illicit arms, has fuelled tensions between small-scale miners, law enforcement officers and non-state armed groups. This has resulted in numerous deaths and mass displacement.
Crime
Illicit firearms are not limited to conflict zones. More lives were lost globally from intentional killings than from armed conflict and terrorism in 2021 – and many of these murders were committed with firearms.
Weapons trafficking is essential for the activities of organized criminal groups, from local street gangs to cartels operating across borders.
They use weapons to commit serious crimes, gain power and maintain control, instil fear, challenge authority and undermine the rule of law.
In their hands, firearms are tools of violence, coercion, extortion, robbery, domestic abuse, human trafficking, kidnapping, racketeering and other crimes. Forty per cent of the 458,000 homicides recorded in 2021 were committed with a firearm.
They are also integral to drug trafficking, helping criminal groups expand illegal activities and protect territory and themselves against competitors and law enforcement.
For example, the flow of illegal weapons into the hands of gangs in Haiti has enabled them to carry out deadly attacks across the country and engage in the drug trade, wildlife crime and human trafficking.
Terrorism
Terrorist and violent extremist groups often acquire firearms through illegal arms markets. They also trade weapons to generate revenues and fund their operations.
For example, the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, which killed 137 people, were carried out with Kalashnikovs and other assault rifles that had previously been trafficked.
The full scale of the illicit firearms trade is difficult to measure due to underreporting and limited data.
Most cases of illicit firearms trafficking go undetected. According to the 2020 Global Study on Firearms Trafficking an estimated two-thirds of weapons are seized on the grounds of illicit possession. According to the 2020 Global Study on Firearms Trafficking, an estimated two-thirds of weapons are seized on the grounds of illicit possession. Less than 10 per cent are classified as trafficking cases, as it can be easier for law enforcement to justify seizures based on illegal possession.
Experts suggest that the actual number of firearms linked to trafficking could be much higher.
The 2020 Global Study on Firearms Trafficking shows that pistols are the most commonly seized firearms globally. In the Americas, they account for over 50 per cent of all intercepted weapons.
Shotguns are the most common type in Africa and Asia, while rifles are the dominant type in Oceania. In Europe, pistols, rifles and shotguns are reportedly seized in similar quantities.
Firearms are usually manufactured for legal markets by licenced producers. However, they are diverted into the black market by criminals at various points: during production, sale, transit or storage.
Some weapons are illegally manufactured, using separate parts or created using emerging technologies such as 3D printing.
Being durable commodities, they can be easily reused, resold and trafficked.
According to UNODC data from 2020, most departure points for firearms are located in Northern America, Europe and Western Asia.
Central and South America and parts of Western Asia – regions particularly affected by high criminal violence and instability – account for the majority of trafficking destinations.
Weapons are transported by land, sea and air. According to seizure data, most trafficking cases involve the smuggling of just one or a few guns. Land routes are the most commonly detected, making up about two-thirds of all seizure cases.
When done via sea shipments, although in fewer instances, traffickers tend to carry much larger quantities – often five times as many firearms as other transport methods.
Sometimes, criminals use the “ant trafficking” method, where many individuals smuggle small batches of firearms to evade law enforcement detection.
The international legal regime on firearms comprises a variety of international and regional instruments.
The UN Firearms Protocol of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) is one of the leading international instruments aimed at combating the illicit manufacturing and trafficking of firearms, their parts, components and ammunition.
To date, 126 countries have ratified the Protocol. It supports efforts to regulate arms flows, prevent their diversion to illegal markets, as well as investigate and prosecute traffickers. It also fosters international cooperation to dismantle criminal networks.
Governments can strengthen their response to firearms trafficking by:
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) assists countries in combating illicit firearms trafficking by providing legal and policy guidance, promoting control and security measures, supporting law enforcement and judicial efforts, strengthening cooperation and enhancing data collection and research to monitor global arms flows.
In West and Central Africa, our efforts have increased arms seizures and enhanced cross-border investigations. In November 2024, UNODC-supported Operation KAFO V seized 400 firearms, over 4,000 rounds of ammunition and 10,000 dynamite sticks. Conducted in Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ghana, Mali and Niger, the operation led to 75 arrests for firearms-related and other crimes.
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