The dictionary describes proliferation as a rapid growth or production of new parts or cells. When referring to weapon proliferation, it needs to stop. While reading the article, I continued to notice the author was referring to small arms and light weapons as different entities, and I don’t really understand the difference. When doing further research I found;
“Small arms and light weapons are man-portable weapons made or modified to military specifications for use as lethal instruments of war. Small arms are broadly categorized as those weapons intended for use by individual members of armed or security forces. They include revolvers and selfloading pistols; rifles and carbines; sub-machine guns; assault rifles; and light machine guns. Light weapons are broadly categorized as those weapons intended for use by several members of armed or security forces serving as a crew. They include heavy machine guns; hand-held under-barrel and mounted grenade launchers; portable anti-aircraft guns; portable anti-tank guns; recoilless rifles; portable launchers of anti-tank missile and rocket systems; portable launchers of anti-aircraft missile systems; and mortars of calibers less than 100 mm (Small Arms and Light Weapons SA/LW).”
Although there is a difference between the two, I can agree that both are detrimental to the safety of the world and innocent bystanders to the “new business of war.”
Small arms have become one of the main components in war, and according to Global Issues, by Richard J. Payne,
“Roughly 300,000 to 500,000 people are killed every year by small arms and light weapons globally. Small arms and light weapons, many of them supplied by France, were used in the Rwandan genocide. Although the united States, Russia, And China are the dominant manufactures and exporters of small arms and light weapons, it is estimated that one thousand companies in the ninety-eight countries produce such weapons and that there are 380 million owners of these weapons worldwide.”
Although chemical, nuclear, and biological weapons also pose a threat to global security, small arms and light weapons prove to currently be one of if not the largest instrument in mass destruction in countries around the world. “The National Rifle Association’s well-worn slogan that ‘guns don’t kill people, people kill people’”, as stated in William D. Hartung’s article “The New Business of War: Small Arms and the Proliferation of Conflict” is true, but it must be remembered that people will kill people less if the material needed to kill with becomes unavailable. As I continued to read the article, I was dumbfounded by the fact that civilians account for 80 to 90 percent of parties killed in conflicts, which if I may say so is ridiculous. Because small arms are viewed to be less detrimental to large populations, it can be thought that there is no need to truly stop the marketing of them, but when looking at the situation on a larger scale small arms and light weapons have the large effect on the population they are being used on. Do I think it will be difficult to control the marketing and transit of these weapons; yes, but do I think the effort is well worth it? Yes. All efforts have to start somewhere and at some time, so why not right here in the U.S. and right now.