Stop Small Arms’ Epidemic
In 2009, the International Action Network on Small Arms’ (IANSA) members, in more than 90 countries, highlighted the human cost of small arms proliferation and misuse; they also demanded that governments enact policies that put their citizens’ security first. Civil society organizations taking part in the Week of Action organized public events, conducted media work, and generally engaged more people in the global movement against gun violence. They publicized the UN small arms process, emphasized the importance of an Arms Trade Treaty, promoted implementation of the UN Firearms Protocol, and supported policies linking armed violence and development, among other activities. Also in 2009, the Disarm Domestic Violence Campaign was launched with over 30 events worldwide. The goal of the campaign is to ensure that anyone with a history of domestic abuse is denied access to a firearm, and has their license revoked. In its last annual report, “Gun Violence: The Global Crisis,” IANSA reminded: “A thousand people die every day by gunshots, and three times as many are severely injured. Spinal cords severed, bones shattered, families destroyed, hearts broken. If the death, injury and disability resulting from small arms were categorized as a disease, we would view it as an epidemic. And no country is immune.”
