Sustained research and analysis have confirmed that the problem of small arms violence cannot be separated from other aspects of human society and culture. Investigations into gun violence that neglect the social relations between men and women, for example, are now seen as incomplete. Gender-conscious programme design and implementation, long features of the development agenda, are increasingly reflected in efforts to promote security. As our understanding of the small arms problem expands, so too does the potential for new, more effective solutions.

The Small Arms Survey 2014 contributes to this evolution by seeking to unpack, in its first section, the complex, shifting relationship between women and guns. The second section presents new information and analysis under the broad rubric of ‘weapons and markets’. The chapter summaries below present some of the findings emerging from this research.

WOMEN AND GUNS

The first section of this volume examines the relationship between women and guns in a wide range of settings. While women (and girls) bear a substantial part of the overall burden of firearm violence, this is only part of the story. Women are also firearm owners and users, police officers, and combatants. They are increasingly involved in peace and disarmament processes, and in the design and implementation of national gun control policies.