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Tuesday, June 19, 2018, 10:32
Survey: US accounts for over 40% of world's civilian-owned guns
By Xinhua
Tuesday, June 19, 2018, 10:32 By Xinhua

This update handout photo released June 7, 2018 by the Transportation Security Administration shows a handgun that was one of 30 guns confiscated in May 2018 at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport security check points. The US far outnumbers other countries in civilian firearm holding, with its 4-percent population holding over 40 percent of the world's civilian-owned firearms in 2017, according to a survey released on June 18, 2018. (TSA VIA AP)

UNITED NATIONS - The United States far outnumbers other countries in civilian firearm holding, with its 4-percent population holding over 40 percent of the world's civilian-owned firearms in 2017, according to a survey released on Monday. 

Of the 857 million civilian-held firearms estimated in 2017, 393 million were in the US, more than those held by civilians in the other top 25 countries combined, according to Geneva-based Small Arms Survey

Of the 857 million civilian-held firearms estimated in 2017, 393 million were in the US, more than those held by civilians in the other top 25 countries combined, according to Geneva-based Small Arms Survey.

In the survey, author Aaron Karp, who held a press briefing Monday on the sidelines of a review conference on illicit small arms and light weapons, said the growth of US civilian holdings also contributed disproportionately to the increase of the firearms stockpile, which saw acquisition around 14 million guns annually during the last five years. 

In terms of ownership rates, according to the survey, every 100 US residents owned 121 firearms, with the number being 53 in Yemen and 39 in Montenegro. At the other end of the spectrum, residents in Indonesia and Japan held less than one firearm per 100 people. 

READ MORE: 10 dead in US college shooting

But small arms control is a prerequisite for stability and conflict prevention, which is critical to achieve the mutually reinforcing goals of sustaining peace and sustainable development.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called on for more efforts to address the thorny issue of regulating and controlling small arms.

"Regulating small arms is a unique challenge. It is not simply a question of addressing government stockpiles," Guterres said in a conference on illicit small arms and light weapons. "Out of some 900 million small arms in the world, three-quarters are in civilian hands - the majority unlicensed."

Guterres said over half a million people are killed violently around the world every year, mostly through small arms fire. Therefore, solutions must be integrated and holistic. Short-term, compartmentalized projects will not keep pace with the seriousness and magnitude of the problem. 

Controlling and regulating small arms therefore requires action that goes well beyond national security institutions, Guterres said in the message read by his Chef de Cabinet Maria Viotti. 

These actions include providing alternative livelihoods for former combatants, engaging with municipal governments and police, working with civil society, including grassroots organizations and community violence reduction programs, as well as local businesses. 

Overall, the survey put the global circulation of firearms as of 2017 at one billion, with 857 million (85 percent) in civilian hands, 133 million (13 percent) in military arsenals, and 23 million (2 percent) owned by law enforcement. 

It also noted the diversity in civilian stockpile in terms of types of firearms. "They can include improvised craft weapons, factory-made handguns, rifles, shotguns, and in some countries even machine guns." 

It specified that civilian holdings comprised not only weapons held by individuals but also those possessed by private security firms, non-state armed groups and gangs.

Guterres added many men use an illegally acquired weapon against women who are their partners. In some countries, more than 60 percent of killings of women are committed with firearms. 

Small arms are often a factor in large-scale human rights abuses and the forced displacement of civilians, Guterres noted.

During the work of this research, the Small Arms Survey saw an increase of information availability on civilian holdings. However, it did not see the same level of transparency for armed forces and law enforcement agencies.

Civilian firearms registration data was available for 133 countries and territories, but only 28 countries released information on their military stockpiles and 28 did so regarding their law enforcement firearms holdings, it said.  

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