Citation

Farr V. Contemp. Secur. Policy 2006; 27(1): 45-59.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/13523260600602263

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Due to their widespread availability, mobility and ease of use, small arms are a very important factor in the flaring up and perpetration of many expressions of trauma, both in times of war and in degraded ‘peacetime’ environments characterized by large-scale violence. They have become central to maintaining social dislocation, destabilization, insecurity and crime in the build-up to war, in wartime and in the aftermath of conflict. Small arms are misused within domestic settings as well as in public spaces, and they impact on everyone in the community. One means to counter their effects, therefore, is to increase our understanding of the role played by prolific small arms and light weapons in reinforcing and maintaining genderspecific violence before, during and after conflict.