SALW guide

With its SALW guide, BICC provides a non-specialist, user-friendly and multi-language platform to inform about different categories and types of small arms and light weapons, their whereabouts in the world, and where possible, by whom they are held. It is designed to build knowledge on how to recognize different types, makes and models of commonly used SALW; to collect data on the global and country-specific spread of these SALW; and to describe some of their visual and technical specifications. The guide is not an exhaustive list of all SALW that are used around the world.

Global SALW control relies on, among other things, data and knowledge of the weapons themselves. Our aim is that the Guide will be used to support national reporting duties on SALW holdings; facilitate and ameliorate the collection of data on SALW; and increase general knowledge of global distribution of SALW. Thus, the guide addresses researchers, journalists, photographers as well as civil servants, officials and policymakers dealing with the aforementioned challenges of SALW control.

The underlying database of the SALW guide can be queried by either a geographical or weapon specific search term. In total, the guide contains visual images, markings and descriptions on 131 types of small arms or light weapons worldwide. The main source of the guide, the Small Arms and Light Weapons Guide (2016) by the German Bundeswehr Verification Center (BWVc), has been validated by various institutions and databases. See project website for more information