Arms Dealing is a problem in every nation and region on the globe. The main sources of illegal weapons are:
- Reactivation of neutralized weapons
- Burglaries and thefts
- Embezzlement of legal arms
- Selling of legal arms on the illegal market
- Reactivation of decommissioned army or police firearms
- Conversion of gas pistols
In Europe, the weapons and organized criminal groups involved in weapons trafficking primarily originate from the former Soviet Union and the Western Balkans. (In the latter, the weapons typically have been held illegally after recent conflicts in the area.) Outlaw motorcycle gangs also are involved in the trafficking of weapons and already have chapters in the Western Balkans. Organized criminal groups use existing criminal routes to traffic weapons.
According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the majority of crime guns recovered in Mexico from 2009 to 2014 were originally purchased in the United States—mostly Texas, California, and Arizona. In addition, a report in the Journal of Economic Geography found that, on average, 213,000 firearms are smuggled across the U.S./Mexico border every year. And research by the Center for American Progress estimates that from 2014 to 2016, U.S.-sourced guns were used to commit crimes in nearby countries approximately once every 31 minutes.
These are just a few examples of an ever-increasing and global problem. Together, we can solve it. Please download our TCI tips app—available for Apple and Android devices—and anonymously report illegal gun trafficking.
