Over 1m unlicensed weapons in circulation — Small Arms Commission

The National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons has revealed that about 1.1 million small arms and light weapons in the country cannot be adequately traced or documented.

Out of the total 2.3 million currently in circulation, this unaccounted-for quantity poses a considerable threat to national security, according to the commission.

Frank Boateng Asumani, Head of the National Arms Marking Programme, highlighted ongoing initiatives to curb the proliferation of these arms during a regional conference addressing the humanitarian impact of improvised anti-personal mines.

According to him, currently, 2.3 million small and light weapons in circulation, out of which 1.2 million are legally registered and the remaining 1.1 million cannot be accounted for and so the commission is currently looking for funding to know the level of proliferation we have in the system. We are talking about AK47s, pistols, pump-action guns, and locally manufactured guns.

On the part of Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, he stressed the urgency of confronting the menace with unwavering determination and collective efforts.

He, therefore, called for global collaboration to address the issue.

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