Publication

This brief serves as a basic how-to guide for recording relevant identification characteristics of small arms and light weapons that may be encountered in the field. After reviewing the definitions of small arms and light weapons, the value of accurate identification of arms and munitions, the basic elements of arms tracing, and the relevant legal framework, it offers a step-by-step approach to documenting small arms and light weapons. It also features a section on safety procedures and guidelines for undertaking documentation work in the field and concludes with a section on the weapon that is most commonly observed in conflict zones: the AK rifle and its variants, copies, and derivatives.