Small arms and human security

By Indeewara Thilakarathne

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Although there is no exact definition on small arms, small arms are those weapons that a person can only handle, fire and transport. Weapons from hand-guns to shoulder mounted anti-air craft missile systems fall into the category of small arms.

However in Sri Lanka the category which causes considerable harm to human and wild life is trap guns. A trap-gun is made from a metal pipe and metal pellets. Unlike in a conventional weapon, there is no one to trigger the gun instead, it is attached to a mechanism (often a rope) that will trigger the explosion when and animal or a person is entangled in the rope. Small Arms have become a menace.

Illegal weapon is behind every one of 19 crimes and in addition they (small arms) have been used in committing homicides and suicides. Therefore this area should get its due priority as use of small arms including trap guns which adversely affect the well-being of impoverished communities leading to a host of illegal activities such as killing wild animals, said Bernard Edirisinghe, the Programme Manager of SASA Net Sri Lanka (South Asian Movement Against Small Arms) at a media workshop on the pro-active role that media can play in raising public awareness on the issue.

According to inconclusive statistics such as police reports, between 1999 and 2005, trap guns have been used in 329 attempted homicides and 144 homicides. They caused 27 grievous injuries in addition to use for robberies and abduction.

Though the figures seem insignificant, it can be concluded that hard statistics are not available on the number of illegal arms (small arms and trap guns) in circulation and how many of such illegal weapons are being manufactured locally and being smuggled into the city of Colombo and the suburbs.

It has been found out that certain villages such as Buttala in the Monaragala district are famous for manufacturing illegal weapons. The black smiths in the area are proud of the fact that they have been manufacturing weapons since the days of the kings.

Obsolete laws

Manufacturing of small arms including trap guns can be reduced, to a certain extent, through legislative amendments. The areas of legislations pertaining to the controlling and licensing of fire arms in Sri Lanka were enacted in the colonial era to suit the requirements of the day.

Therefore they fall short in meeting modern concerns and addressing contemporary issues pertaining to the control and licensing fire arms including trap guns.

For instance, the basic law, the Firearms Ordinance No. 33 of 1916, provides the legislative framework governing civilian use of fire arms, he said.

Although small arms including trap gun fall within the category of illicit arms, it has been noticed that offences relating to home made weapons including trap guns are being prosecuted under Public Offence Act.

This resulted in imposing lenient and nominal punishment on offenders compared with rather harsh punishment meted out under the Firearms Ordinance.

Although legislations alone could not eradicate the use of small arms and their negative effects on society at large on impoverished communities in particular, amendments to the existing law would, in the long run, reduce the use of small arms and trap guns, Edirisinghe said.

Illicit trap guns have been used primarily by farmers citing the reason that they be exclusively used to protect their cultivations (Chena, paddy fields) from potential threats from wild animals.

However, abject poverty compelled them to use it for other income generating illegal activities such as killing wild animals. Persons in impoverished communities use trap guns to kill wild animals so that they can sell the flesh as well as other parts such as the skin, bones, and tusks of the carcasses.

Trap gun is also popular among poachers who kill wild animal. The hunters use sophisticated cellular phones to sell the kill on the spot by sending the image to prospective merchants who decide the price for the kill on the basis of the image. For instance, elk can be sold for sum of Rs. 10,000 or Rs. 12,000. Trap guns are set on the path that wild life cross to an appropriate height and angle the animal intended to be killed, he said.

However, the trap gun when fired on a person causes harm on the legs below the knees. Victims died due to bleeding as trap guns are set in the middle of jungles where victims cannot travel to get health care facilities.

Most number of cases of persons injured due to trap guns have been reported from the Teaching Hospital, Anuradhapura. It has been reported that 250 patients with injuries directly caused by trap guns are treated in the hospital annually. The range of persons injured severely or killed by trap guns varies from farmers, police officers, home guards to wildlife and forestry officers said the paper on trap gun in Sri Lanka.

Socio-economic consequences

The socio-economic consequences of the victims would not confine to the victims themselves. If the victim happens to be the breadwinner of the family, it will adversely affect the wellbeing of the family, reducing its capacity to meet basic needs and alleviate poverty.

One of the by product will be the substantial social cost in terms of increased expenditure on healthcare which would include long term medical support, surgery, prosthetics and rehabilitation. Indirectly setting up of trap guns will also make local resources like a seasonal harvest (especially in Chenas), firewood, and wild herbs for Ayurvedic medicine.

The impact of trap guns on environment and the eco-system will be manifested in terms of death of large number of elephants, wild boars, deer, and leopards and in addition contribute to illegal logging and deforestation.

One of the direct outcomes of this process is the loss of natural habitat for wild animals and their eventual encroachment into farmlands and settlements.

According to the Department of Wildlife, over 1,369 elephants have been killed since 1990’s and a significant number of deaths have been caused by trap guns stated the paper.

The way out

The way out for the seemingly intractable problem is laid in composite measures together with the concerted effort to control and contain illegal arms including small arms and trap guns.

Although there is no short terms solution, measures such as enforcement of existing laws, a close tab on illegal economic activities such as poaching and heavy penalty for the use of small arms and raising public awareness on the issue would help reduce the negative impact of the use of small arms.

In the long run, introducing alternative methods of protecting farms lands and providing livelihood opportunities will substantially diminish the treat posed by the use of small arms to human and wild life, the paper further pointed out.