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Small arms in Latin America in the aftermath of the NACLA study
According to the World Health Organization, gun-related fatalities are the leading cause of death among Latin Americans between ages 15 and 44. Overall, gunshot wounds kill between 73,000 and 90,000 people annually in Latin America, demonstrating that the region is inundated with fire-arms.
In fact, the North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA) claims in its major groundbreaking study that there are at least 45 million to 80 million small arms and light weapons in Latin America. Light weapons are defined as those operated by an individual or small group; this includes handguns, assault rifles, grenades, grenade launchers and man-portable surface to air missiles.
The proliferation of small arms threatens the safety and well-being of all Latin Americans. The widespread availability of these weapons allows conflicts to break out across the region, resulting not only in major human rights violations but also instability in local communities, as well as stalled economic development.