Khalifa Alfulaiti

Development of Small Arms and Light Weapons Industry: International Efforts to Combat Salw Trade Khalifa Alfulaiti

Since the beginning of creation, human made weapons and used them in hunting and self-defense. The industry of conventional Small Arms and Light Weapons has evolved dramatically. Its trade began with the invention of gunpowder in 14th century. Since then, the arms trade flourished over the days until it became in the present age one of the most important pillars in international trade. Types of weapons evolved with the development of humankind, moving from stones to spears, swords, and arrows. Then, they ended up to firearms that launch advanced types of munitions. Firearms are used as personal defense weapons. They are also used in armed conflict and violent clashes to achieve different purposes, both in the police and the military fields, including pistols, rifles and machine guns. With the beginning of the 21st century, manufacturers of small arms and light weapons increased their interest in anti-jamming on pistols, rifles and machine guns that depend on a high proportion of electronic devices due to the development and be used successfully in bad environment situation where there are much rugged land and rain, such as tropical areas, or sand and dust, such as desert areas.