In the hands of irregular troops operating with scant respect for international and humanitarian law, these weapons have taken a heavy toll of human lives. Small arms are weapons designed for personal use, while light weapons are designed for use by several persons serving as a crew. While small arms and light weapons are designed for use by armed forces, they have unique characteristics that are of particular advantage for irregular warfare or terrorist and criminal action. Mortars and mounted anti-aircraft guns, for example, allow for highly mobile operations that often cause heavy casualties among civilians if used indiscriminately. The low cost of small arms makes them affordable to actors beyond the State.
Small arms require almost no maintenance, so they can essentially last forever.
They can be hidden easily, and even young children can use them with minimal training. Small arms and light weapons would not be lethal without their ammunition. Ammunition, explosives and explosive devices form an integral part of small arms and light weapons used in conflicts. Anti-personnel landmines are also considered small arms, but are not being dealt with by the upcoming United Nations conference on small arms as other international forums have taken up those weapons as a separate issue. 2001 United Nations conference on small arms United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan describes small arms as weapons of mass destruction in terms of the carnage they cause.