SALW Small Arms and Light Weapons ( SALW ) is a term used in arms control protocols to refer to two main classes of weapons : Definition by international legal conventions . These definitions may vary depending on the convention and on the expansion of the term ' s use over time with the introduction of new weapons technologies and concerns . For example : Thus , SALW include grenades , but does not include bows and arrows according to this convention . The International Instrument to Enable States to Identify and Trace , in a Timely and Reliable Manner , Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons , adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 8 December 2005 defines small arms and light weapons as : Such arms control policies and treaties are focused on international arms trafficking ( importation and export ) , and in the standardization of laws , protocols and sharing of law enforcement information and best practices across nations to prevent illicit arms sales . They also focus on terrorism , arms proliferation as a humanitarian concern , disarmament in the face of extreme violence , and cases of ameliorating anarchy , civil war and international conflict . SALW provisions are generally not oriented towards imposing or enforcing domestic national or local legislation of legitimate gun ownership or sale . UN SALW control efforts . Small arms and light weapons are used to cause many deaths in conflicts around the world . Small arms control was first broached by UN Resolution A / RES / 46 / 36 ( December 1991 ) , which was expanded upon by A / RES / 50 / 70 ( January 1996 ) . This latter resolution mandated a panel of experts to research the type of small arms and light weapons being used in the world ' s conflicts and to study which weapons might apply to fall under an arms control regime . The recommendations of expert reports returned to the General Assembly , A / 52 / 298 ( 1997 ) and A / 54 / 258 ( 1999 ) led to a July 2001 UN Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms , with a follow - up in July 2006 . On 26 September 2013 the UN Security Council passed Resolution 2117 , which urged nations to remain committed to small arms embargoes and SALW control protocols . Work on SALW via the United Nations is coordinated by the Office for Disarmament Affairs ( ODA or UNODA ) , though the UN Coordinating Action on Small Arms ( CASA ) mechanism , which comprises 21 UN departments and agencies working on different aspects of small arms and light weapons control . The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research ( UNIDIR ) , carries out research in arms control affairs and has published many articles and books related to small arms and light weapons . On 2 April 2013 , the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to adopt the Arms Trade Treaty ( ATT ) to govern the sale , stockpiling and trafficking of many types of weapons , from warships and aircraft to small arms and light weapons . The treaty opened for signature on 3 June 2013 . By October 2013 , over half the member states had signed the treaty ( 113 states ) , though only 7 member states had as yet ratified it . Controversy over the UN Arms Trade Treaty . In the United States , conservative gun rights advocates , including elected members of Congress and lobbyists , such as the National Rifle Association have maintained a political campaign to discredit the Arms Trade Treaty , saying that through the treaty the U . N . would deprive the U . S . of its national sovereignty , and deprive its citizens of their Second Amendment right to bear arms . However , the rumor - dispelling site Snopes . com has refuted such claims as false . In the Preamble of the Arms Trade Treaty , the sixth paragraph reads , " Reaffirming the sovereign right of any State to regulate and control conventional arms exclusively within its territory , pursuant to its own legal or constitutional system , " which contradicts the assertion the treaty intends to violate any lawful internal rights of any member State . Instead , the treaty is aimed at curbing illegal arms sales within countries or between countries , and to improve controls for the trafficking and stockpiling of military arms and weapon systems . Other SALW control regimes and organizations . Many other related governmental bodies and non - governmental organizations ( NGOs ) also work on SALW control , major examples being IANSA and the Control Arms Campaign . Regional and sub - regional organizations working on SALW control include the African Union , ECCAS , the Economic Community of West African States ( ECOWAS ) , Southern African Development Community , Andean Community , CARICOM , MERCOSUR , Organization of American States ( OAS ) , European Union , the Organization for Security and Co - operation in Europe , ASEAN , the League of Arab States , and the Pacific Islands Forum .