Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #119721

Wendy Cukier, MA, MBA, PhD, Professor of Information Technology Management, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada, 416-979-5000 X 6740, wcukier@compuserve.com

In the last 40 years, conflict has been characterized by political conflicts involving factions and non-state actors rather than large scale wars between nations. Because of their portability, low cost and availability, small arms (guns) have become the weapons of choice. Recently the UN Department of Disarmament Affairs, governments and NGOs have focused their attention on small arms, but they maintain distinctions which mean little from public health perspective. Many more people are killed with guns in contexts considered to be “at peace” and “military specification” weapons are not the major problem. There are more than 200,00 firearm each year in countries not at war - 35,000 in Brazil, 10,000 in South Africa, 20,000 in Colombia and 25,000 in the USA alone. In some context small arms deaths are associated with conflict, in others crime, and in others political and criminal violence are inseparable. Rates of post-conflict firearm violence often exceed rates occurring during conflict. The constructions of “war” and “peace” also mean little to women who are as much at risk from their intimate partners and acquaintances. There is a strong association between the availability of guns and gun related death and injury in both the north and south, in conflict and non conflict zones. Almost half of the worlds small arms deaths occur in the Americas which have only 14% of the world's population but almost 1/3 of the world's guns. Current constructions of “war” and “peace” are not particularly helpful in understanding the global small arms epidemic.

Learning Objectives:

• To understand the full range of impacts of small arms including mortality, morbidity and secondary effects
• To provide a gender analysis of use, misuse and effects
• To examine the link between availability and lethality
• The reconsider the constructions of "peace" and "conflict" from a public health perspective

Keywords: , War

Related Web page: www.ryerson.ca/SAFER-Net

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.