The proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons is one of the most pressing security threats of the 21st century. From Sudanese refugees hunted by gun-toting militias to air passengers targeted by shoulder-fired missiles, no one is safe from this deadly scourge.

Providing a gripping overview of these cheap and easily obtainable weapons, the threat they pose in the wrong hands, and strategies for reining them in, this Beginner’s Guide is required reading for anyone wishing to fully understand one of today’s key threats to international peace.

Rachel Stohl is Senior Analyst at the Center for Defense Information in Washington, DC, and is chairperson of the Small Arms Working Group.

Matt Schroeder is the Manager of the Arms Sales Monitoring Project at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). Since joining FAS in February 2002, he has researched and written on U.S. arms transfers, arms export policies, and the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.

Col Dan Smith (ret.) retired from the US army in 1992 and is currently Senior Fellow, Military and Peaceful Prevention Policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation. Visit his blog at http://quakerscolonel.blogspot.com.

"As an introductory text, this book certainly makes an admirable effort, as it is engaging, accessible and almost exclusively empirical in its approach." Journal of Peace Research

“Schroeder, Smith and Stohl have produced what will surely become an indispensable reference for any reader interested in the nature and consequences of the trade in small arms and the policies needed to effectively deal with the lethal consequences of such trade.”
Moisés Naim – Editor of Foreign Policy magazine and author of Illicit: How Smugglers, Traffickers and copycats are hijacking the global economy.

“A Beginner's Guide is much too modest a title. This uniquely valuable book combines historical depth, contemporary insights, scholarly analysis and prudent advocacy to make it far more than a primer for the untutored.”
Joe Smaldone – Former Chief, Weapons and Technology Control Division, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, U.S. State Department; and Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University