Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda has long enjoyed low rates of violence and crime. Nonetheless, the country’s position as a transit point in the international drug trade and the increased presence of human trafficking activities has led to higher levels of gun violence since the 2010s. Illegal firearms are also reported to circulate in the country, but exact numbers are unclear due to a lack of reliable estimates.1
In terms of weapons and ammunition management, Antigua and Barbuda notably receives assistance from the UN Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) to enhance stockpile management in armoury facilities.2 It also received training from the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) on preventing and combating firearms crimes and illicit firearms trafficking.3 National firearm regulation is considered restrictive. The country is party to the principal international treaties and protocols on weapons and ammunition, and has signed and ratified the Arms Trade Treaty.4 Antigua and Barbuda also reports that it has implemented stockpile management standards, physical security measures and sanctions in the event of theft or loss.5
1 “Antigua and Barbuda,” DCAF – Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance, February 1, 2015, https://issat.dcaf.ch/Learn/Resource-Library/Country-Profiles/Antigua-and-Barbuda-Country-Profile.
2 “UNLIREC Provides Technical Assessment for Armouries in Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada,” UNLIREC, March 14, 2022, https://unlirec.org/en/unlirec-provides-technical-assessment-for-armouries-in-antigua-and-barbuda-and-grenada/.
3 “Small Arms and Light Weapons,” Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS), 2020, https://caricomimpacs.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Small-Arms-and-Light-Weapons.pdf.
4 Philip Alpers and Michael Picard, Antigua & Barbuda – Gun Facts, Figures and the Law (GunPolicy.org, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, 2022), https://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/antigua-and-barbuda.
5 Sarah Parker and Katherine Green, A Decade of Implementing the United Nations Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons: Analysis of National Reports, UNIDIR/2012/2 (New York and Geneva: Small Arms Survey and UNIDIR, 2012), https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/151309/pdf-1-92-9045-012-G-en.pdf.
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Further information
Accidental explosions
Since the Small Arms Survey began collecting data in 1979, no accidental explosions have been reported in Antigua and Barbuda.
Source: “Unplanned Explosions at Munitions Sites (UEMS) Database,” Small Arms Survey, updated December 15, 2021, https://smallarmssurvey.org/database/unplanned-explosions-munitions-sites-uems.
Cases of diversion
Insufficient information on cases of diversion in Antigua and Barbuda.
Disposal
Antigua and Barbuda disposed of its ammunition at least once in 2013; however, there is insufficient information to estimate the number of tonnes of ammunition disposed of annually.
Source: “UNLIREC Assists Antigua and Barbuda with Destruction of Seized and Obsolete Weapons and Ammunition,” UNLIREC, 2013, https://www.un.org/disarmament/update/20130502/.
Needs
No needs have been identified for Antigua and Barbuda.
Source: Antigua and Barbuda, National Report on the Implementation of the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PoA) and the International Tracing Instrument (ITI) (New York: Permanent Mission of Antigua and Barbuda to the UN, 2020), https://unoda-poa.s3.amazonaws.com/reports/ATG-English-1074-SUBMITTED.pdf.
