Grenada
Grenada gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1974 and became the smallest independent nation in the western hemisphere.1 While it does not experience the same high levels of violence as some other countries in the region, Grenada does face challenges related to inefficiency in the judiciary and corruption in the police forces. The country is also a transit point for the international drugs trade. A number of gangs are present in the country but they do not contribute significantly to the murder rate across the country, and gun crime is not a serious concern.2
The country’s guiding gun control legislation includes the Firearms Act of 1968. Grenada has signed and ratified the Arms Trade Treaty.3 In 2012, the Organisation of American States (OAS) provided the country with small arms and light weapons marking instruments and trained officers of the Royal Grenada Police.4 The UN Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) assists Grenada with stockpile management and firearms destruction, as well as in undertaking a comprehensive review of its existing firearms legislation.5
1 Wendell Bell, “The American Invasion of Grenada: A Note on False Prophecy,” Foresight 10, no. 3 (2008): 27-42, https://sociology.yale.edu/sites/default/files/invasion_of_grenada_foresight.pdf.
2 “Grenada,” DCAF – Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance, January 16, 2015, https://issat.dcaf.ch/fre/Apprendre/La-bibliotheque-des-ressources/Fiche-des-profils-des-pays/Grenada-Country-Profile.
3 Philip Alpers, Amélie Rossetti and Leonardo Goi, Grenada – Gun Facts, Figures and the Law (GunPolicy.org, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, 2022), https://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/grenada.
4 Grenada, 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 Grenada to the UN, 2012, https://unoda-poa.s3.amazonaws.com/poa-reports-le/2012%4078%40Grenada-PoA-2012-E.pdf.
5 Grenada, 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 Grenada to the UN, 2022), https://unoda-poa.s3.amazonaws.com/reports/GRD-English-1255-SUBMITTED.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 Grenada.
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 Grenada.
Disposal
With the assistance of UNLIREC, 3.08 tonnes of ammunition were destroyed in Grenada in the period 2012–2013.
Source: “UNLIREC Destroys Firearms and Small Arms Ammunition in Grenada,” Mapping ATT-Relevant Cooperation and Assistance Activities database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, 2013, https://att-assistance.org/activity/unlirec-destroys-firearms-and-small-arms-ammunition-grenada.
Needs
To further enhance safe and secure ammunition management, the following needs have been identified for Grenada:
- Development or refinement of standards and procedures on stockpile management, particularly the provision of equipment and training and the refurbishment of storage facilities; and
- Capacity development for the destruction of surplus stockpiles, particularly related equipment and training.
Source: Grenada, National PoA Report, 2022.
