Honduras

After decades of instability and political violence, the situation in Honduras is still marked by high levels of violent crime and insecurity. Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) are easily accessible to the civilian population through legal and illegal means, with weapons mostly originating from neighbouring countries in Central America and from the United States. Despite different amnesty initiatives launched by the Honduran government aiming at registering privately owned weapons, their uncontrolled presence throughout the territory still constitutes a major concern for the security of the country and the region.

In terms of Weapons and Ammunition Management (WAM), Honduras implemented a national legal framework on the possession and use of weapons, but its WAM capacities are considered insufficient to prevent SALW proliferation. It is also reported that the country’s weapons and ammunition national stockpiles are particularly vulnerable, and the registration and disposal procedures lack transparency. At the same time, organizations such as the Program of Assistance for the Control of Arms and Munitions (PACAM) of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the HALO Trust work with the Ministry of Defence, the National Police, and the Public Ministry to establish and oversee weapons and ammunition destruction and develop stockpile management capacities.

Source: Angela Escher and Marianne Widmer, “Weapons are everywhere in Honduras”, Arms Trade: Controversy and Opportunities n° 147, September 2016, https://www.swisspeace.ch/apropos/weaponsareeverywhereinhonduras/; The Halo Trust, “Honduras”, https://www.halotrust.org/where-we-work/latin-america/honduras/; Steven Dudley, “Firearms Trafficking in Honduras”, InsightCrime and Asociación para una Sociedad Más Justa, 23.08.17, https://insightcrime.org/images/PDFs/2017/Firearms-Trafficking-Honduras.pdf; Matthias Nowak, “Measuring Illicit Arms Flows: Honduras”, Small Arms Survey, Research Notes 62, November 2016, https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/resrep10636.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A7847af3b773a8c0ad4fc9246a683dc1f&ab_segments=&origin=.