Guyana
Guyana gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1966. Since 1980, the country has significantly decreased the size of its armed forces; this has led to the accumulation of the largest surplus small arms stockpile in the region, followed by an increase in criminality and gun violence combined with border disputes with Venezuela and Suriname.1 Guyana also serves as a transit and destination point for arms trafficking.2
The country’s guiding gun control legislation includes the Firearms Act of 1940. Guyana has signed and ratified the Arms Trade Treaty.3 The UN Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) has provided assistance in enhancing the security of strategic stockpile facilities and supported the destruction of weapons and ammunition.4
1 Aaron Karp, Surplus Arms in South America: A Survey (Geneva: Small Arms Survey, 2009), https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/sites/default/files/resources/SAS-WP7-Surplus-Arms-in-South-America.pdf.
2 “Global Organized Crime Index: Guyana,” Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, 2021, https://ocindex.net/country/guyana.
3 Philip Alpers, Amélie Rossetti and Clara Mourlevat, Guyana – Gun Facts, Figures and the Law (GunPolicy.org, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, 2022), https://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/guyana.
4 “UNLIREC Collaborates with Guyana in the Destruction of Weapons,” UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, 2014, https://www.un.org/disarmament/update/20140212b; “Guyana Trains Officials on Interdicting Small Arms and Ammunition to Prevent Illicit Trafficking,” UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, October 5, 2022, https://unlirec.org/en/guyana-trains-officials-on-interdicting-small-arms-and-ammunition-to-prevent-illicit-trafficking.
Launch the country dashboard
Further information
Accidental explosions
Since the Small Arms Survey began collecting data in 1979, one accidental explosion has been reported in Guyana.
Table 1. Accidental explosions in Guyana (1979–2021)
Year | Location | Owner/manager | Deaths | Injuries |
2000 | Georgetown | State (military) | 3 | 11 |
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
Several cases of diversion have been reported in Guyana.
Table 2. Cases of diversion of arms, ammunition and explosives in Guyana
Year | Location | Description |
2016 | N/A | Nine firearms, including seven pistols were stolen from the police. |
2006 | Camp Ayanganna | Thirty AK rifles were stolen. |
2002 | N/A | One AK-47 assault rifle, one M-70 rifle and a quantity of ammunition were stolen from the army base. |
Sources: Aaron Karp, Surplus Arms; “Stolen Guns Being Used in Robberies,” Guyana News, October 1, 2016, https://www.stabroeknews.com/2016/10/01/news/guyana/stolen-guns-used-robberies; “Army Inspects All Bases: Similar Theft Reported in Suriname,” Stabroek News, August 20, 2002, http://landofsixpeoples.com/news022/ns208203.htm.
Disposal
In collaboration with UNLIREC, almost three tonnes of small arms ammunition were destroyed in the period 3–14 February 2014.
Source: “UNLIREC and Guyana Continue Collaboration to Destroy Weapons and Ammunition,” UNLIREC, 2014, https://trend.pe/unlirec/en/unlirec-and-guyana-continue-collaboration-to-destroy-weapons-and-ammunition.
Needs
To further enhance safe and secure ammunition management, the following needs have been identified for Guyana:
- Assistance in controlling the flow of illicit small arms from North America into the country; and
- Training assistance in establishing and maintaining information technology programmes related to the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.
Source: Guyana, 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 Guyana to the UN, 2010), https://unoda-poa.s3.amazonaws.com/poa-reports-le/2010%4084%40PoA-Guyana-2010-E.pdf.
