Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has seen its murder rate climb in the last decade. The number of firearms involved in murders has also increased.1 Moreover, the country is used as a trans-shipment point for drug traffickers.2 While Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is affected by illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons, it does not manufacture arms.3
The level of firearm and ammunition smuggling in the country is reportedly moderate. The country’s guiding gun control legislation includes the Firearms Act of 1995. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has signed and ratified the Arms Trade Treaty.4 The UN Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) has provided assistance to the country for firearms destruction and stockpile management.5 The United States helps the country to counter the illicit trafficking of arms and ammunition and to ensure law enforcement.6
1 “We Have a Problem with Illegal Firearms in SVG, ASP Richards,” St. Vincent Times, May 4, 2022, https://www.stvincenttimes.com/we-have-a-problem-with-illegal-firearms-in-svg-asp-richards.
2 “Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,” DCAF – Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance, February 11, 2015, https://issat.dcaf.ch/Learn/Resource-Library/Country-Profiles/Saint-Vincent-and-the-Grenadines-Country-Profile.
3 “Statement on Small Arms Permanent Mission of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the United Nations,” H.E.I. Rhonda King, UN Security Council, February 5, 2020, http://svg-un.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/5-February-2020-Small-Arms-Statement.pdf.
4 Philip Alpers, Michael Picard and Clara Mourlevat, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Gun Facts, Figures and the Law (GunPolicy.org, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, 2022), https://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/st-vincent-and-grenadines.
5 “One Tonne of Ammunition and over 150 Weapons Destroyed in St. Vincent and the Grenadines with UNLIREC Support,” UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, May 24, 2013, https://unlirec.org/en/one-tonne-of-ammunition-and-over-150-weapons-destroyed-in-st-vincent-and-the-grenadines-with-unlirec-support.
6 “US Relations with Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,” US Department of State, October 27, 2022, https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-saint-vincent-and-the-grenadines.
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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 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
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 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Disposal
With the assistance of UNLIREC, 0.97 tonnes of ammunition were destroyed in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the period 2012–2013.
Source: “UNLIREC Destroys Firearms and Small Arms Ammunition in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,” Mapping ATT-Relevant Cooperation and Assistance Activities Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, 2014, https://att-assistance.org/activity/unlirec-destroys-firearms-and-small-arms-ammunition-saint-vincent-and-grenadines.
Needs
To further enhance safe and secure ammunition management, the following need has been identified for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines:
- Development or refinement of standards and procedures on stockpile management.
Source: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 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 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the UN, 2018), https://unoda-poa.s3.amazonaws.com/reports/VCT-English-862-SUBMITTED.pdf.
