Columbia International Affairs Online: Policy Briefs

CIAO DATE: 11/2011

The Method behind the Mark: A Review of Firearm Marking Technologies

December 2010

Small Arms Survey

Abstract

Record-keeping is an essential prerequisite for limiting the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons. A robust record-keeping system provides the necessary means to trace small arms1 and investigate the illicit trade. The marking of small arms is a necessary component of the recordkeeping; it links a specific small arm to a unique record for that item.