The objectives, international initiatives, legislative measures, mutual legal assistance and law enforcement on control of firearms and ammunition within the SADC region are outlined in the Protocol on Firearms, Ammunition and Other Related Materials.
Conscious to the fact that illegal firearms, most commonly used in the perpetration of crime, contribute to high levels of instability, extended conflict, violence and social dislocation as a whole within the SADC region, The Protocol answers to the urgent need to prevent and eradicate the illicit manufacturing of firearms ammunition and other related materials as well as the accumulation, trafficking, possession and use of these.
The Protocol addresses issues of operational capacity, making of fire-arms and record-keeping, transparency and information exchange, voluntary surrender of firearms, public education and awareness as well as institutional arrangements for effective implementation of these measures.
The control over the possession of firearms by civilians, the state as well as their disposal is also covered by the Protocol.
