From Libyan deserts to 3D-printed guns: The weapons that never go away

Key points

• The issue is under scrutiny as delegates gather at UN Headquarters this week to tackle the global spread of illicit firearms – weapons that continue to fuel violence in communities long after wars end.
• At the centre of discussions are emerging technologies that experts warn could make these illegal weapons easier to manufacture and harder to trace.
• “Wars end – but unfortunately, the weapons that are used in that particular conflict would [then] not be under full control,” the UN’s top disarmament official, Izumi Nakamitsu, told UN News.
• “They continue to circulate.
• They are sometimes hidden.