Disarmament Week 2018: How much do you know about scale of firearm-related violence globally?

The Disarmament Week is observed from 24 October to 30 October. The observance of this day was first called for in the final document of the United Nations General Assembly's 1978 special session on disarmament.

The UN said, "The document called for abandoning the use of force in international relations and seeking security in disarmament. States were invited to highlight the danger of the arms race, propagate the need for its cessation and increase public understanding of the urgent tasks of disarmament."

On a global level, millions of people die in armed-conflict situations. Two billion people are estimated to live under the threat of violence. This is mainly due to a lack of legislative priority towards firearm regulation, along with negligence at the government level, and lobbying of arms manufacturing companies. The global military spending is equivalent to $230 per person.

More than 200 schools in the US have experienced a shooting inside the school premises. Millions of school children and teachers in the US are under the threat of gun violence. Despite the conflict over gun violence, the US is home to the most significant gun companies with 90 percent of firearms sales to domestic consumers, as the US constitution protects the right to own a gun. The American government has mollycoddled the burgeoning gun industry since its Civil War days.

In India, the state of Uttar Pradesh accounts for 40 percent of all deaths across the country in gun-related violence. Bihar ranks second.

A country-made gun or ‘desi katta' costs anything between Rs 3000 and Rs 20,000. The Illegal manufacturing and supply of handguns, pistols, and weapons undermine the security in the country and frequently result in human rights violations and loss of lives.

The United Nations in its pursuit of international peace introduced the UN Small Arms Programme of Action. Despite commitments from the member states, there has been little progress in curbing the conventional weapons and small arms and its related toll on life. The Sustainable Development Goal 16 focuses and includes a central target of combating and controlling the illegal arms trade and flows by 2030.