Small arms: New technologies

New technologies in small arms manufacturing and management are often established technologies with a history of application in other industries. Those include the use of non-traditional materials, such as polymers, the use of 3-D printing, and modularity in weapon design.

These developments in weapon design and production could have consequences for international efforts to address the illicit trade in small arms.

The marking, record-keeping and tracing of small arms is affected by new technology applications, such as laser markings, microstamping, automatic information and data collection and tracking technologies. Many of those technologies have the potential to profoundly influence the way weapons are marked and traced, as well as how records of weapons are kept.

Innovative ways for governments to address the management of weapons have become technologically feasible. Such technologies have already been put to broad use in commercial sectors such as the parcel business or the food industry.

Manufacturing, technology & design

Materials

Small arms used to be made from steel , with some non-essential parts in wood and bakelite. But metal is increasingly replaced by polymers. Weapon markings are easier to erase from polymers than from metals. Producers should be careful to select the most fitting marking technology for each material, maintaining the highest standards in permanence and indelibility.

Design

Modularity has quickly become a feature of military-style weapons. In the past, each model would have one calibre, one design and one configuration. While it was possible to add accessories to the weapons, these did not change the fundamental technical configuration.

Currently, the wide spectrum of operational needs for which armed forces are prepared has led to the development of modular weapons design for military rifles. A rifle can now consist of a core section onto which can be attached an array of other parts to obtain different configurations suited for different purposes or missions.

Modularity has consequences for selecting the most appropriate location of markings on weapons.
Modularity could result in different serial numbers appearing on different parts of the same weapon, increasing the risk of misidentification.

Production

3D printing is a significant innovation in small arms manufacturing. Of particular concern is the availability of this technology for criminal and terrorist activities.

At the moment, weapon theft or purchase on the illicit market may require less effort that printing an effective, reliable weapon. But this could change: once production costs decrease and quality increases, 3D printing is expected to become a lucrative alternative for small-scale illicit weapon manufacturing and sale.

Marking, record-keeping & tracing

Laser technology

The marking of a weapon with a unique serial number was traditionally done by stamping the number in the steel. Polymers would be damaged by stamping. Laser engraving is a good alternative, including for very small surfaces.

Some manufacturers prefer to mark polymer weapons by embedding a metallic insert in the main plastic component, on which additional markings can be added.

Illicit owners of small arms frequently attempt to erase the serial number of weapons. Obliterated markings originally made by stamping in steel can often be recovered using acid etching, as the original marking usually leaves a trace beneath the surface of the steel. Laser marking often leaves no deformations of the crystalline structure of the material, be it polymer or steel.

Obliterated laser engravings are therefore more difficult to recover.

Micro-stamping

High-precision micromarks have the advantage of not being easily detectable for those wishing to erase them and can be applied at locations on a weapon where they will be difficult to erase.

Moreover, by micromarking the firing pin of a weapon an imprint can be made on each fired cartridge that could aid forensic evidence collection for criminal investigation.

The International Tracing Instrument requires markings to be clearly visible on weapons. Microstamping, whether on the weapon itself or by imprinting the cartridge from markings on the firing pin, can therefore only be a method used in addition to the traditional, visible weapon markings. With the advent of modular weapons, the additional micromarking of parts and components may considerably enhance traceability.

Microstamping technology, when applied on the firing pin, provides a possibility of identifying a weapon through a recovered cartridge only: without the need to be in possession of the weapon itself. This may be an important addition to weapon-tracing options.

Technologies for stockpile management

Barcodes, radio frequency identification and biometrics automatically identify objects, collect data on them and enable data to be entered automatically into record-keeping systems.

Oportunities could be explored for the further development of marking and tracing technologies, including those allowing for the remote localization of weapons, time limits or remote manipulation of their functioning, in order to counter high risks of diversion or misuse.

Some automatic identification and data collection technologies, while potentially highly useful for enhancing national stockpile management, have limited use for weapon identification across borders. Barcodes or radio frequency identification tags can only be read with accompanying external devices. Weapons found outside the area of their last legal use may not be accompanied by the relevant devices. This needs to be taken into account in decisions to apply such technology.