Stop a Bullet, Stop a War: Why ammunition must be included in the Arms Trade Treaty

An Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) that does not cover ammunition will fail to achieve what it has set out to do – that is, to help prevent human suffering, armed conflict, and serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights.

Global sales of ammunition are worth more than $4 billion and are growing faster than the trade in guns, yet there is virtually no regulation in place to control where the bullets end up, according to international agency Oxfam.

Wars cannot be fought without ammunition. When the principal targets of attack are civilians, as has been the case in many recent conflicts, a lack of ammunition can even make a difference between atrocities being carried out or not. 

The Oxfam report, 'Stop a Bullet, Stop a War,' has been published ahead of this summer's Arms Trade Treaty negotiations in New York, where diplomats from around the world will gather to hammer out a new global agreement to regulate the trade of weapons and ammunition.

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Publication Date: 
30 May 2012
Publication Author: 
Oxfam