Welcome to the Small Arms and Light Weapons Identification Guide (Southern Africa)

This database is not a catalogue of all firearms that can be found in Southern Africa, but rather a work in progress. The database will be expanded over the coming years, as additional information is made available.

This database was developed to address a specific request of the policing agencies that are members of the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Coordinating Organisation (SARPCCO). SARPCCO representatives expressed the need for an accessible resource to assist police officials in Southern Africa with the identification of those firearms frequently found in the region.

Police officials in Southern Africa identified the majority of the firearms currently captured on the database as weapons regularly found during criminal investigations in the region. This information was used as a starting point for the database, which will eventually be expanded to become a comprehensive resource that will assist police officials and other interested parties with the identification of firearms.

This resource was designed with the novice in mind, and is based on visual search principals. The assumption was made that the typical user of this identification guide would have a firearm in his/her possession that he/she is unable to identify. The user would be able to identify the firearm in question by comparing it to the images of the characteristics of the different types of firearms in the database, and thereby accurately identify the firearm in his or her possession. For the more advanced user a keyword search has been incorporated in the design of the database.

The vision of the project is to create a comprehensive database of the different firearm types found on the African continent and, to present this information in an understandable and accessible way. This database will be updated continuously as more information becomes available and users contribute to the database.

Users and interested parties are invited to contribute with submissions and/or make enquiries to the following email address: salw@issafrica.org