Beyond firearms: the European illegal arms market through a criminological lens

Abstract

Each year, approximately 600–700 homicides are committed with firearms in the EU. Despite this, the subject of the illicit arms market in Europe has only recently become the focus of in-depth criminological study. Moreover, so far, only a limited number of studies have been undertaken to thoroughly analyse the impact of illicit firearms trafficking on gun-related violence in Europe. The authors of this paper describe several dimensions of the illicit firearms market and note that the problem of illicit firearms trafficking is interdisciplinary, with the criminological perspective reflecting the essence of illicit trafficking only to some extent. The paper addresses the issue of basic concepts related to illicit firearms trafficking and their use in the context of the Polish black market for weapons. The Analytical Research Team for Illicit Markets was established at the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn in 2012. The theoretical considerations presented correspond directly with the research activities conducted within its framework. The availability, possession, and use of illicit firearms should be considered a factor significantly destabilising society. As such, this phenomenon has broader social and economic consequences than typically perceived. In addition, the observed turbulent geopolitical changes in the region provide a compelling case for continuing international studies of the phenomenon carried out by national research teams.