Preventing and Combating Illicit Trafficking in Firearms as a Necessary Crime-Fighting Measure

Abstract

The article considers the issue of the growth of illegal firearms trafficking and its consequences for public security. The relevance could be accounted for by the extremely “problematic” potential of this type of shadow activity for the security of the state and the society. The objective of the study consists in analyzing the problem of the growth of illegal firearms trafficking in the Russian Federation, identifying the cause-and-effect relationships of this process with the current situation in public security, as well as to developing a set of measures to counteract the spread of illegal fi rearms. The theoretical framework is represented by criminological and criminal-legal studies by Russian and overseas academics. The empirical basis involves the publications of statistical data of the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation on crimes in the sphere of illegal arms trafficking, publications of materials on one of the international research organizations. To pursue the above goals the author employs the methods of analysis, synthesis, generalization, and comparison.Results: the causes of illegal arms trade as the basis of all illegal arms trafficking, its consequences for public security and strategies to combat this process are identified. Conclusions: the study highlights the need to improve regulatory mechanisms to neutralize the existing problem.