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St Kitts & Nevis — Gun Facts, Figures and the Law

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ImpactsGun Death and Injury

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Number of Homicides (any method)

ChartIn St Kitts & Nevis, annual homicides by any means total

2009: 271
2008: 23
2007: 16
2006: 17
2005: 8
2004: 11
2003: 10
2002: 5
2001: 6
2000: 3

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Rate of Homicide per 100,000 People (any method)

ChartIn St Kitts & Nevis, the annual rate of homicide by any means per 100,000 population is

2009: 51.921
2008: 45.10
2007: 32.00
2006: 34.00
2005: 16.33
2004: 22.45
2003: 20.83
2002: 10.64
2001: 12.77
2000: 6.52
1999: 12.002
1997: 20.00
1995: 31.11

Number of Gun Homicides

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Rate of Gun Homicide per 100,000 People

In St Kitts & Nevis, the annual rate of firearm homicide per 100,000 population is

2009: 44.231

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Number of Suicides (any method)

In St Kitts & Nevis, annual suicides by any means total

1997: 13

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Rate of Suicide per 100,000 People (any method)

ChartIn St Kitts & Nevis, the annual rate of suicide by any means per 100,000 population is

2005: 2.104
1997: 2.383

TransfersGun Trade and Trafficking

Export Control

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Small Arms Exports (US$)

The annual value of small arms and ammunition exports from St Kitts & Nevis is reported to be US$2225 (2000)

Import Control

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Small Arms Imports (US$)

The annual value of small arms and ammunition imports to St Kitts & Nevis is reported to be US$57,5365 (2009)

MeasuresGun Regulation

Firearm Registration

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Civilian Gun Registration

In St Kitts & Nevis, the law requires6 that a record of the acquisition, possession and transfer of each privately held firearm be retained in an official register

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State-Owned Firearm Records

In St Kitts & Nevis, State agencies are required6 to maintain records of the storage and movement of all firearms and ammunition under their control

Marking and Tracing Guns and Ammunition

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Firearm Marking

In St Kitts & Nevis, a unique identifying mark on each firearm required by law6

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Firearm Tracing

In St Kitts & Nevis, state authorities carry out7 recognised arms tracing and tracking procedures

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Penalty for Illicit Firearm Possession

In St Kitts & Nevis, the maximum penalty for illicit possession of firearms is 5 to 10 years prison8

MeasuresInternational Controls

Regional Agreements

Organization of American States

On 14 November 1997, as a member of the Organisation of American States (OAS), St Kitts & Nevis adopted the Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Explosives, Ammunition and Other Related Materials (CIFTA), a legally binding multilateral treaty of which the OAS is depository. The CIFTA Convention has since been signed and ratified9 10 by St Kitts & Nevis

United Nations Arms Trade Treaty

In 2009, St Kitts & Nevis voted to begin11 negotiations towards a legally binding Arms Trade Treaty. In this vote, 151 UN Member States supported talks on an ATT, with 1 voting against, 20 abstentions, and 20 non-votes

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United Nations Firearms Protocol

The United Nations Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition has been signed and ratified12 by St Kitts & Nevis

United Nations Small Arms Programme of Action UNPoA

UNPoA Commitment

On 21 July 2001, St Kitts & Nevis committed to a consensus decision of the United Nations to adopt, support and implement the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects13

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UNPoA National Reporting

Under the terms of its 2001 commitment to the United Nations small arms Programme of Action, St Kitts & Nevis has yet to submit a national report14 15 on its implementation of the UNPoA

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UNPoA National Point of Contact

In St Kitts & Nevis, a National Point of Contact to deal with issues relating to the UNPoA has been designated16 15

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UNPoA International Assistance – Donor

Funds for UNPoA implementation have not been donated15 by St Kitts & Nevis to other UN Member States

United Nations Small Arms Register

According to the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms, St Kitts & Nevis has not declared17 its small arms exports in one or more annual National Reports on Arms Exports.

United Nations Membership

In the UN List of Member States, St Kitts & Nevis has been a Member State of the United Nations since 198318

Wassenaar Arrangement

The Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls and Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies does not list19 St Kitts & Nevis as a Participating State
Last Updated on 18 March 2012

Short References

1.

OAS Observatory on Citizen Security.2011.‘Intentional Homicide.’ Report on Citizen Security in the Americas 2011.Washington, DC:Organisation of American States,1 January. (Q5678)Full Citation

2.

Petrini, Benjamin.2011.‘Latin America and the Caribbean, 1995-2008, Total Recorded Intentional Homicide, Completed, Rate per 100,000 Population.’ World Bank Homicide Rate Dataset 1995-2008.Washington DC:Social Development Department, World Bank,10 February. (Q3817)Full Citation

3.

Jackson, Thomas.2005.‘Global Gun Deaths.’ NISAT Firearm Mortality Database 2005.Oslo:Norwegian Initiative on Small Arms Transfers,1 January. (Q12)Full Citation

4.

OAS Observatory on Citizen Security.2011.‘Suicide.’ Report on Citizen Security in the Americas 2011.Washington, DC:Organisation of American States,1 January. (Q5680)Full Citation

5.

Marsh, Nicholas.2011.‘Database of Authorised Transfers of Small Arms and Light Weapons.’ NISAT Small Arms Trade Database.Oslo:Norwegian Initiative on Small Arms Transfers,1 June. (Q16)Full Citation

6.

Office of the Prime Minister of St. Kitts & Nevis. 2011. ‘St. Kitts and Nevis Signs Firearms Marking and Tracing Agreement.’ 17 April. (N216) Full Citation

7.

Caribbean Net News. 2009. ‘US and Nine Caribbean Islands Sign Agreement to Help Trace Illegal Guns.’ 1 April. (N165) Full Citation

8.

Shawn Seabrookes. 2007. ‘Gun-toting Fiends Making Mockery of Harsher Penalty; Culprits Locked on Targets.’ SKNVibes (Basseterre). 5 July. (N171) Full Citation

9.

OAS / UNODA.1997.‘Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Explosives, Ammunition and Other Related Materials / CIFTA.’ United Nations Programme of Action Implementation Support System: Regional Organisations.New York:Organization of American States / United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs,14 November. (Q3244)Full Citation

10.

OAS.1997.‘Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Explosives, Ammunition and Other Related Materials (CIFTA): Signatures and Ratifications.’ Organization of American States, Department of International Law.Washington DC:Organization of American States,14 November. (Q3262)Full Citation

11.

UNGA.2009.‘Towards an Arms Trade Treaty: Establishing common international standards for the import, export and transfer of conventional arms.’ UN Resolution A/RES/64/48.New York:United Nations General Assembly,2 June. (Q1886)Full Citation

12.

UNGA.2001.‘United Nations Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition.’ UN General Assembly Resolution 55/255.New York:UN General Assembly,31 May. (Q17)Full Citation

13.

UNGA.2001.‘Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects.’ United Nations General Assembly.New York:UN General Assembly,20 July. (Q18)Full Citation

14.

Cattaneo, Silvia and Sarah Parker.2008.‘Reporting, NPCs and NCAs, 2002 to 2008.’ Implementing the United Nations Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons: Analysis of the National Reports submitted by States from 2002 to 2008.Geneva:United Nations Development Programme,1 November. (Q20)Full Citation

15.

UNODA.2009.‘PoA-ISS Country Profiles.’ UN small arms Programme of Action (UNPoA) – Implementation Support System.New York:United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs,29 October. (Q1309)Full Citation

16.

IANSA.2006.‘Reviewing Action on Small Arms 2006: Assessing the first five years of the UN Programme of Action.’ Biting the Bullet 'Red Book' 2006.New York:International Action Network on Small Arms and the Biting the Bullet project,26 June. (Q166)Full Citation

17.

Karp, Aaron.2007.‘Completing the Count: Civilian firearms.’ Small Arms Survey 2007: Guns and the City.Cambridge:Cambridge University Press,27 August. (Q4)Full Citation

18.

UN.2009.‘Member States of the United Nations.’ UN.org Web Site.New York:United Nations General Assembly,11 May. (Q290)Full Citation

19.

Wassenaar Arrangement.1996.‘Introduction: Participating States.’ Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls and Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies.Vienna:Wassenaar Secretariat,12 July. (Q19)Full Citation