The International Student Movement of IPPNWi is proud to announce the development of an international small arms action group for its student members, The International Student Coalition to Abolish Small Arms. This project builds on 'Aiming for Prevention', IPPNW's campaign to prevent injury and death from small arms and light weapons.

Today, 600 million small arms remain in circulation around the world - and most are in civilian hands. Gun violence causes 300,000 deaths and millions of injuries every year, and access to small arms is a critical factor underpinning the escalation of violence in civilian conflict, crime and socioeconomic insecurity. The United Nations Development Program (UNiDP) recognises gun violence and armed conflict as two of the most critical impediments to economic development.

The International Student Coalition to Abolish Small Arms aims to document, support and promote the work of student members collecting data about the impact of small arms. Students can help to reduce the impact of gun violence by collecting clinical and other objective data to educate communities and policy makers about the health, economic and social costs of small arms.

Students members can also make a difference by running advocacy and peer education events on their campus. Contact your National Student Representatives, Sarah Gardiner and Angela Wilson at students [at] mapw [dot] org [dot] au if you're interested in doing more! Email students [at] mapw [dot] org [dot] au

• International Student Coalition to Abolish Small Arms http://www.ippnw-students.org/smallarmsP.html 
• International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) www.iansa.org
• Small Arms Survey (Geneva) www.smallarmssurvey.org
• Gun Policy News (University of Sydney) www.gunpolicy.org