Box 4 Computation methods for civilian firearms holdings
This Briefing Paper presents estimates from the Small Arms Survey’s Civilian Firearms Holdings 2017 database (Small Arms Survey, 2018). The database estimates are calculated on the basis of the following sources (or mix of sources):
(a) national firearms registration statistics;
(b) general population surveys about firearm ownership (available for 56 countries/ territories);
(c) experts’
estimates of civilian holdings; and,
(d) where none of these was available, analogous comparisons based on
estimates for comparable countries.
The database further relies on the analysis of individual reports on civilian firearms ownership from multiple sources, including published official documents and research studies on countries and regions, official responses to questionnaires sent out by the Small Arms Survey, news reports, and private correspondence with experts.