WILPF Statement on the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights' Report on Firearms

WILPF made this statement to the 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council to comment on the latest report on ‘Impact of the civilian acquisition, possession and use of firearms’ (A/HRC/53/39) by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

9 September 2025

We welcome the High Commissioner’s report on the impact of civilian acquisition, possession and use of firearms on the right to participate in cultural life and the right to take part in the conduct of public affairs (A/HRC/59/39).

The inclusion of references to distinct and disproportionate impacts on women, LGBTQ+ persons, and marginalised communities is a vital acknowledgment of how firearms are a tool of patriarchal and militarised power, perpetuating patterns of inequality and exclusion. This echoes our call to address the gendered root causes of armed violence, as highlighted in WILPF’s written submission to the OHCHR on the report.

We welcome the report’s recommendations for civil society participation in shaping responses, and its recognition of the responsibility of corporate actors in the firearms industry. We particularly welcome that the report recognises male gender stereotypes as a contributing risk factor for firearms-related violence and driving factor of civilian firearms acquisition. However, it is regrettable that, despite this recognition, the report does not fully recognise how the firearms industry fuels violence through marketing practices, such as online “gunfluencers” and militarised entertainment. To understand the pervasive normalisation and romanticisation of guns and violence—and thus, to limit their impact—it is necessary to expose and regulate the marketing strategies used by the gun industry, especially those companies that exploit and mobilise ideas about manhood.

Thank you.