The app describes international law applicable to use and transfer of conventional weapons, including small arms and light weapons and munitions, and weapons of mass destruction. For each weapon type or system, the app describes the technical characteristics of the weapon and the impact on the human body resulting from its use, followed by detail of the relevant applicable international weapons law, particularly disarmament, humanitarian, and human rights law. Key terms in international weapons law are included in a Glossary. Important case law on weapon use is summarized in a dedicated section on case law, reflecting relevant jurisprudence from the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, other international criminal courts, and regional human rights courts, as well as national courts.

Each weapons treaty receives its own distinct entry incorporating a summary of the treaty’s provisions. State adherence, including any declarations and reservations, is also reflected, and a copy of the treaty is available for download. In 2014, the app will include use of new and evolving weapons such as dazzling lasers and millimetre-wave weapons. It will cover major weapons systems, especially those within the scope of the 2013 Arms Trade Treaty, such as combat aircraft, armed drones, tanks, and warships.

Weapons law is a dynamic and evolving discipline within international law that intersects with, and impacts on, a wide range of critical areas: security, disarmament, the protection of civilians, law enforcement, and means and methods of warfare. Accordingly, it draws on several branches of law for its coherence: international law governing the use of force, international humanitarian, human rights, disarmament, and trade law, and criminal justice and law enforcement standards, as well as regional and national law. Different elements of international weapons law apply in peacetime and/or in armed conflict and often emerge from different fora, across divergent mechanisms, building on an array of military, medical, economic, and legal expertise.