( CNN ) -- While the spread of assault rifles is fueling heated discourse in the United States , nations around the world are grappling with a similar debate involving weapons , particularly automatic rifles . Combat weapons are flowing with relative ease worldwide , intensifying bloody power struggles between brutal regimes and opposition groups , and leaving innocent civilians dead . This week , 193 nations will gather at the United Nations in New York City to negotiate a global treaty to limit their trade across international borders , a resolution supported by the United States . Agreement on the Arms Trade Treaty is not a sure thing . In July 2012 , representatives left the negotiation table without one . An international rights group came out in support of the treaty Tuesday and issued a report depicting how the flow of arms in some countries escalates tensions into bloody violence . Small arms abound . An AK-47 may look like a big gun to most people , but in conflict regions , they are referred to as `` small arms . '' The term includes most hand-held weapons such as hand grenades and rocket-propelled grenade launchers . They are easier to transport and use than a tank or artillery . They are also cheaper to buy , and they have spread rapidly , according to the United Nations , which refers to them as the `` weapons of choice . '' `` The illicit circulation of small arms , light weapons and their ammunition destabilizes communities , and impacts security and development in all regions of the world , '' the U.N. said . In many parts of the world , automatic assault rifles make their way at a dizzying pace into the hands of gangs , rebels , pirates and terrorists . `` They can all multiply their force through the use of unlawfully acquired firepower , '' the U.N. said in a statement . Widespread proliferation of such handy weapons fuel armed conflict , crime and violations of human rights , according to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon . Ivory Coast 's arms race . Weapons buildups by factions within countries can drive nations to war with themselves , Amnesty International said in its report on the bloody conflict in the African nation of the Ivory Coast in 2010-2011 . In populations divided by deep ethnic , religious or political tensions , easy access to arms can stoke distrust and paranoia , Amnesty said . This can put peace further out of reach and deepen divisions . The country 's military split in 2002 , dividing the nation politically into two sides : north and south . Then-president Laurent Gbagbo began stockpiling arms to raise his level of power over that of his opponents , Amnesty said . His purchases included small arms and heavier weaponry such as tanks , warplanes and drones . Despite a voluntary moratorium on arms imports , the rights group said , Gbagbo bought weapons from various continents , including Asia and the Middle East . Chinese , Bulgarian and Ukrainian weapons flowed into the nation . `` Those arms transfers were highly irresponsible , as they took place in the context of a fragile cease-fire , '' Amnesty said . The purchases fueled fear among Gbagbo 's opposition , which also armed up . The opposition had Polish , Chinese and Russian small arms , Amnesty said , escalating the weapons buildup of both sides . In 2004 , the U.N. attempted to stem the flow of weapons with an international embargo -- to no avail . Escalation to armed conflict . In November 2010 , Gbagbo lost in a presidential election , to rival Alassane Ouattara , but refused to cede power . The government 's weapons came out . Soldiers gunned down opposition protesters in the streets , and Ouattara and his loyalists started an armed campaign to oust Gbagbo . Hundreds died ; many more were wounded , and hundreds of thousands fled to neighboring countries . Many women and girls were raped , according to the report . The United Nations intervened militarily and Ouattara 's troops took power by force in April 2011 . Both sides committed atrocities , Amnesty said , including the summary killings of `` men and boys who were singled out based on their ethnicity or political affiliation . '' Widespread weapons problematic . Abuses still go on , partly because of the high number of weapons still in the country . They `` continue to fuel grave human rights abuses and violent crime in the country , '' Amnesty said . Amnesty supports the U.N. 's efforts and expressed hope that the world 's nations will agree on the Arms Trade Treaty . Ban wants the treaty to cover all conventional weapons , `` from small arms to tanks to combat aircraft . '' The treaty has been in the works since 2006 , when the U.N. General Assembly requested all countries to submit their views on a binding arms trade treaty . That year , the United States , under the George W. Bush administration , voted against the resolution that started the process . But the Obama administration later reversed that decision . The U.N. estimates that in 2010 , more than 27 million people were still internally displaced because of armed conflict .
193 nations meet in New York this week to discuss an arms treaty . The United Nations wants the trade of conventional weapons regulated . But some countries are pushing for a ban on all types of military equipment that can be used by governments, including tanks, fighter jets and missiles. The nations could not come to an agreement in July 2012 .