Lebanon illegal guns market

The Lebanon gun market for illegal weapons has been the subject of much debate for many years, yet it has never affected the business and sale of guns and weapons. Customers from neighbor countries always preferred Lebanon to get easy guns and light weapons. Many arms dealers of Lebanon like Tony Abi Saab sell their weapons illegally to rebel groups in Syria and Iran.

Since the outbreak of the Civil war in Syria, the illegal business of guns in the Lebanon market has skyrocketed, national security became vulnerable, and the smuggling of arms peaked. The Syrian Civil war has provided an opportunity for businessmen in Lebanon to sell guns in the neighboring country. It is astonishing that everyone knows about the illegal gun trade in Lebanon—citizens, military, and the government—yet nobody has taken enough action to stop it. The security forces of Lebanon are actually fully aware of the gun dealers and their addresses, yet they can’t take action against them due to their links with political parties.

Guns and weapons are sold at half of the real price in the illegal market of Lebanon to ordinary citizens and rebel groups. Tripoli sells cheaper weapons than Tripoli since they can be smuggled through Syria-Lebanon borders. The illegal guns market of Lebanon sells a variety of weapons from the minimum range of $100 to above $3000. The guns and bullets are not only sold to illegal people but also to political and security members at cheap rates.

Prices vary on the type of weapon, the best quality weapons are costlier than the low-quality guns which are risky to use, probably because they can blast in hands! The Glock and HS are sold for $3,000 on average, while the 14-gun is sold for $300. The price of a pistol depends on the quality, and it ranges from $700 to $1,500. Makarov can be bought for $700 whereas, a Russian Viking for $1,800. The price of the guns also varies from its look. The decorated and plated with gold or silver guns are sold at a higher price than the simpler and non-plated ones. Vintage guns are also in demand and dealers get a good price when sold.

Is Lebanon the only source for guns and weapons for terrorists? Not all the weapons that are smuggled to Syria are produced in Lebanon, many are from Russia or other European countries. Some weapons are from Iran and Iraq as well. The location and places where weapons can be found at the best rate are only known to dealers and people who buy them. It’s a shady business which is known to everyone but nobody can actually find its area of operation unless they themselves try to buy a gun.

Lebanese people buy guns for self-defense. Some have a legal permit to keep the gun and some don’t still, they keep one. In recent times, security raids have increased the control of gun trafficking but they are failing due to rampant corruption in the Lebanon legal system. Political parties, when suspected of having a connection with illegal arms dealers, deny their involvement in any crimes or any relationship with illegal people. Some of the politicians fan the Syrian war for their own benefits.

How Lebanon is geographically fit for Syrian rebels? Lebanon borders Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south, and Cyprus to the west across the Mediterranean sea. This suggests that Lebanon is quite near to the countries at conflicts, Syria and Iran. So, the sale of arms and weapons surged after the stocked weapons of the two nations dried and they were forced to seek help from nearby countries. But the problem is that Lebanon is not only helping the military forces of Syria but also the rebel groups for the sake of profits. The relationship between Syria and Lebanon had never been stable, they always had one or the other reason to hate each other.

Lebanon’s role in the Syrian Civil war was internationally criticized. The powerful businessman, Tony Abi Saab of Lebanon was helping militant groups in Syria just for the sake of money. The porous borders of Syria made possible for Tony and like-minded people to smuggle arms and weapons to deadly terror groups.