5 Things You Didn't Know About Arms Dealers

This is What You Need To Know About The Arms Trade

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Within your circle of friends and acquaintances, you probably know some doctors, some lawyers, some artists, and maybe even an actor or a professional athlete. But chances are you don't know any international arms dealers. What the arms dealer does is pretty straightforward: He sells arms. But there are obviously plenty of aspects of this profession that remain hidden to most. Here are five of them.

1- Dealing arms isn't illegal

Believe it or not, dealing in private arms is a perfectly legal profession in most countries. In fact, few countries have any laws at all that forbid brokering an illegal arms deal. Remember; the broker is usually nothing more than a middleman with a phone, a computer and a bank account. When arms dealers do find themselves in trouble, it is often when they run afoul of international law by engaging in high-profit, illegal transactions. In these instances, it is not specific arms-dealing laws that are being broken, but rather import and export laws, or U.N. sanctions that are being circumvented.

While some arms dealers concede that better laws and serious enforcement efforts might curb or stop the arms trade, the dirty little secret of the business is that, although we all profess to despise them, virtually every country on the planet needs and wants arms dealers. For that reason, most arms dealers, even those who make illegal deals, operate without significant interference — and, in some cases, tacit approval.

2- The AK-47 is often used as a loss leader

That AK-47 assault rifle is everywhere, and it costs about $75 to buy, transport and sell. But many of the high-profile arms dealers don't bother with this gun at all because the margins it offers are too low. In fact, some dealers use these rifles as a loss leader, giving them away at first. After they have established a rapport with the buyer (remember; this is a business built exclusively on trust, as there are seldom courts to turn to if the other party breaks the deal), the dealer can then sell the buyer on a more sophisticated line of arms.

The arms dealing industry benefits greatly from the nature of war, which is fundamentally competitive. If your adversary has only knives, guns will suffice, but when they get guns, you'll want tanks.

Guns need not be COD, and how much a dealer earns...