The International Trade of Filipino Guns

Drugs, prostitutes, and gun-for-hire? Crime in the Philippines has it all. As the country's drug war goes into its twilight era, people have begun to question whether it is drugs that are causing the violence. Lawmen have set its sight on something more dangerous and lethal that is being sold in the city street – illegal firearms.

Firearm laws in the Philippines are almost as lax as in the United States. All it takes is a psych exam, a clear record, and the regular costs to own a gun in the Philippines. Though admittedly, only certain types of firearms are sold in the Philippines, anyone with money in the country can have them. And it’s not uncommon to hear about businessmen and lawyers carrying at least a pistol or a semi-automatic SMG.

But these firearms are the ones that could be sold legally. The illegal ones are what troubles most law enforcement, politicians, and the military.

TYPES

Illegal firearms come in two varieties in the Philippines: second-hand serialized guns and homemade guns. The first type is the service firearms or any legally bought firearms that the previous owners decide to sell without the need for necessary paper works. Many of these sellers are former cops or military men who decided to smuggle firearms out of their bases and stations to make a quick buck. The second common type of illegal firearms are the ones are built by unlicensed amateur gunsmiths. Illegal gunsmithing is a big business in the Philippines, going way back in WW2 to the paltiks and “guerilla shotguns” being built by resistance fighters. Factories are built high up in the mountains and hills of Cebu, Samar, and Mindanao, where illegal gunsmiths mold, hammer, and assemble firearms ranging from simple Colts to Armalite.

LOCAL TRADE

Many of these firearms end up being in the hands of gangsters, rebels, and terrorists. A criminal by the name of Moamar Sarif had a shootout on June 22, 2020 which led to the death of him and a policeman. Recovered from his body was a serialized firearm formerly owned by someone who bought the gun legally. Police suspected that the buyer sold the gun to him. Insurgents like New People's Army and the Abu Sayyaf have long depended on gun-runners who can arm them in their struggles and rebellions.

Private militaries in the Philippines have also benefitted from the illegal gun trade. Mindanao politicians regularly buy guns to wage blood wars against rival clans. Kuratong Baleleng, a military syndicate, managed to arm themselves using firearms given by the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

INTERNATIONAL CRIME

What's more dangerous about Filipino guns is their tendency to be smuggled abroad. Indeed, the Philippines are one of the countries infamous for producing and importing illegal firearms; a reputation as vile as Colombian cocaine. ty of law enforcement in the PhilippineIn a National Geographic documentary entitled "Underworld, Inc", a gangbanger by the name of Nightscope talked to a journalist about how many of his illegal pistols were brought from a Filipino friend. Many of these guns are sold in Chicago and Los Angeles, causing endless amounts of violence. Japanese Yakuza also frequently visit and buy guns from the Philippines, which they then transport secretly to Japan. On violent incident occurred on November 29, 2019, when Yakuza leader Keiichi Furukawa was gunned down by rival assassins with an M653P rifle, a Filipino knock-off of the CAR-15. The gun was tracked down by Japanese police to the Philippines.

Even though drugs are the main prioris, similar control of illegal firearms must be upheld as well. Violence in the country would never happen, even with all the drugs and political conflicts, if gun laws are strictly propagated.