Posted: 9/12/2007 6:18:12 PM EDT
| The movie Lord of War got me thinking. I am not talking about illegal ghetto gun deals I am talking about the massive amount of weapons that get shipped to Africa. Where do these guns come from and how do they transport them? Also are they legally sold or is it highly illegal? |
Actually, I think the movie itself did a fairly good job of explaining your question, as it was theatrical but based on an actual dude. Listened to a good NPR program on him a few weeks ago. Still out and about, he is. |
Thats for the link, that's really interesting. |
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Generally speaking, smuggling in general: It's not one group, but a whole bunch of groups that come together for a particular need. There's the brokers, the gatherers (or recruiters if it is people), the forgers, the logistics, the transportation, and so forth. They come together for the job and then when the job is over, they go their ways. The person who may be the broker for a gun running job this week may be the broker for slave labor next week. May not always be the case, but essentially, it is probably an error to think of it as one group doing only one kind of smuggling. _______________________________________________ ("Okay, Franks, let's see the passport."--Tiffaney Case. Smuggler Peter Franks (007) hands it over and as she looks thru it, "Occupation? Transport Consultant? That's a little bit cute, doncha think?", (w,stte), "Diamonds Are Forever") |
How very true. At my level of training and education, when I analyze a crime problem, I am expected to provide a way to stop it. Usually that involves analyzing the market, who are the buyers, their motivations, and providing ways to get rid of the market. Incidently, that's one of the reasons why I can't take the "basic, obvious" reason as an answer, such as accepting the need to get off is why people frequent highly illegal bordellos (for example). Ie, they may want to get off but they want 12 year old girls because they believe either they can't get STDs that way or it will cure them of an STDs. Look at the market and find out what propels it. __________________________________________________________ ("I can get you anything, gentlemen, anything (for the right price). I can get you drugs, medical equipment, women, ......... with a week's notice, a B-52 with crew."--businessman to the 4077th doctors, (w,stte), "MASH") |
the guy who produced that movie specifically stated in several interviews before the release of the movie that he was making it to show the world the results of the american gun culture. it was made as a rip on the US, and on gun owners. |
While that may be true, he failed miserably in that goal. The entire basis for the flick was the fall of the Soviet Union being the source for the world's illegal gun runners. How that whole operation can point a finger at American gun owners is one hell of a stretch. Besides, if given the choice, we wouldn't have sent those weapons to Africa, we'd have imported them and bought them ourselves! 
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Russia. Sometimes China. But mostly Russia. |
they could put it all in the EE, and sell it in a few days
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Which was basically the message of the movie. The U.S. gov't is waist deep in arms smuggling. 
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