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SANTO DOMINGO. – The smuggling of weapons of all calibers has risen as the result of their import ban and also prompts citizens to buy guns illegally to protect against the latest nationwide crime spree.
The Weapons Importers Association made the denunciation on Wednesday and cited Tuesday’s arrest of four Customs officials in Santiago on conspiracy to smuggle guns and other charges.
The organization which imports guns blames the rise in smuggling the four year old gun import ban promoted by the Interior and Police Ministry. “The citizens who feel threatened by the country’s current crime wave decide to buy these guns of illegal origin to protect themselves and theirs, but don’t have another option via the legal route. Citizens often visit gun shops looking to buy a sidearm, but faced with that impossibility they must import them though the black market.”
“Smuggling is now a very lucrative business, since they have an open market and the price of a legal gun – which only change hands from the original owner to another- is excessively high from the short supply and low inventories in authorized stores,” the gun importers said in a statement.
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"Guns don't kill people. People do".
Wow.... War Zone..... Killing Field.... in DR.
Why this happen? Let's say Thanks to Lie-onel.
It seems guns have always been a problem here in the DR as in the USA
A controlled importation of small arms would better serve the government's and importers interests. This would be limiting the amount of arms imported at any one time to allow customs and other authorites to scrutinize the imported arms for proper paperwork and description to avoid the fraud of smuggling unauthorized arms under the pretex of a legitimate imports.
The importers would benefit with increased business. The additional advantages would be decreased prices, create a better marketplace environment, a decreased need for black market arms, a increased tax and gun permit revenue for the government, and place legally purchased arms into the needy hands of law abiding citizens.
This is all big talk on the part of the Govt. For each piece sold, there's around RD$5000.00 in taxes plus the licence renewals.
They're not ready to kiss that goodbye.
How to Make a Zip Gun
http://www.homegunsmith.com/cgi-b..../uploads/post-94-18591-ZipGun.pdf
It's the bullits that ya have to buy
I totally agree.
What ! a small arms race in the DR. The black market system is just another way to provide the Peoples wants and needs threw illigal means.
The question is by lowering the price, TAX and legal mumble jumble in order to slow the influx of illigal firearms the cure.
I for one one don't think so.
A very small number of crimes are ever commeted by folks who legally own them, correct me if I'm wrong 95% of firearms related crime in the DR are commeted by individuals with stolen, unregistered and illigally obtained firearms.
As to "Guns don't kill people, people do" does have some merit people use firearms to kill other Humans, a gun being the weapon of choice, is used to kill by just a aim and pull the trigger vs. killing up close and personal with a bat or a knife.......it removes that personal touch / connection, but the morals and ethics are still the same the killing of another Human.
ALL take care.