IDF crackdown triples price of makeshift guns in West Bank — army

The price of makeshift guns in the West Bank skyrocketed in 2016, tripling from May to October, as a result of the military’s ongoing crackdown on their manufacture and sale, an IDF intelligence officer says.

Throughout last year, the IDF shuttered 44 alleged gunsmithing workshops in the West Bank, a dramatic increase from the previous year, the officer from the Central Command tells reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“It’s easy to remember the number for 2015: zero,” he says.

According to the officer, that effort is part of the army’s overall effort to root out terror in the West Bank and protect the people who live there.

“One way to stop civilians from being injured is to make sure [terrorists] meet a soldier or a police officer instead. Another way is to keep him from getting a gun,” he says.

That crackdown has had an impact on the street, driving the price of a craft-made Carlo-style submachine gun from approximately NIS 2,000 in January-May to its current cost of over NIS 6,500, the officer says.

The price of a cheaper version of the makeshift gun also increased by 300 percent, from NIS 1,500 in January-May to NIS 4,500 today, he adds.

— Judah Ari Gross