Report on the Booming Gun Trade in Idlib, Syria: There Are No Restrictions

A TV report focuses on a weapons store in Idlib, Syria, where anything from pistols to machine guns are sold. A 12-year-old boy behind the counter says that he left school to sell weapons, and the store owner recounts how they developed their trade after the "revolution and Jihad" began and talks about the booming trade in weapons "taken as booty from the Syrian army." The report aired on the Lebanese Al-Jadid/New TV channel on June 25.

Syrian boy at the counter of a gun shop: I am 12 years old.

Interviewer: How far did you get in school?

Syrian boy: I stayed in school until the fourth grade.

Interviewer: Did you leave school to sell weapons?

Syrian boy:  Yes, I did.

Interviewer: Which is better, studying or selling weapons?

Syrian boy:  They are both fine.

Interviewer: Why are you selling weapons and not in school?

Syrian boy:  I didn't like school.

Salesman in the gun shop: Before the revolution, we were regular workers. Everybody had their job and their profession. When the revolution and the Jihad began, we joined the factions,  and gained military experience in dealing with weapons. We started small by buying and selling some guns and pistols. With time, we began to open stores that sell weapons. Is this the only store in Idlib, or are there more? There are many stores like this, not just one or two.

Interviewer: What kind of weapons do you sell and buy here?

Salesman: Rifles, pistols, heavy machine guns... Most of our pieces are not heavy weapons, but we have PK and DShk machine guns.

Interviewer: Don't you consider these to be heavy weapons? Let's say semi-heavy or heavy weapons.

Interviewer: What about high-quality heavy weapons, like TAO missiles?

Salesman: The factions sell and buy heavy weapons among themselves.

Interviewer: The factions sell and buy heavy weapons among themselves.

Salesman: These weapons were taken as booty from the Syrian army. The men took them during the fighting. We took it as booty and started to sell it and buy it among ourselves. Anyone can sell to his friend, buy from his friend, and so on.

Interviewer: Do the authorities or the factions impose any restrictions on the arms trade?

Salesman: No, there's nothing like that. There is free trade.

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