SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region – Gun and ammunition prices have shot up -- and the cost of a Kalashnikov bullet has doubled – at Sulaimani’s gun markets since the civil war across the border in Syria, local gun vendors say.
The Syrian war which began with an uprising in March 2011 against President Bashar Assad, has meant brisk business for the gun shops in Sulaimani, where the price of a bullet for a Kalashnikov AK-47 rifle is now $2 a piece, the shop owners say.
Many of the customers who buy guns are wealthy Kurds, said Aso Mohammed, a gun dealer in the city.
“They are interested in buying pistols which range from $500 to $12,000,” and are not necessarily involved in illegal activities he said. Criminals usually get their guns from outside, he added.
Handguns in greatest demand are Italian Cougar pistols for $12,000 a piece, Croatian Glocks for $2,900 or a cheaper Beretta mi 1951 for $900, sellers said. They said most buyers for these types of handguns were aged between 24 and 35.
“A particular type of AK-47, locally known as ‘Gim Sarukh’ is in great demand, with prices as high as $4,500,” said another arms man. He said tribal chiefs and VIPs were the main buyers.
A dealer speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid issues with police said that between $85,000 to $90,000 worth of arms are traded in Sulaimani every day. Sellers said that the trade was legal in Sulaimani, and that buyers names were passed on to the police.
Nevertheless, the crime rate in Sulaimani has risen over recent weeks. Disputes are also increasingly settled with guns, and these have led to a number of deaths, police say.
They complain there are too many guns in the city, and that an amnesty should be passed for people holding illegal arms to turn them in.
“The best solution is for the government to pay people an amount of money to buy their arms,” on official suggested.
Many weapons poured into the Kurdistan Region after the fall of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003. When the Iraqi army was rebuilt, more weapons came into Kurdistan.
Besides pistols and AK-47s, PKS sub-machine guns and RPGs (rocket propelled grenades) are also available, but they require official permission and are only sold to government security departments.
Under current regulations a person wanting to buy a gun must be over 18, a resident of the Kurdistan Region and medically certified sane.
