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TV Journalists Try Buying AK-47 On Dark Web, Fail (deepdotweb.com)

An anonymous reader writes: "It was supposed to be a great story about terrorism, uncertainty and the evils of the DarkNet," writes Deep Dot Web, describing an investigative report titled "Fear of Terror -- How Endangered is Germany?" After interviewing security experts, federal investigators, and a survivor of the Paris terrorist attack, a TV news crew in Germany attempted to buy an AK-47 on the dark web -- only to be scammed out of $800. "If he had done a little research he could have known that most weapon dealers on the DarkNet are actually scams," the article points out, adding that German customs officers say they would have intercepted any AK-47 had a delivery been attempted.
Motherboard reported in November that the high number of scams -- some of which are undercover agents -- prompted several dark web markets to stop offering guns altogether, though they suggest the German news crew was trying to recreate the purchases of "disabled" weapons which were then converted back into their original form.

88 comments

  1. TV "journalists" watch a movie by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    They think it's real and try the same thing. What fucking kind of dumbasses are pretending to be "journalists" these days? The white house guy is right, they don't know anything. They're like puppies...

    1. Re:TV "journalists" watch a movie by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've been recently astonished by the legal requirements for a press card in France. In summary, if your grandma makes most of her living thanks to the old recipes she posts on a regular basis on her blog, she's eligible for a press card.
      I don't want to be rude to anyone's grandma, but that's a pretty low entry bar IMHO.

    2. Re:TV "journalists" watch a movie by davester666 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Well, you don't really want the gov't, or really anyone else, to be setting some kind of bar to indicate who can be part of the 'press', because then it becomes very open to abuse. And that's generally worse than bad reporting by your grandma.

      --
      Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
    3. Re:TV "journalists" watch a movie by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey, some of grandma's recipes are pretty damn good. In fact the grandma that writes the best recipes should get the press card... I think that's perfectly fair, don't you?

  2. Stupid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Um, why would you even need to buy an AK online? Just go to a gun shop. This seems blatantly obvious.

    Really, this is just asking to be scammed.

    1. Re:Stupid by bigfinger76 · · Score: 1

      Germany.

    2. Re:Stupid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Germany

    3. Re:Stupid by WarJolt · · Score: 1

      Even in the US a gun registration can make a gun unsuitable or unattainable many crimes. I bet the tradition black markets are safer.

    4. Re:Stupid by DaHat · · Score: 2

      Even in the US a gun registration can make a gun unsuitable or unattainable many crimes

      Most states don't 'register' guns, and the feds are barred from doing so (other than NFA items).

      Worst case, you make the mistake of buying something new from an FFL, use it in a crime & leave it behind. The PD/BATFE will contact the manufacturer to learn which distributor, then which FFL sold it, and a 'quick' search through mounds of paperwork will turn up who it was sold it and you are going to have a bad day.

      A used gun sale at an FFL requires a bit of guessing as to which FFL sold it and when, but still can eventually turn up the last FFL sale (in the area).

      No need even for the 'black market' though. In most states, private sales are legal to another person (who resides in the state and is legally able to acquire the firearm), and it doesn't take too much effort to find a seller in your state, meet them in a parking lot, show a drivers license to prove residency, hand over cash and, receive the gun and shake hands... this also is the same source that the many a 'throw down gun' has come from.

    5. Re: Stupid by bigfinger76 · · Score: 1

      You can't 'just go down to a gun store and buy an AK-47' in the US, either. Stop repeating this nonsense.

    6. Re:Stupid by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 1

      In most European countries, it's pretty easy to purchase illegal firearms, despite strict gun control these things are smuggled in quantity. No need for the dark web, though you kind of have to know where to go and whom to ask, or you'll be scammed just as quickly.

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    7. Re: Stupid by Lumpy · · Score: 1

      i sure can.

      https://www.google.com/search?...

      The Local cabelas have several AK-47's that are modified to be semi-auto on the shelf, and they even have an AR-50 sniper rifle as well as Gen 3 night vision scopes.

      I even recently bought a Siaga 12, a semi auto modified version of a full auto 12GA shotgun. Perfect for home defense or even sandblasting when loaded with bird shot and a 30 round drum.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    8. Re:Stupid by bigfinger76 · · Score: 1

      I think that's likely true wherever you go. Guns are everywhere, period.

    9. Re: Stupid by DaHat · · Score: 1

      A proper Russian made or officially licensed AK-47 which supports fully automatic firing? True... it'd take 9-12 months for your NFA paperwork to clear before you could take possession of the rifle.

      You can however walk into oodles of gun stores and buy a knock off (AK-47 is probably the most patent infringed firearm in history) or maybe licensed version for a few hundred dollars.

      A quick search turns up plenty, take this one which is only a 30 min drive from where I am sitting and the shop looks to close at 8pm today and as an FFL will run a background check on you should you show up to buy it in person.

      So yes... you can just go down to the gun store and buy what most people will scream is an AK-47 if they see it: http://i.imgur.com/ueu7x5T.jpg

    10. Re: Stupid by bigfinger76 · · Score: 1

      Yes, a 'proper' AK. Sure, one can get a semiauto civilian version, but that's not what we're talking about here.

    11. Re: Stupid by bigfinger76 · · Score: 3, Informative

      They're not modified to be semiauto - they are semiauto. These are civilian versions - crippled replicas, essentially.

    12. Re: Stupid by Lumpy · · Score: 1

      The difference is a single hold not drilled into the receiver and a couple of parts. You are making it sound like it's a completely different animal. it's not, it is 100% identical with one hole missing and a few parts not installed. Anyone with 10 minutes and a hand drill can make a "replica" into a real thing, because they are the real thing, just not finished.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    13. Re: Stupid by bigfinger76 · · Score: 1

      Anyone with 10 minutes and a hand drill can make a "replica" into a real thing, because they are the real thing, just not finished.

      Fascinating, but totally irrelevant. This is a far cry from 'just going down to a gun store and buying an AK-47'.

  3. Media, meet reality by habig · · Score: 3, Insightful

    A similar meme here in the US: "you can buy a gun on the web without a background check! The horror. Must close that loophole."

    Any journalists trying to do this for a story would quickly realize that only is possible if buyer and seller are able/willing to meet physically, otherwise the act of shipping the firearm, which must go through a licensed dealer, gets backgrounds checked. And a physical meetup between individuals is pretty hard to regulate with or without an internet.

    1. Re:Media, meet reality by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't know where you are in the US, but there's no background checks in most states to purchase a rifle, unless you live in a backward state like NY or CA or MA.

    2. Re: Media, meet reality by bryanp · · Score: 1

      There is no background check involved for one individual selling to another in most states. If you're purchasing a firearm (rifle or not) from a gun store, pawn shop, dealer at a gun show etc, anyone who sells guns with an FFL, then there is a background check.

      --
      "An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it." Col. Jeff Cooper
    3. Re:Media, meet reality by khasim · · Score: 3, Insightful

      And if they would stop and THINK for a moment they'd understand WHY.

      The person willing to sell the weapon IN VIOLATION OF MANY FEDERAL LAWS (in the USofA) understands that he will ... probably ... be selling to someone LESS inclined to break those laws.

      So WHY would the seller be inclined to take that risk for $800? Does he plan to make enough profit in volume? Repeat customers? Or does he just like the idea of spending time in prison?

      This reads like "journalists" who spend too much time watching TV and movies.

    4. Re:Media, meet reality by sims+2 · · Score: 1

      or Oklahoma.

      Fun fact In oklahoma you are required to do a background check to pick up your own gun from a pawnshop but you are not however required to do a background check if picking up your own gun from a gunsmith that you've had repaired.

      Gun altered? no check. Gun not altered? Check!
      Nice consistent laws we have here.

      Although I don't like the idea of a business being responsible for taking guns away from people that already own them.

      --
      Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
    5. Re: Media, meet reality by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Background checks only stop criminals with a history of getting caught.

      Another interesting case to compare against would be Anders Breivik. He wanted to purchase guns and was willing to meet in person.
      He failed to acquire a gun through illegal means even if he was willing to cross several nation borders to do so.
      Criminals aren't willing to sell firearms to sketchy random dudes they know nothing about. The risk of it backfiring is too high.
      Breivik could still get hold of firearms legally since he had no previous history of crime and could go back home and pass any background check to obtain rifles.

    6. Re: Media, meet reality by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That is because at a pawn shop you are transferring ownership to the pawn shop on the chance you dont come back to pawn it back out.

      A gunsmith is not transferring the ownership because you just need some work done.

      If you pawn your vehicle a title transfer would happen, but do you sign a title transfer if you take it to an auto body shop for repair?

    7. Re:Media, meet reality by DaHat · · Score: 1

      Or Washington thanks to I-594 and it's requirement for background checks for every 'transfer'... which is poorly defined.

    8. Re: Media, meet reality by sims+2 · · Score: 1

      Ah so the sign that says guns left over 30 days will be sold is just for show?

      --
      Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
    9. Re:Media, meet reality by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't get how some people are for extra background checks for purchasing firearms, but against Trump's proposed background checks on muslims...

      -Ted Danson

    10. Re: Media, meet reality by sumdumass · · Score: 1

      Nope, but you have to go through a separate legal process to obtain ownership of the gun rather than the transfer at time of the pawn.

      This is just like taking your car to the repair shop. Once they tell you it is fixed, if you do not pick it up after a certain time, they can go through a legal process to transfer ownership and resell the car for the bill owed. Same with towing a vehicle in most places, it is still yours until you default and the legal process is started.

    11. Re: Media, meet reality by sims+2 · · Score: 1

      Thats the key part of what I was missing as a pawn the transfer is done before hand and as a repair the transfer is done after the fact I think?

      A car has a title that must be signed over so its understandable that there would be extra paperwork to sell it if they don't come back for a repair.

      Guns (at least in oklahoma) have no registion and as far as I know a gunsmith would not need to do any extra paperwork except mark it down as abandoned in their book.

      So its still something I plan to look into a bit more as this only makes sense to me if there is additional paperwork thats required if they don't pickup their gun.

      Thanks.

      --
      Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
    12. Re: Media, meet reality by sumdumass · · Score: 1

      Pawn shops that take firearms should be federally license dealers under federal law. I'm not sure that the same requirement is true for gunsmiths.

      https://www.atf.gov/firearms/d...

      I scanned through this (PDF warning) but didn't spend much time on it. It appears that in some instances, a gun smith is a dealer and in others they are not.

    13. Re: Media, meet reality by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Its likely to be BATFE rule. As a legal business entity; they are taking possession of the gun. They also have an FFL in order to be able to sell guns. So by you pawning, your selling your gun to them, and they are not sellling it for a specified window of time as stipulated by contract terms. By pawning; your selling, they own it and you have option to purchase back via loan repayment and failure to repay meaning you excercise right to NOT purchase a withheld item at specified price.

      In essence, batfe regs say ffl must do a background check on every firearm sale regardless of prior owner. Pawn store that sells any firearm would have an ffl.

    14. Re:Media, meet reality by Gussington · · Score: 1

      And a physical meetup between individuals is pretty hard to regulate with or without an internet.

      And even harder to regulate when one of those people has a gun
      Seems likely a risky move to take some cash to a meet up with a stranger who you know will be bringing a gun.

  4. Ripoff by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    First off, what kind of moron would pay $800 for an AK? You can get a MUCH nicer rifle for $800.

    1. Re:Ripoff by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      See this handy chart:

      http://i.imgur.com/ueu7x5T.jpg

    2. Re:Ripoff by sumdumass · · Score: 1

      But an AK is scary. It is the evil gun in movies, the evil gun portrayed by gun control advocates everywhere. And everyone knows there is only one reason to own an AK. That reason is to open beer bottles and beer is bad.

      Seriously. It was for the shock factor of the story. Probably no other considerations went into making the choice.

    3. Re:Ripoff by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      ...And everyone knows there is only one reason to own an AK. That reason is to open beer bottles and beer is bad.

      No, not quite just for opening beer bottles, Giving them to chimps can be 'rewarding' as well....

    4. Re:Ripoff by dunkelfalke · · Score: 1

      Sorry, but wrong. Makarov pistol is made for opening beer bottles, not AK. In fact I own a Makarov and opening beer bottles was the only use of it for the last 8 years.

      --
      "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
    5. Re:Ripoff by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've two in the safe I love dearly and have never heard of this before... I think I'll stick with my regular bottle opener though.

    6. Re:Ripoff by wisnoskij · · Score: 1
      --
      Troll is not a replacement for I disagree.
  5. Journalists? by guruevi · · Score: 0

    That seems more like a blog story than investigative journalism. "Oh, I tried buying a really bad gun, ubiquitously portrayed in movies as the 'bad guy gun' in private and got scammed, must mean it's impossible to buy guns illegally".

    Do you really think German criminals don't have guns? Do you really think German border checks open every single container, crate or box?

    --
    Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
  6. only in america by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc1FLSg2wIY

    pretty easy in Texas

    1. Re:only in america by blindseer · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Wow, imagine that, one person agrees to exchange private property with another person for some money. Is that not how a free society, a free economy, works?

      Oh, but it was a *GUN* they traded? I'm reminded of a cartoon of three frames. First frame, man with a bat and a bloodied dead person at his feet, an observer to this shouts, "Someone needs to stop this madman!" Second frame, man with a knife and a bloodied dead person at his feet, an observer shouts, "Someone needs to stop this madman!" Third frame, man with a gun and a bloodied dead person at his feet, an observer shouts, "Did you see that? We need to ban guns!"

      Oh, but guns are only good for murdering people, right? Is that why police officers carry them? Tell me, if we ban the private sale of firearms who will enforce it and how? I know the answer, it will be police officers carrying guns. If the police officers show up to stop people with guns from exchanging them then how is that going to play out, huh? That's right, dead police officers and guns getting into the hands of murderers.

      Guns are good for killing people and that is why people want them. Killing is different than murder because there is such as thing in law as "justifiable homicide". This is why police officers carry guns and this is why law abiding citizens need unrestricted access to them.

      This summer I'm taking a history course at the local university. We start with the French Revolution. For centuries the people of France were kept in perpetual slavery by kings and nobles. This was largely possible by keeping the people poor, uneducated, and disarmed. Anyone with a sword, bow, or arrow without the permission of the king would be killed on sight by the mercenaries and soldiers under the employ of the king. The king's rule was brought to a very brutal end when the people stormed the armory and took weapons to be used against the king. The people that took over were unfortunately just a brutal as any king, they were able to rule by terror on the rest of France because they now had the weapons. Next week's lectures will be over how Napolean fucked things up.

      People are only free if they are just as well armed as the government. That means being able to buy an AR-15 from some guy in a parking lot with cash.

      --
      I am armed because I am free. I am free because I am armed.
    2. Re:only in america by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do you know what the difference between a baseball bat (or a knife) and a gun is? Guns don't require one to be within arms' reach, which is why they're regulated so much more heavily.

    3. Re:only in america by blindseer · · Score: 1

      Your comment leads me to believe that you support gun control, if you don't then I'll assume you are playing devil's advocate and I will respond as if you are supporting gun control.

      Why do you hate women? Why do you hate the poor? If you support gun control then you must believe these people deserve to be at the mercy of those stronger than them.

      Let's set one thing clear, I have little reason to fear being a victim. I am a 6 foot 5 inch tall male in reasonably good physical condition, and thanks to some hand to hand combat training in the US Army I know that there is a very slim portion of the population that can take me down in a fair fight. With that said I also have a .45 caliber pistol to kill those that threaten me at close range and I have a M1 Carbine to make sure no one gets into close range. I believe that anyone that chooses to own weapons like mine should be able to do so without having to obtain permission from the government. That means no identifying documents to show to a dealer, no registry of the sale, and no background check. The main reasons I say there should be no background check is that the only way to enforce a background check is with a registry and registries are a way for the government to declare that they own the weapon and you do not, the other reason why I say this is because if the government believes a person is unfit to own a firearm then they need to be confined. If we confine those deemed unfit to own a firearm then by definition everyone free to walk into a gun store has passed a background check.

      Guns level the playing field, it puts me on the same level as the rest of the world. Since I pose no threat I am comfortable with anyone having those firearms. Since things like background checks, mandated training, gun licensing, and any other gun control scheme one might conjure cost money I know that such gun control will inherently disarm the poor.

      Features that make a firearm a so called "assault weapon" tend to be those that make them easier and safer to handle. Things like semi automatic actions, standard capacity magazines, forward grips, barrel shrouds, adjustable stocks, etc., etc. not only make them safer but also easier for the disabled. How is a person with one hand supposed to operate a pump action shotgun? A semi automatic would be easy for such people to operate safely. With a prosthetic hand they'd need a forward grip on the gun to operate the action, but having a forward grip is often banned because that is a feature of a so called "assault weapon", as would having a semi automatic action.

      Why do you hate the disabled?

      I've heard that in Australia a disabled person can get a waiver on banned weapons because of the difficulties I just described. This waiver policy simply destroys any claim that they had about these banned weapons. If these weapons are too dangerous to own for an able bodied person then are they not also too dangerous for a disabled person to own? Is it not possible the weapon could be stolen from them? Or a straw purchase made? What of the disabled poor that want one of these weapons? They are now much more expensive to obtain because they are typically banned, and the person that wants to buy them would need a physician's note.

      Firearms do enable a person to kill another at a range greater than that of a bat or knife, and that is precisely why they should be regulated just as much as bats and knives. By which I mean there should be no real regulation at all.

      --
      I am armed because I am free. I am free because I am armed.
    4. Re:only in america by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      People are only free if they are just as well armed as the government. That means being able to buy an AR-15 from some guy in a parking lot with cash.

      Being just as well armed as the government does not mean being able to buy an AR-15 from some guy in a parking lot. It means being able to buy an H-Bomb from some guy on a parking lot.

    5. Re:only in america by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      Sure, why not? According to the Supreme Court, the public should be allowed to buy any firearm that the military uses.

      http://www.constitution.org/2l...

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
  7. What kind of moron, you ask? by Runaway1956 · · Score: 1

    The kind of moron who feels the need to purchase an untraceable weapon will pay a premium for some POS that can't be tied to him. Serial number ground away? Good - rifling half shot out? Not a problem. The fancy woodwork needs to go - and I prefer blued steel to any shiny shit. Black anodizing is alright - specially if it's aged. The weapon isn't for show, it's for a mission.

    --
    "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    1. Re:What kind of moron, you ask? by Lumpy · · Score: 1

      Buy an 80% complete AR lower. ZERO serial numbers. easy to get all the rest of the parts and brain dead easy make it into a full auto M16.

      Luckily those that want to break the law are usually way too stupid to understand basic machining and tool use and will not be able to complete a functional M16 from parts.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    2. Re:What kind of moron, you ask? by DaHat · · Score: 1

      The kind of moron who feels the need to purchase an untraceable weapon will pay a premium for some POS that can't be tied to him.

      Someone who is unable to pass the required checks to purchase one legally?

      There is a reason straw purchases exist.

      Also, throw down guns. If you are a cop who has just shot someone who turns out to be unarmed, you may find it useful (though very illegal as well) to have a gun which has no paperwork connection to you that you can throw next to the body and claim the prep was going for it when you shot them,

    3. Re:What kind of moron, you ask? by technothrasher · · Score: 1

      Serial number ground away? Good.

      If you're buying a gun in an illegal handshake deal, why would you want one with a ground off serial number? It's not traceable to you even with the serial number, and getting caught with a gun with a ground off serial number is a federal offence in and of itself. It seems to me a criminal wouldn't want the serial number ground off unless it had previously been legally purchased by them through a traceable deal and they're also planning to dump the gun.

    4. Re:What kind of moron, you ask? by Runaway1956 · · Score: 1

      The question that I responded to asked "what kind of moron" - remember?

      A smarter individual might go out and purchase a weapon openly and legally, knowing that he is going to dispose of the weapon anyway. Or - he may not.

      Not every mercenary or assassin is really stupid, nor are all of them really bright. And, there remains an underground market for weapons in various states of legality, modification, and repair.

      Now, if I desperately needed an untraceable weapon, I believe that I would consider burglarizing a pawn shop. Or, I would find some chump to do the strawman thing, so that my weapon appeared to be legal, until I could destroy it.

      Different strokes for different folks, you know?

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    5. Re:What kind of moron, you ask? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The question that I responded to asked "what kind of moron" - remember?

      Fair enough. :)

      Now, if I desperately needed an untraceable weapon, I believe that I would consider burglarizing a pawn shop. Or, I would find some chump to do the strawman thing, so that my weapon appeared to be legal, until I could destroy it.

      Actually, if you're not a moron, getting a legally untraceable and unserialized gun without actually breaking any laws is really not a very difficult problem to solve, even in states with strict gun laws. There are several solutions. I'll leave it as an exercise to the reader, however, as it's not my aim to facilitate anybody's criminal endeavors.

  8. Dumb Journalists by BoRegardless · · Score: 1

    Young dumb journalists. A little research would have clued them in to what goes on in legitimate and illegitimate buying of guns.

  9. Are you talkin to me? I'm the only one here! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    n/t

  10. steep price by thygate · · Score: 1

    isn't $800 a bit much, a few years ago there were lots of rumors you could buy one around Brussels for less than half of that. I certainly hope they cracked down on illegal arms dealers in the meanwhile.

    1. Re:steep price by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      isn't $800 a bit much, a few years ago there were lots of rumors you could buy one around Brussels for less than half of that. I certainly hope they cracked down on illegal arms dealers in the meanwhile.

      There was a BBC documentary on a couple of years back about the weapons trade in Africa, $800 would buy, If I remember the prices correctly
      20off AK-47s (or 1 AK-47 and 38,000 rounds)
      10off RPG-7s (or 1 RPG-7 and 36 PG-7Vs )

      I also seem to recall that there was another BBC documentary about when we were arming the Mujahideen back in the heady early days of the Russian round of the Afghan war. It seems we were shipping them any Russian made AK-47s that could be bought on the international markets, at a cost of approx (1980's) $40 per unit to the US/UK taxpayers. (They had to be Russian as, well, we were trying to keep up the pretence that they were only using 'captured' weapons at that point..)

      So, $800 does look to be a mite overpriced...considering the number of AKs which have 'migrated' into the EU along with all those ex-Soviet countries inhabitants...

    2. Re:steep price by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My brother worked for the UN in Ethiopia. He told me of the c3 million AK-47s they had manufactured there they could account for about 300,000. The rest were 'missing'.

  11. duh... watch Vice instead by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They have an episode that shows how knockoffs are made super-cheap in countries like Pakistan. That's were you look.

  12. Remember it's illegal by Bruce66423 · · Score: 1

    Of course if it were a legal purchase, then paying less would be more likely. Of course the fact that it wasn't so much is a hint that it's a scam. OTOH we may speculate that this was a set up by the media to try to discourage people from buying these things on the net.

    Isn't conspiracy hunting fun ;)

  13. Yard sales also by Okian+Warrior · · Score: 1

    There is no background check involved for one individual selling to another in most states. If you're purchasing a firearm (rifle or not) from a gun store, pawn shop, dealer at a gun show etc, anyone who sells guns with an FFL, then there is a background check.

    I can corroborate this. I've seen pistols and rifles at yard sales in NH. Pistols are less common than rifles, but you can find them.

    This is fine in NH, we don't have a lot of gun violence. If your state is concerned about citizen death, consider disarming the law-abiding ones.

    1. Re:Yard sales also by bigfinger76 · · Score: 1

      Anyone can corroborate it - it's Federal law.

    2. Re:Yard sales also by DaHat · · Score: 1

      If your state is concerned about citizen death, consider disarming the law-abiding ones.

      The warzone that is Chicago agrees... shame the rest of us won't get onboard with restricting rights in other states so that illegal guns quit killing people on the south-side on their own.

    3. Re:Yard sales also by sumdumass · · Score: 1

      And yet these other states with the more lax gun laws don't seem to have the same problem as Chicago.

      Maybe the problem _is_ the restriction of rights. Perhaps not the right to own a gun by itself but I'm thinking it plays along in there too.

    4. Re:Yard sales also by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And yet these other states with the more lax gun laws don't seem to have the same problem as Chicago.

      Maybe the problem _is_ the restriction of rights. Perhaps not the right to own a gun by itself but I'm thinking it plays along in there too.

      Or maybe the issue is that you cannot make islands of gun control in a country where you can go down to the local shops and purchase a firearm. Chances are, if firearms were not restricted in Chicago then gun crimes would be higher then what they are. The issue as I see it is that the quality of life in Chicago really sucks since the economy there died and all the people left are those who either are in "control" or too poor to move away.

    5. Re:Yard sales also by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

      Fuck your logic.

      Maybe the goddam problem is the one variable that keeps appearing in the analysis: MAYBE IT'S CHICAGO !

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
  14. Not a problem in the USA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    When producers were making the movie Lord of War, they had a scene in warehouse full of AKs. They had actual arms dealers as consultants for the movie (the story is the biography of a real life arms dealer) and they found out it would be cheaper to buy a warehouse full of real AKs than a warehouse full of replicas.

    1. Re:Not a problem in the USA by bigfinger76 · · Score: 1

      That's absurd.

    2. Re:Not a problem in the USA by DaHat · · Score: 1

      Dunno about warehouse, but it seems they did purchase 3000 of them: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/n...

      Also seems the tanks they used were on loan until the end of the year when there were to be sold to Libya..

  15. They're not trying very hard... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I worked with a Bulgarian a few years ago, he reckoned he could get a Kalashnikov for fifty quid.

    1. Re:They're not trying very hard... by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      They're doing it wrong, mostly. Just go to the "go to place" that exists in every halfway large town and if you have the money, they have the goods.

      With 2 weeks advance notice I wouldn't deem it impossible for some of these goons to deliver a strategic bomber, if you told them where to put it...

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  16. Hah, fail by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

    TV Journalists Try Buying AK-47 On Dark Web, Fail

    Yeah, they are teh suxx0rs alright.

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  17. Why would you even buy that there? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why would you even buy that there? AK-like weapons might be the most numerous rifle on the planet. Once you have a lower, you can get all the other parts through normal channels. I'm not a gun nut; but stories about stuff like that get posted here all the time so I'm acquainted with it. I think there was a story here at some point about "not lowers" you could buy and then have a machinist complete the milling for you and it becomes a lower. Or, you could just go to a gun show in some really permissive state and drive it home.

  18. Why all the cloak and dagger stuff? by JustNiz · · Score: 1

    Come to one of the gun shows here in Arizona you can walk in and buy one quite legally.

    1. Re:Why all the cloak and dagger stuff? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Arizona, or any state that still has sane laws.

      Of course it's a whole other matter to then ship that assault rifle to Europe. If you don't know who to talk to, you'll be taking big risks.

    2. Re:Why all the cloak and dagger stuff? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Come to one of the gun shows here in Arizona you can walk in and buy one quite legally.

      They're in Germany, and were trying to do the old darkzenwebzestensouceofallevilzenundallesthatscheisse to obfuscate the fact that most of the illegal guns in their country either come in with their migrants or via the 'back channels' these migrants have to their homelands or via the stubborn remnants of their Nazi past and their connections to similar minded groups around the continent.

  19. Misuse of terms by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You're using the term "journalist" when the term you're actually looking for is "dipshit blogger."

    Yes, you can do real journalism and be a blogger, but that requires intelligence, common sense, and a desire for the truth that these dumb fucks just don't have.

  20. That's a relief! by Karl+Cocknozzle · · Score: 0

    SO I guess we can just close the book completely on the notion of there being a gun-related problem in the United States. Hooray! The system works! /sarcasm

    --
    Who did what now?
    1. Re:That's a relief! by Nikkos · · Score: 2, Informative

      There's a problem all right, but it's not a gun problem. It's a failure to address the real problems (poverty, education, etc), coupled with a 'whitewashing' of the predominate demographic/cultural characteristics of the perpetrators. This is a problem with idiotic Democrats, who seem to think that removing weapons will solve the problem, and this is a problem with Republicans (and Libertarians) that worship rampant capitalism without any checks and balances of social welfare

      The general myth that more guns = more violence is not supported by any real-world examination. The only place you can find such claims are in statistically overtweaked research put out by biased sources.

      Case in point:
      Total murders 1980 - over 20,000. Number of firearms in America - ~170mil. US Population 220mil.
      Total Murders 2014 - ~15,000. Number of firearms in America - ~350mil . US Population 320mil.

      100 Million more people, 180 million more firearms. 25% less murders.

      Arguing that more guns = more murders/violence simply can't be supported, because over the last 35 years that theory has been completely disproven. It's a complete farce, just like the 'Video game and violence' theory, which again is disproved simply by looking at how youth violence has decreased by over 50% since 1990 (FBI), while violent video games have become one of the most profitable entertainment mediums today.

      Go look at any of the gun violence sites that plot the incidents on an actual map. You will quickly see that the vast vast majority of gun violence (not suicides) occur in predominately in low-income, low-education areas of large metropolitan regions that are also predominately inhabited by minorities (and of that, predominately black.) Even if you try to point out 'white' states like Nebraska, Oklahoma, or even Minnesota have crime issues, you will still find the above claim regarding the overall demographics to be true.

      Suicides are the other 'big lie' by the Anti-Gun crowd. 2/3rd of gun deaths are suicides, but the idea that reducing firearms reduces suicides is not supported. (There is a study out there that says reducing guns reduces gun suicides, but that's like saying removing electricity reduces electrocutions)
      In fact, the US has lower or equivalent suicide rates to countries that have strict gun control. Removing guns will just change the method, not the outcome.

      Guns are a strawman and the NRA is just a boogieman to a group of people who can't look up basic numbers, understand basic research methods, or think past their organic, probiotic, cave-man, paleo-vegan diet.

    2. Re:That's a relief! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      SO I guess we can just close the book completely on the notion of there being a gun-related problem in the United States. Hooray! The system works! /sarcasm

      The article is from Germany, you fucking twit.

    3. Re:That's a relief! by Karl+Cocknozzle · · Score: 1

      SO I guess we can just close the book completely on the notion of there being a gun-related problem in the United States. Hooray! The system works! /sarcasm

      The article is from Germany, you fucking twit.

      Yep! And as we all know, Germany has their own private Internet, not accessible from the United States! So you're 100% correct. /sarcasm

      --
      Who did what now?
  21. You know the old saying by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    Fools, money and the separation of the two...

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  22. Try finding love on Craigslist now by mi · · Score: 1

    "If he had done a little research he could have known that most weapon dealers on the DarkNet are actually scams,"

    Now they can try finding love on Craigslist:

    I'm bored here and my boyfriend is away..

    --
    In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
  23. what about some petrol and a glass bottle? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I hope a pack of niggers moves in next door

  24. Re:Let me guess... by Coren22 · · Score: 1

    If they had done a money transfer would it have been any more secure?

    The fraud happens, it doesn't matter what currency is used.

    --
    APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?