The Shadowy World Of Dark Web Guns – Navigating The Underbelly Of The Internet
Real Or Fake?
The Dark Web: A Hidden Marketplace for Guns
Wannabe Intelligence Agent Claims Buying A Gun On The Dark Web Was ‘Research’
The dark web is a part of the internet that is intentionally hidden and is inaccessible through traditional dark web com web browsers. It is often associated with illegal activities, including the sale of firearms.
What is the Dark Web?
The dark web is a network of websites that are not indexed by search engines and can only be accessed using special software, such as the Tor browser. It is often used for illegal activities because of its anonymity and lack of regulation.
The Dark Web Gun Market
- The RAND report recommends the adaptation of new intervention strategies, the development of specialist skills and the introduction of proper regulatory frameworks to clamp down on this new and obscure platform for selling illegal firearms.
- In France, firearm applicants are subjected to rigorous background checks and sales are denied to those with criminal records.
- When ATF uncovers clear violations of federal firearms laws, they work with prosecutors to build cases for charging and convicting offenders.
- Even though they are recruited and marketed openly via Internet forums, chats and job postings, much of this activity is fragmented and takes place in the “Deep Web,” the vast regions of the Internet not indexed by conventional search engines.
The dark web gun market is a thriving online black market where individuals can buy and sell firearms illegally. These guns can be purchased without a background check or any form of identification, making it easy for criminals to obtain weapons.
Historically, nation states readily target mobile phones for espionage and intelligence collection. Recent reporting from Toronto’s Citizen’s Lab details how the Saudi government targeted 36 journalists from Al Jazeera earlier this year. While no users have left a review on this particular store, 32 completed a purchase, according to the marketplace’s stats. In 2017, President Miloš Zeman and the lower house pushed an amendment to the constitution that would guarantee gun rights for all citizens, as the country finds itself in conflict with the European Union on gun legislation. A constitutional provision would have held up at the European Union Court of Justice against Brussels, but the move was ultimately stopped by the Czech Senate. Nevertheless, the internal disagreement over the clash with the European Union on firearms isn’t over.
“The volume can be considered sufficiently high to be cause for concern for policy makers and law enforcement agencies,” concluded Giacomo Paoli, one of the authors of the RAND report. DarkOwl also discovered darknet users talking about key open source reporting regarding the attack, more specifically, Vinoth Kumar posted to social media that he found a public Github repo leaking credentials belonging to SolarWinds since June 2018. One vendor dark web website on White House Market using the pseudonym unglued, recently posted a 12-Watt Frequency Generator for sale on the marketplace. The hand-held device could be utilized by a threat actor to jam and potentially interfere with the operation of a wide range of frequencies including those used by mobile phones, Bluetooth devices, and GPS receivers. Nation-states wanting to conduct in-field operations could greatly benefit from such a device.
Types of Guns Sold on the Dark Web
However, vendors and marketplaces must balance revealing enough information about their concealment techniques to gain their customers’ trust while not exposing their methods and routes resulting in law enforcement interdiction. The gun dealers selling on the dark web, the internet’s notorious underbelly, were of course not out in the open. It may not be a shock that the dark web, the online networks that aren’t readily accessible to the public, is a hotbed of illegal gun sales. DIG was developed as part of the DARPA’s Memex initiative, which seeks to develop software and search technologies for countering human trafficking, the illegal arms trade and terrorism. It is currently being tested by six police departments and could expand to as many as 200 this year.
- Handguns
- Assault rifles
- Shotguns
- Sniper rifles
Last year, the Bavarian State Criminal Police concluded that Munich rampage-shooter David Sonboly, 18, purchased a 9mm Glock 17 through a dark web marketplace. Sonboly shot and killed 9 people, wounding 36 others, before killing himself. Analysing the ‘supplier ID’ for an indication of the country of origin (e.g. ‘balkanweapons’, ‘dutchmarket’ and ‘USuser’).
Prices of Guns on the Dark Web
Prices of guns on the dark web vary, but they are generally cheaper than guns sold through legal channels. For example, darknet drug trafficking a handgun can be purchased for as little as $500, while an assault rifle can be bought for around $1,500.
Risks of Buying Guns on the Dark Web
There are several risks associated with buying guns on the dark web. These include:
- The possibility of receiving a faulty or unusable gun
- The risk of being caught by law enforcement
- The danger of selling or giving the gun to someone most expensive drug in the black market who could use it for illegal purposes
FAQs
Is it legal to buy guns on the dark web?
No. Buying guns on
