Gun factories multiply in Palestinian Authority

IDF raid unearths secret gun factory, security officials warn such factories are becoming more common.

By David Rosenberg, INN

Weapons factories producing makeshift firearms are becoming more common,Reuters reports.

Israeli security officials have seen a rise in the number of weapon factories in Judea and Samaria, while experts familiar with the Palestinian Authority black market note the flood of locally produced of guns.

While an authentic M-16 assault rifle costs upwards of $18,000 in the PA black market, guns produced in local metal foundries can be found costing as little as $500.

A raid by Israeli security forces last week uncovered one such foundry, used to produce sniper rifles and pistols.

Often times the weapons are domestic knockoffs of big-name foreign guns. The Carl Gustav submachine gun, for instance, inspired the Carlos guns produced inside the Palestinian Authority.

Some of the recent attacks in the ongoing terror wave involved locally manufactured guns like Carlos, including the murder of Hadar Cohen near the Old City of Jerusalem.

The terror cell recently arrested following a wave of sniper attacks in Hevron also used firearms produced in local gun factories.