Most gun control advocates seem to be totally oblivious to the ability of people with relatively primitive tools to produce vast quantities of guns. Rich http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061130/lf_nm/philippines_guns_dc_1&printer=1
Gunsmiths and goons get set for Philippine election By Carmel Crimmins Thu Nov 30, 12:49 PM ET With the whiff of elections in the air, the gunsmiths of Danao City are working overtime to meet demand for their signature .38-caliber revolvers. "The orders start coming in three years in advance," said one weapons merchant, who would not give his name. "If you don't have guns, goons and gold, you will not win an election." Rivalry among political clans, competition for lucrative public seats, a trigger-happy culture, and Muslim and communist insurgencies have made Philippine elections bloody affairs. Campaign violence in the past has ranged from bullying supporters and defacing posters to arson, bombings and murder. Next May's congressional and local elections are already providing brisk business in the central city of Danao, the country's gun-making capital. "There are a lot of orders now," a gunsmith, who identified himself only as William, said as he stooped bare-chested over his work bench in a small village on the outskirts of town. The 53-year-old is one of an estimated 5,000 people in Danao churning out illegal firearms -- from pistols to submachine guns at a cost of 1,000 to 15,000 pesos each ($20-$300). With around 1.1 million guns in circulation in the Philippines and nearly 30 percent of them unlicensed, Danao's customer base ranges from drug lords and gambling tsars to shopkeepers and housewives wanting to protect their families. The Philippines' love affair with weapons -- public buildings regularly carry signs asking visitors to leave their guns at the door -- has earned the country the nickname, "The Wild West of Asia." Shootings over trivial incidents are commonplace with poor renditions of Frank Sinatra's "My Way" enough to spark several fatal karaoke bar shootouts a few years ago. But it is during the Philippines' bitterly fought elections that gun violence traditionally surges as rival clans, with long-running feuds, battle it out for dominance. Nearly 140 people were murdered in election-related violence in the 2004 presidential race, one of the bloodiest since dictator Ferdinand Marcos was overthrown in 1986. The violence included a rash of shootings and a grenade attack. HIGH STAKES In May's election, half of the 24-seat Senate, all of the 235-member House of Representatives and thousands of local government seats are up for grabs. With sizeable rewards for public office, including money from government contracts and licenses, some politicians are ready to kill to win a seat or stay in office, political analysts say. "Mid-term elections, because they involve local officials, are always very violent," said Professor Benito Lim of Ateneo de Manila University. "What is at stake is the livelihood of entire families. The number of deaths usually goes above 100." At the national level, the stakes are also high. Although the presidency is not being contested, Arroyo's political future could be in jeopardy if her allies in the lower house lose their majority in 2007. Government supporters in the House of Representatives have twice defeated impeachment attempts against Arroyo over allegations she cheated in the 2004 presidential election and that her family has taken kickbacks from gambling syndicates. Arroyo has denied the accusations but the vote-rigging charges refuse to die. The President has also aggravated enemies, who hold a majority in the Senate, by campaigning for a shift from a presidential to a parliamentary system, which would put them out of a job. With so much at stake, both sides are under pressure. LOADED HANDBAG "My husband has been getting threats from all over," said Julie Rose Defensor, wife of Arroyo's chief of staff, Michael Defensor, who plans to run for a Senate seat next year. The pretty, young mother of four, who is on the Philippine national shooting team, developed an interest in firearms after her husband entered politics. She now carries a gun in her handbag for protection. "I just want to feel secure all the time," Defensor told Reuters on the sidelines of a gun show in a Manila mall, where office workers on their lunch break perused stalls with names such as "Final Option." "I just hope there will be no violence (at the next election)," she said. "But I do not think it can be avoided." In southern provinces afflicted by long-running communist and Muslim insurgencies, murder and intimidation are rife during election years. The communist New People's Army extorts fees for safe access to its territory, popularly known as the PTC or "permit to campaign." The military has traditionally been involved in counting votes and moving ballot boxes, but the Commission on Elections has barred soldiers from these duties next year after the allegations of vote-rigging in 2004. At the arms show in Manila, visitors were not overly concerned about pre-election violence. "We aren't as violent as other countries. It's not like Iraq," said a government employee as she shopped for a gun to stow in her car boot. Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail and more. ________________________________________________________________________ Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail and more.
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