Homemade submachine guns seized in Carapina, ES, Brazil

Below are two very similar homemade submachine guns both seized in the neighborhood of Carapina, Espirito Santo earlier this year. Typical of illicit Brazilian made SMGs, the upper and lower receivers both show clear URU influence.

Above: The ‘Adidas model’ seized in April reportedly along with .40 ammunition.

‘Stainless’ model seized in January.

Pictures from a 2016 raid conducted on an illegal workshop in the same neighborhood appear to show identical weapons in various stages of production. The weapons were found at the home of 29-year-old Joubert Santana de Oliveira, who, according to police “manufactured submachine guns and sold them to gangs in Jardim Carapina and other municipalities.” The weapons seized this year almost certainly originated from the same workshop, demonstrating the sometimes very localized nature of even fairly sophisticated operations.

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12 gauge stapler streetsweepers

In July, police in the city of Cherkessk in the Russian Federation arrested a 38-year-old homeowner who was charged with making these improvised revolving shotguns from a home workshop. Each 12 gauge shotgun consists of sections of steel pipe welded together with a Ghost Stapler functioning as a trigger.

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Sikligar gunsmiths of Madhya Pradesh

The Sikligar are a primarily Sikh armorer caste who historically specialized in swordsmithing and repair. In recent years many skilled artisans within the community have focused on the dramatically more profitable illegal firearms trade where Ghost Guns are created from bits of scrap metal, likely without the help of a 3D printer.

” “We are born as skilled arms-makers and are making arms since ages. Where is the option for us? (The) government hardly cares for us. Most of our people are helpless because of utter poverty and we need money… even police take advantage of this,” said Kartar, another resident of Signoor.

Police said that earlier most of the guns made by the community were .315 bore or .12 bore but now many of them have mastered the art of making high-precision 7.65 mm pistols.

Police are also following up information that some of Sikligars have even started making automatic weapons.

According to sources in the community, a Sikligar can earn anything between Rs. 3,000 to Rs 40,000 for an investment of Rs 1,500 to Rs 4,000.

All he has to do is to buy an iron rib, gunpowder and umbrella spring (used for making magazine) and fire a kiln. Working with bare hands and using a hammer and chisel, one weapon is ready in about four days. Some also use lathe machines to make more sophisticated weapons, the sources said.”

The automatic pistol in construction above appears to be made from sheet metal plates welded together and not dependent on any type of expensive modern machinery. Barrels in the region are often made from steel pipe or tubing salvaged from car parts or simply drilled out on an ancient lathe.

Various homemade submachine gun types, Israel, 2018

A few of many homemade typical ‘Carlo’ submachine guns seized by Israeli police and boarder patrol during operations mostly in the north this year.

.22 zip gun (Brazil)

Reader submission: “Here in Brazil there are many laws that prevent us from carrying a weapon legally, but since nothing in Brazil works, we make our own weapons by hand. This is a .22 caliber made by members of a gang of punks here in my town.”  The ammunition also appears to be improvised by inserting a lead bullet into a .22 blank round.

Homemade SMG with silencer seized (Sao Paulo)

A homemade 9mm submachine gun fitted with a crude, likely very ineffective silencer seized in Sao Paulo on 04/18/2018.