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MontereyheraldBEIRUT, Lebanon — Abu Omar, a money changer and father of 11 who lives in Beirut, has bought at least 10 firearms since the beginning of last year. "Everything I can put my hands on and I can afford, I buy. I never sell," he said. "Now is a time for buying arms."
Many Lebanese, increasingly worried about the country's political paralysis devolving into violence, are preparing themselves in the same way. One measure of their anxiety is the price of small arms: An AK-47 that went for $75 to $100 a year ago now costs somewhere between $600 and $1,000.
Even larger, outdated arms are gaining value, including rocket-propelled grenade launchers that were once considered the "garbage of weapons," said Ghassan Qarhani, a former fighter familiar with the arms market. Today, RPG launchers cost $500, up from $50, he said, noting that they are useful for street warfare.
Political tension has been rising in Lebanon since 2006, when opposition ministers resigned from Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's cabinet. A stalemate between the government, backed by the United States and Europe, and opposition forces led by the Shiite Hezbollah movement, which is allied with Syria and Iran, has rendered parliament unable to pass laws or elect a new president.
Lebanese fought a civil war from 1975 to 1990 that was fueled by strife between Christians and Muslims, but many people now worry more about the potential for conflict between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.
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