Agron Dragaj photojournalist | filmmaker

Mindanao-On the knife's edge: Gun's of Mindanao

Throughout years for people of Mindanao owning a gun became more important than having food to eat. People tend to scrimp on food in order to save money to buy arms. Sources of gun violence in the Philippines are by large politically motivated, criminality-related, and group conflict-driven. Economics and easy access to guns have also been largely identified as causes of gun violence. The country has a deeply entrenched gun culture, which can be attributed to several factors, including the people and clans they belong wanting to take the law into their hands because of the flawed justice system often very slow or biased in favor of economically and politically connected, high level of corruption among administration and law enforcement personnel. Also many people arm themselves to protect their families from potentially lawless either criminal or political groups. 

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  • The workshop repairs all types of guns and calibers. Clients include the Army, the police, MILF rebels, civilians and anyone who brings the gun for repair. The gun license is not required.The army estimaes that more than one million pieces of weapons are in hands of civilians in the Philippines while the majority of it is in Mindanao.
  • The workshop repairs all types of guns and calibers. Clients include the Army, the police, MILF rebels, civilians and anyone who brings the gun for repair. The gun license is not required
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  • The automatic weapons are mainly brought for repair by the Army, rebels and as well the citizens.
  • Samih is the hand gun specialist and he's been reparing guns for more than 20 years.
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  • Testin range is suited in a two square meters inside the workshop.
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  • Anahleto Cesneros, the owner of the gun repair shop says that the business is very good and that the costumers include everyone who brings a gun for repair including rebels, the army, the police and citizens.
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