Guns Galore — William Evans

Guns Galore is a thriller based in London during 1970 to 1990. The main markets for weapons dealers are Europe with North America, then they search the world for more surplus guns to buy and sell.

Dealing has many risks. Although Guns Galore is mainly a non-fiction work, some dramatisation has been added to highlight the effects of shootings, murder, and kidnapping.

Working for Sam Cummings of Interarms fame, the author turns into a dealer with him and his rival Bill Sucher of Century Arms, both based in the USA. This leads to a world of international arms dealing.

International armouries must be sourced to find weapons. These hold mainly obsolete WW2 vintage guns. German and American weapons are highly sought after, followed by those of British manufacture. The reader is they come onto the market and become appreciating assets.

Fraud of various types is often used by dealers and in-country agents are required to deal with governments. Commissions are paid to gain advantage, some hidden in slush funds. It's a minefield.

Security services monitor dealers. Some will be used in secret shipments to hide government involvement with fake end user certificates.

In Guns Galore, when Russia invades Afghanistan, President Carter supplies 70,000 WW2 rifles. Russia bans all weapon sales from the Eastern bloc, so other sources of supply must be found.