Most weapons on the dark web come from US, study finds

US guns make up as much as 60 percent of the weapons on sale on the dark websites web, dark markets 2024 new research has found.

Weapons, drugs and stolen identities are readily available on the dark web, a . To investigate where guns, ammunition and guides to their use come from, darknet market links the UK’s University of Manchester and think tank Rand Europe — or cryptomarkets — and found 811 listings relevant to the study, darknet market lists published Wednesday.

Most weapons were from the USA, where , and most sales were destined for Europe. A gun bought from the dark web was used in a .

“The dark web is both an enabler for the trade of illegal weapons already on the black darknet market and a potential source of diversion for weapons legally owned”, said Giacomo Persi Paoli, dark web marketplaces the report’s lead author. “The ability for criminals and terrorists, as well as vulnerable or fixated individuals, to make virtually anonymous purchases is perhaps the most dangerous aspect.”

On Thursday, US and European law enforcement agencies the , two of the three largest dark web markets.