Yes, you read that right: a diamond gun. At this point, everyone probably heard about the Mexican drug lord “El Chapo” waltzing into the dance floor with a gun that has been studded with diamonds.

Many pictures were taken that day, and Jurors Friday even presented a picture of El Chapo dancing closely with a lady – with the bedazzling .38 pistol poking out of his waistband.

What’s the idea of this pistol? Why diamonds? Is it actually any good for anything if you want to deal any damage – or is it only for the glamour? Well, here’s what you should know about the diamond gun.

What Does the Diamond Gun Look Like?

The Diamond Gun is certainly meant to be flashy – all while remaining practical. We all know that El Chapo (Joaquin Guzman) is completely obsessed with guns – and it’s not surprising that he’d want to engrave a gun with his initials. Just in case he lost the gun, the initials “JGL” that were written on the weapon would give it away that the gun is his – and that the one who found it should give it back.

The question remains: why diamonds? Well, we’re trying to get into El Chapo’s way of thinking and answer with another question: why not diamonds? He certainly had the money. Being a drug lord means that you have access to a fair amount of cash – and that cash will allow you to buy a lot of things.

And El Chapo took high advantage of this. He owns at least two pistols that have been bejeweled, and he also has a gold-plated AK-47. The more fabulous a gun looks, the better it will make El Chapo look. But perhaps his favorite gun is the one that has been encrusted in diamonds.

Unsurprisingly, the gun doesn’t shoot diamonds; there’s a limit even to the fortune of a drug lord. There’s no gain in shooting diamonds into your enemies, particularly since you know that you would not be getting those diamonds back. This “diamond gun,” therefore, shoots regular bullets – and he only had it customized to look fabulous.

From a distance, the gun will look almost normal. The .38 has a simple barrel – and he had not customized that part. The handle, however, had been completely encrusted with diamonds. He used black and clear diamonds. The clear diamonds were added on the base and then he used black diamond to spell out the initials of his name. It’s quite the bling – but one that El Chapo certainly thinks was worth it.

The Matter of Comfort 

Diamonds are known for the fact that they can cut through the glass – and even if you are wearing them like jewels on your body, you are still careful enough not to press them onto your skin. So, when you think about more than a few hundred diamonds pressing into your skin, you can’t help but think: is it comfortable?

When looking at that gun, you can see that each piece of diamond has its own place in the puzzle. You can see where they have been spaced to protect the gun – and while they seem to have been polished and treated properly, you can’t help but think that it will be harsh on your hand. When you think about the recoil of a gun, having something on the handle that can potentially injure you may not seem so great. It looks fancy – but it may end up badly.

Personally, we can’t think that holding this gun would feel the same as when holding a classic full-size 357 magnum revolver, for example. The smoothness of those guns would make them easier to hold – and therefore, would not be an issue during gun recoil. We cannot imagine this being the case with a gun encrusted in diamonds. The purpose would be to only make it look more expensive – and more appropriate for a drug lord.

That being said, one could argue that the diamond serves a fairly good purpose when it comes to the durability of the gun. A regular plastic or metallic handle, for example, might take a fairly short time until it wears out – but since diamonds are not that short-lived, they will “bling” away through generations. It could actually be considered a family legacy, if it wouldn’t be illegal. This is, after all, a gun that has killed and injured several people – and we can’t assume that all of them were for self-defense.

The Diamond Gun – A Flashy Companion in Bloodshed

This gun – that is likely a very expensive one – has followed El Chapo throughout many of his endeavors. In an attempt to protect his multibillion-dollar drug operation, he went through bribery and rampant bloodshed. His trials revealed that this gun was always at his side, doing the killing.

El Chapo also had many enemies – and it is suspected that he used this gun to kill some of his competitors. It is even said that he ordered to have a man killed because he refused to shake his hand. He tortured people with car lighters and irons – but most of the time, he relished in using his bejeweled guns. El Chapo has been incarcerated three times – and during two of his incarcerations, he managed to escape. He has been caught once more in 2017 – and only recently, his gun has been revealed.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to drug lords, not all of them want to show off their richness. They want to blend in – and they generally enjoy their fortune through other means. However, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman had a completely different thought on that.

He was not afraid to show off that he was rich and dangerous. Even incarcerated, stories of his “reign” are still spreading among the mafia: the man who had a very valuable diamond gun – one that he would always show off wearing at his waistband. When you have all the money you would need, getting a diamond-encrusted gun with your initials on it should not be a problem.