Iraqi Kurdistan opens centers for collecting unlicensed firearms

HEWLÊR-Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan region,— Iraqi Kurdistan’s Ministry of Interior announced the opening of centers across the Kurdish region to collect unlicensed firearms from people.

The ministry issued a statement with new guidelines and requested that the public to register their firearms. The guidelines call for the removal of all weapons that do not belong to the local security forces.

The new ministry decree comes after Kurdistan prime minister Masrour Barzani banned the sale of firearms and unregistered weapons in late June in an effort to reduce rising gun violence and in response to two deadly shooting incidents in Erbil, in which four people were killed in June.

Since June, the Barzani’s Zeravani militia forces, Asayish (security), and police units have been searching, and checkpoints have been set up to seize unauthorized weapons.

The decree also stated that 12 special weapons collection centers will be established to receive machine guns and “heavy weaponry,” and urged citizens to turn in their weapons.

The ministry will issue licenses for other weapons that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)considers legal under the recently updated gun law authorized by the Kurdistan parliament.

After registering a firearm, the owner must agree not to carry, sell, or gift it.

In Iraqi Kurdistan, gun violence is on the rise, and the government has struggled to keep gun ownership under control. On the black market, firearms such as sniper rifles and machine guns can be purchased. In the Kurdistan region, an estimated 70% of the population owns weapons.

In May 2021, KRG Minister of Interior Rebar Ahmed admitted that the KRG had lost control of state-issued weapons, admitting that some had been used to commit crimes.

Persons over the age of 18 who are permanent residents of the Kurdistan region and have no criminal record or mental illness are allowed to carry a weapon, according to Article 6 of the 1993 weapons ownership law.

In January 2016 weapons from the German military, including G3 assault rifles and various pistols, were spotted on the black market in Iraqi Kurdistan, according to German public broadcasters WDR and NDR.

Germany has urged Iraqi Kurdistan ruled by Barzani clan to ensure that arms supplied by Berlin are only used by Kurdish peshmerga fighting the Islamic State.