PM Barzani orders ban on sale of firearms, unlicensed weapons
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Thursday directed internal security forces to shut down all businesses that sell firearms and confiscate unlicensed weapons to reduce the rising gun violence across the Kurdistan Region.
The prime minister also called on the people of Kurdistan Region to hand over their "unlicensed weapons" to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Those weapons will also be confiscated, per Barzani's order.
The decision was made following two deadly shooting incidents in the Kurdistan Regional capital, Erbil, which left four dead. On Thursday morning, a couple was gunned down in what officials called a "social feud". On Tuesday morning, a dismissed student gunned down two university professors in Erbil, causing a public outcry.
"We will not sacrifice the safety of our people to criminals, smugglers, opportunists," Barzani added in the statement.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Barzani also called on the Ministry of Interior to speed up efforts to digitalize the registration process for weapons.
We will not allow anyone to undermine public peace and security. Today, I have called on security services to close all weapon dealerships and seize all unlicensed weapons.
— Masrour Barzani (@masrour_barzani) June 30, 2022
I urge our citizens to join this national campaign and turn over unlicensed weapons to the govt.
Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw announced that joint security teams are being established to enforce the prime minister's decree.
Checkpoints and receptions at public offices will be confiscating unlicensed weapons, the governor added.
The sale of weapons on social media networks will also be strictly monitored, Khoshnaw said.