Iraqi Interior Ministry begins buying medium-range weapons from citizens
An Iraqi Kurdish man inspects an assault rifle at his repair shop in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, Oct. 15, 2017. Photo: Safin Hamed/AFP/Getty Images
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Ministry of Interior began purchasing medium-range weapons from citizens after opening 697 registration offices in Baghdad and the rest of the Iraqi governorates.
The Interior Ministry announced earlier that it allocated one billion Iraqi dinars (more than $763,000) for each governorate to complete the purchasing process, according to Alsabah Daily, the official newspaper in Iraq.
The secretary of the committee tasked with weapon control, Brigadier General Mansour Ali Sultan, said in November that 70 percent of a database related to arms possessed by individuals has been completed.
“The Iraqi law allows every citizen who is 25 years old or older to possess weapons,” Sultan explained.
The committee’s secretary illustrated that an electronic application has been launched to register firearms.
“We will not allow an illegal arms trade,” Sultan said.
The Iraqi official clarified that 420 unlicensed firearm shops have been closed throughout Iraq.
Sultan added that 320 websites in Iraq sell weapons, indicating that these websites deliver firearms to their customers.
In 2019, Iraq had the highest rate of violent gun fatalities per capita in the Middle East and North Africa, surpassing even that of the United States, according to the University of Washington.