2023-08-06 07:44:39
VIENNA. The details given in the English news, in which the Chinese news site Xinhua goes through Ankara in detail, are becoming more and more popular in the world. picture of a tent and mafia stateThe news, which shows what the last Minister of Internal Affairs Süleyman Soylu and his team have done to Turkey, has created an atmosphere of trust with the new Minister of Internal Affairs Ali Yerlikaya.
Here is the Chinese news site Xinhua’s news from Ankara on 4 August in English:“The alcohol warehouse murders in Istanbul revealed the big problem with the prevalence of unlicensed firearms in Turkey”Ankara. , 4. 08.2023, (Xinhua ). The latest murders at a liquor store in Istanbul, Turkey’s most populous province, have highlighted the prevalence of unlicensed weapons and gun-related violence in the country, despite police measures.
An armed group raided an alcohol shop in the Esenyurt district of Istanbul, known to have a high crime rate, late on July 28, killing two people and wounding another. Following the murders, four suspects were detained with unlicensed weapons in a large-scale police operation followed closely by the media.
The incident, which went viral when the camera footage showed the horrifying details of the murder committed in the province with a population of 15 million, created a shock effect across the country and brought the issue of unlicensed weapons and gun violence to the agenda.
Individual armament is not a new problem in Turkey, and experts have in the past urged policy makers to enact stricter laws on licensed gun ownership and take more deterrent measures against unlicensed guns. Ayhan Akcan, an activist and psychiatrist against gun violence from Istanbul, said that in Turkey, where there are approximately 36 million unlicensed guns, incidents of gun violence increase by 5 percent every year.
Akcan, who is also a member of the Umut Foundation, which was established in the 1990s to raise awareness about individual armament, said, “Despite the current laws and regulations that restrict citizens from owning firearms, the numbers are increasing every year.”
About 70 percent of gun owners are under the age of 40,” said Akcan, referring to the figures of the foundation, explaining that owning a firearm is relatively easy, and it can even be purchased online.
The Umut Foundation’s 2022 Turkey Armed Violence Report reveals that at least 18,769 people lost their lives in incidents involving individual firearms in the last five years.
According to the report, the province with the highest number of armed attacks is Istanbul, followed by Adana in the south and Samsun in the north of the Black Sea.
Owning a gun in Turkey is subject to strict laws, and background checks are made by the police before people are licensed to own and carry firearms. Still, incidents involving unlicensed weapons are on the rise, according to the foundation.
According to Akcan, the fact that carrying an unlicensed weapon is not subject to heavy penalties also contributes to the increase in gun-related incidents and murders.
However, the Ministry of Interior had stated that the number of gun-related incidents and deaths had decreased in the last five years as a result of adopting a more cautious approach to possession of unlicensed guns.
An official statement said on 31 July, “While the number of incidents was 1,730 in 2017, this number has decreased to 1,491″.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya promised that the scourge of armed violence would be dealt with. “Our fight against crime and criminals will continue without slowing down,” he tweeted two days after the Esenyurt murders.
According to Akcan, there is still a lot of work to be done as “almost one out of every three houses has a gun”.
Akcan stated that the 5-year license renewal period is too long and the authorities should impose heavier penalties for unregistered gun owners.
The expert said that gun violence and possession of illegal weapons in Turkey also have a psychological dimension.
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