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Iraqis prefer to remain
armed
By Valentinas Mite
BAGHDAD - The sound of gunfire has become
commonplace in Baghdad, where Iraqi police estimate that
citizens may have seized up to 3 million firearms in the
days following the fall of the city.
Hoping to
clear the capital and the rest of the country of its
firearms, the US-led provisional authority on June 1
launched a two-week gun amnesty. The plan allows Iraqis
to rid themselves of large unauthorized weapons with no
fear of punishment. Citizens who do not comply by sunset
on June 14 could receive up to a year in prison, plus a
US$1,000 fine.
The measure is aimed at restoring
law and order throughout Iraq in the wake of the US-led
war. Looting, burglary, and murder has been on the rise
in the lawless atmosphere that has prevailed since the
toppling of Saddam Hussein in April. But response to the
US scheme has been negligible. As of Thursday, just 300
weapons had been returned to police points in all of
Iraq, including fewer than 100 in Baghdad.
Neighborhood sweeps in the capital were
similarly ineffective, turning up just a handful of
weapons. Throughout Iraq, residents are complaining that
US authorities are trying to rob them of their only
means of defending their businesses and families.
Captain Hakim Ruzak works at police headquarters
in the Baghdad neighborhood of Western al-Karkh, a
designated point for dropping off unauthorized weapons
or registering small arms for use in defending homes or
businesses. Ruzak said that over 100 Iraqis have come to
his station to register their handguns, but very few
have actually relinquished their weapons.
He
says that most Iraqis do not feel safe giving up their
guns, and fear that even the process of turning over
large weapons will cause them trouble at US checkpoints,
where they may not be able to explain their intentions.
"This is what happened - misunderstanding and
hesitation. People do not have a clear understanding of
the procedures of how to hand over their weapons," Ruzak
said.
US Army officer Josh Clealand commands the
American soldiers working with the Iraqi police on
weapons collection. He says he, too, is disappointed by
the results so far: "In the last four days we have been
running this, we have taken multiple AK-47s
[Kalashnikovs], some grenades, other kinds of demolition
materials - but that's basically all we've taken so
far," Clealand said.
Adding to the confusion is
the fact that the rules of the amnesty appear to be
changing. The New York Times reported this week that US
soldiers conducting house-to-house weapons searches are
now allowing Iraqis to keep one Kalashnikov per family.
It is unclear how US authorities will respond if the gun
amnesty is deemed a failure. But Ruzak says that Iraqi
police are ready to take tougher steps in the weeks
ahead. "We will enforce the law. We will arrest people
who have unlicensed guns, and they will face a sentence
of up to one year. Those who trade arms will face a
sentence of more than a year," he said.
It is
difficult to imagine, however, what Iraqi police
officers could to do disarm the Baghdadis. Of the 2,000
police officers manning the Western al-Karkh
headquarters, only 450 carry Kalashnikov rifles. An
additional 500 carry pistols, and the rest are unarmed.
Ruzak said that the few weapons they have confiscated to
date are like a drop in the ocean.
Pistols were
legally issued under the Saddam regime in Iraq, which
has a traditional gun culture. Now, in the power vacuum
that has followed Saddam's ouster, firearms are
inexpensive and readily available at city gun markets. A
Kalashnikov can be bought for $70. A hand grenade sells
for just $3; mortar shells for $2.
Baghdad
residents have different attitudes about the gun
amnesty. Wassam Muhammed is a shopkeeper in central
Baghdad, an area actively patrolled by US troops. He
says the amnesty is a good idea. "Yes, we are ready to
give up our weapons because this step will bring more
security. It is a very good plan," Muhammed said. He
says even with a gun, there is little he can do to
defend himself, adding: "Our security is in the hands of
God and the Americans who patrol the area."
Not
all Baghdadis agree. Another shopkeeper, Waseem Jusef,
says that he refuses to leave himself vulnerable to
armed US soldiers: "It's the wrong step. We will not
give up our weapons, because [without them] we would be
like the Palestinians. We will have to hit [the
Americans] with stones and they will hit us with
bullets." Waseem says that guns are a part of Iraq's
culture and a sign of honor. For this reason, he adds,
the amnesty is destined to fail.
Copyright
(c) 2002, RFE/RL Inc. Reprinted with the permission of
Radio Free Europe/Radio
Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington
DC 20036
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