The purpose of the decree, dated February 10 and signed by Minister of Interior Karim Sinjari, is to “eliminate the phenomenon of carrying arms” by restricting the possession of heavy and medium weapons to the armed forces.
Under the order, authorities will collect “all weapons and ammunition, except for pistols and Kalashnikovs.”
People are to hand over their heavy weapons and register all pistols or AK-47s they own at security centres within a six-month amnesty timeframe.
Local police and Asayesh will impound the firearms and hand them over to the Peshmerga Ministry.
After the six months, the owner of any unregistered or illegal weapons will be prosecuted.
It is very common for people across the Region to own weapons. After generations of fighting for Kurdish nationalism, there is a common sentiment that all Kurds are Peshmerga, outside of the formal armed forces. Sadly, weapons are sometimes used to resolve disputes between individuals or tribes outside of the law, leading to tragedy.
During the war on ISIS, there were reports that cash-strapped Peshmerga were selling their German-issued weapons on the black market. Germany temporary halted delivering weapons in 2016 until the matter was investigated and some arrests were made.
Chamchamal is nicknamed the Texas of Kurdistan because of sheer number of guns and Wild West atmosphere. Civil activists there have started an anti-gun campaign.
