Gun Rights under dictator Hussein

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I honestly don't know, but I would take a wild guess and say that they were all outlawed. That's what most dictators do. Like Fidel in Cuba.
 
I believe Saddam was Sunni. Sunni’s were around 10% of the population and controlled everyone else.
So probably depending on your religion could vary.
 
Iraqi gun ownership was actually fairly common when Saddam Hussein was in power. The ownership of a firearm was considered a symbol of manhood and a matter of pride, so you would go out of your way to buy a child a firearm as they grew into adulthood. You would normally find other types of weapons such as RPGs, swords and so on were also pretty common, especially in the more tribal areas.

It wasn't till after the country was taken over that the US started limiting the amount and types of firearms people were allowed and heavily restricted where people had the right to carry. They also pushed to ban such practices as firing into the air and so on that have been practices for centuries.

So really Iraq is quite weird, because normally it does happen the opposite way around, but not so much in the Middle East and some parts of Eastern Asia.
 
So if firearms ownership was common in iraq during saddam's reign how exactly did he keep control of the country? Or was he only practically control of parts of iraq?
 
Limeyfellow said:
So really Iraq is quite weird, because normally it does happen the opposite way around, but not so much in the Middle East and some parts of Eastern Asia.
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How does it normally happen the other way around?

I imagine Hitler outlawed guns in the countries that he took over. I'm not equating Bush to Hitler. However, Hitler is a closer analogy than, for example, the American Revolutionary War.
 
It wasn't till after the country was taken over that the US started limiting the amount and types of firearms people were allowed and heavily restricted where people had the right to carry.
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Kind'a ironic isn't it?.. Spreading freedom are we?

Oops... political.
 
I think this is one of those cases where "assuming" can get you in to trouble. Best not to assume reality fits your ideology until it's proven.:D

Working with the Bedouins in Al-Anbar in 2004, most Bedu had either a Mauser or an AK, and a few had single-shot shotguns, including no kidding H&R/NEF single-shots made in the U.S.

That was after the US entry, so not totally sure if some of the AKs had entered the civilian supply post-invasion, but at least the Mausers and shotguns seemed to a long-standing custom with the Bedu. I also saw lots of pics from other areas of Bedu with SMLEs, but where I was (towards the Saudi border) if was all 8mm Mausers.

I'm sure there's got to be good info on pre-war gun ownership in Iraq up on Google. Post-war is was certainly extremely widespread. Mostly Kalashnikovs, though in the first weeks of the war our unit pulled over a suspicious vehicle, which turned out to be a dentist... with an MP5 and a S&W 36 under a blanket on the passenger seat. Can't say I blame him for being careful out there.:eek:
 
So if firearms ownership was common in iraq during saddam's reign how exactly did he keep control of the country?
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Well, he could tell you to lay down your weapon and come quietly or they'd kill your family. If that didn't work, they'd hit your village with mustard gas.
 
Saw a news report about an Iraqi gunshop in early 2003. If I remember, guns had, as you`d expect on the eve of war, been selling pretty well. They even had a Colt Python, though, at the equivalent of a grand, it was kind of collecting dust.
 
I read an article from a National Geographic dated 1989. The article was about (then) current Iraq. One of the pictures showed a woman attending a wedding, she was dressed up all nicely and she had a colorful head covering.

But she was also holding an AKM with a 75 round drum magazine, I'll never forget this picture because I too, assumed that guns were prohibited items in Hussein's Iraq.
 
So if firearms ownership was common in iraq during saddam's reign how exactly did he keep control of the country? Or was he only practically control of parts of iraq?
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I'd imagine that Saddam's tanks, helos, fighter jets, and artillery had something to do with it.
 
Why does everybody assume the entire iraq was wanting to overthrow him?

He kept control pretty easy.. you screw up, he went after your family. His significant number of supporters also acted like a little self controlling police force.

One needs to dig beyond the media to figure it out.. i recommend political journals if you can access those
 
What evidence do any of you have that there was any significant resistance to Saddam Hussein's regime outside of the Kurdish separatists? One extremely valuable lesson that can be taken away from this is that ownership of guns does not equate to freedom.
 
I imagine Hitler outlawed guns in the countries that he took over. I'm not equating Bush to Hitler. However, Hitler is a closer analogy than, for example, the American Revolutionary War.
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As strict as Hitler's gun policy was, Hitler actually liberalized the rules for most Germans. Political opposition and inferior populations- need not apply.
 
They were TOTALLY afraid of Saddam. He ruled with an iron fist. As an example one young school boy kicked a soccer ball that hit his picture so the little boy was taken away and beaten.

Not a spanking but a beating.

AL
 
Actually after the First Gulf War there were several rebellions in Iraq, Saddam still had enough of an army in the way of artillery and aircraft that the rebels didn't have much of a chance and to help in humanitarian aid. That's why there were no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq enforced by the U.S., to help even the odds a bit. I guess it shows how with modern military tech the people no longer have the ability to take on the government. And yes I think that we should be able to if it comes to that, but that's not what this thread is about.
 
I remember seeing newsclips before the first Gulf War showing Iraqis in what appeared to be a gunshop buying handguns to repel the infidel invaders. It was released by Iraqi (under Hussein) TV and it had the appearance of being a propaganda piece.
 
S. Hussein kept the peace in a similar fashion that we do now, best I can tell. A combination of hard and soft force, hard force being the threat of artillery, jets, army, tanks, and soft force of paying off the tribal heads to keep the peace in the area. As our current leadership has found, and as the late Mr. Hussein knew, its much easier (and cheaper!) to pay off the tribal leaders to keep the peace then it is to keep a lid on it with troops. Thus, guns aren't really a major part of the equation for control.
 
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