Private gun ownership in Iraq

Status
Not open for further replies.

andy

Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2003
Messages
92
Location
the other Washington
I just got through watching NBC Nightly News and there was a segment about how gun shops in Iraq are being flooded by citizens buying guns in preparation of U.S. invasion. Does something seem odd here? I thought old Sadam was a tyrant and ran his country as a police state. Yet private ownership of firearms seems to be common. If this is true then it blows a hole in our argument that gun ownership helps to prevent tyranny. A powerful enough police state can make even an armed populace cower. Whats your take on this? :confused:
 
hmm..something tells me that if you checked "Kurd" under the Nationality section on the Iraqi "yellow" form you would be denied. :rolleyes:

I'm pretty sure all the folks that are allowed to have guns already have them.

Good Shooting
RED
 
I seen the same tv segment. It was rediculous. Another scare tactic used by our beloved liberal news service.
A few small facts those jerks at the news networks over looked.
Irag is a dictatorship. Has there ever been a dictatorship that allowed it's people to have guns?
If by some small tid-bit of fate, they had guns, what condition would those guns be in? How much ammo would they have? What kind of traing would there citizens have?
Yeah, it looked good on tv until you realize, it is the same liberal press that comments on "the facts" in this country.
 
It is also possible that the Iraqis enjoy their status as serfs in the Saddam dictatorship. Not all people love liberty. Many cherish security more.
 
Maybe the populace of Iraq realizes that Bad Boy Saddam is about to bite the dust, and are preparing for what happens next ? ? ? ? ?
 
I tend to doubt that the average Iraqi citzen can just go out and buy whatever they want.
If they are buying guns, they may be woundering what the government is going to ask of them in the event of an invasion and preparing to "just say no".
 
Andy: You fail to remember an important point: People must WANT to defeat their tyrranous govt. The lust for freedom must be there. Guns alone aren't enough. You need people to use them.

Just as guns do not commit crimes or defend people, guns do not guarantee freedom. You still have to have people using them.

I'm not sure of Iraq's history, but I'll venture to say that they have never had near the levels of freedom and liberty that we have in the US.

As someone above pointed out, perhaps the Iraqi people are happy being dominated.

I saw on the news that Saddam seems to have quite a large following of brainwashed sheep in Iraq. Why would the sheep wish harm upon their beloved shepherd? :banghead:
 
Remember too, that if a foreign government invaded the US I would fight them tooth and nail: even if William Clinton, The Sink Emporer, were still President:mad: . I know that the circumstances are different, but people generally do not like foreigners to invade. And I firmly believe that if the Iraqi people want to overthrow their government then they ought to go right ahead and do it. It really is not our job.
 
Many of the "talking heads" and newscaster's say that when they interview someone in Iraq there is always a government "prompter" who is there for the interview. The latest was Tom Brokaw who was over in Baghdad, and he said that the promters were always present- he could not interview an Iraqi on his own. If the people there can not even speak to a reporter unattended I'm guessing that the whole gun buying scene was staged for the benefit of our press to give us the impression that all Iraqis back Saddam and are willing to fight for him. Some may, but I'd be willing to bet that your average Iraqi Joe is not a gunowner and does not have free access to them.:scrutiny:
 
When I went on a mission trip to Haiti I learned that since guns are expensive the average Joe cannot afford them. Machetes yes, guns no. This means that only the rich can afford them - the people who have the most to gain from the continuity of government.

I do not know if Iraqis have the right to own guns, but I would very surprised if the average Iraqi could afford to own guns. This may have been a set-up for the cameras, or it may be that it was only the few rich Iraqis who were lining up to buy guns. These would be the people who have a stake in preserving the status quo and could possibly fear democracy a great deal as it gives power to their "underlings."

Jeff
 
Kurds would not be able to buy guns. Of course they are a separate nationality that just happens to live in Iraq.

Other than that, I think the Iraqi's are happy with their government. That of course means that we are not there to liberate Iraq so much as we are there to destroy an adversary to the United States and Israel.
 
Why do some people think that this war is about bringing democracy to Iraq? It's not and if the people of Iraq had a democracy, they would vote for someone like Saddam Hussein.

This war is about getting rid of a dangerous enemy.

Rebuild Iraq? Nah, better to let the Kurds take what land they can get from the Iraqis. Perhaps even let the Shiites take the Eastern portion of the country.

The Saudi's can move into Baghdad.
 
Let's remember now...

Most of the kurds live in Northern Iraq ...and over there, almost all kind of weapons are sold on the street markets.They have a lot easier access to weapons than the avarege Iraqies does.
 
It seems like I caught a snippet of the broadcast while computering. IIRC, ' something to the effect that "each one of them has at least a year's supply of ammunition ..." Uh huh. Without food? :rolleyes:
 
http://www.khilafah.com/home/category.php?DocumentID=6044&TagID=2

Iraqis Buying Guns to Fight Possible U.S. Invasion

uploaded 13 Jan 2003


BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Bedouin gunshop owner Yassin al-Jabbouri says Iraqi civilians are arming themselves to challenge the American invader.

Iraqi clan groups, a key force in the country, are stocking up on rifles and pistols from the Iraqi capital's 45 retail gun outlets, taking heed of government calls for the populace to ready itself for a U.S. invasion, Jabbouri says.

The United States is boosting its forces in the Gulf ahead of a possible attack to end President Saddam Hussein's 23-year rule saying he is hiding weapons of mass destruction.

"I have a tribe of 200,000 people and 12,000 of them are in Baghdad ready to fight. We are all human shields against America," the 50-year-old Bedouin chief told Reuters.

"There has been growing interest in buying weapons. It's in the interests of Iraqis to have weapons to face the American fighter...We are all military now," he said, adding that Iraqis would be keen to punish American troops for the suffering of Palestinians fighting U.S. ally Israel.

Gun culture is deeply ingrained in Iraq, where possession of guns is seen as a mark of honor among the 150 or so Bedouin tribes. They form a critical base of support for Saddam, himself of Bedouin origin.

Baghdad is festooned with large posters of the Iraqi leader in various poses handling guns, which anyone over 25 can buy.

Pro-Saddam street parades over recent weeks have featured groups of men, women and children marching with an array of weapons. The United States says Iraqis will be glad to see the back of Saddam.

The state set up a popular defense force two years ago, ostensibly to fight with the Palestinians. The state distributes arms for free to all members of the ruling Baath Party, thought to number over two million.

"This is the one I'm going to fight with," Jabbouri said, pulling out a $1,500 Italian-made rifle. "Everyone has three or four guns each now. There's no tribe that doesn't use arms. Even my wife can fire a good shot over a distance."

Rifles, from Beretta Italian originals to cheap Turkish copies, range from $200 to $1,000, Jabbouri said. The cheapest and most popular revolver is the Iraqi-made Tariq, selling for as low as $150, which many men possess from their army days.

Jabbouri's 12-year-old son Ahmed steps up with a Cobra Magnum revolver to show his firing prowess, letting off a few loud blank shots in the small shop.

"I was trained when I was nine. We learned to fight in order to fight the enemy -- the Zionists (Israel), America and any foreign country," Ahmed said, repeating slogans that fill Iraq's state-controlled television, radio and print media.

Source: Reuters
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top