Birgün Newspaper Interview

May 2004

Nazire Dedeman
Founder President of Umut Foundation

Umut Foundation’s works that it carried out for individual disarmament until now are on the basis of peace culture. In rural or urban areas celebrating joyful events such as wedding with gun is the product of violence ignorance. It is insane that happiness is shadowed by blood shedded with knowingly and deliberately shot gun.  

A violent incident or violent act canot be representative as in the practise of celebrating with blank cartridged gun. Celebrating with blank cartridged gun may look like a practical solution but it does not change the mentality of shedding blood on happiness with gun. Consequently, this solution brings us back to the point of deadlock.

Violence is learned and subsequently disarmament can be taught. While we are in the effort of purifying our children from guns even though it is a toy, it is impossible to accept this representative practise.

Today, on average 3000 people a year lose their lives with firearms in Turkey. According to data of Security General Directorate there are 2 millions of licensed and 5 millions of unlicensed, in total 7 millions arms throughout Turkey. In the crimes committed between 2000 and 2003 5% firearms, 70% unlicensed arms were used, according to this data. Number of licensed arms 40 times, number of unlicensed arms increased 100 times in our country in the last 15 years.

Our efforts should be for ending individual armament and not to resort to solving the conflicts with violent means, while the situation is this serious. The solution should not be sought in short term practical solutions such as using blank cartridged gun that represnets violence. On the contrary, we should find solution by staying away from deadly weapons such as knife, arm. We should seek solution in practices that will enable us purfying from violent incidents, which causes poor quality of life or takes away a living being’s right to live.