Don't Joke Around Weapon Campaign Press Release
February 20th 1996
Nazire Dedeman
Founder President of Umut Foundation
In recent years, carrying individual weapon therefore using it has increased in our country. The one who has a weapon on his waist search an occasion to draw departed from the expression The one who has a hammer in his hand looks for a place to hammer.Thus, the use of weapon in our country has started to create ambiences and has reached scary dimensions. Let me give you an example from the criminal records and statistics. The number of legal action opened due to homicide is 22,884 in 1993. Yes, this is true, 22,884 legal actions in 1993 are due to homicide.
Weapon is the ending point of violence and is a tendency to use violence and weapon, it arises from psychological problems like self expression disorder, personality disorder, self expression disability and extreme lack of confidence.
Violence and weapon are a society health problem.
According to the result of a research made by the Center For Disease Control and Prevention , when a person or a family buys a weapon to protect itself , the risk of one of the member of the family to be shot from another one with this weapon is 40 times more high.So even though the gun is kept for defense purpose,it perpetuates pain and chagrin beyond its aim and wont reach its main aim.
In our country, licensed guns given to everyone easily, unlicensed guns sold illegally, pump-riflles which arent appropriate to the hunting sold under the name of hunting and weapon production never controlled in rural areas and unavoidable weapon industry and mafia.
Disappointing events which have happened one after the other cause the loss of the societal confidence. The fact our people do not value our people, our institutions do not manageto be an institute, in all this lawless and insensible environment, our people become a complex degenerate society with a lack of education and psychological problems.
Some of us are within a callousness as a snake which doesnt touch me can live one thousand years , some others are within a lassitude as it wasnt going to happen to them.
In our country, weapon licences have started to be given uncontrolled and easily. Besides licences, weapon sales have been also encouraged. The bulletins the Police Academy students are issuing is full of advertisements.
Weapon advertisements in newspaper are encouraging the young people. High-level authorities, deputies, ministers of the state are posing with weapon in their hands, their arms in the air, their fingers on guard. They encourage weapon so violence.
We want the existent weapon licenses given to be reviewed and to be collected, the regulations of obtaining a weapon to be reviewed, and licenses like driving license to be given in a doctor control.