It Is An Announcement To The Public
14 May2007
First, MPs said that “you can keep arms in weddings”, now, MKEK is campaigning for taking up arms by everybody.
We warn that these efforts are breaching the right to live!
Yesterday, we watched worryingly inconceivable news that will give rise to individual armament in TVs and newspapers: “arms sale on credit for 10 months instalment”. There are9millions individual arms, the barrels of which have been directed towards us, including 2.5 millions who are licensed, in our country. Despite this, while PMs do not ban keeping arms in weddings in open areas, engagement parties, hen nights and circumcision parties on grounds “people will be unable to find a proper place to put their arms”; MKEK is starting a campaign to encourage armament.
In our country where every year approximately 3,000 people die from bullets fired from individual arms, we are very worried about the future due to this campaign mounted by MKEK and the attitude and decision of MPs that allows bearing arms in weddings in open areas.
Arms are not a practical and functional “consumable article” in daily life; it is a real murder instrument, which sheds blood, costs human life, and causes double sided grievances. The deceased goes to grave, the killer goes to jail. Fire burns where it occurs! It has a vital importance that the roads opened by firearms and individual armament which are impossible to return from, are to be closed immediately. Despite this reality, mentioned efforts of MPs and institutions like MKEK are such efforts that fuel the inclination and fear of crime in society, threaten basic human rights to live and are extremely worrying.
MKEK’s endeavour of “arms sale on credit” is extremely ironic in our country where armed suicides committed due to grievance from credit card debts, excessive indebtedness or distraint. WhileMKEK has been trying to decrease the stocks of arms with this fatal campaign, it will be responsible for the deaths and injuries caused by these arms and this responsibility will cause unbearable torment. We will not be part of this responsibility and carry on warning:
The decision allowing the bearing arms in weddings in open areas taken by the members of Internal Affairs Commission and MKEK’s campaign of “arms sale on credit” are irresponsible and insensitive efforts that will increase crime and grievances.
We CONDEMN that as Umut Foundation
14 May 2007
NAZİRE DEDEMAN
Founder President
ESTEEMED PARLIAMENTERS
DO NOT TURN WEDDINGS INTO BLOOD BATHS ON THE GROUNDS THAT THEY WILL HAVE NOWHERE TO PUT THEIR ARMS
The Internal Affairs Commission decided to accept the proposals submitted relating to the amendment of Law 6136 on Firearms and Knives and Other Tools by taking into consideration the view of Firearms Law Sub-Commission that was included in a report after being debated, and by merging all of the proposals.
However, the targets were rolled back with these endeavours and a shadow was cast upon the purpose announced to the public with the accepted Bill. “Arrangement regarding not bearing arms in open areas, in weddings, in engagement parties, in hen nights and in circumcision parties” was taken out the article on grounds “people will be unable to find a proper place to put the arms” with a Bill submitted by some MPs.
Adopting, understanding and accepting this Stance is impossible...
This understanding is the continuity of the habit of not being able to leave arms. If you cannot find a place to put your arms and leave your arms, you shouldn’t go to weddings, celebrations, open areas or similar places. Even the presence of danger that is to be posed by your arms is horrific. Nobody has the right to cast a gloom over people’s happiness. Leave your arms. If you cannot, know that you have no right to pose a danger to anybody’s life.
In our country where on average 700 people lose their lives due to accidental bullets every year, thousands of young, old, men and women die from celebration bullets fired into air during weddings. MPs want us to carry on living with this reality... Members of Turkish Parliament have given up on measures and laying down arms who regard this as a “celebration” instead of preventing a life where we live by counting our deaths and the public from being a cause of accidental deaths.
It is impossible to accept the understanding that puts an obstruction, which can be easily overcome, against human life on grounds such as “people will be unable to find a proper place to put the arms in weddings” which is extremely invalid, meaningless and inexplicable. Moreover, giving credence to and acceptation of this reasoningwithout hesitation is merely proof that human life is insignificant in our country. An understanding engendered by such a mentality will be one of the gravest steps for increasing deaths by fired arms during celebrations. Living with this irresponsibility and in a country left to understanding of people who live with arms in their belts is not a milieu that any honourable citizen deserves.
Weddings, the celebrations of circumcision and engagement and hen nights are one of the most important cultural areas that feed all wrong social pre-acceptations regarding the arms that kill. In these areas of entertainment where happiness and excitement are represented with arms, human happiness cannot be crowned with arms but are only stained with blood... Nobody has the right to turn these ceremonies into a blood bath.
First, the willpower that makes our laws should accept this reality. The purpose of law maker should be to ban bearing and keeping arms in ceremonies such as weddings and punish those who act against it. Doubtlessly, this is one of the most important steps that are able to change wrong cultural pre-acceptations.
First, the willpower should reject and limit this behaviour and should not put our citizens’ joys and lives in front of barrels of guns during celebrations. Any error in legal arrangements that are to be made so as to prevent accidental murders will be tantamount to leaving our citizens’ lives in the hands of death.
Legal arrangements provide social change with its aims that they bear. It is every citizen’s right to live in a democratic social order safely. In order to create a society purified of its fears, do not sacrifice human lives, on the contrary, protect it...
Losing a person’s life is not news that is presented for consumption in media.
Deaths and injuries are not items that are to be added to crime statistics.
Esteemed MPs,
We will carry on counting our deaths as long as this approach and adoption of it continue knowingly or not knowingly. The numbers of those killed accidentally in weddings and celebrations, and their killers will rise.
But we do not want to count our deaths.
We want to live in a society created by honoured and conscious individuals who continue their lives in a fearless and secure milieu and want democratic social order.
We invite MPs who make law for such a society, every individual who live in this country, those who feel responsibility and every institution to be sensitive to this issue.
LET’S NOT FORGET!!!
(These are only some of them)
Mustafa Altınışık (26 years old), lost his life with a bullet fired from a pistol of a yob who fired into air at a circumcision celebration... (30 April 2007)
Ayşegül Güven (12 years old-was a student of 6th year), died with a bullet that stuck to her head after entering in her mouth in a wedding in Köprüköy Town. (22 April 2007)
Besime Güneş (60 years old), died due to random shot into air while watching a wedding on his roof inGaziantep. (25 November 2006)
İlhan Akın (31 years old), died from a bullet hit his head brought about by a shot into air in a wedding. (11 September 2006)
Ahmet Şahin (17 years old), became a target of yokel’s bullet in his elder sister’s engagement party and died.(28 August 2006)
Begüm Kartal (22 years old), senior student of Faculty of Economics and Administrative Science,Galatasaray University),died from a bullet fired during a hen night in Malatya. (30 August 2005)
Mehmet Öztürk (55years old), died from a bullet fired into air by unidentified person during a wedding. (15 November 2005)
Meryem Bayraktar (5 years old), died from a bullet fired from a pistol of her grand-father, Osman Oyar, 65 years old, in a wedding in Kaynarca Township of Sakarya. (27 September 2005)
Reşit Baycu (22 years old) died from a bullet fired into air during a wedding in Konukdüzü Village, Korkut Township of Muş. (31 July 2005)
Kıymet Başpınar (19 years old), died due to random shot into air while watching a wedding in her balcony inSandıklı Township of Afyonkarahisar. (10 July 2005)
Selçuk Aktaş (13 years old), killed by a guest who was having fun by firing into air in a circumcision celebration party in Tekkeköy Township of Samsun. (17 May 2005)
Nazire DEDEMAN
Founder President