Statement of Umut Foundation

28 August 2006

“We read the news today (28/08/2006) with despair and horror that Machinery and Chemistry Industrial Institute (MCII) is willing to sell guns with instalments on credit cards to get rid of the stock.

It is evident that campaigns encouraging people to get guns, in a country where 9 million individual guns, of which 2.5 million are licensed, are pointing at each one of us, will boost individual arming and the related violence and fear. We are seriously worried about our future when there is such campaign in our country where an average of 3000 people die with bullets from individual guns.

Another aspect of the issue is that gun sales are made with instalment plans. In the recent years, some people have committed suicide because of their credit card debts or alike, some have resisted police officers. Now MCII practically says “get into debt and we provide the tool for you to suicide or resist”.

As Umut Foundation, we also condemn the statement of Mr. Bircan Akyıldız, Chairman of Turkish Energy Union which represents the MCII employees, which appeared in press as “I am supporting the arming of 72 million people. In the end, everyone is going to have an enemy”. We believe that an individual with civil awareness/consciousness, especially someone who has been elected for the duty, should be more careful about his statements.

We would like to share the fact with everybody who thinks like the Chairman of the Union that; as long as we act in a correct and civilised manner, if we watch for and respect others’ rights as we do for ourselves, we are not going to have enemies and we will gain more friends.”

Nazire Dedeman
Founder President 
Umut Foundation for Raising Proud Leaders