The Book of Individual Disarmament

January 2004

Nazire Dedeman
Founder President of Umut Foundation

Preface

We decided to establish Umut Foundation in 1993 for the following purposes: to raise our youth, who are the guarantee of the future, as individuals who are take part in the development of the  country and useful to humanity  by earning them  personality ans skills to lead on the footsteps of Atatürk; make them adopt the rule of law and contribute to its implementation; to convince the youth to choose peaceful means for solving the conflicts by setting off from the saying of our leader Atatürk that is “ peace in homeland, peace in the world”; in this context, to teach individuals and make them adopt the skills of compromising and maintaining and developing peace. Our reasons were right and we had to succeed. By the time we realised that Umut Foundation continues its work on its own as the only NGO who works on individual disarmament. Although our people are victimised by arms, nobody knew about individual disarmament. Beyond this, we saw that theer is no terminology for individual armament. This big social problem the results of which is fatal does not receive enough attention neither from the State nor from the society; the noise of arms do not cease, tears are shed silently...Can there be more bitter situation that people who live in the same society take up arms against each other despite police force? Armamanet that is not compatible with modern life is more and more increasing.  Individual armament is reflected in the cosiety as a problem by the figures that on average 3000 people die a year through murder, accident and suicide, which happens with firearms. At first, we aimed to cooperate with the institutions that can share the same mission. At the time we unfortunately could not find an institution who is only interested in individual armament.  Thus, Umut Foundation led the foundation of Istanbul Bar Individual Disarmament Commission by 9 numbered and 17. 12. 1998 dated decision of Istanbul Bar.  The commisision will develop recommendations to direct law maker, analyse the legal dimension of individual armament that is the cause of most of violence incidents and anarchy in the society.  
1. International Individual Disarmament Syposium was carried out with the belief that confident citizens who are aware of their responsibilites will not use arm and gaining support from this belief by Umut Foundation with the cooperation of Individual Disarmament Commission of whose establishment we are very happy about.  The aim was to analyse individual armament from the points of law, education, physical and mental health and find solution recommendations through diffrenet disciplines. In the sympoium, we found the opportunity to host and benefit from the foreign minds who researches about individual armament that is every society’s problem, campaign and gain some success as a result. The nice thing is that lawyers of criminal law, psycohologes and pscyhetrists, forensic medicine specialists, public health specialists and other medicine specialists from different disciplines, consultant teachers, students of police academy, members of police force, representatives of other NGOs and media members found the opportunity to exchange their knowledge and experience and anaylise the approach of other disciplines that work on the same subject for two very tense days.

Individual Disarmament was discussed the frist time in Turkey and the world on an international platform from every aspect between 18 and 19 January 2002. Recommendations made by working groups were realistic and teherfore valuable.  Striking topics such as addiction to arm, maximum age limit for arm license, the responsibility of doctors in terms of lincensing, police force’s income from arm license fee, inconfidence in oneself and the society as one of the reasons of armament, media ethic for displaying armed violence incidents were discussed for the first time at such a length and intensity and between different disciplines. 
Citizens taking up arms against each other must stop. There are thouands of victims and deaths as a result of individual armament. Arms obtained with the excuse of protection definitely kill an acquiantence or a relative. However, the requirement of being the State governed rule of law obliges disarmament and belief in rule of law. The cause of individual armament as a social problem is not citizens or governments on their own. The problem was created together during the process, now it should be solved together. The laws should be re-regulated, justice and execution should be reviewed and the citizenes should be more aware and consious in a way to respect each other’s right to live.  The rest is measures to be taken by official authorities, which are more restrictions, strict controls and bans. Perhaps, individuals will appriaciate the happiness of compromising instead of being a defater due to deterrent laws.      
Umut Foundation had the opportunity to publish very valuable Individual Disarmament book to be a resource to those who work on the subject and to be a reason for a solution to our social problem. We immensely thank all listeners and participants who brought richness to this productive activity with their participation, which was carried out with Open Society Institute’s contribution and the cooperation of Umut Foundation and Istanbul Bar Individual Disarmament Commission.

We wish that nobody is hurt anymore, for a Hopeful Future...