110,000 unlicensed weapons seized

Security personel gaurding entrances to capital cities check throughly for weapons.

The number of seized weapons by Yemeni security authorities has increased to over 110,000 from August of last year until now.

A source from the Ministry of Interior said that 3,151 weapons were captured inside cities since the weapon ban campaign this Tuesday, and 107,424 pieces were apprehended at the cities’ entrance security check points.   

Security authorities continue to efficiently carry out the weapon ban campaign and praise the support of the civil society organizations, making the resolution a national issue. 

The crime rate reported reduced by approximately 30 percent since the launch of the campaign on August 23, 2007 until now.  However, Parliament has not debated the new draft law of obtaining and carrying weapons.

The new draft law was presented by the government two years ago but was postponed by the presidium board of Parliament several times because of the rejection of the former Speaker of Parliament, the late Sheikh Abdullah Bin Hussein al-Ahmar. Other members of Parliament kept insisting that the government has to first apply the current law effectively before asking to amend it or issue a new law. 

Many members of parliament who are sheikhs of tribes or tribesmen oppose banning of weapons carrying because they say citizens particularly tribesmen have the right to carry weapons so as to defend themselves against revenge cases. 

The government had issued a bylaw that organizes carrying weapons and protecting officials and members of Parliament as well as any businessmen private institutions or even individuals that want to have guards.

The bylaw denoted that the security authority will have to provide five guards for each member of Parliament, ministers and alike officials and two to three guards for other senior officials including deputy ministers and governors. The bylaw also proposed providing guards from the security authority for any businessmen or individuals that would like to have guards, however would be on their own accounts. 

This bylaw was rejected by the members of Parliament and by other businessmen and persons of charge that preferred to have their own guards on their own ways claiming this bylaw contradicts with the law. 

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