Firearm ban decreases Yemen’s crime rate

Banning the carrying of firearms decreases violent incidents. YO Photo/Hamed Ahmed

Mohammed killed his little sister when he was 20 years-old.
“One day, when I was cleaning my gun, my sister was cooking. I knew that she was afraid of guns, so I went to the kitchen to frighten her.” He said that he was certain that the gun was locked. “When she saw the gun, she pleaded with me to stop joking with her. But I was so happy that she was afraid. I pointed the gun at her and saw the fear in her eyes. But I was still enjoying her fear.” Mohammed did not care about his sister’s horror, and he asked her to raise her hands. “I felt that she was really afraid, so I tried to calm her. But I do not know how I shot her in the head, which caused her to die.”     

This story is one of many crimes and accidents committed due to the carrying of firearms, according to a report carried out by the Ministry of Interior. Crime in Yemen has risen in the past year, compared to Ministry statistics for the first half of 2006. An official report, released by the Sana’a governorate security administration, revealed that the crime rate had increased by 12 percent in this period, compared with the same period last year.  Additionally, the report lists 13 cases of resisting authorities using guns, 10 cases of simple and intentional harassment, and eight cases of looting personal property using light weapons. There were also seven cases relating to the theft of public money and four cases of car-theft and drinking.  There were 39 unintentional accidents – with eight cases of weapon-mishandling and five each of drowning and electrical shock. There were also several cases relating to suicide and falling, as well as other accidents. The causes of these crimes ranged from tribal conflicts (in 103 cases), personal cases (57 cases), revenge (24 cases), and lastly, material gain.  The crime rate also varies widely from one governorate to another. Ibb governorate ranked first in willful murder incidents, accumulating 101 cases. The capital governorate of Sana’a followed, with 96 registered cases.

The report stated unemployment as a serious ongoing economic problem, rising from 11.9 percent of the total population in the year 2000 to 16.3 percent in 2005, and concentrated mainly in the age groups of 15-19 and 20-24. It concluded that until these problems are solved, Yemenis will have a difficult time stemming the rising crime rate.

Due to these statistics, the Ministry of Interior has decided to enforce a law that bans the carrying of firearms in the capital Sana’a and the capitals of the other governorates. This law aims to decrease crime in the capitals of the governorates, according to Mohammed al-Qausi, Deputy Minister of Interior. “This law will help us to find out information about personal firearms, help to decrease crimes in Yemen and to make the community stable and safer. If we - the Ministry of Interior - compare the number of crimes in the month before enacting the law [preventing the carrying of firearms in the capitals of the governorates] and the month after, we find that crimes have decreased.”

Al-Qausi pointed out that there were around 376 crimes committed before enforcing the law, 36 of them murders and 196 of them injuries. But in the month following the law’s enforcement, crimes decreased 43 percent to 211 cases, with only 12 cases resulting in death. He added that they also compared crimes that were committed during Ramadan of the year 2006 and Ramadan of the year 2007, and found that crimes decreased in this instance as well.  

“We have seized many firearms since the law of preventing carrying firearms was enacted,” al-Qausi added. “Some of these firearms are returned to their owners after they leave the capitals of the governorates.” He said that citizens praised this step and many of them report those who are carrying firearms in Sana’a or the capitals of the other governorates.

Most citizens support the banning of firearms among residents, and say that this step will decrease crimes in Yemen as well as comforting foreigners who visit Yemen. “Carrying firearms gives others a bad impression of Yemenis. I am strongly for this law because it will also help to decrease the number of crimes committed and will inhibit revenge killing; here in Yemen revenge is very important and the carrying of firearms is the major reason behind that,” said Aysha Saleh, a student at Sana’a University.  Others agree with Saleh. “I really encourage this law. I think it will help to decrease crimes in addition to making Yemen more beautiful, not seeing firearms in the streets,” said Islam Mohammed, another Sana’a University student.

Mohammed relates that her uncle killed his father by mistake. “My uncle was cleaning his gun, and asked his father if the gun had bullets. His father replied no, so he cleaned his gun freely. Suddenly, a bullet shot directly from his gun to his father who was sitting in front of him. The bullet entered his neck and exited the other side, causing his immediate death.” She said that her uncle is now treated in a mental hospital because he went crazy as a result of the accident.     

Carrying firearms hurts children directly and indirectly. When children are brought up in a family with firearms, it encourages children to carry them. These children do not feel the danger of carrying guns.  “Most juveniles commit their crimes with firearms. As you know, here in Yemen carrying firearms is something very important; carrying firearms is a tradition that Yemenis cannot ignore,” says Yasser al-Ozair, a lawyer at the delinquent defense board that deals with juvenile cases. 

Al-Ozair says that these children are brought up in families that consider carrying firearms to be an important thing in their lives. “Some fathers encourage their children to carry firearms because they think that this will make them real men in the eyes of others. Here in Yemen, especially in Mareb and Aljawf, people have to carry firearms either because it is a tradition or to prove to others that they are men.”  Children see their fathers carrying firearms and these guns in their bedrooms as a normal thing and do not feel their danger. “Some of these children do not mean to kill, but they try to joke with their peers. When the argument becomes serious one of them takes his gun and shoots the other without realizing that it will put him in prison.” 

“Two families were in conflict with each other. One of them was very educated and the father was a lawyer. Every member of this family normally carries weapons. A child of this family decided to end the conflict by killing one member of the other family. In my opinion, this idea came to him because his was used to carrying firearms and he had the gun in his hands. But he did not know that he would be put in Rehabilitation House. He is also under threat of being killed as soon as he leaves Rehabilitation House,” reports al-Ozair.   A boy juvenile, 15, whose name is being withheld to protect his anonymity, committed a murder at the age of 13, says Zindani.  This boy was always in conflict with one of his relatives who was the same age. This relative set a trap for the juvenile to beat him up.  

“He told me that there were some people that wanted to kill him,” said the juvenile. “My relative asked me to bring my big brother’s gun for back-up,” he said.  The juvenile found out later, when he was in the isolated mountains, that he had been deceived. “There were two masked men that approached me, and it was very obvious that they wanted to kill me. I tried to run, but my relative prevented me from leaving. I was so scared that I took my gun and I shot him in his chest, which later caused his death. ” The juvenile wanted to burn the body to hide the crime. “I was so scared and I didn’t want anyone to find out that I had killed my own relative,” said the young man. As he started burning the body, children in the neighboring area saw the smoke and wanted to see what was happening. “I was afraid, so I threw stones at them to make them go away,” said the juvenile.  The neighborhood children felt suspicious and they went to inform the head of the neighborhood who came and discovered everything.  The young man was sentenced to five years in prison, as well as paying compensation. 

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