Over 1,600 nabbed in nationwide crackdown on unlicensed guns

ANKARA

Turkish security forces have apprehended over 1,600 suspects in operations conducted nationwide within a week, targeting individuals carrying unlicensed firearms, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Nov. 7.

The operation spanned all 81 provinces of the country, resulting in the seizure of 2,274 firearms, Yerlikaya said on a X post.

"There is a crucial point I wish to emphasize: That is 'prevention' — the act of thwarting crimes before they occur. As with all types of crime, it is imperative that we unite in the fight against unlicensed firearms," Yerlikaya stated.

In his remarks, he highlighted the five provinces where the most unlicensed weapons were seized and the most extensive legal actions were taken. These provinces include Istanbul, Adana, İzmir, Antalya and Bursa.

The operation came after the ministry presented a legislative proposal to the parliament aimed at imposing harsher and more deterrent penalties on those carrying unlicensed firearms.

Incidents involving individual guns, the majority of which were unlicensed, resulted in the death of a total of 2,500 people in Türkiye last year, according to a report prepared by an NGO.