Gun violence in Turkey increased 69 percent in last 4 years: Association

ISTANBUL

The number of gun violence incidents stemming from personal arms ownership has increased by 69 percent in the last four years, Umut (Hope) Foundation has said in a new report, stressing that 3,679 incidents of gun violence occurred only in 2018.

In the 3,679 incidents last year, 2,279 people were killed and 3,762 were severely injured, the report said.

According to the foundation’s figures, 2,175 incidents of gun violence were reflected in the press in 2015.

Umut Foundation is a prominent NGO dedicated to reducing personal gun ownership in Turkey, which prepares its reports based on information gathered from local media regarding gun violence.

“These figures are only a drop in the bucket. Authorities have been refraining from unveiling the number of deaths and injuries resulting from individual armament,” said the foundation.

Marmara is the top region to have the highest number of gun violence incidents, followed by the region of Central Anatolia and Mediterranean, the report stated.

The top five cities with the highest numbers of recorded incidents are Istanbul, the capital Ankara, the Black Sea province of Samsun, the Mediterranean province of Adana and the Marmara province of Sakarya, respectively.

A total of 1,032 incidents were recorded in Marmara, with Istanbul being the most violent city of the region in 2018.

“When compared to 2015, there has been an 88 percent rise in the incidents of gun violence in Marmara [region],” said the report.

Compared with the previous year, Istanbul saw an increase of 34 percent with 472 recorded incidents in 2018.

Following Istanbul, Sakarya, Kocaeli and Bursa were the other top violent cities in the Marmara region, respectively.

According to the report, Ankara saw 208 gun violence incidents, making the capital the city with the highest number of recorded incidents in Central Anatolia in 218.

“Turkey’s Violence Map” report also stated that at least 25 million guns were in possession in Turkey, 85 percent of which is unlicensed.

The report urged state authorities to take immediate action in order to end gun violence and regulate the Law on Firearms and Knives and Other Tools.

“The causes of every kind of violence need to be discussed immediately; solutions should be turned into projects and implemented immediately; authorities, especially the Interior Ministry, should prohibit the purchase of guns online with a single [mouse] click,” said the report.

The report stressed that the Family and Social Policies Ministry should prepare training programs regarding domestic violence.