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| Arabia |
| Yemen: Drop your guns |
| 2005-03-22 |
| The ruling Party (GPC) caucus in the parliament voted with majority Saturday in favor of debating the firearms possession control draft law that has been crippled by the tribal figures for more than six years. The draft bill which the Speaker of the Parliament Sheikh Abdullah bin Hussien al-Ahmar has been rejecting was transferred to the Security and Defense committee to discuss and then forward the law for debate and voting. Ammended of this law allows police to confiscate any unlicensed firearms which are commonly carried and spread all over the country. The last government failed to convince the Parliament in a six-year tenure to endorse the law to regulate arms possession. The bill necessitates the control of arms possession and if endorsed by the parliament, every Yemeni citizen possessing any sort of guns has to get it registered at the Ministry of Interior,else to just leave it at home. Al-Ahmar led a group of MPs from both the Islah party and the GPC rejecting the articles concerning the arms possession control while agreeing that arms carrying should be controlled. Other religious clerics like Shekh Abdulmajeed al-Zindani used to tell the people that they should be armed so that the government or political regimes cannot force non-Islamic laws into their lives. They have claimed that "armed people can defend their religion better than those without arms." Such preachers have encouraged flooding the country with weapons of different colors and hues. Member of Parliament Sultan al-Barakani, head of GPC caucus in the parliament, said that putting the draft bill on the present agenda of the parliament is a good step towards debating and endorsing the bid. "This draft law provides the police with power to seize and confiscate the unlicensed firearms," al-Barakani said. He earlier said that there are some figures who rejected the draft law. The question of arms possession in Yemen has become a major headache for the government, which believes that there must be a law to regulate and control this issue, as arms have been a main source of violence and terrorism. The government feels it's part of its campaign against terror, as the country has been embroiled into the tumult of tribal revenge and other sorts of disputes, something, which boosted the zest for obtaining weapons for personal protection. It also feels that free-rein on guns is curbing its efforts to achieve security and stability, as well as development. Arms possession is no longer a sign of manhood and a part of the Yemeni culture as tribesmen used to think, but it has rather become a means to kidnapping, theft, and all sorts of crimes. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #6 "Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the act of depriving a whole nation of arms as the blackest." Mohandas Ghandi. "What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance. Let them take arms". Thomas Jefferson "The Second Ammendment shall never be construed by Congress as to deprive law abiding citizens of their arms." Thomas Jefferson. "If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun." The Dali Lama |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2005-03-22 3:33:48 PM |
| #5 Me: I'm with SM: A people with guns can better defend themselves from having sharia law imposed on them... Shekh Abdulmajeed al-Zindani: "HEY WAITAMINNIT!!!!" |
| Posted by: Ptah 2005-03-22 3:12:34 PM |
| #4 "This year will go down in history. For the first time, a civilized nation has full gun registration. Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient, and the world will follow our lead." – Adolf Hitler "The most foolish mistake we could make would be to allow the subject peoples to possess arms. So let's not have any talk about native militias." – Adolf Hitler "All political power comes from the barrel of a gun. The communist party must command all the guns, that way, no guns can ever be used to command the party." – Mao Tse Tung "All we ask for is registration, just like we do for cars." – Charles Shumer, D-Some Yankee State "When we got organized as a country, [and] wrote a fairly radical Constitution, with a radical Bill of Rights, giving radical amounts of freedom to Americans, it was assumed that Americans who had that freedom would use it responsibly...When personal freedom is being abused, you have to move to limit it." – Alleged former President Bill Clinton Yemeni tribesmen: stick to your guns. Governments always use these sorts of arguments to disarm their populations because, hey, it makes them easier to control.... or kill off when they become uppity. The Democrats in the United States have used almost exactly the same reasons for gun control as the GPC. for years now.... but their reasons are the ones I have listed above. The same ones the Fuhrer, Stalin, and Chairman Mao had. So, remember peasants, you are only truly free when you give up freedom. You are only truly safe when you give up safety. You are only secure then the govern... er, I mean The People, control all security. Gun Control = People Control |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2005-03-22 1:06:19 PM |
| #3 All the more reason to hold on tight. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-03-22 9:06:45 AM |
| #2 Yemen's problem is that the 2nd Amendment's the only one they've got. |
| Posted by: Fred 2005-03-22 8:48:57 AM |
| #1 Why shouldn't Yemen have a 2nd Amendment? |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-03-22 8:17:37 AM |