LP RELEASE: Gun confiscation in Iraq

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NEWS FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY
2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Suite 100
Washington DC 20037
World Wide Web: http://www.LP.org
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For release: May 23, 2003
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For additional information:
George Getz, Communications Director
Phone: (202) 333-0008 
E-Mail: pressreleases@hq.LP.org
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Plan to confiscate weapons in Iraq 
may victimize innocent civilians, Libertarians say

WASHINGTON, DC -- An allied military plan to confiscate weapons in Iraq 
may destabilize the nation further by giving the green light to street 
thugs and Baath Party loyalists who are terrorizing innocent civilians, 
says the Libertarian Party.

"Imposing this gun grab is like declaring war on Iraq for a second 
time," said Geoffrey Neale, Libertarian Party chairman. "How many 
innocent men, women and children will be kidnapped, robbed or murdered 
because their U.S. 'protectors' turned self-defense into a crime?"

Iraqi citizens will be forced to surrender their heavy weapons under a 
proclamation expected this week from U.S. and British forces. The goal, 
allied commanders say, is to stabilize the war-torn nation by 
confiscating arms such as AK-47s, grenades and machine guns wielded by 
criminal gangs, paramilitary groups and remnants of Saddam Hussein's 
government. 

The demand for gun confiscation rests on the breathtakingly na?ve 
belief that criminals -- whether in Iraq, the United States or anywhere 
else -- will obediently turn in their weapons, Neale added.

"If Saddam's henchmen wanted to surrender their guns to an occupying 
army they would have done so already," he said. "And if criminal gangs 
don't comply with laws against looting, murder and kidnapping they 
certainly won't comply with a new gun regulation.

"This weapons ban will just make all of their jobs easier by disarming 
their potential victims."

Though Iraqis will be permitted to keep small arms at home for 
protection, the heavier, soon-to-be-banned weapons may also be 
necessary for self-defense in the postwar mayhem, Libertarians point 
out.

"Why should Iraqi civilians have less of a right to choose their  
weapons than allied troops have to choose their weapons?" Neale asked. 
"To the authorities who arrogantly claim that Iraqis don't 'need' an 
assault gun or a grenade, we say: Why don't you surrender your assault 
guns and grenades? If you really believe Iraqi citizens will be safer 
living under this gun control edict, set an example by complying with 
your own law."
  
The demand for the gun ban is actually a stark admission that 
occupation forces have failed in their most important, post-war mission 
of protecting the population, Neale said. 

"Let's not punish innocent men, women and children for the U.S. 
military's inability to secure the peace," he said. "Wouldn't it be a 
tragedy if Iraqis who survived the horrors of Saddam Hussein became 
casualties of the U.S. government's gun grab?"





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