Individual Armament Side of the Massacre in Osmangazi University

A research assistant in Eskişehir Osmangazi University shot the vice dean, faculty secretary and two academicians dead. This sad incident showed the dangerous side of individual armament once again.

6 Nisan 2018, Emine Uçak

Research assistant Volkan Bayar shot Mikail Yalçın (the vice dean), Fatih Özmutlu (faculty secretary), Yasir Armağan (research assistant) and Serdar Çağlak (assistant professor) dead and wounded 3 other people. Investigation about the incident still continues. As well as showing the desperate point led by spying mechanisms in universities, it also reveals the dangerous course of individual armament.

Umut Foundation has been working to draw attention to the dangerous course of individual armament and running ‘individual disarmament’ campaign for years. Ayhan Akçan, board member of Umut Foundation, said it is very sad to see the point that individual armament has come. Reminding the discussions about “necessity of individual armament”, Akçan said: “It is thought that licensing would solve the problem. Although there were official complaints about Volkan Bayar, his gun license was not cancelled. Umut Vakfı has been proposing for an interim act about gun licenses for a long time. People who possess guns cannot realize their anger problems or psychological issues. Partner’s consent or internal lawyer’s reference could prevent dangerous events in advance.”

Umut Foundation’s suggestions about individual armament are as follows:

• Effective precautions to decrease the demand of gun licenses should immediately be taken in legal regulations.
• Unregistered guns should be registered and penalized for a longer period.
• There should be a database of guns in Turkey.
• Scope of carrier’s license should be narrowed.
• New regulations on blank guns and drinking and carrying a gun should be made.
• Carrying licenses should be narrowed to workplaces.
• Licensing method of guns demanded due to security reasons should be brought into discussion.
• Health reports should be changed as health board reports when licensing.
• Thorough psychological tests should be made obligatory.
• Practical and theoretical trainings should be made obligatory.
• Age limit should be increased.
• Licenses which are not renewed within 6 months should be cancelled without notification.
• Annual bullet numbers should be limited and followed.
• New mechanisms on gun protection and controlling should be created.

For further details on Umut Foundation’s individual disarmament campaign: http://eng.umut.org.tr/individual-disarmament/