Speaking at a meeting of AKP in Afyon, an Anatolian city, Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu has stated that they will arm the party administrators.
“We will provide party administrators with gun licenses. We will also provide security guards. Long-range weapons will be supplied for security,” told Soylu, indicating to the politicians in the east and southeast regions of Turkey.
FIRST REMARKS CAME FROM ERDOĞAN’S CONSULTANT
Presidential Principal Consultant Şeref Malkoç advocated that the way should be paved for getting gun licenses in order to “prevent coups”, igniting a controversial debate in public opinion. Malkoç continued, “Difficulties are being raised before citizens’ purchasing guns. Mr Minister of Interior will demand legal regulation in this respect, and the way will be paved for civilians to buy the registered gun. Mostly unregistered guns are used in shooting incidents in Turkey. The people should be provided with gun licenses to practice their right to self-defence against coup attempters.”
HEAVY WEAPONS TO POLICE?
The AKP government has aimed at equipping Turkish police with heavy weapons. The government took steps and made various attempts to conduct legal regulations in recent years. “Turkey’s police will soon obtain heavy weapons”, former Interior Minister Efkan Ala announced once again regarding legal precautions after the failed July 15 coup attempt.
After recent attempts to equip pro-government police force with heavy weapons, and to arm the AKP administers and pro-government civilians, question marks raised again in Turkey while an ongoing debate exists on paving the way for transforming the Turkish Armed Forces, one of the largest armies of NATO, into a professional army particularly after the failed July 15 coup attempt.
