Saudis act to curb illegal firearms

Riyadh: Saudi security experts said yesterday the decision to grant licences to private gun shops for the sale of personal firearms is part of steps to control the widespread and illegal ownership of handguns and assault weapons from unknown sources.

"The security authorities are keen to put an end to the practice of possessing personal weapons in an illegal manner," said Dr Muneef Al Qah'tani of the Security Sciences College of Riyadh.

He said Saudis would now be able to buy handguns and other personal firearms openly for the first time after the interior ministry revealed on Saturday that it would license privately owned gun shops.

Under the new mandate, privately owned gun shops will be required to obtain permission from authorities to import handguns and other personal firearms, according to an official from the firearms licence department at the Riyadh Governorate who requested anonymity. He said special gun shops have sold firearms for decades without accountability.

"The old law was to issue licences for anyone who wanted to acquire a handgun but there was no way to ascertain the source. Now, it is impossible for an individual to obtain a revolver from an unknown source and then approach the authorities for a licence," he said.

The Ministry of Interior will be tasked with deciding on quantities of weapons each privately owned gun shop can import from manufacturing countries.

Riyadh, Makkah and the Eastern Province will each have five licensed gunshops while three licences will be issued for shops in each of the remaining provinces, totalling 45 shops across the Kingdom.

Applicants who wish to open their own gun shop must produce a bank guarantee of 500,000 riyals (Dh489,720) and must be above the age of 25 with no criminal record.

Al Qah'tani said the Kingdom's decision to regulate the private ownership of firearms was in line with moves taken by most countries in the world and the Kingdom is no exception. Hunting and sport shooting weapons are currently sold in speciality stores, and all weapons are supposed to be licensed.

Permits

However, a large number of personal guns, including assault rifles, are owned and traded without permits, according to a person familiar with the illegal trade of firearms.

Though there are no statistics on how many guns are held in private hands, Riyadh police seized 1,091 weapons and more than 13,200 pieces of ammunition in the capital in six months, a Saudi Gazette report said.

Last week, the interior ministry said it would also accept applications to set up private shooting clubs. The decision is sure to pave the way for a flourishing personal firearms market.