Ayhan Akcan

Incidents involving individual guns, the majority of which were unlicensed, resulted in the death of a total of 2,500 people in Türkiye last year, according to a report based on media coverage prepared by an NGO.

Only 4 million out of more than 40 million firearms in Türkiye are licensed, with one in every two people possessing a gun, an expert has stated amid growing concerns over individual armament after a recent deadly shop raid in Istanbul's Esenyurt district.

Incidents of armed violence have increased significantly across the country in the last five years, according to a report released by a prominent Turkish non-governmental organization dedicated to reducing personal gun ownership.

As the individual acquisition of arms is rising in Turkey, with the number of registered and unregistered guns rising tenfold just in the past decade, a change in regulation on the use of firearms raises concerns about a potential increase in the number of deaths.

The individual acquisition of arms is rising in Turkey, with the number of registered and unregistered personal guns up tenfold in the past decade. 

Most of the weapons are unlicensed, according to a report published by daily Cumhuriyet on Dec. 25. The daily also said the reason for the move to acquire arms is the lack of "feeling of security in Turkey."