Yes, that has always been an oxymoron, but the government is going to attempt to limit and control weapon ownership soon. The idea is that so called medium and heavy weapons will be banned altogether whereas “personal” weapons will be allowed with a permit. Pistols and kalashnikovs are considered personal, so I guess medium weapons would be higher caliber guns and heavy would be tanks and things that can take out tanks and airplanes.
This is going to be difficult. Tribal traditions place a lot of importance on weapons. Some Sheiks have their own armies and are at least as well equipped as the government’s army. I’m pretty sure they are the real targets of the new laws. I can’t imagine trying to disarm the Bedouins, that just wouldn’t happen…
We’ll see how much political conflict there will be over this. These laws are a pretty straightforward defanging operation, and people have every reason to be nervous about this government subjugating them. Here’s the thing, Yemen really needs to get the weapon thing under control. It isn’t as though there’s a lot of gun violence, but government control is vital to allowing the country to grow. People have to be under the same justice system, the same laws, and be on the same page if they are to improve economically. Right now, the “justice” system consists primarily of scattered tribes and their customs. Sheiks have their own jails, and revenge is an accepted way of settling conflicts. I think that Somalia has made this government a little nervous. Yemen is in much better shape than their neighbor across the horn, but one can imagine things getting bad over the years. I’m not usually a fan of a stronger government, but this is a case where the government’s weakness is holding back the development of the country. I wish them luck…