Following two shootings in local schools last week, Turkish authorities will take additional legal measures to restrict the ownership of firearms by residents of the republic and tighten penalties for gun owners.
“Elchi” reports that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made this statement after a Cabinet meeting.
“Ensuring safety in our schools is our top priority. We will not make any concessions on this issue, neither now nor in the future. We will tighten penalties for firearm owners who fail to fulfill their safety and reliability obligations. We will introduce additional legal regulations restricting gun ownership,” he added.
He noted that a shooting at a school in the Kahramanmaras province in southeastern Turkey on April 15 resulted in 9 deaths and 21 injuries. On April 14, a shooting incident at a school in the Sanliurfa province in the same region left 19 people injured:
“We have taken appropriate measures against accounts spreading false, manipulative, and harmful content on social media and digital communication platforms. The country’s authorities intend to strengthen ‘virtual patrols’ and increase the capacity of law enforcement agencies in the field of cybersecurity. Strengthening cooperation between schools and law enforcement agencies and developing new work models will also be one of the steps we will take in this process.”