U-S authorities to clamp down on gun possession in bid to restore order
Baghdad, Iraq-AP -- Iraqis are to receive permits allowing them to keep guns at home, but nowhere else. The commander of American ground forces says that's part of a new policy aimed at reducing the number of weapons in Iraq and restoring order. He says there also will be limits on the types of weapons allowed.
The new policy outlaws celebratory fire, customary in Iraq during weddings and birth celebrations, and it restricts firearms carried by bodyguards.
But regulating gun ownership is likely to be unpopular in Iraq, where firearms have a special role in the national culture. Owning a firearm is a matter of pride and a sign of manhood to many Iraqi men.
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