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MTT TL · November 24, 2011, 12:35 PM

Iraq has on paper... the right to keep and bear arms. According to the law, every household may have one rifle and one pistol for every adult male member of the household as well as ammunition and one magazine for each. Shotguns are not restricted (although quite rare). Mosques and certain businesses are allowed weapons based upon the size of each respectively.

In practice due to nearly eight years of continuous civil war and high levels of corruption the law is often not respected or followed by the police or other security agencies. A lot of it depends upon the perception of a police or security force commander. He will favor one area that he believes is supporting his efforts for security and punish another with searches and weapon confiscations if he believes there is a threat there.

There is no effective way to redress for grievances for weapons that are confiscated as the court system is also quite corrupt and not interested in supporting rule of law but in ending the civil war by disarming the populace.

Weapons are easily available however with a full auto AK (with mag and ammo) being available for immediate purchase in most markets with no waiting period for $120-200 USD. A Glock 19 or Berretta 92f is about $900 and may take a few days to acquire due to inventory. There are no official gun shops of course.

While there I noticed that most everyone had a different way of hiding weapons. Most of the weapons were AKs (90%) or Glocks (5%), with a smattering of Sterlings, Enfields, various pistols and a laundry list of others. Most of the AKs either had folding stocks or had the stock removed altogether in order to make it more easily concealed (note: this would be illegal in the US without a permit if the weapon were made too short).

My question is if you lived in Iraq or a similar environment how would you go about hiding your guns to keep the police and other security agents from taking them? Assume that you are living within the legal requirements by law but you could be subject to confiscation at any time any way. You actually really NEED a gun as just about everywhere is unsafe, crime rates are too high to publish and nearly all your neighbors are armed already too.

Most of the areas I observed large caches (held by terrorist cells) were:

- Sewage ponds and sewage tanks
- Various plumbing pipes disguised to look as functional (most plumbing is exposed and not in walls as in the US)
- Buried
- Behind false walls

Areas used by common citizens:
- Under the bed
- In the oven or the pot holder under the oven
- The fridge
- Inside a large cabinet TV with a loose back

So where would you hide yours?

November 24, 2011, 12:35 PM	#1
MTT TL Senior Member Join Date: October 21, 2009 Location: Quadling Country Posts: 2,780	Where to Hide the Guns Iraq has on paper... the right to keep and bear arms. According to the law, every household may have one rifle and one pistol for every adult male member of the household as well as ammunition and one magazine for each. Shotguns are not restricted (although quite rare). Mosques and certain businesses are allowed weapons based upon the size of each respectively. In practice due to nearly eight years of continuous civil war and high levels of corruption the law is often not respected or followed by the police or other security agencies. A lot of it depends upon the perception of a police or security force commander. He will favor one area that he believes is supporting his efforts for security and punish another with searches and weapon confiscations if he believes there is a threat there. There is no effective way to redress for grievances for weapons that are confiscated as the court system is also quite corrupt and not interested in supporting rule of law but in ending the civil war by disarming the populace. Weapons are easily available however with a full auto AK (with mag and ammo) being available for immediate purchase in most markets with no waiting period for $120-200 USD. A Glock 19 or Berretta 92f is about $900 and may take a few days to acquire due to inventory. There are no official gun shops of course. While there I noticed that most everyone had a different way of hiding weapons. Most of the weapons were AKs (90%) or Glocks (5%), with a smattering of Sterlings, Enfields, various pistols and a laundry list of others. Most of the AKs either had folding stocks or had the stock removed altogether in order to make it more easily concealed (note: this would be illegal in the US without a permit if the weapon were made too short). My question is if you lived in Iraq or a similar environment how would you go about hiding your guns to keep the police and other security agents from taking them? Assume that you are living within the legal requirements by law but you could be subject to confiscation at any time any way. You actually really NEED a gun as just about everywhere is unsafe, crime rates are too high to publish and nearly all your neighbors are armed already too. Most of the areas I observed large caches (held by terrorist cells) were: - Sewage ponds and sewage tanks - Various plumbing pipes disguised to look as functional (most plumbing is exposed and not in walls as in the US) - Buried - Behind false walls Areas used by common citizens: - Under the bed - In the oven or the pot holder under the oven - The fridge - Inside a large cabinet TV with a loose back So where would you hide yours? __________________ Thus a man should endeavor to reach this high place of courage with all his heart, and, so trying, never be backward in war.