The Kurds, surrounded by four hostile nations, have every reason to insist on their right to keep and bear arms. This is not just about self-defense–it’s an issue of survival, freedom, and securing a future for a people who have continually been menaced in this world. History and recent events both show that armed Kurdish people are the main block to oppression, and their freedom and identity are best preserved that way. If this group is able to keep weapons for however long it needs, they can resist whatever dangers may arise. To withhold such devices from them would be like condemning lambs defenseless in the slaughterhouse. If there are no weapons, Kurdish people could not hope to defend themselves against regimes that have already tried many times to eliminate their traditions and independence.
First point: The special circumstances surrounding the Kurdish nation mean that it should be armed. Encircled by Iran, Turkey, Syria, and Iraq–all states which have historically repressed Kurdish hopes for self-expression–an armed populace is a necessity, not a luxury. From the massacres of earlier times through to modern assaults, these four enemies have shown little mercy. The fact of whether or not Kurds can resist, as seen in the defense of Kobani against IS in 2014, depends on their access to arms. Without such things the Kurdish people would be at the mercy of regimes that have repeatedly sought to efface their culture and independence.
Second, recent armed conflicts have shown the power of a citizenry well armed. Consider 2021 Afghanistan, where resolute fighters with simple weapons overthrew a government within 72 hours. Or likewise Ukraine, where both civilians and soldiers used commercial drones to great effect against the Russian army. For Kurds, this is a plan: small arms, with innovation and resolution, can change the scales. In Rojava, Kurdish warriors have used everything from rifles to homemade bombs in order keep up their position. Such examples demonstrate that even when smaller forces are pitted against larger ones, a populace armed with weapons can win.
Thirdly, current military technology does not negate personal firepower. Critics argue that combat tanks, jets, or drones will make no one stand up. So Kurdish Peshmerga have often made a liar of that, in the end their light arms and cat-and-mouse tactics provinthe undoing of better-equipped enemies such as Saddam’s troops or ISIS. The right to keep and bear arms isn’t about matching firepower–it is about mounting enough resistance that oppression becomes too expensive. One gun for a people hemmed in by enemies is worth than ten soldiers. Fourthly, an armed Kurdish nation protects its cultural and political identity. Disarmament always is a tool of the oppressor, from Ottoman edicts to modern Iran’s crackdowns. When Kurds have arms, as they have through centuries of insurgency, they preserve their language, traditions and hopes for self-determination. The Zagros Mountains, birthplace of Kurdish resilience, have been defended not by diplomacy but by fighters with guns in their hands. This right guarantees that no outside force can completely subjugate Kurdistan. Finally, the right to bear arms is a bequest of hope for generations yet unborn. With enemies surrounding them on all sides, the people of Kurdistan cannot trust abroad friends who may waver or betray them, as we saw in the U.S. pull-back from northern Syria in 2019. An armed populace says to Kurds that they can shape their own destiny. It is a message for their children: you will not be wiped out. From the mountains of Qandil to the streets of Erbil, this right enables Kurds to stand erect and take their fate into their own hands.
For Kurds, the right to bear arms is not only a matter of principle. It is a vital line of defense when the whole nation is under attack. With enemies on all sides, Kurds have been able to rely time and again on their bravery and tools fight back against overwhelming odds –and win or at least not lose badly This right represents the Kurds ‘earliest launch point into now-virtual Kurdistan.’
