Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq received 10,222 applications to register privately owned firearms between October 2 and October 9, as the government seeks to tighten controls on gun ownership nationwide, Saad Maan, head of the Security Media Cell, said on Saturday.

The Directorate of Weapons Control and Regulation operates 449 offices across Iraq to simplify registration procedures and help citizens complete their applications, Maan said in a statement, crediting the Directorate’s efforts with advancing the process.

Praising citizens for their cooperation, Maan described their response as a sign of growing awareness. He also linked the registration drive to efforts to strengthen community security, promote stability, and uphold the rule of law.

The Interior Ministry launched an online registration form for privately owned firearms on January 27, 2024. The program covers all Iraqi provinces except the Kurdistan Region.

In September 2025, then-Interior Ministry spokesperson Colonel Abbas al-Bahadli told Shafaq News that more than 125,000 firearm registration forms had been submitted nationwide. He attributed improvements in community security and efforts to curb tribal disputes to the initiative.