Damascus Countryside – Action Group
A number of residents of Al-Hussainiya camp called on the relevant authorities to work to control the proliferation of random weapons and limit the phenomenon of firing in the air, especially during celebrations and weddings, which increase in the summer and until the end of September. The residents stressed the need to limit the carrying of weapons to employees of the Ministries of Defense and Interior, and to prohibit anyone carrying them except for an official, stamped mission.
Professor Ahmed, a resident of the camp, said: “After the security checkpoint left the area, control of the situation became weaker. We hear gunfire in the air every day for various reasons, from inside or around the camp, which poses a threat to the lives and property of civilians. We can no longer sit on the roofs of houses to escape the heat for fear of stray bullets. The solution lies in prohibiting the carrying of weapons without an official mission.”
For his part, Abu Saeed pointed to the proliferation of weapons among young men under 18, saying: “Sometimes you see one of them going out to buy a loaf of bread while carrying his weapon out of pride, and this poses a threat to the surrounding community. We must speed up the regulation of the carrying of weapons.”
Despite security agencies’ attempts to control the phenomenon, weapons remain widespread, and fears are growing of their use in family disputes or individual conflicts.
The camp has witnessed several incidents in recent months, including a family clash with a security patrol in April, an armed confrontation with a drug dealer during an attempt to arrest him in March, and the throwing of a hand grenade near Tal al-Fakhar, the motives of which are unknown.
According to residents, these incidents place a double responsibility on the relevant security agencies to control the carrying of weapons and deal firmly with any cases of random shooting to preserve the security of the area and the safety of its residents.