Iraq’s interior ministry extends firearm registration deadline through 2025

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Interior Ministry said Sunday that the process of regulating and registering civilian firearms will continue until the end of the year, as security forces step up efforts to curb illegal weapons possession.

“The process of purchasing firearms from citizens through the ‘Ur’ platform is ongoing,” said Maj. Gen. Mansour Ali Sultan, assistant deputy minister for police affairs, in a statement to the Iraqi News Agency. He called on media outlets to support the National Committee for Disarmament in its efforts to encourage citizens to turn in their weapons.

Sultan detailed several measures undertaken by security forces. Registration of privately owned firearms will remain open until Dec. 31, 2025. “So far, more than 35,000 heads of households have registered their firearms,” he said.

Authorities also seized 1,000 unlicensed firearms in 2024 and continue efforts to retrieve weapons previously distributed to tribal groups. In addition, the ministry has confiscated more than 32,000 firearms from civilian ministries—a process that remains ongoing.

Security forces have also intercepted millions of rounds of ammunition, hundreds of rockets, and unexploded ordnance while carrying out operations against illegal gunfire and tribal disputes, known locally as “dakka.” The government has shut down unauthorized weapons shops and taken legal action against individuals promoting violence on social media.

In January 2024, Iraq’s Interior Ministry launched a comprehensive program to regulate firearm ownership and reduce the number of unlicensed weapons in civilian hands. The initiative began with the immediate registration of personal firearms, allowing citizens to register their weapons through an electronic system accessible via the “Ur” platform.

To facilitate the process, 697 registration offices were established across Baghdad and other governorates, excluding the Kurdistan Region. Citizens were encouraged to register their firearms by the end of December 2024, with unregistered owners facing legal consequences after the deadline.

The ministry has also expanded the program to include a weapons buyback scheme, allocating one billion Iraqi dinars (approximately $764,000) for each governorate to purchase unregistered medium-sized firearms from citizens.