AMMAN — In light
of recent
violent offenses, some have begun to raise their concerns that
existing penalties are an insufficient deterrent to carrying “cold weapons”.
اضافة اعلان
Cold weapons are
those that do not involve fire or explosion, such as bladed weapons. Articles
155 and 156 of the Penal Code stipulate that whoever carries or possesses “cold
weapons” shall be punished for no more than six months in prison and shall be fined
JD10.
Jordan News spoke
to Firas, a licensed arms and ammunition dealer who only wanted to be identified
by a single name, and asked him to compare his sales of cold weapons and
firearms.
"Although the
arms trade is about to disappear as people have stopped buying them, I can't
say which type of weapons are more popular with people," he said.
Firas said that if
someone wants to commit a crime they do not have to purchase a weapon, as cold
weapons are part of people’s day-to-day life, and can simply be obtained from
the kitchen. He argued that this is why cold weapons are preferred by those
wishing to commit violence.
Civil and criminal
lawyer Awni Abu Rumman told
Jordan News that he does not think the law falls
short in its deterrent role, but that tools like knives — which fall into the
category of “cold weapons” — are so ubiquitous and necessary in daily life that
the likelihood of people carrying them is much greater, unlike firearms.
“What we really
need is to research why people carry — and then use — weapons to harm others,
and other violent behavior,” Abu Rumman said, before tragedy strikes.
Sociologist
Hussein Al-Khuzai said people need to stop blaming the law and start addressing
the root of the problem, which is the absence of conflict-resolution,
de-escalation, and certain people’s inability to deal with problems.
“All this, in
addition to a person’s environment, are what make a person ‘bad’. Twelve percent
of violent criminals were raised in formerly violent families or criminal
families,” Khuzai said.
He clarified that
in most cases, perpetrators of violent crimes resort to the use of knives with
the aim of threatening and intimidating, rather than with the aim of causing
great harm or murder.
Khuzai did not
think that changing the laws and raising the penalty for acquiring non-firearm
weapons has a real role in deterring criminals. He said that 39 percent of the
estimated 6,000 incarcerated criminals in the country are repeat offenders.
“They don’t mind
returning to prison, and may even deliberately commit violence until they are
returned to prison if they are released,” Khuzai said. "They are used to
being in prison, and they consider it to be their community. It is also
impossible to correct their behavior or rehabilitate them,” he contended.
Samih Khreis, a
lawyer, agreed with Khuzai’s assessment. “To argue that the Penal Code contributes
to encouraging criminals ... isn’t accurate,” he said.
“Knives and the
like are essential needs and their owner can carry them for many purposes
outside the home, so punishing anyone who carries a cold weapon is both
illogical and unreasonable,” Khreis said.
He said that
criminal and violent behavior is something originates from the individual, the
environment in which they were raised, and the extent to which they are aware
of their actions. The law has nothing to do with what is happening, he insisted.
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