Low estimate: 28 guns per person
High estimate: 50 guns
There are an estimated 9.75 million guns in Iraq, although a lack of systematic gun registration – and general chaos surrounding the US invasion and war – hints that the number could be larger. The survey cites the illegal sale of military guns to civilians as a big problem there, also throwing a wrench into accurate estimates of gun ownership.
As early as 2003, civilian gun ownership was a concern in Iraq. A Monitor reporter then based in Iraq noted the phenomenon:
The availability of weapons to ordinary Iraqis, not just militias, is also a concern. In May, Paul Bremer, the top coalition official here, decided to allow Iraqis to keep AK-47s, with the stipulation that they confine them to their home. But that provision has proven almost impossible to enforce, and gun-toting toughs are now a regular feature on the streets of most of Iraq's cities.
