N Ireland: disarmament starts at home

<*> The newly-formed Campaign for a Gun-free Northern Ireland aims to remove both legal and illegal weapons from Northern Ireland, a task which--if it were even partly successful-- would be as much a miracle as St Patrick's legendary campaign to make the island of Ireland snake-free.

The campaign began on 24 October with a declaration of Northern Ireland's first "gun-free zone". Somewhat modestly, this was a place already assumed to be free of weapons: Fredheim, the headquarters of the Peace People. The hope is that other gun-free zones will be established across the north of Ireland, creating spaces "where citizens can enjoy the right to be free from fear, empowering people to do without guns, and creating the opportunity for the voice of the unarmed majority to be heard".

In calling for the elimination of all guns--those held by the security forces, the paramilitaries, by criminals, and by individuals--the campaign attempts to address the use of violence at all levels within society. "The heart of the matter is to disarm social and political life, to create a gun-free culture", says Peace People chair Ciaran McKeown. "If Costa Rica can do without an army, why not Ireland, North and South? If Haiti and Honduras are heading the same way, why not Ireland?"

>>> Taking it in stages

Earlier this year, a Peace People group in Newcastle, Co Down, proposed establishing a gun-free zone on a local housing estate. After carrying out a survey and consultations with local people - - and drawing a surprising amount of hostility from the media-- the group decided that more groundwork was needed before this sort of declaration could be made.

At the "official", power-politics level of the Northern Irish peace process, the question of arms is normally expressed in terms of British government demands for the decommissioning of paramilitary--specifically IRA--weapons. Meanwhile, nationalists call for the disbanding of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, Northern Ireland's armed police force. The Campaign for a Gun-Free Northern Ireland attempts to address the issues at a different level, or rather at several levels at once.

The Campaign began as a project of the Peace People's youth wing, the 18-30s Group, and is the product of several months' consultation. The "gun-free zones" will form one part of the campaign, though organisers recognise that different approaches will be required at different stages. Gun-free zones can be places of any size--a car, a home, a workplace, a public building, a neighbourhood, a town--where people have declared their desire to live a life without guns. Those entering the zone are requested to respect the wishes of those living inside.

At the launch of the campaign, organisers have made particular approaches to the political parties with paramilitary connections (there are three of these, two Unionist and one nationalist) to respect the zones. The security forces (the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the British army) have also been made aware of the organisers' wishes.

>>> South Africa: taking on the mainstream

South Africa has been an inspiration for the Northern Irish campaign; the Campaign for a Gun-Free South Africa, which began a year ago with a day of disarmament, when guns could be deposited at collection points throughout the country. Unlike an earlier government firearms amnesty, which dealt solely with "bad guns" - - unlicensed and illegally held firearms--the Gun-Free South Africa drive focused on "good" legally-held guns as well. There are 3.5 million licensed guns in the country, most of them purchased at a time when fears of civil war were widespread. That fear has now been replaced by a fear of violent crime, but it is clear (particularly when you look at the USA) that a society armed to the teeth is more, rather than less, likely to see an increase in crime.

The Gun-Free South Africa campaign has received endorsements from political leaders, including president Nelson Mandela. At the political level, the campaign is working against moves to include "the right to bear arms" in the new South African constitution, and for public consultations on security and crime.

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Campaign for a Gun-Free Northern Ireland, 224 Lisburn Rd, Belfast, Northern Ireland (tel +44 1232 663465; fax 663465; email peacepeople@gn.apc.org)

Gun-Free South Africa Campaign, 195 Smit St, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, South Africa (tel +27 11 403 4590; fax 403 4596)