Iceland review - 2019, Qupperneq 110

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Iceland Review
even eliminates the likelihood of guns being used in
arguments or domestic disputes. “It’s less likely to
make a snap decision to grab a gun in an argument,
which is extremely important,” Jónas tells me.
Helgi stresses that Iceland, like other European
countries, has nothing similar to the Second
Amendment of the US Constitution. “Guns play a
very different role in Icelandic society and culture
than they do in the US.” Atli Helgi agrees with this,
pointing out that he has never met a single gun
owner in Iceland who feels they need their gun for
personal safety. “I honestly can’t imagine why you
would feel that way.”
No army, and unarmed police
If this idea sounds foreign, it’s important to remem-
ber that guns have never played any significant role
in Icelandic history. Iceland has never had an army
and never gone to war with a foreign adversary. If
we leave out the age of settlement and a civil war in
the 13th century, Iceland has a remarkably peaceful
history compared to other European countries.
“Social conflict in Iceland has tended to be very
peaceful. The independence struggle against the
Danes in the 19th century was fought with reason,
calls for fairness, as well as legal and historical
arguments,” Helgi points out. “This, of course, tells
us something about Danes as well as Icelanders.”
The peaceful character of Icelandic society is
reflected in the fact that policemen are unarmed.
In emergencies, the police force can dispatch
armed special forces units, “The Viking Squad,”
but officers do not carry guns in their daily oper-
ations. Recently, some policemen have called for
The thought of needing a gun to protect
yourse l f or your home from attackers or
th ieves is complete ly al ien to Ice landers .
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