American in Dubai Jail

An American is being held in Dubai on weapons charges. He was on his way to Kabul with a layover in Dubai. He had a weapon and presciption pain pills in his checked luggage. The weapon was approved by his employer, EMW of Herndon, Va, and he had alerted Emirates Airlines to it. They, like most airlines, allow unloaded weapons in checked luggage. However, when he arrived in Dubai, he was arrested. There is a disconnect between the airline policy and Dubai's laws prohibiting weapons without express permission from the country. Emirates should have checked that he had permission before allowing the weapon, just like they have to confirm that you have a visa before boarding the plane.

He has since been fired by his employer, who in my opinion, should have better prepared him with information for the trip. If was to carry a weapon in Kabul, he should have been issued one there instead of having him carry one with him, regardless of airline policy. He also does not seem to be getting much help from the local American consulate.

I'm not claiming that this guy is completely innocent but he seems to have fallen between the diplomatic cracks. IMHO, Dubai would get better world press, if they just instantly deported people rather than incarcerating them. I'll see if I can follow up on his plight.

Guns, Guns, Guns

Seabee over at "Life in Dubai" kicked over a hornets nest with his recent post about Obama. The comment section turned into a web based discussion for the 2nd Amendment. I won't try to continue that discussion. However, I want to point out that Emiratis have a fascination with firearms as well. When I am in Dubai, I frequent the Jebel Ali Shooting Club and the Saharjah Shooting Club. Both places have indoor pistol ranges and organized competitions. I can't count the number of times times I have seen Emiratis trying to shoot the .357 magnum at Sharjah. Usually, they can't control the power and have difficulty hitting the target. I think the attraction for it is the macho factor of shooting a big handgun and the big "boom". Myself, I prefer accuracy and would rather put 8 shots in the 10 ring and a double tap to the head.

Guns, Emirati Style 2

I spent a fair amount of time at the Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club during a recent assignment to the UAE. I found there were three basic categories of shooters. First was the serious shooter. This was either a civilian enthusiast or a policeman who wanted to improve their hand eye coordination. Second was the young stud (always an expat) who would bring their girlfriend (also an expat) to shoot, probably in the hope that the excitement of holding something warm and powerful in her hand would lead to something sexual. And finally there was the Emirati thrill seeker who wanted to shoot the .357 magnum. He typically couldn't hit the back wall but it made a big noise and had a big recoil. After 25 rounds, his hand hurt so bad that he went home. The .357 will soon be retired as the UAE police have decided that no private gun club can have anything larger than 9mm.

The club is sponsored by an international oil company. I was surprised to see its logo prominently displayed on the firing line. The photo above was taken from the club web site. If you go there now, this photo has been removed. I guess the image of their logo juxtaosed with Arabs with guns was not PC.

Guns, emirati style

Gotta love boys playing with guns, even ones too weak and/or incompetent to handle them... (Though the last shooter, who's not even the biggest guy in the video, doesn't have a problem with it.)