Groom Kills Wedding Guests with AK-47

A Turkish groom has killed several guests at his own wedding while firing off an AK-47 as a means of celebration.

Father and Aunts Killed

According to CNN, the groom, Tevfik Altin, shot off celebratory rounds with the AK-47, but  lost control of his rifle. He instead sprayed the wedding guests with the bullets. In doing so he killed his own father and two of his aunts. At least six additional wedding guests received injuries. Locals explained to the press that guns are often fired in Turkey in celebration of weddings.

A family member in attendance at the wedding told made the following statement to a CNN reporter.

"It happened very quickly. We all tried to take cover and there was blood all over. We are all very sad right now."

ABCNews reports that Tevfik Altin was arrested in a small village near where the wedding took place, shortly after the killings.

Turkey Tries to Ban "Tradition"

Apparently authorities in Turkey have tried to ban these shootings as a means of celebrating weddings, and have so far been unsuccessful in doing so. They have recently imposed harsher penalties for such actions, but even these penalties haven't curbed the practice.

What a completely absurd practice! Why not simply throw rice or confetti or toast the marriage with glasses of champagne? Firing an AK-47 sounds like an instant invitation for disaster, especially when it takes place within a crowd of people. This is a barbaric practice that shouldn't simply be met with "harsher penalties;" it should be made 100% illegal!

 

Photo Source: WikiMedia