Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Gun Possession

Gun possession has been a hot issue in many countries like Brazil and the USA. Each time a crime occurs, especially the one in which there is the storming of building like schools or armed robbery of financial institutions like banks, there is a call for tight control on gun possession and sale.

A gun can be more dangerous in societies suffering from lawlessness, poverty and Mafia-like groups which controls areas in the country and cities without the long arm of the law being able to reach them. In Brazil, there are cases of prisons in which prisoners were armed with guns, which had led to a mutiny. Despite all this, a proposal to ban the sale of guns in Brazil was defeated by a clear majority in a referendum .

South Africa is the most dangerous country in Africa with a high rate of gun-related crimes resulting in more than 10,000 deaths annually. This is far worse than the USA.
A gun is not used just to kill, but also as a threat, a means to kidnap and rob as it is used for celebrations as it is the case in some Middle East countries like Jordan and Iraq where shots are fired in the air.

There are still those who believe an armed society is a polite society. As countries with nuclear weapons feel safer than those without them, there are also individuals who think feeling safe is to have a gun. At least a potential aggressor will think twice before attempting an attack.
In the case of the use, gun sale is an economic activity. With tight control, this means this business will go bust. Some will even argue a total ban on gun possession is a threat to American culture where it is as normal and easy to possess a gun as to possess as knife.

A gun isn’t the only means to feel safe. It also depends on the effective use of a gun when it attacked. A gun can be for some a means to feel secure. But there are chances to be overpowered with many skilled gunmen and there is nothing that can be done. It will be scary if everybody moves around with a gun, ready to reach to it instead of reaching to a (self)- phone for help. People should easy means to live in peace and easy means to gun down for every provocation. A society whose members are peaceful needs just the police and the army to protect it and not gunmen who can easily take the law in their hands. The gun isn’t dangerous by itself. It is as dangerous as it is made to be. The gun doesn’t trigger itself and chooses its targets. It is its possessor or manipulator who makes it kill. So legislation banning or allowing gun possession has to go in line with the fabric of societies. A killer is a killer. If he needs a gun or any murderous weapon, he will get it.

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