Gun counters at JCC prove a big draw<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A man walked toward a crowd of people gathered
\nin front of several stands at the Police Technology Exhibition
\n2000 at the Jakarta Convention Center in Central Jakarta on
\nFriday.<\/p>\n
The man, Agung Yulianto, approached an attendant at one of the
\ndisplay stands and uttered a straightforward statement: \"I want
\nto buy a gun.\"<\/p>\n
In response, the attendant -- as she had done with the others
\ngathered in front of her -- explained to Agung that interested
\nparties could purchase a weapon after a three-month waiting
\nperiod and only if they met all the requirements.<\/p>\n
Agung, who said he was the owner and chief editor of the Tabir
\nweekly tabloid, was one of a crowd of visitors packing the second
\nday of the four-day gun exhibition. The show is the first in the
\ncountry to display a wide range of automatic and semiautomatic
\nrifles, pistols and revolvers, along with gas canisters, rubber
\nbullets and live bullets, all for sale to the public.<\/p>\n
None of the attendants and executives of the companies taking
\npart in the July 20 to July 23 exhibition were willing to
\ndisclose the number of purchase applications they had received
\nduring the first two days of the expo.<\/p>\n
Visitors to the show, who could not hide their enthusiasm at
\nthe prospect of owning a weapon, come from different backgrounds
\nbut have similar reasons for their desire to possess a gun,
\nnamely self-protection.<\/p>\n
Some of the visitors said they already owned guns. \"I already
\nhave a pistol,\" Agung told The Jakarta Post, pulling out a gun
\nfrom his small bag. \"But this one uses rubber bullets. I want one
\nthat uses real bullets.\"<\/p>\n
A director of a construction and engineering company on Jl.
\nKalisari in Pasar Rebo, East Jakarta, Surato, said he had already
\nfilled out an application at the exhibition to purchase a gun.<\/p>\n
\"I need a gun for self-defense because I often get job
\ncontracts which require me to go to some areas in the forest,\"
\nSurato told the Post.<\/p>\n
Surato said that once when he was driving in Lampung for a
\njob, a group of four men stopped his car and tried to rob him.
\n\"Luckily there were also four of us in the car and we fought
\nback.\"<\/p>\n
\"If I had a gun at that time, it would have been simpler to
\nmake them go away,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Another visitor, Kasmar Sinaga, who said he owned a lumber
\ncompany in Cirebon, West Java, said he needed a gun to defend
\nhimself against people who robbed motorists traveling on the main
\nroad connecting Jakarta and Cirebon.<\/p>\n
\"There are many 'flying squirrels' there,\" Kasmar told the
\nPost, using a local term to describe the bandits.<\/p>\n
Danu Effendi, the operational manager of PT Budimanmaju Megah,
\na gun supplier participating in the exhibition, said his firm
\nwould first require applicants obtain a letter of good conduct
\nand a gun permit from the police.<\/p>\n
\"Applicants will have to go to Jakarta Police Headquarters for
\nscreenings, including a psychological test and a test on shooting
\nproficiency,\" Danu said.<\/p>\n
Like his fellow exhibitors, Danu refused to say how many
\nvisitors had applied to purchase guns from his company.<\/p>\n
Danu's company is selling various .32 and .22 caliber pistols
\nfor US$6,600 each and a number of different types of shotguns
\nwith 28-inch and 26-inch barrels for Rp 35 million ($3,850). To
\npurchase the arms, applicants must meet the requirements laid out
\nin brochures available at the company's stand.<\/p>\n
High-level executives from private companies, such as
\npresident directors, president commissioners, commissioners,
\npresidents and directors of finance, can apply to own a gun.
\nLegislators, ministers, governors and Cabinet secretaries are
\nalso welcome, he said.<\/p>\n
Danu said it usually took three months for an applicant to
\nhave their permit issued by the National Police.<\/p>\n
National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Dadang Garnida said
\nearlier the seemingly easy procedure to purchase a gun was meant
\nto curb gun smuggling and the illegal possession of firearms. He
\nadded that controlling the legal possession of guns was an easier
\ntask.<\/p>\n
However, the exhibition also drew expressions of concern from
\na number of people, including legislator Sophan Sophian, who
\nfeared that open applications for gun possession would lead to
\nmany people owning guns.<\/p>\n
\"It could be like the Wild West,\" Sophan told the Post on
\nThursday.<\/p>\n
Numerous executives from private companies have come to the
\nexhibition and expressed their desire to own a gun.<\/p>\n
A middle-aged visitor appeared excited as he held a gun in
\nfront of a counter. \"Hey, take a picture of me,\" he said,
\npointing the empty gun at a photographer.(08)<\/p>",
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