Gun misuse leads to gangster-style culture
Gun misuse leads to gangster-style culture
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Farida, 31, is a businesswoman who lives in Kampung
Pedongkelan, West Jakarta. It came as something of a shock to the
people who know her that she owned a 22-caliber pistol, which she
used to shoot her younger brother, Budiman, 26, in the head late
last month after he borrowed her cellular phone without
permission.
Farida was arrested by the police for the illegal possession
of a firearm, and her brother is receiving intensive medical care
for his injuries.
The seemingly law-abiding Farida is not the only person in the
city who has recently used a gun to resolve a conflict.
Lawyer Henry Yosodiningrat was reported to the police in
August after he fired a gun following a traffic dispute on Jl.
Buncit Raya in South Jakarta. The police have yet to process the
report.
Both Farida and Henry used a gun to solve their conflicts,
the only difference being that Farida obtained her firearm
illegally, while Henry had a license for his gun.
The most shocking incident of late involving firearms took
place in broad daylight on Monday, hundreds of meters away from
the presidential palace on Jl. Juanda III. Four people on two
motorcycles shot three people to death and injured two passersby.
"We are witnessing a rising trend of 'gangster culture' in
which weapons, including lethal weapons like firearms, are
commonly used by civilians to solve conflicts," said Mulyana W.
Kusumah, a criminologist from the University of Indonesia.
Mulyana partly blamed the increased use of firearms on the
ease in obtaining a gun license from the police.
"The police must impose tougher conditions and regularly check
on those people licensed to own a firearm," said Mulyana.
People with gun licenses are theoretically subject to annual
tests of their marksmanship, as well as a psychological exam to
ensure their emotional stability.
However, it is a poorly kept secret that gun license-holders
can receive a free pass on these tests with payments to the right
people.
According to the National Police's deputy spokesman, Brig.
Gen. Edward Aritonang, there are more than 4,000 firearms owned
by civilians across the country, most in Jakarta.
Besides licensed guns, Mulyana alluded to the presence of
numerous unlicensed weapons obtained from the black market.
The illegal use or trade of firearms is punishable by a life
sentence, according to Emergency Law No. 12/1951 on the illegal
possession of firearms.
Lawyer Tommy Sihotang, who legally owns a Walter 22 pistol,
said it was easy for civilians to obtain guns.
"The cheapest pistol, along with bullets, can easily be
obtained on the black market for just Rp 1 million," Tommy said.
Normally, Tommy said, guns were sold for between Rp 30 million
and Rp 125 million.
Another lawyer, Hotma Sitompoel, who says he has owned a
licensed 32-caliber Colt pistol since his college days, dismissed
the possibility that licensed firearms could be easily misused.
"All of the data about a firearm and its bullets are recorded
with the National Police's Intelligence Division, and are subject
to regular annual checks," Hotma said, which according to him
meant it was easy for the police to track these weapons and their
use.
When asked about the official fee to renew a gun license,
Hotma said there were no official rates.
"It depends on the type of pistol. People can pay Rp 2 million
to Rp 3 million. The more expensive the gun the more you have to
pay (to renew the license)."
Meanwhile, the Jakarta Police's chief of detectives, Adj. Sr.
Comr. Raja Erizman, said the illegal trade of firearms was
rampant.
"However, so far we have found that the trade is the work of
individuals rather than well-organized groups," Raja said.