Loaded guns
Loaded guns
Someone is clearly failing in their job when police sources
admit that there could be up to 100,000 illegal firearms in
Jakarta. There is something even more seriously wrong when
supposedly sane gentlemen can so easily pull out guns and
threaten and shoot people who pose absolutely no threat to their
safety.
Several cases in recent months have highlighted once again the
emerging danger of the use of guns -- legal and illegal.
It leaves those residents without a gun -- and who have never
desired one in the first place -- fearing even more for their
safety. It is one thing to be a victim of a crime involving
firearms, but it is completely different when a shooting is
committed by "supposedly" licensed owners.
Those who can afford the Rp 150 million price tag for a
legitimate handgun must be considering whether it is time to buy
one, just in case the person seated next to them at a restaurant
or club starts waving around a revolver.
While some people carry around a gun to satisfy their need to
feel macho, others have more "legitimate" reasons for owning a
weapon. Some are collectors and others feel it necessary to own a
gun for their personal safety, having been victims of gun-related
crimes.
The number of registered guns in Indonesia has increased
eightfold since 1997 to more than 15,800. Increased crime and the
ineffectiveness of the police are the primary reasons people feel
the need to protect themselves.
We believe the world would be a lot safer if there were no
guns at all. Nevertheless, they are here -- legal or illegal --
and there is little that can be done about it. Hence the question
is whether the authorities have scrupulously adhered to the law
on gun ownership and taken the necessary measures to stop the
growing number of illegal firearms.
Despite the rampant smuggling of weapons, the authorities seem
powerless -- or perhaps they simply lack the will -- to make a
concerted effort to stop this profitable business. Some accounts
have suggested that buying firearms in this country is as easy as
purchasing rice.
Last year there were reports from around the country on the
widespread circulation of illegal guns. The North Sumatra Police,
for example, estimated there were over 8,000 illegal firearms in
the province.
Indonesia does not have a strong gun culture like that in the
United States or the Philippines. This does not mean that we
should wait for a madman to go on a shooting spree before tougher
measures are put in place.
Experience has shown that curbs on illegally imported weapons,
tight monitoring and the faithful application of strict gun laws
can help reduce the number of gun-related incidents and deaths.
Australia toughened its gun laws in the late 1980s after a
string of fatal shootings, and then again in 1996 after a gunman
killed more than 30 people in Port Arthur. According to the
Australian Bureau of Statistics, the annual gun death toll
throughout much of the 1980s was close to 700. It fell to about
500 in 1993 and in 2002 was "just" 299.
Britain in the mid-1990's also tightened its gun controls
after the Dublane shootings. People turned in their handguns
after they were banned, and rifles and shotguns were required to
be stored in an "inoperable" condition.
Studies also question the actual effectiveness of guns in
deterring crime. The Journal of Trauma in 1998 reported in the
United States that more people are killed by firearms kept in
their own homes than by criminal intruders.
With millions of guns in circulation in the United States, it
was surprising to find that, according to the Journal, guns were
used for protection in less than 2 percent of home invasions and
burglaries. In fact, the FBI's Uniform Crime Report found 154
justifiable homicides committed by private gun owners in 1999 in
the United States, compared to 8,259 firearm murders in the
country.
Indonesia should not wait for a gun-related tragedy on the
scale of Port Arthur before action is taken. There are enough
indicators to suggest that Indonesia is in the preliminary stages
of a gun epidemic that can only have a fatal ending.
Stricter background checks and a waiting period for potential
gun owners are among the few improvements that can be made. Close
monitoring of licensed gun traders and harsh punishments for even
the smallest of gun ownership-related violations are other ways
to deter abuse. Most importantly, there has to be an end to the
smuggling of firearms.
Bullets and guns are the most unprejudiced of objects and once
they are used the outcome is irreversible. Once it has left the
barrel of a gun, a bullet does not differentiate between foe or
friend, criminal or family member.