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.