THE Philippines, which celebrates one of the world’s most raucous and dangerous New Year, welcomed 2013 with a bang – literally.
Beginning January 1, a series of gun-related incidents has disrupted the New Year revelry. The Philippine National Police (PNP) reported at least 40 indiscriminate firing cases during the celebration.
The highly publicized death of seven-year-old Stephanie Nicole Ella from Manila, sparked public outrage and encouraged more Pinoys to promote stricter gun control in the country.
The outrage on gun-related incidents escalated when a man went berserk in Kawit, Cavite and claimed the lives of at least eight people and injured 11 others.
Ronald Bae, who was under the influence of drugs and alcohol, ran the streets of Kawit on January 3, gunning down his neighbors. He died after being shot by responding police officers.
Malacañang condemned the Cavite shooting rampage and urged PNP to boost its campaign against loose firearms in the country.
Three days later, gunmen riding in three black SUVs engaged 50 army and policemen in a shootout, after being flagged down at highway checkpoint in Atimonan, Quezon. The 13 people who were killed are suspected members of a criminal syndicate. Three of them were reportedly police officers.
President Benigno Aquino assigned the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate the deadly encounter and vowed “no whitewash” in the probe.
Alarmed by the series of gun-related deaths and injuries in the past two weeks, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said that the House of Representatives is committed to discuss proposals to the implementation of the country’s gun laws. He said that a new round of debates on stricter gun proposals will be initiated when Congress resumes its session on January 21.
Before 2012 ended, the whole world was left in shock when an armed 20-year-old man stormed a school in Newtown, Connecticut.
The Sandy Hook Elementary School carnage caused the lives of 26 people, 20 of which were young children.
The tragedy which President Barack Obama called as an “unconscionable evil,” has led to a rigid review and revived debate on the federal gun laws in America.
Following the Sandy Hook shooting, the Philippine government said that an intensified crackdown on loose firearms and the deployment of more law enforcement authorities to patrol the streets, are immediate action plan to avoid a repeat of the incident in the country.
Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda assured Filipinos of these “strict security measures” and that the country enforces stricter gun control laws compared to the United States.
Everyday, as many as 1,000 people die and million more are wounded from firearms or guns. According to Gunpolicy.org, there are at least 875 million firearms in the world. 75 percent of these guns are owned by civilians.
In the Philippines, there are more than 800,000 licensed firearms and another 500,000 loose guns. Most of the seized crime guns are unlicensed, while most of gun-related violence are done using small arms.
The proliferation of small arms in the country and the magnitude of violence it brings is a human security concern. Widespread illegal possession of guns can be attributed to criminal activities — ranging from drug trade and burglary, to human trafficking and gambling.
If law enforcement agencies fail to address this issue effectively, the safety and security of all who live in the country are compromised. The loss of confidence in law enforcement might lead to more citizens resorting to guns to protect themselves, fueling the demand for firearms. This unfortunate trend might increase the number of weapons that could potentially fall into the wrong hands.
Guns do not impel crimes. They are just powerful tools that man use to commit atrocious acts of violence. Eliminating violence is a goal we all share, but gun control might be worse than ineffectual.
It will not hinder criminals from accessing guns, but might disproportionately disarm good citizens, who cannot be effectively protected by the authority.
As an offshoot to these latest news of gun-related violence, people are alerted to promote individual responsibility and encouraged to commit to effective and long term-solutions.
(AJPress)
