GUNNING DOWN THE NATION!
Murder
has now become the means of conflict resolution in Ghana! Gone are the days
when people argued unending, and in the end resorted to the use of arbitration,
or the fist as a means of conflict resolution. Although these were sometimes
not the best means of resulting conflicts, it was comparatively a better
alternative. Overnight in modern Ghana, things have changed! These days, the
gun has become the substituting alternative in conflict resolution!
Each
morning, we awake to stories of murder being committed! The highlight of this
story is usually when we are told that a gun was used. Rather sadly, most of
these fall under domestic or perhaps marital violence. Couples are killing each
other by the gun! Workers are gunning each other down! Rather sadly, the
younger populace, our beloved children cannot be left out! They are not
innocent! They are now playing with guns! A few years ago, these stories were
usually in the movies and more westernized. Rather sadly, we have become westernized
in committing murder now; the gun!
It
is increasingly becoming evident that the numbers of people who own guns and
other ammunitions within the country have increased. The daily news of the
death of someone, attributable to the usage of a gun is enough evidence. A few
years back, a gun was no common commodity. The question I keep asking is: How do
people come about the gun? How do they purchase it? Where do they purchase it
from? Do they even have any legal document covering it; a license perhaps? What
do the laws of our country have to say concerning the usage and perhaps
ownership of a gun by a household? For the gun manufacturers, what
authorization do they have? Are they even legal? Who monitors or regulates
their work? Is it the increasing cases of armed-robbery within this country
surprising? Of course not! A gun can easily be purchased on the market! Through
our borders, guns are being transported into our country each day!
These
are the questions that race to my mind each time I hear of the death of someone
as a result of a gun and I believe most people have also asked these same
questions. Can anyone just go out and purchase a gun? How many people do have
guns, and do we have records on that? Clearly, several households have guns
these days for protection as a result of the increased crime-wave within the
country. Is it now safe for all to own guns? What about the children in these
households? How do we keep these guns? Children have killed their friends in
recent past as a result of toying with the guns of their parents.
On
our streets, truck-loads of guns have been seized by law enforcement agents. Rather
alarmingly, these guns have been found to be in some cases more sophisticated
than what our very own law enforcement agencies posses! Several criminals have
been caught perpetuating crimes and in the possession of all kinds of guns and
other ammunitions. How did they lay hands on these ammunitions in the first
place? What is happening around us now? Formally, it was acceptable for people
within the rural areas, and primarily involved in farming and hunting to be in
the possession of a locally manufactured gun. In these same rural areas today,
these guns are now being turned on humans rather than bush animals! People are
gunning each other down! Jealous and frustrated husbands are gunning down their
wives and innocent children! Children are gunning down their friends! Robbers
are gunning down innocent victims! Even our law enforcement agents are being
gunned down!
This
is a wakeup call to our law enforcement agencies and government! We need to
create and enforce a law that would control the ownership and usage of guns and
other ammunitions within this country. People should be made more responsible
for their weapons by ensuring that they obtain permission through the issuance
of licenses. Defaulters should be made to face the law! We cannot allow people
to take the law into their own hands. Must we sit and watch whiles the entire
country is gunned down before the right thing is done? The increasing
crime-wave and murders, associated with guns is becoming overwhelming. Rather
sadly, nothing is being done about it! We need to know what the law has to say
on this issue. We are hearing these gruesome stories of murders on the news! We
are reading about them in the papers! What is being done about them? What does
the law say? The time to act is now!
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