I’m anti-guns, and I don’t apologise for that. If there’s one thing that has caused pain and suffering the world over, it is a gun. A trigger is pulled and just like that, the target, intended or otherwise is wounded or killed. Now if it’s war or any other serious conflict that requires the engagement of a country’s armed forces to protect territorial and other interests, that’s different. What is disturbing and in my opinion unnecessary is when civilians stock up on guns and ammunition. I have never owned a gun and I don’t wish to do so. I just wish gun owners who’re not law enforcers felt the same way. I also hope a day will come, soon, when gun factories around the world will be closed or gun are recaled the same way faulty cars or tainted food are withdrawn from the market. What we have now though is an obsession to produce the next great weapon! So my hope is that one day, people will realize that they don’t need guns in their homes and voluntarily hand them over to authorities. I’m glad we generally don’t have the so-called gun problem in most of Africa. With the exception of South Africa where gun violence is rampant and countries like Libya and Somalia battling terrorism, guns are still a rare possession among many households. You’re average born and bred African is not keen on acquiring a gun, the way some westerners are eager to buy not just one but multiple handguns and rifles. Some are hunters and so need them to shoot birds and other game. Others buy them for protection against that armed robber or murderer who may strike any time. But there are also those who receive guns as presents, usually at birthdays or weddings! It’s not uncommon for parents to take their eight, nine or ten-year-olds to shooting ranges. Toy guns fly off supermarket shelves and it really isn’t surprising that a gun culture is embedded in say, US society and their constitution even protects the right to bear arms. What do they have as a result of that? Countless shootings in schools, children’s parks, movie theatres—anywhere. I was reading about a three-year-old who nearly killed his father and his pregnant girlfriend. The little boy was looking for an ipad and reaching into her purse which she had carelessly left lying around, he found a handgun. Seconds later, he accidentally shot his dad and the same bullet hit his girlfriend. There was another two-year-old in the room and it could easily have been three deaths, plus the unborn baby. So many similar incidents have been reported; from the mother who placed her handbag in a shopping cart only for her daughter to open it, pull out a loaded gun, shoot and kill her to another little boy who got to his dad’s safe, got his gun and fatally shot his sister. Every time I read about these stories, I wonder why people who spend thousands of dollars baby-proofing their homes, don’t employ the same common sense approach when it comes to guns. Children are curious, by default. They want to know about everything and that is why they will eat, touch and play with everything they get their hands on. They also tend to want to try out things they watch on TV and in movies, many times not knowing how dangerous it is. That familiar caution “Don’t try this at home” is not just cliché and in keeping a gun in your house or car where a minor can easily retrieve it, you’re putting not just your life but those of your loved ones in danger.
