Chilling incidence of gun violence

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THE Orlando Nightclub shooting killed 50 people and injured another 53. It’s the deadliest mass shooting by a single gunman in the history of the US.

Before the dust had even settled, a disgruntled person allegedly tried to pull a gun on the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at a rally. Fortunately, the would-be assassin was stopped.

Thousands of miles away in Malaysia, shootings incidents have been prevalent of late. Flipping through the news pages midweek, it was most unsettling to read reports of three shootings in just one day.

Undoubtedly, one of the most chilling cases involved Miri PKR branch secretary Bill Kayong who was killed in a drive-by shooting in broad daylight by an unknown gunman at a traffic light intersection in Miri on Tuesday.

In Kuching, a businessman, carrying large sums of money, was confronted and shot in the head by an opportunistic gunman. The businessman died the next day.

In Kuala Lumpur, two Indian brothers were chased by a lone gunman who shot and injured them. These are some examples of the ‘Wild West’ scenario which have unfolded of late on our streets.

Gun violence has been a major social issue in the US and its liberal gun control regulations are at the centre of a heated debate as to the frequency of such random mass shootings in that country.

In a 2004 comprehensive survey, 36.5 per cent of US households were shown to own guns. Indeed, gun ownership is second nature to the Americans. The Right To Keep and Bear Arms in the US is a fundamental right  protected by the Second Amendment to the US Constitution (part of the Bill of Rights ) and by the constitutions  of most US states.

The Second Amendment declares: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

American citizens can buy firearms, including semi-automatic assault rifles, over the counter mostly without any background checks – just like people buying lollipops in a sweets shop.

In fact, in the aftermath of the Orlando massacre, an online US-based gun store sold more than 30,000 AR-15 semi-automatic rifles in one seven-day period.

Hunter’s Warehouse, based in Bellevue, Pennsylvania, claimed since the Orlando nightclub shooting, the AR-15 – or Armalite Rifle – had proven to be popular among buyers.

A semi-automatic relation of the military M-16 assault rifle, the AR-15 is strikingly similar to the weapons used in the mass shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, San Bernadino Inland Regional Centre and Pulse nightclub in Orlando.

Although US president Barack Obama has been actively lobbying Congress to pass stricter gun control laws, his efforts have largely been frustrated.

Part of the reason is that most firearms companies are like gold mines for US politicians. As such, hopes for stricter gun control laws are hard to fulfill.

In Malaysia, the Arms Act 1960 strictly controls the distribution of guns to the people. The most serious charge from this Act is the death penalty.

For a person to legally own a ‘licensed’ gun in Malaysia, background checks are conducted by the police before the gun is issued. This is to ensure that the guns do not fall into the hands of any identified high-risk groups.

However, even with such a statute, Malaysia still faces the incidence of frequent street shootings. It’s not far-fetched to say public alarm over the spate of cold-blooded murders in recent days has reached the point of panic.

Today, people, especially public figures, activists (no matter what their cause) and those involved in business, would need to move around carefully and warily to avoid untoward incidents.

It’s easy to say the victims had no enemies. If so, why had they been gunned down in the first place?

According to a survey by Harian Metro, Malaysia faces serious problems over the sales of illegal guns.

Anyone can reportedly buy a revolver for as little as RM2,000. And how much is RM2,000? It’s just the price of a good smartphone.

The root cause of gun violence in Malaysia is the smuggling of firearms. It’s difficult to curb the inflow of illegal guns since it’s a man-made problem, exacerbated by the surreptitious activities of gun runners whose modus operandi is becoming increasingly sophisticated.

The authorities must step up their anti-guns-smuggling operations and nap the culprits to allay public angst following  a series of blatant streets shootings. A better understanding of the contraband network is paramount to put the black marketeers out of business and bring the killers to justice.

Admittedly, strengthening gun laws will not eliminate gun violence altogether and lax gun laws do encourage cross-border trafficking. However tighter regulations will certainly act as a strong deterrent.

One salient point to consider is that apart from background checks, reporting of gun thefts must be made mandatory.

Malaysia consists law-abiding and peace-loving people, not gun-toting cowboys. It’s time to plug the loopholes through which gun traffickers are slipping into the country.

There is certainly be no room for illegal guns in Malaysia. And attainment of this objective should be given all the support it rightly deserves.