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FIFTEEN judges in the Philippines have been murdered since 1999,
invariably ambushed by gun-wielding killers. It is not yet clear how
many of those murder cases have been solved. In all likelihood, none
of them has.
Instead of merely bewailing inept law
enforcement and blaming the executive branch for all those crimes,
the judiciary has chosen to adopt a proactive policy. Last week, the
Supreme Court issued a four-page resolution authorizing judges to
carry firearms for self-defense. In addition, the tribunal has
earmarked an initial P10 million for handgun loans to make it easier
for judges to buy their own firearms.
The resolution allowing judges to carry firearms
and extending easy-term handgun loans to them is just the latest of
several measures taken by the judiciary to ensure the safety of its
members.
Late last year judges underwent training in
personal security and marksmanship. Earlier Chief Justice Reynato
Puno issued a memorandum on security protocols for judges.
Total gun ban
It probably never meant to do so, but the S.C.
resolution has strengthened the position of pro-gun groups
campaigning against a total gun-ban bill pending in the House of
Representatives.
The bill, authored by Nueva Ecija Rep. Nonato
Joson, also seeks to promote the use of non-lethal weapons by law
enforcers.
During a hearing of the House public order and
safety committee last month, the pro-gun groups pointed out that a
total gun ban would be “more dangerous as civilians, particularly
those whose lives are in imminent danger from criminals, would
become defenseless.
Pressing home their point, the pro-gun group
asked Joson if he and other lawmakers would also be willing to
disarm their family members, children and other relatives. The
congressman was reportedly stumped.
Advocates of a so-called “gunless society”
often invoke the example of the United States and its comparatively
lax restrictions on firearms as an example of a gun-obsessed nation
gone berserk. Media coverage of campus shootings, for instance, has
certainly reinforced that terrifying image.
In fact, statistics show otherwise.
The 1996 Demographic Yearbook, published by the
United Nations, contains a list of murder rates in 86 countries.
According to researcher David C. Stolinsky in his article
“America: The Most Violent Nation?” a number of countries show
higher murder rates than the U.S.
In his article “The Numbers Speak for
Themselves,” writer John Hay Rabb cited a 1997 US Justice
Department report on murders in the America, which has a murder rate
of seven victims per 100,000 population per year.
“There are a number of well-known examples of
countries with more liberal gun laws and lower murder rates than the
U.S.,” Rabb said. “One is Finland, with a murder rate of 2.9.
Israel is another example; although its population is heavily armed,
Israel’s murder rate is only 1.4. In Switzerland, gun ownership is
a way of life. Its murder rate is 2.7.”
Gun restrictions
In contrast, Rabb cited several countries that
restrict gun ownership.
In Brazil, all firearms must be registered with
the government through a process that can take from 30 days to three
months. Civilian handguns are limited in caliber to no more than
9mm, among many other restrictions. Still, Brazil’s murder rate is
19 per 100,000 people per year.
In Cuba, the Communist regime bans citizens from
owning any sort of firearm. “Still, “Rabb said, “somebody in
Cuba is obtaining guns and using them to murder fellow citizens.
Cuba’s murder rate is 7.8.”
In the former Soviet state of Lithuania citizens
must obtain a police permit to buy a gun, which must be registered
with the government. Lithuania has a murder rate of 11.7.
In Mexico, Rabb said, “gun laws are simply
draconian.” No civilian may own a gun larger than .22 caliber, and
a permit is required to buy one. All guns are registered with the
Ministry of Defense. Guns may not be carried in public, either
openly or concealed. “Mexico’s murder rate is an eye-popping
17.5.”
In Russia, private handgun ownership is totally
prohibited. A permit is required to purchase a long gun. All guns
are registered with authorities. When transporting a long gun, it
must be disassembled. Long guns may only be used for self-defense
when the gun owner is on his own property. “By the way, Russia’s
murder rate is a staggering 30.6,” Rabb said.
“What anti-gunners all over the world fail to
understand is that people everywhere are basically the same in one
important respect,” Rabb said. “They are determined to protect
themselves and their families.”
Rabb concluded: “If their governments will not
allow them to have firearms for self-defense, then they may obtain
guns illegally, even at the risk of harsh punishment. It is a
natural human response to danger.”
dansoy26@yahoo.com
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