EDITORIAL - Lax enforcement

Families are grieving over slain loved ones while several persons are still fighting for their lives after a former village councilman went on a shooting rampage the other day in Kawit, Cavite. Roland Bae emptied a caliber .45 Colt pistol on his neighbors and then, reportedly with a household helper who reloaded the gun, continued firing as he walked to a nearby market, hitting vendors and passersby.

Police later shot Bae dead when he fired at them from his house. Apart from the pistol, the police reported finding rifle ammunition in Bae’s house but not the long firearm.

Some people described Bae as a friendly man who was helpful to neighbors. But he apparently suffered from personal problems and had the weapon to vent his rage on others. His possession of the gun further stokes an ongoing debate on gun control in this country. The debate was triggered by the deaths of two children, with another still in critical condition, from stray bullets during the New Year’s Eve revelry.

Guns don’t kill; people do – this is the main argument of advocates of responsible gun ownership in the United States, where a young man shot dead 20 elementary school children and six adults, including his mother, before turning the gun on himself before Christmas. Bearing arms is a right enshrined in the US Constitution. While this is not the case in the Philippines, civilians can also own guns in this country, with the President himself a known gun enthusiast.

Even responsible gun owners, however, should want better gun control and effective enforcement of gun laws. The misuse of weapons and proliferation of loose firearms give all gun owners a bad reputation. The country has tough gun laws but lax enforcement, with a poor system of keeping ballistics records of even licensed weapons.

Civilian gun ownership is unlikely to be banned under the watch of President Aquino. But the deaths particularly of children in less than a week at the hands of irresponsible gun holders should lead to better gun control. There are enough laws for this; what’s needed is effective enforcement.