Proliferation of small arms

The revelation in our front page report yesterday that a mind boggling 1.3 million unlicensed weapons are currently in circulation is certainly a matter for concern that should make our authorities sit up and take note.

The report further states that there are 2.3 million small arms in the country. That is, we have one firearm for every 10 citizens. No wonder we have a crime rate that is spiralling out of control.

Today, hardly a day passes without a display of huge arms caches by police on TV, recovered from criminals, and these are not mere locally made gal katas but highly sophisticated weapons.

Armed robbery is almost a daily occurrence and the recent spectacular gem heist by an armed gang wielding T56 weapons is but one instance of the daring escapades by criminal gangs in our midst. Time was when even a shot gun was a rarity to the public and policemen were armed only with batons.

Guns were issued only under special licence and that too for compelling reasons and crimes which were few and far between were largely as a result of stabbings and beatings.

No doubt the ethnic conflict became a catalyst for the proliferation of weapons in the country with the profusion that we see today.

The brutalization process continued with the advent of the second Southern insurrection which saw firearms at saturation point. Those who recall the scenario during the 89-90 period would recall how certain left parties brought weapons by the cartload to their rallies to counter the threat after many of its stalwarts were gunned down.

This was a time when politicians were killed in cold blood and reprisal killings followed plunging the country into anarchy. Killing sprees were the norm with corpses strewn on roads and near culverts.

This was also a time when a breed known as vigilantes arrived on the scene to complement the Government's counter terror operations, functioning under various labels. The consequence was a culture of impunity where private armies too entered the equation to settle scores of politicians with the country acquiring the tag as a "killing field".

It is no secret that the bulk of these weapons are still unaccounted and freely in circulation in the underworld. The continuing gun culture we see to this day is the result of the failure on the part of all Governments to re-acquire these weapons from the politicians they were given to for their protection during a time of crisis.

What however should serious engage the attention of the Government is the dangerous phenomenon of army deserters to whom many armed robberies and violent crime are attributed. It is no secret that these elements have been recruited by drug barons and crime lords to execute their deeds while others carry out their crimes independently.

The sooner the Government decides to grapple with this problem the earlier it could arrest the rate of violent crime sweeping the country. Strict laws should be introduced restricting the possession of firearms by individuals while all steps should be taken to hunt down weapons.

To begin with it should get all politicians present and past to account for their firearms. True, those were exceptional times and politicos of all hues were in the firing line of the insurgents which forced the Government to grant them protection.

Now however such a climate does not exist which obviates the need for armed protection. Of course the threat from the LTTE is ever present and certain VIPs who are in fact prime targets should be provided with all the necessary security. This however is in the larger context involving national security unlike in the 80s where the threat was of a personal nature linked to support to the existing regime.

The President should appoint a task force for the sole purpose of ferreting all unaccounted for firearms. This will ensure they are not in the wrong hands and will be a step in reining in the explosion of crime and ending to the gun culture.