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Massive, I totally understand the emotions and sentiments involved regarding crime and punishment as it pertains to our beloved country Jamaica. This especially in a society that the government is failing to implement effective policies to fight crime, a broken police force that can't even protect themselves, and citizens who are starting to feel that their only hope is to protect themselves and property by any means necessary. All these factors together is a recipe for disaster.
I truly applaud the man who thwarted the recent robbery attempt on a bus by shooting and killing two of the perpetrators. He certainly did the right thing in the eyes of many, as he acted like a good citizen should when their life or that of others and property was in danger...but let's not kid ourselves, he was just plain lucky. We must all take caution though and be careful what we wish for in calling for the arming of citizens, because this could have gone terribly wrong if those men returned fire. Just imagine how many could have been killed or injured...would he be a hero then? Just imagine the number of criminals who will now prepare for such a scenario as this one on the bus. While I am for the right to bear arms, it is with many conditions and I am totally against civilians having any access to the use of assault rifles as there are no circumstances that would warrant the use of such weapons by civilians.
Of course I would love to be in the position of having the means to protect myself and others if the situation arise, and truth be told I often think of it especially in Jamaica. However, I do believe that we would not be having this discussion if the government just have some balls and make some tough decisions in making sure that citizens lives and properties are protected. Let's face it, drastic situations calls for drastic measures, and protection of lives should trump how we feel about many rights that may be taken away in the interim. Our Army will not be fighting a war any time soon, hence, a waste of resources. Therefore, I believe that the army should be utilised as a serious crime fighting tool until the society return to normalcy. They are an invaluable resource as they are better trained than the police in combating these commandos within the garrisons, and should be given full arresting powers....Talk about national defense or security....there you go! Instead of calling for the arming of civilians, we need to hold our leaders accountable for their failure, and call for them to just do their damn jobs!!
I truly applaud the man who thwarted the recent robbery attempt on a bus by shooting and killing two of the perpetrators. He certainly did the right thing in the eyes of many, as he acted like a good citizen should when their life or that of others and property was in danger...but let's not kid ourselves, he was just plain lucky. We must all take caution though and be careful what we wish for in calling for the arming of citizens, because this could have gone terribly wrong if those men returned fire. Just imagine how many could have been killed or injured...would he be a hero then? Just imagine the number of criminals who will now prepare for such a scenario as this one on the bus. While I am for the right to bear arms, it is with many conditions and I am totally against civilians having any access to the use of assault rifles as there are no circumstances that would warrant the use of such weapons by civilians.
Of course I would love to be in the position of having the means to protect myself and others if the situation arise, and truth be told I often think of it especially in Jamaica. However, I do believe that we would not be having this discussion if the government just have some balls and make some tough decisions in making sure that citizens lives and properties are protected. Let's face it, drastic situations calls for drastic measures, and protection of lives should trump how we feel about many rights that may be taken away in the interim. Our Army will not be fighting a war any time soon, hence, a waste of resources. Therefore, I believe that the army should be utilised as a serious crime fighting tool until the society return to normalcy. They are an invaluable resource as they are better trained than the police in combating these commandos within the garrisons, and should be given full arresting powers....Talk about national defense or security....there you go! Instead of calling for the arming of civilians, we need to hold our leaders accountable for their failure, and call for them to just do their damn jobs!!