Responsible?

We keep hearing about how responsible gun owners are, yet we hear of incidents that show otherwise. Another incident of road rage has happened in the Metro. A Quezon City Hall employee was shot dead by a person he apparently had a traffic altercation with. According to witnesses, the two cars were apparently cutting each other off. Then threats were voiced out by the victim, which at that time prompted the other driver to shoot him dead. It turns out that the victim was unarmed. The shooter, of course, fled the scene. So we have another unsolved case of road rage. The only hope left is the availability of CCTV footage, if any.

I have no idea what threats were made that prompted the other driver to shoot. Still, being unarmed, the victim was definitely at a disadvantage. This shows how people allowed to carry guns outside their residences are not necessarily the most responsible ones. If the other driver was unarmed, why bring his gun out? They did not even come out of their vehicles to confront each other. So where was the threat that gives gun owners the apparent right to defend themselves?

There are so many unsolved cases of road rage where a gun has been discharged. Some of the victims are even children. The PNP has actually recently become very strict in issuing licenses,  especially for permits to carry them outside residences. But are those given these permits responsible enough? The incidents obviously show that many aren't. So is the system flawed, or not enforced as it should be? And why is it always hard to track gun owners from bullet ballistics? Are the records not updated?

Then we have the incident of Cavite Vice Governor Jolo Revilla who apparently shot himself, a claim that gun aficionados find a bit hard to swallow. The claim is that he accidentally shot himself while cleaning his Glock pistol, which is known for its safety features. The gun's trigger is designed to fire when it is intended. Another issue is the wound location of Revilla. He was hit on the right upper chest. That would mean the pistol was pointed at him while cleaning, which in itself is not natural considering he is right-handed. Most gun owners clean a gun while pointed away from them. And if an accident does happen, they usually shoot themselves in the foot of the leg. It is fortunate that Revilla was only wounded, and not killed.

The issue here is gun responsibility. The two incidents show the opposite. It goes without saying that much care and responsibility comes with owning a firearm. And the PNP must find a better way to make sure that it is the responsible ones that own guns, and not the trigger-happy, careless ones.

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