Review Gun Acquisition Laws
One significant aspect of the December presidential and parliamentary elections was the peaceful way in which they were conducted. Despite the fact that the leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is in court to challenge the declaration of President John Mahama as winner, the elections were widely acclaimed as having been conducted peacefully.
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In the period prior to the elections, incidents in some parts of the country raised fears that the elections might experience some form of violence. But thanks to the work of bodies such as the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) and the National Commission on Small Arms (NCSA), there were very few incidents of violence, in spite of the fact that for the first time the elections had to go on for a second day.
Areas such as Akwatia and Odododiodoo that many feared could record incidents of gun use went through voting without any such incidents.
The issue of gun use is one that must be of great concern to all Ghanaians if we are to ensure a nation free from some of the troubles some of our neighbouring countries have experienced.
Ghana has had its own share of the use of guns, with devastating consequences, for which reason reports that the NCSA, which was set up with the mandate to manage issues relating to small arms, especially their manufacture and cross-boundary movement, will begin a project to identify all guns in the country is heart-warming.
The commission will, in March, begin a nationwide identification of all arms in the country, under which all arms will be marked for easy identification.
The DAILY GRAPHIC knows how Herculean a task this may be, considering the fact that over 56 per cent of the over 230,000 small arms in the country as of the middle of last year remained unlicensed.
Again, records indicate that unregistered locally manufactured small arms and ballistic weapons constitute more than 80 per cent of the weapons found at all crime scenes in Ghana, with no specific working regulations on gun production.
It is clear that arms are easily available in the country, although their manufacture is still prohibited under NRCD 9 and Act 118 of 1962.
The prohibition of the local production of arms thus creates a booming black market for arms production and use and poses a big challenge to efforts at stemming the illegal acquisition of guns and their use.
Recent events in the United States and some parts of Europe make it necessary for a second look to be taken at the laws regarding the granting of licences for guns in the country to incorporate international best practices.
According to the Executive Secretary of the NCSA, all one needed to acquire a licence was to attain the age of 18 and be of sound mind without a criminal record.
We fully support his suggestion for the inclusion of the mental, psychological and emotional analysis of applicants for licences, their competence to hold guns and probably a test at a shooting range to ensure that Ghana does not begin to battle with the wrong use of licensed guns at the same time that we struggle with the illegal manufacture and import of guns.
Ghana is widely acclaimed as a beacon of peace and every effort should be made to maintain that status.