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Sometimes, I wonder what it would be like for us if Nigeria were to legalize the ownership of firearms. Ordinary citizens could get permits to bear firearms so that in the event of any altercation, they would be able to protect themselves more adequately.

Maybe if that was the case, the situation in Northern Nigeria might not be as bad as it is. Maybe when bandits come to small villages with their cache of weapons, everyone, both man and woman, runs into their house, grabs their assault rifles as well, and opens fire. When these guys know that these “small villages” can protect themselves, they’ll think twice about coming back to attack them.

That would be cool, right? But then, owning weapons is one thing, using them is something else entirely. Even maintaining it is a different ball game altogether. This is why police officers and soldiers are trained vigorously on the use and care of their weapons. Because any single mishap can lead to loss of life and limb, whether of you the shooter, or of someone close to you.

Firearms on their own are useless and powerless, they become dangerous the moment they get into someone’s hand. And once that hand is raised in the direction of a person, they’re almost certainly unstoppable. That is a powerful feeling, and for that reason alone, it would be a bad idea to legalize the right to bear firearms.

Yeah, I know that it would come in handy for security reasons. Besides bandits and terrorists, we’ll also be able to protect ourselves from armed robbers and burglars. When people know you have a weapon under your pillow, they would think twice about coming to rob you. Because all it takes is one bullet to hit the mark, and their chapter is closed.

Security is the only issue one can think of that the right to bear firearms will favor, meanwhile, there are a plethora of other issues that will arise as a result of that one right. It will be especially dangerous if you have kids and you also have a gun in the house. Even worse when they know where it is and how to get it. This is different from keeping pills out of reach of children, this is something that they shouldn’t even know that you possess.

They could simply be playing with it and end up shooting themselves or others. A kid in their school could piss them off and they’ll get revenge by stealing their father’s weapon and using it on them. These are the kinds of acts that kids simply carry out without thinking it through. In my books, guns and kids should never mix, it’ll always be a bad idea.

But then, what about the adults? Will things be any different? Sadly, not by much. While they’ll have better control than kids, will that control be in every season and situation? Now that the country is in one of her worst eras since independence, a lot of people are angry and hungry. So, everyone just wants to make their money and take care of their family. What do you think they would do to someone who threatened that?

Even without guns being legal, we’ve seen jealous people stab their partners for one reason or the other, we’ve seen quarrels escalate into full-blown fights that either ended in death or grievous injuries. How do you think all this would be if guns were legal? You could simply go to visit a friend, and while there, an argument ensues and he shoots you. He could lie that you came to his house to attack him and he had to defend himself. Whether he’s arrested or not, whether you get justice or not, you won’t care, because you’ll be too dead.

A Nigeria where everyone has a right to bear firearms is really scary. Walking down a busy road in Lagos traffic, I have to think about making sure my valuables remain with me at all times and my pockets don’t get picked. Do you mean to tell me that I would also have to suspect everyone around me to be holding a piece under their cloth? Maybe this elderly woman who looks like a teacher could have a gun in her handbag, or this young man selling ice cream could have a pistol inside his cooler…

No… I don’t want that kind of life biko. I know that still, people still manage to own guns, but then it’s clear that unauthorized citizens who own guns are definitely criminal elements. And whether we notice it or not, it makes it easier to walk about on the road. At least, in some places, when two people are fighting, everyone can come out and watch. But when two cultists fight, no one comes out to watch because everyone knows that sooner or later, bullets will fly. That’s how it could be.

I really hope that the government will sit up and work on our security because this one issue is a major reason why our food is so expensive these days. Farmers can’t go to the farm anymore because they’re scared, and with no one to take care of them, they have to stay at home. It’s sad really, and something that has to change.

All over the world, countries are taking measures to prepare themselves for the new phase of the world, but our leaders don’t seem to be interested in all that. How can they be? We’re yet to even have the amenities of yesterday, how can we get those of now? How can we be prepared for those that are yet to come?

Anyway, it’s all good. I just hope that things turn out well in this country. I’m sure that if the issue of security is fixed once and for all, more than 50% of Nigeria’s problems will vanish. But then, what do I know? I’m just a blogger on Hive.

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_{Thank you for reading. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below, I would love to know what you’re thinking. Till we meet in the next post.}

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_{N.B: All images used in this post are mine. The thumbnail was designed using Canva.}

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