Many things do not mix well together. For example, oil and water, corruption and transparency and most importantly, guns and idiots. The life of a teenager has been lost because of a lack of safety regarding the use of a firearm.

Someone who thought he was an expert marksman had children chasing pigs while he took shots. There is more than one thing wrong with this picture. There is a total disregard for the safety of all those involved. Just because someone owns a firearm does not make that person an expert marksman. The biggest question here is how were children allowed to chase pigs, while the person with the gun shot at the pigs with people in the line of fire. The adults involved in this incident need to be charged with negligence.

The loss of life can be deemed an accident, and in almost all cases, accidents are avoidable if the safety procedures are followed. Police are now investigating whether the firearm used was legal. Even if it was, the incident says a lot about people and the use of firearms in the country. We have had incidents where people have discharged firearms after a road rage, after a conflict at nightspots, after rugby matches and even at the airport. Possession of firearms does not make anyone an expert in their use.

Asking for changes in the law regarding guns has fallen on deaf ears, and now, with no elected government in place, this will be pushed far back. Guns have become a problem. For a small population that has not reached 250,000, the number of deaths resulting from guns is a concern. It is no wonder that some police officers want to be armed while carrying out their duties.

There is a need to bring about changes when renewing gun licences. A physical test on the know-how of using the firearm, understanding of safety procedures and perhaps an IQ test, to determine the person’s ability to think and evaluate situations when using a firearm. The death of the teenager in Faleatiu was preventable. Who was this genius shooting pigs while children were in the line of sight?

The police have issued a reminder asking people to come forward and renew their licenses. Police should know better, not many will step forward. Instead, the police should have the addresses of all people with guns because they are the licensing authorities, confiscate the firearms if people fail to renew it within a week or even a month.

Legislators and elected leaders should make appropriate changes so that guns are not stored in homes. They should be kept at the nearest police station or agricultural offices under lock and key. They should only be released for the uses permitted under the law and returned at a certain time.

Gun crimes are a serious concern. Many unregistered ones are kept by people, and many will not give those up despite the many amnesties called by the police. People with access to guns have used them in anger or under the influence of alcohol and narcotics. More stringent gun laws are needed. The 1960 Arms Ordinance needs a major rehaul. It needs to be changed to suit the current situation. Sadly, this will take time because the government is in tatters and there is no real concern for issues affecting people. It may be a while before we see a change.

The other issue is the illegal arms that are slipping into the country. Guns are not manufactured locally, and they are coming in through the borders. Until recently, we found out that not all containers were being scanned by the big container X-ray at the wharf. The Kite Runner saga showed how easy it was for boats from outside to enter our waters and offload items and leave undetected. Wipe out the corruption from bodies maintaining border safety, and make border control more stringent.

Guns will never make the community safe, and an idiot with a gun means lives will be lost.