adminTime and again, we are heartbroken by the news of shootings in which innocent people are killed with assault weapons in acts of hate-induced rage.
Could the fatal shooting of three innocent people on Friday last week in Wedza by ex-CID detective, Jaison Muvhevhi, be a manifestation of our growing murderous propensity as a nation?
Why all of a sudden are guns now commonplace like cellphones in our country? Have we embraced the American culture that more guns mean more safety?
We have to seriously ask ourselves why we are creating and cultivating an angry society. Could it be that we are shutting down channels to air discord, process disagreement and manage conflict at individual, societal and national level?
Are we doing enough to prevent gun violence and other daily violent deaths in a country that prides itself as a peaceful nation.
What has gone wrong with us as a nation? Are we moving in the direction that the only thing which can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun, and in our case the police.
This proliferation of guns in our society is quite disturbing and something needs to be done urgently before our country turns into the Wild, Wild West.
We want a gun-free society, but the rate at which gun violence is increasing shows that we are losing that war.
It’s high time stringent laws are enacted to deal harshly with violence in general if we are serious about curbing the gun violence and gun murders.
We must stop the next shooting right now, and that’s a major issue elected officials must address immediately.
It’s also alarming that most of these gun murders are being perpetrated by serving or retired members of the uniformed forces.
These are people trained, and it must worry us as a nation when violent crime is being committed by our security forces.
This is totally unacceptable, whatever the circumstances.
Yes, Muvhevhi was arrested on Monday while trying to cross into Mozambique, but that is just little consolation for relatives of the three men he needlessly killed.
There is also a need to thoroughly vet people who apply for firearms.
The vetting process must be thorough before one can be given a firearm licence.
The mental stability of people applying for firearms must be determined because one moment of recklessness can lead to needless loss of life as was the case in the Wedza case.
We now expect the police to conduct thorough investigations and present the prosecution with a strong case to ensure Muvhevhi’s punishment is proportionate to the callous murders he committed.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter