Members of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) have called for a review of gun ownership policy to allow private citizens own arms amidst growing insecurity in the country.

The Association said Wednesday government should “liberalise the policy of gun ownership.”

NMA’s call for arms in private hands is premised on deterrence—that potential perpetrators are less likely to attack if they know their victims bear arms.

“In view of psychological fear factor among criminals or vandals, liberal gun ownership will curb criminality among hoodlums,” NMA president, Dr Osahon Enabulele, told a press conference in Abuja.

He refuted observations that its call for more liberal policies on arms ownership was a “call for anarchy” considering the security situation of the country.

The association blamed insecurity on “mass poverty and the worsening socioeconomic situation and inequality, class oppression, massive unemployment and years of monumental corruption and poor governance.”

Enabulele said good governance remained a lasting panacea to unemployment problem, but insisted there was “room to consider gun ownership policy in the same manner as state police is being considered.”
Calls for liberalised gun ownership policy were among resolutions doctors made after the association’s executives met in Owerri, Imo State early September.

It comes amidst concerns over attacks and abductions targeting health workers, the association alleges.
Enabulele said “several doctors have been kidnapped even while on emergency and call duty within hospital premises.”

In addition to liberalised gun ownership, doctors want government to establish police posts or stations in public hospitals and health facilities, saying they have become “ready targets of kidnappers and criminals.”

http://dailypost.com.ng/2012/09/06/we-need-private-guns-members-nigeria-medical-association-tell-fg/

Imagine

I think everyone needs a gun.

Acidosis: I think everyone needs a gun.

It will increase the rate of violence is our society and that is something we don't need right now considering the mayhem going on in the country right now

So much for doctors saving life. Even in US we hear the rate of gun violence rise so much the government if not for lobby groups and the gun cartel would love to ban them. We have a group trained to carter for the peoples health recommending a tool used to cause bodily harm and no other reason except harm people.

A gun would just be another item of specialized medical equipment in the hands of Nigerian doctors who are fed up of seeing hospitals invaded by bandits.

If doctors, by virtue of their education, intuition and experience, can be trused to cut open patients and reconfigure thier vital organs with a scalpel, then those same doctors should also be entitled to reach into their medical bags and whip out semi-auto handguns with which to neutralize armed invaders attempting to rob or kidnap the paitents under their clinical care.

Generously lighting up a few muffugus in the interests of peace and healing should be made not only a right, but an obligation, for Nigerian doctors who work on the front lines of the country's quiescent anarchy.

It will not bring solution in anyway to our insecurity problem.