CHECK PROLIFERATION OF SMALL/LIGHT WEAPONS — AMEYIBOR (PAGE 22, JUNE 1, 2010)

THE West Africa Action Network on Small Arms (WAANSA-Ghana) has warned that the country is increasingly becoming fertile grounds for the proliferation of small and light weapons, which if not checked, could create insecurity.
According to the National Treasurer of WAANSA, Mr Francis Ameyibor, most of those weapons entered the country through unapproved routes; a situation that was manifesting itself in the pockets of conflicts being witnessed in some parts of the country, particularly in the north.
He stated that guns in the midst of poverty, unemployment, injustice, frustration, fear and jealousy could easily create violent situations.
“The power to instantly transform tension or anxiety into tragedy is a design characteristic of small arms as guns are designed for the purpose of killing,” the treasurer stated.
Mr Ameyibor was speaking at a news conference in Tamale over the weekend as part of activities to commemorate the global action against gun violence.
The occasion, on the theme: “Action against gun violence, time to act,” was also used to launch the campaign for fewer guns and safer communities initiative.
Mr Ameyibor explained that Small Arms and Light Weapons were those that could be carried and used by one or two persons. They include handguns, assault rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers and explosives.
He further observed that the movement of small arms, including second-hand guns, from one user to another across the world had become a serious threat to human security.
“At the moment, it is impossible to monitor or interrupt this deadly flow of weapons because there are legal requirements to maintain records linking guns to their location or to trace guns used in crime,” Mr Ameyibor stated.
He also mentioned lack of international guidelines on the regulation of gun ownership among citizens and a legally-binding treaty to control the activities of arms brokers as some of the difficulties being encountered.
The Northern Regional Administrator of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mr Mahama Mustapha Braimah, urged people to use the alternative dispute resolution mechanism for the prevention and settlement of disputes instead of resorting to the use of arms at the least provocation.
He called for the registration of all guns in the country to make it possible to trace the source of guns and their owners and urged the security agencies to take steps to arrest illegal possessors of weapons.