Papua New Guinea's gun culture

During the 1960s, only bows and arrows were used against enemies and for hunting. Today, guns are dominating entire villages, towns, and cities in Papua New Guinea. I ponder and ask why we do we accumulate and store guns in the corners of our living rooms.

Do we have enemies? If we did, why do we have enemies? Some say, we have guns to protect ourselves. In the highlands, tribes accumulate guns because they don't want other tribes to mess around with them which makes them superior over other tribes. In other words, if you've more guns; you can come to town and kick anybody or have your own laws on how to govern the town. Nobody will say anything.

Why? Because you got more guns than the government, or even the next tribe. People live in fear because of your guns. Does this make sense? Not to me, though.The accumulation of all these guns are initated by either an elite, businessmen, or an MP in various communities. This is prevalent in most tribes in Papua New Guinea.

I personally think that, storing guns won't help us but to bring misery to others, destruction to properties, and chaos among tribes. It is not a good idea to buy guns for your tribe or clan.


(Above: Colt Python .357 Magnum revolver)

The elite of Papua New Guinea should know better and try to educate those in the villages that having a gun doesn't make life better. Teach RESPECT, PEACE, HARMONY, and NEIGHBORLINESS to them. That only works wonders in communities and ultimately change the face of Papua New Guinea. Say no to GUNS and yes to PEACE.

Several people have called for tougher PNG gun control laws but it has fallen on deaf ears.The Papua New Guinea government should make sweeping changes to the country's gun laws to curb violent crime. For many years, criminals have had easy access to factory made weapons to commit crimes. Former Defence Force Commander Jerry Singirok now heads up the country's gun control committee. I hope he's calling on parliament to introduce changes to PNG's gun laws, particularly looking at better managing the firearms registry and keeping tabs on who owns guns.

Click here to view a video where guns can do to lives and property when it lands at the wrong hands