Should Lebanon Have A Gun Debate?
Is having unlicensed weapons in every other Lebanese household really such a bad thing?
This morning I read a NowLebanon article that blew my mind away (pun intended). If the statistics in the article are correct, almost 50% of Lebanese households now have one form or another of weapons, with most of them unlicensed.
Some of the stuff in the article is really chilling, take this paragraph for instance:
Bassam, 24, got his new M16 as a present from his father. It is his new toy, he said; he even lets his eight-year old cousin play with it and has taught him how to hold it.
But while there seems to be a consensus in civil-war-scarred Lebanon that having guns is a very bad idea, nobody seems to be making the counter argument. This is why I venture in the name of balance to play the devil’s advocate, even if I carry the risk of being shot by the anti-gun folks.
Here are the three main arguments why gun ubiquity could be a good thing, and I urge you to have an open mind about them:
1- The if-you-want-peace-get-ready-for-war argument:
The idea is that If everyone has weapons, people will really think twice before starting a war. People are more likely to talk and negotiate their difference if they know that the other party is no military push-over.
2- The I-sleep-better-at-night-with-a-rifle-in-my-closet argument.
Whether perceived or real, many Lebanese are losing sleep over the threat that the ‘other’ will raid their homes at nights, kill their kids and rape their wives. If having a gun (that you’ll never use) in your drawer makes you sleep better, then go ahead. The country could use the gain in productivity and loss of stress that would give you.
3- The economic-wheel argument.
The guy who sold you the gun and made a huge profit will probably use the windfall to send his kids to school and buy stuff, ensuring more employment for teachers, sales people and manufacturers all over the country..
These are not necessarily arguments I agree with. In fact, on balance, I believe that something must be done to control and reduce the proliferation of guns. But I also think it’s important to for people to consider the other side of the story to enrich the debate and make people more informed. What do you think?
(Photo source of boy holding a bubbles gun)
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Hello, my name is Mustapha and I blog in The Beirut Spring about Lebanese society and politics. I started in February 2005 after the killing of P.M. Rafik Hariri.
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The other side of the story has been considered and refuted on many accounts.
Preparing for war eventually leads to war, not security.
Small arm proliferation does not act like a nuclear deterrent. It only adds insecurity, and the outbreak of violence becomes inevitable.
May 7, 2008 is a good indication of how “small arms caches” quickly turn into street battles when tension reaches boiling point.
If Lebanese society was totally disarmed, and the monopoly of armed force was left to the state, there wouldn’t be any armed confrontations.
Gun control is a major issue in Lebanon, but it is a symptom of a lack of centralised government. People seek weapons because there isn’t a state to secure them. When security is lacking, people take matters into their own hands.
In Lebanon, unfortunately, people often have to fend for themselves as services from government are virtually non-existent. That’s what drives the Lebanese to seek arms.
I don’t think any of the arguments is valid. Having a gun is not justifiable, because it can, at any moment, turn against peace. I think that the only body carrying weapons in Lebanon should be the army. Thanks for raising the issue!
I agree with all of those points and I think 50% of households armed is a good start.
Autoun, A government can protect you from enemies at the border, but it can never protect you in your home better than you can protect yourself.
Maya, a gun does not turn against peace on its own. The one who turns that gun against peace is not going to disarm when you outlaw it anyways, and he will still turn his gun against peace, the only difference is now you can not turn him into pieces.
Welcome back online Moustapha.
Well gun’s debate…
Why talking about gun’s @ Home… when we have a problem with heavy weapons?
It s a false debate maybe. We should first attack this “heavy weapon” problem…
In the United States our gun fans say, “an armed society is a polite society.” I’m sure you’re familiar with our shooting incidents – we lose as many people to gun deaths as though there were a war here.
Be careful what you wish for.
I’m not really satisfied by the NOW piece, and particularly Fadi Abi Allam’s argument about legal loopholes (It’s more about policy problems, inconsistencies and political mingling).
The economical argument is much more convincing. Especially if one adds the political cover to this trade. But obviously, NOW Lebanon doesn’t want to go too far into this issue because of its political stands. It’s much simpler to blame the ordinary Lebanese and then reframe the whole issue as a self-defense issue (which it obviously isn’t).
As for the comparison with the USA, I think it is even more interesting to tackle if one goes further in time and compares Lebanon’s present case to that of the post-independence-war thirteen States with their many militias. It’s under these circumstances that the right to bare arms was enshrined in the constitution…
Is legalising weapons a solution? Maybe. One has to try to see what are the expected benefits and drawbacks of such a measure (and go beyond a normative approach).
I’ll offer a quick comment on your 3 points and then add some of my own.
1- Brain washed mentalities armed with high caliber automatic weapons will not be put off by the BB gun next to your night table.
2- If it makes you feel better, why not.
3- Small potatoes compared to the drip down money flow from such ventures as drugs and prostitution. The end shouldn’t really justify the means.
OK. My input. Your point that there are a lot of unlicensed guns out there should raise the flag of fear. Consider the following. Criminals. People with no proper training with firearms. Lots of settlements of personal arguments. Guns in the hands of mental defectives. Little kids playing Cowboys and Indians (or whatever kids play these days) with the real thing. Jerks enervated by too many Rambo films or their updated equivalent. The excitement of being in a traffic jam that has gone on for a bit too long for some. Just plain accidents. A 6 year old getting pissed at a 5 year old. The list just goes on.
Lebanon has a violent history. Not a good environment for the proliferation of guns.
Ask the question again in a year when there will be some hard facts to relate to. In the meantime invest in some body armor
Definitely, holding guns even when licensed for civilians should end. I hate guns, how many stories have we heard about little boys playing with their daddy’s guns and ending up dead?
@ Liliane
the “private” weapon is a problem but most of people having one @ home do not have even a license for it!
Moreover, i was once in chouf (last year). One guy i dont even know came to me, and began talking to me about his weapon “collection” he got with Joumblatt’s blessing! Heavy weapons, not small ones, war weapons, not guns. He even said he was shooting daily.
All your arguments Mustapha point to one thing: that Lebanon is a failed state and its government cant protect its own citizens or uphold the law, mainly because thoese same citizens refuse(and are encouraged to)to abide by those laws that regulates how a (plural)society lives together. Its the way we perceive arms and weapons that is even more dangerous because it constitutes the solution to all problems and obstacles at the expense of dialogue and peaceful resolution of conflicts. Might is right and that leads to civil war and many many miseries. The saying goes “an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind”… same goes for guns.
Guys. we have an incoming threat to the Lebanese people.
7:25pm Health Minister Mohammed Jawad Khalife: Lebanon is one of the first countries to reserve large amounts of N1H1 vaccines that are to arrive in January.
We need to create a new post/topic to create public awarness of this vaccine. It has over 100 times the amount of Mercury that a human can have in his body. “Scientists” aka nutjobs who invented it won’t even take it or won’t let their family do so either. If someone were to have Swine flu, he would recover much quicker then if he took this shot. This is very dangerous for Lebanon; since this shot ***** the immune system and makes it prone to all kinds of diseases. It also manipulates the DNA on a cellular level and adds harmful mutations which make the body prone to illnesses, disability and lack of awareness. Not to mention, the combination of all the other viruses hidden in the vaccine. The department of Homeland Security in the US is carrying out this mass vaccination campaign worldwide in order to create money for the badly needing pharmaceutical industry. Revenue will be estimated to be in the trillions. Anyone who begs to differ. Prove it.
Bottom line, even if you were said to contract the virus, NEVER take the vaccine and spread the news.
That’s what we should focus about..not guns !