People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) deputy speaker Lukman Hakim Saifuddin is urging the National Police to take back all firearms they have granted to civilians, including members of the House of Representatives (DPR).
"People get easily angered. They can get really emotional over trivial matters," Lukman said on Sunday as quoted by tribunnews.com, adding it was economic hardship that likely had made them more “sensitive”.
"Imagine this: Even the most well-trained members of the Indonesian Military and the National Police may be tempted to use firearms to resolve conflicts between them, let alone civilians.”
The Jakarta Police recently reported that there are 1,000 registered gun owners in Jakarta.
Firearm use among civilians has recently attracted national attention, with several reported incidents over the past couple of days involving civilian gun use in public.
The latest case involved businessman Iswahyudi who pointed a gun at a waiter in a disagreement over the bill at a restaurant in Plaza Indonesia shopping mall, Central Jakarta, last week. (png/mtq)
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 05/07/2012 8:01 AM