The government should consider legislating in favour of allowing vulnerable people such as elderly people and widowers to keep a weapon in their home which they would be able to use to defend themselves, Labour MP Anglu Farrugia said yesterday in parliament.
There are two purposes for a weapon. It can be used for sport or for defence, and it is a mistake not to discuss the latter element, Dr Farrugia insisted. He was speaking during the debate on the Arms Bill, which aims at liberalising within limits the requirements receiving a licence for a firearm.
The main thrust behind the changes being proposed by the minister responsible, Tonio Borg, is to make life easier for collectors and shooting enthusiasts. Especially with regards the latter, the bill among other things provides for 14-year-olds to be allowed to take part in shooting contests using airguns, without owning the gun themselves.
The move is intended to facilitate the development of the sport in which Malta seems to be registering a good measure of success. However, Dr Farrugia insisted that aside from regulating in favour of sporting enthusiasts and collectors, when discussing such a bill it would be good to contemplate allowing the keeping of a weapon for self-defence in special cases.
He made reference to what he called the growing number of grievous thefts that are taking place on vulnerable people such as widows and old people, who often live alone, not uncommonly in secluded places. "We should think about these people now and not when they have been robbed, after they've been beaten and killed," he said. We should seriously consider allowing such people to keep small pistols, he added.
Dr Borg kicked off yesterday's session with an overview of the government's intentions and with a technical overview of the bill. He emphasised that the bill was not cast in stone and that the government was ready to accept any valid proposals for changes.
MLP spokesman Gavin Gulia made reference to a similar bill the Labour Cabinet was formulating but which it did not have time to present before the unexpected 1998 elections.
He made reference to a few official statistics, pointing out that perhaps contrary to the general perception, in 2001 there were some 17 per of the population who owned at least one firearm and that since then the figure increased to 20 per cent.
MLP MP Carmelo Abela, who spoke shortly after Dr Gulia made reference to these statistics, said that the amount of people owning firearms was considerable. Dr Borg interjected at this point, qualifying that many of the firearms were kept by collectors or for sentimental value and did not reflect the amount of firearms that hunters use, for example.