A WARNING had come to the forefront after a dog was shot point blank using a BB gun which is easily available to members of the public, including children who want to purchase them.
But thankfully, with the fast actions taken by various authorities, the sale of BB guns has been taken off social platforms.
In fact, a shooting incident involving a 14-year-old boy at Siam Paragon mall in Bangkok on Oct 3 has proven that if the sale of the airsoft gun continues, it could fall into the wrong hands.
To date, the teenager suspect has been charged with murder which is a very serious offence. Four men were also arrested by Thai police for selling the gun to the suspect who went on a shooting spree that left two dead and five injured.
Hundreds of shoppers at the shopping mall had to flee due to the shooting incident until the boy was pinned down by police.
วินาทีเข้าจับกุมคนร้ายกราดยิง อายุแค่ 14 ปี รอยืนยันอีกทีว่าเอาปืนมาจากไหน เด็กเหี้ย
#พารากอน #siamparagon pic.twitter.com/OS8wubluWK— นูน่าเม่วꕤ˘̤ ᵕ˘̤ พี่เอิร์ทต้าวมิกซ์ ₂₀₂₄🌦️ (@leadermini95) October 3, 2023
Now that the airsoft guns that were sold on Lazada, Shopee, Carousel and Amazon.com have proven to be fatal, it is time for the police and the Home Ministry to act fast to contain the situation. Recall that even a dog nicknamed Changgang was lamed when 20 pellets were shot at it at close range.
Urgent actions
Naysayers should avoid politicising the ban on such firearms, especially when the lives of people are at stake.
Who knows one fine morning, the gun could be smuggled into one of our schools and the next thing we know is a few children and teachers are being fatally shot. If not humans, those guns could be used to injure animals like stray dogs and cars.
To totally ban the BB-guns unless they are used with a proper firearm licence is the best way to prevent such an incident from being repeated at our doorstep. Before this, it was sold for as low as RM35.90 but currently only one e-commerce platform is still selling the BB guns.
Because the guns were placed on the e-commerce platforms before the advertisements were taken down, the police have to issue a nationwide recall of the purchased weapons. Purchasers’ details should be available with the e-commerce shop operators.
Parents should immediately ask their children whether they are in possession of guns that may have been purchased without their knowledge and hidden somewhere in the house.
The total number of units purchased by people must match the number of guns surrendered to the police before an amnesty period ends. Thereafter, anyone caught with the guns will have to be charged in the same manner as possession of firearms.
Changgang the dog still missing
According to an animal rescuer KC Valley Animal Care Shelter Sani Ng Abdullah, the dog he nicknamed Changgang went missing from Zen Animal Clinic, Subang Jaya around July 10, some 10 days after it was admitted to the vet.
One of the pellets was removed with the others to be surgically taken out gradually one by one. The animal could hardly move after being shot point blank with more than 20 pellets. By the time it went missing, only one of the pellets had been removed and surrendered to the police.
“We were told that the dog escaped from the cage,” Ng said but he has yet to view the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage that was obtained by the police.
“So far, we have made two police reports but there is no interrogation or statement taken to find out how Changgang went missing, and no outcome or forensic report on the bullet or information as to who shot the dog.”
The culprit is still at large. No arrests have been made. – Oct 8, 2023
