Elections 2020: Having a gun doesn’t allow you to intimidate others – Security analyst warns

Security Analyst, Dr Kwesi Anning, has cautioned individuals who own guns, whether licensed or not, to desist from intimidating others and instigating violence during the December 2020 elections.

He made the statement in reaction to the increasing gun-related crimes in the country and the effect it may have during the December polls in an interview with GhanaWeb on July 8, 2020.

“Having access to a gun does not allow you to come to town and intimidate people. Actually there are regulations around what you can take near a polling station or not. You cannot carry a gun, even a licensed gun in your pocket and say you want to vote. We need information around election security; the dos and don’ts,” he said.

He added that the Ghana Police Service and other security institutions should work around the clock to ensure that anyone who tries to stir up violence with a firearm during the elections are dealt with according to the law.

“The point is about resourcing the security services and giving them the authority to use the law to protect the two of us. If the police and all the uniform services are allowed to work as optimally as possible, then they will be able to arrest people who go to rallies or polling stations with guns. Definitely, people will want to misbehave so we need to empower the police who are the frontline security service so they come to deal with the problem,” he stated.

He concluded that legally having access to guns in the country is not as easy as speculated, as citizens are made to go through certain procedures to meet the standards to acquire a gun.

“Going through the procedure to acquire a legitimate license for a gun is not that straight forward. To prove that you are above 18, you need a passport, a birth certificate, or some national identification. To prove that you are of sane mind, you need to get a medical certificate. When you purchase the gun, you need to be provided with the skill set to be able to use it, and the firearms bureau will have to come to your house to ensure that you have a place to store the gun,” he concluded.