By Alhaji Alhasan Abdulai
It is uncommon for anyone including children to shed tears or cry in public. But lo and behold a no less a person than the President of the United States of America Barrack Obama had to shed tears while lamenting over the current rampant and indiscriminate killings of innocent people including children in the United States of America. While addressing a gathering at the white house , Obama said his toughest time in office was grappling with the December 2012 massacre of 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.
"Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad," Obama said, tears rolling down his cheek.
"That changed me, that day," he said, after being introduced by Mark Barden, whose 7-year-old son was killed in the shooting. "My hope earnestly has been that it would change the country."
After that tragedy, the Democratic president failed to persuade Congress to toughen U.S. gun laws. He has blamed lawmakers for being in the thrall of the powerful National Rifle Association gun lobby group.
The president had to cry because he was frustrated over difficulty in the authorities in the US to help him control or stop completely the indiscriminate killings which is said to claim more than 30,000 people year in the US. The president, in the midst of family members of victims of gun shots in the white house expressed the need to use his executive power to enforce control in gun sales to ensure that only the right and legally mandated people sell guns in the US. Again the law is meant to check all those in possession of guns illegally in the US. As is expected there were some people especially the in the Republicans Party who were opposed to the measures taken by the US president to control gun sales and are preparing to torpedo the gun control law when they come to power later this year. However the US is not alone in the gun scare problems. it is felt worldwide that the sentiment being expressed by the US president feed into the aspirations of many leaders of nations worldwide including Ghana where of late trade in guns and indiscriminate killings have been recorded. Of late more than a million bullets illegally imported into the country have been seized by the police in Ghana while some people have suffered gun shots in some parts if the country . Just as action is being taken by the president of the United States it expected that the government of Ghana would continue to take steps to control the importation and sales of guns in Ghana. Again the security network must intensify the search and seizure of weapons in all parts of the country especially in the flashpoints in the country where conflicts have occurred as a result of disagreements on chieftaincy partisan and religious issues. It is our prayer that the United States of America under the leadership of Barrack Obama would succeed in passing a law to control gun sales in the US. When that action is taken the authorities in Ghana should be expected to compare notes with the US to ensure that we also enact the appropriate law to control illegal sale of guns in Ghana. This way the nation and the US would not only be able to ensure peace and stability but also give the two nations clean bill of health to ensure the inflow of investors and tourists the whole year round
Executive Director
EANFOWORLD FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
P.O.BOX 17070AN 233244370345/23327483710/ 233208844791
abdulai.alhasan@gmail.com /eanfoworld@yahoo.com
