Dave Achondo I HAVE to hand it to our councilor, George Goking, for his proposal to lower the requirements that allows an individual to carry firearms outside their home for self defense. I liked the idea of a person having one for safety purposes, particularly those who are “high-profile” and who are likely targets of criminals who plan to extort money from them. Yes, I think we should have ways to protect ourselves, not only in our homes, but when we travel, sometimes pepper sprays and stun guns aren’t enough to defend yourselves with. But I am not saying it should be allowed for just anyone--that would be insane. Allowing a regular Joe to carry a gun anywhere he pleases isn’t a good idea. We don’t want a Wild Wild West. I’m just saying a person should be able to carry a handgun if he or she really qualifies, and has a reason to carry one on a daily basis. Carrying guns is totally helpful in so many ways. Studies have shown that if a criminal attacks someone and the victim pulls out a gun to protect him/herself, then more than 50 percent of the time, the criminal backs away. Fifty percent is better than none. That would mean you will have a better chance of repelling your assailants or keeping them off you until the authorities show up to assist you. Goking cited the unfortunate abduction of Enrique “Eking” Fernandez in Oct. 23 as an example of why the Philippine National Police should ease up on its requirements on permits to carry firearms. Fernandez failed to defend himself from his assailants and was easily kidnapped in broad daylight, adding that if he had means to defend himself such as having a handgun he wouldn’t have been easily abducted. Think about it this way. Say, someone pulled a gun out. Would you rather draw your own gun and have a much better chance of surviving or pull out your phone to call the cops when they could take more than 10 minutes to get there? Your choice. If ever the proposal is approved and gets implemented, people who are given that privilege should be responsible, trained and have a broader understanding of when and when not to use it. The drawbacks I can come up with is that if the owner has anger issues, depressed or has a habit of forgetting things.