At the end of last month, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia noticed the size and scope of the black market for firearms in their country that was created by their overly-restrictive gun laws. The Interior Ministry will be in charge of licensing the legal sale and distribution of handguns, which Saudi Arabia has finally legalized. This is a brave step forward for the Middle Eastern country, whose citizenry will now enjoy a little more freedom than they had before. This is Saudi Arabia, remember. Where women can walk only covered and in the company of men and where things which are mere trivial offenses in America can earn you the death penalty. However, at least they’ll be able to defend themselves with their own private handguns.
On the downside, a lot of people in Saudi Arabia are not enthusiastic about the loosening up of the law. Growing up in the land of the first democratic republican revolution in modern times, I know that I can never take the principle of freedom for granted and when I see people elsewhere not sharing my sentiment, it troubles me. They see people as ticking time-bombs rather than responsible adults who keep their best interests at heart. If a law-abiding, tax-paying citizen wishes to use and own a gun in their spare time, who should be so presumptuous as to stop them? People really do have an irrational fear of freedom sometime. Even in the United States. Until a recent Supreme Court case, the District of Columbia also had a ban on handguns. Fortunately, I have high hopes that as soon as the Saudis get their taste of gun freedom and continue to go about their lives they will find that there really is nothing for them to be scared of. Read the rest of this entry »
