Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, is a frequent guest on various media outlets throughout the world. Azikiwe has written extensively on African and international affairs., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
To watch this interview with Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, just click on the website below:
http://www.presstv.com/detail/2013/02/15/289132/tougher-gun-laws-in-us-not-a-solution/
Fri Feb 15, 2013 6:3PM GMT
A political analyst tells Press TV that tougher gun laws in any state inside the United States is not going to solve the fundamental problems of violence inside the country.
The comments came after thousands of people rallied in the US state of Connecticut, demanding legislators in the state and in Washington enact strict gun control laws.
Around 5,500 turned out at the state capitol on Thursday to call on lawmakers to toughen gun laws in light of the December elementary school shooting massacre.
Press TV has conducted an interview with Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, to further discuss the issue. What follows is an approximate transcription of the interview.
Press TV: Now you know protesters are pushing for tougher gun laws in Connecticut. Do you believe that they will be successful essentially at this point?
Azikiwe: Well they may be successful but I do not believe that tougher gun laws in any state inside the United States is going to solve these fundamental problems of violence inside the country. It is a systemic problem; it comes from the government, from the military all the way down to state, local and rural areas.
There is a culture of impunity, there is a culture of gun violence here inside the United States and until that is addressed on a systematic basis, it will not improve the overall security situation inside the United States.
It is very interesting that in the urban areas where you have high homicide rates, high rates of personal violence, interpersonal violence and crime, that this has not been the trigger for these gun laws, it is when these shootings are taking place in areas that are more affluent among the dominant and majority population, do we see this type of national outcry for more gun laws?
But no, I do not believe that the imposition of tougher gun laws is going to solve the problems of interpersonal violence inside the United States.
Press TV: So Mr. Azikiwe you know you speak about a systematic approach to solving this issue, this gun culture that you speak about, then what then is the first step that needs to be taken on the part of the government to address this issue?
Azikiwe: Well it needs to first of all end the wars of aggression and occupation that are going on in Afghanistan, the problems associated with the drones attacks in Pakistan, in Yemen and Somalia, they need to halt these threats that are being made against the Islamic Republic of Iran, against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and there needs to be a more systematic approach to how law enforcement is carried out inside the United States.
Disarming the citizens in the United States, when at the same time you have the police and federal officials, they are heavily armed, is not a solution to the problem.
The only solution to this problem is to address this systematic inequality, the militarism that is in fact implemented on a high level inside the United States from the White House, from the Pentagon on down.
This is the only way that there can be an honest approach to the elimination or the reduction of interpersonal violence inside the United States.
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