Philippines calls for stricter gun control after New Year firing kills seven-year-old
The death of a girl hit by celebratory gunfire on New Year's Eve sparked calls on Thursday for stricter gun controls in the Philippines, where unlicensed weapons are widely blamed for rampant violence. The girl, Stephanie Ella, aged seven, died on Wednesday from a gunshot wound to the head, triggering outrage and condemnation of poor law enforcement that allows hundreds of thousands of unregistered firearms to be on the streets.
‘This incident should not be allowed to become just another statistic,’ Vice President Jejomar Binay said in a statement. ‘We have enough laws to penalise but the problem has always been in the enforcement of laws,’ he stressed, as he challenged the police to catch the person responsible for Ella's death.
Ella and her father were watching a fireworks display outside their home in a Manila suburb on Monday when a bullet, apparently fired from celebratory gunfire, struck her.
Ella was the second young victim to die from stray bullets in New Year's eve celebrations, when gun owners traditionally fire bullets into the air or explode powerful firecrackers to make noise. A four year-old boy was also killed, while a 16-year-old was in a coma after being wounded in a similar incident. Ella's ordeal, however, was prominently covered in national media, as her grief-stricken parents tensely waited by her hospital bedside as doctors lost the battle to save her. An outpouring of sympathy followed, led by the office of President Benigno Aquino - himself a keen sports shooter.
‘This incident should not be allowed to become just another statistic,’ Vice President Jejomar Binay said in a statement. ‘We have enough laws to penalise but the problem has always been in the enforcement of laws,’ he stressed, as he challenged the police to catch the person responsible for Ella's death.
Ella and her father were watching a fireworks display outside their home in a Manila suburb on Monday when a bullet, apparently fired from celebratory gunfire, struck her.
Ella was the second young victim to die from stray bullets in New Year's eve celebrations, when gun owners traditionally fire bullets into the air or explode powerful firecrackers to make noise. A four year-old boy was also killed, while a 16-year-old was in a coma after being wounded in a similar incident. Ella's ordeal, however, was prominently covered in national media, as her grief-stricken parents tensely waited by her hospital bedside as doctors lost the battle to save her. An outpouring of sympathy followed, led by the office of President Benigno Aquino - himself a keen sports shooter.