Somali Teens Earn Guns
Numerous outlets, including CNN.com, are reporting that Somali teens are earning guns for reciting the Quran as part of a contest organized by Al-Shabaab-controlled Radio Andalus.
The winners – if you can call them that – were awarded AK-47s and/or grenades!
“’We want the children to fight for defending of their country and their religion … just take these guns,’ Sheikh Moktar Robow abu Mansur, a senior Al-Shabaab leader, is quoted as saying. That means battling the Somali government and African Union peacekeeping troops in the country, according to the RBC report.”
No doubt some anti-gun groups will claim the NRA and other groups that promote safe shooting are no different. But in America we don’t encourage children to pick up guns to “battle” the government or our enemies. However, we do note a similarity in the culture of youth gangs and violence.
In fact, it is this disregard for authority that is the issue, not the guns. Criminal gangs in America recruit younger children, and put innocents at risk. Worse still is the fact that America continues to disarm itself, not seeing the potential threat looming on the horizon.
American soldiers have done well in wars because of our culture of learning to shoot. We fear what will happen when it comes time to eventually fight these people who are encouraging their youth to pick up guns, while we are trying to send a message to ours that only bad people have guns. Time will certainly tell.
Guns Let Crew Shoot Back at Pirates
Last spring a U.S. ship was just one of the victims in the pirate infested waters off Somalia. And while it ended well – with the American crew safe and sound, and a bunch of dead pirates (what can be better than that), the very same ship, the Maersk Alabama was again attacked by pirates this week. But this time the ship didn’t become captured and the crew were not victims. This time the ship had armed guards on board and returned fire! Congrats to the crew of the Maersk Alabama, and may the rest of your journey be uneventful!
