As the election season draws near, the surge of politically motivated killings paints a grim picture of the dangers that lie ahead. Now, more than ever, the strict enforcement of the gun ban must not only be declared but fully realized. Failure to do so invites a repeat of past bloodshed that continues to mock the sanctity of democratic exercise.
Elections are meant to be contests of vision, governance, and leadership, not a brutal race marred by violence and death. Yet history offers a cruel reminder: in the absence of stringent controls, firearms turn political rivalries into funeral processions. Candidates, supporters, and even innocent bystanders become casualties of unchecked aggression, fueled by a culture that too easily wields a gun for intimidation or revenge. A gun ban without teeth, without swift and unforgiving enforcement, only emboldens those who see violence as a legitimate tool to secure power.
The mere announcement of a gun ban is meaningless if not accompanied by aggressive implementation and a relentless crackdown on violators, regardless of status or affiliation. Arrests must be made without hesitation, and penalties must be harsh enough to serve as real deterrents. No exemptions, no blind eyes turned in favor of the influential or the well-connected. Without impartiality, enforcement becomes a mockery, and violence finds a way to flourish beneath the hollow echoes of official statements.
Politically related killings do not occur in a vacuum; they are symptoms of a deeper illness that thrives when there is a perceived collapse of law and order. Where the state’s presence is weak, warlords, private armies, and hired guns step in to fill the vacuum. The gun ban is not merely a legal formality but a critical assertion of the state’s authority to protect life, ensure peaceful elections, and uphold the rule of law. Every life lost to political violence is a direct indictment of a government that failed to act when it mattered most.
Authorities must dismantle private armed groups, tighten checkpoints, and impose uncompromising surveillance in election hotspots. Political aspirants must be held personally accountable for the violence traced to their camps. Communities must be made to understand that peaceful elections are not a request but a demand. Only through decisive, collective action can the nation hope to reclaim the dignity of its electoral process from the barrel of a gun.
