The death of a man and a woman who is still fighting for her life is tragic but the bigger tragedy is the access to guns in a small country like ours. People own more guns per capita in Samoa than in New Zealand.

Condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in the grizzly incident. The blame for this incident should be placed on the lack of enforcement of gun control laws and not putting a stop to the importation of firearms.

We have had four gun-related incidents after the gun amnesty ended last year. Police discovered guns and meth at a house when responding to a domestic disturbance call, then a drunk man discharged his weapon outside a popular nightspot and just over a week ago, a Chinese national shot a police officer and held his ex-wife hostage for more than three hours.

Just two days ago, a 32-year-old man shot an 18-year-old girl inside his car and then drove home where he allegedly took his own life. Last year in July, a man shot and killed two people including a police officer.

The common factor in all these cases is access to guns. No one seems to care how accessible guns are and people are now using them for every small argument. There are cases where people have been shot over land disputes.

Top bureaucrats have been charged and presented in court for brandishing guns during road rage incidents. How can you forget the drive-by shooting on Sinamoga or the driver who discharged his weapon in Vailoa last year?

What needs to be done is stop the importation of guns and ammunition until a new stronger gun control law is in place. The government must save lives and if gun control will save lives, then strengthen them. Make laws that will limit access to guns. Have all gun owners store their weapons at the closest police station and only to be released when they need it.

Can the fractured government work together to end gun violence in the country? The police can only do so much with limited resources. Arming the police will not solve the problem as well. This will increase the number of guns in circulation.

Only the importation of certain types of guns is allowed because the purpose of guns in Samoa is not for self-defence but for agricultural use. Guns have been allowed to deal with the issues of feral pigs which have caused significant damage to agriculture. Pigs are still out there and causing damage. A better solution is to use pig traps. Some traps allow farmers to capture 10 to 12 pigs at once. The Ministry of Agriculture should be tasked to shoot the pigs once they are caught, taking guns out of homes.

It is disheartening that the former and current governments have not thought of stronger gun controls or stopping the import of guns. We have had top government officials who have a conflict of interest when it comes to gun control as some are connected to the firearms trade.

There is also the concern about illegal firearms coming into the country. There are dangerous guns out there. The police raids on drug peddlers have shown this. The fact that the type of firearms found in raids has not been surrendered in the gun amnesty also raises a concern.

Experts have raised concerns about the presence of organised crime gangs in the Pacific. The discovery of illegal firearms also suggests the presence of such operations in the country.

Gun laws need to be revisited. Takes guns out of homes and strengthens border security and customs. It can be done.