Instead of shotguns, guards should be issued single-bullet weapons, like a revolver or a pistol.
KARACHI: Most guards employed by private security agencies in the country have been provided with 12-bore shotguns to perform security duties. There is, however, considerable, risk involved in this and this is something that neither the owners of these security agencies nor the provincial home departments have realised.
The cartridge used in the 12-bore shotguns contains small or large slugs depending upon the type of cartridge. Because of its measurements and the dynamics involving the slugs contained in its cartridge, the weapon is not a particularly good one for those who want to shoot with accuracy. In fact, it has been estimated that when fired, the slugs will not necessarily hit a fixed target but one that is in a radius of around a metre. This is why this kind of weapon is used for hunting birds because it is not too difficult to shoot down more than one bird with one shot.
Given that guards of private security agencies are generally deployed in banks, shopping centres and other public places with many people, using such a weapon poses a significant risk to the lives of bystanders. Instead of shotguns, guards should be issued single-bullet weapons, like a revolver or a pistol.
Sqn-ldr (retd) S Ausaf Husain
Published in The Express Tribune, January 8th, 2012.
