Kenyan Chaos

In addition to my watching the upcoming Florida primary, I've been keeping an eye on what has been going on in Kenya. After a heavily disputed presidential election, Kenya has descended into chaos reminiscent of Rwanda in the early 1990's.

Gunfire Rings Out in West Kenyan Streets; At Least 25 Bodies Taken to Mortuary

There are many reports of defenseless people having their homes burned down and family members being killed solely based on which ethnic group to which they belong (and thus assumed presidential choice). Whole towns have been torched and places of refuge have been attacked and burned. All the reports say the Kenyan military and police are trying to restore order. The police and military may be trying very hard to maintain order however, it is apparent that the peace can't be kept everywhere. There are also a few reports of the military being complicit in some of the violence.

I am often accused of having a one track mind (guns, guns, guns and complaining about excessive government control over our daily lives), so, not surprisingly, I decided to look into the gun laws in Kenya because it seems that many of these poor people are defenseless. If I had a mob of anyone threatening my family its pretty obvious I would stand my ground as long as possible and do everything imaginable to protect my wife and 2 children.

I can't seem to find much regarding Kenyan gun control but I did find articles that stated that in Kenya, "All guns are banned, including toys guns that look like guns" and "In both countries (Kenya and Uganda) gun possession is illegal except for a politically favored elite."

There are many instances of where I believe that Africans could (have) better defend(ed) themselves and their families were it not for government bans on civilian gun ownership. Rwanda, Uganda and Darfur often come to mind.

Just to be clear, I am in support of average law-abiding citizens having the right to own firearms. I am in favor of some of the current laws where felons cannot own guns and where the commission of certain crimes with guns provide for greater penalties (as for murder, murder is murder whether it be by machete, vehicular or firearm, no need for "gun control" there). But I see no reason why law-abiding citizens cannot own weapons for target shooting or self-defense. And in my one track mind's opinion, most gun control only disarms law-abiding citizens.