This is a pellet from a pellet gun that kids in our subdivision love to play with. This small projectile can travel at high speed and hit any unsuspecting person or animal within 10 meters. A tragic hit can get you blind. And the worse part you may never know what or who hit you!
In 2007, part of my dog Sweepy's advocacy was to bring this dangerous matter to our barangay head and town mayor who both promised to look into it. I posted about this campaign here that time. Well, this year when I heard the sound of this gun one afternoon, I immediately located the culprit, a kid across from our house firing indiscriminately in the air! How can this be? I already talked to the guardians of this boy! His adult guardians who are practically our village elders, authority figures were actually powerless to control their grade-school children! I called the attention of the boy and tried to talk to his guardians but they probably got intimidated by my loud voice and refused to talk to me. I wanted to call the barangay again. But this same vicious cycle of reporting and trying to reason with authorities has got to stop. The next time I catch this boy with his gun, he and his guardian will expect a harsh reprimand or face violations. Community leaders who can not exercise their regulatory powers must remember that election time is just a few months away.
In 2007, part of my dog Sweepy's advocacy was to bring this dangerous matter to our barangay head and town mayor who both promised to look into it. I posted about this campaign here that time. Well, this year when I heard the sound of this gun one afternoon, I immediately located the culprit, a kid across from our house firing indiscriminately in the air! How can this be? I already talked to the guardians of this boy! His adult guardians who are practically our village elders, authority figures were actually powerless to control their grade-school children! I called the attention of the boy and tried to talk to his guardians but they probably got intimidated by my loud voice and refused to talk to me. I wanted to call the barangay again. But this same vicious cycle of reporting and trying to reason with authorities has got to stop. The next time I catch this boy with his gun, he and his guardian will expect a harsh reprimand or face violations. Community leaders who can not exercise their regulatory powers must remember that election time is just a few months away.
When you see injuries inflicted by this small innocent TOY you understand major reactions like road rage and hysteria. When you actually get hit by it (which is what happened to me enough for me to rush and demand an audience with a neighbor who is a family friend) you get so worked up that you wanted to buy the same gun and aim it at your neighbor to make him feel the danger it can cause. But anger will get you nowhere. Prayers work wonders though. I see these pellets lying around our house practically every week! Someday, some irresponsible people will feel the danger of their apathy. And I will be there to know that somebody's prayer got answered.
