Woman, mistaken for thieving monkey, shot dead by husband Timothy Leonard KUANTAN, Sept 21: THEY had been married for four decades, shared some of the most difficult times together and raised 13 children. And this had to happen. A 68-year-old housewife died after being shot by her husband who mistook her for a monkey raiding their mangosteen trees in Bentong.

This episode was not surprising considering the fact that many elderly men especially in rural communities still possesses licences to carry firearms. When I was a medical officer in such rural communities, encountering such individuals was common. They would request that I sign a paper indicating their fitness to continue carrying a firearm. One common flaw among such individuals is their age and with that their eyesight as well. When I refused to sign on the grounds that there is evidence of deteriorating eyesight, I would be scorned at. Remarks that I was not understanding and that I was destroying their livelihood were thrown. I had to be adamant. Nevertheless, I can almost guarantee you that those papers will eventually be signed by another doctor. So the question remains what is the criteria that must be fulfilled before one can carry a firearm?

Guidelines are not provided to doctors when individuals wanting to carry a firearm presents. So on most occasions, firearms licences may have been issued to individuals that are not fit to carry one. The case above illustrates that fact. There is little doubt that the husband above had a poor eyesight and he was unable to differentiate a monkey and his wife. What would happen if it was a child? The firearms laws need to be rectified and fully enforced here. My fear that if action is delayed, more of such cases would continue to surface.