Say hello to my little friend
Published:
February 9, 2015 at 11:01am
Say hello to my little friend: somebody’s got a major Scarface fetish
They must be in private hands, because as I recall, the list of registered weapons given by the Police Minister in parliament excluded those owned and held by the armed forces and the police.
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http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2015-02-09/local-news/PN-MP-Jason-Azzopardi-questions-why-Malta-has-two-rocket-launchers-6736130316
Whoever it is has two in case one malfunctions.
Probably used in the movie industry – essentially non-functioning but must be registered due to legal requirements. Either that or historical (pre-1946) pieces in a private collection.
The list provided by the Police Minister is riddled with errors and double entries. It’s a pity that Jason Azzopardi, who is usually on the ball, is wasting his time on this.
One does not expect such questions from a politician in a democratic, supposedly liberal state where citizens are not answerable to the whims of their masters.
As a citizen living in a democratic state, I am concerned about elected politicians enacting the right laws, making policy decisions, and ensuring the enforcement of said laws and policies.
I want to know whether some trigger happy private citizen has been given a licence to hold a rocket launcher and ammo.
Do not confuse liberalism with a freedom to do anything one pleases. This is a common mistake made by many Maltese who take the literal meaning of the term rather than attempt to inform themselves what liberalism could mean.
The right to arm oneself is framed within parameters. Two such parameters are (a) the use of that right (e.g., a crime is committed if I go into a bar with a weapon and I discharge that weapon), and, (b) the type of arm. Today it’s a rocket launcher, tomorrow it’s a dirty bomb or a nuclear ready device.
Suppositions as “probably used in the movie industry” or “non-functioning” or “historical pieces” are just that – assumptions.
It is within my right to have my representative in parliament question whether that rocket launcher is held by private citizens. It is within my right to have my representative in parliament question to exactness of the list provided by the Minister.
I do not want to sound rude but where’s your critical thinking? Why do you assume it’s nothing when it could be something?
It’s a non-story for all the reasons other contributors have already pointed out, and Jason Azzopardi is being pathetic, especially considering that the odds are that they were imported when we had a Nationalist government.
At this rate, with close to useless Simon Busuttil at the helm and crap being spouted by the likes of Jason Azzopardi, plus the current mostly pathetic rest of the shadow cabinet, the PN will be in Opposition for some time yet. And despite everything I’d have to say that that is the way it should be.
Disagree completely. I do not follow you.
If a private citizen owns something which needs to be registered, it is precisely because that citizen is answerable to ‘his masters’ (the public represented by its politicians).
If the police minister tabled a poorly drawn up list missing many details, it is not the shadow minister’s fault. On the contrary, the shadow minister is doing the right thing by asking for clarifications.
Seems as if no one is accountable to anyone/anything anymore. But perhaps CB would qualify this as democracy also?
”A Vietnamese friend of Mr Giam arrived and entered the apartment. The argument continues and she eventually called the police. TWO POLICE IN UNIFORM arrived and took Mr Giam into a car, which then drove him to the airport, Mr Giam claimed.”
But then this might not be the truth, Leisure clothing are offering to pay and Mr. Giam might have attacked someone so perhaps we should not waste time asking questions, no?
(Caps are mine and sarcasm is fully intended)
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2015-02-09/local-news/Leisure-Clothing-Attorneys-say-company-is-willing-to-pay-non-contested-wages-due-to-workers-6736130364
Dear Mrs Caruana Galizia,
Launchers are prohibited from ownership by private citizens according to the Arms Act 2005 and are listed as such under Schedule 1, Part 1, Item 1, unless they are deactivated under Schedule III.
Nonetheless they have to be declared with the Police and thus their listing in the (poorly compiled) Police Weapons List which Police Minister Carmelo Abela had tabled.
Consequently these items are either deactivated/film props or airsoft imitation toys. If not mistaken this matter had already been clarified last week on Net TV’s Newsfeed programme.
You never know what a person possessing a weapon will do. It seems lately that weapons are used capriciously.
He’s just told you they’re deactivated weapons.
That list was poorly compiled (just like many answers to PQs).
Who can guarantee that a deactivated weapon can’t be re-activated again.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1537748/Deactivated-guns-made-lethal-in-four-minutes.html
There is no point when you can buy a fully functional firearm – subject to onerous conditions.
If you are referring to someone who intends to do so illegally then kindly explain how the existence of any law will make any difference.
As far as the “rocket launcher” itself goes, whatever it is exactly, it appears that most are completely overlooking a rather critical part of the jigsaw puzzle.
The rockets.
No doubt there will be some who consider that a minor detail.
Oh and apart from being totally irrelevant, referring to firearms and not rocket launchers, your linked article is dated 2006, and furthermore it is a huge lie that you can re-activate a deact in 4 minutes.
Knowing what deacts are all about in the UK, it involves so much work that a criminal would be much better off sourcing an illegal weapon, of which, despite stringent legislation, there seems to be little shortage of.
If the weapon is permanently deactivated in a way that there is no means to make it again a lethal weapon, then it is no weapon at all. The minister shouldn’t include deactivated weapons in the list.
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2015-02-09/local-news/Valletta-terminus-to-expand-bus-bays-to-double-235-000-simulator-to-train-Maltese-drivers-6736130318
‘..The enlarged bus terminus is expected to spill round the corner further down into St James ditch, near the old lotteries building. He explained that the company also wishes to make this area accessible from Castille. Mr Tironi said the other side of the Valletta gate could possibly also be used…’
The other side of Valletta gate; basically take over the Phoenicia side. I suppose when the system returns to the good old ‘putirjal’ main hub configuration this was to be expected.
It’s also clear that anything the operator wants, they get. Transport Malta totally reliant on their statements to the public.
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2015-02-09/local-news/Sunday-monti-hawkers-will-not-join-others-in-Ordnance-Street-6736130325
If the proposed extended bus terminus spills down to the old lotteries affair, they’d have to.
‘..Another issue which is being raised is whether vans belonging to the hawkers would be positioned near the stalls.
One of the proposals is that hawkers park their vans near the stalls for a short period until they unload their merchandise but then would have to find a parking slot elsewhere unless a specific parking area – close to where the stalls would be set up – is identified…’
The utter chaos. What we’re up against is a Labour government with no clue how to go about things once elected. Nothing new there.
Toni Montana.
Our dear Jason is clutching at straws. He is trying to hide his involvement in the market vote-catching drama where both parties promised Ordnance Street to the hawkers. Smacks of panic knee jerk reactions, which only go to show that there is more than meets the eye.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150209/local/discarded-market-stalls-cost-976.555476
Alla jbierek.
The Nationalists have to release themselves from the shackles of village politics.
Bir-rispett kollu the location of 5 dozen monti stalls, however hideous, is not the stuff of parliamentary debate, solemn declarations, and press releases.
See the big picture and let the villagers bash each other up over the rest.
It must be difficult for them to resist, knowing their disadvantageous position; and I understand them wanting to remind us all that they’re still around. But they need to raise the level of discussion – to see the big picture and sort the wheat from the chaff.
Besides, anyone with brains worth appealing todoesn’t need a politician to tell him/her that the “designs” are nothing but a hamallagni of the first order.
I completely and utterly disagree with you, Chico. The PN’s main failing – throughout the 25 years from 27 it was in power – was precisely its pathological inability to see the detail, even though it could see the bigger picture.
This is why its VAT law was basically good, but in detail had loopholes you could drive a bus through (and painters, mechanics etc etc etc did). Roll on 1996 and Alfred Sant wins the “VAT Election”
This is why its power station was basically good too and yet the PN was unseated because they couldn’t work out how the end-using individual felt. There are dozens more examples.
The sooner the PN start seeing the details – and relentlessly pursue the disaffected – the sooner they’ll recover.
They were probably used to launch Konrad Mizzi.
Quite frankly I’m not concerned about weapons, deactivated or otherwise, held by bona fide, law abiding citizens who have to jump through several hoops to obtain and keep them.
Of much greater concern to me are weapons in the hands of those authorised to carry them yet displaying none of the maturity required to do so – as demonstrated recently by Paul Sheehan.
It was a Nationalist administration which updated the Arms Act of 2005 (an admirable piece of legislation), so it is regrettable to see one of our MPs whipping up panic over what is a non-issue.
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/49436/reduce_fuel_prices_now_shadow_minister_tells_government#.VNkLs-bF9mM
‘….Muscat accused the Opposition of “shortsightedness” and lack of understanding of energy policies. He said that when the opposition tabled its motion, the international price of oil was $48 a barrel. The following day, when the price fell to $44 a barrel, the PN once again issued a statement calling on the government to decrease prices.
“In less than 24 hours, the price suddenly spike by 8%. If we had to follow the PN’s argument, consumers would have ended up paying 23% more.”
He quipped that the Opposition leader – who was not present in the House during the Prime Minister’s delivery – was “extremely unlucky” that the international price spiked upwards at the same time the PN tabled its motion….’
Well, when the price plummets to an average half for over a year, calling the Opposition unlucky comes across a bit rich.
But our PM’s humour takes some getting used to. Marlene Farrugia however, cannot. Must be she can’t gauge Muscat’s smirks either.
‘…Marlene Farrugia said that while stability had to be assured, the consumers must benefit from cheaper prices which reflected agreements reached. She called on MPs to work on the “deficit the political class” was suffering as the public was doubting the politicians’ work…’
Indeed, what is she waiting for, Muscat’s umpteenth snide take on the Opposition?
Now that Konrad Mizzi admitted to cash flow problems in fuel procurement leaving the consumer to bear the brunt, perhaps she’ll walk the talk.
And how does that happen, how does Labour manage to screw fuel costs at their lowest in a decade?