22 Sep 2015

Samoan Editor says not enough education on gun safety

10:19 am on 22 September 2015

The editor of the Samoa Observer newspaper says there's not enough education on gun safety in the country.

Samoa Police

Photo: AFP

Police are investigating an incident in which an unregistered gun was used in the apparently accidental killing of a 9-year-old boy.

Mata'afa Keni Lesa says he suspects there are many people in Samoa who do not meet the legal requirements of gun ownership or knowledge of safety.

Mata'afa says only farmers with plantations can legally own guns.

"You know, of course in Samoa because we've all got large amounts of lands, anybody can claim that they've got a farm. So therefore, they can have a gun. You know just about every family who claims to have a plantation will have a gun. And a lot of those people don't understand about proper gun safety."