On Changing your Life

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Did you, or have you ever considered carrying a gun in case you are somehow the victim of an angry mob? I mean, if they are not the party directly wronged, do they still want to risk their lives to get somebody?

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No, I mean you'd need to carry an AK47 to have any effect. Ugandans are the nicest people, but get them in a mob and it's trouble. An example;

A thief was apprehended in the center of Kampala. This just means that somebody grabbed someone else and started screaming thief. He might have been a thief, he might not have been. Anyway, instant mob forms to partake in the ritual beating to death of said thief. This is right in front of the main post office on the main street. Two uniformed policemen happen to be there and go to rescue the thief from the mob. I've seen a mob in action. They aren't angry as they kill some guy, they're usually laughing and having a great time.

The mob is not happy that their fun is about to be taken away. The mob turns on the two policemen. The two cops are in serious trouble. They take the only option available to them - they start shooting with their AK47's. The final balance is something like ten dead and a bunch wounded. There were so many killed because the cops had to keep shooting to save their lives. The mob wouldn't stop even when bullets were flying. The next days newspaper had a tally of the dead with photo's. There was a lawyer, an architect, a local businessman, an off-duty cop, women, children, you name it. The newspaper was calling for the heads of the cops for killing these 'fine', innocent, upstanding citizens.

So really, carrying a gun was not an option. I much preferred to rely on my wits to get through these situations. Safer in the long run.