Girl’s death triggers gun debate
The Philippine Star
January 4, 2013

MANILA, Philippines – The death of a girl hit by celebratory gunfire on New Year’s Eve sparked calls yesterday for stricter gun controls in the country, where unlicensed weapons are widely blamed for rampant violence.

Stephanie Nicole Ella, aged seven, died Wednesday from a gunshot wound to the head, triggering outrage and condemnation of poor law enforcement that allows hundreds of thousands of unregistered firearms to be on the streets.

“This incident should not be allowed to become just another statistic,” Vice President Jejomar Binay said in a statement.

“We have enough laws to penalize but the problem has always been in the enforcement of laws,” he stressed, as he challenged the police to catch the person responsible for Nicole’s death.

Nicole and her father were watching a fireworks display outside their home in Caloocan on New Year’s Eve when a bullet, apparently fired from celebratory gunfire, struck her.

Nicole was the second young victim to die from stray bullets in New Year’s Eve celebrations, when gun owners traditionally fire bullets into the air or explode powerful firecrackers to make noise.

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