The government should stop issuing firearms to untrained enforcement officers, apart from the police and armed forces, said Penang DAP chairperson Chow Kon Yeow.

The Tanjung parliamentarian added that the government should review its firearm policy since overzealous untrained officers could misuse their weapons and pose a threat to the public.

He said this when commenting on last Thursday's incident in Penang, where a Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Department officer shot a teenage VCD peddler during an anti-piracy raid.

Yeoh Yew Jin, 19, who is in critical condition, is now being warded at the Penang Adventist hospital.

Yesterday, lawyer Jagdeep Singh Deo filed a lawsuit on his behalf at the Penang High Court against the officer and the government.

Yeoh is claiming RM10,000 for special damages and other unspecified amounts for general, aggravated and exemplary damages.

'Wrongful shooting'

The lawyer claimed that Mohd Zabidi Hassan, 48, committed a "wrongful shooting" when he fired his gun at point blank range at his client during the 9.15pm raid at a roadside VCD stall.

The bullet protruded Yeoh's chest and hit Chow Heng Khow, 52, who was having dinner with his family at a restaurant nearby. He is also being treated at the Adventist Hospital and is reported to be in stable condition.

Mohd Zabidi had also fired another shot, which narrowly missed a noodle seller and hit the wall of a nearby restaurant.

The enforcement officer claimed that he discharged his weapon in self-defence when Yeoh and his friends tried to attack him with a baseball bat. However, police have yet to find the bat.

Previously, Mohd Zabidi was in the spotlight when he allegedly pointed his gun at a watch dealer and group of shoppers during a raid. This was also attributed to self-defence.

Last resort

DAP's Chow pinned the blame on the government's firearms policy for the incident.

"The government should limit its issuance of guns to only the armed forces and police because they had been trained professionally on usage of firearms, unlike officers from the trade department," he said.

Meanwhile, Jagdeep, who is also Penang DAP legal bureau chief, said the government should issue stun guns and batons to officers from other enforcement agencies.

"Guns are fatal and deadly. Users should be professionally trained so they know how to use them responsibly at the right place and time, and that too as the last resort to protect themselves from deadly attacks.

"At the same time, they will know to safeguard their firearm as if their life depended on it," he added.

ATHI VEERANGGAN is malaysiakini 's Penang-based stringer.