These pictures were taken when I got shot by an unidentified bullet in Guatemala city in July, 2012. I was walking on streets with a camera in my hand in the city. It was just another day in Guatemala. Suddenly, a bullet fell on my leg from the sky. I fell to the ground without seeing anyone shooting. I started to photography myself while being shocked and bleeding. This often happens in Guatemala and is called 'Bala Perdida' in Spanish. Its literal translation is 'Lost Bullet'. This incident made me aware of the gun control issue.
The accident I experienced in Guatemala is called 'Bala Perdida' in Spanish. Every local knows this expression. 'Bala' means 'bullet' and 'perdida', 'lost'. Whenever the locals saw me limping and asked me, "What happened?", I only had to say 'bala perdida'. Then, they immediately understood what happened. 'Bala Perdida' often happens in Guatemala, especially in Guatemala City which is the capital city of Guatemala. Almost every Guatemalan I met there told me that I was lucky because the bullet didn't fall on my head. Several months ago, a local lady was hanging clothes in the backyard at her house. A bullet fell on her head. That's was the end of her life.
I researched on the problems related to guns in Guatemala and reached a conclusion that the reason I got shot while walking on streets in Guatemala City during the daytime is because of the Guatemalan government's huge failure in controlling guns. In other words, in Guatemala, guns are usually not in the hands of good guys, but more in the hands of gangs in Guatemala city. In Guatemala, those who shoot guns are usually drunk, vengeful, or bad people involved in drug cartels or assassination groups. So, this is the way I came to have intimate knowledge on guns and start to be aware of the gun issue. I came back to America a month later. Five months after I got shot in Guatemala, I heard the news about the gun massacre that happened in Newtown, Connecticut. Immediately, my old fear came back and arose in me through my physical memories.
What's happening with guns in America, now? If you are supportive of the idea of keeping the status quo as to the gun issue, I urge you to give a serious thought to this current gun debate. If pro-gun logic keep winning, it will only turn this tragedy more into a bigger sport and business. The real problem of the pro-gun logic distracts people from the real cause of this vicious circle of gun massacres. The pro-gun activists teaches us that we have no problem even if guns fall into the hands of bad guys because good guys with guns will gun them down and that's how to protect innocent people. However, the truth is the opposite. The more guns we used to seeing and having, the more desensitized our minds become. Then, we will feel we need more guns in the society. More bad guys will have more guns. We will live in a more dangerous world. This is a structural problem. I hope my insight from my horrible experience can serve people as a warning. If gun control is executed in the right way, it will definitely bring to America less tragedies such as the Newtown gun massacre. Americans are no longer fighting the British army with guns for independence. At some point of american history, we must end this unique American game - a game of death. It's simply a right thing to do.