Nigeria Gets It

More should get it:

Zamfara in northwest Nigeria is encouraging its residents, especially farmers, to apply for licenses that will allow them to carry guns and other weapons, for self-defense against worsening insecurity in the state.

The state’s plan is to start with 500 gun licenses in each of the state’s 19 emirates, to be issued by the police. That means nearly 10,000 guns will soon be in private hands in the state but it is not clear what the criteria for issuing licenses are, including what kinds of guns are permissible.

The move seems to be because local alternatives to formal state security outfits—the Nigeria Police, and Army, both seemingly stretched for resources—are also under attack. For example, in April, a gang killed seven members of a vigilante group that provides some security in Mada community.