The Leader and Founder of United Renaissance Party (URP), Mr. Charles Kofi Wayo, has stated that when given the mandate in 2008 as President, he will legitimize the commercialization and industrialization of gun manufacture. Mr. Wayo, a well known dealer in guns and military hardware equipment, said commercialization or industrialization of guns cannot be criminalized under any circumstance because guns are sold primarily for defence. Justifying the need for commercialization of weapons, including guns, Mr. Wayo, who was one time NPP high-flyer but later joined the People's National Convention (PNC) before founding the URP, said the move will save the nation from spending colossal amounts of scarce foreign cash to purchase military weapons and guns from, other countries for the purpose of defence. The URP Leader, who disclosed this in an interview with Ghanaian Observer stressed that although his government will fashion out effective systems to strengthen the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) and the Ghana Police Service, Ghanaians need guns to defend themselves individually. Denying ever being a gun-runner, Mr. Wayo insisted: "Look, selling guns is business. They are sold for self defence. President Kufuor is using money to buy guns to defend this country, is it illegal? So I sell guns to countries to help them defend themselves," Wayo said. Mr. Wayo admitted that he has over the years, sold guns in commercial quantities to many African countries" with the exception of the war-torn ones on the continent, but with licences which permit" him to do such business. He however, said under his Presidency, stiffer laws will be attached to his industrialization and commercialization policy to ensure that guns never land in wrong hands for use by murderers and other criminals, including armed robbers. As to whether the Ghanaian society will be able to accommodate that policy of commercialization and industrialization of weapons, given the fact that the country is a peace-loving one, Mr. Wayo retorted that Ghanaians are not different from any other people in the world. He said "It will be accepted gradually by them because Ghanaians are not different from any other people ... And that will create job opportunities and a flourishing industry ... Ghanaians are as intelligent as any other people and capable of everything ..." He said the URP will do everything possible to adequately resource the Ghana Police Service and other security agencies to perform better services for the nation, if they get the mandate of the people. Source: Ghanaian Observer