House Speaker Bambang Soesatyo has called on the government to provide protection from bullets for lawmakers after two bullets hit an office tower at the House of Parliament (DPR) building on Monday, which the police have ruled to have strayed from a nearby shooting range.
Specifically, Bambang said he wants the office tower — which is situated some 400 yards away from the shooting range — to have bulletproof windows. But he specified that he doesn’t want all of the windows in the tower replaced, rather just coat them with bulletproof film to save costs.
“Whether it’s necessary to install bulletproof window film, especially on windows facing the shooting range, that’s up to the government,” Bambang told reporters today, as quoted by CNN Indonesia.
“But it’s the responsibility of the state.”
Alternatively, numerous lawmakers have called on the shooting range — much of which is outdoor — to be relocated because not only is it situated dangerously close to the DPR complex, it’s also located right in the heart of the bustling Senayan subdistrict.
The Jakarta Provincial Government say that they may consider moving the shooting range as the land it occupies is up for zoning reevaluation this year.
After initially saying one person was responsible for the accidental shooting, the police now say they have arrested two suspects — both identified as civil servants working for the Transportation Ministry — on the grounds that they borrowed illegally modified guns and fired them on Monday despite not having a license. Both could face 20 years in prison each.
One of the stray bullets fired by one of the suspects pierced through the loose back of an employee’s hijab at the parliament tower, while another was said to be inches away from hitting a legislator while he was in his office.
Indonesia has strict gun control and firearm-related crimes are relatively rare in the country.
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