The recent murderous attack on a foreign exchange house in Brasov has shocked the public and started a ferocious debate in mass-media. So far, however, the debate has resulted in virtually no conclusion on how such events could be prevented from occurring again in the future. As a matter of fact, the attack reflects a huge failure of state institutions: prosecution system, courts, penitentiaries and police departments. Unfortunately the debate has remained trapped in the discussion about how to make these... services more efficient.

I think it is time to bypass this stage and approach the problem of security provision from a comparative institutional perspective. Since the state is a bad supplier of everything (from orange juice to communication services), privatization leads to an increase in the quantity and quality of products offered to consumers. We can expect the same results would be achieved through the privatization of security, the central pillar of which is the reform of property rights in firearms ownership - in a few words, legalizing gun possession.