Caretaker Justice Minister Lyndon Lewis issued a statement on the recent gun violence (see related story) in the country. He directly addressed the victims, general public as well as those involved.
The latter were urged to realise they are destroying not only their own lives but that of others, the community and the tourism economy. Regrettably, one gets the distinct impression that few of hem care.
While promising “prosecution to the full extent of the law,” confirming the need for “swift action” to resolve these cases and pledging support for authorities, the minister did not specifically mention – at least on this occasion – an important underlying factor: The apparent proliferation of firearms.
Unless there are unknown weapons factories on the island, these come from elsewhere. It is often said that with so many beaches, bays and inlets, monitoring the entire shoreline remains difficult, but despite the best efforts of Customs, border police and security, more guns, gun parts and ammunition than assumed may also still be passing through official gateways like the airport and harbour.
Particularly where it regards shipping containers, questions have been raised about the effectiveness of current controls based on the sheer volume alone. Investment in content scanners with a bigger capacity was suggested in several relevant reports over the years.
Mind you, stopping all firearms from illegally entering the territory probably won’t be possible. However, every such gun intercepted means one less in circulation.
