The proliferation of firearms and related incidents continues to be a major concern on the entire island. While authorities are trying hard to get weapons off the streets, at times it probably feels like carrying water to the proverbial sea.
The same may be said for scooters found not in compliance, of which a bunch were recently destroyed by the Police Force of St. Maarten KPSM. No matter how many suspect motorbikes they seize, more seem to appear on the road.
However, giving up is obviously never an option, because in both cases lives are at stake. When it comes to gun violence not only literally but also in a figurative sense due to potential negative effects on the local tourism economy. Criminals involved in such activities put at risk the livelihood of practically the whole population.
Targeted controls including searches without probable cause where needed should proceed unabated. Coordinating these between the Dutch and French sides helps reduce chances for culprits to escape detection across the open border.
Unfortunately, gun amnesty programmes held in the past did not produce much, as mostly otherwise law-abiding citizens surrendered their illicit weapons, not delinquents. The question remains what else can be done.
Curaçao (see Monday newspaper) plans to amend its firearms ordinances to better deal with the issue. Proposed changes reportedly include increasing the fine for illegal possession to a maximum 25,000 Netherlands Antillean guilders and the prison term to eight years.
How especially the latter will work in practice remains to be seen, as sentencing guidelines are stipulated in the Penal Code, but the intention is clear. People lacking a licence simply should not be able to carry guns in public and get away with merely a slap on the wrist.
