Editorial | Jamaica’s gun problem

Chloe Brown. Imani Green. Christina McFarlane. Mishane McFarlane. Let us never forget their names. These are some of the children whose lives have been cut short by a bullet from a gun.

Pervasive gun violence represents a grim tide that has been washing over many Jamaican villages and communities, and it shows no sign of ebbing.

Some social scientists say poverty is a direct vehicle to gun violence because many unemployed youngsters figure they could turn around their lives, “if they only had a gun”. The evidence is clear – acquiring a gun is not an unattainable goal, and if one cannot afford to buy a gun, apparently one can be rented quite easily. There is anecdotal evidence that the same firearm has figured in multiple crimes. No one’s life can be taken away with violence, this needs to be stressed.

There are an estimated 45,000 legal firearms in Jamaica. Police surmise that there are more illegal weapons on the streets. Global statistics indicate that roughly 32 per cent of homicides are committed by the gun. In Jamaica, that figure rises dramatically to 80 per cent.

The gun culture has penetrated obscure places like Freeman’s Hall, Trelawny; Mount Ogle and Sterling Castle in St Andrew; Tryall Heights, St Catherine; Steer Town, St Ann; Roaring River, Westmoreland and New Bowens, Clarendon. A picture emerges of illegal guns being available in every nook and cranny of this country sends ripples through the hearts of law-abiding citizens.

GRIM REALITY

The grim reality is that even more guns are coming. Not even a pandemic has slowed the flow of illegal weapons and ammunition into the island. The police estimate that as many as 200 illegal guns land on our shores each month.

As if to bear out these estimates, last week, law enforcement intercepted nine weapons and ammunition at the Montego Bay wharf. Illegal weapons have been filtering through the Montego Bay port with alarming regularity. Thankfully, there have been other interceptions in 2019 and 2018, which would have helped to blunt the effectiveness of the criminal network to distribute weapons.

It is a huge puzzle that a barrel containing 19 firearms could be loaded onto a ship without its contents being detected. But it happens. Airline passengers not only have their luggage scanned but often luggage is opened and inspected. The Transportation Security Administration usually leaves a notice in the luggage to alert the passenger. Yet barrels with illicit cargo slip through to arrive at their intended destination undisturbed.

In light of the latest confiscation of weapons, Montego Bay businessman Mark Kerr-Jarrett, who heads the crime portfolio on behalf of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has called for the gun smugglers to be named and prosecuted. He also called on citizens to help the police in their investigations.

Frankly, the time for expressing outrage and hand-wringing is long past. We recognise that there is no easy solution to this complex problem. Are we willing to accept that gun violence is unavoidable? Do we think that a four-year-child deserves to be shot in her stomach because her father has a quarrel with someone? Do we believe people are shot because they are involved in something?

Our Government must design a fresh approach. It may mean establishing a task force of experts to come up with workable solutions that will slow the flow of guns from legal foreign sources to illegal sources here. Let’s publicly name and shame the smugglers and put them behind bars. But above all, if you know something, tell it to the authorities. This is an urgent problem because guns are now being introduced into every conflict – family, community and workplace. Where will it end?