In response to mounting pressure from a coalition of attorneys general, the United States is set to take further action to address the flow of illegal firearms into Jamaica and the Caribbean. Led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, the coalition is pushing for stronger legislation and increased resources to stop gun trafficking, which has been fuelling violent crime across the region. With over 200 illegal guns entering Jamaica each month, the coalition urges Congress to support ongoing anti-trafficking measures to aid Caribbean nations.

Trigger warning

US attorneys general want law to combat J’can gun trafficking epidemic, noting their country’s role

Jamaica Gleaner/1 Oct 2024/Kimone Francis/ Senior Staff Reporter

PRESSURE IS mounting on United States lawmakers to plug the flow of guns to Jamaica and several other countries after a coalition of more than a dozen attorneys general penned a letter stressing the local blowback and the devastating impact on families in the Caribbean.

The September 20 document was drafted by New York Attorney General Letitia James and signed by 13 of her colleagues from California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

James argued that this flow of guns from the United States to the Caribbean has devastating effects on the region, contributing to high homicide rates.

“For example, Jamaica has a homicide rate of 53.3 per 100,000, which is currently the highest rate of countries with reliable statistics, and the Jamaican security ministry estimates that at least 200 guns are trafficked from the US into the country each month,” James said.

“The influx of guns fuels violent crime and, among other things, enables drug smuggling networks to proliferate with consequences felt here in the United States. It is not an exaggeration to say that overdoses in American communities are made possible in part by the trafficking of firearms from the United States to the Caribbean,” she added.

James said the letter served to emphasise the importance of legislative measures to combat arms trafficking to the Caribbean, noting that in recent years, the number of guns smuggled from the United States to the region has surged.

Officials in the Caribbean estimate that roughly 90 per cent of guns used in murders were bought in the United States and smuggled to Caribbean, the attorney general said, singling out Haiti and Jamaica.

In 2023, some 344 firearms destined for the Caribbean and 224,438 rounds of ammunition were seized, according to data from the US Department of State.

Further, the country’s Department of Homeland Security launched Operation Hammerhead in September 2023, reviewing 211,061 Caribbean-bound exports.

A total of 1,924 were referred with some level of risk through a tiered system and eight firearms trafficking investigations were launched.

The operation yielded, 48 pistols, 10 rifles, 10 magazines, four revolvers, and 3,371 rounds of ammunition that were in/destined

for the Caribbean.

In the same year, the Jamaica Customs Agency reported the seizure of 91 firearms and 3,489 rounds of ammunition. Additionally, 211 firearms parts and accessories were seized at the nation’s sea and airports. The majority orginated in the United States.

Meanwhile, the Jamaica Constabulary Force reported that between January 1 and September 21 this year, there were 765 shootings across the island. Over the same period, there were 842 murders, the majority carried out with illegal guns.

For the corresponding period last year, there were 797 shootings and 1,013 murders.

More than 5,000 illegal guns have been seized across Jamaica since 2017. This included multiple guns shipments that were intercepted at the ports in Kingston and St James.

James argued that as violent crime increases in the Caribbean, a growing number of people will seek shelter in the United States.

“While we strongly believe that we must welcome those who flee violence and instability, we know that many refugees and asylum seekers wish that they could safely stay in their home countries and would do so but for fear of gun violence,” James said.

She said while the Caribbean Arms Trafficking Causes Harm (CATCH) Act was introduced in both houses of Congress earlier this year, it is not enough.

James said the act is a first step, and it would give both states and the federal government much-needed information about implementation of anti-trafficking measures with respect to the Caribbean.

“But more is needed. We therefore urge you to consider ways in which the US Government can do more to address this illicit flow,” she said.

The chief legal advisors want Congress to ensure that inspectors at US ports are given sufficient resources to inspect shipments being sent from the United States to countries in the Caribbean.

Additionally, they are calling for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to inspect federal firearms licensees that are responsible for a disproportionate number of firearms that are traced after having been used in crimes in countries in the Caribbean.

They also want Congress to request briefings from the United States Postal Service, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Justice about their ongoing efforts to interdict shipments of guns from the United States to countries in the Caribbean, with a focus on what additional resources and legal tools they need to accomplish the task.

“Each of our states has benefited from our close ties to our Caribbean neighbours. Addressing the outbound flow of guns from our country is a service to our constituents, many of whom have ties to family and loved ones in the Caribbean. We know that you share our commitment to ending gun violence here and in the Caribbean, and look forward to discussing this important matter with you,” the coalition, led by James, said.

 

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