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Disarming the armed by means of amnesty

Mar 12, 2015 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
Seeing that my Guyana Eldorado is on the brink of a major change, come May 11, would the country further benefit from a grand overhaul in the form of a gun amnesty? With the dawn of each new day, comes the loss of another citizen at the hands of a gun-wielding perpetrator.
In my opinion, such an amnesty would serve a dual purpose, as it would hold both the Government and by extension the Police Force to higher standards thereby forcing them to embrace new paradigms, as the protection and security of the citizens remain always of prime concern.
In 1985, there was a gun amnesty of sorts, where Prime Minister Desmond Hoyte granted owners of illegal guns and ammunition until Oct. 31 to surrender their weapons without penalties, after which, new gun control laws, imposing severe punishment for arms violations would go into effect.
In 2002, the then Security Minister Ronald Gajraj ruminated on a concern raised by the Guyana Police Force about an increase in gun-related crimes. He further added that the Guyana Government, which is the current Government, was considering an amnesty for individuals who surrender illegal firearms, in an effort to curb the flow of guns from neighbouring South American countries.
On a cautionary note , at the selfsame time he added that while gun-related crimes was a major concern, he was in no position at the time to ascribe a time period for the effecting of such a venture, as he intended to look into previous responses to such situations. According to him, he had no intention of reinventing the wheel.
Then again a few years later, in 2007, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, when called upon to outline the Government’s programme to arrest drug trafficking and to bring in the many illegal weapons on the street, saw as a remedial measure the adoption of a more aggressive approach by the police in ascertaining the source of the supply. He further added that good intelligence was needed, such as procuring information from time to time as to where the guns were stashed which would help the trade of illegal weaponry.
A gun amnesty translated and effected may not mean that more weapons will be off the street, or a reduction in functional firepower, as it is a complex and multi-faceted problem, but at least it will be a start in taking some out of circulation, and sending a message that violence would not be tolerated.
Yes, please note that I did not make any inference to the payment of money for collection, for not only does it take the issue to another level, but is not the answer for in terms  of violence there is multi-causation, hence it is somewhat unfair to solely assess the impact of one leg of a multi-legged stool. There will be elements that don’t want to hand their guns in, but they can keep them until they are caught and have to face the court system.
While in other countries there may not have been a resounding success regarding buybacks and gun amnesty, it is certainly worth a try in Guyana.  The citizens should not be held hostage, with their basic human rights denied and have no fun because of the gun .Nothing ventured! Nothing gained!
Yvonne Sam

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