Editorial | What about traffickers?

In the first week of 2024, 20 illegal guns were seized by local police. It’s the kind of headline that gives reason to hope in the ability of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) to get the country out of the current security nightmare it faces.

But when one examines the statistics the story that emerges puts a face on crime that is totally disconcerting. Guns, including assault rifles, were found in Saint James, Clarendon, Saint Elizabeth, Saint and Kingston, and days later finds were reported in Manchester and Saint Catherine.

In the end, we wonder whether capturing 20 guns will make any dent in the flow of illegal guns?

The conclusion: Jamaica is a well-armed country. In any gathering of say 100 people, at least eight civilians are likely to be legally armed. Then there are the illegals holders among them. There are an estimated 60,000 licensed firearm-holders in the country and some of these weapons do get into the hands of criminals, mainly through robberies.

In the past, police sources have suggested that at least 200 guns are smuggled into the island each month. They reportedly arrive in cargo containers, barrels, through airports, in go-fast boats, fishing boats and yachts. There is no current update on these activities, yet despite statistical uncertainty, there is no indication that the JCF is even close to winning the battle against arms smuggling.

PUZZLING

The most puzzling thing about the Jamaican crime scene is that it is mainly end-users who are being caught. Under the new Firearms Prohibition Act introduced in 2022, a minimum 15 years to life has been prescribed for a person convicted of possessing an illegal gun. We take note of the fact that in the first case tried under the Act in February 2023, a St. Catherine man was given a mere four years and three-month sentence when he pleaded guilty to firearm possession. That, we submit is hardly a deterrent and we doubt whether onlookers would be persuaded to lay down arms if that is all the punishment they can expect for their crime.

“Throw away the gun, don’t throw away your life,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness urged young Jamaicans in his New Year’s message and hopefully some individuals may heed that exhortation.

However, the question on many people’s minds is where are these elusive traffickers and procurers? Smugglers are faceless persons who move legal guns and ammunition mainly from North America into illegal streams in Jamaican communities, where they create mayhem and grief. It is way beyond the time to unmask these merchants of death who make their living by enabling criminal enterprises.

We agree with Prime Minister Holness that more has to be done to change the risk-reward dynamic of crime in Jamaica. Social media commentators have suggested that the new firearms law will only push up the price of illegal guns and make the smugglers richer.

So what can be done to disrupt and dismantle this business and reduce the profits made by firearm traffickers? We believe it is necessary to show by example that Jamaica is serious about tackling arms smuggling. It begins with persons rejecting the gun culture and making a commitment to report any information they may have.

Persons who put a gun in the hands of violent criminals pose a national security threat to every Jamaican. It’s a war in which we should all be engaged.