Orville Taylor | Not about gun rights; it’s a life and debt matter

The United States Constitution reads, “A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed”. Celebrating its anniversary a week from today, it is a mark of national pride.

For the last few elections, this has been a main point for candidates, including the presidents. All Americans have the alienable right to carry firearms. What an awesome privilege, and pardon my ignorance, but I am not sure if there is any other democracy with such a deeply entrenched right. However, reprising the words of Winston Wallace, who wrote two of Eric Donaldson’s festival songs, “This is Jamaica, my Jamaica.” Different strokes apply here.

A right, which was established in the 1700s in the fledgling nation, might have had its place, given the constant threats to the budding democracy. After all, England was still a sore loser, being ‘butt-whipped’ in the War of Independence, Spain had not completely relinquished its interest in the region, and even the French had their sights on other parts of the Americas. Therefore, it really did make some sense that the country should be capable of arming all of its citizens so that they could repel any kind of external threat.

But that was then. In any event, even if it is considered to be important for American people, it is not a right that translates itself into the Jamaican, or any other, reality for that matter. Rights, unless they are universal human rights, do not cross international borders. Thus, freedom of worship, for example, could find a Bible-toting evangelist spending quality time with a rainbow-clad gender activist who believes that the Middle East is romping ground for free shopping as their native US or UK.

ARRESTED WITH FIREARMS

Two Fridays ago, a man with a Jamaican passport, but presumably living in the US, was arrested at the Sangster International Airport, Montego Bay, with 24 firearms, several of which were dismantled and at least 200 rounds of ammunition. It is not known which war he is preparing for. But the incident made me do the past tense of fight.

Some of the firearms and ammunition were modestly concealed. However, there was a number of them that required very little imagination in order to be detected. Imagine a suitcase marked ‘highland tactical’ with multiple firearm parts. That label is as clear a giveaway as a box of cereal labelled ‘extra crunchy’. Other things found in the possession of the individual led to a former police officer concluding: “This is not your regular gun bust. There is a certain level of sophistication about this, and if these weapons were destined for the criminal underground, as it is suspected, it is clear that we have criminals out there with more than a passing knowledge about firearms.”

One shudders to think that he might just be a ‘fish from the water bottom’ telling us that there are sharks in it.

This John Doe being caught is not the big issue. Congratulations to the vigilant members of our law enforcement and border-control teams. Our overwhelmed officers in immigration, the military, Customs and the constabulary are as nosy as a next door neighbour and will dig like chiggers, in creases and crevices yet untouched by the sun’s rays. Yet, the point is that there is no way on God’s Earth that this person should have been able to leave from the USA with even a photograph of the guns in his possession. Perhaps he is a ‘plant’ and no, I do not mean flora versus fauna. Rather, the Americans let him loose like the ‘Judas goat’, an animal specifically tasked to lead herding flocks of sheep, cattle, or other goats to slaughter while, of course, he is spared.

If not, then we should be shifting in our pants amid the cacophony surrounding the find.

Even in cases where legal Jamaican firearm holders inadvertently leave a single round or a magazine in their luggage, they get caught by security personnel in the departure process. Clearly, the US did not do its diligence here. Indeed, in Jamaica, or Mexico, a person who owns so many guns would have so many flags he would look like the UN.

DEBT OF RESPONSIBILITY

America has a debt of responsibility here. Rights cannot be exercised with impunity. Every single right has a corresponding obligation because in exercising the rights, one must not trample on those of others and certainly never run counter to the national or public interest. It might not yet have occurred to the American authorities, but when the freedom to bear arms, or to have firearms not being tightly regulated in the US, with little major consequences for others, including other countries, then somebody has to become more responsible and act decisively.

This is not an attempt to tell Americans that they should amend their Constitution. Absolutely not. It is a sovereign nation and like Jamaica, should not like foreigners butting into its business except insofar as it has an impact on those other nations directly.

The data do not look very good as regards the consequence of firearm use in America and other nations very friendly with it. The US has 46 of the world’s privately owned firearms. Most of global gun homicides are by American weapons in the US and Mexico, The Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, El Salvador, Honduras, Venezuela, Brazil, and, of course, Jamaica.

Just over a year ago, the government of Mexico took legal action against several gun manufacturers over their contribution to the high incidence of violence and homicides in the country. Though dismissed for six of the eight manufacturers for the other two companies, the matter is still being pursued. Still, that is a civil matter.

Someone in the incoming administration in the US has to get bold and hold the manufacturers and distributors more tightly because Americans do travel outside of the US too.

Dr Orville Taylor is senior lecturer at the Department of Sociology at The University of the West Indies, a radio talk-show host, and author of ‘Broken Promises, Hearts and Pockets’. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and tayloronblackline@hotmail.com.