Editorial | More firepower

Significant weapons and ammunition seizures at the island’s ports in recent days suggest that the criminal underworld is escalating efforts to acquire more firepower, in an environment where more than 1,000 people have already been killed by the gun this year.

The news that a Jamaican living in Florida was held at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay with two dozen firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in his luggage was barely digested, before the country learned days later that 40 pistols and a rifle were disguised in barrels labelled as groceries and clothing and detected at the wharf in Kingston.

With an alarming homicide rate of 53.3 per 100,000, Jamaica notes the efforts of a coalition of 12 attorneys general led by New York’s Letitia James, to get new legislation passed and measures introduced to staunch the flow of weapons from the US to the island. It is estimated by law enforcement that these weapons which are getting more sophisticated are trafficked at the rate of 200 per month.

The Caribbean Arms Trafficking Causes Harm Act, known as the CATCH Act, was introduced in a bill in the US Congress in March with the aim of reducing the smuggling of illicit arms from the north to nations in the Caribbean by improving transparency and accountability of anti-trafficking efforts.

In their letter to Congress, the AG’s recommended improvement in the resources for US port inspectors to enable more thorough inspections and to allocate greater funds to the Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for agents to inspect federal firearms licensees who are said to be responsible for a significant number of the firearms that are traced after crimes were committed in the region. The letter noted that gun trafficking from the US contributed to violence in Caribbean countries where many New Yorkers and Americans have families.

MORE INFORMATION

The coalition submitted that passing the CATCH Act would provide state and federal governments with more information about gun trafficking into the Caribbean and would help determine which anti-trafficking methods could best reduce gun violence.

In making the case on behalf of the Caribbean, James said, “American-made guns are flowing into Caribbean nations and communities and are fuelling violence, chaos and senseless tragedies throughout the region.”

She continued, “We have a responsibility to address this crisis and this is why I am calling on Congress to take action to stop gun trafficking into Caribbean countries.”

Who stands to gain from a surge in trafficking guns to Jamaica? We imagine that this illicit activity is lucrative for the manufacturers and puts big bucks into the pockets of smugglers. The gangs will also be better armed to do what they do best: kill, maim and create mayhem to achieve their ultimate aim of destabilising our communities. Note, it is the same deadly gun trade which is being blamed for the collapse of Haitian society.

Many people may recall that in 1980 when there were fewer gangs and fewer guns, Jamaica had its bloodiest elections with an estimated 800 people slain in election-related violence.

We are entering another election cycle in 2025 and this surge in fire power may be an indication of what is being planned for the future. The truth is that enhanced security in countries like Jamaica and Haiti also benefits the United States and the converse is also true.

We believe citizens of goodwill who want to see Jamaica return to its peaceful ways will feel obliged to help law enforcement in a variety of ways to keep deadly weapons off the nation’s streets. The growing number of guns arriving on our doorsteps is unwelcome and a worrying development.