Stringent Gun Control Needed

There has been enough evidence that there are illegal firearms in Anguilla and that they are being used to spread fear and violence on the island especially among rival gangs. The bad thing about this violent behaviour is that innocent persons can be caught in the crossfire and suffer harm at no fault of their own.

In the past two or so years two persons were shot to death, matters that are still under police investigation. Since then there have been other shootings causing injuries to a number of people, the most recent being during the Summer Festival.

It is a downright shame and disgrace that such a highly-publicised and costly cultural and tourism event should be tarnished by the callous acts of hoodlums who show little or no regard for the good name of Anguilla, law and order and their own already checkered reputation. What is alarming is that many of the youngsters involved are children of school age who should be under the control of their parents.

The police cells were crowded in the past several days with many youngsters detained for disturbances of the Queen Show and Last Lap, two of the events that had to be stopped by the police. It is a matter to note that there were fighting and guns involved in the incidents. To add to the unhappy state of affairs, a robber, attempting to raid a gas station on the Blowing Point Road, at close of business, shot and wounded a security guard - the bullet striking him in the lower jaw. A few weeks prior to that, a supermarket in the George Hill area was robbed at gunpoint. Earlier in the year, for some unknown reason, someone maliciously fired on The Anguillian Newspaper Office in the early morning hours.

Enough is enough. It is either that the authorities in Anguilla act now and decisively or lose the fight against gun crime in the long run. There have been repeated amnesties offered by the police requesting persons to turn in their illegal firearms with no questions asked of them and no legal action taken against them. The police may have well appealed to the rocks not to allow themselves to be thrown at persons. No one complied. In fact, persons were found with guns either in public or at their homes.

A slap on the wrist is not enough to deal with potential violent people carrying around dangerous guns. The public is crying out for tougher action; for stiffer penalties; for bigger fines; for longer jail sentences; and for punishment that would really be a deterrent to would-be gun-totters and offenders. If there can be regular amendments to other laws that govern various matters of state to provide greater effectiveness and protectiveness, there should be the same spirit to give more teeth to gun legislation. How about 25 years in jail for the illegal possession of a firearm and committing an offence, other than murder, for a start? Perhaps only draconian gun laws will be a deterrent.