Govt’s Efforts to Stem Illicit Gun Flow Bearing Fruit

The call by Prime Minister, the Most. Hon. Andrew Holness, for more to be done to stem the flow of illicit firearms into Jamaica and the wider region is getting support from the United States (US) Government.

At the US-Caribbean Leaders Meeting in The Bahamas recently, Vice President, Kamala Harris, announced that the US Department of Justice will be appointing a Coordinator for Caribbean Firearms Prosecution.

The Coordinator will help maximise the sharing of firearms information among countries, to support the prosecution of illicit traffickers.

This effort will be aided by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which President Biden signed last year and includes new federal criminal offences for firearms trafficking and straw purchases.

“Too many people in our countries are dying from gun violence. I will reiterate that our Administration is committed to disrupt gun trafficking. We are committed to interdict shipments of arms and ammunition and hold traffickers accountable,” Vice President Harris said.

The move comes as Prime Minister Holness continues to push developed countries, particularly the US, to take greater steps to curtail the transhipment of illegal weapons, which end up in developing nations such as Jamaica.

Addressing the 77th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on September 22, 2022, Mr. Holness noted that the influx of illegal and unregistered small arms into Latin America and the Caribbean has worsened the crime situation in those countries.

“From organised transnational criminal enterprises to street-level gangs, to the misguided youth in the inner cities, the availability of guns is driving an ever-increasing homicide rate. In the same way that a war on drugs is being prosecuted, in which we have been faithful partners in policing what comes through our waters or leaves our shores, there now needs to be a war on guns,” Mr. Holness said.

He pointed out that “Jamaica does not manufacture guns, but our population suffers from the effects of widely available guns”.

“The countries that manufacture weapons that are available to the public must implement stronger measures to ensure that those weapons do not end up on the streets and in the hands of people for whom they were not intended,” the Prime Minister emphasised.

He added, “In the same way there is concern about illegal drugs on the streets of the rich countries, there must be concern about guns on the streets of developing countries, like Jamaica.”

Prime Minister Holness took his appeal to Washington DC on December 8, 2022, calling on the assistance of the US Government in identifying and prosecuting individuals who fund criminal operations in Jamaica.

“We intend to use the relationship to try and tackle a part of the problem… and that is the Jamaicans who have migrated to the United States and use the cover of their residence [in the US] to influence, solicit and fund crime in Jamaica,” he said at a meeting with senior US Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials and other stakeholders.

Mr. Holness pointed out that 90 per cent of the guns in Jamaica are from the US, noting that the country is challenged to treat with this influx of weapons.

“We were assured that the United States is taking even greater steps to deal with the problem of illegal export of firearms, and we are pleased to note the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which creates a legal framework to interdict and prosecute persons illegally exporting guns from the United States,” he said.

He urged that Jamaican traffickers and guns destined for Jamaica be given priority attention under this new Act.

The Prime Minister strengthened his call for international partners to help the Caribbean in the fight against the influx of arms and ammunition, at a regional crime symposium in Trinidad and Tobago on April 17.

He pointed out that regional countries have been forced to divert their resources to address the scourge of illegal firearms.

He said that the level of crime and violence wrought through the use of these weapons has the potential to threaten democracy in many of these countries.

Also coming out of the US-Caribbean Leaders Meeting in The Bahamas was a $35-million commitment from the US Government to support clean energy and disaster response in the region.

Of the sum, US$20 million will go towards the Caribbean Climate Investment Programme to incentivise private-sector partnership across the region to develop more clean-energy technologies and energy-storage systems.

The remaining US$15 million investment is to support emergency response efforts and strengthen the capacity of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).

The Department of State is also supporting the recently established regional Crime Gun Intelligence Unit (CGIU) in Trinidad and Tobago, which facilitates collaboration and cooperation among regional and international law-enforcement agencies.