Govt. to Strengthen Co-Operation with US to Curb Flow of Guns

The Government intends to renew its efforts to strengthen bilateral co-operation with the United States, with a view to addressing the flow of illegal guns from that country to Jamaica, Prime Minister, the Hon. Bruce Golding, has announced.
Mr. Golding, who was making his contribution to the 2010/11 Budget Debate in the House, today (April 20), pointed out that the inflow of guns into Jamaica facilitates most of the murders that are committed here.
He declared that the effort to stop the flow of guns from the United States, will be done “with the same vigour that we seek to apply to the flow of illegal drugs from Jamaica to the US.”
“The security forces recover, on average, 600 guns each year. We suspect that a greater number enter the island each year, creating an ever increasing arsenal of illegal weapons snuffing out lives with callous brutality,” Mr. Golding said.
The Prime Minister noted that the overwhelming majority of guns coming into the island are manufactured in the US, adding that a resolution before the United Nations for an international convention to restrict the illegal trafficking in small arms, is still the subject of negotiations.