Delroy Chuck
IN AN ideal society, there would be no need to own, possess or use a firearm. Jamaica is far, very far, from being an ideal society. Gunmen, bad men, extortionists, and violent wrongdoers have overwhelmed the law-abiding citizens. Against that background, I proposed, in the parliamentary debate on the Firearms Act, for decent citizens to have easier access to legal firearms. Perhaps, we can learn from Switzerland, a country with one of the lowest crime rates in the world what their policy on firearm control is.
While I do not support the right to bear arms, we need a more liberal licensing policy that allows citizens the privilege and eligibility to a firearm's licence. I did not say we should put a gun in everybody's hand, as some deranged minds have alleged. The burden should be on the relevant authority to show, once the citizen satisfies a defined set of objective criteria, why he or she should not have a gun. What should these criteria be? In Parliament, I reiterated the need for licenced holders to have training in the use of firearms, in the care and handling of weapons, for character recommendation, psychological testing, be over the age of 25, have no criminal record, etc.
FACE REALITY
It is time we faced the reality that the present firearm licensing policies deny a gun to the average citizen while every bad boy has access to one. We should understand, whether we like it or not, that guns are plentiful in the underworld, and after 35 or more years of well-intentioned policies to control guns, we have simply failed.
I remain convinced that we will never succeed in disarming the outlaws, the violent young men, and the criminal-minded, who prey on the rest of society. No amount of laws, suppression of crime legislation, and cordon and curfew searches will relieve the underworld of its cache of arms. For one reason or another, the violent young man in the inner cities feels the gun is his path to power and, sadly, until he has an alternative path, will not give it up.
In the inner cities, dons and gangs control turf through their access to illegal guns and their ability to terrorise and subdue the whole community. Often-times, when they fire a volley of shots, it is not to shoot and kill anyone but usually to frighten and create fear throughout the community. Gangs want to demonstrate that they have greater firepower and do so, like ferocious dogs barking aimlessly, by firing their guns. The dons have power over their members by taking control of every gun. In truth, the fight for and over illegal guns contributes significantly to the escalating murder rate. Is it not clear that illegal guns are readily available, in spite of the laws and harsh penalties against them?
Why, then, do we deny decent, law-abiding folks the right to have one? Against the odds, the society has to fight back and cannot do so with bare hands. When criminals attack us, what do we do? Should we not have the means to protect and defend ourselves? And, in our homes and businesses, what better protection is there than to have a gun to keep the criminals at bay, at least until the security force or other assistance arrives? I do not deny that guns are dangerous, misused and mishandled to the detriment of life and limb. However, I find it quite asinine that while my detractors and moralising commentators see no problem with security guards and policemen carrying and using guns, they would deny one to most citizens?
SECURE AND PROTECT
In a violence-prone society, everyone should have the best means of protection. Citizens have a constitutional right and, I would add, a civil duty, to self-defence and it is only possible if they have the best available resources. To be sure, it is the security forces that should secure and protect the citizens from the marauding criminals but that is not happening and, quite frankly, it is just not possible to have a policeman at every gate or at each person's elbow.
In Switzerland, where virtually every household has a gun, the people feel safe and there is no issue of gun control. In Jamaica, the state cannot protect us but wants to enforce strict gun control. In safe and secure communities around the world, crime is low and the criminals keep out, as citizens have licensed firearms to fight fire with fire.
Delroy Chuck is an attorney-at-law and Opposition Member of Parliament. He can be contacted by email at Delchuck@hotmail.Com.
