Latest update March 28th, 2024 12:59 AM
Nov 20, 2016 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom
The President may be right, but for the wrong reasons. Less guns in society, whether legal or illegal, should lead, at least theoretically, to less crime. Theoretically!
The President believes that there is a need to reduce the number of both legal and illegal weapons in the society. The President’s view is controversial and is not shared by everyone.
Such a position may be informed by the belief that the PPPC distributed guns to its supporters, some of whom the opposition felt may have had criminal inclinations. As such, a process of recalling legally issued guns may be a means of ensuring that those individuals are disarmed. This may be the thinking within the APNU+AFC and may be responsible for the belief that there is a need to reassess all those applications which were approved under the PPPC.
It is an unfortunate position, because there quite simply is not the empirical evidence that large numbers of legal weapons have been used in crimes. If there is no evidence that legal guns are used in crimes, then it means that an important basis for reducing or recalling licenced firearms does not exist.
The case for reducing the number of firearms in the country still however exists. There is a strong body of belief which states that the total number of private firearms, whether legal or illegal, should not be more than what the police has in its arsenal. In other words, the police should have a monopoly on the use of firearms.
This theory is contestable. But particularly in plural democratic societies, it is given a great deal of traction, because no one wants too many weapons in private hands. In a divided country like Guyana, if the majority group in society is legally armed, it will engender fear among minorities. It is the same thing if a significant minority is armed, it will create a security dilemma among the majority grouping.
The downside to disarming legal firearm holders is that it creates an imbalance. The criminals will end up having more firepower than private citizens and private citizens are left helpless in such circumstances.
This brings us right back to the position which is being espoused by the government. The government wants to see less firearms in the country. But this is only a feasible position if there is an effective law enforcement regime. Guyana does not have such a law enforcement regime.
What it therefore means is that if the government begins to recall more licenced guns, without at the same time reducing a similar or higher number of number of illegal guns, then the criminals have more weapons and the citizens are left helpless.
The government should therefore only move to reduce the number of firearms when the police get a grip on armed criminality in society. The less guns there are, the better it will be for all concerned. The necessity of private persons having to own firearms is reduced when armed crime is under control. It is not under control and it is therefore a dangerous exercise for the government to be indicating that there are too many licenced firearms out there.
The government had an amnesty for guns earlier this year and it did not work out. Most of the persons who gave up their weapons were Amerindians who had used their weapons for hunting. The criminals still kept their weapons.
It is more than likely that some legal guns got into the wrong hands because of the PPP’s method of arming citizens. A mass recall of these weapons will only create further insecurity in the country.
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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