We have a problem – a serious problem.
The following announcement from the Public Relations Department of the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) early yesterday morning should cause no end of concern to law-abiding Barbadians.
It read in part: “An operation was carried out by members of the Anti-Gun Unit and supported by other units of the force in the early hours of Monday, August 25, 2014, at the Party Stand, Bridgetown, and the following were seized:
• Five handguns;
• Significant amount of illegal drugs;
• Camouflage clothing;
• Ski mask; and
• A number of scissors . . . .
A number of persons were detained for questioning in relation to this seizure. A number of juveniles were also detained in relation to their attendance at the fete.”
We don’t know how many patrons were at the Party Stand for this fete, but when police can confiscate five illegal guns at such an event, we really have to ask ourselves just how many more illegal firearms are floating around this island.
We also have to ask ourselves each time we board a bus or ZR van how many commuters in the group may be in possession of an illegal gun. When we walk Broad Street or Swan Street, we now have to keep our eyes on people as they walk by or lime on the sidewalk because there is a very strong possibility there may be some illegal guns around.
Our Acting Commissioner of Police, we believe, is the one who will have to determine if there is any merit in recommending to the Attorney General that some kind of gun amnesty be introduced, but we are not sure that the people who are in possession of these weapons will respond to such an approach.
What’s more important as far as we are concerned is attacking the kind of thinking that would cause our young people to feel the need to be in possession of such deadly implements when they venture out at night in search of entertainment. Is it that our young citizens feel so vulnerable that they believe they require this kind of firepower to protect themselves? Do they feel so threatened by Barbados of 2014?
We are concerned because the confiscation of five firearms at a single fete has to be a record for local law enforcement – and it must also say to the men and women of the RBPF that when they venture out at night, they now face an unprecedented risk to life and limb.
When a society is confronted with such an announcement, which parent can feel comfortable when his or her son or daughter leaves home at night to attend a fete? In our world where offence is so easily taken at even the most innocent of mistakes, this apparent easy acquisition of firearms can make for a most dangerous situation whenever young people congregate in significant numbers.
We are not dealing with a situation that only our police force has to address. It is a matter of national importance that calls for the resolve of all segments of our community. We cannot afford to surrender the relative peace of our country to people who seem not to understand the sacredness of life. Those of us who know where the guns are, even if they are in the possession of family members, must do the right thing to ensure they are rounded up and destroyed. It is our duty.
