Offer a gun amnesty then lock down the country

THE EDITOR: I am deeply heartened that we still enjoy freedom of speech in this country, so that I can express my opinion with respect to guns and drugs.

For an amnesty to be implemented for both at the same time would be too much of an arduous task for the relevant authorities. So for now I am only calling for an amnesty with respect to unlicensed firearms and ammunition (small guns, high-powered rifles and machine guns, to name a few).

An amnesty must be offered with a short cut-off date. It is clear that everyone will surrender their guns, but after that cut-off date has passed, lockdowns must be carried out all over the country, not only in crime-infected areas.

Whoever is caught with unlicensed guns should be held and tried quickly and incarcerated for 20 years or fined $100,000. Even if only caught on CCTV cameras, as long as people can be identified, the same should apply.

Where will these offenders be housed? Refurbish the Chacachacare facilities and put them there. Amend legislation if necessary and do this quickly. There must be no exceptions to the law and it must be stringent and implemented with alacrity.

The Commissioner of Police must be commended for his love for his job, and his love for the nation, as can be seen by his courageous performance. But he is only one man. The police who work with him are also to be commended, but let’s wake up to reality. There’s a country, not very far from here, where there is no crime. If anyone is caught with a gun, he/she must pay $25,000.

The Bible says that “by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil” (Proverbs 16:6B). This is sadly lacking in many areas in this land, and even a blind man can see that if men have no fear of God they would have fear of man.

GERTRUDE EDWARDS, Tacarigua