Kamla: UNC government will bring 'Stand Your Ground' law

OPPOSITION Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar said if the UNC comes back into power, it will bring "Stand Your Ground" legislation to Parliament to combat home invasions and give the population a sense of security.

According to Wikipedia, stand your ground law, sometimes referred to as "line in the sand," or, "no duty to retreat" law – under American legal statutes – provides that people may use deadly force when they reasonably believe it necessary to defend against certain violent crimes.

Speaking at the UNC’s Monday Night Report in the Couva South constituency, Persad-Bissessar said the government seems oblivious to the growing problem. She outlined what a UNC Government would do to deal with the situation.

“We will bring legislation to Parliament to create a specific criminal offence of home invasion, which will involve increasing the sentences for larceny, burglary, serious assault, unlawful entry to your properties, whether it be your homes or businesses; and that you will be able to use force – they (criminals) come using force with guns, cutlasses, whatever it may be.

"So we propose the specific offence and we will create that offence with a penalty of 25 years in jail. We need to protect our homes against the barbarians at the gates.”

She noted that currently, the law says people should use reasonable force in defending their property.

“Man coming with gun in your face and you must do nothing?

"I propose we adopt the Stand Your Ground legal principle that allows a person to use force in self-defence without retreating. This principle is also called 'Castle Doctrine,' as in, 'your home is your castle,' and it states that individuals have the right to use force, including deadly force, to protect themselves and their families from intruders.

"This law will protect homeowners, occupiers of property, business owners, any property, this business will help. When the bandits use force, they can use deadly force against any intruder who unlawfully and forcible enters their residence.”

BLOWS FOR PMPersad-Bissessar said she did not see anything wrong with people being granted legal guns to protect themselves. “They’re protecting criminals, refusing to provide legal firearms to those who want it.

"What is wrong with that? Remember the businessman (Rishard Ali) recently he was granted the licence, but they never delivered it and he was killed – maybe he could have saved his life.”

She disparaged the PM for joining the anti-gun lobby being led by Mexico.

“He’s blaming US gun manufacturers, said they’re making guns which are contributing to the violence. What about cars? Don’t they kill people? Knives, Gramoxone?

"You see how ridiculous it is that you’re blaming the US when you can’t lock down your own borders, you can’t stop these things from coming in. That’s your job – what you want the US to do?

"Those same manufacturers will sell you guns for your police and protective services. It is totally ridiculous.

"I want to make it clear on behalf of the UNC, we don’t blame the US for the incompetence of Rowley for not stopping guns coming to TT.”

The Opposition Leader said the regional crime symposium on Monday and Tuesday was a waste of time.

“Rowley was fighting crime in the only way he knows – by talking. We wish Caricom good luck in coming up with something actionable, with targets and timelines. We hope they can do this.”

WHAT DOES PUBLIC

HEALTH ISSUE MEAN?

Persad-Bissessar questioned what the government meant by saying crime is a public health issue.

“Are they going to use the public health regulations to deal with crime? Remember when they used the public health regulations during covid? They locked down all of you. You had to pay fines if you weren’t wearing a mask with your family. They locked you down if you didn’t take vaccines.

"Is the public health regulations your answer? That means you’re telling me to go by Dr Bim for Panadol, Dr Ram for lidocaine, and Dr Bodoe for whatever. They shut down your businesses, you lost your jobs, this will be worse. This will be not the first public health issue they’ve mismanaged – over 4,000 people died (of covid19)."

She said violence in TT is not just a health issue but a socio-economic one.

“They’ve closed down all the training opportunities, all the jobs. When you do that, 'You need Panadol.' You don’t have a job, we call that a socio-economic problem. That is why our society is in decay, our economy is in crisis, and their solution is to bring all these people here to this symposium, after eight years, and not give us one idea, not one plan, not one policy. Total incompetence, propaganda, to take us away from remembering their incompetence.”