Banning guns vs closing the ports

THE EDITOR: At the recent Caricom crime symposium, there were discussions on banning assault rifles and guns from the US and perhaps other countries, but nothing much was said about closing the entry ports.

One of the questions was will a ban work in TT or in the wider Caribbean? That question is somewhat a little out of order because the ban on importing assault rifles is not the usual weapon used in murders here.

The weapon that should be considered is the handgun and not all handguns are manufactured in the US, some are made in Brazil like the Taurus, while the Bersa is produced in Argentina

Banning weapons from entering the country is not a bad idea but another crucial question is how does one ban illegal weapons? There is no way to ban the illegal sale and purchase of guns whether they are assault weapons or handguns.

What should have been the essential core for these discussions was how can we close our ports, the coastal, the airports or any other means that facilitate entry of illegal weapons? But nothing was said or discussed on port closure.

It is reasonable to conclude that the leaders who engaged in discussion at the symposium strayed away from the target and made a distracted suggestion on banning assault weapons.

I believe all the heads of government involved are sensible people, who have attained enormous amounts of knowledge in running their countries and also making sound decisions especially when it comes to crime prevention.

So why no discussion on closing ports of entry and either closing or closely monitoring them?

It is either the heads deliberately missed the point or inadvertently looked the other way when they should have dealt with stopping the flow of guns or closing the doors instead of a blanket declaration with no substance behind it.

Banning weapons and confiscating weapons are an essential part in crime abatement but while the ban is in progress, the flow of guns could very well increase and doors for illegal entry remain invitingly wide open.

Banning guns are all well and good but closing ports to entry is even better.

JAY RAKHAR

New York