The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

A TWO-WEEK gun amnesty is to be called for by Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander to help reduce gun violence in the country. 

State Minister of Social Services and Urban Development Lisa Rahming said it is time to “give it up and bring it in” as she announced the planned initiative yesterday, saying Commissioner Fernander would seek a declaration for the amnesty programme from Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis.

Ms Rahming said the initiative is part of the Urban Renewal and Royal Bahamas Police Force’s “Say No To Guns” campaign, which she said will be launched shortly.

 She said people who surrender illegal firearms will not be prosecuted. However, she added they will also not be rewarded.

 “Gun violence has been endemic and remains a pervasive issue in some of our communities for too long,” Ms Rahming said during her contribution to the Budget debate in Parliament yesterday. “We cannot let another young person be gunned down and just step over their body or create a video and circulate it around to social media.

 “It’s not enough to just blame the Minister of National Security and the security forces. We really must join forces to do something that says enough is enough.”

 She said Urban Renewal will be sharing flyers and organising community walkabouts and campaign rallies to encourage people to join in the effort.

 Ms Rahming pointed to recent crime statistics which she said show 168 firearms were recovered so far for the year.

 5,339 rounds of ammunition have also been recovered, she added, while 243 adults have been charged for firearm possession.

 “The commissioner of police will be seeking a declaration for a two-week gun amnesty by our honourable Prime Minister, which will give persons in possession of illegal firearms the opportunity to surrender these weapons without jeopardy and prosecution,” she said.

 “Let me make it clear, there will be no reward for money to surrender any illegal firearm. You will not be paid. The stark reality is that there may be some of us who may have inherited a firearm from a husband, grandfather, or uncle who may have had it locked in a safe and just paid no attention to it.

 “We say time to give it up and bring it in.”

 She issued the same plea to people who have firearms just to protect themselves.

 “We are only providing an opportunity for them to surrender the firearm because we believe if just one weapon is taken off the streets, that reduces the chances of that being used in criminality.”

 She said National Security Minister Wayne Munroe and Commissioner Fernander will give more details about the programme.

 News of the initiative comes as the country grapples with a recent spate of murders, with three murders recorded in the past five days.

 Yesterday, Ms Rahming also announced plans to launch a Second Chance programme, an initiative meant to help people who served time in prison enter the jobs market.

 “The overarching goal is to equip formerly incarcerated males with the view of rehabilitating them and giving them a second chance of being a productive member of society,” she said.

 “The participants will enroll in a six-month programme that focuses on healing just as much as it focuses on developing work readiness skills.”

 She said the programme will consist of in-class academic studies, on-the-job training and apprenticeship.