The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune

I remember the days – yes, the good old days — when the only weapon a Bahamian policeman carried was a “Billy” at his waist, and if my memory serves me right in my early days of reading The Tribune it seems that the only crimes committed that could see you before the courts was offending the delicate ears of the constable on the beat with “foul language’’.

Today we live in a different Bahamas. The police are armed to defend themselves and peaceful citizens, while — although it’s illegal to own a firearm without a licence – lawless gangs, seemingly are armed to the teeth. Already for the first three months of this year there have been 28 murders – all gun-related!

This is certainly no longer the Nassau in which I grew up. With gun possession in the United States a seemingly constitutional right of every citizen and the ease with which guns can be purchased in the US, the Bahamas will always have a gun problem, unless a stricter set of rules can be applied and carried out to stop their import. But, how to do that? Many years ago I heard that a set of guns had been imported in a coffin!

I don’t know what to suggest to get around such chicanery, but if this country wants a gun-free, crime-free community, then they will have to use TIPS-8477 more often to tip the police off to a neighbour or friend who has an unlawful firearm.

If Bahamians want a safer community, they should do their duty and assist the police.

TRUE BAHAMIAN

Nassau,

April 20, 2021