CABINET has discussed reintroducing a gun amnesty policy as a way of reducing the number of illegal weapons on the street.
When asked about the possibility of a gun amnesty period on Friday, Attorney General Ryan Pinder said there have been some discussions about it.
“Well that’s still a preliminary issue but that has been discussed amongst members of the Cabinet. It is a proposal that has come forward to address the amount of guns that are on the streets and that’s actively being looked at both from a policy level and a legal level,” he said.
Through this initiative, which previously existed in various iterations, illegal weapons could be anonymously turned into designated pastors and churches.
The gun amnesty was in place temporarily during the last Christie administration.
In 2018, after a spate of violent crime, Bahamas Christian Council President Bishop Delton Fernander called for the return of a gun amnesty programme.
Last week, Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle said officers continue to target gun traffickers and crack down on the importation of illegal firearms into the country.
He said many of the illegal weapons are being smuggled into the country from the United States, some through courier companies.
“We have identified that the majority of those firearms, illegal firearms, have been coming from Florida,” Commissioner Rolle said. “In particular, and what we’ve found is in recent months is a number of courier services that have sprung up in the southern communities and I have asked our partners to assist us in identifying these persons and companies and we have our liaison officers in Florida who are also working in partnership. That is yielding positive results for us as we try to interdict a lot of this firearm that is destined for The Bahamas.”
According to Commissioner Rolle, more than 100 illegal weapons have been seized by officers so far for the year, however, this does not include those intercepted abroad.
Comments
hrysippus 2 years, 1 month ago
If this proposed gun amnesty has any impact on our murderous crime rate then I will very surprised. Just another political publicity stunt.
John 2 years, 1 month ago
DO GUN AMNESTY PROGRAMS WORK.. NOT REALLY.. Firstly criminals do not turn in their guns. They are criminals and involved in risky behavior so they feel the need to protect themselves. Secondly, most persons who turn on guns will turn in ones they no longer want or need. And guns that probably do not work or are outdated. So the number of active guns still remains on the street. Thirdly, if a person has a weapon that is linked to a serious crime and a few of them, what if he does turn them in? Will the authorities then allow those crimes to go unpunished? The most effective amnesty for firearms is strict enforcement of the law. So even if the public is allowed to turn in weapons..there must be follow up action where persons caught with illegal weapons feel the full brunt of the law
mandela 2 years, 1 month ago
Build the extension onto the prison that is able to house at least 600 or more inmates, stop playing, if you are caught with an illegal gun, that should automatically be 10 years, we punish those caught with marijuana that doesn't kill anyone harshly and punish those caught with guns which kills or causes a lot of damages to multiple families and causes widespread sorrow, grief, and heartaches leniently. We defiantly have it backward.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID