The Peace Drive Group is continuing efforts in finding solutions for the growing epidemic of gun violence on the island.
On Sunday 17th November, the Group held a very interactive forum, at The Church of God Holiness, on ways to reduce the prevalence of gun violence in Anguilla.
The panel comprised Pastor Gleason Brooks, Mr Romeo Richardson (who was a gang member involved in the sale of guns and is now a reformed youth), Mr Randy Hodge who is a victim of gun violence, Ms Rochelle Gumbs and Mrs Janelle Lake-Connor.
The Moderator was Dr Patvin Adams who posed a number of questions to the panel including: “Why are there so many guns in Anguilla, what intervention Anguilla should take to stem the flow of gun imports – and how to get rid of the guns that are already here on island”?
The panel suggested there should be more sea patrols, setting up of more metal detectors at ports of entry and enforcing the gun amnesty.
However, questions were also posed from members of the audience. Mr James Morton, who was a victim of a robbery and gun violence in 2011, called for tougher laws to punish the perpetrators of such heinous crimes.
Mr Morton, who still has a bullet lodged in his back from the 2011 robbery at his home, said government should be able to seize the property of the perpetrators to help the victims with their medical bills. He Suggested: “When these young guys who are still under their mothers’ jurisdiction have done things like these, I believe there should be a law that the government see to it that those guys who are under age, that the government go in and take their property and sell it and pay back the bills that the victims have to pay the doctor. And for those who are over age – grown men – the government should see that they go out, whether with guards over them, and work until they payback the people all that they have caused the victims to spend…
“I believe these mothers who have these children and know what they are doing – and not reporting it to the police – when they find out they have to sell their property to pay back the bills, I believe a lot of these crimes will cut down.”
Mr Claudel Romney remarked that Anguilla seems to have a “knee jerk” reaction to gun violence. He said when things happen persons are ready to give suggestions and then go back to being silent. He added, “Anguilla is ours and we cannot give up on our island.”
Romney opined that what we are experiencing is a result of a breakdown in society and in Christian values – and fixing it won’t be easy.
He said sometime in 2005 the Anguilla Chamber of Commerce had written a comprehensive letter on ways of addressing crime on island, and that the letter was presented to the government at that time but not muchhappened afterwards.
Mr. Romney advised, “We need to get back kicking on this crime problem. I think the letter should resurface so we wouldn’t re-invent the wheel. There were excellent suggestions in there dealing with crime from cameras, to dogs, new legislation that needed to be changed etc., so we can build on that.”
He also suggested that businesses should get involved in the gun amnesty issue: “Perhaps we need a system ‘buy back a gun’ – get corporations to sponsor that because if a guy buys a gun for 500 dollars and to go and throw it in a bucket – some might and others might not – and some might want money back for their gun so corporations should get involved in the ‘buy back a gun’, he added.
Other suggestions from the floor included that the community should protest, speak out against, the sale of toy guns or water guns for Christmas.
The forum was attended by a small but interested group of persons from the community.
The Peace Drive Group intends to hold similar initiatives on ways of tackling gun violence in Anguilla.
