THE EDITOR, Madam:
CONCERNING THE matter of the right to bear arms in Jamaica, people like Delroy Chuck and Martin Henry must realise that Jamaica is a tiny island it's not a big spacious country like the United States; it's not even a small country surrounded by hostile external forces as is the State of Israel.
The ease with which guns are imported into Jamaica, coupled with the unwillingness of the government to enforce the laws already on the books, is de-stabilising the country. In fact, it was openly admitted that politicians are importing guns into the country! In any other society, democratic or otherwise, such activities would have been considered subversive, and politicians so charged, if they were not executed, would be stripped of their offices and jailed.
Even in America, where the right to bear arms is enshrined in the Constitution, individuals are not left to fend for themselves against criminals.
In America, armed citizenry are expected to assist the legal institutions of the land. In Jamaica, however, armed citizenry create the belief that they are a law unto themselves.
If it is a question of restoring law and order to Jamaica, then the real solution is to ensure the courts, the police, and the army get the material, moral and political support necessary to accomplish the task.
I am etc.,
D. EDWARDS
E-mail: de9992@gateway.net
Brooklyn, New York
Via Go-Jamaica
