NOTE-WORTHY - Ban all guns

•  Ban all guns

Over the years, I have called for the abolition of all guns in Jamaica. I admit that this is a radical and, some may think, unrealistic strategy, but given the seriousness of Jamaica's gun-murder rate, I honestly believe that sooner or later Jamaicans will come to understand that such radical strategies may actually represent a more viable alternative than continuing with the more traditional ones.

I am also most disappointed when the country's prime minister chants the same old, politically acceptable, enterprise-advantageous mantras, for example, the popular, if not totally naïve, idea that the US government needs to accept more responsibility for Jamaica's gun problem.

The reality is that guns may be registered, licensed and heavily controlled, as they are in more developed countries like the US, but that reality will not ever stop criminals from gaining access to them. Moreover, because guns are today manufactured all across the world, it matters little if most in Jamaica are currently of US origin because a dozen other nations' suppliers are waiting in the wings to fill the need of Jamaica's illegal gun owners if the US-made supply is cut, even dramatically.

Indeed, today Jamaica's gun problem today needs truly realistic solutions, not politically inspired diversions or institutionally corrupted deceptions from its leaders and certainly not the same old parade of pompous ineptitude seen and heard now for years.

Ed McCoy, mmhobo48@juno.com, Bokeelia, Florida

• Teachers are 'misbehaving'

I wish to add my congratulations to and full support for Maureen Henry for her letter in Sunday's Gleaner concerning the teachers' protest. To that I will also add the following and ask readers to ponder how we can grow out of this misery when we have leaders such as these:

The president of the Jamaica Teachers' Association was interviewed on Nationwide at 5 last week regarding the threatened strike. Carol Narcisse declared her hand as a teacher and asked him why he was making students suffer because of a wage dispute with the Government. His response was that the children did better when teachers were not there.

Sista P was on TV last night saying she was in agreement with the teachers and that the Government was disrespectful to teachers.

But what was even more alarming was The Gleaner's hiding this article in the Sports pages instead of on the front pages as they are doing with the crime figures. And we wonder why we are so poor?

Marcia Hyman, Kingston