A gun for two cold beers

Din Duggan, Contributor

RECENTLY, THERE has been a spattering of calls, led most vociferously by the Reverend Al Miller, for the implementation of a gun-amnesty programme. I suppose in the unlikely event that Rev Al is ever found with a carload of illegal guns, it would be obvious to all that he was simply facilitating their safe passage to the relevant authorities. The good Rev would perhaps be better advised to stick to calling on the Lord, and refrain from calling on our leadership to make strategic decisions in the absence of reliable evidence, empirical or otherwise, that these decisions would be in the best interest of Jamaica. Gun amnesties, gun buy-backs, and anything else that relies on criminals to turn in their weapons for something of reasonable value - continued freedom or a little pocket change, even - will not have any meaningful impact on crime.

Incentives

People's actions, as an economist will tell you, are primarily driven by incentives. What incentive would a violent criminal get for handing in his beloved gun? In his hit song, Bad Man Story, dancehall artiste Beenie Man eloquently illustrates the love affair between gunmen and their guns, pointing out that "badman eat with it, sleep with it, wake up and wash mi face and brush mi teeth with it." Is there more convincing evidence that a gunman would sooner turn in his (common law) wife than his gun? What about freedom, is that sufficient incentive? Our country's embarrassingly low arrest and conviction record has made it patently clear to most criminals that they will not likely face earthly justice for their actions. What, then, is the criminal's incentive to turn in an essential tool of his trade - his gun - for something that has no actual value to him - a promise of freedom? He has none. He would be relinquishing his beloved gun, something that he needs and uses quite regularly, in return for his continued freedom, something that he was never in serious jeopardy of losing. Perhaps the only criminal that would agree to this deal is one who was already in great danger of being caught. I imagine 'Dudus', at that rueful point when the wig became his most palatable option, would have gladly exchanged a thousand guns for amnesty. What about the greatest incentive of them all, money? This one is even simpler. If a criminal is offered less for his gun than the gun is worth to him, he won't turn it in. If he is offered more, he may very well turn it in, take the money, buy another gun and use the difference to treat himself to two cold beers.

Gun amnesties don't work

Evidence from Jamaica, other Caribbean countries, and the United States overwhelmingly demonstrate that gun amnesties and buy-backs are ineffective anti-crime tools. They serve as little more than good photo opportunities for politicians. The only gun-amnesty programme that might be remotely successful is one that deceives a criminal into thinking that he is being granted amnesty. When he shows up to turn in his old rusty nine, the police, accompanied by actor Ashton Kutcher, would then throw on the cuffs and duly inform him that he has been 'punk'd'. Now that's a 'gun amnesty' programme I would support. Guns don't commit crimes, people do. Our most pressing priority should be finding ways to get these people - these criminals - off the streets, either by throwing them in jail if they continue to break the law, or by encouraging and facilitating alternative pathways for them to lead productive lives. Likewise, pastors, priests and reverends don't govern nations (Ronnie Thwaites, notwithstanding) and although they play important roles in the public discourse, their most pressing priority should be praying to our God to grant us (and themselves) amnesty for the sins that have brought these great calamities upon our nation. In any case, I must go, now. There's just too much chicken on the streets, so I need to visit the pan chicken man to engage in a chicken exchange: money for jerk chicken. I'll proceed to quickly destroy the chicken (after saying grace, of course). That should certainly curtail the flow of chicken in our society.

Din Duggan is an attorney and entrepreneur who now works as a consultant with a global legal search firm. Contact him at facebook.com/ dinduggan, twitter.com/YoungDuggan, or dinduggan@gmail.com.