Thursday, February 9, 2012

Jamaica Destroying Confiscated Guns



Roughly 2,000 firearms were melted down in a blazing furnace Tuesday as part of an effort designed to combat gun trafficking and corruption in Jamaica while reducing violent crime.

Police, government and U.N. officials destroyed pistols and revolvers by pitching them into a kiln glowing bright orange at a cement factory in the capital of Kingston. Most of the guns were decommissioned or seized in police operations over the years.

National Security Minister Peter Bunting, who has been in office for just over a month, said the destruction of the weapons is an important first step toward managing the sizable stockpiles of guns in Jamaica and reducing the risk of theft.

"The removal will help to reduce the risks of these weapons being possibly diverted back into the illicit trade," Bunting said at the Jamaica Constabulary Force armory.
It seems to me like this is attacking the problem for the wrong direction. If we want to make fewer guns available to criminals we need to focus on the gun manufacturers.  They are the ones flooding the marketplace with guns. This effort to confiscate and destroy guns is like blowing up an inflatable raft in the summertime that has a hole in it. The more air you pump in, the more leaks out.

I had the same objection to the police departments who wanted to sell off their confiscated guns. Although they make pains to sell the guns to qualified people, some of them are sure to end up back in the wrong hands, just like they did the first time around.

The gun manufacturers are the problem. The gun lobby that protects them and the gun-rights activists who support them are the problem.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

7 comments:

  1. Except that Jamaica is the perfect picture of gun control. Guns are banned totally from possession from non-government persons. The penalty for illegal possession of a gun can be a life sentence.

    I suppose it is the fault of lax gun laws in another country next door. Oh wait, they are a friggin' island!

    Another example of gun control epic fail.

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    1. Doesn't appear to be fail to me; they're getting rid of the guns they don't want bothering, injuring, or killing people on their very nice island.

      Seems to me that it is working wonderfully.

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    2. They have had a gun ban since 1974 and almost 40 years later gun crime is still rampant. Gun control EPIC FAIL.

      Gun control has never proven to eradicate gun violence anywhere, ever.

      Delete
  2. I'm glad to be doing my small part to punch holes in the inflatable raft of gun control.

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    1. If you think you've punched holes in anything other than your own two feet, you're delusional.

      If you ever punch a hole in anything, do let us know. So far to date you have not.

      Delete
  3. Dog Gone, perhaps you're not up to date, but the State Department warns tourists about the many dangers to be found in Jamaica. Shootings, rapes, and other violent crimes are specifically named. Americans are advised to avoid areas of the big cities, to stay in after dark, and not to use public transportation.

    But Jamaica has strict gun control. To own a gun legally, a Jamaican has to have a license, but good luck to anyone in getting that. Anyone found with an illegal gun--found by a warrantless search--gets a trial without a jury and a sentence of indefinite detention and hard labor.

    That's what you mean by a nice island, I suppose.

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  4. Sounds to this expatriate Jamaican, that 'Dog Gone' is quite full of Bullshit!!

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