Jamaicans should have easier access to guns

[Dr.Dudd]

Fri Mar 17, 2006
Senator says Jamaicans should have easier access to guns
Opposition Senator Prudence Kidd-Deans has repeated a call by her parliamentary colleague Delroy Chuck for private citizens to have the right to bear arms.

Senator Kidd-Deans made the call Friday morning while making her contribution to the State of the Nation Debate.

Senator Kidd-Deans called on the government to remove the bureaucracy to enable law abiding Jamaicans to be granted firearm licenses.

She also repeated a proposal from her colleague Senator Arthur Williams for the establishment of a firearms registry to track the owners.

Senator Kidd Deans conceded that owning a licensed firearm may not stop a person from being attacked but she argued that it would serve as a deterrent.

And she chided her colleagues for what she called their hypocrisy.

Senator Kidd-Deans noted that many of her parliamentary colleagues carry firearms and have security detail while private law abiding citizens are left to the mercy of criminals.

She argued that each citizen has a right to defend themselves against criminals.

The government has repeatedly said no to calls for the restrictions to be eased to allow persons easy access to firearms licences

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Jamaicans should have easier access to guns

I can't wait for Labourites to win.
Time Come!
The State cannot protect Jamaicans, therefore every man and woman should (if they want to) be armed, with proper background checks and training.

[Blackstar*]

Re: Jamaicans should have easier access to guns

[ QUOTE ]
The State cannot protect Jamaicans, therefore every man and woman should (if they want to) be armed, with proper background checks and training.

[/ QUOTE ]

If they State could perform the "proper background checks" and provide training, surely it could protect its citizens.

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Jamaicans should have easier access to guns

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The State cannot protect Jamaicans, therefore every man and woman should (if they want to) be armed, with proper background checks and training.

[/ QUOTE ]

If they State could perform the "proper background checks" and provide training, surely it could protect its citizens.

[/ QUOTE ]

That does not follow. In the first place one would not expect the State to provide training. Both aspects of this undertaking can be farmed out to semi-private concerns.
Recently the State has removed the responsibility of issuing firearm licenses from the police. It is now with a Government run agency.
The same body could practically issue the Firearm License and supervise the training.

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Jamaicans should have easier access to guns

Commissioner supports citizens' right to bear arms
Gleaner published: Sunday | March 19, 2006

Dionne Rose and Ross Sheil, Staff Reporters

COMMISSIONER OF Police Lucius Thomas responded cautiously yesterday to a call by Opposition Senator Prudence Kidd-Deans to speed up gun licence applications. Making her maiden speech in the State of the Nation Debate in the Senate on Friday, Mrs. Kidd-Deans argued that criminals would be deterred by a better-defended public.

"I recommend, therefore, that every level of bureaucracy be removed to facilitate the application of every decent law-abiding Jamaica who has applied and who fits the criteria for a firearm licence, be granted one unhesitatingly and expeditiously that such a person can become a front-line soldier in his or her own defence," said Senator Kidd-Deans.

LEGAL RIGHT

Contacted by The Sunday Gleaner, the commissioner said he was not fully apprised of her speech, but fully supported the legal right of citizens to bear arms. "I didn't see the story, I'm not in a position to comment, but I would just want to hope that we would not put red tape in front of people applying for what is their legal right," he said.

He expressed confidence that the Gun Licensing Authority which is now in charge of all new applications would be capable of any such increase in applications, should Mrs. Kidd-Deans' call be heeded. The police still handle all renewals.

Senator Kidd-Deans also supported a proposal put forward by her colleague, Senator Authur Williams for the establishment of a firearm registry.

REGISTRY

This registry, she said would not only keep a record of the type of firearm and serial number, but would also keep a ballistic record of each firearm, which would assist in determining from whose gun a was bullet fired.

"Madam, this registry would do the checks and balances of the usage of an illegal gun as versus a licensed one," she said.

Senator Kidd-Deans spared no words in describing her colleagues on both sides of the House as hypocrites, as she said more than 75 per cent of them were licensed firearm holders. "They see the need to protect themselves and their families (and correctly so), but others must abide by the rules of the state and at the same time tremble with fear at the possibility of the gunman's bullet," she said.

More Lead Stories

E-mail this story

Print this Page

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Jamaicans should have easier access to guns

[ QUOTE ]
Commissioner supports citizens' right to bear arms
Gleaner published: Sunday | March 19, 2006

Dionne Rose and Ross Sheil, Staff Reporters

LEGAL RIGHT

Contacted by The Sunday Gleaner, the commissioner said he was not fully apprised of her speech, but fully supported the legal right of citizens to bear arms. "I didn't see the story, I'm not in a position to comment, but I would just want to hope that we would not put red tape in front of people applying for what is their legal right," he said.

He expressed confidence that the Gun Licensing Authority which is now in charge of all new applications would be capable of any such increase in applications, should Mrs. Kidd-Deans' call be heeded. The police still handle all renewals.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well if the Commish said that it is the only sensible utterance that has come out of his motuh so far this year.

[johnnycakes]

Re: Jamaicans should have easier access to guns

Any further proliferation of handguns in Jamaica would only result in a higher death rate than now exists. The new stockpile of guns would be easy targets (no pun intended) for the criminal element and the number of shootings resulting from domestic disputes and accidental shootings of children would increase dramatically.

The problem is that since the late 70's, Jamaica has become a violence prone society. Adding more guns to the population is like pouring gasoline on a fire.

Canada has more guns per capita than the United States but there a far far, fewer deaths by gun per capita in Canada than in the U.S just because Canada is a far less violent society as a whole.

More guns are not the answer to the violence that plagues Jamaica.
I would argue that more jobs that pay a living wage, more hope for a better future for the youth now dying in gunfights a big change in how the needs of the people are provided are what is needed.

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Jamaicans should have easier access to guns

As the law stands,every jamaican without a criminal record is entitled to be issued with a lisence to carry a fire arm on submitting the relavant application. Issuingfire arms licences to people with undue beaurocratic obstructions.
If Jamaicans were so blood thirsty,you don't think that lisence fire arms, machettes,home made guns,and fish guns would have been tools enough to increase the murder rate.
don't tell me that you know more about the Jamaican psyche than Jamaicans that study it too??
the secret behind jamaicans are not issued fire arms without obstruction,is that the darker the shade of their skin,the more obstructions put up be the beaurocracy.

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Jamaicans should have easier access to guns

[ QUOTE ]
Any further proliferation of handguns in Jamaica would only result in a higher death rate than now exists. The new stockpile of guns would be easy targets (no pun intended) for the criminal element and the number of shootings resulting from domestic disputes and accidental shootings of children would increase dramatically.

The problem is that since the late 70's, Jamaica has become a violence prone society. Adding more guns to the population is like pouring gasoline on a fire.

Canada has more guns per capita than the United States but there a far far, fewer deaths by gun per capita in Canada than in the U.S just because Canada is a far less violent society as a whole.

More guns are not the answer to the violence that plagues Jamaica.
I would argue that more jobs that pay a living wage, more hope for a better future for the youth now dying in gunfights a big change in how the needs of the people are provided are what is needed.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yaawn...As usual you provide your own walls and knock them down. If they were so many guns why would the criminals need more?
Of course we know they will want more, but when they accost a stranger on a bus, in their home and on the streets, this time there will be 100 legal guns pointing at the joker(s).

Any wise businessman would lessen his risks. The risk of been shot full of holes is greater with more armed, trained and willing citizens.

As you say look at Canada!

[RichD]

Re: Jamaicans should have easier access to guns

[ QUOTE ]

Canada has more guns per capita than the United States but there a far far, fewer deaths by gun per capita in Canada than in the U.S just because Canada is a far less violent society as a whole.



[/ QUOTE ]

thats playing with numbers a bit...I think that stat includes long guns....in canada its fairly difficult to get a licenses to own a hand gun and almost impossible to get a license to carry one...if you do own a hand gun you have to show that you have a secure storager safe and have to strore the ammo seperately ..you have to get a special permit to transport the wepon form the registered storage location to the shooting range for example.

[remo]

Re: Jamaicans should have easier access to guns

[ QUOTE ]
thats playing with numbers a bit...I think that stat includes long guns....in canada its fairly difficult to get a licenses to own a hand gun and almost impossible to get a license to carry one...if you do own a hand gun you have to show that you have a secure storager safe and have to strore the ammo seperately ..you have to get a special permit to transport the wepon form the registered storage location to the shooting range for example.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is true Rich...But look for this new conservative government to erode most of those laws [img]/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

[RichD]

Re: Jamaicans should have easier access to guns

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
thats playing with numbers a bit...I think that stat includes long guns....in canada its fairly difficult to get a licenses to own a hand gun and almost impossible to get a license to carry one...if you do own a hand gun you have to show that you have a secure storager safe and have to strore the ammo seperately ..you have to get a special permit to transport the wepon form the registered storage location to the shooting range for example.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is true Rich...But look for this new conservative government to erode most of those laws [img]/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

i dont think they will try to touch on that...they mght soften the gun registry business but i dont see them going much further...at least not during this soft mandate.

[remo]

Re: Jamaicans should have easier access to guns

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
thats playing with numbers a bit...I think that stat includes long guns....in canada its fairly difficult to get a licenses to own a hand gun and almost impossible to get a license to carry one...if you do own a hand gun you have to show that you have a secure storager safe and have to strore the ammo seperately ..you have to get a special permit to transport the wepon form the registered storage location to the shooting range for example.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is true Rich...But look for this new conservative government to erode most of those laws [img]/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

i dont think they will try to touch on that...they mght soften the gun registry business but i dont see them going much further...at least not during this soft mandate.

[/ QUOTE ]
I wouldnt be so sure.... they are already talking about disbanding the gun registry started by the liberals....