In recent years, the United States has been the source of many guns trafficked into Latin American and Caribbean countries, fuelling the rise of organized crime and violence. However, this is now beginning to change.
Trinidad and Tobago is giving “active consideration” to a request by Mexico to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to pursue legal action in the United States in a bid to have gun manufacturers held responsible for gun-related crimes in the region.
Trinidad’s Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Rowley, speaking at a public meeting of his ruling People’s National Movement (PNM), said Mexico, despite having lost an initial approach to US authorities, “intends to continue fighting.”
Rowley is also calling on the United States to do more to curb the easy access of illegal weapons and their easy exportation to Latin America and the Caribbean. He decried the proliferation of guns manufactured in the United States and violence associated with the illegal drug trade as the main cause for the high rate of murders in some Latin American and Caribbean countries.
Rowley commented that the US had put in place regulations to protect firearm manufacturers from being held liable, noting that those who make the weapons are aware of where they are going and what they could be used for. He then pointed out that there have recently been cases in which individuals have successfully sued gun makers in the US, breaking down the protective barrier.
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Rowley highlighted that the US was further relaxing gun laws that will lead to further crisis. He went on to explain that one state was in the process of eliminating the necessity for a license to buy a gun, allowing people to simply buy firearms as they would buy any other item. He further noted that this would make it easier for guns to be brought into Trinidad and Tobago, as Trinidadians living in the US could easily purchase them from states like Connecticut, Alabama, Miami, Texas, and Georgia.
Caribbean nations are coming together against the US. Three Caribbean leaders are calling on the US to take more action to prevent guns from being illegally imported into their countries.
On January 17, Philip Davis, the Prime Minister of the Bahamas, met with US Vice-President Kamala Harris to address the problem of arms trafficking from the US to his country. Additionally, Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Dickon Mitchell of Grenada both expressed the same concern in recent radio interviews and statements.
The efforts of the Caribbean and Latin America to reduce gun trafficking from the United States are commendable. It is clear that the countries of the region are taking proactive steps to protect the lives of their citizens, and reduce the number of firearms entering their countries. The United States should also take note of these efforts and work to ensure that the flow of guns into the region is minimized.
