How American Guns are Killing Jamaica

In the Caribbean sea lies the 3 million inhabited Jamaica. Yet, every month cases of homicides pile up in Jamaica. The perpetrator? American guns. Every month, several illegally traded guns appear on the shores of Jamaica, taking the lives of innocent people.

There is no debate among Jamaicans that the abundance of these gun is making the country are deadly. The overwhelming number of homicides involving firearms has even made the police create a list of the deadliest guns and have given them names such as Briana. Briana has been linked to nine different murder cases in a rural area in Jamaica called Clarendon.

When used in crimes or other purposes, guns are mostly rented out by their owners in Jamaica. The gun laws in Jamaica are strict and less than 45,000 legally owned guns exist in the country. However, the illegally brought in guns outnumber the legally owned guns. The authorities estimate that around 200 guns are smuggled from the United States to the country every month. In the capital city, Kingston, high-grade assault rifles often reach the hands of gangs.

Rivalry among gangs is usually stemming from political conflicts. Though, nowadays the gangs tend to move away from the political focus. Some of these gangs have created transnational criminal enterprises and smuggle in guns every month.

In the United States, gun merchants only need to record retail sales and are most of the time not asked to report these to the authorities. Therefore, when a gun goes missing, lost, or handed to someone else, reporting is only required sometimes. Only some states require the registration of some or all firearms. Additionally, the federal government is forbidden from creating a national comprehensive registry of gun ownership.

Without changes to the current system installed in Jamaica, this will not be the last time we hear a lost American gun resurfacing as the culprit in a murder case in Jamaica.

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