A ban on toy guns not so outlandish now

When Caribbean Community (CARICOM) government leaders met in Port-of-Spain Trinidad in April 2023 to develop a plan of action to address firearms trafficking and violence in the region, they were cognisant that a crisis of frightening proportions was unfolding before them.

 

Attended by 10 regional heads, from The Bahamas in the north to Suriname in the south, the summit highlighted a situation that was region-wide. Gun attacks and killings were rising dramatically and there appeared to be no letting up.

 

In the communique issued following two days of discussions, the leaders declared crime and violence a public health issue and registered their “grave concern” at the rising level of illegal exportation of guns specifically from the United States of America.

 

Just as the new USA president believes illegal immigration and the entry of fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid drug into the country represent a national security emergency, CARICOM heads regard the trafficking of guns into the region, a major national security concern.

 

The tone of their statement represented the seriousness with which they viewed the escalating problem.

 

“We declare a War on Guns to combat the illegal trade which provides the weapons that contribute significantly to crime and violence in our Region causing death, disabilities and compromising the safety of our citizens.

 

“We call on the United States of America to join the Caribbean in our War on Guns and urgently adopt and take action to stop the illegal exportation of firearms and ammunition into the Caribbean.

 

“We lament the disproportionate share of our national budgets that we are compelled to allocate to measures to address crime, violence and national security as well as mental health and other health-related challenges, that directly result from the illegal exportation of guns to our region.”

 

Some have argued that the socio-economic conditions and cultural shifts were providing the breeding ground for increased violence and the political leaders may be attempting to shift responsibility for something that was significantly home-grown.

 

Whether this suggestion holds validity is up for debate. However, what cannot be challenged is the devastating impact that illegal guns and ammunition are having on the quality of life of Caribbean people.

 

The gun culture that is endemic in the United States is being exported to vulnerable nations such as those in the Caribbean. Ironically, the illicit export which makes communities unsafe for citizens and visitors, then becomes the source of travel advisories and travel bans imposed by the same country, which then negatively impacts the economic situation on the ground.

 

It is against this backdrop that calls have increased for a ban on the importation and sale of  imitation firearms many of which are being sold ostensibly or rather obscenely, as toys for children.

 

Head of the Coalition of Trade Unions and Staff Associations Ryan Phillips made the argument that removing such “toys” should be part of an overall plan to combat crime by not normalising these toy weapons.

 

Phillips, a prison warder by profession posited that such items, while seemingly harmless, can inadvertently contribute to the normalisation and glorification of the gun culture among the country’s youth.

 

If government felt the need to ban the wearing of masks that cover the face and head, why is it proper to sell or import toy guns that look frighteningly similar to the real weapons?

 

In this context, we welcome the move by the Barbados Police Service to investigate and report on the sale of such items. According to media reports, shoppers were alarmed at the presence of toy guns that replicated dangerous weapons such as Glocks and AK-47s, with one shopper baffled at why the items had not been confiscated by Customs at the point of entry.

 

Even more staggering was the comment of a store employee who said the toy guns which produced a projectile, were a fast-selling item.

 

While we also commend the Comptroller of Customs that the matter would also be investigated by his office, it is more than troubling that it took a shopper who was aghast at what they saw on display on a shelf, rather than the people who are employed to keep the country’s borders safe.