The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis decried the violence gripping the Caribbean region yesterday as he continued urging the United States to solve its gun trafficking problem.

Mr Davis, the chairman of CARICOM, spoke during the opening ceremony of a symposium in Trinidad and Tobago themed “Violence as A Public Health Issue”.

“An epidemic of violence grips our region, one that claims lives and generates fear and anger,” he said. “In 2022, Jamaica had a staggering homicide rate of 52.9 per 100,000 inhabitants, Trinidad and Tobago had a rate of 39.4 per 100,000, and The Bahamas, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines all recorded homicide rates above 30 per 100,000. This is over five times the global average.

“Millions of people throughout the region live in crime hotspots, never knowing if they will be a victim on any given day. In The Bahamas, I have sought to bring comfort to mothers and their families who have lost their sons and daughters; and I know many of you have done the same for your people.”

Last month, The Bahamas joined a $10bn lawsuit to hold US gun manufacturers accountable for the spread of firearms throughout the region.

Mr Davis said yesterday: “We do not manufacture guns in the Caribbean. Every gun used to commit a crime in the Caribbean is smuggled into our countries. We have asked the US government and US-based gun manufacturers to cooperate with CARICOM member states when it comes to identifying weapons purchased in the US, as a part of a wider effort to hold weapons dealers and traffickers accountable for the many lives lost to gun violence each year. We must call on our neighbours to the north to better police the trafficking of guns from the US to the Caribbean.”

Mr Davis shared statistics showing The Bahamas has the highest percentage of illegal guns that can be traced to the United States, although other countries have high rates too.

“In The Bahamas, 98.6% of all recovered illegal firearms can be traced directly to the United States,” he said. “In Haiti, 87.7% of all recovered firearms can be traced likewise. In Jamaica, it amounts to 67% of all recovered firearms and here in Trinidad and Tobago it amounts to 52%.”

He continued: “The need to reduce violence crime has never been more urgent. Each year, hundreds of lives are at stake and many more affected by the resulting trauma. This moment of crisis for our region requires a collective response. The impact of violence goes beyond personal loss, as terrible as that is.

“High levels of sustained violence undermine investor confidence in the region, scare visitors away from tourism-dependent economies, and place a strain on healthcare, educational, and social support systems. If we do not act decisively, our economic prospects will be further eroded by this ongoing wave of violence.”