The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

The brand-new year 2024 rolled in, fireworks barely subsided, and the country is seething with a high volume of senseless murders. There has been one murder a day. One murder is one too many.

The demons are mad. Frustrated Bahamians are quick to blame the government but hesitate to accept much of the blame because of their association and sometimes participation, whether they realise it or not.

The government cannot do anything without the help of all Bahamians; we all must do our part to report any suspicious behaviour, which, in many cases, could prevent negative and even fatal consequences.

Mostly, parents, neighbours, and even the church know that their sons or children are breaking the law. We benefit, and so we look the other way. The only time we talk is when “our good sons” are killed.

Help the police and report everyone you believe is violating the law before it is too late.

While there is no set pattern, rhyme or reason, guns play a significant role in the killings.

There is a consensus that if the government would do more to strengthen the judicial and give the police more support and tools, there would be fewer lives lost. The government’s full support of the police is already happening.

The public is agitating for no bail for murder and guns, and repeat offenders of severe crimes must not be allowed to roam free on our streets. Is capital punishment the magic bullet to cure all illnesses, or is it the compounding of several social ills?

Why are we so afraid to offend the criminals? Why are they getting the easy road to travel while law-abiding citizens must obey every law or risk being made uncomfortable by the system?

Criminals seem to be in charge, having their way. They are always “known to the police.” Do they have the upper hand because of association and influences or relationships? The criminals are simply too comfortable, bold and daring.

The stark reality is there is no way to prevent a person from picking up a gun and going brazenly in front of a police station and shooting in a car, killing one and seriously injuring a toddler and other adults. The other recently reported incidences are equally as troubling. These are unconscionable and unforgiving.

But there are some checks and balances that, when put in place, make it difficult for people to possess guns at the alarming rate that they do.

Is there a gun shop in The Bahamas, and do they sell ammunition?

There is a handoff approach to policing the borders and the port. The police must have some suspicion that our canals may be the transshipment point for guns. Is there a particular unit to monitor and search every pleasure cruiser, yacht or fishing vessel that comes back to port, regardless of who is in the boat or who is captaining the ship? Search all boats all the time.

To hell with the excuse of lack of workforce. The port brings in containers from everywhere; how come there is no sophisticated scanning device to monitor those containers coming from God knows where? Who is benefitting?

Trust no one. Guns are big business, and drugs are big business, so why isn’t there more attention paid to the transshipment of guns? Guns, drugs, and human trafficking go hand in hand.

Come on, man, there are no gun manufacturers in The Bahamas.

Stop pussyfooting. Some wealthy families are getting wealthier shipping guns.

On the other hand, why aren’t we more serious about possessing unlicensed firearms, increasing the sentence for such an offence to 10-15 years, with no bail?

We are an empathetic people; we do not want anyone to lose their lives, period, but if we are to have a society that attracts people from around the world to spend their money, then crime is everybody’s business because it will hit us in the pocketbook if the tourists stop coming.

The hear no evil, see no evil, keep my mouth shut will destroy all of us; we must be vigilant, and we must support the police. We know who is who and what is what. The same criminal you protect today may be the same one who comes into your home tomorrow.

Either you are serious about fixing the problem, or you are nothing but a co-conspirator.

Buddha said, “Courage isn’t the absence of fear, courage is the emotional wherewithal to deal with fear.

Fear has two extremes. At one extreme, we freeze. We are petrified, literally, like a rock. At the other extreme, we panic. How do we find the path through those extremes?....Judith Lief

I fear God only!

IVOINE W INGRAHAM

Nassau,

January 11, 2024.