The Trinidad and Tobago government said it would not follow its Caribbean Community (CARICOM) neighbor, Barbados, in implementing a gun amnesty aimed at curbing gun-related crimes on the twin island republic.
“A gun amnesty works in certain countries and certain circumstances. We don’t think that is applicable to Trinidad and Tobago,” National Security Minister Stuart Young said at an April 4 a news conference following the weekly Cabinet meeting.
Last week, the Barbados government announced a weeklong gun amnesty with Attorney General Dale Marshall telling legislators that the amnesty would begin Saturday.
“If you have ammunition and you know you have no lawful reason to have, take it to a police station day or night, no questions asked,” Marshall told Parliament during the debate on the amendment to the Bail Act.
Young told reporters that in Trinidad and Tobago, the “guns are being used to carry out criminal enterprises.”
“This is not as in the old days, someone having a rusty old revolver with two rounds of ammunition,” he said. “There are very sophisticated weapons that, unfortunately, are here in Trinidad and Tobago and we don’t think there is a benefit to a gun amnesty.”