WHILE Caribbean leaders are calling on the US to do more to stem the influx of illegal guns into the region, US Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago Candace Bond said the US has done a lot and encouraged the region to work together in curbing the problem.
During her closing remarks at the end of a three-day seminar on guns in the region hosted by the Caribbean Basin Security Institute (CBSI) along with the Caribbean Implementation Agency For Crime And Security (Impacs), Bond explained some of the efforts made by the US.
“Through CBSI, the US invested over US $832 million in the Caribbean to reduce illicit firearms trafficking, increase public safety and security, and promote social justice.
"As part of this effort, we continue to co-ordinate law-enforcement programmes with each of your countries and we look forward to working with you to maximise US investments in this area.
"The United States has undertaken significant actions to address illicit firearms trafficking in the region.”
The comment comes as this country, along with the Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, St Vincent and the Grenadines joined Mexico in taking legal action against US gun manufacturers for the influx of illegal guns into their respective countries from the US.
Mexico filed a US$10 billion lawsuit against seven US gun manufacturers and one wholesaler and distributor.
At the start of last week’s two day symposium on violence in the Caribbean, Bahamas prime minister and Caricom chairman Philip Davis called on the US to do more to stop the flow of illegal guns into the region.
He said: “We have asked the US government and US-based gun manufacturers to co-operate 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.”
On Thursday, Bond said, through international co-operation, the region could effectively combat illicit firearms trafficking.
[caption id="attachment_1013269" align="alignnone" width="768"] US Ambassador to TT Candace Bond chats with Executive Director of Caricom Implementation Agency For Crime And Security (IMPACS) Lt Col Michael Jones at the closing of the three day conference on illegal guns in the region - Photo by Jensen La Vende[/caption]
She added that help from the US would come in the form of technical-assistance programmes that would help develop the capacity to effectively address the issue.
This commitment by the US, Bond said, can be seen not only in the funds donated but the legislation in place in the US addressing the exporting of guns.
She said the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, signed by US President Joe Biden in June last year, was a testament to that co-operation.
Provisions under the Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act gave fu
