BVI News

Gun amnesties aren’t effective in BVI

Although it seems like a great idea, Governor John Rankin has indicated that gun amnesties aren’t effective in getting weapons off the street and reducing violent crimes in the territory.

Gun amnesties allow for the voluntary surrender of unwanted or illegally-owned firearms, weapons, accessories or ammunition. During such periods, those who surrender weapons are allowed to walk free.

“We’ve had gun amnesties in the past, the most recent one was not too long ago. I’ll be frank and say it didn’t lead to a large response in terms of weapons coming in,” Governor Rankin told journalists at a recent press conference. “I don’t reject that (the amnesty) going forward but it’s not something that has proven to be particularly effective.”

Police Commissioner Mark Collins also concurred with Governor Rankin, adding that the previous amnesties have yielded weapons that were not a threat to public safety.

“We got some antique weapons that people had in their attics and sheds that belonged to their family members but not really the guns we’d want to see taken off the streets,” Commissioner Collin stated.

Although they agree that amnesties aren’t always effective, both the Governor and the Police Commissioner said persons are welcome to surrender illegal weapons to the authorities at any time.

“They can contact officers in the community and make arrangements to hand the gun in. Clearly we’d want a firearms officer to be present to make sure the gun is safe,” Collins noted.

Governor Rankin also assured that authorities would ensure confidentiality in cases where persons don’t wish to be identified.

Residents remain concerned as there has been an uptick in the number of gun related crimes in the community. It is understood that most are linked to the drug trade, but residents maintain that the rise in crime is due primarily to harsher economic times people are experiencing in the BVI.

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13 Comments

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  1. Jim says:

    They don’t work at all. Criminals will never turn in their guns.

    How about policing customs and immigration. That is where the guns come in. Via ferry. Seen it firsthand as contraband is offloaded, not checked, and loaded into personal vehicles

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  2. LB says:

    Because there is zero incentive to turn in any guns dummy! If I want to get rid of a gun I just toss it in the sea or trash. Why the hell would I go to the police to do that? Makes no sense and has zero benefits for the gun holder! But if you say $300 per gun turned in no questions asked, then you will see a better response. Other than that, your gun amnesty programme is trash and pointless.

  3. False says:

    When he says “the most recent one [gun amnesty] was not too long ago” when exactly was this and why does he believe it was unsuccessful. Is that what they reported back then. Between the last gun amnesty (whenever he THINKS that was) and now, why have we seen an upsurge in guns and gun crime. Is it because there is no plan? OK, so gun amnesty and THEN WHAT? Drop the ball again? Is he the person for the job to secure national security of the bvi (HIS ONLY JOB besides the ceremonial assenting to acts and colonial representation during colonial holidays). Is it because he has no control over the police commissioner who have completely drop the ball? Is that the problem? I heard the other day that they have an intelligence unit. How much intelligence do you need on a small island to figure out who have guns, where they coming from and where they going to use them next? Is the problem the corruption in the force and in the customs and immigration unit? We heard that these people are on payroll for drug dealers and arms smugglers. Have you launched an investigation on this? Or were you too focused on trying to justify the suspension of the constitution of a people over a few idiotic and greedy moomoos who happen to be in power for a short time. How many laws do you need to have needed resources present and serving in a police station, to patrol the roads, to do stop and search, to protect the public…you know, the basic stuff. Why you so focused on a piece of legislation that infringes upon people’s basic human rights just like the days of slavery? Why do such drastic measures need to be taken while the basics are being underutilised? You let crime get out of hand didn’t you. These weapons are coming in through the border under your watch, arent they. This failure can be seen as wilful negligence cant it, if applying the standard of care that is required by someone of your experience/background/knowledge. The failure is not because of any ineffective gun amnesty exercise or lack of laws, is it. You’re just making it up, aren’t you. The failure is the one who is now passing the blame. Who needs things to fail to justify their agenda. The world would be a better place if we pause, be honest with ourselves, put selfish agendas aside and honestly try to do our best to improve a situation. This is our duty.

  4. Amnesty says:

    operates just fine in an honest educated democracy but will always fail in the BVI.

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  5. Hmmmmm says:

    When are we going to be completely honest with ourselves? The culture clash is the reason why these UK Commissioners and Officers are NOT effective in the Caribbean. They may have some investigative skills and experience that are useful but over all they have been abject failures because they do NOT understand our cultures and people. They attend press conferences talking about what works and what doesn’t work when they have no idea about how things work in the islands. It’s for this same reason you now see the Governor/UK granting extensions to the COI recommendations because they realize that most of what they have proposed is complete garbage and impractical but the instead of admitting it’s rubbish, they grant extensions. I can bet my last dollar that certain recommendations would be tossed completely over time. Clueless bunch!

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  6. Tolaman says:

    Sorry Officer I can’t hand my gun in today, I need it for a job I’ve got on tonight

  7. Not a Wise Thing to do. says:

    One question to the big house keepers and rulers:

    Why should the Black locals disarm themselves, and leave themselves vulnerable to attack, when not one yt expat yt person labelling him/herself as local, and none local, has never and will never turn in their firearms?

    Indeed, you people are still living in a different world where your thinkig is that Black people are fools, stupid and ignorant.

    Ain’t nobody disarming. It is not a wise thing to do given the nature of the rulers of the world.

  8. That is fact. says:

    It is thought that the call for a gun turn in amnesty is a fallacy, hoax and disingenuious stunt.

    The reason being, the clandestines opperatives are constantly sellings to the Black community. The purpose of which to make it easy for them to do in each other. It is a trasported imported tactic from America to the BVI.

    So, be not fooled when they getup in front of camera with their disengenious news conferences.

    Moeover,the business people, especially the those of the American,Santo Domingonian and middle eastern extract, are busy making hundreds of thousnads off of the trade and deaths of the young Black BVI locals.

    Don’t be fooled people. Guns and drugs are problems that will never go away, not by any UK official efforts anyway. That is fact.

  9. Redstorm says:

    If gun amnesty is done right , then you will see a decrease in crime. May I suggest, that a price be offered for small guns, and a job be offered for the big guns, with those who get the Jobs raise an awareness about the pros and cons of firearms, with a march against crime, newsletters every month, use social media to connect with the community, and many more can be done. Get the right people to champion gun amnesty .

    Or just ban it all.

  10. ok says:

    I would prefer if they advocate what is legal. This being a lawless place what can regular people do if they know for a fact a gun man is on the way. Ok call police. what next?

  11. @ THAT IS YOUR FACT says:

    AND ITS ALWAYS SOMBODY ELSE THAT TRYING TO MAKE US LOOK BAD – YEAH RITE DO THEY PUT A GUN TO YOUR HEAD A D SAY YOU HAVE TO BUY IT ( AND IF THEY TELL YOU JUMP OVER A CLIFF ARE YOU SET OF BAD BOYZ GONNA JUMP ? WE KNOW THE ANSWER AZHOLE

  12. @ THAT IS YOUR FACT says:

    AND ITS ALWAYS SOMBODY ELSE THAT TRYING TO MAKE US LOOK BAD – YEAH RITE DO THEY PUT A GUN TO YOUR HEAD A D SAY YOU HAVE TO BUY IT ( AND IF THEY TELL YOU JUMP OVER A CLIFF ARE YOU SET OF BAD BOYZ GONNA JUMP ? WE KNOW THE ANSWER ( AZHOLE ) PLUS A LOT OF THOSE ARE STSINED WITH HUMAN BLOOD ON THEM AND IT AIN’T NO SECRET A LOT OF THE OWNERS ARE WELL KNOWN COLD BLOODED KILLERS , AND ARE BEEN PROTECTED SO KEEP SINGING – ITS THE ( UK ) / OR ITS THE ( US ) THAT WILL WORK BETTER BECAUSE OUR HANDS ARE ALWAYS CLEAN

  13. X ..orcism says:

    BLM A lie
    Black folks have hatred for themselves and for those who look like them.
    So far Jamaica alone boasts 14000 plus murders this year and that is a reduction from the previous year. Total Black murders courtesy of their kith and kindred in the Caribbean yearly are thousands.
    Every last one Black on Black murder.
    Self hatred and / or Cannibalistic tendencies.
    The self hatred is deep and no initiative by man can cure the self hatred of Blacks andvthe c deadly effects socially and economically.
    The BVI went to the extreme by importing the phonomena,demonstrating the self hatred in a round about way but nevertheless effective. Note the perpetual and deliberate toxic air we are forced to inhale for the past 20 years plus.Genocide with a smile by the elected assassins.
    I say let them wipe each other off the map. Scary folks.
    Importing illegal instruments for self anhialation by any means necessary is a compulsion none,noth ing can stop.

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