Aggression, easy access to weapons fuelling gun violence

A high level of aggression coupled with the easy access to weapons, namely firearms, seems to be fuelling the gun violence epidemic, which in turn is lending to the backlog of cases at the level of the courts.

 

Speaking on the Magistrate’s Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2016 in the Senate this week, Senator Reginald Hunte made it clear that he is not happy with the present situation, since in his view, those involved in gun violence should be making the most of the educational opportunities presented to them, in a country that prides itself on high educational outcomes.

 

“Barbados is not the only country in the Caribbean, or probably elsewhere, that has challenges in their judicial system and this is because persons in various countries have become more aggressive [compounded by] all of the weaponry that is being fed into a small developing country like ours,” Senator Hunte commented.

 

“It is sad to see that whatever this government has done in terms of providing free secondary education, when people had to pay for it before that time, rather than looking to make use of the skills available to them, trying to help themselves [they are turning to gun violence]. Not all, not 100 per cent. We have a lot of good young people out there that mean well, but those who feel [for] the fast buck, once they get their hand on a firearm, they are now becoming obsessed with all of this action and react to any little matter, it is sad. I don’t feel good about that at all,” Hunte added.

 

The senator stressed that education is the current that runs through the country and the more people that can be educated in a country, he said, the better for the country. (RSM)