PM Gonsalves to youths: ‘jail is not a joke’

Many of the guns used to commit crimes in St Vincent and the Grenadines, come mainly from the United States of America.

This claim was made by Minister of National Security, prime minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves as he commented on the spate of recent homicides here on NBC radio on Wednesday, May 4.

Gonsalves further made reference to an engagement on Friday, April 29, in which he and other CARICOM leaders spoke to United States vice president, Kamala Harris.

The prime minister said he “explicitly pointed out “ to Harris, that the Government of the United States had signed an Arms Trade Treaty since 2013.
However, that treaty is yet to be assented to by the US Senate.

So now, over eight years, after the US Government signed the Arms Trade Treaty, there are still “large loopholes,” until the full treaty is adopted and implemented.

The Arms Trade Treaty is an international treaty,that regulates the international trade in conventional arms.

It also seeks to prevent and eradicate illicit trade and diversion of conventional arms, by establishing international standards governing arms transfer.
Gonsalves said the treaty was ratified in September, 2014 to deal with control of movement of small arms, including assault weapons.

However, the prime minister pointed out that there is still a need to control the use of guns.

He also noted the work done by the Coast Guard and police in helping to curb the gun trade.

And he pleaded with the youths of this nation, telling them, that “there is no way to violence.”

While persons may be tempted to commit murder, because of the absence of hanging, Dr Gonsalves is reminding them that “jail is not a joke, jail not easy.”

He said that as a people, “we have to do better than that,” as it relates to the crime situation in St Vincent and the Grenadines.