Opposition failed to understand international implications of its denunciation of Firearms Amendment Bill - Home Affairs Ministry

The Ministry of Home Affairs has noted the critical stage which the on-going negotiation on an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) has reached at the United Nations.

The objective of the Treaty is to regulate and control the trade of several categories of weapons from the smallest to the largest and to prevent firearms and ammunition from getting into the hands of terrorist and criminal elements.

Further, the Ministry has noted the efforts being made by the Caribbean Coalition for the Development and Reduction of Armed Violence (CDRAV) a regional NGO currently waging a campaign to save lives from the use of illegal firearms trafficked between countries.

While the Ministry of Home Affairs welcomes the stage at which the negotiations have reached, as well as the lobbying efforts of the CDRAV, and fully aware that foreign policy is an expression of domestic policy, the Ministry, once again expresses regrets that at the domestic level, the joint Opposition has failed to understand and appreciate the international implications of its denunciation of the Amendment to the Firearms Act recently laid in the National Assembly.

The Amendment is aimed at tackling trafficking in firearms and ammunition and supporting efforts at the international level to hammer out a Treaty curbing the illegal trade in firearms and ammunition. (Home Affairs Ministry)