When CARICOM Countries welcomed Eric Holder, US Attorney General to talk GUN CRIME; that was 2013

By Sherrica Thompson

Staff Writer

#Haiti, May 27, 2022 – The influx of guns in the Caribbean has been an issue plaguing CARICOM Nations for years, and in recent days it has become a cause for concern.

At a recent virtual meeting with the United States Vice President Kamala Harris, CARICOM Leaders took the opportunity to express their deep concern at the influx of guns into the region from the United States and called for more action to stem the flow.

Caribbean leaders have been appealing for more action on this issue for years.

At a CARICOM Intercessional Heads of Govt meeting held in Haiti in February 2013, Caribbean Leaders had called on the then-Attorney General of the US, Eric Holder, to help with arms control in the Caribbean.

Similarly, in July of 2013, the former Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Perry Christie, addressed the issue of guns coming from the United States at the Opening Ceremony of the Thirty-Fourth Meeting of The Conference of Heads of Government CARICOM held in Trinidad and Tobago.

During his address, Christie said the security agenda and fight against crime in the Caribbean was unremitting, noting that the United States was a source of the guns and heavy weaponry trafficked into Caribbean countries.

Christie also mentioned that he spoke to the then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about the matter and urged that the US pay closer attention to the concerns and challenges in fighting the scourge of crime. He called on the United States to dedicate more resources to enable the region to meet the disastrous consequences of crime more effectively.

With the continued increase of guns coming into the Caribbean Region from the US, it’s safe to say that stricter gun laws need to be enforced to help curb this issue in the Caribbean.

Photo Caption: The Twenty-Fourth Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was held in Port-au-Prince, Republic of Haiti, from 18-19 February 2013. His Excellency, Michel Joseph Martelly, President of the Republic of Haiti, presided.