PNM takes credit for Jack’s amnesty, gun court initiative

National Security Minister Jack Warner’s consideration of a gun amnesty and a gun court is in a plan which the previous PNM administration had conceived. This was claimed by PNM MP Donna Cox yesterday. She was commenting on Warner’s recent statements concerning his fight on crime.

Warner said he had a plan to rid the streets of illegal guns and ammunition, but intended to first take it to the National Security Council. He said the measures weren’t original, but hadn’t been effectively implemented before. He said an unconditional amnesty would not be effective but should provide for illegal guns and ammunition to be turned in within a specified time, failing which anyone found with the illegal items would be prosecuted and jailed.

Warner said it was either people got a month or two to bring in their weapons and ammunition or face the gun court, where he promised the penalty is going to be severe. Cox said yesterday the PNM weren’t surprised to hear about the measure. “The court and amnesty was one recommendation we were examining...They criticised everything we did but they’ve used a lot of it,” she said.

“But in fighting crime you can’t look at the politics. You have to do what’s necessary to get the best results and pull from what is workable. I expect them to use lots of our plans but I don’t expect they’ll credit us. Cox spoke from Tobago yesterday after the Government and Opposition concluded last Saturday’s one-day Parliament workshop at the Magdalena Grand Beach Resort in Lowlands. PNM MPs will speak about national issues at a public meeting tomorrow at the San Juan Promenade, Croisee, at 7.30 pm.