By Sue-Ann Wayow
OPPOSITION Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar is promising a gun amnesty for People’s National Movement (PNM) MPs and commentators to hand in their licenced firearms if she gets back into power.
She said people in leadership who are against giving a legal firearm to an ordinary citizen who wants to protect his or her family and is in possession of one themselves should return the weapon.
Persad-Bissessar said, “When we return to government, we will offer a gun amnesty to all the PNM MP’s and commentators who have legal guns so they could come and can give back the guns.”
Speaking at apolitical meeting in Arima on Thursday, she said, “I urge all the weak men and women in positions of influence to give back your legal firearms since you are against citizens having legal firearms. Give it back now! If you are against these policies, you should not be protected whilst everybody else has to face the criminals single-handedly.”
She also claimed the opposition was aware of one government minister who returned his firearm.
Persad-Bissessar said, “You really think I don’t know about the ‘matic’ weapon somebody dropped off at MOPS. We know which dealer sold it, we know the minister who bought it, we know which senior officer organized for the minister to get rid of it, we know the officer who dealt with it at MOPS (Multi-Operational Police Section). And we also know the serial number.”
She said, “When the news broke about automatic weapons and Rowley say he will make it illegal… It was already illegal as Gary told us but the minister get so frightened when Rowley start to talk about this ‘matic’ the fella find a way to drop it off, hide and send it back to the police at MOPS.”
The opposition leader asked supporters to do one thing, to ask the PNM candidates campaigning in the local government election what will they do if they were being attacked by criminals.
She told the audience, “Ask them one simple question. Ask them what should you do when criminals are invading your home to rob and rape and murder your family.”
Also speaking at the meeting in Arima were political leader of the National Transformation Alliance (NTA) Gary Griffith and founder of the Independent Liberal Party (ILP) Jack Warner.
