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Penny Wants Education First on Stand Your Ground

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By Alicia Chamely

OPPOSITION Leader Penelope Beckles says consultations and education are needed before Stand Your Ground legislation can be passed.

She is also willing to collaborate with the government, but a proper plan needs to be presented.

Beckles discussed the People National Movement’s concerns about the proposed Stand Your Ground legislation on Tuesday at a press conference held at the Office of Opposition Leader, Charles Street, Port-of-Spain.

She said, “I believe the issue of education on this matter is absolutely critical, people have to be conscious of it, because there are times where these things can work against you. You can develop a whole culture, where people believe that you are the wild wild west, everybody should have a gun.”

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Beckles said the government needed to be clear which model of Stand Your Ground legislation they planned to adopt and how it would be adapted to work in Trinidad and Tobago.

She said the Florida model had been mentioned by the government but had concerns about some provisions in those laws, which included being protected by Stand Your Ground laws in public and in your vehicle.

Quoting from a study done by Oxford University, Beckles said, “The introduction in 2005 of the Stand Your Ground laws in Florida have been linked 24% increase in homicides and a 31% rise in homicides involving firearms, with the largest proportional increase occurring in the 20-34 age group. In Florida on average, 3,038 people died and 6,358 are injured by gun violence each year.”

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She added, “Using the Florida model, we would want to recommend some consultations with the public before this particular piece of legislation is implemented.”

Member of Parliament for Port of Spain South Keith Scotland backed Beckles, saying more information is needed.

Scotland said, “There must be caution when you introduce carte blanche laws from other jurisdictions such as Florida.”

He said under Common Law, one has the right to stand your ground on any attack at your home or property.

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Scotland said, “The government said they will present a policy on it. That policy has not yet been communicated to the opposition. It has not been communicated to the country. So, we will await to see what is the jurisprudential underpinning, what forms it, if they have looked to the common law to see if the common is law correct, if there is a mischief that they want to cure, but until such time the common law provides adequate protection for persons who are under attack in their properties.”

Acknowledging that the issue of crime was of great concern to the public, many of whom live in fear, she said, “Our issue is, do you have a document, do you have a policy?”

Beckles said, however, the opposition would support legislation if public consultations were held and the bill was formulated to work for the specific challenges in T&T’s fight against crime.

She added, “We are always willing to address the issue of consultation and as I made it clear, if you bring good legislation, we will be willing to collaborate and support.”

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