Dear Editor,

Watching the millions of schoolchildren participating in the ‘March for Our Lives’ gave me goosepimples. I was touched by their determination to make their voices heard on the important issue of gun control in the USA without which they will continue to be in constant fear of mass shootings as have occurred at 18 schools since the start of the year.

I have previously called on Prime Minister Andrew Holness “to lead a resolution at the United Nations calling on the Government of the USA to implement stringent gun control measures and to take all necessary action, using the full might of their Homeland Security mechanisms, to stop the flow of illegal weapons to Jamaica and all other countries”. To date I have not heard a peep out of our prime minister on this very important matter which has been having such a disastrous impact on our national security resulting in record-breaking gun violence and murder rates since the beginning of this year. The situation is so serious that the prime minister has had to implement and extend states of emergency in St James and St Catherine North, in addition to the zones of special operation in Mount Salem and Denham Town, which are not very dissimilar to states of emergency.

The little children, including Martin Luther King Jr’s nine-year-old granddaughter, Yolanda Renee King, and teenagers from several high schools have connected the dots between lack of gun control and the safety of their society in general, and schools in particular, and summoned up the courage to speak truth to power. Yet our prime minister has neither assured us that he is making the connection of liberal gun laws in the USA with our local violence and murder rates since most of the weapons are made in the USA, nor has he shown the courage to demand that the USA implement gun control and take responsibility for stopping the flow of illegal weapons to Jamaica and other countries in the region. The prime minister’s silence is deafening and disconcerting. The people of Jamaica expect him to stand up for us on external issues that threaten our national security. The prime minister needs to make the call on the US to effect gun control a part of our crime plan. We must attack the problem at the source of the illegal weapons.

I was heartened by the fact that not only was there a massive nationwide protest against gun violence and demanding gun control in the USA, but similar marches were held in solidarity across the world. I am saddened by the fact that no such solidarity event took place in Jamaica. I am therefore calling on the teachers to show and discuss with the students in their schools the many videos from the ‘March for Our Lives’ which are available on YouTube. They should discuss with the students the positive example of children speaking out on the type of society in which they want to live and taking action to create it. It is a great platform from which to launch into a discussion on civic responsibility. This is something worthy of emulation, compared to the host of negative influences from the USA to which they are exposed.

I closed my letter on February 13 with the following thought: “The whole world would breathe a sigh of relief if the USA would take this action to stem the problem from their end. Their own citizens would feel safer with tighter gun control measures because it would lead to a reduction in the numerous mass shootings that occur there.” Little did I know that there would have been a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Valentine’s Day which would lead to a mass uprising demanding gun control. We must join in this demand in the interest of reducing gun violence and murders in Jamaica.

R Johnson

bobbyjohnson6@gmail.com