April 11, 2011Dear Sir,This must be a late April Fool’s prank. Let’s look at this idea:“In essence, you are paying substantially more than what these guns are rented at or sold at,” he said. “This is not a gun amnesty where people hand in relics and don’t hand in functioning guns.“Mr Perinchief believes removing guns from the streets would make a big dent in the gang culture, claiming they give gangsters a sense of power they don’t get with baseball bats or machetes.”This statement may be correct – but it has one problem. If handing in the gun will diminish the power of the individual or the gang, then I would expect the gang to value it at much more than $10,000. In fact, if I were a gang member I would consider it invaluable, and would not trade it for any amount of money.“Asked how many guns are on the Island, he replied: ‘We honestly don’t know how many. Indications are, from police investigations, two guns have been identified as involved with several shooting incidents, which would indicate the numbers are not as many as some people would anticipate.’”Let’s get real here – guns have been pouring into Bermuda since I was a teen (20 years). Now compare that to the number of firearms that have been removed from the street (few, if any). There are hundreds of weapons on the Island – that is the reality. Anyone who thinks differently has their head in the beautiful pink sand.Why become fixated on the number of weapons used when calculating the amount of weapons present? 99% of the guns are stashed, with a few “dirty” or used weapons being used to commit the shootings, why break out the “clean” guns when you can rent the dirty one? This is just logic, and it would help if our leadership would stop believing that they are dealing with gang members who are completely without a strategy.Now – enough of shooting down ideas and hear a few of my own:Offer rewards to people who turn in the location of the weapon. That works because the person “blowing the whistle” makes money without losing merchandise. Of course they are risking their safety – but it is still possible. Increase penalties for any firearm related item – increase them significantly.Enforce the penalties ruthlessly while at the same time offering a “deal” for useful information. This is the strategy used in the US – Google the Rico Act.Make a change in the courts. Stop the use of social enquiries as a tool to reduce the penalty. Get the relatives off of the jury. Prosecute to the full extent of the law, anyone committing perjury on behalf of the defendant. Remove the practice of running sentences concurrently – this is a ridiculous way of assigning punishment. Remove the sentence reductions when a firearm or firearm item is involved. Full sentence.Create a gang squad that is dedicated to the slow process of picking off members and working their way to the top, Bring in specialists if possible. I live close to LA, where some progress is being made using this method (of course slowly – but still progressing). When facing 20+ years for gang activities – you would be amazed at how quickly the members will turn. They are not as tough as they would like to be seen as.As for the comment on human rights – when you join a gang, you should forfeit some rights. The rights of Bermudian citizens who are not involved have been violated already. Why is it so common to feel sorry for the perpetrator instead of the victim?Lastly – murder should be life without parole. The sentence needs to be a deterrent – which is unlikely when the convicted individual is lounging in a Bermuda prison smoking weed with their cousins and other gang members. In reality, Bermudian gang members are not as tough as they appear. They are just tougher than the people in their circle. Let them share a cell with one of the gang members here. I am sure that will change the holiday attitude.This blight is on the verge of ruining the Island beyond repair. Weigh the above suggestion against this fact and make your decision. Stand up and speak – the future of your children and our beautiful island depends upon it. The most beautiful island on Earth – and we are watching it fall to pieces. I am embarrassed!JONCity of Hamilton