Griffith: Over 400 killed with illegal firearms

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Griffith: Over 400 killed with illegal firearms

“Over 400 killed with illegal firearms this year but Jacob’s continues his obsession with legal firearms,” this according to Political Leader of the National Transformation Alliance, Gary Griffith.

Griffith in a media release on Sunday said “whilst every other citizen recognises that our crime problem is because of illegal firearms, McDonald Jacob and his political handlers continue their obsession with legal firearms.”

“Disappointingly capitalising on the tragic circumstances a few days ago where a domestic violence murder took place, Jacob seems energised and is now using it to justify his hounding of persons who have multiple legal firearms. A complete red herring, as whether the person had 1 firearm or 10, if his intent was to kill, it would not have affected the act.

It should also be noted that dozens upon dozens of persons acquired multiple firearms long before my tenure as CoP, during the period when Jacob was a senior officer, without his or any other senior officer’s objection, and most importantly there are justifiable reasons for persons to have multiple firearms, such as firearm’s trainers, those involved in sport, hunters, and those having multiple businesses. But let us not be fooled by their narrative, as these persons are minuscule in comparison to our population size, making up a little over 0.01% of citizens. Additionally, legal firearms have been used to save dozens of lives, as well as to secure and protect the family and friends of FUL holders, giving law-abiding citizens the opportunity to fight back against this new brand of brazen criminals.

Perhaps in an attempt to shirk his responsibility, Jacob should be made to answer if his systems broke down, since the couple is reported to have gotten married this year, 2022, and part of the process instituted by me was that the spouses of firearm holders must be interviewed to give approval for their spouses firearm, and if they didn’t, it would be immediately taken away. Before I left plans were already in place to have psychometric testing done every 2 years on FUL holders, and spousal consent would also be required as part of this very stringent process. Domestic violence prevention took top priority during my tenure, which is why the Gender Based Violence Unit was formed in January 2020, and which is why spouses held so much power when it came to their partners getting and keeping their firearms.

In addition, if a domestic violence report was made which involved an FUL holder, that would immediately trigger a system where the Gender Based Violence Unit. would contact the Commissioner’s Office, who in turn would immediately dispatch officers to seize any and all legal firearms. This process was made seamless, quick and efficient because of the Chip card I instituted, which Jacob has shut down. And even if no domestic violence report was made to trigger the system, one wonders if one might have been made with the use of the TTPS App, which made it easier for victims to make reports and which insulated victims from dealing with insufficiently trained officers at stations, in preference to direct contact with specifically trained officers of the Gender Based Violence Unit. Jacob also virtually dismantled App reporting, so questions about his commitment to domestic violence victims must be asked.

An old school police officer who seems to be intimidated or baffled by technology and who seems more content to wear gabardine pants and walk around with a cane, Jacob is clueless when it comes to modern day policing, which makes him perfect for manipulation by those with a political agenda. Ironically, as Jacob seems content to wave his cane at criminals, his political handlers are protected by the best trained, heavily armed personnel in the country.

So Trinidad and Tobago, whilst Jacob and his political backers lack the decency to not politicise the tragedy of a domestic violence murder, please be reminded that of the 520 or so murders that have already occurred in our country, only one was with a legal firearm, and no such murders occurred during my tenure because I embraced technology, put systems in place, and put top priority on protecting the most vulnerable in society, and will continue to do so with an NTA government.”

 

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