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NEWS > EVERYONE ELSE > JAMAICA MELTS DOWN THOUSANDS OF ILLEGAL GUNS AND TRIES TO SMOKE THEM
JAMAICA MELTS DOWN THOUSANDS OF ILLEGAL GUNS AND TRIES TO SMOKE THEM
February 9 2012
Kingston, Jamaica – To most outsiders Jamaica is the land of Bob Marley and Marijuana, nothing more and nothing less than an island paradise where absolutely everyone takes thing easy. That is what most people would like to believe Jamaica is and, for those who visit the resorts on the island it really is just that, but like any country the facade is a little different than the reality.
For most people in Jamaica poverty is a way of life and while Marijuana is widespread, it is technically illegal and while it is largely tolerated, there are still a lot of people who make a lot of money off the mere fact that it is prohibited. Most of those people are, as they are in virtually every country, gangsters.
Gangsters, of course, usually have guns, lots of guns, and use them to not only harm but also intimidate locals, something which is very far from the ideal island paradise that most people would like Jamaica to be. To try and resolve that issue and not only try to create the idyllic atmosphere tourists want but also make it safe for residents, the Jamaican government has undertaken an aggressive program to seize illegal guns and melt them down, something they did on Tuesday before trying to smoke the remains which didn’t go over very well.
“The removal will help to reduce the risks of these weapons being possibly diverted back into the illicit trade,” said National Security Minister Peter Bunting. “You know, mon, this is not the way Jamaica should be livin’ and this is our way of showing people that things can change. All it takes is a little effort and the world can be a better place.”
Most of the guns had been seized over a number of years but it took a while before they got around to destroying them.
Reports indicate that the residue had a very metallic aftertaste, which is exactly what most people would have expected.
Jamaica has one of the highest rates if gun violence in the world however it is not clear if anyone has tried to smoke them before.
“It’s really great that the Jamaican government has finally taken action on this. They really do have a serious problem, as poor countries usually do, in trying to control violence and this is a good first step in trying to reduce the likelihood of that
happening in the future. At the very least it is symbolic. It may not
have much a practical effect, but it shows that they are willing to do it at least,” said 
Scrape TV International analyst Gustav Hander. “Of course it would have been more effective if they had been more proactive in the beginning. They have lost God knows how many guns in the time that it took them to finally destroy these ones. They could have destroyed thousands more guns if only they hadn’t procrastinated forever in getting rid of these ones. If they just got up off their butts there would be far fewer guns in the country but you can’t really fault them for that. Hopefully they will keep this up and not just waste away in the haze that these guns have created. It would be good to see them get something done.”
We attempted to reach the Jamaican government for comment and they swore they would get back to us which hasn’t happened yet.
Emil Uliya, International Correspondent
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