That more than 41,000 persons should have applied for gun licences in the past eight years shows the high level of insecurity and fear in the nation. These figures were revealed by National Security Minister Martin Joseph in the Senate on Tuesday, in response to a question filed by UNC Senator Lyndira Oudit. Basically, more than 5,000 persons on average apply every year for a firearm. It is a worrisome figure, especially when one considers that these are only applications from individuals who are going through the proper procedures. It is not unlikely that an equally significant number of otherwise law-abiding citizens may have taken an underground method to acquire a weapon, not because they wish to kill anyone, but because in a country where murder by gun has become so prevalent, they want an equaliser to defend themselves and their families.

Their strategy may not be correct because, in the event of an attack, an inexperienced user is all too likely to be killed and have his weapon taken away. Additionally, it is far too easy for someone, even if normally even-tempered, to become aggressive simply because they know they can threaten the other person in a dispute. For these reasons, the authorities in Trinidad and Tobago are correct to make the official process for getting a firearm’s licence difficult. Only five per cent of the applications over the past eight years have been granted. But, of those given, 16 per cent went to non-nationals (and, for this year so far, 66 per cent).

Since there are never many foreigners residing here, and since the few non-nationals who are attacked or murdered tend to be tourists, we wonder on what basis the Commissioner of Police decided to give these persons guns. Are they embassy officials? Executives? Investors? And, if they are, why are they more privileged than local officials, executives, and business persons? This apparent favouritism implies that the authorities are very concerned about our local violence touching foreigners and tarnishing our image abroad.

However, such an apparently unbalanced procedure becomes more curious in light of widespread concern about the influx of guns into the country. After all, non-nationals surely pose more of a security risk in this regard than nationals. Meanwhile, the particular class and category of young men who want guns are continuing to get their weapons with ease from illegal sources. And that stark fact is what drives the demand for guns from law-abiding citizens, so much so that permit applications have risen 120 per cent in the past eight years.

If they didn’t know it before, this alone should tell the powers-that-be about the state of our nation, and the overriding need to bring the high homicide rate under control.