Retired Assistant Commissioner of Police Nuffield Burnett says illegal guns on Antigua and Barbuda’s streets are coming from two main sources: smuggling through the nation’s ports and diversion from licensed owners.
Speaking at a United Progressive Party town hall, Burnett said firearms are slipping into the country through both seaports and airports, often aided by corruption or negligence. “They’re coming into our seaports and our airports,” he said. “A lot of it happens because of unethical workings of some people — simple as that. Some people just plan the thing and say, ‘Okay, you’re going to come in when X [person is] working.’”
He criticized police for boasting about seizures instead of focusing on arresting those behind the imports. “What are you seizing it for? We want to catch the people who are bringing it,” Burnett said.
Burnett added that another route for illegal weapons is through licensed gun owners. He said firearms are sometimes lost in home break-ins or misused by owners, yet not always reported to authorities. “They come from some persons who have licensed firearms, careless with them, or they have home invasions, break-ins, and their firearms get stolen. Some people don’t even report it for fear that they may get backlash,” he explained.
The result, he said, is that guns legally issued to responsible citizens are ending up in the hands of criminals, further fueling violent crime.
Burnett’s comments come amid mounting public concern about rising gun violence and calls for stronger oversight at ports, along with stricter enforcement of firearm regulations.
