Once Consultations take place and the public is in support, the Opposition leader says she is willing to work with Government on 'Stand Your Ground' legislation, but without relevant details on the proposal, Pennelope Beckles is urging Government to consult with the people.
00:00In her first media briefing at the opposition leader's Charles Street office, Penelope Beckles leads her members in urging that government be cautious about Stand Your Ground legislation.
00:12To bolster her position, she cited a study from Oxford University.
00:16The introduction in 2005 of the Stand Your Ground legislation laws in Florida have been linked to a 24 percent increase in homicides and a 31 percent rise in homicides involving firearms, with the largest proportional increase occurring in the 20 to 34 age group.
00:38Florida, the state from which the Prime Minister says local Stand Your Ground legislation is likely to be based, Beckles says ranks 22 among U.S. states for gun homicide and gun assault rates.
00:51So that using the Florida model, which is what this government is using, we would of course want to recommend some consultations with the public before this particular piece of legislation is implemented.
01:08One former AG sought to support the position.
01:11What is your ground? In Trinidad and Tobago, where we have a very large squatting community, a very large HTC community, take San Fernando West.
01:2125,000 registered people to vote, 11,500 live in HTC communities, and 3,500 live in squatting.
01:32So what's your ground? Will there be any quality of treatment?
01:37Is your neighbour's yard that you now claimed for two years, your yard or his yard?
01:41Where your children play in a community centre, in an area, and you perceive threat, where we have an issue of gang violence,
01:52where there is a perceived inequality amongst our people in the first place.
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