The Movement for Social Justice is weighing in on the government's draft Stand Your Ground legislation. While acknowledging the country's escalating crime problem, the MSJ argues that the proposed law fails to tackle deeper issues such as inequality and systemic factors that drive criminal activity.
00:00Attorney for the MSJ, Renako Gregg, says while government moves ahead with the stand-your-ground legislation and considers making it easier for citizens to access firearm users' licenses, quick fixes will not solve a complex crisis.
00:16He tells a news conference, while the nation reels from rampant crime and violence, there is need for a careful look at the broader social and cultural consequences of the law, cautioning that knee-jerk measures may offer the illusion of safety without addressing the root causes of crime.
00:36Citizens have a right to live in safety and peace. The responsibility of that, of course, falls on the state.
00:44The policy of stand-your-ground begins to shift that responsibility away from the state and places it on individual citizens.
00:53This is not citizens assisting the state by way of say something, see something, or see something, say something.
01:01This is citizens becoming an adjunct armed element. We need to consider the implications of this shift carefully.
01:11According to Gregg, stand-your-ground laws have failed to curb violence in the United States, despite nearly one-third of Americans owning guns and 44% living in households with them.
01:25He adds that placing public safety in the hands of armed citizens is dangerously short-sighted, especially with rising domestic violence and easy access to firearms for abusers.
01:39We have sadly had many cases of women being murdered by estranged or current partners in domestic contexts.
01:47The attorney warns the stand-your-ground law risks leaving the most vulnerable behind.
02:10He says lower-income citizens may be unable to afford firearms, adding that this class divide exposes a dangerous flaw at the heart of the legislation.
02:23Psychological evaluations, firearm safety training, and the course of the application itself could be prohibitive to poor and working-class people that comprise most of the population here in Trinidad and Tobago.
02:37It would appear that outside of those belonging to one of our country's security agencies, wealthier persons are already disproportionately hold both firearms and FULs.
02:55Therefore, the class inequalities in Trinidad and Tobago could be exacerbated further, with more and more citizens being advised to defend their home using legal firearms.
03:06According to the attorney representing the MSG, by encouraging citizens to stand their ground, with whatever weapon is at hand, as suggested by the government, for those without firearms, many people may unknowingly put themselves in greater danger.
03:23He says, without proper access to firearms, training and safeguards, this approach risks causing more harm than protection, leaving the most vulnerable exposed rather than secured.
Be the first to comment