Guns, crime and social order in the West Indies

Abstract

This article examines guns, crime and social order in the West Indies. Set in the context of the region's colonial history, contemporary geopolitics and the growing availability of small arms, the article analyses the extent and nature of gun homicide and related phenomena in various locations across the English-speaking Caribbean. It explores some explanations for the disturbing growth in violent death and injury mainly caused by guns, focusing specifically on the nexus between drug trafficking, political patronage and armed violence and the resulting `pistolizaton' of civil society. The article examines the impact of extant security practices and offers some directions for future policy based on the precepts of public health, peace-building, violence prevention, gun control and the pursuit of human security.

Globalization of gun culture transnational reflections on pistolization and masculinity, flows and resistance

“…Comparative studies have demonstrated awkward attempts to introduce a similar language into the United Kingdom (Squires, 2000). Similar observations about the potency of NRA-style rhetoric have been made about Australia (Kohn, 2003), Jamaica (Cooper, 2007), the West Indies more generally (Agozino et al, 2009), andBrazil (Goldstein, 2007). The Brazilian case probably epitomizes the contemporary state-of-play in global gun politics as well as any other.…”

Firearm possession among arrestees in Trinidad and Tobago

“…Empirical data have yet to reveal how guns are making their way to Trinidad and Tobago. Firearm trace data are generally unavailable and unreliable,29 and existing accounts are based on impressions rather than compelling evidence 30. In addition, we believe that little is known about the methods and sources that illegal dealers use to obtain their firearms once they have entered the country.…”

Public opinion on crime, punishment and the death penalty in Barbados

“…Findings identify familiar 'law and order' concerns, but also demonstrate the importance of the post-colonial frame in interpreting public attitudes to crime and punishment. consider monumental shifts of population resulting from slavery and indentured servitude (Agozino et al, 2009). Contemporaneously, drug trafficking and the war on drugs, both internationally-felt phenomena, are significant influences on Caribbean crime and security (Bowling, 2010).…”