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Gun amnesty haul highlights need to aim higher
Another firearms amnesty has ended with about 200 unlicensed firearms being surrendered, but despite repeated amnesties armed crime is rising, reinforcing the need to move more decisively in controlling the menace.
“The amnesty, though only a week long, was effective, and the police received guns that are in service and in good condition,” (Crimes) Prashantha Jayakody, said, pointing out that under earlier amnesties people turned in archaic guns that were literally falling apart.
This time, the firearms handed in included 12 and 16-bore shotguns, other double-barrelled guns, rifles, revolvers and pistols.
An outdated survey in 2006 showed there were about 300,000 firearms in the country – and even more in the then conflict-stricken northern and eastern areas, a senior researcher on disarmament, Vidya Abeygunewardena states, citing a study by Safer World UK for the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) National Commission Against the Proliferation of Illicit Small Arms.
Mr. Abeygunewardena said that number must have increased dramatically over the years.
He advocates a four-prong strategy to combat the menace that includes regular amnesties, a countrywide survey on illicit small arms and light weapons, a new or amended Firearms Act and enlisting public support in crack down on illicit arms.
In the February 5-12 amnesty for the surrendering of firearms without valid permits police collected around 200 weapons, including 137 guns from around the country.
The defence ministry is allowing three months for those who handed in the weapons to renew their licences.
Spokesman Brig. Chandana Wickramasinghe said police, acting on intelligence received would continue to carry out raids in search of illegal firearms and that holders of those arms face prosecution leading to possible five-year jail terms.
In an amnesty offered in May 2018, around 175 illegal weapons were recovered and in April 2006, a two-week amnesty garnered more than 400 illicit firearms.
In 2018, in an effort to check the number of illegal firearms circulating, the government recalled all licences on firearms and during that time seized around 1212 firearms.
Experts said although there are strict laws against the possession of illegal firearms underworld gangs continue to hold weapons and police are unable to exert their authority over these people as they have the support of rogue politicians.
The collection of illegal arms goes back to far as the 1970s and 1990 during the civil war with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the 30-year civil war with Tamil guerillas in north and east.
The police do not know how many illegal arms are circulating, and DIG Jayakody agrees that they cannot control with amnesties alone. “The public should be rewarded [for tipoffs on arms caches],” he said. “We are continuing the search for weapons.”
Former senior DIG Sirisena Herath said positive results could be achieved only if search operations are held over several months. During amnesties, he said, only shotguns are handed over while sophisticated weapons are hidden away. “We should hunt for those,” he said.
Some legitimate gun-holders, including members of political parties who were given the right to own guns during the civil war have sold their guns and it is believed these have entered the black market and been bought by underworld gangs.
Parts of the arsenal of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have also made their way into the black market. Gangs also buy weapons from illegal rogue transnational networks that trade arms.
Professor M.W. Jayasundera of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice of the University of Jayawardenapura said gun laws are not administered strictly.
He said LTTE weapons uncovered after the war had gone into the hands of gangs that “are having a field day using the weapons and scaring the public”. Ammunition for these weapons is obtained through illegitimate channels from neighbouring countries including India, he said.