Caribbean is a top smuggling destination for illegal arms. U.S. lawmakers want answers
Two top Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman are pushing for a federal inquiry into the illegal trafficking of US firearms into the Caribbean, citing high gun crime across the region.
The three legislators wrote to Congress’ investigative arm, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, on Monday to investigate the effects of firearms trafficking to the Caribbean.
The letter was signed by Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, and New York U.S. Rep. Gregory W. Meeks, a ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Their offices have sought similar reports on Mexico and Central America.
The MPs added, “This additional request, focusing on the Caribbean, will allow us to gain a more complete picture of the entire impact of the illicit trafficking and usage of deadly weapons and munitions in the region.” They also want to know how to stop the flow of weapons.
They are asking the GAO for a country-by-country breakdown of the number and types of U.S. arms being trafficked to Caribbean countries, excluding Cuba, and whether the number is growing annually; information on where and how illicit weapons are obtained in the U.S. and how they are smuggled into their final destinations; and measures taken by U.S. and Caribbean law enforcement to address the problem. They also want to know what laws could aid U.S. anti-arms trafficking operations.
Illicit U.S. firearms are causing unprecedented violence and kidnappings in Haiti, according to U.S. politicians.
Two Haitian groups’ findings demonstrate violent gangs’ influence. The Association for Citizens for a Better Haiti reported Monday that gang violence killed at least 195 people in March, most of them in Port-au-Prince.
After The Bahamas, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago supported Mexico in its legal case against U.S. gun manufacturers last month, lawmakers requested a GAO inquiry. When a federal court dismissed the claim, it is being appealed. It alleges that numerous well-known firearms firms’ marketing and distribution strategies are aiding Mexican arms trafficking and supporting powerful drug gangs.
