Police who intercepted four men with an unlicensed pistol in a vehicle in Glen on Wednesday night found an AR-15 rifle and over 90 rounds of ammunition in one of their homes there, iWitness News was reliably informed.
It is the second AR-15 rifle that has been taken off the streets of St. Vincent and the Grenadines since a gun amnesty ended in May.
Sources in the know tell iWitness News that charges could be brought soon in connection with the dangerous, high-power weapon which civilians cannot obtain a licence to keep in SVG.
An AR-15 rifle was among the 14 firearms that police had on display at a press conference in Kingstown on Monday.
The firearms and ammunition were confiscated from people since the gun amnesty ended and stricter gun laws came into effect.
On Wednesday morning, acting Assistant Commissioner of Police with responsibility for crime-fighting, Trevor “Buju” Bailey, was asked on Boom FM about the AR-15 rifle that was on display at the press conference.
He declined to give certain information about where the weapon was found and suggested that investigations were continuing into the matter.
Bailey, however, underscored that AR-15s are dangerous firearms akin to what police in SVG and other law enforcement agencies around the world use.
“The capability that it has, it matches us, so to speak,” he said but added that law enforcement agents in SVG do not use the AR-15 specifically.
“So, it can do a lot of damage, cause serious injuries from a distance. So, it’s not a weapon that you have to get up close and personal to injure someone. You can stay at a good distance, 50, 60 feet away, and if you’re that accurate, you can cause some damage,” Bailey said.
He said that police are concerned about the presence of weapons such as the AR-15 in the hands of criminals in SVG.
“Knowing what the weapon can do, that weapon being in the wrong hands and somebody decides to be foolish to start shooting, especially in public, where a large crowd is gathered or people going about their daily life [is dangerous],” Bailey said.
He said that the weapon can be used as a semi-automatic or fully automatic rifle.
“So, it has the potential to cause serious damage. And all of us, not only law enforcement but St. Vincent and the Grenadines should be concerned that we have these types of weapons in our country in the wrong hands.
“Because that type of weapon should really be carried by the military or law enforcement. As an individual, if you apply for a license to carry such a weapon, you will not get that,” Bailey said.
Bailey said that when police confiscate illegal firearms, they are checked ballistically to try to match them to crimes in the country.
He, however, said that this takes time because of the number of firearms and crimes.
What is the Authorities position on ” Ghost Guns”. One can purchase the materials and ship to St Vincent in a barrel. Are we training our Customs Officers to recognise these materials to make ” Ghost Guns”. Ghost Guns have no serials and can be used to carry out many crimes .
It was alleged that a custom officer did not show up for work causing the importantion of the gun to exposed and be a news item.