Prime Minister Mia Mottley has called for urgent international action to stem the tide of American-manufactured assault weapons flowing into the Caribbean and Latin America, blaming the high-powered military-grade firearms for a surge in violent crime across the region.
Addressing the 79th annual United Nations General Assembly, Mottley condemned the easy availability of automatic weapons.
“We are today witnessing, for some years now, an unprecedented escalation in the number and calibre of assault weapons which are finding themselves in the hands of criminals who are wreaking havoc on the legal systems and our societies, particularly in the small island developing states of the Caribbean, and indeed in the wider states of Central and Latin America,” she said.
Mottley criticised the lax gun regulations in developed countries, particularly the United States, and the failure of international authorities to control the spread of such weapons, making clear that these firearms have no place in societies that are not engaged in military conflict.
“The right of persons to bear arms in countries not engaged in military conflict should not be an opening to accept as legitimate the presence of assault weapons in countries,” she declared. “It is simply not right.”
Her comments come amid a rising wave of gun-related crimes in many Caribbean nations, including Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, where assault rifles, handguns, and other illegal firearms—often traced back to the United States—have flooded the region, destabilising vulnerable communities.
The prime minister’s remarks echoed long-standing frustrations among Caribbean leaders who argue that their nations are bearing the brunt of lax gun laws abroad. In many instances, firearms manufactured and sold in the United States are smuggled into the region, fuelling violent crime and complicating local governments’ efforts to maintain law and order.
“This scourge caused by guns manufactured in the United States of America primarily also requires a fundamental reset,” Mottley insisted. While respecting the right of citizens to bear arms where this is constitutionally protected, she argued against the unchecked spread of assault weapons into nations not involved in any form of military conflict.
Mottley appealed to multilateral organisations, including the United Nations, to spearhead a global crackdown on the flow of illegal firearms, highlighting the devastating impact on countries like Barbados, where gun violence has become a growing threat to peace and stability.
“The reality is, we are facing a situation in which the guns that enter our region are destroying lives and communities. There is no justification for this; no justification at all,” she said.
The proliferation of illegal firearms has deepened the interconnected crises of crime, economic instability, and social unrest in the Caribbean, making it harder for governments to implement development programmes and maintain social order, Mottley explained.
She called for a comprehensive, global approach to tackle the issue, advocating for stricter controls on the sale and distribution of firearms, particularly assault weapons, and urging the international community to reflect on the consequences of inaction.
The prime minister’s impassioned appeal adds to mounting pressure to address the flow of gun exports to vulnerable regions, even as debates on firearm regulations continue to polarise the United States.
“How many more children will lose their lives? How many more communities will be torn apart by violence? We cannot stand by and do nothing. The time for action is now,” she concluded.
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