With the greatest respect for the judiciary, how can we ever fix this country if the penalty for possession an illegal firearm and ammunition is a fine of $7,000? The Minister of National Security has gone on record as saying that the high level of crime in the country is linked to the trade in guns and drugs.
It is so ironic that this shocking court decision is delivered on the same day a young German man goes on a shooting spree that leaves 15 dead and a 28-year-old Alabama man leaves ten dead. Did the court reflect on the number of gun-related homicides for 2008, and the noise around the world for mandatory jail time for offences relating to guns?
Did the Court reflect on the many judgments of then-Chief Justice Bernard, more than 15 years ago, when he said over and over that the court could not countenance the growing level of crime in the country? It is time for the legislators to intervene and remove some of the discretion given to the judiciary in matters of criminal sentencing where gangs, guns, drugs and money laundering are an issue.
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