Dear Editor,
I’m of Indigenous background and a former Toshao. I have no bone to pick with anyone from any political party. Recently I read in the Sunday Stabroek of October 4 how worried my fellow Indigenous brothers and sisters were about surrendering their shotguns. My heart ached with sympathy knowing how important a shotgun is to us. The Minister of Public Security must be aware that Indigenous villages do not have meat centres where you can easily purchase the meat and chicken on which we depend for our survival on a daily basis. Our families also need to be protected from wild animals, so a shotgun is important for our survival.
To address these above-mentioned concerns, the Minister needs to consult with all the leaders from the Indigenous communities about the issuing of firearm licences.
The Indigenous brothers and sisters from the upper Mazaruni, Region 7 and also Region 8, have voted for a change, and a change for a better life. We are not the ones who have been gun-running and committing violent crimes against our fellow Guyanese brothers and sisters; we just need to be able to survive.
In closing I would humbly ask the Minister of Public Security to kindly speed up the issuing of shotgun licences as early as possible.
Yours faithfully,
Anthony Melville
Region Eight
