Violent Crime Reduction Bill

The considerable merit of the amendment moved by the noble Lord, Lord Marlesford, is that it is a very simple statement of powers. I have no doubt that the powers exist, but they are to be extracted from a number of legislative instruments. If the Government want to give a message—they are always giving a message about gun crime—the noble Lord's amendment gives that message straight away. I agree that it is a question of introducing an anti-gun strategy and culture into this country. I was recently in Trinidad, where gun crime is in a horrendous state. There is a population of about 1.5 million, and in the first three months of this year there had been 112 homicides, mostly shootings. I am sure that that is many more homicides by gun than we have in the whole of this country of 50 or 60 million people in a year. It is serious. As for those who carry guns legally in Trinidad, the Royal Gaol in Port of Spain is the only gaol that I have ever been in where I have been asked at the gate, "Can you hand over your gun please, sir?", which gives an idea of how guns are regularly carried. We must get away from a gun culture which permits the legal carrying of guns by people in the street, and make sure that that degree of gun crime does not occur in this country.