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A new report is warning that Caribbean people with dual nationality who live in the United States can purchase or facilitate the purchase of firearms and ship them to their home countries given that they have extensive contacts in both the US and the destination Caribbean country.
The report by the United States Government Accountability Office is based on data from the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) department.
It says the highest proportion of firearms traced to the United States had been recovered in The Bahamas compared with any other Caribbean country.
The report found that 73 per cent of the guns recovered in the Caribbean between 2018 and 2022 were traced back to the United States and trafficked to the Caribbean by various means.
It found that 45 per cent of these trafficked guns could be sourced back to an initial retail purchase in the United States, with most sales originating in Florida, Texas, and Georgia.
The report said the remaining 27 per cent of recovered and traced firearms were either traced to 35 other countries, representing 23 per cent, or their source was of undetermined origin, representing 4 per cent.
The ATF processed 7,399 traces of firearms recovered in crimes in the Caribbean from 2018 through 2022.
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