Kingstown St. Vincent May 13,2026-Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security St Clair Leacock has warned against what he described as a growing desire among Vincentians to own firearms, saying authorities are seeking to prevent the country from becoming \u201cthe Wild Wild West\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking on NBC Radio\u2019s Face to Face programme, Leacock said the number of people seeking assistance to obtain firearm licences reflected an increasing demand for guns across St Vincent and the Grenadines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf I go by the amount of applications that come to me personally to intervene on people\u2019s behalf, then everyone in St Vincent will have a gun,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leacock explained that applications for firearm licences are reviewed by a dedicated board which was recently re-established after delays in its formation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUnfortunately, it took a little long to get that board in place, but it\u2019s now in place,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the minister, the board assesses each applicant before determining whether they are \u201cworthy and deserving\u201d of owning a firearm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Applicants are also required to undergo training in the use of firearms and demonstrate that they have proper storage facilities at home to safely secure the weapon, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The minister, who noted that he had previously worn a uniform, cautioned that firearm ownership could contribute to escalating tensions during conflicts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVery many people, once you have a gun, you want to use the gun,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added that some individuals use firearms to intimidate others during disputes rather than seeking peaceful resolutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere are some people who want to show you that they\u2019re carrying a gun on the side and provoking you,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kingstown St. Vincent May 13,2026-Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security St Clair Leacock has warned against what he described as a growing desire among Vincentians to own firearms, saying authorities are seeking to prevent the country from becoming \u201cthe Wild Wild West\u201d. Speaking on NBC Radio\u2019s Face to Face programme, Leacock said the number of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":45602,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-local-news"],"yoast_head":"\n