I believe that the expanding wave of crime which seems to be engulfing the land arises from a subculture, rather than the number of assault weapons available.

In Jamaica, a gun is not only a means of defence when in the hands of a typical Jamaican youth. He is suddenly the picture of an unrestrained tyrant. The great harvest of crime is logical. It is the years of active indoctrination that says 'man a thugs', 'bad man nuh cry', 'bad man wicked'.

If one were able to disarm the country, remove all guns, knives and machetes, crassness and aggression would still flourish. People will kill with stones or their bare hands, because it is believed that violence and brutality are important paths to honour and respect. So the gun is not the source of evil, it is merely the inevitable result of a social trigger that leads to gangsterism.

Overpowering egos must be re-channelled. They must be redirected into positive avenues. It is unproductive to disarm a country, since tangible weapons are only external reinforcement of the heart's battleground.

Here in the United States, owning a gun is not accompanied by the sense of pride and power that it is in Jamaica. It is as commonplace as light to each householder. We need not so much to break the flow of guns into the country as to break the chain of pride in being cruel and destructive. The seeds were sown and are now flourishing.

Maybe the schools could assist by having included in the curriculum, subjects that encourage self-fulfilment in socially beneficial ways. Record producers and radio announcers could contribute by refusing to endorse this flood of violence that they help to spread.

Maybe it is not too late to sow another seed - that gentleness and good manners are not soft and "girlish", but sensible, wise and beneficial.

I am, etc.,

HOMER SYLVESTER

homersylvester2hotmail.com

Miami, Florida