Letter: Why the media silence on Ken Gordon's lost gun?

Boy, oh boy! What a contrast! 

I'm talking about Integrity Commission Chairman losing his firearm and the generally muted response of the media to the unpardonable incident. 

It makes me wonder if the lethal weapon was equipped with a silencer? 

Seriously! Come on, media houses! If it was Anand or Jack, you guys would have shifted Carmona off the headlines without any urging from anyone and substituted a string of strident calls for them to be fired. 

Why the apparent curry favouring of Ken Gordon? Why the silent treatment? Is it a tribal thing, seeing he earned his stripes through journalism? Or, is it because you feel it's no big deal for big shot licensed gun owners to be forgetful or careless about their arms and ammunition?

I am so very happy and relieved the Police Commissioner has refused to return the weapon to Mr Gordon. 

All things considered, to me, even if the law didn't require such response, Mr Gordon has lost the right to such a privilege. It's a privilege because so many law-abiding citizens have applied for gun licences and are still awaiting word due to the overly stringent background checks that have to be done and other considerations. 

Here is not America. There's no constitutional right to bear arms. What we have though is the right to safeguard others from harm by our negligence. We need not be reminded that, sometimes, a person's negligence can have criminal consequences for him or her.

I thank God the young man who found Mr Gordon's lost firearm had the broughtupcy to carry it to the police. If he was negligent in doing that, who knows what harm could've come to others? 

The authorities should encourage this young man by rewarding him appropriately, especially if he's one of those little black boys that Gypsy sang about several years ago. 

No message would be more powerful than to "invite" Mr Gordon to resign from the Integrity Commission and have him provide the financial reward.

But, as I said, I really don't expect the authorities would favour my suggestions, because it wasn't Anand, it wasn't Jack.

Sais Beharrylall | Balmain Village, Couva