But it wasn't all bickering in the House today – there were a few things both sides could agree on. One of them was that the severe gun laws need to be revisited. The issue is in sharp focus presently because of the Gino Peck case and the Reynaldo Verde situation. The Leader of the Opposition urged the government to do something about it, and government appears ready to listen:
Hon. Francis Fonseca – Leader of the Opposition
"I am no fan of guns, Mr. Speaker, but it is clear that the laws as they presently stand, are leading to injustice and inequity. And I think that we in this Honourable House have a duty and an obligation to review when the citizens of the country are concerned and we these matters playing out nationally. We have a duty to pause and say, 'Let us review the legislation, and if necessary, let us revise it to take account of these concerns of the Belizean people.'"
Hon. John Saldivar - Minister of National Security/Area Representative, Belmopan
"My government will be looking very carefully having now gotten the reprieve from the crime situation. We will be looking more carefully to see how we can revise the firearm and other related law to make them fairer, as you would say, and review them with a view to satisfying the clamours of the Belizean citizenry with respect to these laws. Only yesterday, and again today, I met with the Director of Public Prosecutions, as well as the Solicitor General, and we have begun a review of these pertinent laws with a view - like I said - to find some fair and less draconian laws. We are indeed looking at the jurisdiction of the Magistrate with respect to this current law, and looking at perhaps returning to the Magistrate the jurisdiction of deciding on bail matters."
And while the laws will change, does the GSU have to change as well? The press asked the Prime Minister about the role of this elite unit and the division it has created within the department:
Prime Minister Dean Barrow - Prime Minister of Belize
"Also with a view to trying to ensure that the GSU knows that it is a part of the Belize Police Department, and that the other units of the Department also know this, and that the public knows this. I concede that a perception seems to be setting in that the GSU is perhaps an entity separate and apart, an entity unto itself. I do not saw a law unto itself, a entity unto itself. And to the extent that there is that perception, some effort must be made by all those involved, including the GSU leadership, but most particularly, the Commissioner, the CEO, and the Minister to try to deal what is at least a perception."
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