CNMI officials say life's changed because of gun ruling
A Northern Marianas court ruling which threw out 30 year old gun restrictions is expected to have a major impact on security there.
Transcript
A Northern Marianas court ruling which threw out 30 year old gun restrictions is expected to have a major impact on security there.
Last month the District Court threw out the Weapons Control Act, a measure that stopped non-law enforcement people from obtaining handguns, ruling the law was unconstitutional.
The Governor Ralph Torres says the decision changes the whole CNMI and the way the commonwealth enjoys freedom and the luxury of not having handguns.
He has also signalled it will require more public safety funding.
The Commonwealth Ports Authority executive director, MaryAnn Lizama, told Koro Vaka'uta she agrees with the governor.
MARYANN LIZAMA: The right to bear arms, the CNMI has had that privilege in maintaining a gun-controlled environment. This ruling is a game-changer for the law enforcement officers at our airports and sea ports. For the entire CNMI law enforcement officers for that matter. What we do here is protect the travelling public and the airports and sea port community. It's a game changer for my law enforcement officers. This whole right to bear arms with the handguns, now we have to beef up security. Not only do we have to stand up security posture, we have to tighten security measures. It's a whole new ball game. It's a different dynamic now, we are working through a different dynamic. We have to in corporate what is coming. Not only does it affect the airport and sea port community, it really does affect our entire community as a family, as a whole, because we have never had this before but again the US constitutional ruling, the right to bear arms, it has been stated.
KORO VAKA'UTA: So does this put a higher risk, this latest ruling, put a higher risk at ports and things when you talk about it being a game-changer?
ML: My law enforcement officers right now, what they do, they do a splendid and superb job in upholding and protecting and serving. Now...well let's put it in a matter of this situation, before the right to bear arms ruling was passed down, there was in essence, not a worry. Even as a citizen myself and this being my island home, I never had to worry about anybody else carrying a handgun. The only thing allowed is rifles and they are specific rifles and calibres that you are can have and you are licensed to have. As a member of the community, now there is always something at the back of my mind that somebody else could be holding or somebody else could be packing and I wouldn't know. So that will be in the back of my law enforcement officers' minds because as a citizen that's in the back of my mind.
KV: So in terms of changing things and needing different posture and approach, would this require more investment in port security?
ML: We haven't weighed that and I guess the other thing we have to consider is the livelihood of our law enforcement officers. Now the liability has increased. As a financial aspect, we have look at that. Again, law enforcement officers are always vulnerable to, knock on wood, to any shootouts. They are more vulnerable now because of this ruling.
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