[Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of SAMPAN interviews with people living in countries with strict gun laws.]

Recent devastating mass shootings in the United States have yet again brought the issue of gun violence to the limelight. In 2022 alone, the Gun Violence Archive has counted more than 250 mass shootings in the United States. The director of the US. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has even come out to say that gun violence in America is a “serious public health threat.”

So how do the ambiguous policies on gun control in the United States compare to a country that has strict gun laws?

With a population of about 11.68 million people, Haiti is plagued by corruption, natural disasters, years of political instability, and prominent gang violence. The resurgence of gang violence has caused major strife in Haiti and gun violence has been exceedingly prevalent in a country that has extremely strict gun laws. Haiti also prohibits the possession of firearms publicly and in homes. Therefore, unless people have licenses or are authorized by Haiti Armed Forces, firearms are strictly prohibited.

Why is it that gun violence has become such a major issue in a country that has strict gun laws?

This past March, hundreds of Haitian migrants have fled to the Florida Keys by boat to escape “the armed terror back in Haiti driven by a federation of violent gangs that now control much of Haiti and its capital, Port-au-Prince,” according to WRLN public radio. Federation leaders of these violent gangs can be seen in videos waving military-style weapons and semi-automatic rifles. As these guns cannot be legally purchased in Haiti, how is this the case? The answer is that half a million of firearms in Haiti are illegally smuggled from the United States. Most of these illegal weapons are high power guns. As of 2020, the United Nations reported that there are about 270,000 illicit firearms in Haiti, while the National Commission for Disarmament, Dismantling, and Reintegration reported about 500,000. The number of registered firearms, reported in 2017, is only about 20,379.

Overall, in 2021 there was a 62% increase in violence compared to the previous year in Haiti. The surge in violence has caused citizens to feel unsafe in Haiti, according to UNICEF.

To dig deeper into how guns and gun violence are viewed in Haiti, we interviewed François. He is a Haitian native currently living in Boston who previously worked for his nation’s government.

In Haiti, any citizen who is 18 or older is permitted to get a gun license. However, it takes a long time to get the license. If you want to purchase a gun, you have to write a letter to the national police. Then there is this investigative period, in which background checks are done to see if the individual has a mental illness and has a clean record. They also have to see whether the gun is legal to possess. There are two different types of licenses you have to carry. One permits you to possess the gun at home and the other allows you to carry it outside. In Haiti, the gun laws are more restrictive than in the US. Haitians living in the US, usually buy the guns for the gangsters and then they send them through customs. Over there, the customs service doesn’t do a good job. That’s how guns get into Haiti easily — via the US.

Everyday people are being kidnapped in Haiti and the crime rate is extremely high. It has been very difficult for the population. There is a strong anti-gang sentiment amongst everyday citizens. Because the process to obtain a gun takes so long, there is a very low rate of people with registered firearms. However, most common people in Haiti now want a gun to protect themselves from gang violence, as it has become a major issue. The current prime minister in Haiti is not very popular right now as he hasn’t made a stance on guns — most politicians don’t, anyways. Usually, businessmen and entrepreneurs are the ones that are targeted by gangs because they are after their money. On the other hand, for everyday common people, there really isn’t a culture of guns in the house.

For me personally, my family doesn’t believe in having guns in the house and I don’t either. I don’t own a firearm because I feel that when people own guns, they become arrogant and they don’t use their negotiating skills. There are better solutions in solving conflicts between people. I think that everyday people owning guns will not reduce gang violence. If anything, my solution to gang violence in Haiti is to reform the judicial system, as the judges are extremely corrupt, and to strengthen the police by equipping them. Everyday people in Haiti should not own guns.

This interview was edited for clarity and brevity.