Ahead of a summit that will bring several world leaders to Samoa, the government of the island nation instituted a two-month “amnesty” where those who illegally possess firearms could turn them over to the government without fear of prosecution, and nab a $55 voucher for groceries to boot.
But when the amnesty ended this past weekend, government officials didn’t have much to show for their efforts. Just 40 firearms were handed in during the eight-week amnesty, far below the 198 guns that were collected in a previous “buyback” held in 2021. ABC News in Australia spoke to one Samoan who decided to keep ahold of his guns despite the government’s edict.
“No I won’t be turning it in,” said illegal gun owner John, who spoke to the ABC’s Pacific Beat on the condition of anonymity.
He said he was against the initiative because he believed firearms like his unregistered rifle were a necessary tool in rural areas.
“You cannot put down a cow by throwing a rock at it … using a gun is the fastest method for killing animals,” he said.
Farming is one of the two legally recognised reasons to own a gun in Samoa — the other being for shooting sports.
Commissioner Filipo said gun ownership in Samoa required being mentally fit with a medical certificate from a doctor, having no criminal record, and having completed training conducted by police.
But John has a criminal record so would not be able to pass police checks required to legally possess his weapons — which he told the ABC also included an AK-47 assault rifle.
While “John” may not be eligible to own a firearm because of his criminal record, Samoa doesn’t exactly make it easy for anyone to lawfully own a firearm. Handguns are prohibited entirely, along with rifles greater than .22 caliber. In order to lawfully possess a shotgun or a rimfire rifle, residents have to be cleared by police and health officials, as well as pass a written test. They must also produce letters in support of their gun ownership from their village’s mayor, their local pastor, and their spouse, along with (for farmers) a land ownership certificate or a letter from their local mayor attesting to their need for a firearm because they’re a farmer, or (for sport shooters) a letter from the president of the Samoan Shooting Federation.
Despite (or maybe because of) those restrictions, illegal gun possession is still at least fairly common in the island nation.
Commissioner Filipo said given Samoa does not manufacture guns, the only way illegal firearms were getting into the country was via smuggling.
Ms Fiame thanked the Australian government for its support of the gun amnesty via the Samoa-Australia police partnership.
Australia established a permanent national gun amnesty in mid-2021, which saw the surrender of almost 18,000 guns and weapons during its first year.
That followed a famous gun amnesty under former prime minister John Howard following the Port Arthur massacre in 1996.
Australia had 6.52 licensed firearm owners per 100 people in 1997 — a proportion that by 2020 had almost halved to 3.41.
Australia has more guns than it did when it instituted its sweeping compensated confiscation plans nearly 30 years ago, but far fewer gun owners. Samoa, on the other hand, has never had a widespread culture of responsible gun ownership thanks to the restrictions that have been in place for decades.
If those who illegally possess guns in Samoa aren’t giving them up, what makes anti-gunners here in the U.S. believe that anything would be different if Democrats were able to pass an “assault weapon” ban or declare the ownership of semi-automatic firearms illegal? If that happened, not only would criminals keep ahold of their guns, but tens of millions of lawful gun owners would risk criminal charges rather than hand them over to the government.
The failure of Samoa’s gun “amnesty” should be a lesson for gun control activists here at home, but we know it won’t be. Not even an Election Day drubbing is going to get them to change their minds…. but if they’re defeated in their bid for the White House and control of Congress we can at least stop them from carrying out their gun ban plans for the next four years.
