Dear Sir,

I am utterly disgusted and ashamed at Bermuda’s practice of making no distinction between visitors who deliberately flout Bermuda’s drug and gun laws, and those who inadvertently break them.

It is reasonable to warn the latter and to have some provision that gives courts discretion to impose a minor, non-custodial penalty.

In the case of the Utah visitor of good reputation, who came from a state that requires no gun licence and who routinely travels with a gun at home and who meets the only acceptable reason for leniency of not being suspected of involvement in any crime in Bermuda, all the reported facts cry out for commonsense justice.

I assume your report is accurate and comprehensive of all important facts.

The magistrate had no choice because of a Supreme Court ruling. That is unfortunate.

This problem will get worse with time. Are we going to charge visitors with medical permits for marijuana prescriptions with an offence? When our laws do not keep pace with drug-law changes in our visitors’ domiciles, and allows no magisterial discretion, we ruin reputations of law-abiding foreign citizens.

Punishment should be only for people who deliberately break the law.

Ignorance of the law is no excuse, but magisterial discretion should be left in place, so that, when suitable, justice can be tempered with mercy.

I do not support freedom in private use of guns. This is not about that.

BERTRAM GUISHARD

Hamilton