problems of armed violence, high levels of gun crimes persist in the Region. Illegal guns are responsible for over seventy per cent (70%) of murders in the Region. 3.12 The profound negative impact and consequences of the illegal gun trade go far beyond the high level of homicide. Illegal guns play a key role in all aspects of trafficking, not just as a trafficked commodity but as a means of facilitating the trafficking of other commodities, and as a tool to support criminal and deviant behaviour such as robberies, rape and other forms of sexual and non-sexual violence. Illegal guns are increasingly becoming both the currency and commodity of the drug trade, having evolved into a major independent criminal activity. Illegal guns serve to exacerbate both the likelihood and impact of other risks and threats. This is the main instrument of public fear and alarm in the Caribbean Community. 3.13 Security threats arising from illegal guns also include possible terrorist threats. For example, the Region might be used as a base for a “Mumbai style terrorist attack”, possibly aimed at citizens of other countries. The tourism industry is potentially vulnerable to an attack aimed at American or European visitors. The geographical location of the Region, the nature of the island chain and its porous marine borders which enables relatively free movement could be exploited to facilitate terrorist acts. There is intelligence that individuals from known terrorist regions are heavily involved in the illicit drugs and guns trade and are increasingly mobile in the Region. 3.14 The key to the solution is a marked reduction in the availability of illegal guns and ammunition. The Region can only achieve meaningful results in this area by working with key strategic partners; in particular the states where guns are sourced. The main source is the United States of America. 6 While the Region respects the rights of other states to establish liberal policies regarding access to guns, the negative impacts of these gun policies are not confined to their borders. They have very serious consequences for other countries, including the Caribbean nations, Mexico and the Central American states. Preventing the illicit trafficking in guns is therefore a responsibility to be shared not only among CARICOM states but also the countries that are the sources of these weapons. 3.15 On July 4, 2011 CARICOM Heads of Government adopted the CARICOM Declaration on Small Arms and Light Weapons as the regional mechanism in the collective effort to combat the illicit trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons and their ammunition. CARICOM noted with grave concern that the widespread availability of illegal guns has fostered an alarming rise in murders and gun violence throughout the Region. 3.16 The Declaration also acknowledged the important role being played by CARICOM IMPACS as the designated regional point of contact for SALW. CARICOM fully supports the adoption and implementation of a global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) and is convinced that an ATT would considerably reduce trafficking in guns and ammunitions, especially the diversion from legal users to the illegal trade, and consequently the number of cases of gun related murders in the Region. 6 Most of the illegal guns traced in CARICOM Member States come from the United States of America. 25