[ericthered]

I've lived in former commonwealth Caribbean territories, and can confirm the gun situation. If you see a gun, its a full automatic long arm.

The populace is not exactly unarmed though. 22 inch cane knives are everywhere. I've seen middle aged mothers cutting chicken with them. Violent crimes, especially at the "petty" level, frequently involve them.

Of course, I didn't get to see the illegal weapons, but the murder rate in some places is pretty high, and the response is mostly wrought iron grills over all the doors and windows.