What about the loan of 237 weapons to external agencies, like paramilitary forces and the Ministry of National Development in the late 1970s, of which only 82 (or just about 1/3) were returned? These weaponry included sub machine guns (AK47), M-70 rifles, and grenade launchers. When there was a shootout between the police and criminals at Mahaica, East Coast Demerara, in 2009 the sub machine guns (AK47) that were seized from the criminals had been issued by the army to the PNC. According to senior army officer Sydney James, 44 sub machine guns that were issued to the PNC’s Ministry of National Development are still missing. How many of these lethal weapons are in the hands of criminals?