Gun amnesty won’t be for ‘extended period’, says National Security Council
/ Our Today
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An upcoming gun amnesty, to be introduced as legislated in the new Firearms (Prohibition, Restriction and Regulation) Act, is to follow and run concurrently with a period of intense public education.
The public education exercise will be aimed at providing Jamaicans with a full understanding of the provisions of the new firearm law.
Coming out of a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC), chaired by Prime Minister Andrew Holness on September 29, it has been stated that the amnesty will give persons in possession of illegal firearms the opportunity to surrender these weapons to the State, without jeopardy of prosecution.
According to the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), which this morning (October 5) outlined the outcomes of the NSC meeting, it was agreed that the amnesty will not be for an extended period.
The gun amnesty was first promised by Dr Horace Chang, minister of national security, as he opened debate on the legislation in the House of Representatives on September 6.
“The Council has directed the Ministry of National Security to begin the rollout of the public education campaign as a matter of priority,” stated the OPM.
During a Jamaica Constabulary Force press conference on Tuesday, Major General Antony Anderson, the commissioner of police, stressed that, under the new act, anyone caught with an illegal firearm will receive a 15-year sentence, regardless of their age.
Noting that, in Jamaica, 84 per cent to 85 per cent of murder victims are killed with guns, Anderson said the stiffer penalties were needed to reduce the numbers.
“If we don’t see this as sufficient cause to send away the people who are in possession of these firearms for long sentences, we will be forever challenged because the consequences and the responsibilities that people have to take for having illegal firearms is not going to be meted out,” said Anderson.
The NSC also reviewed progress on other pieces of legislation to strengthen overall law enforcement, including the Bail Act and the Enhanced Security Measures Act.
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