Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced that the New Firearms Act will enforce more stringent penalties to individuals that are found in possession of an illegal firearm.
These proposed measures include conviction before a Resident Magistrate to imprisonment with or without hard labor for a term not exceeding two years.
In addition, the legislation will also promote the safe and legal means for citizens to own and use firearms.
This warning comes considering the recent surge in gun violence which has plagued the island.
Minister of National Security, Dr. Horace Chang compounds that these acts of violence are directly linked to scamming activities coupled with contract killings.
These factors as underscored by the Minister poses a major problem for the security forces and increases risk to communities.
Minister Chang also alluded that contract killing has become “almost the norm and standard operation, where the scammers, who are involved themselves (might) have a level of intelligence and want to maintain a level of respectability, stay far from the gun and hire those they can find.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Holness notes that country must take a stance to combat the surge of gun violence and as such urges the Judicial system and members of the security forces to take an ardent stand in completing this task.
“The challenge that we are facing, is that there are many persons in our country who see it fit to illegally acquire a firearm. Now the only thing we can assume when somebody illegally acquires a firearm, is that they intend to use it for an illegal purpose; And so, the country must come down heavily on that, there can be no ambivalence in our perspective that anyone who has an illegal firearm should be punished in the harshest possible way ” Prime Minister Holness explained.
“Until the society is clear on that, that there is no excuse for gunmen, this problem will persist. We need our law enforcement and our Judicial system to be very clear and very firm on persons who seek to acquire and use illegal weapons ” He added.
