Changes to Firearms Amendment Bill to be gazetted tomorrow

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The changes to the Firearms Amendment Bill will be gazetted tomorrow (Wednesday).
The Public Safety Minister, Steadroy Cutie Benjamin, says the enactment of those change was made to coincide with the end of the latest gun amnesty period
The gun amnesty ran for one month – from October 15th to November 15th.
The grace period gave those in illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, an opportunity to surrender their weapons without penalty.
The Minister says too, that a new gazette act will be presented before parliament, during next week Thursday’s sitting.
Observer media does not know what the new Gazette Authorisation Act will entail.
Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer, Inspector Frankie Thomas took the opportunity to continue to appeal to members of the public, to make use of the chance to rid the streets of illegal firearms.
He is asking residents with information about people who may be keeping illegal guns and ammunition, to come forward and assist the police in finding them.
The police PRO says, since the amnesty began in October one person has walked into the police headquarters, to surrender an unlicenced gun and about seven rounds of ammunition and another handed over a gun to a police officer to take into the station.
The police have however been able, on its own initiative, to seize two firearms through intelligence-led operations.
Thomas adds that so far for year, the police have seized about 350 rounds of live ammunition.
He also spoke about the process of getting a firearm licence.
Some residents are saying that the process to obtain a licence is too tedious and frustrating.
But the police PRO says they cannot simply allow just anyone to own a gun.
He says the process currently in place, is made to ensure that there are no short cuts that could result in unfit persons getting firearms licences.
There is no quick fix for putting a weapon into someone’s hands, he tells OBSERVER media, noting that the person must be deserving and competent in order to be issued a firearm licence.

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