Minister of National Security, Dr Horace Chang, says the upcoming gun amnesty will, in no way, impede the police from carrying out their regular duties.
The Firearms (Prohibition, Restriction and Regulation) (Firearms Amnesty) Order, 2022, which will facilitate the amnesty, was approved by the House of Representatives on Tuesday (November 1).
The amnesty, which runs from Saturday, November 5, until midnight Saturday, November 19, will afford persons in possession of illegal or unregistered firearms or ammunition, the opportunity to surrender these to the State without the fear of prosecution.
However, Chang, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, warned that “if a criminal is using a firearm in an armed robbery, he will be charged the same way as he [would] be charged… the day after the amnesty”.
He was speaking during Wednesday’s (November 2) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.
Chang said the 14-day amnesty will target persons having no criminal intent, while noting that penalties under the new Firearms (Prohibition, Restriction and Regulation), Act, 2022, which is now in effect, are stringent and designed to be deterrents to crime.
“We are fully aware that given the cross section of opinion out there in society, we have to respond to all of them. We are a democracy and it only takes one individual, who may be apprehended with a firearm, that you end up damaging the overall intent of the legislation and, on that basis, we decided to provide a period of amnesty,” the minister indicated.
The conditions for the surrender of firearms or ammunition are outlined in the Order.
These may be handed over to a subofficer or senior subofficer on duty at any police station; any designated officer at a Firearms Licensing Authority (FLA) location; or to an Attorney-at-Law on behalf of an individual seeking the amnesty, for delivery to the nearest police station.
Breaches of the new Act will result in penalties ranging from 15 years to life imprisonment.
