The new Firearms Act, which gives the authorities the power to impose a maximum sentence of life in prison for persons convicted of gun possession, has moved closer to becoming law.
The Firearms (Prohibition, Restriction and Regulation) Act 2022 was passed by the Senate on Friday following two days of debate.
The legislation was passed with 17 amendments, and will therefore go back to the House of Representatives.
Under the new legislation, persons convicted of illegal possession of a firearm face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years behind bars.
Persons involved in gun trafficking and stockpiling of weapons also face life in prison if convicted.
Human rights groups have criticised the legislation, but the government insists that persons involved with illegal guns must be removed from the streets.
12 months of mourning
During Friday's debate, Opposition Senator Lambert Brown called for the government to declare 12 months of mourning for victims of gun violence, beginning on the date when the new Firearms Act becomes law.
He said the proliferation of illegal guns in Jamaica has led to massive bloodshed over the years, and the 12 months were needed to "mobilise the political parties, the religious communities (the church, the mosque, the temples)… civil society, the trade unions [and] the private sector".
More than 1,000 people are murdered each year in Jamaica, and most are gun-related.
From 2018 to 2022, more than 5,000 gun-related cases were placed before the courts across Jamaica.
Some 1,000 cases of shooting with intent were laid before the courts during the same period.
