The new Firearms Act is being touted by Police Commissioner Major General Antony Anderson as a “game changer” in combating the problem of illegal guns in Jamaica.
The Police Commissioner, speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, observed that “the surest indicator of whether someone is a gunman must be the fact that they have been held with an illegal gun.”
Against that background, he said the provisions of the new statute should cause those contemplating procuring an illegal gun “to think twice about doing so… much less using it to commit a crime.”
The Firearms (Prohibition, Restriction and Regulation) Act was recently passed by both houses of parliament. It introduces harsher penalties for gun related offences, among other provisions.
