Greater than 20 weapons turned in beneath Jamaica’s gun amnesty

Greater than 20 weapons have been turned in beneath the gun amnesty that has been in drive since November 5, in line with Jamaica’s Minister of Nationwide Safety Dr. Horace Chang.

He made the disclosure when responding to questions at a Jamaica Home press briefing on Tuesday.

Chang famous that almost all of the weapons handed over to this point had been “legacy firearms,” or ones that an individual could have acquired from a relative.

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“There are lots of people in Jamaica who could have inherited a firearm from their grandfather, their father; they’ve acquired it by another means, normally by legacy,” he mentioned, noting that a few of them haven’t been licensed for a few years.

Chang additionally talked about media studies of a lady handing over a firearm that belonged to her husband and that she had not been licensed in over 20 years.

He additionally identified a case of a person in St. James, who mentioned he was getting previous and had not licensed his firearm for a number of years, so he determined to show it in.

“That sort of firearm has been coming in and I’m glad with that as a result of we don’t want for any of these people to be caught within the new internet we’re setting on the market for unlawful firearms,” Chang mentioned.

To keep away from getting caught and prosecuted, Dr. Horace Chang advises individuals to name the station earlier than exhibiting up with the firearm.

The brand new Firearms Act will lead to harsher penalties starting from 15 years to life imprisonment for individuals present in possession of, trafficking in, manufacturing, or stockpiling firearms, amongst different violations of the Act.

The gun amnesty permits individuals in possession of unlawful or unregistered firearms and ammunition to give up the weapons with out concern of prosecution.

Beneath the amnesty, unlawful weapons could also be surrendered to a sub-officer or senior sub-officer on obligation at any police station; any designated officer at an FLA location; or an attorney-at-law.

As soon as the amnesty expires, the complete drive of the legislation shall be utilized to anybody present in possession of an unlawful firearm or ammunition.

The amnesty, which was enacted beneath the Firearms Act, started on November 5, and ends midnight on November 19.