Business Leaders Endorse ‘Get Every Illegal Gun’ Campaign

Business leaders endorsing the Government’s ‘Get Every Illegal Gun’ Campaign are anticipating positive outcomes from the initiative.

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, announced that the undertaking will primarily entail the establishment of a $250-million fund to finance cash rewards of between $250,000 and $500,000 for information leading to the seizure of illicit firearms and supporting legislation detailing sanctions for possession of same.

He also indicated that the Government will be lobbying private-sector support for the initiative, which is intended to further bolster crime-fighting measures now being utilised by the security forces.

The announcement has been welcomed by newly elected Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC) President, Ian Neita, who is particularly keen on seeing the new Act promulgated as part of the response to ridding the streets of illegal guns, thereby significantly denting violent crimes.

“The Jamaica Chamber of Commerce has been calling for much stronger penalties for illegal possession of a firearm. The financial incentive alone won’t work unless you have this new Act [with stringent sanctions] which will give persons [with ulterior motives] second thoughts about being caught with an illegal firearm,” he tells JIS News.

Mr. Neita says the combination of imposing stricter penalties and offering incentives “is a marriage that we think will work well”, adding “we are very pleased that that is now going to be a reality”.

He also proposes that consideration be given to using intermediaries to assist in relaying information on illegal firearms, should persons have concerns about conveying same directly to the relevant authorities in person or through designated communication channels.

“In some cases, you will need an intermediary [who] is trusted by both [the individual making the report and the police]. People are, sometimes, afraid of going to the police because they [are uncertain] how they’re going to treat with the information provided,” Mr. Neita notes.

Consequently, he says, “if somebody has information and they don’t trust the police, then they could take it to their Pastor, the Principal in their area, or a Justice of the Peace”.

Mr. Neita also tells JIS News that the JCC wants greater support lobbied for the new initiative.

“We like the idea of collaborating with the private sector, but we would like to see a much more inclusive approach taken. We want to see more stakeholders involved because all of us have a role to play. There is one thing that is common to all of us, and that is the desire to tame this beast called crime,” he adds.

Jamaica Employers’ Federation (JEF) President, David Wan, who says he anticipates positive public response to the initiative, notes that the provision of substantive rewards for information on illegal guns and the legislation form a “good part of a package to fight crime”.

“The offer of up to $500,000, I think, is a big incentive, especially for someone not engaged in activities involving illicit firearms or who is not in possession of one, but has knowledge, as long as they can be assured that this is kept anonymous… and that’s going to be key. I think you will get persons responding positively, once the information is given and they are or can be assured that there won’t be any blowback on them,” he tells JIS News.

Mr. Wan also welcomes the proposed gun amnesty, noting that “it’s a good precursor to allow persons with illegal firearms to come clean and avoid penalties later on”.

“I believe the overall implementation will be good and [will yield] generally positive outcomes,” Mr. Wan adds.

Seprod Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Richard Pandohie, says based on the “abnormal” level of violent crimes in Jamaica, “any new measure that can potentially reduce the number of guns in the hands of persons who are intent on doing harm in the society is welcome”.

He says the use of guns to commit crimes remains a major problem, noting that “[these] seem to be readily available and are being used against the society with impunity”, hence “I have no issue with the reward system and really hope it works”.

The former Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA) President maintains, however, that the legislation “will be more impactful” in denting violent crimes, the nature of which, he says, “has just gone to a different level”.

JMEA President, John Mahfood, welcomes the reward system and the legislation, while emphasising that “the really critical issue [for the Government] would be, to be able to give persons the level of confidence that the information is not going to go into the wrong hands”.

“If well-thinking persons are confident that they won’t be pinpointed as the ones providing information about illegal guns, then I think we will get much better results out of the initiative. That, along with more stringent laws against illegal possession of guns, is where I think [much of] the focus must be,” he tells JIS News.

Business analyst, Warren McDonald, has also thrown his support behind the latest intervention, describing it as a “reasonable initiative”.

He says in light of the prevalence with which guns are figuring in crimes across Jamaica, “we have to try something new”.

“So, I think the initiative is worth a try… nothing tried, nothing gained; the pros far outweigh the cons,” he tells JIS News, while underscoring the need for safeguards to protect persons providing information.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, tabled the Firearms (Prohibition, Restriction and Regulation) Act, 2022 in the House of Representatives on February 10.

Notably, Clause 19 of the Bill allows for gun amnesty without persons being prosecuted.

“As the Government advances our thrust to ‘get every illegal gun’, it is our intention to provide citizens with an opportunity to surrender their illegal guns as soon as this new Bill is signed into law,” Dr. Chang advised.