FLA Looking to Align its Operations in Accordance with New Legislation

The Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA) will be looking, over the medium term, to align its operations in accordance with the Firearms (Prohibition, Restriction and Regulation) Act, 2022.

This is to inform the public and stakeholders of its new role, as well as modernise its record-keeping process and improve its cyber resilience under the new legislation, which replaced the Firearm Act that was repealed two years ago.

Consequent on this, the Authority has programmed several activities for implementation during fiscal year 2024/25.

These are detailed in the Jamaica Public Bodies Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the Year ending March 2025.

These include updating/drafting 25 policies and procedures that are required to facilitate the expanded functions of the FLA under the new Firearms Act and facilitating increased awareness of the new policies and services, through public education campaigns and information on its digital platforms.

The FLA will also continue work to develop an Enterprise Management System to 70 per cent completion.

The system includes the Records Information Management System and the Document Management System.

Additionally, the Authority will continue implementation of a cyber-intrusion detection system, which is expected to detect and reduce the impact of cyberattacks on the FLA’s systems.

The agency’s achievement of these objectives is contingent on the implementation of a new fee structure.

The Authority anticipates an operating surplus of $250.44 million for fiscal year 2024/25.

The FLA was originally established as a body in 2006 under Section 26A of the Firearms Act.

In November 2022, the Firearms Act was repealed and replaced with the Firearms (Prohibition, Restriction and Regulation) Act, 2022.

Under the new Act, the FLA was given body corporate status, which means the entity has its own legal identity and can now own and hold property in its name.

Additionally, the FLA is now recognised as a public body within the definition of the Public Bodies Management and Accountability Act.