New Firearms Bill To Improve Vetting Process – Minister

The application and issuing of firearm licences will be made easier under the new Firearms Bill, which has been tabled in Parliament, says Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang.

Speaking at the official opening of the Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA) Northern Regional Office at Lot 60, Dairy Road in Discovery Bay, St. Ann, on April 29, Dr. Chang said the new legislation will incorporate policies that improve the current vetting process and ensure that those who are seeking to acquire legal firearms are law-abiding citizens who want to “protect themselves”.

“We have separated the legal from the illegal. For legal firearms, we obviously want to provide quality service and a transparent system; a system of integrity and one that is accessible to the citizens and, therefore, they can get their licence within a reasonable time,” he noted.

The new facility, which is the FLA’s fourth location, is expected to expand service delivery for persons living in the parishes of St. Ann, St. Mary and Trelawny.

Prior to the opening, applicants and holders of firearm licences who sought access to the FLA’s services would have to travel to either St. James or Kingston.

Dr. Chang said that the issuing of a firearm licence is not a “free-for-all”, as the entity prides itself on ensuring an efficient, professional, rigorous and timely procedure for applicants.

“Every Jamaican that is law-abiding can get a firearm to run a business [and] to protect themselves. [Also], I am insisting that the Authority put the [applicants] through the process of training and sensitisation, because the firearm is a serious responsibility,” he added.

For his part, Chief Executive Officer of the FLA, Shane Dalling, said the agency’s Northern Regional Office will offer improved security, privacy and convenience to stakeholders.

He indicated that the FLA has digitised a number of its services as well as incorporated an online tracking service for applicants to track their applications online.

“We have improved our security infrastructure by linking electronically with the Criminal Records Office, where the individuals coming in to do their applications as well as renewal are fingerprinted and we know the results of their criminal background in one minute,” Mr. Dalling explained.

“It is a vast improvement from where we had to wait for a criminal report that sometimes takes three to six months,” he added.