MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica — Minister of National Security, Peter Bunting, says the long-awaited Montego Bay branch of the Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA) should open within a month.

He said that focus is now being placed on staffing and refurbishing of the office, which will be located in Bogue.

"We have already located and rented the office…we are going to have it staffed in the next three weeks. I am undertaking that within a month we will be opening that office," the Minister said.

He was addressing a special stakeholders’ meeting of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, held on September 20 in the resort city.

Cabinet recently approved the establishment of the FLA's regional office to allow for more efficient response to the service needs of citizens in western Jamaica.

Firearm holders in the west have long been calling for the establishment of a regional office to prevent the inefficiency, security risk, inconvenience and the cost of journeying to Kingston to renew or apply for a firearm license.