KINGSTON, Jamaica —  The call for an urgent review of the Firearms Act has been joined by Opposition Spokesperson on Justice Zuleika Jess, who has slammed her fellow lawmakers for passing what she described as “absurdity”.

The law was passed before Jess, a first-term Member of Parliament for St Elizabeth Eastern, was elected to the House of Representatives following the 2025 general election.

“The primary duty of this House is to pass laws that deliver justice, not absurdity, said Jess in her maiden contribution to the Sectoral Debate on June 4, as she took aim at what she asserted was flawed legislation and a “glaring crisis in our judicial system”.

According to Jess, “The Firearms (Prohibition Restriction and Regulation) Act requires urgent, common-sense amendments”.

She made it clear that she would be the first to join any sensible effort to be tough on crime because it is a monster that must not only be tamed but must be eliminated.

“I am also of the view that we are an intelligent and innovative people, especially when not hamstrung by partisan political considerations.

“That said, it befuddles me as to why we sometimes seek to use a hammer to swat a mosquito. This administration passed a law so poorly thought out that it has ceased to protect the public and has instead made criminals out of non-violent Jamaicans, including creatives,” she remarked.

A senior attorney-at-law, Jess noted that a little over two weeks ago  a music producer was slapped with a mandatory minimum 15-year sentence—not for a real weapon, but for imitation firearms used as props in music videos.

Ewan Pryce, 47, was given the mandatory 15-year sentence for possession, after several imitation firearms were found inside his Grant’s Pen, St Andrew home during a joint police-military operation in 2023. He was also sentenced to life in prison for stockpiling firearms.

“Not a single bullet could ever leave those plastic barrels. Yet, this State used a 15-year sledgehammer to crush a creative professional who posed no threat to public safety, effectively letting Parliament sentence the man instead of an independent judge,” Jess declared.

“This legislation is so fundamentally broken that it triggered a rare, historic moment of absolute consensus: both prosecutors and defence attorneys stood together in total agreement, demanding that this law be amended immediately. When the Sate’s own prosecutors lock hands with the defence to say a law is unjust, it is no longer a tool against crime; it is an instrument of injustice,” Jess added.

She said the Parliament must act without delay to effect changes to the legislation. “We must urgently amend this law to restore full, unrestricted sentencing discretion to our judges, and we must make these amendments retroactive so those currently suffering under this legislative failure can have their sentences reviewed”.

In April, National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang said the Firearms Act is to be amended with a view to lessening the penalties for imitation firearms by moving it to another section of the legislation.