JOINING lawyers’ call for legislative review of the Firearms Act, private investigator Alton Grannum wants it to be made law that people applying for firearm licences and permits of any kind be psychologically evaluated as part of the Firearm Licensing Authority’s (FLA) vetting process.

Grannum, a certified polygraph expert, said the numerous instances of misuse of guns by licensed firearm holders and permit holders point to underlying issues masked by having an unblemished police record and squeaky-clean public image.

“A police record only indicates that you don’t have a criminal record, which, if clear, moves you to the next stage of investigators conducting interviews plus background checks in your community.

“However, nobody knows you from a mental standpoint, how mentally stable a person you might be, which can only be determined by a psychologist,” argued Grannum, who, as part of his mission to promote responsible use of firearms, is set to stage a ‘Rules of Engagement’ conference and exhibition December 7-8, at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel.

Trained in the Reid technique, a structured, three-phase method used by international law enforcement to gather information, assess behaviour and obtain confessions from suspects, Grannum also believes polygraph testing should be mandatory during interviews for firearm licences.

“A psychologist can go above and beyond to determine whether a person is mentally prepared to carry a firearm. Both should be mandatory — polygraph testing and psychiatric evaluation.

“When you go into the FLA and tick all the boxes after being asked certain questions, you may pass and appear qualified. However, when carrying a firearm, a feeling of empowerment can cause one’s true nature, mindset, and tendencies to come to the fore,” Grannum reasoned.

“When some people have a firearm, they believe they are invincible. This behaviour can be detected by a psychiatrist and, to an extent, during interviews while being polygraphed,” Grannum stated.

“Not only is the element of fear non-existent, they become aggressors,” he added, pointing out that “the firearm now becomes a boost” despite whatever forewarning might have been transmitted by the FLA to successful applicants.

A member of the American Polygraph Association since 2012 with 26 years of close-protection experience in the security industry, Grannum noted that psychologists are trained to elicit certain responses from subjects while polygraphs detect abnormalities in responses.

Grannum said refreshers such as the upcoming Rules of Engagement conference and exhibition for anybody in possession of a weapon, licensed firearm holders, or members of the security forces, private and public, can never be too much.

“Such a conference, which is really a seminar with different speakers, will present real-life scenarios that are played out daily in our lives, such as domestic quarrels arising from infidelity as well as business arrangements,” Grannum said, pointing to a recent incident in Harbour View during which a 63-year-old businessman, a licensed firearm holder, shot a fellow elderly businessman as well as the man’s dog during an argument. He afterwards confronted responding police officers by whom he was shot and killed.

“We also had an incident of a former Member of Parliament admitting to shooting his wife and was sent to prison for 20 years and 10 months in March,” Grannum added.

“A person can pass a psychological evaluation, still go out there and do something stupid. Nothing in life is 100 per cent foolproof. However, it is a missing step that needs to be added. A psychologist can assess emotional stability, how an applicant manages frustration, anger, stress, and rejection, particularly situations involving conflict,” he emphasised.