Hanover man loses two licensed guns
SANDY BAY, Hanover — The police in this parish are awaiting legal advice on how to proceed after a licensed firearm holder reportedly lost two of his guns.
According to head of the Hanover Police Division Superintendent Sharon Beeput, the court is currently reviewing the files.
The review will determine whether the man, who is a complainant against another licensed firearm holder, should be charged.
“Persons are wondering whether or not we are going to charge the complainant,” Beeput told last Thursday’s monthly general meeting of the Hanover Municipal Corporation.
“The matter is being reviewed now by the legal department, so they will determine whether charges should be preferred against the complainant,” she added.
Two firearms belonging to the complainant — a shotgun and a 9mm pistol — were reportedly lost between 2021 and 2022. Their owner made a report to the Sandy Bay Police Station in May this year.
Superintendent Beeput did not provide further details during her presentation on Thursday.
According to a Jamaica Observer source, the guns appeared to have gone missing when their owner was off the island.
The issue of lost or stolen licensed firearms has been a hot topic over the years. Proposed changes to the legislation will mean that, in the future, licensed gun owners who fail to report lost or stolen weapons to the police without reasonable excuse will face fines up to 10 times larger than the current penalties.
Under the Firearms Act, which is to be repealed by the 2022 Firearms (Prohibition, Restriction and Regulation) Act, if a licensed firearm holder loses his/her weapon and fails to report it within 48 hours, there is a $100,000 fine, or imprisonment of up to one year.
However, the 2022 Bill increases the penalty to a maximum of $1 million, and the reporting period is reduced to 24 hours.
The new Bill, now before Parliament, will repeal the 1967 Firearms Act, which was last amended in 2010.