Kingston, Jamaica, August 7, 2017:
The People’s National Party (PNP) Patriots have joined the call for a review of the Act governing the Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA); and insist that law enforcement should be thorough in their investigation of the current scandal.
According to the Patriots, where it shows that the procedures governing the issuance of permits were breached, in any way, because of the scandalous and corrupt actions of those vested with the public’s trust, the full force of the law must be brought to bear.
The PNP’s young professional arm says it regards the recent resignations of the FLA board and the ongoing investigation by the Major Organized Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) as ominous signs of corruption and flagrant breach of the statute governing the issuing of firearm licenses to persons with “adverse traces” of criminality and connection to lottery scamming and other organized crimes.
On the heels of the first meeting of the group’s newly elected Executive, Patriots’ President, Omar Newell, says that, more is required “to fix a flawed and corrupt firearms licensing system, which gives criminals legal guns to threaten the safety of the entire Jamaican society”.
The tale of the FLA is that those who play by the rules get shafted as an untold number of Jamaicans who are considered “’unconnected’, but law abiding and are rightly subjected to a process involving extreme vetting when they apply for a firearm user’s license. The majority of these persons end up frustrated by the system which was designed to weed out the criminals and help genuine and legitimate cases.
“It is indeed unfortunate that what we have been told thus far by the nips and bits suggests that those in authority at the FLA devised ways to put guns in the hands of the criminals without proper vetting,” Newell notes.
The Patriots want a strengthening of the Authority by reducing the latitude of the Minister of National Security in determining Board membership. The Act currently prescribes the appointment of three positions on the FLA Board, but this prescription should be expanded to remove the Minister’s discretion. In addition, the position of Chairman of the Authority should be subject to a confirmation vote of the lower house of parliament, after proper background investigation by the relevant authority prior to any appointment.
The PNP affiliate maintains that a politician’s discretion is not enough to determine the character of the individuals to be empowered to arm citizens. This is a dangerous practice, a threat to public safety, and it should end immediately.
The Patriots also said that the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Shane Dalling, should vacate the position immediately because his stewardship of the agency is reckless and improper.
“We expect the Major Organized Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) to thoroughly investigate the breaches at the FLA with a view to take appropriate action where warranted,” Newell said.
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Contact:
Omar Newell (Tel. #: 388-1368)
PNP Patriots’ President
Orrett Montague (Tel. #: 852-2100)
PNP Patriots’ Communcations Director
