15 years to life - l Stiff penalties for gun-related offences l Persons urged to make use of amnesty

National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang says the government might have to create "additional rooms" in the penal system to house people convicted of firearm-related offences.

The penalties under the new law, which came into effect on November 1, range from a minimum of 15 years to life imprisonment.

Chang told THE WEEKEND STAR that with the new law now in force, the government is looking at instituting a number of things to ensure that the justice system is not overwhelmed. He said the creation of another gun court, as well as additional rooms for them are among the possibilities.

Chang is hoping that people who are in possession of illegal firearms and ammunition will take advantage of the recently announced gun amnesty and save themselves from lengthy prison terms.

The two-week amnesty, which starts on Saturday and ends on November 19, has been declared to allow people to avoid prosecution for the possession of illegal firearms and ammunition.

"My intention is not to lock up thousands of people for life and build new prisons for them. My intention is to provide training opportunities for those young men to lead productive lives. I want them to turn in what he has and to encourage others to stay away from the gun," the minister said.

Guns are the weapons of choice for murders in Jamaica. In 2021, firearms were used in the commission of approximately 85 per cent of the 1,463 murders committed, with a further 1,070 people being shot and injured. So far this year, more than 1,300 murders have been committed in Jamaica with guns being the predominant weapon used. More than 1,000 people have been shot and injured since the start of the year.

Chang, reflecting on the devastating role the gun plays in the country's crime statistics, said the current situation requires drastic measures, which includes stricter penalties for gun-related offences.

While acknowledging that there are people who might possess firearms and ammunition without criminal intent, Chang has appealed to them to make use of the amnesty.

"What we are trying to avoid is the one case that may show up that the person gets 15 years or life and it is said that he was not one who had criminal intent," the minister said.

He gave the example of a youngster who discovers his deceased grandfather's licensed firearm in a safe at home and decides to keep it, or a farmer who acquires a weapon to protect his property because he has been unable to get a licence from the Firearm Licensing Authority.

"We are giving him a chance to take it in, get it licensed, or hand it in if he wants to keep it," the minister said. People can turn in firearms to the sub-officer in charge at any police station. Chang said that ballistic examinations will be done on all firearms that are collected through the amnesty.

"We are going to do ballistics on all the firearms that come in and therefore there will be a kind of reverse investigation. Any gun that we can take off the streets we will take off, but we are not using this to find anybody," the minister said.