Holness open to Firearms Act review, but insists gains cannot be undone

PRIME Minister Dr Andrew Holness says the Government is listening to concerns about the Firearms Act but will not allow efforts to reform it to undermine the significant reduction in murders and violent crime Jamaica has been experiencing in recent years.

Addressing the Central Executive of the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) on Sunday, Holness said the Administration is prepared to consider improvements to the legislation but argued that the law must remain strong enough to deter people from illegally possessing and using guns.

The prime minister’s comments come amid calls from sections of the legal profession for amendments to the Firearms (Prohibition, Restriction and Regulation) Act, 2022, particularly its mandatory minimum sentencing provisions, which lawyers say have significantly restricted judicial discretion.