Legislators will begin debating on Thursday, a resolution giving effect to a gun amnesty in Grenada from May 1 to July 30 this year.
Parliament recently approved an amendment to the Firearms Act and according to the Order paper circulated for Thursday’s meeting the legislators will debate a resolution giving effect to the amnesty.
The following day members of the Senate will also meet to debate the resolution that states in part that Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell, who is also the Minister for National Security, is satisfied that the amnesty may result in the reduction of illegally possessed firearms or ammunition in Grenada.
The amendment to the Firearm Act introduced a new section that will give the Minister for National Security the power to declare a gun amnesty for 90 days.
According to the Order, all police stations and Police headquarters will be collection points for the illegal firearms and ammunitions and the Officers in charge or on duty will be responsible for receiving the firearms and ammunitions.
“A person shall not be required to disclose his or her identity or any information when surrendering a firearm or ammunition, as the case may be and no details of the person who surrendered the said firearm or ammunitions shall be recorded if the person wishes to utilize the anonymous process for the firearms amnesty.”
The legislation will also allow for an attorney being able to surrender firearms and ammunition on behalf of any person as well as allow for such surrender to be done anonymously.
Once a firearm is surrendered the serial number, type, make and model it will be recorded and then be forwarded to the designated officer at Police headquarters.
During the Upper House debate to amend the Firearm Act, Legal Affairs Minister Claudette Joseph informed legislators that when the firearms are surrendered under the amnesty, ballistic analyses will take place to determine whether the firearm was used in the commission of an offence.
“And of course, if the firearm surrendered is found to have been used in the commission of an offence, that firearm will then form evidence and assist the police in investigating and solving the crime,” she said.
ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, Apr 22, CMC –
CMC/ls/ir/2024