Some licensed firearm holders loan guns to criminals

Nov 05, 2016 News

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– More stringent licensing process to be implemented- President Granger
President David Granger and Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, are looking at strategies to be employed in order to effect a reduction in the prevalence of both legal and illegal guns on the streets of Guyana.

The President feels that guns should be mainly in the hands of members of the various law enforcement bodies.
The President made his “personal” view, that firearms should be left mainly in the hands of police and soldiers, known on this week’s edition of the televised programme—The Public Interest.
The President said, “The Minister of Public Security (Ramjattan) and I are reducing the frequency or the ease or controlling the ease with which some people can get weapons.”
Giving reason for his decision to closely monitor the extent of licensing, President Granger told reporters that he has been informed that there have been instances where licensed firearm holders loaned their guns to bandits in exchange for some of the proceeds of crime.
The President used the opportunity yesterday to send a message to such firearm holders. He warned that licensed firearm holders who violate the legal stipulations of the license would have their weapons seized.
Granger said, “Once your weapon is used in any illegality it will be seized and you might find it very, very difficult to get another.”
The President continued, “We would like to see fewer weapons in the hands of private citizens. It is my personal view that weapons should be used by law enforcement agencies- the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force.”
Granger told reporters that a corps of wardens, with law enforcement powers, would soon be recruited and deployed in gold and timber producing areas as well as tourism sites where they would also help detect persons with illegal firearms and “bring those people to justice. We will, in the fullness of time, reduce the issuance of legal firearms.”
“There is a plethora of measures which will be implemented and our whole policy is aimed at getting guns off of the street” said Granger.
In this regard, the President spoke of stricter border controls through the use of mounted police, heightened border patrols and the deployment of drones to curb the inflow of illegal guns from countries like Brazil with which Guyana shares a 1,100 kilometre long border.
Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan has already said that steps are being taken to re-assess licensed firearm holders to ensure they are still eligible for gun permits. They are renewed every calendar year.

Applicants for firearms first have to send a letter to the Commander of the Division in which they reside. The Commander then assigns a rank to go check on the applicant’s character in his or her community.
The application is then sent to the Commissioner’s Office to ensure that the applicant has had no previous convictions and is of sound character.
The application then goes to the Firearm Licensing Board. It is then decided, at that stage, whether the applicant is fit. If so, the application is sent to the Minister of Public Security (formerly the Minister of Home Affairs) for the final stamp of approval.
Concerns have been raised in the past about the granting of firearm licences to individuals without carrying out the necessary scrutiny of their backgrounds.
Unusual’ is the way that Acting Commissioner of Police David Ramnarine described the situation where a man who was on a murder charge never had his firearm licence revoked.
He was referring to the fact that Carlton Chetram, one of the Mibicuri triple murder accused, was allowed to keep his licensed shotgun when he was on a previous charge of murder.
Also, it was reported in October that nine firearms were ‘stolen’ from licenced firearm holders within three months.
Ramnarine said that “one firearm is one too many, much less nine firearms.”
He said that seven of these guns were .32 pistols. A shotgun and one 9mm pistol were also stolen during the period, July to September.
Ramnarine expressed frustration, citing the major contributing factor to these firearms being stolen is as a result of gross carelessness on the part of the licenced holders. To solidify his claim, Ramnarine outlined a few instances while nailing home the point, that the matter is of serious concern to the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and also, poses a serious threat to the public since these firearms are most likely, now in the hands of criminal elements.
“You don’t have to be a professor or someone with a Master’s Degree or someone with a degree to understand that this is really a serious matter in terms of the care; in terms of the level of responsibility exercised, which has resulted in the thefts of these firearms,” Ramnarine said.
He recalled one instance where a licenced firearm holder was sleeping while his daughter was watching television with the door open at 21:00hrs. The home, he said, was invaded and in the process, the firearm was taken.
Ramnarine said that there is a big hue and cry in Guyana for personal firearm licences and yet, these nine instances – within recent times – show the level of responsibility being exhibited.

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