Robert Hart, Parliamentary Reporter
CHUCK
OPPOSITION SPOKESMAN on Justice, Delroy Chuck, yesterday declared that the only way to deal with criminals in Jamaica was to fight "fire with fire".
Mr. Chuck, who was making his contribution to the debate on amendments to the Firearms Act, said he did not believe the Jamaican society could be disarmed and expected to act like lambs to the slaughter.
The firearms legislation, aimed at establishing a new independent firearms licensing regime, was yesterday passed with three amendments in the House of Representatives.
"The only way we can respond to them (gunmen) in this country is to meet fire with fire," Mr. Chuck said.
He added: "People must know, gunmen must know, that when they enter people's houses, that they will get some good licks."
The legislation received support from both sides of the House and will now go to the Senate.
"This Bill, we think, does help to eliminate the risk of a corrupt issuance of firearms licences and certificates," said Dr. Peter Phillips, Minister of National Security, who piloted the legislation.
He added: "It will ultimately centralise the process of grants in the hands of an authority, which will be directed by persons of high reputation who themselves can be subject to audit and oversight by not only the Ministry of National Security but by this Parliament by extension."
Mr. Chuck said the legislation was long in coming and that he wondered how persons had been forced for so long to go to police stations to renew firearm licences under the current regime.
According to Mr. Chuck, he had viewed firearm holders being watched, and noted, by prisoners as they went to police stations to renew their licences.
The legislation was proposed last year in the wake of allegations of corruption within the police-controlled firearms licensing system.
The new system would require all applications for firearm licences to be made to the independent central licensing authority.
Under the new regime, all applicants would have to satisfy the licensing authority that they are fit and proper persons to qualify for a licence, and would have to demonstrate a genuine need to be armed.
An inventory of all licences issued to private citizens and security firms would be undertaken through the independent body.
