Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer
KIDD-DEANS
SENATOR PRUDENCE Kidd-Deans chuckled as she read a headline,
'Pruddie a.k.a. Billy The Kid comes out gunning' in last Friday's Financial
Gleaner.
The column by Raymond Forrest commented on her recent call for the removal of red tape to allow average Jamaicans to obtain a gun licence.
Mrs. Kidd-Deans, 53, has felt a lot of heat since she made the call on March 18 during the Senate's State of the Nation debate. She said it was necessary as rampant criminality continues to claim hundreds of lives in this country.
"I recommend that every level of bureaucracy be removed to facilitate the application of every law-abiding Jamaican who has applied and who fits the criteria to be granted a firearm licence expeditiously, that such a person can become a front-line soldier in his or her own defence," said Mrs. Kidd-Deans.
SUPPORT, CRITICISMS
Police Commissioner, Lucius Thomas, supported her notion that it is the right for law-abiding citizens to bear arms once they go through appropriate channels.
Former Police Commissioner, Colonel Trevor MacMillan, backed Mrs. Kidd-Deans' statement. But it has been criticised by persons including Mr. Forrest and Andrew Chin, acting president of the Jamaica Rifle Association.
Her speech caused as big an uproar as the 2003 recommendation by South Central St. Catherine Member of Parliament Sharon Hay-Webster for women with too many children to be sterilised.
Like Mrs. Hay-Webster, Mrs. Kidd-Deans is not backing down from her sensational proposal.
"Absolutely not!" she exclaimed from the porch of her home in Richmond Park, St. Andrew. "What I have noticed is that there is the same response from private sector people, and I don't mean just business people," she added. "But their view is not shared by the people on the ground."
To reinforce her point, Mrs. Kidd-Deans said she was confident that 75 per cent of Jamaican legislators own a gun. She, however, is not one of them.
"I don't even like guns, but I am a practical person. I would want a gun if the necessity arrives to protect myself and my family," she argued. "I am not saying to arm the citizenry, I am saying law-abiding citizens."
According to Mrs. Kidd-Deans, over 4,000 persons applied for a gun licence in 2005. A great majority, she said, was turned down.
In February, Government announced that the Independent Central Firearm Licensing Authority would replace the Jamaica Constabulary Force as the issuers of firearms. That six-member body, headed by former Jamaica Defence Force chief of staff, Major General John Simmonds, began functioning April 1.
The March 18 address was Mrs. Kidd-Deans' maiden speech to the Senate. She was sworn-in July 2004, weeks after she was appointed to represent the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) as a senator by then party leader and her political mentor, Edwad Seaga.
That year, she expressed an interest in running for JLP general secretary but withdrew from the race.
STRONG ROOTS
Mrs. Kidd-Deans' roots in the JLP are strong. Her father, educator Daniel Warren Kidd, was at the Ward Theatre when the party was launched in 1941 and later acted as a campaign manager for future Prime Minister Hugh Shearer.
He is probably best known as the founder of Warren Hall High School where Prudence, the seventh of his 14 children, once taught. Mr. Kidd, now 95 years old, lives with her.
Senator Kidd-Deans, a divorcee, is the mother of four daughters.
Renewal of licensed firearms
The Independent Central Firearm Licensing Authority took office on April 1, replacing the Jamaica Constabulary Force as the organisation issuing firearms. Here are some of the requirements for citizens seeking to renew their licensed firearms.
| (1) | Present firearm booklet(s) |
| original/photocopy of employee |
| user's certificate |
Proof of applicant's age; photocopy of birth certificate
Tax Registration Number and photocopy of this document
Two recent passport photos
(2) Once these documents are presented, the Firearm Licensing Authority will verify their authenticity in its data base. A request for renewal form will then be issued to the applicant.
(3) Applicant completes form, attaches photocopy of proof of age, TRN and two copies of photographs and submits to authorities.
(4) Authorised person checks and signs off on request for renewal form and provides the applicant with a voucher indicating the fee which should be paid.
(5) Applicant completes voucher, visits the Collector of Taxes or any branch of the National Commercial Bank and pay fee. A copy of the voucher is retained by the collecting agency.
(6) Applicant returns to the divisional headquarters and submits the original voucher leaflet along with the proof of payment to the authorised person and retains a copy.
(7) Authorised person attaches original voucher to request for renewal form and issues a firearm licence fee certificate on security colour-coded paper.
(8) Persons whose booklet(s) have reached the five-year limit will be issued with a Recertification Certificate.
(9) Applicant collects booklet(s)/employees user's certificate.
