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LEGCO APPROVES CHANGES TO FIREARMS ORDINANCE
Wednesday, February 22 – Legislative Council has approved changes that will strengthen the Territory’s Firearms Ordinance.
The Council voted on Tuesday to approve the Firearms (Amendment) Act, 2005, introduced last December by Chief Minister the Honourable Dr. D. Orlando Smith.
The act sets out new requirements for persons applying for a gun license, and makes it more difficult for persons with a criminal history to obtain a licence. It also calls for the establishment of a Firearms Advisory Committee that would determine whether applicants are fit to keep and carry a gun.
“We all recognise that it is important as we fight crime to create a framework to regulate the use of firearms in the Territory and allow us to deal with those who use them illegally,” the Chief Minister said.
Deputy Chief Minister Honourable Ronnie W. Skelton, who is also Minister for Finance, noted that the bill gives customs and immigration officers, who are part of joint task force teams, the right to carry firearms in the course of their duty, a provision which he said will allow them to be more effective and to protect themselves against criminals.
Other provisions of the act state that all persons granted a firearm licence must successfully complete a course of firearm training. It also introduces, for the first time, regulations on air guns.
Strengthening the Territory’s firearm laws was one of the items in a Seven-Point Plan on Crime announced by the Chief Minister last year. Other components of the Seven-Point Plan, such as the introduction of an anonymous hotline for police tips and the amalgamation of several units within the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force, have already been implemented.
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