This weekend, Jamaica will start a TWO-week gun amnesty to clear the country’s streets of illegal weapons.
The 14-day gun amnesty will start on Saturday, November 5, and it will go until Saturday, November 19, at midnight.
The statement coincides with the implementation of the new Firearms Prohibition and Restriction Act 2022, which intends to ensure that those found guilty of gun offenses face tougher punishments.
Horace Chang, the minister of national security, is advising people to use amnesty as a safe way to dispose of their firearms.
The goal of this amnesty, according to Chang, is to have those people hand in their firearms.
People who may be in possession of unregistered or illegal firearms or ammunition will be able to turn them in without worrying about facing legal repercussions thanks to amnesty.
Those who reveal the location of ammunition or a firearm during the amnesty won’t face charges.
However, Mr. Chang warned that once the two-week amnesty expires, illegal gun owners “can expect the full force of the law to apply.”
Local media reports that in 2021, almost 5,000 rounds of varying ammunition and 342 weapons were captured.
Both numbers have been surpassed, according to The Jamaica Observer, which reported in June that 376 illicit firearms and 7,511 rounds of ammunition have been found.
People who want to participate in the amnesty are asked to get in touch with the police or a lawyer.
