‘These guns don’t join church’ - Holness vows tough penalties for illegal firearms

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has described himself as a 'pro-life' advocate, but said that he feels so strongly about people possessing illegal firearms that he is prepared to see them head to the gallows.

Holness said that his administration will table a new firearms bill in Parliament, which will propose stronger penalties for the possession of illicit weapons.

"These guns don't join church. They are used indiscriminately," the prime minister said.

Last November, Holness, speaking at the annual conference of the Jamaica Labour Party, which he leads, said that the death penalty should be a consideration for the possession of illegal firearms. He doubled down on that view on Wednesday when spoke at the National Day of Prayer event held at the Power of Faith Ministries in Portmore, St Catherine.

"If you possess an illegal gun, it is only for one purpose and that is to kill someone," Holness said.

The prime minister said that 85 per cent of all homicides in Jamaica are committed using an illegal firearm. He said that his administration is serious about dealing with the problem of illegal guns.

"I am expecting the full support of the Parliament in passing legislation to show that Jamaica, in our 60th year, will remove from our society, illegal guns and other weapons," he said.

The prime minister also sought to assure holders of legal firearms that they need not worry about the legislation.

"I want to make it absolutely clear, Jamaica does not have a significant crime problem with legal firearms... What we have a problem with is that for decades, guns have been allowed to come into our country through our various illegal ports of entry dotted right across the island," he noted.

"It has accumulated now to a point where everybody has a gun... and they are used indiscriminately and I want us to dismiss this thought...that you can possess an illegal firearm to protect yourself," Holness said.