Jamaica raises minimum sentence for illegal gun possession to 20 years

The NSC recommends a 20-year mandatory minimum for illegal firearm possession, up from 15 years, and proposes a new offence for adults who recruit minors to carry guns.

NSC proposes tougher firearms penalties, including new offence for grooming minors

Jamaica's National Security Council (NSC) has recommended raising the mandatory minimum sentence for illegal gun possession from 15 to 20 years in prison, according to a statement from the Office of the Cabinet, as jamaica-gleaner.com reports.

The proposal comes more than a month after criminal defence attorneys publicly opposed the existing 15-year mandatory minimum, arguing that judges should retain discretion to weigh the circumstances of individual cases.

Alongside the sentencing increase, the NSC has put forward a new criminal offence targeting adults who groom children to use, store, transport, or acquire illegal firearms. "This is necessary to address the gap whereby gangs seek to recruit and enlist minors in the commission of gun crimes," the Cabinet statement said.

The NSC also agreed that further consideration should be given to how cases involving children found with illegal firearms are handled, and that a review will examine matters surrounding firearms with expired licences.

The council, chaired by Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, indicated that public concerns about imitation firearms will be "clearly addressed to distinguish between toy guns and guns designed to realistically imitate a weapon."

The Ministry of National Security and Peace has been directed to have draft legislation containing the proposed amendments ready by the end of November for wider public consultations.

Before the new provisions come into force, the government intends to implement a gun amnesty and cash buyback programme, giving those holding illegal firearms an opportunity to surrender them voluntarily.

Holness said the proposed amendments would strengthen the law while keeping it fair, according to the Cabinet statement. The recommended increase is described as consistent with the government's commitment to refining the Firearms (Prohibition, Restriction and Regulation) Act, 2022 to make it tougher while protecting the innocent and vulnerable.

Source: Google News JM — Crime