ROSEAU, Dominica, Aug 18, CMC -National Security Minister Rayburn Blackmoore says it seems Dominicans have made a “rational decision” to keep their illegal firearms after only four weapons were turned in to the police during a one month amnesty.
Blackmoore said the one month amnesty was an opportunity “for people to bring in their illegal firearms” but many chose instead not to do so and warned that tougher legislation on firearms would be tabled in the Parliament.
“While we had a one month period where people could have brought in their illegal firearms without fear of being prosecuted or charged, this far based on the advice I ave gotten from the police chief four firearms have been returned.
“It means therefore that people have made rational decision to keep firearms notwithstanding everything that have been said. So this firearm thing will be confronted very seriously. we are moving to have in due time our own forensic lab,” he said, adding that funding has been obtained for a new programme that will allow police officers to “capture the ballistics of guns that are being used to commit crime”.
In addition, Blackmoore said two Dominican police officers will be sent to Trinidad and Tobago for a two year period in the area of forensic and be able to testify before the courts here.
“We have four matters now before the courts, where people have been charged with trafficking in firearms. As we speak the penalty is EC$7,000 (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) and the jail time is 25 years or both,” Blackmoore said, noting that the government is in the process of tightening the firearm legislation.
He said a consultant is looking at the legislation and to amend it and to come with more stringent penalties.
“If you are caught with a firearm, you should go to jail. Two, if you trafficking, jail, “ Blackmoore said.
On July, 14, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit announced the limited gun amnesty, the establishment of a special unit to deal with firearm offences as well as the payment to persons providing information resulting in the seizure of discovery of illegal firearms.
Prime Minister Skerrit made the announcement after several people were killed and injured including a member of the Logos Hope, the world’s largest floating book fair, who was shot in the buttocks as he walked in the capital, Roseau.
“These incidents, brazen and reckless, have disrupted the peace and shaken the sense of safety that we hold dear as a people. Let me be clear: this government will not tolerate lawlessness. We will not allow individuals with illegal firearms to destabilize our communities, endanger lives and undermine our national security,” Skerrit said then.
Last year, the authorities implemented a gun amnesty that netted only three firearms, but the government defended the measure saying any illegal gun taken from the streets is at least one life that is not taken.
Police Commissioner, Lincoln Corbette, said for the year so far, there have been 11 murders, four of them involving the use of guns and they have not yet been solved.
He said to date the police have seized seven firearms, 84 rounds of ammunition, 16 motorcycles, three motor vehicles, EC$15,000 as well as 1.1 kilo of cocaine and made four arrests since mid June.
He said for the year so far, the police have seized 49 firearms, 289 rounds of ammunition, noting that in those seizures “we seized three high-powered AR-15 type rifles. In 2023, law enforcement authorities seized 35 firearms, I, 651 rounds of ammunition and last year 27 firearms and 764 rounds of ammunition.
CMC/gh/ir/2025