A recent uptick in arrests and custodial sentences for possession of illegal firearms has led to more individuals voluntarily surrendering their weapons, according to Cabinet spokesperson Ambassador Lionel Hurst.
Speaking at Thursday’s post-Cabinet media briefing, Hurst said the enforcement of stricter gun laws is having a measurable impact.
“Since the arrest and jailing of at least two fellas—two men who are law-abiding—we’ve seen an increase in the number of surrendered firearms,” he stated.
He noted that in the past, those caught with illegal firearms often faced fines and confiscation. “Before what would happen is, if you’re found with an unlicensed firearm, you would lose your firearm and, of course, you would pay a fine to the court,” Hurst explained.
However, recent sentencing decisions have shifted public perception.
“They’re actually putting people in jail as a consequence,” he said.
“These are law-abiding people, at least two of them that I’ve been told about, who would normally not engage in any criminal activity but they were found with unlicensed firearms and they were sentenced to at least two years in prison.”
Hurst said the government’s aim is to make Antigua and Barbuda safer through deterrence.
“Every unlicensed firearm that is surrendered to the police in Antigua and Barbuda makes Antigua and Barbuda a safer place in which to live and to grow and to raise your children—and that objective is being achieved.”
He added that women were rarely involved in such offences and suggested that the fear of imprisonment is motivating men to turn in their weapons.
