by Kurt Campbell

The Firearms Act was successfully amended in the National Assembly on Friday to increase the annual fees for firearm licenses despite pleas for reconsideration from the opposition People’s Progressive Party.

These increases were proposed in the 2016 National Budget by the government along with a series of measures to enhance revenue.

The fee for a shotgun license is to be raised from $2000 to $5000, the cost for a handgun license will go from $5000 to $25,000, rifle fees will be increased from $5000 to $40,000 and dealer’s licenses will be issued at a cost of $150,000, up from $7500.

This amendment is expected to affect more than 51, 000 current firearm holders across Guyana when they seek renewals and the increases will be imposed by hundreds of new applicants following May 1.

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan told the House that there were 45,000 persons with pistols licenses, 3000 persons with shotguns licenses and 3047 with licenses for rifles while thousands more are awaiting approval.

He said there was the need for the increases since there is revenue to be spent on the processing and final approval of applications.

“We need to recoup the cost for resources expended,” Ramjattan said, while reasoning that the fees will not affect farmers and Amerindians who mostly utilize shotguns.

Opposition MPs were adamant that the change in fees will impose additional hardship to farmers and Amerindians who they lobbied for exemptions for.

PPP Parliamentarian Dharamkumar Seeraj accused the government of being insensitive to the suffering of ordinary people.

The government was also challenged by Former Home Affairs Ministers Clement Rohee who claimed that the increase will open the window for more illegal guns coming into the country. He also predicted that dealers will raise their selling prices since increase also covers them.

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