The uncontentious Firearms Amendment Bill tabled before the parliament by the prime minister, Dr. Terrance Drew, has received overwhelming support from the opposition.
On Thursday, the Member of Parliament for Nevis 11, Alexis Jeffers, was among the first of the senior opposition benchers to give his full support to the bill.
“Our debate here today, which is centred around the amendments being brought to this honourable House around the Firearms Bill, is for a good reason, and a reason that will be done to the benefit of the people of St. Kitts and Nevis.
“And so the debate today, and the amendments being made, are meant to deter and they are meant to bring about some stability in our country and our communities,” said Jeffers.
MP Jeffers did, however, offer a meaningful suggestion for the government’s consideration.
“When I look at the amendments being brought, there are some harsh penalties. In terms of the money that you have to pay, it is coupled with jail time, but here is my suggestion; I believe there should be a mandatory minimum sentence.
“What do I mean by this? This speaks to the upper sentence…where the sentence will end. I believe…irrespective of whatever mitigating circumstances, a person must know that you’re going to serve jail time of 5 years, for example, or a fine of, for argument’s sake, $100,000.00,” said the Nevisian MP.
Eric Evelyn, the parliamentary representative for Nevis 10, also praised the government for tabling legislation that seeks to bottleneck rising gun crimes.
“I just want to commend the administration, and this Honourable House, for bringing this suite of legislation to the parliament today. We’re living in a society now where, unfortunately, we have too many crimes…so I would support any legislation that is trying to crack down on crime and to reduce the crime that is in our federation,” said MP Evelyn.
Senator Latoya Jones also spoke up in favour of the bill, noting that the stern penalties will hopefully give pause to people tempted to commit gun related crimes.
“I appreciate the nature of this bill as it seeks to intensify punishment which acts as a deterrent in the importation and possession of firearms. I am in support of the proposed fines as well as the increased terms for imprisonment outlined in the various sections of this amendment bill. When I read the bill and I saw the fines and the imprisonment term, I was deterred,” Jones said.
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