Firearms Dealers Weigh In on Proposed Gun Control Changes

Mark King

So, all those changes and what are gun dealers saying? Well, at today’s meeting, the President of the National Gun Dealers Association says that for the most part they are willing to meet the Police Department halfway. President of the association Mark King says that they understand the bigger picture of gun control but it is not easy to make all those changes when it can affect the dealers’ bottom dollar. So, they appreciate the dialogue with the commissioner.

Mark King, President, Belize National Gun Dealers Association

“Well, for the most part it was back and forth. Any change is definitely hard in this industry because gun dealers’ livelihoods are on the line. A lot of Belizeans out there have more than two hundred rounds of ammunition for the year because a lot of them have competency training because they go out and practice to protect their home or their businesses. The changes that are being made for the two hundred rounds of ammunition the dealers see it as something that will protect the public, as something that the dealers can have more control for example you want to come to the range the dealers will now sell you that ammunition. We will have range days. So you can come and shoot at an authorize range and you will be able to get more than two hundred rounds of ammunition   to shoot but that won’t go home with you. We believe that we have also gain progress that all the people in Belize were complaining that the personal protection gun license went from seventy-five dollars to two hundred and twenty-five dollars. We have come in at the end of year that it will actually be reversed to where it actually was at the seventy-five dollars. So we have also gained a great advantage with the police working with us. While it is a work in progress for the police to keep crime down it is also a big advantage to the citizens of Belize not to pay that two hundred and twenty-five anymore. It definitely helps both the police department and us to work together to make the whole gun industry work.”