Firearms and Ammunition Control Board Officially Constituted

As of today, Belizeans will no longer have to go through the Commissioner of Police to obtain gun licenses. Instead, they will go through a control board. The Firearms and Ammunition Control Board officially replaces the Commissioner of Police as the singular authority in the issuing of firearm licenses in late 2023 and met for the first time on Thursday. The new board consists of C.E.O. of the Ministry of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries, Sharole Carr-Saldivar, Magistrate Mannon Dennison, and Superintendent of Police, Clement Cacho. The powers and functions of this board include receiving, screening, and processing firearm applications; receiving and investigating complaints; and conducting reviews of the issuance and denials of licenses, among other duties. The board seeks to, “transform how the Government of Belize regulates the sale, purchase, importation, exportation, trans-shipment, disposal, possession, and use of firearms and ammunition”. The board promises transparency, consistency, accountability and control.