Firearm License Holder Must Be Certified to Handle Firearm
Chester Williams
During that meeting, another issue that was discussed was the issuing of gun license. Commissioner Williams says that the licenses will change, but another big change will be that all those licensed gun holders will have to become certified in order to be able to have a gun. They will be required to know and demonstrate how to use the gun they apply for. Williams explains the changes as it relates to the licenses and certification.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“The way how the system currently is we have people who apply for firearm license and they are issued license for firearm without formal training on how to use a firearm. Many times we hear robberies occur and the victim has a gun but he didn’t get a chance to use that gun; sometimes it is lack of training or experience. So, effective January first we want to implement the system because the firearm act makes provision that every person issued with a gun license must be a certified firearm handler. We want that whenever someone is issued with a firearm, they have the basic skill so they must have that certification from a certified gun handler attached to application and based on your application will be considered. I know it is not a popular move but I told the gun dealers I am not here to be popular. We have had a number of cases where persons are fraudulently making firearm license approval. The only thing we use is the commissioner of police stamp and that stamp is across all police stations but effective January first we will change that stamp to seal and will no longer use that stamp. If it doesn’t have the seal, dealers will have to reject that approval it means that it comes through fraudulent means. That will put tighter measures in place or make integrity of issuance of license more stronger.”
Again, the dealers and Commissioner Williams expect those changes to become effective in January 2020. We’ll have more from today’s meeting in Friday’s newscast.
