CABINET on Tuesday approved plans to amend the Firearms Act meant to profile all firearms and make tracing easy in a key step to halt an alarming surge in gun-related crimes.
In a post-Cabinet media briefing on Tuesday, Information minister Jenfan Muswere said the Amendment Bill would also see a regulation placed on the number of firearms an individual can possess.
“The amendments will also seek, among other things to (a) introduce psychological and training tests before one is issued with a firearm certificate; (b) place an age restriction on the possession of firearms; (c) regulate the number of firearms per person; (d) provide for the profiling of all firearms for purposes of easy identification and tracing thereof; and (e) specify the penalties for firearm offences, including the failure to properly secure firearms,” Muswere said.
The proposed amendment comes amid an increase in armed robberies with authorities pinning their hopes on an amendment in legislation to halt the scourge.
It also comes after three previous amnesties for individuals to surrender unlicensed firearms and ammunition failed to end the scourge of gun-related violence.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa in 2022 declared an amnesty on all illegal firearm holders to voluntarily surrender them to their nearest police stations with no questions asked under an amnesty in line with the Sadc protocol on the control of firearms, ammunition and other related material in the bloc.
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Article 12 of the protocol mandates State parties to introduce programmes to encourage lawful firearm holders to voluntarily surrender their firearms for destruction by the State, and in such cases, the State may consider paying compensation in cash or in kind.
It also mandates State parties to introduce programmes in which illegal firearm holders surrender their firearms for destruction, and, in such cases, the State may consider granting immunity from prosecution.
The exercise resulted in 580 firearms and 260 ammunitions being surrendered.
Sixty-nine firearms were surrendered last month after a call by the police for citizens to hand over unlicensed firearms and ammunition
In a statement last month, police appeared frustrated by the slow pace in the surrender of unlicensed firearms and ammunition saying a huge number of citizens were still “holding on to or are in possession of firearms and ammunition yet some are not licensed or authorised”.
Police said some licensed firearm holders were no longer renewing their firearm certificates or notifying them about any change in residential or business addresses to enable constant checks on the status of the weapons.
The police warned that they would soon conduct physical checks and verifications on all residential and business premises where illegal firearms are suspected to be kept.
We support the government’s plans to amend legislation amid a surge in armed robberies.
This amendment must be accompanied by the tightening of border security to halt any cross-border movement of firearms and ammunition.
The police must be empowered to conduct physical checks on properties they suspect to be holding firearms and ammunition within the confines of the law.
If an amnesty cannot yield the desired results, plan B, which is an amendment of legislation, will be most welcome.
This proposed amendment was long overdue.