Over 3000 firearm licences issued from 2017-2023 – Min Benn

Over 3000 firearm licences were issued by the Government of Guyana from 2017 to 2023, Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn has confirmed. He was responding to questions posed by Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) David Patterson via written replies in the National Assembly on Wednesday.
In the response to Patterson, Benn stated that a total of 449 licences were approved – 266 for pistols/revolvers, 150 for shotguns and 33 for rifles – for 2017.
In 2018, some 604 licences were granted – 286 for pistols/revolvers, 279 for shotguns, and 39 for rifles while 254 licences – 170 for pistols/revolvers, 59 for shotguns, and 25 for rifles were issued in 2019.
For 2020, 428 licences were approved of which 253 were for pistols/revolvers, 109 for shotguns, and 66 for rifles. In 2021, the government issued 1011 licences – 663 for shotguns/revolvers, 201 shotguns, and 147 rifles.
A further 96 licences were issued for 2022 including 72 for pistols/revolvers and 24 for shotguns. In addition, for 2023, 178 licences were approved – 131 for pistols/revolvers, 37 shotguns and 10 rifles.
However, last year, Minister Benn had accused his predecessor, Khemraj Ramjattan of issuing firearm licences without engaging the Firearm Licencing Approval Board. In light of this, Benn had stated that he would review all firearm licences issued by the former Public Security Minister.
However, the process from application to final approval or rejection for a firearm licence starts with the applicant completing the required application form which has to be submitted along with the obligatory documents to the Police or Home Affairs Ministry.
The applicant will then be issued an acknowledgement letter by the Police Commissioner who will then forward the application to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Special Branch, and the relevant Divisional Commander, as the case may be, for processing to commence.
During the processing of the application, Police officers will visit the residence of the applicant, who will be required to give a statement, and have his/her fingerprints taken.
The Divisional Commander will verify the information contained in the application, and submit a report to the Commissioner of Police with a recommendation. The CID and Special Branch will communicate the findings of their investigations to the Commissioner of Police.
On receipt of the required reports, the Police Commissioner forwards his findings and recommendation to the Home Affairs Minister for review by the Firearms Licensing Approval Board which will then review the recommendation of the Commissioner of Police, and make a recommendation to the Minister of Home Affairs.
The Home Affairs Minister will grant or withhold his “no objection” to the recommendation of the Firearms Licencing Approval Board. The Commissioner of Police will then be notified of the outcome of the application and the applicant will be notified, in writing, by the Commissioner of Police of the outcome of his/her application.
Successful applicants are required to pay a processing fee at the respective Divisional Firearm Registry, following which they will commence the process of purchasing, licencing, and uplifting a firearm and ammunition.
Unsuccessful applicants have the right to appeal the refusal of their applications for firearm licences under the Firearms Act to the President of Guyana.