Stiffer penalties are being proposed for gun and ammunition possession in Antigua and Barbuda.
The islands’ Attorney General Steadroy “Cutie” Benjamin says the planned changes to the Firearms Act are to be tabled in Parliament next week.
The minister says this change is being tabled as a measure to address gun crime as he also notes that some types of serious crimes have increased.
Benjamin says magistrates and judges will still have certain alternatives that could be used, but those conditions to which they apply will be rare.
According to the Antigua Observer, Minister Benjamin says the authorities turned to this plan to increase the penalties after other methods, including an amnesty for people who turn in weapons and a reward system for tips to recover them, failed to address gun crime.
