Licensed gun holders to pay more for permits

Licensed gun holders who now have to pay EC$500 for their firearm permits, up from EC$250, should find the price hike within their means.

Speaking in Parliament about the 100 per cent increase last Wednesday during the 2016 Budget presentation, Minister of Transport and Works Julian Francis said that in his opinion, every licensed firearm carrier in the country can afford to pay the increase.{{more}}

He noted also that a shotgun permit, usually given to farmers, has moved from EC$125 to EC$200 and a dealer’s licence has moved up from EC$1,000 to EC$1,500. An application for a licensed firearm, which previously was free, is now EC$100.

“They can afford to pay it,” stressed Francis, who added that the average price for a gun ranges from EC$2,500 to EC$3,500 here.

“Gone are the days when you could have got a gun licence, put it in your pocket and the first time you firing it is when you getting the licence,” noted Francis, who said that in the past, persons were afraid to fire their weapons, so they would keep them at home, hidden away.

The Minister said that the Government built a gun range at Arnos Vale at a cost of EC$2.5 million and to get a gun licence, one has to do target practice and pass a target test.

Francis said that a lot of women and men have received gun licences and have become addicted to shooting and as a result, have joined the Firearms Association, which allows them to use the range for regular target practice, an outing that costs money.

The Minister noted that 50 bullets for a .38 special cost EC$115 and when on the range, on average, a person may use between 20 to 25 rounds, with each shot costing around EC$2.30.

“…so if you use 25, that’s EC$57.50; so what is the difficulty in paying EC$500. You can afford it; there is nobody who owns a gun in SVG who cannot pay EC$500 a year,” stressed Francis.

“It takes money to get things done,” added the Transport and Works Minister, who stressed that over the years, increased taxes in the budget have been minimal.