Law to control firearms in offing

By Andrew Ssenyonga       

The Government is drafting a Bill to control possession of firearms held by security agencies and civilians.

The Firearms, Ammunitions and Related Materials Bill, seeks to harmonise all existing laws governing possession of guns, including the Firearms Act, 1970 and several protocols signed, according to Makmot Okello, the Coordinator National Focal point on Small Arms and Light weapons at the ministry of Internal Affairs.

Speaking  at a recent during a one- day national dialogue on the misuse and control of small arms and light weapons at the head offices of the Uganda Joint Christian Council (UJCC) in Nsambya, Kampala, Okello explained that the Bill on firearms control in preparation will  harmonise firearms laws and also domesticate international protocols and agreements.

“The 1970 firearms act is obsolete, its provisions and the dynamics of current firearms crimes are incompatible, as it only regulates ownership of firearms held by individuals, while those held by the police and security agencies are governed under separate laws,” he stressed.

The firearms used today by people are military style weapon and these demand for stringent laws that can deter people misusing them,” he noted.

Okello added that the Bill that is soon tabled to the cabinet for discussion has a provision in which the Government will recall all guns held by individuals, who will have to reapply for new firearm certificates.
 
“It also provides for more stringent criteria for issuing firearms to civilians,” he stressed.

Joe Burua, the public relations officer at the National Focal Point on Small Arms also concurred with the

commissioner that the current law was obsolete and cannot cover new crimes.

“The law, for instance, does not consider private security organizations which cropped up in the 1990s, and the penalties specified are less deterrent,” Burua said.

In his presentation on the effects of small arms in society, Burua cited section (3) of the Firearms Act, states that no person shall purchase, acquire or have in his or her possession any firearm or ammunition unless he or she holds a valid firearm certificate.

He however noted that violation of the law attracts a jail term of not more than six months or a fine not exceeding two hundred shillings or to both.

He noted that that UN Programme of Action and the Nairobi Protocol require states to put in place measures to prevent, combat and eradicate the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.

“Some of the measures include toughening laws against illegal guns, marking of firearms and establishing an electronic firearms registry,” he added.

Kampala Metropolitan Liaison community officer Anatoli Muleterwa said part of their efforts to curb the vice was the recently launched exercise to register and mark small firearms and light weapons in Uganda.

“This is an attempt to get rid of illegal weapons. 97 percent of the police firearms have been marked since the programme was rolled out,” he noted.

He added the main objective of the exercise is to ensure state actors like Uganda Wildlife Authority, Uganda Prisons, UPDF and Police mark their guns for proper control and records to avoid leakage.

“The increase in gun crime across the country is blamed on the infiltration of unmarked and unregistered firearms,” he said.

UJCC executive secretary Fr. Dr. Silvester Arinaitwe lauded the government towards the realization of peace and security that contributes .to a peaceful context which is a prerequisite for sustainable development.