By Abdulai Fasineh Dumbuya
The Communication Officer of Sierra Leone Commission on Arms and Ammunition (SLeCAA) Jestina Manley has on behalf of the commission condemned the illegal possession of the weapons.
Manley was making clarifications in a radio interview on the 7th September, 2023 regarding the position of the commission. She said the commission does not sell guns, but rather issues out licenses to owners.
She noted that the licensing procedures are very strict and must be fulfilled before the license is granted. She said that the commission only recognizes one dealer who brings weapons into the country.
She stated that before someone possesses a gun, the buyer has to undergo different stages starting from the application stage where the buyer declares their reason for possession.
Manley emphasized that no client can go to the dealer without providing an authenticated license which bears all the requisite deals of the commission.
“You can’t go to the dealer’s shop to purchase a gun without first having a permit to buy it. Even with the license, the buyer will not go to the dealer alone, for he is always accompanied by an armorer,” she said.
While highlighting the stages of the license processes and procedures, she affirmed the mental health of the buyer which she said has a key requirement due to the fact that guns are threats to life. She said that mental health is always checked to ensure that the license is granted to a fit and proper person and that Police Doctors attached to the Commission are responsible for carrying out medical examinations before granting the gun.
The SLeCAA Communication Officer went on to say that most times the comments from community people play a key role in acquiring weapons, saying that the commission will always ensure that a thorough background check is done about the buyer.
“Sometimes we ask family members about the reactions of people who want to buy guns to know whether they will use knives and other things at home when they are angry,” she said.
She further distinguished between light weapons and small arms saying the former are those that more than one person can use and needs the support of another person, whereas the latter are pistols that can be operated by one person and needs no help. She quoted the Commission’s Act of 2022 which gives them the right to destroy weapons.
Manley criticized local making of guns as a security threat in all countries, citing that in most cases when armed robbery occurs, the guns most often used are locally manufactured that do not have serial number.
She said that the 2020 survey revealed a total of 377 (three hundred and seventy seven) local manufacturers and repairers of guns across the country, who the commission has recently issued a press release warning them to stop.
“Anybody who is found manufacturing any gun shall pay a fine of Le 10 million Old Leones or 5 years imprisonment or both,” she said.
Segmenting the data of the survey by regions, she said the Eastern region has 68 manufacturers and repairers, Northern region- 173 , Northwest – 106, Southern region -25, and Western region-5.
In 2010, the Sierra Leone Parliament established Sierra Leone National Commission on Small Arms and Ammunition, recently changed to Sierra Leone Commission on Arms and Ammunition, to regulate the sale, possession and the use of small arms.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (08/09/23)
