Moratorium on Gun Licenses Takes Effect, Minister Addresses Last-Minute Applications

The Minister of Home Affairs, Kareem Musa, says the moratorium on gun licenses has now taken effect. At the start of the month, Musa indicated that people were unable to obtain firearm licenses, but reports surfaced of an influx of last-minute applications that had reached the Commissioner’s desk for vetting. Yesterday, Musa clarified his statements and says that the amendment hadn’t been signed into law when he weighed in on it. He also provided an update on the audit of the gun license registry and how it will be done.

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries: “I ask every single day to get an update if it has been signed into law and so I was doing my part. Like you I’m concerned and so I was definitely following up on it every single day. As you are aware I’m sure you have had a view of the legislation that was deliberately included in there that the board, the new board which will be constituted within the next two to three weeks will have the authority to order an audit and so like you rightly said if it is that the Auditor General’s Department who is charged with the responsibility to do an audit is not staffed properly and cannot carry it out then we will order an independent audit meaning the board not me as minister but the board because they have that authority to do so.” 

Reporter: Now there is also this issue that you stated there’s a moratorium but applications were still going in, they were still being reviewed and signed. Why could you not have stopped that ? 

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries: “Because it was still legal for the Commissioner of Police. He has the authority to do that and as I indicated at the last press conference or rather the last time that the question was posed to me I was not aware whether it had been signed into law. Now that it has been signed into law the Commissioner can no longer legally do that and so we have to wait on the board now to consider those applications.”

In July, the Cabinet approved the establishment of a Firearms and Ammunition Control Board.