Photo: Sharole Carr Saldivar, CEO in the Ministry of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries
by Kristen Ku
BELIZE CITY, Fri. Jan. 5, 2024
The Ministry of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries, led by Hon. Kareem Musa, today announced the formation of the Firearms and Ammunition Control Board.
This development follows the enactment of the Firearms (Amendment) Act, No. 43 of 2023, which amends the existing Firearms Act, Chapter 143 of the Substantive Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 2020 and transfers the authority for issuing licenses from the Police Department, and the Commissioner of Police, to the newly established board.
The shift in policy comes after reports surfaced of a possible black market for gun licenses in Belize, with accusations that licenses were accessible to criminal and gang-related figures through under-the-table transactions with certain members of the Police Department.
Members of the newly formed board include Chief Executive Officer, Sharole Carr-Saldivar from the Ministry of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries; Magistrate, Mannon Dennison; and Sr. Superintendent of Police, Clement Cacho.
The board’s primary functions will include the receipt, screening, and processing of firearm applications; the appointment of approved Firearm Safety Instructors; and the investigation of complaints and breaches related to firearm authorizations.
Following the Cabinet’s approval on July 6, 2023, the government proceeded to enact legislation for the establishment of the Board. Subsequently, on November 1, 2023, this legislative change was formalized, with Governor General Dame Froyla Tzalam signing the amendment to the Firearms Act.
Commissioner Williams, while acknowledging the necessity for change, had expressed concerns about the effectiveness of such boards, citing examples from other countries where similar approaches have not entirely ended these illicit activities.
Today, in a press briefing, we asked him whether his views on the newly formed board had changed.
“No matter how tight you put something, people are always going to find a way to infiltrate it, and so we’re dealing human element here. The board is going to be guided by vetting. The vetting is done by a special branch. The special branch are humans. There may be a person who might get a good vetting, and the person might not be as good as the vetting speaks of him or her. And that is just human nature. And if it is that the board were to issue a license to a person whose vetting is impeccable, and it turns out that that person is not as impeccable as the vetting state, then you can’t fault the board for that. So, there is always going to be that margin of error where there are going to be persons who will get who don’t deserve,” he remarked.
The inaugural meeting of the Board took place on January 4.