And the Police Minister already has plans to relieve the ComPol of what he calls the gun license burden. He told us today that they have already discussed having a board to approve the licenses with a magistrate sitting on it. But you may have already heard this suggestion before from the former Minister of Security, Michael Peyrefitte. So is it a case of great minds thinking alike? Actually, Minister Musa believes Peyrefitte may have his own informant.
But the gun license board is only one of the changes coming with gun reform laws. Here's what Musa told us.
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
"As was mentioned in the house of representatives during the budget debate, illegal guns and legal guns - there is a whole raft of changes that will be made. In particular when it comes to the issuance of licenses for firearms, that's something that we have been working on at our ministry. For presentation you might have heard Michael Peyrefitte, the former minister who obviously has his own leak within the ministry saying that perhaps a magistrate should sit on the board that decides gun licenses. That came from us. This is the second time that Michael Peyrefitte is saying things that we are working on and so that is part of a comprehensive holistic gun reform, like I said illegal and legal that we are about to present and one of the things he did not mention and I am surprise he did not, but if you are going to be issued a legal license, one of the changes that we will make is that you have to go through a certification course. So many people are being issued gun licenses out there and don't know how to use a gun. Imagine that. And so, you have to go through a certification course in order for you to qualify to get a license and in the future, like I said, we will be making changes."
"I agree with the ComPol, he has a lot of his plate, but there needs to be a board and the proposal is for the magistrate to be on the board for the person in charge of dangerous goods to sit on the board and for the CEO of the ministry to sit on the board. So, similar to a visa vetting committee you will have a gun licensing vetting committee and you have to be trained and qualified and certified before you can be issued a licensed."
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