Jamaica Firearms Act: Defence Lawyers Withdraw From Criminal Courts Over 15-Year Minimum
COURTS · JAMAICA
Key Facts
- The country Jamaica, where a 2022 gun law sets a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison for certain firearm offences.
- What happened On Monday 28 September defence lawyers withdrew from all criminal courts islandwide. On Tuesday 29 September the action is limited to the Gun Courts (Gleaner, Observer).
- Who is involved The Jamaican Bar Association and the Advocates’ Association of Jamaica called the action. Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Justice Minister Delroy Chuck defend the law.
- What it means for you Some criminal hearings face delay this week. The associations told members to keep handling urgent remand, emergency bail and constitutional matters.
- Still open Whether the government sets a date for amendments. The Act has a five-year review clause, and the Observer reports a review due next year.
Defence lawyers in Jamaica stayed away from criminal courts across the island on Monday 28 September. They want changes to the Jamaica Firearms Act, the 2022 law that sets 15-year minimum sentences for some gun crimes.
The action continues on Tuesday 29 September, limited to the Gun Courts. The government says it will listen but credits the law with a sharp fall in murders.
Who called the withdrawal, and why
The Jamaican Bar Association and the Advocates’ Association of Jamaica issued a joint call. Their members voted overwhelmingly to withdraw services this week, the Observer reported.
Monday’s action covered Parish Courts, Circuit Courts and Gun Courts. It followed a silent protest outside the Supreme Court in downtown Kingston on Wednesday 23 September.
A meeting with Justice Minister Delroy Chuck on Thursday 24 September ended without a timeline for amendments. The lawyers say that is why they escalated.
What the lawyers want changed in the Jamaica Firearms Act
The formal name is the Firearms (Prohibition, Restriction and Regulation) Act, 2022. The associations say they do not seek to scrap its 15-year minimum.
“Nothing could be further from the truth,” King’s Counsel Peter Champagnie told a press conference on Monday. He asked that judges gain discretion to go lower in exceptional cases.
Today a judge who finds 15 years unjust must issue a certificate for the Court of Appeal to decide. Champagnie said that review takes “months and months”.
He cited a licensed gun owner in his early 60s serving 15 years for bringing in a spare part. Advocates’ Association president Tamika Harris asked that imitation guns be treated separately from real ones.
The lawyers also say the law removes the incentive to plead guilty. Champagnie said prosecutors and the Chief Justice have raised concerns about the Act too.
The government’s case for the law
Holness told his Jamaica Labour Party executive on Sunday 27 September that he is open to improvements. He said the matter was discussed at length in the National Security Council.
He cited murders down 23 percent so far this year, after a 43 percent fall last year. He argued the law, policing and international partners together produced that result.
Chuck has called the Act “clearly working”, the Gleaner reported. The Observer said he has no intention to disturb the 15-year minimum.
Disputed numbers from the Gun Court
Champagnie challenged the claim that the law cut gun cases. He said the Gun Court had 508 cases in 2019 and 403 in 2021, before the Act.
By his count there were 363 in 2024 and 389 in 2025. These are his figures; court data were not published alongside them.
Both sides stress common ground. The lawyers say they back tough penalties for violent gun crime, and Holness said the review should not be adversarial.
For background, see Jamaica Explained: The Country, Its Economy, Its Politics and What to Watch. On court delays, see Trial in Killing of Jamaican MP Paulwell’s Baby Daughter Moved to 2027.
What Is Not Yet Known
It is not known how many hearings were postponed on Monday. Neither the courts nor the associations had published a count as of 29 September.
It is also unclear whether lawyers will extend the action beyond Tuesday. The government has not said when a draft amendment could reach Parliament.
More: Latin America news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Jamaican defence lawyers walk out?
Over the 2022 Firearms Act’s mandatory minimum of 15 years for certain firearm offences; they want judges to have discretion.
What does the action cover?
All criminal courts islandwide on 28 September; on 29 September it is limited to the Gun Courts.
Who called the withdrawal?
The Jamaican Bar Association and the Advocates’ Association of Jamaica.
Are urgent cases affected?
The associations told members to keep handling urgent remand and emergency bail matters.
Sources: The Gleaner, “Bar fight”, 29 September 2026; Jamaica Observer, withdrawal of services, 28 September 2026, lawyers’ press conference and Holness on the Firearms Act review, 29 September 2026.
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