Jamaica’s Holness Orders Early Review of Firearms Act
JUSTICE · JAMAICA
Key Facts
- —The country Jamaica, where a 2022 gun law sets a minimum of 15 years in prison for possessing illegal firearms or ammunition (Gleaner, 2 October 2026).
- —What happened On Friday 2 October Prime Minister Andrew Holness met two lawyers’ associations and ordered a committee to review the law early, his office said (Jamaica Observer).
- —Who is involved Justice Minister Delroy Chuck convenes the legal reform committee. The Jamaican Bar Association and the Advocates Association of Jamaica, which withdrew from courts on 28 and 29 September, raised the concerns.
- —What it means for you Sentences do not change yet. Chuck says even a small amendment takes six to nine months to pass (Gleaner, 2 October 2026).
- —Still open Who sits on the committee, its deadline, and whether “strengthen” means longer sentences for illegal guns.
Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness has ordered an early review of the Firearms Act after meeting defence lawyers on Friday 2 October. His office said the 2022 gun law will be both refined and strengthened.
The talks follow a two-day court withdrawal by defence lawyers, reported on 29 September in Jamaica Firearms Act: Defence Lawyers Withdraw From Criminal Courts Over 15-Year Minimum. Both sides now stress that they want the law to stay strong.
What Holness ordered
Holness directed Justice Minister Delroy Chuck to convene the legal reform committee, which will include people from across the justice system. It is to explore how the Act “may be both refined and strengthened”, the Office of the Prime Minister said.
The committee will work ahead of the timeline in the law’s own review clause, Holness indicated. Chuck says that clause, section 113, requires a parliamentary review after five years. That deadline falls next year.
National Security Minister Horace Chang and Attorney General Derrick McKoy also attended. Holness told the meeting the review should not be adversarial.
What the lawyers asked for
The delegation was led by Tamika Harris of the Advocates Association and Tenneisha Watkins of the Jamaican Bar Association. They argued that parts of the Act leave room for unjust treatment and asked for judicial discretion in such cases.
One concern is that children found with toy or imitation guns could be treated unjustly. The lawyers also want discretion below the 15-year minimum in exceptional cases and plea incentives restored, the Gleaner reported.
The lawyers assured Holness they do not intend to weaken the law, according to his office. That matches what they said during their court withdrawal earlier this week.
Plea deals on the table, but not quickly
Chuck told a press conference that the Act “is being examined in short order”, the Gleaner reported on 2 October. The aim, he said, is more flexibility for prosecution, defence and judge on plea bargains.
He also tempered expectations on speed. “The slightest amendment will take you minimum six months to nine months because it goes through a process,” he said.
Tougher on illegal guns as well
Holness framed the review in two directions on the same day. Visiting a murdered woman’s family in his West Central St Andrew constituency, he promised to “make the law much tougher”.
He added that it would be refined “so that innocent people are not impacted”. He said Jamaica had 37 murders last month, a figure his office published without a breakdown.
What “strengthen” means has not been spelled out. In November 2023 Chang told Parliament a 20-year minimum for prohibited weapons was under consideration, state news agency JIS reported.
The Gleaner describes the current floor as 15 years. For wider context, see Jamaica Explained: The Country, Its Economy, Its Politics and What to Watch.
What Is Not Yet Known
The committee’s members and deadline have not been announced. It is also unclear whether proposals would add exceptions to the 15-year minimum, raise penalties for illegal guns, or both.
No new court withdrawal had been announced as of 3 October. No draft amendment has been tabled in Parliament.
What is Jamaica’s Firearms Act?
The Firearms (Prohibition, Restriction and Regulation) Act, 2022, in force since November 2022. It sets a minimum of 15 years in prison for possessing illegal firearms or ammunition.
Will the 15-year minimum be scrapped?
Nothing points to that. The lawyers want judicial discretion in exceptional cases, not repeal. The government says it will also make the law tougher on illegal guns.
When could changes take effect?
No date has been set. Justice Minister Delroy Chuck says even a small amendment takes six to nine months to pass through Parliament.
Sources: Jamaica Observer, citing a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister, 2 October 2026; Jamaica Gleaner, 2 October 2026; Office of the Prime Minister, statement of 2 October 2026; Jamaica Information Service (JIS), November 2023; JIS on the Act taking effect in November 2022.
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