Interior Minister revokes all firearm licences, orders fresh registration

The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has revoked all firearm permits in Ghana with immediate effect and announced a new registration process for all gun owners.

The minister made the announcement on Tuesday, June 23, at the information service department saying all individuals who currently hold licences to own firearms or sidearms must undergo a fresh registration process.

“From this afternoon, all permits that have been granted to any individual that you are holding a sidearm or firearm is hereby revoked,” Mr Muntaka said.

He explained that the government had identified gaps in the country’s firearm registration system and needed to introduce stricter measures to improve public safety.

“We are opening the window where everyone will have to come forward again to register or re-register the gun because we’ve changed the procedure,” he stated.

According to him, the government decided not to wait until the end of the year to make the changes because lives could still be saved within the next six months.

The Interior Minister said one of the new requirements would be mandatory mental health screening for applicants seeking firearm licences.

“We’ve seen that people with mental health have already gone through and have the sidearm. Now we are introducing mental health. Before we give you the sidearm, we have to be sure that you have the mental stability to hold the firearms,” he said.

Mr Muntaka also announced that applicants would be required to undergo drug tests before being granted licences.

“We’ve also realised that people who are on drugs are also holding their arms and they are legitimate because it’s been registered. Now you have to go through drug tests to be sure that you are not on drugs before you can hold sidearms,” he added.

The minister said the new measures form part of efforts by the government to tighten firearm control and prevent legally registered weapons from falling into the wrong hands.

He urged all firearm owners to cooperate with the new registration process once details of the exercise are announced.

By: Jacob Aggrey