Gun owners petition Parliament over fees
KAMPALA. Owners of licensed guns have petitioned the Speaker of Parliament to intervene and halt the proposed increase of gun licensing fees to Shs5m.
In a letter written to Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, the gun owners said if the finance ministry’s proposal to increase gun licensing fees from Shs160,000 to Shs5m is allowed, it will lead to purchase of firearms on black market.
“It is our considered opinion that when this amount is increased to Shs5m, very few will be able to afford the license, but they would instead purchase the guns on the black market hence promoting a small arms trade, which will in return increase the crime rate and worsen the present criminal situation,” reads part of their petition.
However, neither the coordinator of the aggrieved group nor its members revealed their identities in the petition. The coordinator of the group, who preferred anonymity, said they are more than 100 members who consented to the petition, but didn’t want to disclose their identities on security grounds.
The ministry of Finance proposed to increase gun licensing fees in the next financial year.
Number of guns
According statistics from the ministry of Internal Affairs, there are 19,000 gun private hands.
At least 15,000 guns are in the hands of private security firms while 4,000 were bought by individuals.
Given the rigorous system of acquiring a firearm license, getting a gun has become a privilege of the rich.
The gun petitioners said the rising crime rate, especially those that involve use of illegal firearms in residential areas and businesses, can only be prevented with individuals are allowed to get licensed guns at friendly costs.
“We are also mindful of the need for personal or private security to fill in the gap left by the state inadequacy to guarantee the provision of security to every person living within the Ugandan territory,” the petition read in part.
The debate to increase the gun licensing fee rose after incidents of misuse of firearms.
The most cited case in which a licensed gun was used in May 2009 when the former Arua Municipality MP, Hussein Akbar Godi, shot dead his wife, Rehema Caesar Nasur, using a licensed gun.
The last incident of suspected misuse of licensed gun was in December, 2016 when a Kampala City businessman, Mr Ben Mugasha, of Bemuga Forwarders Ltd was accused of using it to settle a love-affair dispute.
