Minister shoots down plans for review of decades-old Firearms Law

Tuesday 07 May 2024

Work to develop new gun laws for the island has been shelved to prioritise other policy areas, the Home Affairs Minister has revealed.

Deputy Mary Le Hegarat also confirmed there was no planned date for work on the legislation to commence.

A review of Jersey's Firearms Law was scheduled for 2024 in former Home Affairs Minister Helen Miles's Delivery Plan.

Constable of St Martin, Karen Shenton-Stone, was among several parish-heads who were advocating for a tightening of firearms laws and regulations "for the safety of the island".

She said that the current law, enacted in 2000, was no longer fit for purpose and "the sooner the better" that a review was completed.

Home Affairs Minister Mary Le Hegarat, who stepped into her role earlier this year, said in her nomination speech to the States Assembly in January that she "believe[d] that the Firearms (Jersey) Law needs to be looked at".

Pictured: Deputy Le Hegarat said she supported a "revision" or "replacement" of the current law but that the work was not ongoing.

However, in her latest response to Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel Chair Catherine Curtis, she could not "advise when this work might commence".

Deputy Le Hegarat said: "I remain of the view that it would be desirable to undertake work with a view to the revision or replacement of the current Firearms Law, given that it has now been in force for over 20 years.

"However, this legislation is not currently under development as policy development capacity is currently fully committed to a range of activity including improvements to youth justice, hate crime legislation, a new civil contingencies/resilience law and the implementation of the recommendations of the taskforce on violence against women and girls.

"At this stage, I am not able to advise when this work might commence."

In April 2021, Jersey had 1,277 firearms certificate holders, with 160 in St Helier, 158 in St Brelade, and 157 in St Ouen.

Figures released in 2017 revealed that registered firearms included 2,350 shotguns, 2,216 rifles, 165 carbines, 1,534 semi-automatic postiols, and 590 air rifles.