NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A local firearms association is lobbying with its 2,000 members for the country’s ‘antiquated’ laws, regarding the usage of guns, to be changed.
Bahamas National Firearms Association (NFA) President Melvin Gordon underscored the need for the government to revisit several of the current laws and policies related to gun ownership, after having conducted a regional study.
“It’s very old and antiquated. I think we’re still the only country that uses the amount of paper we use when it comes to firearm licensing,” he said.
“Every place else you go all over the Caribbean […] and in most places, I think there’s only one other country to still use a bunch of paper other than us.”
The NFA president said they have also lobbied the ‘Castle Doctrine’ to the government which speaks to an individual being able to use guns to defend themselves on the perimeter of their home lot; something he says the current law does not account for.
Gordon said: “If someone was to enter your property line to your house threatening yourself or your family, you as a homeowner have to have a right to defend yourself against a person, without fear of prosecution or arrest.”
Gordon says that the NFA saw immediate interest from the public when they started the organization in 2016 because of the lack of knowledge and training.
He explained that the main goal of the NGO is advocating for additional firearms education and training, criticizing the current process of acquiring guns in the country.
“You fill out applications, you pick up approval, you pick up the firearm.
“So there’s absolutely no training requirements as it stands to receive a Firearms License and this is just one of the reasons a lot of persons are definitely interested.”
Furthermore, Gordon said this is another issue that the organization is campaigning to make a change and they have already met with government officials to voice their proposal.
“We’ve already, put in documents together to be sent into national security, we did some stuff with the AG office and we met with the new commissioner, Mr. Fernander recently, and he also asked because he’s very interested in this himself and he said this was one of the things he had on his mandate when he first came in.
“So yeah, we’re going to work with all those key players in getting some kind of national firearms certification that needs to be required before you actually get your firearms license.”
The NFA offers training courses and educational workshops based on their U.S. counterparts’ National Rifle Association program which has been developed over 140 years and is also utilized by many of their members.
“We aligned ourselves with the best in the business and the best in the industry, whereas all of the training that they provide our organization can now also provide.
The organization also has members on the family island, Gordon said that he believes using guns for hunting within the legal frame would be a good way to introduce a new hunting industry in the country, which would also be beneficial for tourism.
“Hunting excursions, that’d create income for everybody because when they come, they need a place to stay. They need food to eat. They need transportation.
“[…] So this different stuff like this, we were just trying to push because, again, the 40,000 licenses already out there.
“[…] So unless the commissioner is going to wake up one day and decide to find a way to recall all of them, let’s see how we can organize it and become more positive.”
Gordon says that he is often taken aback and he finds it ridiculous that so many people have guns in their possession that they have never used or fired. He explains that this is the reason why training is crucial.
He says however that the NFA is not calling for everyone to have a firearm, but that for those who do have one to make sure they put it to use.
“You know, what we’re not advocating to put on guns in everybody’s hands; we’re not saying that you know, that we want to create a society where everybody shooting up everybody, we’re not saying that.
“But we’re saying, if you are going to approve persons for firearms, licensed firearms, they should have some form of training.”
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