WILLEMSTAD - The government wants to increase the penalties for possession of firearms. The maximum sentence for 'ordinary' firearms should be from four to six years and for 'special' firearms from six to eight years.
Tomorrow, during the central committee meeting of parliament, two laws from 1930 and 1931 will be revised and discussed by the MPs. Since 2017, firearms ownership has been slowly declining. Increasing penalties should contribute to combating illegal possession of firearms.
In 2014 the project 'Ta Basta Awor' took place. Four hundred people have handed in their weapons for a fee in this project. The government wants to revive such a project to reduce gun ownership. In addition, preventive searches are carried out in security risk areas where many shooting incidents take place.