Firearm licensing chief preaches gun safety

Head of the Firearm Licensing Authority, Shane Dalling, said he is again imploring licensed firearm holders to properly secure their weapons and especially keep them out of the reach of minors.

"The same way you don't light a candle and leave it with children around, it's the same way you don't leave a firearm idly around. You should ensure that your firearm is secure at all times. Putting it under your pillow, for example, with children around, is not safe. A child will see a firearm and think it is a toy and he is going to press everything that he sees on it. If you are going to the bathroom and it is not placed in a secure space, then take it with you," he said.

On Sunday, tragedy struck in Ebony Vale, Spanish Town, St Catherine, after a toddler allegedly shot himself. It is reported that about 1:30 p.m., the boy's father returned from church and reportedly placed his licensed Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol under a couch. The businessman reportedly went outside to dispose of garbage when he heard a loud explosion. He rushed back inside the house where the child was observed in his mother's hands, bleeding from a head wound. The youngster was pronounced dead at hospital.

Dalling said that over the past six years, he has seen a few cases of similar nature placed on his desk and has revoked firearm licences.

"We are not seeing a lot of these incidents taking place but it is still a cause for concern. We can't over emphasise enough to licence holders that is a deadly weapon, therefore safety should be of a high priority. You have to be careful with your firearm because just like in the recent case where the man took the firearm and killed a police then himself, your firearm could become the weapon against you," Dalling said.

"Many persons share a different view that exposing the firearm to your children makes them more aware and will avert them playing with it or using it for other purposes. But my view is that it is a different school of thought that even if they know, we must seek to protect them at all times. I go by a view that children will always be up to mischief meaning that they are playful," Dalling added.