EDITOR, The Tribune.
Every January, I and many other Bahamian gun owners turn in our firearm licenses for annual renewal.
A few years ago, the government, in a moment of myopic greed, raised the gun license fees by a whopping three hundred percent.
In my opinion, this has only served to increase the number of illegal firearms in our homes and on our streets as many Bahamians already financially strapped due to other taxes and a ruined economy probably choose to quietly and illegally sell, hide or otherwise dispose of their firearm rather than pay the new and usurious fees.
It is truly a ridiculous state of affairs when it costs me more to annually renew my firearms licenses than it does to renew the licenses of my two motor vehicles and boat combined.
This month I was, admittedly, a little tardy in submitting my licenses for renewal but was outraged when, in addition to the already staggering fees, I was penalised with a late fee of two hundred dollars.
This policy was either not in place or not enforced last January, so has the government again moved the goal posts by implementing a new policy with no notice to gun owners or is this simply extortion on the part of some “enterprising” Firearms Office staff member?
In my more than 40 years of owning licensed firearms I have never encountered a more ridiculous policy which penalises citizens who have continually abided by the law, perhaps the Commissioner of Police or the Minister responsible would care to enlighten us.
SPENT ROUND
Nassau,
January 25, 2017.
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