The defence authorities have called upon private gun holders to renew their firearm licences before December 31 or risk facing stiff fines, a senior official of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) said yesterday.
He said there are over 35,000 firearms held by private citizens and organisations and the bulk of the weapons are in the 12 and 16 bore shotgun category.
Most of the weapons are held by farmers meant to protect their crops from wild animals, wealthy land and estate owners and private security providers, the official said.
He said that if these persons fail to adhere to the December 31 deadline they would face stiff fines and the police will thereafter seize the weapons.
“Also, there may be cases where the owners of weapons may be deceased with no next of kin in the country and probably residing overseas at present,” he said. The renewal process of the weapons could be done at the Divisional Secretariat offices throughout the country, he said.