Members of the Jamaican Bar Association and the Advocates Association are at this hour staging a silent protest outside the Supreme Court in downtown Kingston and at the Western Regional Gun Court in Montego Bay, St. James.
They are calling for amendments to the Firearms Act.
The Act came into effect in November 2022. Since then attorneys have been voicing discontent with some of its provisions.
They are challenging the law’s strict mandatory sentencing provisions, which they argue limit judicial discretion and can result in disproportionate outcomes.
Under the Act, possession of a fake or imitation firearm carries the same penalty as possession of a real firearm, up to 15 years’ imprisonment.
Attorneys believe the review must restore judicial discretion and encourage plea bargaining deals.
Their actions could escalate on Monday, as the lawyers have threatened a week-long withdrawal of their services from criminal courts.
