(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) The National Assembly approved on Wednesday a law organizing the collection of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
According to the law, it would be permissible for police, after proper authorization from the ministry of interior, to search any public location and private or public vehicles if there was cause to believe the existence of unlicensed or unlawful firearms or ammunition.
The law stipulates that anyone possessing unlicensed firearms and ammunition could be jailed for three years and fined KD 3,000. The jail time increases to seven years and the fine to KD 20,000 for anyone who deals (i.e. buying or selling) in unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
However, people with unlicensed firearms and ammunition who choose to hand them in to authorities would be exempted from punishment, indicates the law. Such people have four months from the time this law is in effect to hand in their unlicensed weapons to be considered for exemption.
Concurrent with the four month period will be a nation-wide media campaign urging those with unlawful weapons in their possession to hand them in to authorities, said Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, as he attended the National Assembly session today and listened to the parliamentary committee for interior and defense affairs' report regarding the new law.
The minister assured the public that there will be female law enforcement personnel who will search for unlicensed firearms and ammunition inside the homes of Kuwaiti citizens, in the event the latter did not feel comfortable with male ones entering their homes with women inside them.
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