THE Ministry of Home Affairs, alluding to the November 12 unfortunate shooting in Middle Street, Georgetown, said it notes, with utter disgust, the comments reportedly made by Opposition Leader, David Granger.

The ministry said, that the, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) would seek to blame it for the incident, is both nonsensical and shameless.
The ministry rejects, in its totality, such a brazen attempt to disparage its image and its efforts to execute its lawful mandate, a release said.
It continued that the claims of “rampant gun running”, “lax attitude to gun licensing by the Ministry of Home Affairs” and “weak law enforcement by the Guyana Police Force” are but a clear demonstration of the level of Mr. Granger’s ignorance of the work of the ministry and its achievements in the security sector.
“Granger and his merry band have chosen to bury their heads in the sand like the proverbial ostrich.”
With respect to firearms licensing, the ministry said it implemented the recommendation of the Disciplined Forces Commission, of which Granger, himself, was a member.
“A Firearms Licensing Approval Board was established in April 2010, by way of Regulations under the Firearms Act (Cap 16:05). This Board is actively considering recommendations made by the police for persons to be licensed.
“No one is automatically granted a firearm licence. All applicants are vetted and stringently so. A visit to the ministry’s website will provide readers with an indication of what this process entails.
The release said: “In true Rip Van Winkle style, Granger calls for “tighter border security to prevent illegal guns entering the country”
“This is indeed astounding, especially coming from the man, under whose leadership the Firearms Amendment Bill, which was taken to National Assembly in March of this year, was rejected.
“By voting against the Bill, Granger, in effect, sent a strong signal to the gun smugglers that he is there to watch their backs.

Address loopholes
“The Firearms Amendment Bill was intended to address loopholes in the substantive Act, in regard to the trafficking of firearms and the instituting of penalties for such activities,” the ministry said.
It added that it is pleased to let citizens know that full support is given to boosting the level of recruitment and training in the GPF. Coupled with this, is the ongoing process of reform and modernisation of the GPF, which is focusing, specifically on administration, succession planning, professionalism, public relations and communication, another positive development which David ‘Contradictory’ Granger chooses to ignore.
“We remain convinced that the combined Opposition is, in fact, working to protect the criminal underworld in Guyana.
“The belief being peddled by Granger and his ilk, that they have the ‘silver bullet’, in their gloves in respect to challenges confronting the security sector in Guyana, is a myth but the ministry said it will not be distracted by the ‘sour-pusses’ in the APNU and their negative spirit.
“Citizens are assured that no effort will be spared, by the ministry, to ensure their safety and security,” the release stated.