Given the lack of proper infrastructure to store ammunition in bulk in the various indigenous communities, the government through the Ministry of Public Security has initiated discussions with the villages and the police force to put systems in place to have this issue addressed.

The move is in an effort to make the lives of indigenous peoples easier as the firearm is one of their main means of survival as it is used for the protection of their crops and for hunting.

The announcement was made on Friday at Kamarang in Region Seven by Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan, while addressing close to 300 indigenous persons drawn from twelve different communities.

The Ministry issued firearm approval letters and firearm licences in keeping with an earlier promise made to the communities following the 2015 gun amnesty period which saw the villages in the Upper Mazaruni handing in the most weapons for which they had no legal documents to carry.

Minister Ramjattan told the residents the lobby has started for there to be safe houses in the Mazaruni areas where ammunition would be stored for those who are licenced to carry arms and ammunition.

This, he said, is necessary to remove the bugbear of having the villagers travel to the city each time they need to purchase ammunition.

According to what some of the residents indicated to this publication, they are often forced to expend large sums in transportation by air, land or water to travel out of the Mazaruni just to purchase ammunition. In many instances, the transportation fares cost more than the actual cost for the ammunition.

Ramjattan said he has already sought the advice of Commissioner of Police, Leslie James and Deputy Commissioner of Police Paul Williams to see how best the initiative can be rolled out and the logistics sorted out.

“These are sensitive matters and we are dealing with arms and ammunition here, so we also have to be mindful of theft but at the same time we at the state level have to ensure that we are careful as to where and how we keep these things,” the security minister told the residents.

The residents were told that for such a process to be realised it has to be gazette as there are provisions in the law as to where and how ammunition are to be stored and what systems need to be put in place to facilitate the process.

One of the immediate arrangements being looked at by government is to have the Kamarang police station be used as one of the holding areas for the ammunition.