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Last Updated on: 29th January 2021, 09:19 am
A Small Arms Survey of 2017 reveals that there were 331,000 guns in private hands in Uganda. With a population of 41,653,000 at that time, 21,156 of the guns were registered and 309,844 were unregistered.
Kampala—29, January 2021: The Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP), Maj. Gen. Paul Lokech has directed the Police director in charge of operations to ensure that all firearms in the hands of private individuals are documented.
According to sources within the police who spoke to TND News Friday morning, the directive is to promote safety and support investigations in case of eventualities.
“Actually, the director in charge has been briefed and soon the documentation will start,” the source added.
According to the Uganda national policy on firearms, ammunition and incidental matters, 2010, the national legislation conforms to most of the provisions of the regional and international agreements on firearms control relating to civilian possession and use of firearms.
The policy further adds that “the firearms Act, 1970, requires that civilians possess a license in order to purchase or possess firearms and ammunition. In addition, the legislation prohibits civilian possession and use of some categories of firearms, including automatic firearms such as submachine guns”.
However, the national assessment highlighted a number of areas where the legislation should be reviewed or strengthened in order to ensure it is consistent with Uganda’s regional and international commitments.
For instance, the 2010 policy adds: “Although applicants for firearms licenses must meet certain criteria, this should be strengthened by including an age restriction and competency testing for license applicants. Similarly, although certain categories of firearms are prohibited, Uganda currently does not outlaw the civilian possession of all types of semi-automatic firearms, as required by the Nairobi Protocol.”
A Small Arms Survey of 2017 reveals that there were 331,000 guns in private hands in Uganda.
With a population of 41,653,000 by that time, 21,156 of the guns were registered and 309,844 were unregistered.
The survey also shows that estimate of small firearms per 100 persons stood at 0.8%.
