Walker Supports Tougher Firearm Laws but Raises Concern Over Licence Penalty

Barbuda MP Trevor Walker has backed the Firearms (Amendment) Bill, 2026, describing the government’s approach as serious and, to an extent, pragmatic, while asking Parliament to examine how one proposed penalty could affect licensed firearm holders.

Speaking in the House of Representatives during debate on the bill, Walker said he stood behind efforts to curb crime and condemned armed robberies, shootings and killings. Parliament had a responsibility to respond to the violence, he said.

Walker welcomed stronger provisions dealing with firearms carried in public and with the sale or transfer of weapons to people who should not have them.

He said firearm ownership was a privilege that came with responsibilities.

His concern centred on a provision he understood could expose a licensed firearm holder to a sentence of up to 10 years for failing to keep a licence current. Walker, who said he holds a firearm licence, argued that forgetting to renew it should carry a consequence but should be treated differently from more serious firearm wrongdoing. He asked for that point to be examined as the bill proceeded.

Walker also said he had received a revised version of the bill that morning and had to compare it with the copy on which he had made his notes.

He welcomed a provision addressing cases in which a court considers a prescribed minimum sentence manifestly excessive or unjust. As Walker described it, the court would impose the minimum sentence but issue a certificate allowing the convicted person to seek permission to appeal the sentence. He said the provision addressed some of his concern about flexibility in exceptional cases.

Beyond the bill, Walker called for more resources for the justice system to deal with cases promptly, continued training and equipment for police, and a prison system that rehabilitates offenders. He also suggested electronic monitoring for some offenders, particularly in sexual offence cases, and greater investment in substance abuse treatment.

Walker praised police officers serving in Barbuda, singling out Inspector Ogaro, while saying the island needed more police vehicles. He told the House that break-ins were a concern there and used a recent incident involving a relative’s property to explain why he wanted a firm response to repeat offending.

He urged the government to match tougher laws with spending on policing, the courts and social programmes. Walker said he would look to the next budget for evidence of that commitment.