The Chief Executive Officer of Jamaica’s Firearms Licensing Authority, Shane Dalling, has revealed that despite not being qualified to own a firearm, embattled Reggae crooner Jah Cure received a license to carry a firearm legally.
The CEO revealed that the singer is among 200 people with a criminal background who were granted firearm licenses. The Act that governs the authority prevents people with a criminal history from owning or carrying a licensed gun.
Dalling, in a Jamaica Gleaner report on Tuesday, said that the singer was denied a license in June 2015 because he did not meet the requirement to be “fit and proper.” At the time, Cure was recently released from prison after serving time for rape and robbery.
The CEO says that between 2014 and 2017, Jah Cure was among 200 people with criminal convictions being granted firearm licenses. The backgrounds of some of the firearm holders showed that the applicants had prior convictions for murder, firearm offenses, and drug trafficking.
It appears that this information is now being brought up as the government of Jamaica tackles gun violence on the island.
Dalling also said that a “well-known don” (a gangster) received four gun permits while another deported convict who served time in the United States for crimes also received four gun permits.
The FLA boss singled out Jah Cure’s case where he said the singer received a denial for a license in June 2015, but 10 weeks later, his permit was signed and approved.
“What was curious was that the board was reversing decisions of the previous board. One board would deny the licence on the basis that the person wasn’t fit and proper and although the new board has no new application before it or no new information, approved the person on a willy-nilly basis,” Dalling claimed.
Cure’s gun license was eventually revoked. It’s unclear if any consequence was laid on those responsible for the errors in granting the 200 licenses.
In the meantime, Jah Cure is presently locked up in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where he is awaiting trial for stabbing a party promoter last year. The singer is awaiting his preliminary inquiry, which is set for later this month.
