Complete the Personality Note Form before owning a gun' — Interior Minister tackles increasing possession of guns by citizens

The Minister of Interior, Hon. Mubarak Muntaka, has expressed concern over the increasing number of firearms in circulation in the country, calling for urgent reforms in the gun control system.

Addressing the Muslim and Christian communities in separate meetings, he stated that the current state of firearm licensing lacks proper checks and oversight.

The engagements were aimed at briefing religious leaders on national security issues and seeking their support for proposed reforms.

“There are so many guns in our hands, and every single gun that anybody would have to hold in this country, whether private or for an organization, has to be approved by the Ministry of Interior,” the Minister said.

However, he noted that the current system allows people to obtain firearm licenses simply by submitting letters, which are often signed without thorough background checks.

He pointed out that firearm registration is done manually, making it difficult for authorities to track the number of licensed guns in the country.

The situation is further exacerbated by conflicts in the Sahel region, which have led to an influx of illegal firearms into Ghana.

“Because of the conflict in the Sahel region, there is so much that is coming into our country,” said Hon. Muntaka.

Despite these challenges, Ghana currently has only one weapon detection system, which was donated by the German government.

The Minister emphasized the need for a computerized system “to insist that, yes, you can hold a gun, but before you do, you must complete what we call the Personality Note Form, where the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) can do proper background checks on the individual.”

He further proposed a security clearance system where individuals’ fingerprints would be linked to their Ghana Card to allow for easy identification of gun owners.

The minister plans to implement modern Weapons Detection Systems (WDS) to monitor the movement of firearms across the country.

“And I know when we start this process, it may come with some resistance. People who will want to keep the status quo may not want it, and we are calling for your support that when it comes, please use your pulpit to support that. We need to be able to tell how many guns are legitimately within our system,” he appealed.

He urged religious groups to support the ministry with their platforms to help curb the rise in gun proliferation.