On September 23, 2026, attorneys in Jamaica held a silent protest outside the Supreme Court to demand a review of mandatory sentencing requirements within the Firearms (Prohibition, Restriction and Regulation) Act, 2022. The legal professionals argue that the current law, which imposes a 15-year minimum sentence for certain offenses, unfairly strips judges of their discretion.
President of the Jamaica Bar Association Tenneshia Watkins stated that the current sentencing regime fails to account for individual case circumstances or guilty pleas, creating systemic injustices. While Justice Minister Delroy Chuck has indicated that repealing these mandatory minimums is unlikely due to the legislation’s role in reducing violent crime, the protesting lawyers maintain they are not opposed to fighting gun violence. King’s Counsel Peter Champagnie emphasized that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions supports reviewing the law, noting that the protest is not politically motivated.
The lawyers are now calling for a meeting with government officials to discuss potential amendments. If their request for dialogue is ignored, they have threatened to withdraw their services from the courts beginning the week of September 27, 2026.