The Liberia National Commission on Small Arms will on October 27, 2022 carry out major destruction of over 255,000 9mm rounds of arms and ammunitions, explosives and related materials in the country.
According to the Chairman of the Commission, Maxwell Grigsby, the ammunition destruction exercise will take place at the Edward Beyan Kesselley Military Barracks. Before the exercise, he said, residents of the community will be notified in order to alleviate panic among community dwellers.
He noted that the ammunition was donated to the Liberian government by the government and people of Germany, but since the imputation most of the ammunition got corroded and the Commission can no longer maintain it due to the risk involved, as such, the commission is cloud with the responsibility to damage illicit weapons.
He disclosed that this is the first time since nearly thirty years for the Government of Liberia (GOL), through the commission, to carry out such crucial initiative in the country, noting that the last time the government carried out such activity was in 1997. He put the monetary value of the ammunition to over US$5 million.
The Small Commission boss called on individuals who are in possession of illicit fire arms to report them to the Commission before the end December 2022.
He noted that after December there will be search and seizure warrants for people who are in the constant habit of carrying illegal arms across the country. He noted that the taskforce team at the commission will not hesitate to arrest and prosecute violators. He said the campaign is intended to make Liberia illegal gun free society.
“The search and seizure warrant taskforce team will not target any specific group, and the exercise will be void of politics. There is no political interference or affliction. The search and seizure will be effective beginning January 2023,” Chairman Grigsby said. He disclosed that silencing the guns in the country is a major priority of the Liberia National Commission on Small Arms.
He made the assertion at the Ministry of Information’s regular press briefing on Thursday, October 6, 2022.