'I want my gun' ... Man angry at FLA for failing to grant firearm permit

More than a year after being given approval to purchase a firearm, John Doe* said he is yet to receive the document to collect the weapon that he has already purchased.

Doe told The STAR that his application was approved by the Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA) in 2017, and after completing the necessary training and tests, he was given a purchase order to buy his firearm.

However, the frustrated man said he has been in limbo because he is yet to get a firearm licence.

"I spend days away from work to do the tests and training ... so far I have paid at least $350,000 for everything. This is like buying a car and you still have to take the bus," he said.

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

Doe, who works in the telecommunications sector, said it was the nature of his job that caused him to apply for a firearm stating that he has missed several opportunities within his company.

"A part of my job includes transporting around large sums of cash and cell phones for the company. I decided that I needed a firearm because the nature of my job can be risky," he said.

He stated that he has sought answers from the FLA, none of which are in his favour.

"Every day I call the FLA and I am told that they need clearance, but I live and work the same places for years. They are saying that they need to investigate some of the persons that were approved in 2017. If they need to re-investigate, I am here, but no one is taking any step to speed up the process," he said.

According to Doe, he made the suggestion of cancelling the process in order to get his money back but he was told that he needed to put the request in writing.

"If I had put all this money in the bank, it would have grown interest. I told them I want to cancel and they said I would still have to wait until the request is approved. There are other persons who are in the same situation. No matter what avenue I take with the FLA, I cannot win," he said.

The STAR reached out to the FLA's head Shane Dalling for a comment, but calls to his cellular and office phones were unanswered.

*Name changed to protect identity