Jamaica has no right to keep and bear arms and keeps legal ownership highly limited, with roughly 45,000 licensed firearms in a population of about 3 million. Last year the island saw around 650 killings and a homicide rate near 23 per 100,000.

Illegal possession of a firearm already carries a mandatory 15-year prison term, yet the National Security Council wants a 20-year floor. Lawyers held a silent protest against the existing penalty, and opposition spokeswoman Zuleika Jess asked lawmakers to add a provision letting judges weigh special circumstances because the inflexible sentence has halted plea deals and clogged the courts.