Solomon Owusu, the United Party’s (UP) Director of Communications, believes the Interior Ministry’s decision to suspend all active gun licenses to overhaul Ghana’s firearms regulatory framework will be a “nine days wonder”.
He avers Ghanaian politicians are only reactionary in issues involving themselves, indicating the Minister took the knee-jerk approach because a former Minister, Sarah Adwoa Safo, was recently involved in a shooting incident.
“In this country, matters are only taken serious when it involves a politician. Adwoa Safo comes into the fray and all of a sudden, hell is breaking lose,” he said on the BigIssue segment on the NewDay morning show on Wednesday, June 24, 2026.
According to him, if the incident “had happened to an ordinary person, would you have caused this to happen?”
He stressed on the need for leadership to be “proactive” instead of being “reactionary” in matters of national interest.
To him, allowing people to wield guns without knowing their mental status is troubling, expressing pessimism that the move will not see the day of light.
“This one is a nine-day wonder. They will just go and sit, all of us will forget about it and we move on,” he said.
When asked by host, Berla Mundi, on why he believes the reforms will not be successful, Owusu said: “Put today’s date down, three months time let’s come back and revisit this issue.”
He also raised concerns about unregistered guns in the country, questioning regulatory authorities on why owners are not facing the law. According to him, their refusal to register the guns is a crime and must be punished for it.
“We have been told that there are about 1.2 million unregistered guns in this country. How did they get to know that there were 1.2 million unregistered guns?
“For you to come to that determination then it means you know where the guns are so why are you not going for them and arresting those that are holding them? Because they have committed a crime, they are supposed to register the guns,” he maintained.
The UP Communications Director further questioned the rationale for people to possess guns in the first place, insisting “there is no sense in registering guns for people.”
Owusu’s comments stem from the sector ministry’s announcement of a sweeping overhaul of Ghana’s firearms regulatory framework, communicated by the Minister on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
Under the new regime, all firearm holders will be required to reapply for their licences and undergo a more rigorous vetting process aimed at strengthening gun control and enhancing public safety.
Addressing a press briefing in Accra, the sector Minister, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, said the reforms were necessary to address weaknesses in the current licensing system and curb the misuse of legally acquired firearms.
According to him, the new licensing requirements will include mandatory mental health assessments, drug screening, and structured firearms training for all applicants before licences are granted.
The Minister expressed concern that some individuals have used licensed firearms for purposes other than those for which they were originally authorised, posing a threat to public safety.
“In the last few months, we have seen an increase in some individuals committing suicide with fire arms that are registered. Because of that from this afternoon, all permits that have been granted to any individual is hereby revoked.
“We are revoking them and we are opening a window where everyone will have to come forward again to re-register their guns because we have changed the procedure. We have realised that there is a short gap in the registration procedure that we’ve been using,” he said
As part of the government’s efforts to tighten firearms regulation, Mr. Mubarak also announced plans to destroy more than 2,000 firearms that have either been voluntarily surrendered or seized under the national gun amnesty programme.
The announcement followed days after the Ministry suspended the operating licence of Kantanka Security Services Limited after a shooting incident at Kwabenya that left former Dome-Kwabenya MP, Sarah Adwoa Safo, injured.
According to the Ministry, the suspension was prompted by alleged regulatory breaches involving the use of unapproved uniforms as well as the possession and use of firearms and ammunition by some personnel of the security company while on duty.
The government says the latest measures form part of broader efforts to strengthen oversight of firearms possession and improve public safety across the country.
Solomon Owusu questions Muntaka’s gun license suspension move
