Chang Rejects Opposition Call for Shane Dalling to Quit Over FLA Report

National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang has rejected opposition demands for Firearm Licensing Authority CEO Shane Dalling to resign after an Integrity Commission report raised concerns about the agency’s operations.

Opposition MP Zuleika Jess told Parliament the report, listed as Report 37 of 2026, showed serious failures at the FLA, including missing ammunition belonging to private citizens, alleged manipulation of records, and a server failure that erased material that could have identified who authorised certain actions. She called for Dalling to step down immediately.

Chang, who said he was speaking from St James, argued that the report did not provide grounds for the CEO’s resignation. He said the allegations had to be weighed against evidence and insisted that no finding justified removing Dalling from office. Chang said Dalling was appointed to help correct long-running problems at the authority and that successive boards, including those chaired by Major General Antony Anderson, Colonel A. Carter and retired Justice Glenn Brown, had strengthened oversight.

The minister said the FLA had moved away from paper-based processes and introduced electronic communication with dealers. He also said ministry staff monitored the agency and that its firearm and ammunition storage remained secure. Chang dismissed concerns about two missing .22 rounds, saying they were later found and replaced, while also maintaining that the FLA’s records had supported court matters, including complex fraud cases.

Opposition spokesman Fitz Jackson said keeping the current leadership would damage public trust and make the Government responsible for the failures identified. Political commentator Matthew White said the report weakened confidence in the FLA, even if the findings did not amount to a prosecution.

Jess said public officials could still be held accountable outside a courtroom. She argued that an agency responsible for firearms and ammunition required a higher standard of transparency, especially when public safety was involved.

The programme also turned to whether justices of the peace should receive stipends. Jess supported payments to offset expenses such as travel, printing and electricity, while former Lay Magistrates Association president Trevor Heaven and St Andrew Custos Ian Forbes noted that current law bars JPs from charging for services.