Integrity Commission report on FLA vaults and firearm licensing tabled in Parliament

Parliament has tabled the Integrity Commission’s investigative report on the Firearm Licensing Authority, bringing public attention to allegations involving firearm licences, ammunition storage and governance at the national gun authority.

The 131-page report examined claims of corruption, impropriety and irregularity in the issuing, changing and revoking of firearm licences, as well as the handling of firearms and ammunition at the FLA. The investigation began after the Integrity Commission received a complaint about those matters.

According to the report, investigators found accountability concerns linked to ammunition kept in the FLA’s main vault at its headquarters, along with wider governance issues. The Director of Investigation recommended that the FLA, if it has not already done so, deal with the vault accountability problems, properly maintain its servers and ensure that a backup server is in place.

The report also recommended that the Ministry of National Security and Peace commission a full independent audit of all FLA vaults to establish the scale of any missing ammunition and confirm that every firearm on record is accounted for. The recommendation noted that only 17 per cent of 4,103 entries on the electronic vault management system had been checked, and that significant anomalies were found, including unaccounted-for ammunition.

The programme also highlighted allegations from the report, including a claim that firearm dealer John Elliott paid $500,000 to have his business reopened. The Director of Investigation said that allegation could not be resolved because Elliott died shortly after the investigation began.

Another section said inaccurate entries were allegedly made in the licence management system affecting businessman Kent Brown. The report said a reasonable and detached observer could conclude Brown was targeted by the FLA, though investigators could not determine whether that was connected to an alleged $2 million payment demand involving former senior compliance officer Ellsworth Callum.

Attorney-at-law Clyde Williams said the Integrity Commission Act does not clearly state how quickly reports must be tabled after Parliament receives them. He argued for a firm deadline, such as the next sitting or within a set number of sittings, to reduce the risk of governments delaying politically damaging reports.

Political commentator Dr. Nadine Spence urged caution, saying Parliament must retain space to exercise its constitutional role and judgment. She also said the report raises questions about governance oversight at the FLA and about the reputational effect of unresolved allegations being placed in the public domain.