Sen. Lamin Newton is calling for family members and partners who knowingly shelter gun offenders or conceal firearms in their homes to face legal consequences.

Speaking during debate on the Firearms Amendment Bill, Newton said authorities should not focus only on people who use guns to commit crimes. He argued that those who knowingly protect offenders, hide weapons or help them evade law enforcement should also be held accountable.

“The bill must bring them into the net too,” Newton told the Senate. He said some people continued to protect relatives or partners despite knowing they had firearms in the home and were involved in criminal activity.

Newton questioned how family members could remain unaware when offenders returned home with expensive items or large amounts of cash despite having no apparent source of legitimate income.

“When you come with a bag with $100,000, $200,000 and you never don’t work nowhere, where you get $200,000 to bring?” he said.

He said the issue was especially troubling when firearms were kept in homes where children lived. Newton warned that weapons in the home could expose children and other household members to danger, while also giving offenders a place to hide from police and other criminals.

Newton urged the government to ensure that the legislation addressed people who aid and abet offenders, saying those who knowingly harbor or protect them should face penalties as well.

He also called on residents to give law enforcement information about criminal activity, arguing that fear of being labeled an informer had created a culture of silence.

Newton recounted hearing a preacher describe an attempted robbery in Grace Farm. The preacher had tried to intervene when a woman was being robbed, Newton said, but was kicked in the stomach. He said the man called for help while people nearby passed without intervening.

Newton said residents should report what they know so police can investigate and offenders can be brought before the courts. “The life you save may just be your very own,” he said.

The Senate passed the Firearms Amendment Bill, which amends the Firearms Act to increase penalties for offenses.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Newton urges penalties for relatives who knowingly harbor gun offenders.