Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Licensing Irregularities at Singapore Rifle Association and Singapore Gun Club by Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law

Question:

Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether he can provide an update on the 'serious licensing irregularities' discovered at the Singapore Rifle Association and Singapore Gun Club respectively in light of the current security environment; and (b) whether any firearms have been found missing or illegally removed from the armouries of these clubs.

Answer:

1. The Singapore Rifle Association (SRA) and Singapore Gun Club (SGC) are shooting clubs which have historically been licensed by the Police to allow Singaporeans to pursue shooting as a sport. Both shooting clubs operate separate armouries co-located at the National Shooting Centre.

2. On 4 February 2016, following an inspection of the SRA and SGC armouries, the Police took into custody several arms which the clubs were not able to produce valid licences for. All arms with licence were however accounted for, and none were missing from the armouries. Police investigations into these arms without valid licences are still ongoing at this stage.

3. In the interim, the Singapore Shooting Association, the national sports association for shooting, has been issued a licence to take charge of the armouries and arms within the National Shooting Centre. While Police investigations are still ongoing, access to the Centre has since been strictly confined to national shooters from the Singapore Shooting Association and other persons specifically granted permission by the Police.

4. Alongside ongoing investigations, Police are concurrently conducting a holistic review of the overall security of the National Shooting Centre and will work with Sport Singapore and the Singapore Shooting Association to ensure that the security measures and processes at the National Shooting Centre are robust and satisfy all licensing requirements.