MP Doran two motions target firearm law reform and price controls on basic goods

GREAT BAY, St. Maarten –Member of Parliament Egbert J. Doran has tabled two motions during the 2026 budget debate, one calling for a review and modernization of St. Maarten’s firearm legislation, including protection provisions for qualifying Justice personnel, and another seeking a revised price-control basket for essential goods as households continue to face high food and living costs.

Doran’s first motion focuses on the country’s existing firearm legislation, which he said still contains provisions and references inherited from the former constitutional structure of the Netherlands Antilles, including references to positions and authorities that no longer exist under St. Maarten’s present constitutional system.

The motion calls on the Minister of Justice to review the firearm ordinance and bring the legislation in line with the country’s current institutional structure.

Doran also wants the review to address the position of persons who work within the Justice sector and may face security risks because of the duties they perform. He argued that individuals who serve in positions requiring them to protect the country can remain exposed to threats even after they leave those positions.

His motion therefore seeks a framework under which qualifying Justice personnel could, on a voluntary basis and subject to the applicable legal requirements, continue to have lawful firearm protection for a period of four years after leaving the relevant position.

Doran said it is difficult to justify a situation in which someone works in a position responsible for serving and protecting the country, potentially becoming exposed to threats in the process, but immediately loses the ability to protect himself or herself once no longer serving in that capacity.

His second motion focuses on the cost of food and other basic necessities and calls for changes to the way St. Maarten’s price-control basket is structured.

Doran noted that the high cost of essential goods continues to place financial pressure on households and said the existing Price Ordinance provides government with authority to regulate maximum prices in the public interest.

Rather than continuing with a system that identifies particular brands, Doran wants the regulated basket to be based on categories of essential products. This, he argued, would provide broader protection for consumers rather than tying price controls to specific branded items.

The motion requests that the responsible minister return to Parliament within 60 days with a complete revised price-control basket based on product categories instead of brands.

The revised system would also have to identify the applicable maximum retail prices and wholesaler margins for products included in the basket, giving consumers, retailers and wholesalers greater clarity on the limits established by government.

Doran additionally called for the hurricane price-control list to be published within 10 days. He noted during his presentation that the minister had already addressed that matter and expressed hope that publication would follow.

Through the two motions, Doran is seeking legislative modernization in the Justice sector and more direct consumer protection in the economy, with the first addressing what he considers outdated firearm provisions and the second targeting the continuing financial pressure caused by the cost of essential goods.

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