The Interior Ministry has introduced sweeping changes to its firearm licensing regime, with the Ministry requiring mandatory mental health assessments, drug screening and structured training as part of a new effort to tighten gun control and improve public safety.

Interior Minister Muntaka Mubarak announced the reforms while speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, noting that the current system had significant gaps that allowed individuals to obtain firearm licenses without proper psychological or skills evaluation.

Under the new framework, applicants will be required to pass through three key checkpoints — mental health evaluation, drug testing and firearms training — before a licence is granted or renewed.

“Immediately — we have a training range at Tesano. We have the Narcotics Control Commission that is ready to do the drug test. And then we have the Mental Health Authority that is ready to do the mental health,” he said.

The announcement follows reports of a shooting incident involving Ms Adwoa Safo at a property linked to Israel Safo in the Greater Accra Region. The incident is connected to an ongoing succession dispute within the Kristo Asafo Mission following the death of its founder, Apostle Professor Kwadwo Safo, in September last year.

The dispute has led to competing claims over leadership of the church and its associated institutions, with legal processes already underway.

In a statement, the Kwadwo Safo family alleged that Ms Adwoa Safo was at the property to serve a court injunction during an installation event involving Israel Safo when the shooting occurred. The allegations are currently under investigation by the police.

The minister also outlined plans to strengthen background checks, explaining that applications would be vetted through security agencies before approval.

“What I'll first do is to refer to the BNI to do a background check on you, the CID to do a background check on you. They check on their system that you have not committed any crime,” he said.

He further clarified that firearms registered for personal protection cannot be legally used within private security operations, warning that such misuse would constitute a breach of licensing conditions.

The ministry says it is also working to digitise the licensing process to improve monitoring and enforcement across the country.

However, the minister did not provide details on how applicants in rural areas, particularly farmers who rely on licensed firearms for protection, would access the Tesano-based training facility and other new requirements.

The reforms form part of broader efforts by the government to address concerns over the misuse of firearms following recent incidents involving legally registered weapons.