• Speaker claims decision by Defence Min.

The Parliament was not involved in the decision to allow Parliamentarians to retain two repeater shotguns each even after their term of office as an MP is over, said the Speaker of the Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana.

The Ministry of Defence had informed the Secretary General of Parliament Kushani Rohanadheera recently that MPs would be allowed to purchase two repeater shotguns each from their personal funds, and retain them even after they are out of office.

In the wake of concerns over the decision to permit MPs to retain the guns after their term of office, The Daily Morning queried Speaker Abeywardana as to whether the same would not be problematic. In response, he said: "I don't have any issue with it. It is the Defence Ministry that has decided it." When queried as to whether the relevant decision was made at a request made by the Parliament, he said: "No, we didn't."

The repeater guns, which are to be possessed by MPs, should also be licensed annually in their respective districts. MPs reportedly have the option to choose from three models. They have however been prohibited from transferring the guns to any other party, and carrying them to the Parliament and other crowded places.

The arrangements that are currently in place for MPs' security include the assignment of two Police Constables each, the provision of pistols, and the carrying out of police patrols around their residences. The security of MPs was largely talked about when houses and other properties belonging to more than 50 MPs were set on fire on 9 May 2022, following the attack carried out by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna supporters on two protest sites demanding the then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation in Colombo.  

Attempts to contact the State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon and Defence Ministry Secretary, General (Retired) Kamal Gunaratne proved futile.