Individuals caught with two or more illegal firearms can be hauled before the courts for a new offence of gun trafficking.
So said National Security Minister Stuart Young at Thursday's post-Cabinet media briefing, as he spoke about the harsher penalties Government is moving to introduce against gun offenders.
Young said he took a policy to Cabinet on harsher penalties for repeat gun offenders.
He said there are three different suites of legislation that was being examined.
On the first count, Young said, "if you are found with an illegal firearm your right to bail disappears."
He said he is proposing that the person charged for the offence is prosecuted within 120 days.
If you are caught with an illegal gun the second time, Young said the penalties would be increased.
The third time, Young said it would be three strikes and you are out.
"That doesn't mean you would be in jail for the rest of your life. It is a very significant fine and sentenced together. So that should be a deterrent. "
"In T&T we do not have a specific offence in trafficking in firearms. We are going to come with legislation with a very low threshold."
Young said he proposed that once an individual is held with two illegal firearms, "I assume you are going to traffic. This is not the wild, wild, west."
He said his ministry would be working with the T&T Police Service to help in the fight against crime.
"We have to do something to arrest the illegal firearms scourge in T&T. We have to hit them hard."