Senate Minority Leader Chester Hughes accused

government

senators of lacking debating skills and failing to present a substantive case for the Firearms Amendment Bill, 2026.

“We’re going to show you how to debate, because you do not know how to debate,” Hughes said during the Senate debate. “All you do is come to respond to our arguments.”

Hughes said opposition senators came prepared and were instructed to research the issues, while government senators, in his view, spent the debate reacting to opposition contributions instead of explaining the government’s position.

He also accused the government side of “rambling” and said its members had not presented

crime

statistics to explain the rise in gun violence or support the proposed changes.

Hughes argued that senators should have discussed the resources available to police and the broader measures needed to address crime. He criticized what he described as a lack of preparation and substance in the government’s contributions.

The firearms bill, which the Senate passed, increases penalties for offenses under the Firearms Act.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Hughes says government senators lacked substance in firearms debate.