Mauritius - Saferworld

Breakdown of Mauritius’
firearms control legislation
Controls on civilian possession and use
Licensing
Analytical category International & regional agreements Current national legislative controls Conformity
Description of
licensing
process – how
firearms licence
is obtained
SADC Firearms Protocol Art. 5
(3) (a) (j)
Requires the prohibition of
unrestricted possession of small
arms by civilians.
Requires the monitoring and
auditing of licences held in a
person’s possession.
Bamako Declaration Art. 3 A
(iii)
Recommends establishing as a
criminal offence the illegal
possession of small arms and
light weapons.
UN Programme of Action II Art.
3
Recommends establishing as a
criminal offence the illegal
possession of small arms and
light weapons.
Firearms Act 1940
Art. 3 Licence for firearm or ammunition
(1) Subject to subsections (1A) and (1B) no person
shall purchase, acquire or have in his possession
any firearm or ammunition unless he holds a
firearm licence in force at the time.
Art. 4 Issue and control of licences
(1) An application for the grant of a firearm licence
shall be made in the prescribed form to the
Superintendent of Police of the district in which the
applicant resides and shall state such particulars
as may be required in the form.
(2) (a) The Superintendent of Police shall, where
he is satisfied that the applicant has a good
reason for purchasing, acquiring or having in his
possession the firearm or ammunition in respect
of which the application is made and can be
permitted to have in his possession that firearm
and ammunition without danger to the public
safety or to the peace, grant the firearm licence.
(b) The Superintendent of Police shall not grant a
firearm licence to any person whom he has reason
to believe is a person who is prohibited by this Act
from purchasing, acquiring or possessing a
firearm, or is a person of intemperate habits or
unsound mind, or is for any reason unfit to be
entrusted with a firearm.
The national
provisions conform
to the relevant
international and
regional agreements,
except
insofar as they do
not provide for the
monitoring and
auditing of licences.