1. The Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control Act 2021 (the “Act”) was passed by Parliament on 5 January 2021 and will come into force on 1 July 2025.
2. The Act strengthens the regulatory regime for arms, explosives, explosive precursors, noxious gases and substances, and certain weapons – collectively referred to as guns, explosives and weapons (“GEW”). It tightens and clarifies controls over GEW, and enhances Police’s operational effectiveness, while ensuring a calibrated regulatory and enforcement framework.
Tighten and Clarify Regulatory Control Over GEW
3. The Act expands the existing list of regulated weapons to include other dangerous weapons such as throwing stars, knuckledusters, and machetes.
4. The Act empowers the Police to issue licences and impose regulatory controls for the safe operation of shooting ranges. The repair and disposal of GEW will also be specified as regulated activities. These had hitherto been regulated as part of other activities. These changes will provide regulatory clarity to the industry.
5. The Act introduces a class licensing regime for certain users involved in low or moderate risk GEW activities (e.g. paintball markers and airsoft guns). This allows the Police to adopt a risk-calibrated approach by imposing less onerous regulatory controls on such class licensees, while continuing to regulate more risky activities through individual licences.
Enhance Police’s Operational Effectiveness
6. The Act enhances the effectiveness of Police officers when performing enforcement checks, including providing for powers to enter and inspect premises as well as all modes of conveyances (e.g., vehicles, aircraft, and vessels).
7. The Act allows the Police to appoint qualified persons as compliance officers to conduct inspections on low-risk GEW licensees. Police will provide training to and exercise oversight over these compliance officers. This allows the Police to focus their own resources on higher-risk GEW activities.
Ensure a Calibrated Enforcement Framework
8. The Act rationalises the offences and penalties across existing GEW-related Acts to ensure that the penalties are commensurate with the egregiousness of the offence. In general, the Act provides for regulatory offences with no malicious intent; while other GEW-related Acts such as the Arms Offences Act 1973 (AOA) and the Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act 1958 (CESOWA) cover offences with criminal intent.
9. The Act increases the maximum fine for unlicensed activities involving guns and explosives, from $10,000 to $50,000 for persons, and $100,000 for organisations. Higher fines of up to $100,000 for persons, and $200,000 for organisations, are provided for offences related to prohibited GEW which are particularly dangerous due to their design or construction (e.g., guns of a certain calibre, including anti-tank guns).
10. The Act criminalises the unauthorised possession of digital blueprints for the manufacture of a gun or a major part of a gun, to mitigate the threat posed by illegal manufacturing of guns with 3D-printing technology.
11. At present, regulated weapons such as swords and daggers, and gun accessories such as magazine adapters, are regulated in the same way as guns. Unlicensed activities involving these items attract the same penalties, even though the risks are lower. The Act will therefore provide for offences and penalties specific to such regulated weapons, separately from that for guns, and calibrate the penalties appropriately.
Other Amendments
12. To effect these changes, amendments to other Acts are required. This includes repealing the Arms and Explosives Act 1913, the Dangerous Fireworks Act 1972, and the Explosives Substances Act 1924. In addition, the Act amends related laws such as the AOA and CESOWA.
13. The Police will provide a transition period of up to six months for the application of possession licences for Type 1 weapons and other new licences required under the Act. For more information, including on specific application details, please visit
e-Services.
