Interior CS Fred Matiang’i last week ordered all civilians with private guns to return their firearms for fresh vetting. The vetting will be done by the newly constituted Firearms and Licensing Boardm (FLB). This comes even as it was announced that there are more than 750,000 firearms owned by private citizens in the country.
So how do you acquire a private gun?
Civilians who apply to be issued with firearms must be sufficiently trained in the use of small arms, have a certificate of clearance from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, and must be at least 21 years of age.
All arms issued to civilians should not be fitted with a silencer or a device that reduces noise or flash.
All light weapons designed for use by security organs are not issued to civilians.
Guns such as Ak47, G3 and MP5 cannot be issued to civilians.
When a person in lawful possession of a small arm dies or otherwise becomes unfit to possess or carry it, the immediate next of kin is expected to inform the officer in charge of the local police station who will in turn surrender it to the Central Firearms Bureau.
However, if a family member desires to possess the firearm, he or she will apply as required by law.
There is no law regulating the number of firearms a person should own.
An applicant may be issued with a gun for his personal safety and also for sporting purposes. However, no one should be given more than one firearm for his or her safety.
According to the police, very few applications for self-protection should be approved since the security agencies are generally “capable of providing protection to the public in most circumstances.”
However, in extreme cases where the circumstances of a person’s employment or duties expose him to the dangers of criminal attack, he or she may be permitted to possess a weapon for personal protection.