1. Short title, extent and commencement.―(1) This Act may be called the Arms Act, 1959.
(2) It extends to the whole of India.
(3) It shall come into force on such date2
as the Central Government may, by notification in the
Official Gazette, appoint.
2. Definitions and interpretation.―(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,―
(a) “acquisition”, with its grammatical variations and cognate expressions, includes hiring,
borrowing, or accepting as a gift;
(b) “ammunition” means ammunition for any firearm, and includes—
(i) rockets, bombs, grenades, shells 3
[and other missiles,]
(ii) article designed for torpedo service and submarine mining,
(iii) other articles containing, or designed or adapted to contain, explosive, fulminating or
fissionable material or noxious liquid, gas or other such thing, whether capable of use with
firearms or not,
(iv) charges for firearms and accessories for such charges,
(v) fuses and friction tubes,
(vi) parts of, and machinery for manufacturing, ammunition, and
(vii) such ingredients of ammunition as the Central Government may, by notification in
the Official Gazette, specify in this behalf;
(c) “arms” means articles of any description designed or adapted as weapons for offence or
defence, and includes firearms, sharpedged and other deadly weapons, and parts of, and
machinery for manufacturing, arms, but does not include articles designed solely for domestic or
agricultural uses such as a lathi or an ordinary walking stick and weapons incapable of being used
otherwise than as toys or of being converted into serviceable weapons;
1. This Act has been extended to Goa, Daman and Diu with modifications by Reg. 12 of 1962, s. 3 and Sch.
(w.e.f. 1-1-1964) Pondicherry vide Reg. 7 of 1963, s. 3 and Sch. I (w.e.f. 1-10-1963); and brought into force in Dadra and
Nagar Haveli by Reg. 6 of 1963, s. 2 and Sch. I (w.e.f. 1-7-1965); Sikkim vide Notification No. G.S.R. 461 (E), dated 21-
7-1976 (w.e.f. 1-8-1976).
2. 1st October, 1962, vide notification No. G.S.R. 992, dated 13th July, 1962, see Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II,
sec. 3(i).
3. Subs. by Act 42 of 1988, s. 2, for “and other like missiles” (w.e.f. 27-5-1988).
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[(d) “district magistrate”, in relation to any area for which a Commissioner of Police has
been appointed, means the Commissioner of Police thereof and includes any such Deputy
Commissioner of Police, exercising jurisdiction over the whole or any part of such area, as may
be specified by the State Government in this behalf in relation to such area or part;]
(e) “firearms” means arms of any description designed or adapted to discharge a projectile or
projectiles of any kind by the action of any explosive or other forms of energy, and includes—
(i) artillery, hand-grenades, riot-pistols or weapons of any kind designed or adapted for
the discharge of any noxious liquid, gas or other such thing,
(ii) accessories for any such firearm designed or adapted to diminish the noise or flash
caused by the firing thereof,
(iii) parts of, and machinery for manufacturing, firearms, and
(iv) carriages, platforms and appliances for mounting, transporting and serving artillery;
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[(ea) “licence” means a licence issued in accordance with the provisions of this Act and rules
made there under and includes a licence issued in the electronic form;]
(f) “licensing authority” means an officer or authority empowered to grant or renew licences
under rules made under this Act, and includes the Government;
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[(ff) “magistrate” means an Executive Magistrate under the Code of Criminal
Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974);]
(g) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
(h) “prohibited ammunition” means any ammunition containing, or designed or adapted to
contain, any noxious liquid, gas or other such thing, and includes rockets, bombs, grenades,
shells, 4
[missiles,] articles designed for torpedo service and submarine mining and such other
articles as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify to be
prohibited ammunition;
(i) “prohibited arms” means—
(i) firearms so designed or adapted that, if pressure is applied to the trigger, missiles
continue to be discharged until pressure is removed from the trigger or the magazine
containing the missiles is empty, or
(ii) weapons of any description designed or adapted for the discharge of any noxious
liquid, gas or other such thing,
and includes artillery, anti-aircraft and anti-tank firearms and such other arms as the Central
Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify to be prohibited arms;
(j) “public servant” has the same meaning as in section 21 of the Indian Penal
Code (45 of 1860);
(k) “transfer” with its grammatical variations and cognate expressions, includes letting on
hire, lending, giving and parting with possession.
1. Subs. by Act 55 of 1971, s. 2, for clause (d) (w.e.f. 13-12-1971).
2. Ins. by Act 48 of 2019, s. 2 (w.e.f. 14-12-2019).
3. Ins. by Act 25 of 1983, s. 2 (w.e.f. 22-6-1983).
4. Ins. by Act 42 of 1988, s. 2 (w.e.f. 27-5-1988).
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(2) For the purposes of this Act, the length of the barrel of a firearm shall be measured from the
muzzle to the point at which the charge is exploded on firing.
(3) Any reference in this Act to any law which is not in force in any area shall, in relation to that
area, be construed as a reference to the corresponding law, if any, in force in that area.
(4) Any reference in this Act to any officer or authority shall, in relation to any area in which
there is not officer or authority with the same designation, be construed as a reference to such officer
or authority as may be specified by the Central Government by notification in the Official Gazette.