One must be of sound mind and physically fit with a tangible reason to own a gun – Public advised

Chief Inspector Morgan with the Tema Community 2 District Police Command has asserted that one must be of sound mind and physically fit with a tangible reason before he or she can own a gun.

Speaking on Plan B FM’s morning show hosted by Obidehye Kofi Sekyi, Chief Inspector Morgan explained that, an individual who wishes to apply for a personal firearm must first report to the police, precisely the firearms office, to be taken through due process.

He said the police do not register firearms in the name of a company or corporate organization, since the organization is an artificial person that cannot go through the laid down process. Somebody must represent the company to go through the process of licensing or registering.

He stressed that in Ghana, the law regulating guns and firearms is the Arms and Ammunitions Act, 1972, NRCD 9. “Firearms” include any gun, rifle, machine-gun, cap-gun, flint-lock gun or pistol, revolver, pistol, cannon, or other firearms, and any air gun, air rifle, or air pistol, whether whole or in detached pieces.

The law says it is an offense to own or possess arms and ammunition in the country unless you apply to register those arms or ammunition at the nearest police station.

The arms and ammunition to be registered must be produced for inspection by the police at the police station at which the application is made or the place at which the arms or ammunition are kept.

Once registered, the police officer authorized to effect the registration shall issue to the applicant, upon payment by him of a prescribed fee, a permit entitling the owner to possess those arms or ammunition.

He said the permit must also state the purposes and conditions for the use of the arms or ammunition. The law further states that a permit granted shall be valid for one year and then expire.

However, after expiration, it can be renewed for periods of one year at a time upon payment of the fees prescribed for renewal.

Where a permit is not renewed before its expiry, the holder of the permit shall immediately surrender it to the police, as well as all arms and ammunition held by him in respect of which the permit was granted.