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Overview of gun laws by nation

European Firearms Directive
Council Directive of 18 June 1991 on control of the acquisition and possession of weapons
Citation 91/477/EEC
Enacted by Council of the European Communities
Date enacted 18 June 1991
Date commenced 17 October 1991
White paper Completing the internal market
Amendments
Directive 2008/51/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2008 amending Council Directive 91/477/EEC on control of the acquisition and possession of weapons
Status: In force

Gun laws and policy vary considerably around the world.

It is illegal in Kenya to own any type of firearm without a valid gun ownership licence as spelled out under the Firearms Act (Cap. 114) Laws of Kenya. Anyone who is 12 years or older can apply to privately own a gun. However, such persons must provide in writing to the Chief Licensing Officer (CLO) stating genuine reason(s) for their need to privately own and carry a firearm. It remains at the discretion of the CLO to make a decision to award, deny or revoke a gun ownership licence based on the reason(s) given.

Anyone seeking to hold a gun licence must pass the most stringent of background checks that probe into their past and present criminal, mental health and domestic violence records. Failure to pass one of these checks automatically bars one from being permitted to own a firearm. These checks are regularly repeated and must be continually passed for anyone to continue holding the gun licence. Failure to pass any of these checks at any stage, means an automatic and immediate revocation of the issued licence. Once licensed to own a gun, no permit is required in order to carry around a concealed firearm.

Gun ownership in the People's Republic of China is heavily regulated by law. Generally, private citizens are not allowed to possess guns and penalties for arms trafficking include life imprisonment.

Guns can be used by law enforcement, the military and paramilitary, and security personnel protecting property of state importance (including the arms industry, financial institutions, storage of resources, and scientific research institutions).

Civilian ownership of guns is largely restricted to authorized, non-individual entities, including sporting organizations, authorized hunting reserves and wildlife protection, management and research organizations. The chief exception to the general ban on individual gun ownership is for the purpose of hunting.

Illegal possession or sale of firearms may result in a minimum punishment of 3 years in prison.

However, gun ownership in the PRC's special administrative regions, Hong Kong and Macau is tightly controlled and possession is mainly in the hands of law enforcement, military, and private security firms (providing protection for jewelers and banks). Still, possessing, manufacturing and import/exporting airsoft guns with a muzzle energy not above two joules of kinetic energy is legal to citizens in PRC's SARs. Under the Section 13 of Cap 238 Firearms and Ammunition Ordinance of the Hong Kong law, unrestricted firearms and ammunition requires a licence, and those found in possession without a licence could be fined HKD$100,000 and imprisonment for up to 14 years.


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