Preamble, The Sierra Leone Commission on Arms and Ammunitions Act 2023

Agf supplemem tu the siena Leone Extraordinary Gazene vol. CLXI\ No.3g dated 19thJune,2023 THE STERRA LEONE COMMISSION ON ARMS ANt} AMMUNITIONS ACT,2O?.3 ARRANGEMF,NT OF SECTIONS Sections. [,ARr[-PRELiMII.-rff].TARY I. Interpretation. Z Application. PART II_ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COMMISSION i. 'i he Sierra Leone National Commission onArms. 4. Appointment of Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner. 5. Tenure ofComrnissioner and Deputy Commissioner. 6. Functions r:f Commissioner and Deputy Commissiorrer. 7. Remuneration of Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner. 8. OtherstaffofCommission" -o. Sccondment ofpubtric officers. 10, Consultants and experts. I l. lndependencc of Commission. 12. f)irectorates ofCommission. 13. Regional and disrict offrccs ofCornmission. PARI'III_SIERIIA I-F])NE COhTMISSION ON ARMS ANI) AMMUMTION A,DVISORY COMMITTEE. 14. Ad.risoryCommittee. PART IV _FINANCIAL PROVISIONS 15. Funds of Commission. 16. A!'counts and audit of Cornmission. 17. Financial yearofCommission. 18. Annual reporl ii No. 24 T'he Sierra Leone Comrnission on Arms and Ammunition Act 2$23 PART V_FI.INCTIONS OF THE COMIVIISSION 19. Functions of Commission. PARTVI-NA]]ONAL REGISTER OF ARMS 20. National Register of Arms. 21. Collection and desuuction of arrns" PARTVII_LICENSING OF SMALL ARMS n" Possession, custody or control of arms prohibiled. 23. Application to ovm, control or use small arms. 24" Revocation of licence. 2,5. Duly to report loss of licence. 26. Replacementoflicence. n. Deposit of arm to National Arms Registry. PARTVIII.,TRANSFER OFARMS FROM,'TOORTHROUGI{ SIF.RRA LEONE ?3. Licence to transferarm ltom, to orthrough Sierra Leone. D. Restriction on issue of licence to tznsfer arm. 30. Refusal of application to transfer arm. 31. Broke,ring. PARTIX_MA}.{UFACTURE AND SALE OF ARMS WITHIN SIERRA I-MNE 32. Licence to manufacture or sell amr witlun Sierra Leone. 33. Refusal of application to manufacture. 34- Revocation of licence. 35. Ma*ingofarms. 36- Marking ofammunition. 37. Obliteration. 38. Manufachuer to keep record. 39. Regulations. 40. Repeal and saving. PARTX_MISCELLANEOUS StcNrn this 2nd day of May, 2023. DR JI.'LruS MAADA BIO, President. No.24 2023 Sierra Leone THE SIERRA LEONE COMMISSTON ON ARMS AI{D A-'WMUNITIONS,\CT, 2023. Being an Act to repeal and replace the Sierra Leone National Commission on SmallArms Ac{ 2010 (Act No. 6 of20l0), to provide tbr the continuing in existence of the Sierra Leone National Commission on Small Arms as the Sierra Leone Commission on Arrns and Ammunitionsl to regulate and supervise the manufacture, tradc and use of arms, ammunition and other related materials and to provide forother related matters. ENecrcn by the President and Members of Parliament in this present Parliamenl assembled. Short title Date of commencement. @ t 2 No. 24 The Sierra Leone Comnission on Arms and Ammunition ,lct 2023 PARTI_PREI-IMINARY Inlerpretation. t. In this Act, unless the context other,vise requires- "Advisory Committee" means the Sierra Leone Cornrnission on Arrns an<l Ammunitions A-dvisory Comlnittee established under section 13; "ammunitions" mean devices destined to be shot or projected througtr the rneans of fiteamts irrcluding - (a) cartridges; O) projectiles and missiles for ligft weapons; (c) mobiie containerc vrith missilq; or pro.jectiles for anti-craft or anti-taitk single action systems; {i' "attack helicopters" means rotary-wing aircraft designed, equipped or rnodified to ell€iage targets by employingguided or unguided anti'iumour, airto-surface or air-to-aii weapoils that are cquipped with an integrated fire control and airning system, including versions of those aircraft ihar perform specialised recorutaissance or ele,ctronic warfare rnissions; "armoured comhat vehicles" flteans trackcd, semitracked or wheeled seli-propellcd veilicles. witlt armoured protection and c(oss-country tapability, either - (a) designed end equipped tLr transpott a squad of four on more infantry.rnen; or (b) armed vrith an integral or organic weapc.n of at least 125 mm salibre or a rnissile launcher; No. 24 Tle Sierra l.eone Comnission on Arms and Ammunition Act 2023 3 "arms" include conventional arms such as battle tanks, armoured combat vehicles, large calibre artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles and missile launchers, their ammunition and other related materials; "battle tanks" mean tracked or whecled self-propelled armoured fighti"g vehicles with high cross-count{,/ mobility and a high level ofself-protection, weighing at least 16.5 t (metric) unladen weight, with a trigh muzzle velocity direct fire main gun of at least 75 run calibre. "brokering" mcans work- carried out as an intermediary between a manufacftirer, supplier or distributor of arms and a buyer or user, including the provision af furancial support and the transportation ofarrns; "Ch.airman" means the Chairman of the Sierra Leone Commission on Arms and Ammunitions Advisory Committee appointed under subsection (3) of section I3; "combat aircraft" means fixed-wing or variablegeometry wing aircraft designed, equipped or modified to engage targets by employing guidcd missiles, unguided rockets, bombs, guns, cannons or other weapons ofdestruction, including versions of such aircratt that perform specialised electronicwarfare, suppression of air defence or reconnaissance missions excluding primary trainer aircraft, unless designed, equipped nr modified; "Commission" means the Sierra l,eone Commission on Arrns andAmmunitions referred to in sectioli 3: 4 No. 24 T'he SierraLeoneCommissiononArmsandAmmunition Act 2023 "Commissioner" means the Commissioner ofthe Siemr Leone Commission on Anns and Arnmunitions appointed under section 4; "Convention" means the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons, their Ammunitions and Other Related Materials, done at Abuja, on I 4th June,2006; "Deputy Commissioner" means the Deputy Commissioner of the Sierra Leone Commission on Arms and Ammunitions appointcd under section 4: "trCOWAS" means the Economic Community of West African States comprising Heads of State and Government ofthe Member States to the Convention; "export" means to - (a) take arms or arnmunition, licensed or registered out of one country to another country, or (b) cause arms or ammunition. Iicensed or registered to be taken out of a country to . arrother country tl',rough any harboru, airport or other place r:n board a vessel or aircra& or by any other means of conveyance; "import" means to brilg arms or ammunition, or cause them to be brought into Sierra Leone: "large-calibre artillery systern" includes guns, howitzers, artillery pieces that combine the characteristics of a guu or a howitzer, mortars or multiple-launch rocket systems capable of engaging surface targets by delivel'ing primarilf indirect fire and having a calibre of 7-5mm and above; No. 24 The Sierra Leone Commission on Arms and Ammur,itton At:t 2023 5 "light weapon" includes portable arms desigped to be used by ser€ral persons working together in a ream ad which include heavy machine guns, ponable grenade launchers, mobile or mounted, portable antiaircraft cannons, portable anti-tank cannons, nonrecoil guns, portable anti-tank missile launcherso r rocket launchers. portable anti-aircraft missile launcher..s and mortars with a calibre of less tha;r l00millimetres; "rnan-portable air-defence system" means a surfuceto-air missile system designed to be man-portabls, carried and fired by a single individual. as weli as other surface-to-air missile systenls portabie by several individuals and designedto be operatcd and fired by more than one individual acting as a crew; '\nissile and missile launcher" means - (a) a guided or unguided rockets, ballistic or cruise missiles capable of rieiivering a warhead or weapon of destruction to a rangc of at least 25 km; or (b) a dcvice designed or modified specifically for launching missiles or rockets including . renrotely piloted..,ehicles with the missiles characteristics capable of delivering a warlread or weapon of destruction to a range of at leasr25 k'n, exchrding ground-to-air missiles; "marking" means inscriptions permitting the itlentifir:ation of anns covered by this Act and dre ECO\['AS Convention on SuiallAmrs and Light Weapons; 6 No. 2.f The Sierua Leone Commission on Arms and Ammunition Act 2023 "Minister" means ths Minister of Internal Affairs. "National Register of Atms" means the National Itegister ofArms referred to in section I9; "other related materials" means all components, parts or spare pars tbr arms or ammunition uecessary for its functioninlr or any chemical subr;tance serving as active material used as propelling or explosive agent; "public restricted place or private restricted plnce" mea:rs aplace prescribed as aprivate restricted place or public restricted place as thc case rnay be; "re-export" means to send previously imported anns to another state or territory other than that fiom which they were originally irnported; "Registrar" means the Registrar ofAlms referred to in section l9; and "grd I a'nd' nur arffi td by ueprsr"t ad whicfi irdude fireams ad ottrcr ffirudive atrs ot' *vimslch 6at Gxdodirg bol'b, m irrcerrtrry bonboragmbonb, a grsyde arockdlarrcfer, a nis$ le a nisi leqldcnor I adnt m rs/olvasad p$dswith atrorrdic lodirg, riflesaxJ catinq ndlireguq as.^dt riflq ligf'f, rndiregurx; "tran$er" indudes inport, e$ort, trandt, trars *riprent arrltrrsport or ily otfBr nure'rent vvMse/s d anqarm.rition ad cfi'e rdated ndsi d sfrom, to or tlrcrryh Sena Lore. "traldt" nens wlgr mnvetiond ans thet hwe bear dispiCred frcrm thHr plaeof eport fry the e<portir.g $de l'eve rrt' yd bet remjvd by ttrc inprtirg stde No. 24 T'he Sie:ra Leone Contmission on Arms and Ammunition Aci 2$23 7 "arms-in-Eansit" includes anns entering and leaving an intermediary state prior to entering the territory ofthe recipient state, and typically takes place under the supervisioir of the intennediate state's customs authority; "transhiprnent" means the act of trans-shipment, transfer of conventional anns from the exporting state to the inrporting state through other destinations, and involves a change or changes rn fansport type during the transfer process; "warship" means a vessel or submarine armed and equipped for rnilitary use with a starrdard displacement of 500 metric ton-s or above, and those with a standard displacement of Iess than .500 nietric tons, equipped for launching nrissiles with a range of at least 25 kilometres or to4redoe:s wrth similar range.