The Arms and Ammunition Citation

Arms and Ammunition [Cap. 234 CHAPTER 234. ARMS AND AMMUNITION.* ARMS AND AMMUNITION RULES. made by the Governor in Council undet· section 31. Rules. 20 of 1933. 24 of 1935. 12 of 1939. P.N. 101 of 1953.

Rules.

(a) under sections 4, 5, 6, 10 (3) and 19 of the Arms and Ammunition Ordinance shall be the Commissioner of Police; (b) under section 9 and the last paragraph of section 10 (dealing with the registration and marking of firearms) shall be the Commissioner of Police; (c) under section 10 ( 1) shall be the G~vernor; (d) under section 10 (2) and section 14 shall be the Commissioner of Police in the -Freetown Police District and the Headquarters Judicial District, the District Commissioner in the Sherbro Judicial District, and the Provincial Commissioners in the Protectorate; (e) under section 10 (5) and (6) shall be the Chief Inspector of Mines; (j) under sections 20 and 22 shall be the Commissioner of Police in the Freetown Police District and the Headquarters Judicial District and the District Commissioners elsewhere in the Colony and Protectorate. Statement of the prescribed authorities under the Ordinance.

No firearms or ammunition shall, except with the permis- Hou~s forsion in writing of the Comptroller of Customs, be landed in the ~~~~~d Colony at any time except on week-days between the hours of ammunition. eight ~n the forenoon and four in the afternoon.

No firearm or ammunition which is imported otherwisethan by a passenger as part of his personal effects and along with him in the same ship shall be landed from the ship unless the necessary import licence is first produced to the proper officer of Customs. *All the subsidiary legislation printed here under this Chapter 234 will cease to operate .when the new Arms and Ammunition Ordinance, 1955, comes into force, because the l,;).t~jlr repeals the present Ordinance (Cap. 234) without saving its subsidiary legislation, .::;:: Production of import licence. Application by importer for officer of Customs to supervise landing. Conveyance of arms and ammunition by importer to warehouse. Protection against fire. Packing of trade powder. Record of storage in public warehouses. Payment of storage rent. Cap. 234] Arms and Ammunition

The importer, other than a passenger importing firearmsand ammunition as aforesaid, shall apply to the Comptroller of Customs to detail an officer of Customs to superintend the landing: and no firearms or ammunition shall be landed except in the presence of such officer.

The importer, other than a passenger importing firearmsand ammunition as aforesaid, shall at his own expense convey all firearms and ammunition into the public warehouse appointed for the purpose immediately after they have been landed, and shall store them in the manner directed by the officer in charge of such warehouse. ·

All ammunition conveyed to or from a public warehousein a cart, truck, lorry or other means of conveyance shall be covered with tarpaulin and no person shall smoke in or .near any such conveyance.

All gunpowder (which for the purpose of these rules meanscommon or trade gunpowder) when deposited in a public warehouse shall be securely packed in such a manner as to prevent leakage. If gunpowder which is not securely packed is presented for storage, or if in any keg or other package becomes insecure whilst stored in a public warehouse, the officer in charge of the warehouse may if he think fit require the importer or his agent forthwith to remedy the defect, and, if the importer or his agent shall fail to do so, the powder shall be confiscated and dealt with in such manner as the Commissioner of Police shall direct.

The officer in charge of a public warehouse shall keep astore ledger, in which he shall enter at the end of each day the quantity and description of firearms and ammunition deposited and withdrawn, the name of the person depositing or withdrawing such firearms and ammunition, the amount of storage rent which he has received and the name of the ship by which the· same was imported.

The storage rent of any firearms or ammunition shall bepayable at the time of the withdrawal of the same. Each shipment of firearms or ammunition shall be stored and kept separately. Arms and Ammunition [Cap. 234 1939 . 11. If any firearms or ammunition are not withdrawn from Wfifithdrawal bl. h h . . f fr d t f o rearms a pu lC ware ouse at t e exprrat10n 0 one year om a e 0 and ammuthe deposit thereof, the officer in charge of such warehouse shall nition ~ne give one month's·notice in writing to the owner, importer or his ~=;~~t.er agent to withdraw the same (or, in their absence, shall leave notice at the last known place of abode or business of the owner, importer or agent), if such firearms or ammunition may lawfully be withdrawn, or to pay the balance of rent then due thereon if such firearms or ammunition may not lawfully be withdrawn. If such firearms or ammunition be not withdrawn, or if the rent due thereon be not paid, as the case may be, at the expiration of the period named in the notice, then, and in either such case such firearms and ammunition as are not, or may not lawfully be withdrawn shall be confiscated, and shall be dealt with as the Commissioner of Police may direct.

Packages containing ammunition shall be stored at such Storage ofdistance from the wall and floor as to allow a free circulation ammunition. of air and to prevent their being affected by damp.

Packages containing gunpowder shall not be rolled along Gunpowderh fl f b · nottobe t e oor o a pu lie warehouse. rolled.

· h cases not to m a public ware ouse. be opened in

No person shall enter a public warehouse unless accompanied by the officer in charge thereof, and no person carryingany article of a combustible nature or wearing boots or shoes with iron nails shall enter a public warehouse in which gunpowder is stored. warehouse. Precautions against fire.

The officer in charge of a public warehouse shall not Deliveryd l. fir · · f h h from waree 1ver any earms or ammurutwn out o sue ware ouse house only except to the person duly authorised to withdraw the same or to authorised to the clerk or agent of such person. person oragent.

The officer in charge of a public warehouse shall notdeliver any firearms or ammunition out of such warehouse unless all storage rent due upon the same is first paid. Delivery only on payment of storage rent.

• o eo y pubhc warehouse except upon week-days between the hours of during .ejght in the forenoon and four in the afternoon. certain houre. '·:.: Storage · rents for warehousing. Licences for arms other than flintlock and cap guns. Licences for flintlock or cap guns. Fee payable on permit to transfer firearms. Cap. 234] Arms and Ammunition

The following shall be the storage rents for warehousingin a public warehouse per month or fraction thereof- Gunpowder-Sd. per 100 lb. or smaller quantity. Oartridges-6d. per 100 or smaller quantity. Percussion caps-3d. per 1,000 or smaller quantity. Firearms (other than flint-lock guns)-each 4d. Flint-lock guns-each ld. Other goods-2d. per cubic foot. Provided that cartridges or firearms imported by a passenger, and accompanying such passenger, may be stored rent free in a Public Warehouse for a period of 6 days exclusive of Sundays and Public Holidays.

(1) No person shall bear or possess a firearm other thana flint-lock gun or cap gun unless he holds in respect of such firearm a valid licence in the following form- Licence is hereby granted to .............................. of... ........................... to bear one .............................. (here state nature of firearm) marked ............................. . until the 31st day of December next following. Fee paid: Ten shillings. Dated at ..............................this ........................ day o£. ............................. 19 ...... . Commissioner of Police. (2) No person shall bear or possess a flint-lock gun or cap gun unless he holds in respect of such gun a valid licence in the following form- Licence is hereby granted to .............................. of. ............................. to bear one flint-lock/cap* gun marked ..............................for a period of one year ending on the .............................. day o£. ............................. 19 ...... . Fee paid: One shilling. Dated at .............................. this ........................day o£. ............................. 19 ...... . Commissioner of Police. (in the Freetown Police District). District Commissioner (elsewhere in Colony or Protectorate).

A fee of one pound shall be payable in respect of a permitto transfer any firearm (other than a cap gun or flint-lock gun), under section 20 of the Arms and Ammunition Ordinance. *Strike out the word which is not applicable, Arms and Ammunition [Cap. 234

The holder of a licence to bear a firearm shall, wheneverrequired so to do by a District Commissioner or Police officer, produce his licence and the firearm which he is authorised to bear by such licence. Production of licences and firearms.

The holder of a licence to bear a firearm shall forthwith Notice ofnotify a District Commissioner or the Commissioner of Police ~~:~r':!ct~ 0 ~e . should the firearm be lost, stolen or destroyed. given.

( 1) The holder of a licence to bear a firearm shall, atleast fourteen days before leaving Sierra Leone, notify a District Commissioner or the Commissioner of Police whether or not he intends to take such firearm out of Sierra Leone, and if he does not intend to take the same out of Sierra Leone, of the name and address of the person with whom he is leaving the firearm for safe custody during his absence from Sierra Leone. (2} A District Commissioner shall without delay communicate the information furnished by a licence holder under paragraph (1} to the Commissioner of Police. (3} The holder of a licence to bear a :firearm who has notified his intention of taking the same out of Sierra Leone under paragraph (1} shall, on leaving Sierra Leone, produce the firearm if required to do so by any Customs or Police officer. Procedure when the holder of a licence to bear a firearm leaves Sierra Leone.

Whenever a licence to bear a firearm- Procedurewhen a (a) has expired and not been renewed; lice~ce has . exp1red and (b) has been revoked or suspended, but the firearm m not been respect of which the licence was issued has not been forfeited, renewed, etc. the owner of the firearm in respect of which the licence was granted shall forthwith deposit the firearm with a District Commissioner or the Commissioner of Police. When a firearm has been deposited with a District Commissioner such officer shall forward the same to the Commissioner of Police.

Any holder of a licence to bear a firearm may at anytime before its expiration, on surrendering such licence, deposit the firearm in respect of w}fich the licence was granted with the Commissioner of Police.

A firearm deposited with the Commissioner of Policeunder rules 25 or 26 shall not be given up except- (1} for destruction; (2) to a person who shall obtain a licence to bear such :firearm or his agent; or Voluntary deposit of firearm. Cases in which firearm stored under rules 25 or 26 may be delivered. Offences and penalties. P.N. 64 of 1958. Cap. 234] Arms and Ammunition (3) to the owner of the firearm or his agent for the purpose of its immediate removal from Sierra Leone; (4) under the provisions of rule ll . •

Any person who does any act or makes any omissionwhich constitutes or involves a contravention of, or constitutes or involves a· non-compliance with, any provision of these rules shall be guilty of an offence and liable, on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding ten pounds and, in default of payment, to imprisonment, with or without hard labour, for a period not exceeding three ~onths. DECLARATION OF POWERS OF ENTRY AND INSPECTION. Under the powers vested in him by section 15, the Commissioner of Police has deputed the following persons to have power at any time to enter the premises of a licence-holder and to inspect such premises as well as the book in which the entries required by section 14 of the Ordinance are made- The Chief Police Officer, Colony Division. The Chief Police Officer, South-western Province Division. · The Chief Police Officer, South-eastern Province Division~ The Chief Police Officer, Kono Division. The Chief Police Officer, Northern Province Division . •