PHILIPSBURG:--- The Minister of Justice herewith makes the following announcement:
Currently, the Ministry of Justice is reviewing the weapon policy that was established in 2016[1] and is further streamlining the application process of weapon licenses. For that reason, all submitted applications for a weapon license, are suspended until the review and streamlining process is finalized. This includes, but is not limited to, applications for a crossbow, speargun, and firearm license.
The Minister wishes to prevent that persons, whose weapons have been registered with the Police and who have proof of having submitted a request for renewal of their weapons’ permit but who, while awaiting a decision on their application are still in possession of their weapon due to the delay in decision making, run the risk of being fined and prosecuted for illegal weapon possession.
Therefore, the Minister grants these persons, from the date of this notice until the date on which a decision is made on their application, but no later than June 30, 2022, a license to have that weapon/firearm in their possession. This general license is deemed to have been granted under the same conditions as under which they have been previously granted a license for the weapon/firearm.
The public is hereby informed that anyone who is in possession of a gun or ammunition without being licensed to do so, should hand over the gun to the police under the Firearms Ordinance. Also, if a license holder dies, his survivors must hand over the firearm as well as the ammunition, to the police.
Once the new weapon policy is finalized, the public will be informed via the Government’s website, the website of the Ministry of Justice, and their related Facebook pages.
