Arms Act, 1878

The Arms Act, 1878 is one of the oldest laws in Pakistan's statute book, originally enacted to consolidate and regulate arms, ammunition and military stores across British India. Section 4 defines these terms broadly: "arms" includes firearms, bayonets, swords, daggers, spears and bows, plus cannon and machinery for making arms; "ammunition" covers explosive and fulminating materials, fuses, percussion-caps and machinery for manufacturing them; and "military stores" covers additional items the Federal Government specially notifies as such.

Section 5 prohibits manufacturing or converting arms, ammunition or military stores except under a licence, and Section 6 similarly prohibits unlicensed importation and exportation, though the extract notes there are separate provisions for private-use import/export. Section 7 requires the Federal Government's sanction before arms can be warehoused. Section 11 gives the government power to establish "searching stations" for checking arms in transit.

A striking feature of the extract is how much of this Act has since been repealed or omitted rather than left in force: Sections 8-10, 12-16, 22, 25-26, 29-30 and 32 are all marked "[Repealed]" or "[Omitted]" in the current consolidated text, including the entire Chapter IV on "Going Armed and Possessing Arms" (Sections 13-16) and the earlier penalty provisions in that area. What remains in force includes Section 17 (power to make rules about licences) and Section 18 (cancelling or suspending a licence), plus Chapter VI's penalty provisions: Section 19 penalises breaches of the manufacture, import/export, searching-station and licensing sections; Section 20 penalises secretly breaching the manufacture/import provisions or concealing arms; Section 21 penalises breach of licence conditions; Section 23 penalises breach of rules; and Section 24 allows confiscation.

Section 28 requires anyone who becomes aware of an offence under the Act to report it to the nearest police officer or magistrate, and imposes the same duty on railway and carrier employees regarding suspicious packages. Section 31 confirms that prosecution under this Act does not bar prosecution under other laws for the same conduct, though it also says no one can be punished twice for the same offence. Section 33 requires at least one month's written notice before any civil proceeding (other than a suit) is brought against a person for something done under the Act, and sets a three-month limitation period.

Because this is an 1878 law with large portions repealed and amended piecemeal over more than a century (the extract shows amendments from 1925 through 1981, and a footnote notes the Act was largely repealed in its application to the former Province of West Pakistan by a 1965 Ordinance, with certain provisions retained), and because firearms regulation in Pakistan has also developed through later provincial and federal legislation, readers should treat this summary as describing the historical framework only and verify current, applicable arms licensing rules against up-to-date official sources.