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Firearms Act 1947


Published: 2012-09-01

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Firearms Act 1947

c i e
AT 2 of 1947

FIREARMS ACT 1947

Firearms Act 1947 Index


c AT 2 of 1947 Page 3

c i e
FIREARMS ACT 1947

Index Section Page

PART I – REGULATION OF PURCHASE, POSSESSION,

MANUFACTURE AND SALE OF CERTAIN FIREARMS AND

AMMUNITION AND OTHER TRANSACTIONS 5

Purchase and Possession of certain Firearms and Ammunition 5

1 Penalty for purchasing or possessing firearms or ammunition without
certificate .......................................................................................................................... 5
2 Grant, renewal, variation and revocation of certificates ........................................... 6
3 Fees in respect of certificates ......................................................................................... 8
4 Exemptions from holding a certificate ......................................................................... 9
5 Application of foregoing provisions to Crown servants ......................................... 10
6 Production of certificates ............................................................................................. 11
Manufacture and sale of certain firearms and ammunition and other

transactions 11

7 Penalty for manufacturing or dealing in firearms or ammunition without
being registered ............................................................................................................. 11
8 Registration of firearms dealers .................................................................................. 12
9 Duration of dealers’ certificates .................................................................................. 13
10 Registration of places of business of firearms dealers ............................................. 13
11 Restrictions on sale, repair, etc, of firearms and ammunition ................................ 14
12 Register of transactions in firearms ............................................................................ 15
13 Powers of court in case of offences by registered firearms dealers ....................... 16
14 Penalty for taking in pawn firearms or ammunition ............................................... 17
Savings and application 17

15 Savings ........................................................................................................................... 17
16 Firearms and ammunition to which Part 1 applies .................................................. 17
PART II – MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS AS TO FIREARMS AND

AMMUNITION 18

17 Prohibited weapons and ammunition ....................................................................... 18
18 Power to prohibit removals of firearms and ammunition ...................................... 20
Index Firearms Act 1947


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19 Restriction on purchase and possession of firearms by young persons ............... 21
20 Prohibition of sale, etc of firearms to drunk or insane persons ............................. 22
21 Prohibition on persons convicted of crime purchasing or possessing
firearms .......................................................................................................................... 22
22 Penalty for possessing firearms with intent to injure ............................................. 23
23 Penalty for use and possession of firearms or imitation firearms in certain
cases ................................................................................................................................ 23
23A Possession of firearm with intent to cause fear of violence .................................... 24
24 Provisions as to shortening guns and converting imitation firearms into
firearms .......................................................................................................................... 25
PART III – GENERAL 25

25 Provisions as to forfeiture of firearms and cancellation of certificates ................. 25
26 Power to search for and dispose of firearms, imitation firearms and
ammunition ................................................................................................................... 26
27 Time for commencing summary proceedings under Act ....................................... 27
28 Application of Act to police ........................................................................................ 27
29 Service of notices .......................................................................................................... 27
30 Power of Department to make rules .......................................................................... 27
31 [Repealed] ...................................................................................................................... 28
32 Interpretation ................................................................................................................ 28
33 General savings ............................................................................................................ 29
34 Short title, repeal and commencement ...................................................................... 29
FIRST SCHEDULE 31

PROVISIONS AS TO APPEALS FROM THE CHIEF OFFICER OF POLICE
AND APPLICATIONS UNDER SECTION TWENTY-ONE OF THIS ACT 31
SECOND SCHEDULE 32

PARTICULARS TO BE ENTERED BY FIREARMS DEALERS IN REGISTER OF
TRANSACTIONS 32
THIRD SCHEDULE 33

OFFENCES TO WHICH SECTION 23(2) APPLIES 33
FOURTH SCHEDULE 33

ENDNOTES 35

TABLE OF LEGISLATION HISTORY 35
TABLE OF RENUMBERED PROVISIONS 35
TABLE OF ENDNOTE REFERENCES 35

Firearms Act 1947 Section 1


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c i e
FIREARMS ACT 1947

Received Royal Assent: 11 June 1947
Passed: 5 July 1947
Commenced: 1 April 1948
AN ACT
to consolidate and amend the provisions of the Firearms Acts, 1921
and 1935, relating to firearms, imitation firearms and other weapons and to
ammunition.
GENERAL NOTES

1. The maximum fines in this Act are as increased by the Firearms Act 1968 Sch and
by the Criminal Justice (Penalties, Etc.) Act 1993 s 1.
2. References to peanl servitude and hard labour are to be construed in accordance
with the Custody Act 1995 Sch 3 para 1.
PART I – REGULATION OF PURCHASE, POSSESSION,

MANUFACTURE AND SALE OF CERTAIN FIREARMS AND

AMMUNITION AND OTHER TRANSACTIONS

Purchase and Possession of certain Firearms and Ammunition
1 Penalty for purchasing or possessing firearms or ammunition without

certificate

[1937/1]
(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, no person shall purchase, acquire or
have in his possession any firearm or ammunition to which this Part of
this Act applies unless he holds a firearm certificate in force at the time.
(2) If any person —
(a) purchases, acquires or has in his possession any firearm or
ammunition to which this Part of this Act applies without holding
a firearm certificate in force at the time, or otherwise than as
authorised by such a certificate, or, in the case of ammunition, in
quantities in excess of those so authorised ; or
Section 2 Firearms Act 1947


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(b) fails to comply with any condition subject to which a firearm
certificate is held by him;
he shall, subject to the provisions of this Act, for each offence under
paragraph (a) be liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a
term not exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding £1,000 or to
both; and on conviction on information to imprisonment for a term not
exceeding three years or to a fine or to both; and for each offence under
paragraph (b) be liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a
term not exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding £1,000 or
to both.1

2 Grant, renewal, variation and revocation of certificates

[1937/2]
(1) An application for the grant of a certificate under this section shall be
made in the prescribed form to the Chief Constable, and shall state such
particulars as may be required by the said form.
(2) The certificate shall be granted by the Chief Officer of Police if he is
satisfied that the applicant has a good reason for purchasing, acquiring,
or having in his possession the firearm or ammunition in respect of
which the application is made, and can be permitted to have in his
possession that firearm or ammunition without danger to the public
safety or to the peace:
Provided that a certificate shall not be granted to a person whom the
Chief Officer of Police has reason to believe to be prohibited by this Act
from possessing a firearm to which this Part of this Act applies, or to be
of intemperate habits or unsound mind, or to be for any reason unfitted
to be entrusted with such a firearm.
(3) A certificate granted under this section shall be in the prescribed form
and shall specify the conditions (if any) subject to which it is held, the
nature and number of the firearms to which it relates, and, as respects
ammunition, the quantities authorised to be purchased and to be held at
any one time thereunder.
(4) A firearm certificate shall be granted by the Chief Officer of Police to
cover triennial periods computed from the first day of April, 1948. A
firearm certificate shall, unless previously revoked or cancelled continue
in force from the date when it was granted or last renewed to the end of
the triennial period in respect of which it was granted or last renewed,
but shall be renewable for the next succeeding triennial period by the
Chief Officer of Police, and so from time to time, and the foregoing
provisions of this section shall apply to the renewal of a certificate as
they apply to a grant of a certificate.
(5) The Chief Officer of Police may at any time by notice in writing vary the
conditions subject to which the certificate is held, except such of them as
Firearms Act 1947 Section 2


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may be prescribed, and may by the notice require the holder to deliver
up the certificate to him within twenty-one days from the date of the
notice for the purpose of amending the conditions specified therein.
(6) A firearm certificate may also, on the application of the holder thereof, be
varied from time to time by the Chief Officer of Police.
(7) A firearm certificate may be revoked by the Chief Officer of Police if —
(a) the Chief Officer is satisfied that the holder is prohibited by this
Act from possessing a firearm to which this Part of this Act
applies, or is of intemperate habits or unsound mind, or is
otherwise unfitted to be entrusted with such a firearm; or
(b) the holder fails to comply with a notice under subsection (5) of
this section requiring him to deliver up the certificate.
(8) Any person aggrieved by a refusal of a Chief Officer of Police to grant
him a certificate under this section or to vary or renew a firearm
certificate, or by the revocation of a firearm certificate, under
paragraph (a) of the last foregoing subsection,
(i) may appeal to the High Bailiff in accordance with so much
of the provisions of the First Schedule to this Act as relates
to appeals, and
(ii) shall be notified by the Chief Officer of Police of his right of
appeal under this subsection.
(9) In any case where a firearm certificate is revoked by a Chief Officer of
Police, he shall by notice in writing require the holder to surrender the
certificate, and if the holder fails to do so within twenty-one days from
the date of the notice, he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine
not exceeding £200:
Provided that, where an appeal is brought against the revocation, this
subsection shall not apply to that revocation unless the appeal is
abandoned or dismissed, and shall in that case have effect as if for the
reference to the date of the notice there were substituted a reference to
the date on which the appeal was abandoned or dismissed.
(10) If any person makes any statement which he knows to be false for the
purpose of procuring, whether for himself or any other person, the grant
of a certificate under this section, or the variation, or renewal of a firearm
certificate, he shall for each offence be liable on summary conviction to
imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not
exceeding £1,000 or to both.2

(11) It shall be the duty of the Chief Officer of Police by a public notice
published in at least two newspapers printed and circulated in the Isle of
Man to notify the holders of firearms certificates at least one month
before the end of each triennial period that the firearms certificates are
due for renewal.
Section 3 Firearms Act 1947


Page 8 AT 2 of 1947 c

3 Fees in respect of certificates

[1937/3]
(1) Subject to the provisions of this section and of section five of this Act,
there shall be payable —
(a) on the grant of a firearm certificate (in this section referred to as a
‘certificate’) such fee as may be prescribed under the Fees and
Duties Act 1989; and3

(b) on the renewal of a certificate, or on any variation of a certificate
which increases the number of firearms to which the certificate
relates, or on the replacement of a certificate which has been lost
or destroyed, such fee as may be prescribed under the Fees and
Duties Act 1989;4

Provided that, where a certificate is varied as aforesaid and renewed or
replaced at the same time, no fee shall be payable on the variation.
(2) No fee shall be payable on the grant, to any responsible officer of a rifle
club, miniature rifle club or cadet corps approved for the purpose by the
Treasury, of a certificate in respect of firearms or ammunition to be used
solely for target practice or drill by the members of the club or corps, or
on the variation or renewal of a certificate so granted.5

(3) No fee shall be payable on the grant, variation or renewal of a certificate
if the Chief Officer of Police is satisfied that the certificate relates solely to
and, in the case of a variation, will continue when varied to relate solely
to —
(a) a firearm or ammunition which the applicant requires as part of
the equipment of a ship; or
(b) a signalling apparatus, or ammunition therefor, which the
applicant requires as part of the equipment of an aircraft or
aerodrome; or
(c) a slaughtering instrument or ammunition therefor, which the
applicant requires for the purpose of the slaughter of animals.
(4) No fee shall be payable —
(a) on the grant or renewal of a certificate relating solely to a firearm
which is shown to the satisfaction of the Chief Officer of Police to
be kept by the applicant as a trophy of a war; or
(b) on any variation of a certificate the sole effect of which is to add
such a firearm as aforesaid to the firearms to which the certificate
relates;
if the certificate is granted, renewed or varied subject to the condition
that the applicant shall not use the firearm.
Firearms Act 1947 Section 4


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4 Exemptions from holding a certificate

[1937/4]
(1) The following provisions of this section shall have effect notwithstanding
anything in section one of this Act.
(2) A person carrying on the business of a firearms dealer and registered as
such, or a servant of such a person, may, without holding a firearm
certificate (in this section referred to as a ‘certificate’) purchase, acquire
or have in his possession a firearm or ammunition in the ordinary course
of that business.
(3) A person carrying on the business of an auctioneer, carrier or
warehouseman, or a servant of such a person, may, without holding a
certificate, have in his possession a firearm or ammunition in the
ordinary course of that business.
(4) A person licensed under section four of the Slaughter of Animals Act, 1936,
may, without holding a certificate, have in his possession a slaughtering
instrument and ammunition therefor in any slaughter house and
knacker’s yard in which he is employed.
(5) The proprietor of a slaughter house or knacker’s yard or a person
appointed by him to take charge of slaughtering instruments and
ammunition therefor for the purpose of storing them in safe custody at
that slaughter house or knacker’s yard, may without holding a certificate,
have in his possession a slaughtering instrument or ammunition therefor
for that purpose.
(6) Any person may, without holding a certificate,
(a) have in his possession a firearm or ammunition on board a ship,
or a signalling apparatus or ammunition therefor on board an
aircraft or at an aerodrome, as part of the equipment of the ship,
aircraft or aerodrome; and
(b) remove a signalling apparatus or ammunition therefor, being part
of the equipment of an aircraft, from one aircraft to another at an
aerodrome, or from or to an aircraft at an aerodrome to or from a
place appointed for the storage thereof in safe custody at that
aerodrome, and keep any such apparatus or ammunition at such a
place; and
(c) if he has obtained from an officer of police a permit for the
purpose in the prescribed form, remove a firearm from or to a
ship, or a signalling apparatus from or to an aircraft or
aerodrome, to or from such place and for such purpose as may be
specified in the permit.
(7) A person carrying a firearm or ammunition belonging to another person
holding a certificate may, without himself holding a certificate, have in
his possession that firearm or ammunition under instructions from and
for the use of that other person for sporting purposes only.
Section 5 Firearms Act 1947


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(8) A member of a rifle club or miniature rifle club or cadet corps approved
by the Department of Home Affairs (in this Act referred to as ‘the
Department’) may, without holding a certificate, have in his possession a
firearm and ammunition when engaged as such a member in, or in
connection with, drill or target practice.6

(9) A person conducting or carrying on a miniature rifle range (whether for
a rifle club or otherwise) approved by the Chief Officer of Police or
shooting gallery approved by the Chief Officer of Police at which no
firearms are used other than such weapons as are specified in
paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section sixteen of this Act or miniature
rifles not exceeding .23 calibre may, without holding a certificate,
purchase, acquire or have in his possession such miniature rifles and
ammunition suitable therefor; and any person may, without holding a
certificate, use any such rifle and ammunition at such a range or gallery.7

(10) A person taking part in a theatrical performance or any rehearsal thereof,
or in the production of a cinematograph film, may, without holding a
certificate, have a firearm in his possession during and for the purpose of
the performance, rehearsal or production.
(11) Any person may, without holding a certificate, have a firearm in his
possession at an athletic meeting for the purpose of starting races at that
meeting.
(12) A person who has obtained from the Chief Officer of Police a permit for
the purpose in the prescribed form may, without holding a certificate,
have in his possession a firearm and ammunition in accordance with the
terms of the permit.
(13) If any person makes any statement which he knows to be false for the
purpose of procuring, whether for himself or any other person, the grant
of a permit under this section, he shall for each offence be liable on
summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six
months or to a fine not exceeding £1,000, or to both.8

5 Application of foregoing provisions to Crown servants

[1937/5]
Notwithstanding any rule of law whereunder the provisions of this Act do not
bind the Crown, so much of the foregoing provisions of this Act as relates to the
purchase and acquisition, but not so much thereof as relates to the possession,
of firearms and ammunition to which this Part of this Act applies shall apply to
persons in the service of His Majesty in their capacity as such, subject however
to the following modifications: —
(a) a person in the service of His Majesty duly authorised in writing
in that behalf may purchase or acquire such firearms and
ammunition for the public service without holding a firearm
certificate;
Firearms Act 1947 Section 6


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(b) a person in the naval, military or air service of His Majesty shall, if
he satisfies the Chief Officer of Police on an application under
section two of this Act that he is required to purchase or acquire
such a firearm or ammunition for his own use in his capacity as
such, be entitled without payment of any fee to the grant of a
firearm certificate authorising the purchase or acquisition.
6 Production of certificates

[1937/6]
(1) Any constable may demand from any person, whom he believes to be in
possession of a firearm or ammunition to which this Part of this Act
applies, the production of his firearm certificate.
(2) If any person upon whom a demand is so made fails to produce the
certificate, or to permit the constable to read the certificate, or to show
that he is entitled by virtue of this Act to have the firearm or ammunition
in his possession without holding a firearm certificate; the constable may
seize and detain the firearm or ammunition, and may require that person
to declare to him immediately his name and address.
(3) If any person refuses so to declare his name and address, or fails to give
his true name and address, he shall be liable on summary conviction to a
fine not exceeding £200.9

Manufacture and sale of certain firearms and ammunition and other transactions
7 Penalty for manufacturing or dealing in firearms or ammunition

without being registered

[1937/7]
(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, no person shall, by way of trade
or business —
(a) manufacture, sell, transfer, repair, test or prove; or
(b) expose for sale or transfer, or have in his possession for sale,
transfer, repair, test or proof;
any firearm or ammunition to which this Part of this Act applies, unless
he is registered as a firearms dealer:
Provided that it shall be lawful for an auctioneer to sell by auction,
expose for sale by auction and have in his possession for sale by auction
any such firearm or ammunition without being registered as aforesaid, if
he has obtained from the Chief Officer of Police a permit for that purpose
in the prescribed form and complies with the terms of the permit.
(2) If any person contravenes the provisions of this section, or makes any
statement which he knows to be false for the purpose of procuring,
whether for himself or any other person, the grant of a permit under this
Section 8 Firearms Act 1947


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section, he shall, for each offence, be liable on summary conviction to
imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not
exceeding £1,000, or to both; and on conviction on information to
imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or to a fine or
to both.10

8 Registration of firearms dealers

[1937/8]
(1) For the purposes of this Act, the Chief Officer of Police shall keep in the
prescribed form a register of firearms dealers and, subject as hereinafter
provided, shall enter therein the name of any person who, having or
proposing to have a place of business in this Isle, applies to be registered
as a firearms dealer and furnishes him with the prescribed particulars:
Provided that —
(a) the Chief Officer of Police shall not register an applicant who is
prohibited to be registered by order of a court in the Isle of Man
made under section thirteen of this Act; and11

(b) the Chief Officer of Police may refuse to register an applicant, if
he is satisfied that the applicant cannot be permitted to carry on
business as a firearms dealer without danger to the public safety
or to the peace.
(2) On the registration of an applicant as a firearms dealer and on the
renewal of a certificate of registration there shall be payable such fee as
may be prescribed under the Fees and Duties Act 1989.12

(3) If the Chief Officer of Police, after giving reasonable notice to any person
whose name is on the register, is satisfied that that person —
(a) is no longer carrying on business as a firearms dealer; or
(b) has ceased to have a place of business in the Isle of Man; or
(c) cannot be permitted to continue to carry on business as a firearms
dealer without danger to the public safety or to the peace:
he shall cause the name of that person to be removed from the register.
(4) The Chief Officer of Police shall also cause the name of any person to be
removed from the register if that person so desires.
(5) Any person aggrieved by a refusal of a Chief Officer of Police to register
him as a firearms dealer, or by the removal of his name from the register
by a Chief Officer of Police, may appeal to the High Bailiff.
(6) If any person, for the purpose of procuring the registration of himself or
any other person as a firearms dealer, makes any statement which he
knows to be false, he shall, for each offence, be liable on summary
conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to a
fine not exceeding £1,000, or to both.13

Firearms Act 1947 Section 9


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9 Duration of dealers’ certificates

(1) A firearms dealer’s certificate of registration shall be granted by the Chief
Officer of Police to cover triennial periods computed from the first day of
April, 1948. The Chief Officer of Police shall grant or cause to be granted
to any person who is registered under the last foregoing section a
firearms dealer’s certificate of registration, which certificate shall, unless
previously revoked or cancelled, continue in force from the date when it
was granted or last renewed to the end of the triennial period in respect
of which it was granted or last renewed, but shall be renewable for the
next succeeding triennial period by the Chief Officer of Police and so
from time to time, and the provisions of section eight of this Act shall
apply to the renewal of a certificate of registration as they apply to a
grant of a certificate of registration.
(2) If any such person as aforesaid fails to apply in the prescribed form for a
renewal of a certificate of registration before the date of expiry of such
certificate or fails to pay the fee prescribed as mentioned in section 8(2)
the Chief Officer of Police shall by notice in writing require him to
comply therewith, and, if he fails to do so within twenty-one days from
the date of the notice, or within such further time as that officer may in
special circumstances allow, shall cause his name to be removed from the
register.14

(3) In any case where a Chief Officer of Police causes the name of any
firearms dealer to be removed from the register, he shall by notice in
writing require the dealer to surrender his certificate of registration, and
if the dealer fails to do so within twenty-one days from the date of the
notice he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding
£200:
Provided that, where an appeal is brought against the removal, this
subsection shall not apply to that removal unless the appeal is
abandoned or dismissed, and shall in that case have effect as if for the
reference to the date of the notice there were substituted a reference to
the date on which the appeal was abandoned or dismissed.
10 Registration of places of business of firearms dealers

[1937/10]
(1) The prescribed particulars which a person applying to be registered as a
firearms dealer under section eight of this Act is required to furnish shall
include particulars of every place of business at which he proposes to
carry on business within this Isle as a firearms dealer, and the Chief
Officer of Police shall, subject as hereinafter provided, enter in the
register every such place of business.
(2) Every person registered as a firearms dealer (whether before or after the
commencement of this Act) who proposes to carry on business as such at
Section 11 Firearms Act 1947


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any place of business which is not entered in the register, shall notify the
Chief Officer of Police and furnish him with such particulars as may be
prescribed, and the officer shall, subject as hereinafter provided, enter
that place of business in the register.
(3) A Chief Officer of Police, if he is satisfied that any place of business
notified to him by any person under either of the last two foregoing
subsections, or any place entered as the place of business of any person
in the register of firearms dealers, is a place at which that person cannot
be permitted to carry on business as a firearms dealer without danger to
the public safety or to the police, may refuse to enter that place of
business in the register or remove it from the register, as the case may be.
(4) Any person aggrieved by any such refusal or removal may appeal to the
High Bailiff.
(5) If —
(a) any person, being a registered firearms dealer, has a place of
business which is not entered on the register and carries on
business as a firearms dealer at that place; or
(b) any person makes any statement which he knows to be false for
the purpose of procuring, whether for himself or any other
person, the entry of any place of business in a register of firearms
dealers;
he shall, for each offence, be liable on summary conviction to
imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not
exceeding £1,000 or to both.15

11 Restrictions on sale, repair, etc, of firearms and ammunition

[1973/11]
(1) No person shall sell or transfer to any other person in the Isle of Man,
other than a registered firearms dealer, any firearm or ammunition to
which this Part of this Act applies, unless that other person produces a
firearm certificate authorising him to purchase or acquire it or shows that
he is by virtue of this Act entitled to purchase or acquire it without
holding such a certificate.
Provided that this subsection shall not prevent —
(a) a person parting with the possession of a firearm or ammunition,
otherwise than in pursuance of a contract of sale or hire or by way
of gift or loan, to a person who shows that he is by virtue of this
Act entitled to have possession of the firearm or ammunition
without holding such a certificate; or
(b) the delivery of a firearm or ammunition by a carrier or
warehouseman, or a servant of a carrier or warehouseman, in the
ordinary course of his business or employment as such.
Firearms Act 1947 Section 12


c AT 2 of 1947 Page 15

(2) Every person who sells, lets on hire, gives or lends a firearm or
ammunition to which this Part of this Act applies to any other person in
the Isle of Man, other than a registered firearms dealer, shall, unless that
other person shows that he is by virtue of this Act entitled to purchase or
acquire the firearm or ammunition without holding a firearm certificate,
comply with any instructions contained in the certificate produced, and
in the case of a firearm shall, within forty-eight hours from the
transaction, send by registered post notice of the transaction to the Chief
Officer of Police.
(3) No person shall undertake the repair, test or proof of a firearm or
ammunition to which this Part of this Act applies for any other person in
the Isle of Man, other than a registered firearms dealer as such, unless
that other person produces or causes to be produced a firearm certificate
authorising him to have possession of the firearm or ammunition, or
shows that he is by virtue of this Act entitled to have possession of the
firearm or ammunition without holding such a certificate.
(4) If any person —
(a) contravenes or fails to comply with any of the provisions of this
section; or
(b) with a view to purchasing or acquiring, or procuring the repair,
test or proof of, a firearm or ammunition to which this Part of this
Act applies, produces a false firearm certificate or a firearm
certificate in which any false entry has been made, or personates a
person to whom a firearm certificate has been granted, or makes
any false statement;
he shall, for each offence, be liable on summary conviction to
imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not
exceeding £1,000, or to both; and on conviction on information to
imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or to a fine or to
both.16

12 Register of transactions in firearms

[1937/12]
(1) Every person who by way of trade or business manufactures, sells or
transfers firearms or ammunition to which this Part of this Act applies
shall provide and keep a register of transactions, and shall enter or cause
to be entered therein the particulars set forth in the Second Schedule to
this Act.
(2) Every such entry shall be made within twenty-four hours after the
transaction to which it relates took place, and, in the case of a sale or
transfer, every such person as aforesaid shall at the time of the
transaction require the purchaser or transferee, if not known to him, to
Section 13 Firearms Act 1947


Page 16 AT 2 of 1947 c

furnish particulars sufficient for identification, and shall immediately
enter the said particulars in the register.
(3) Every such person as aforesaid shall on demand allow any officer of
police, duly authorised in writing in that behalf by the Chief Officer of
Police, to enter and inspect all stock in hand, and shall on request —
(a) by any officer of police duly authorised in writing in that behalf
by the Chief Officer of Police; or
(b) by an officer of customs and excise;
produce for inspection the register so required to be kept as aforesaid:
Provided that, in each case where a written authority is required by this
subsection, the authority shall be produced on demand.
(4) If any person —
(a) fails to comply with any of the provisions of this section; or
(b) knowingly makes any false entry in the register required to be
kept under this section;
he shall, for each offence, be liable on summary conviction to
imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not
exceeding £1,000 or to both.17

(5) Nothing in this section shall apply to the sale of firearms or ammunition
by auction in accordance with the terms of a permit issued under the
proviso to subsection (1) of section seven of this Act.
(6) The Department may, by rules made under this Act, vary or add to the
Second Schedule to this Act and references in this Act to that Schedule
shall be construed as references to the Schedule as for the time being so
varied or added to.18

13 Powers of court in case of offences by registered firearms dealers

[1937/13]
Where a registered firearms dealer is convicted of an offence under this Act or
of an offence against the enactments relating to Customs in respect of the import
or export of firearms or ammunition to which this Part of this Act applies, the
court may order —
(1) In the case of a first or any subsequent offence, that the name of the
registered firearms dealer be removed from the register;
(2) In the case of a second or any subsequent offence —
(a) that neither the dealer, nor any person who took part in the
management of the business and was knowingly a party to the
offence, shall be registered as a firearms dealer; and
(b) that any person who, after the date of the order, knowingly
employs in the management of his business the dealer convicted
Firearms Act 1947 Section 14


c AT 2 of 1947 Page 17

of the offence, or any person who was knowingly a party to the
offence, shall not be registered as a firearms dealer or, if so
registered, shall be liable to be removed from the register; and
(c) that any stock in hand of the business shall be disposed of by sale
or otherwise in accordance with such directions as may be
contained in the order:
Provided that a person aggrieved by an order made under this section
may appeal against the order in the same manner as against the
conviction, and the court may, if they think fit, suspend the operation of
the order pending the appeal.
14 Penalty for taking in pawn firearms or ammunition

[1937/14]
(1) No person shall take in pledge or in security from any person any
firearm or ammunition to which this Part of this Act applies.
(2) If any person contravenes the provisions of this section he shall, for each
offence, be liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not
exceeding three months or to a fine not exceeding £200, or to both such
imprisonment and fine.
Savings and application
15 Savings

[1937/5]
(1) Nothing in this Part of this Act shall relieve any person using or carrying
a firearm from the obligation to take out a licence to use or carry a gun
under the Game Act, 1882, as amended by any subsequent enactment, or
a licence to kill game under the law with respect to such a licence.
(2) The provisions of this Part of this Act shall be in addition to and not in
derogation of any provisions of this or any other Act which prohibit or
restrict the sale or transfer of firearms and ammunition.
16 Firearms and ammunition to which Part 1 applies

[1937/16]
(1) This Part of this Act applies to all firearms as defined in section thirty-
two of this Act, except the following weapons and component parts
thereof and accessories thereto, namely —
(a) a smooth bore gun (not being an air gun) which —
(i) has a barrel not less than 24 inches in length and does not
have any barrel with a bore exceeding 2 inches in diameter;
(ii) either has no magazine or has a non detachable magazine
incapable of holding more than 2 cartridges; and
Section 17 Firearms Act 1947


Page 18 AT 2 of 1947 c

(iii) is not a revolver gun;19

(b) an air gun, air rifle or air pistol not being of a type declared by
rules made by the Department to be specially dangerous.20

(2) This Part of this Act applies to all ammunition as defined in section
thirty-two of this Act, except the following articles, namely: —
(a) cartridges containing five or more shot, none of which exceeds
nine twenty-fifths of an inch in diameter;
(b) ammunition for an air gun or air rifle or air pistol;
(c) blank cartridges not exceeding one inch in diameter.
(3) For the purpose of this section the diameter of a cartridge shall be
measured immediately in front of the rim or cannelure of the base of the
cartridge.
(4) A gun which has been adapted to have a magazine such as is mentioned
in subsection (1)(a)(ii) above shall not be regarded as falling within that
provision unless the magazine bears a mark approved by the
Department for denoting that fact and that mark has been made, and the
adaption has been certified in writing as having been carried out in a
manner approved by it, by such person as may be approved by it for that
purpose.21

PART II – MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS AS TO FIREARMS

AND AMMUNITION

17 Prohibited weapons and ammunition

[1937/17]
(1) It shall not be lawful for any person without the authority of the
Department or the Secretary of State to manufacture, sell, transfer,
purchase, acquire, or have in his possession —
(a) any firearm which is so designed or adapted that, if pressure is
applied to the trigger, missiles continue to be discharged until
pressure is removed from the trigger or the magazine containing
the missiles is empty; or
(b) any weapon of whatever description designed or adapted for the
discharge of any noxious liquid, gas or other thing; or
(c) any ammunition containing, or designed or adapted to contain,
any such noxious thing;
(d) any self-loading or pump action rifle other than one which is
chambered for .22 rim-fire cartridges; or
(e) any self-loading or pump action smooth-bore gun which is not
chambered for .22 rim-fire cartridges and either has a barrel less
that 24 inches in length or (excluding any detachable, folding,
Firearms Act 1947 Section 17


c AT 2 of 1947 Page 19

retractable or other movable butt-stock) is less than 40 inches in
length overall; or
(f) any smooth-bore revolver gun other than one which is chambered
for 9 mm rim-fire cartridges or loaded at the muzzle end of each
chamber; or
(g) any rocket launcher, or any mortar, for projecting a stabilised
missile, other than a launcher or mortar designed for line-
throwing or pyrotechnic purposes or as signalling apparatus; or
(h) any cartridge with a bullet designed to explode on or immediately
before impact;
(i) if capable of being used with a firearm of any description, any
grenade, bomb (or other like missile), rocket or shell designed to
explode on or immediately after impact; or
(j) such other weapons or ammunition as may be specified in an
order made by the Department.22

(1A) An order under subsection (1)(j) shall not come into operation unless it is
approved by Tynwald.23

(2) If any person contravenes the provisions of the last foregoing subsection,
he shall be liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not
exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding £1,000, or to both; and on
conviction on information to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five
years or to a fine or to both.24

(3) Where the Secretary of State or the Department are satisfied, on the
application of a person in charge of a theatrical performance, that such a
firearm as is mentioned in paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of this section
is required for the purpose of the performance, they may, if they think
fit, not only authorise that person to have possession of the firearm but
also authorise such other persons as he may select to have possession
thereof while taking part in the performance.
In this subsection the expression ‘theatrical performance’ includes a
rehearsal of such a performance and the production of a cinematograph
film.25

(4) Any authority given to any person under this section shall be given in
writing and shall be subject to such conditions as may be specified
therein, and, if that person fails to comply with any such condition, he
shall for each offence be liable on summary conviction to imprisonment
for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding £1,000 or
to both.26

(5) The conditions specified in an authority as aforesaid shall include such
conditions as the Secretary of State or the Department, having regard to
the circumstances of each particular case, think fit to impose for the
purpose of securing that the prohibited weapon or prohibited
Section 18 Firearms Act 1947


Page 20 AT 2 of 1947 c

ammunition to which the authority relates will not endanger the public
safety or the peace.27

(6) The Secretary of State or the Department may at any time, if they think
fit, revoke any authority given by them to any person under this section,
by notice in writing requiring that person to deliver up the authority to
such person as may be specified in the notice within twenty-one days
from the date of the notice, and if that person fails to comply with that
requirement he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not
exceeding £200.28

(7) The foregoing provisions of this section shall be in addition to and not in
derogation of any other provisions of this Act or any other Act relating to
the manufacture, sale, transfer, purchase, acquisition or possession of
firearms, but the Chief Officer of Police —
(a) shall not refuse to grant or renew, and shall not revoke, a firearm
certificate in respect of a prohibited weapon or prohibited
ammunition if the applicant is for the time being authorised by
the Secretary of State or the Department to have possession of that
weapon or ammunition; and29

(b) shall not refuse to enter in the register of firearms dealers the
name of a person for the time being authorised as aforesaid to
manufacture, sell or transfer a prohibited weapon or prohibited
ammunition, or remove the name of such a person from the
register, on the ground that he cannot be permitted to carry on, or
to continue to carry on, business as a firearms dealer without
danger to the public safety or to the peace;
and where any authority to purchase, acquire or have possession of a
prohibited weapon or prohibited ammunition is revoked under this
section, the firearm certificate relating to that weapon or ammunition
shall be revoked or varied accordingly by the Chief Officer of Police.
18 Power to prohibit removals of firearms and ammunition

[1937/18]
(1) The Department may by order prohibit the removal of any firearms or
ammunition —
(a) from one place to another in the Isle of Man; or
(b) for export from the Isle of Man;
unless the removal is authorised by the Chief Officer of Police and unless
such other conditions as may be specified in the order are complied
with.30

(2) Any such order may apply —
(a) either generally to all such removals, or to removals from and to
any particular localities specified in the order; and
Firearms Act 1947 Section 19


c AT 2 of 1947 Page 21

(b) either to all firearms and ammunition or to firearms and
ammunition of such classes and descriptions as may be so
specified; and
(c) either to all modes of conveyance or to such modes of conveyance
as may be so specified:
Provided that no such order shall prohibit the holder of a firearm
certificate from carrying with him any firearms or ammunition
authorised by the certificate to be so carried.
(3) Any officer of police may search for and seize any firearms or
ammunition which he has reason to believe are being removed or to have
been removed in contravention of any order made under this section,
and any person having the control or custody of any firearms or
ammunition in course of transit shall, on demand by a police constable,
allow him all reasonable facilities for the examination and inspection
thereof, and shall produce to him any documents in his possession
relating thereto.
(4) If any person —
(a) contravenes any of the provisions of any order made under this
section; or
(b) fails to comply with any of the provisions of this section;
he shall, on summary conviction, be liable to imprisonment for a term
not exceeding three months, or to a fine not exceeding £200 for each
firearm or parcel of ammunition in respect of which the offence is
committed, or to both such imprisonment and fine; and if the offender is
the owner of the firearms or ammunition, the court before whom he is
convicted may make such an order as to the forfeiture of the firearms or
ammunition as the court think fit.
(5) References in the last two foregoing subsections to an order made under
this section shall be construed as including references to an order made
under section nine of the Firearms Act, 1921.
(6) Any order made under this section may be varied or revoked by a
subsequent order made by the Department.31

19 Restriction on purchase and possession of firearms by young persons

[1937/19]
(1) No person under the age of seventeen years shall purchase or hire any
firearm or ammunition, and no person shall sell or let on hire any firearm
or ammunition to any other person whom he knows or has reasonable
ground for believing to be under the age of seventeen years.
(2) No person under the age of fourteen years shall accept as a gift or
borrow any firearm or ammunition to which Part I of this Act applies,
and no person shall give or lend any such firearm or ammunition to any
Section 20 Firearms Act 1947


Page 22 AT 2 of 1947 c

other person whom he knows or has reasonable ground for believing to
be under the age of fourteen years.
(3) No person under the age of fourteen years shall have in his possession
any firearm or ammunition to which Part I of this Act applies except in
circumstances where he is entitled to have possession thereof without
holding a firearm certificate by virtue of subsections (7), (8) or (9) of
section four of this Act, and no person shall part with the possession of
any such firearm or ammunition to any other person whom he knows or
has reasonable ground for believing to be under the age of fourteen
years, except in circumstances where that other person is entitled to have
possession thereof as aforesaid.
(4) If any person contravenes any provision of this section, he shall for each
offence be liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not
exceeding six months, or to a fine not exceeding £1,000 or to both.32

20 Prohibition of sale, etc of firearms to drunk or insane persons

[1937/20]
(1) No person shall sell or transfer any firearm or ammunition to, or repair,
prove or test any firearm or ammunition for, any other person whom he
knows or has reasonable ground for believing to be drunk or of unsound
mind.
(2) If any person contravenes any provision of this section, he shall for each
offence be liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not
exceeding three months or to a fine not exceeding £200.
21 Prohibition on persons convicted of crime purchasing or possessing

firearms

[1937/21]
(1) Subject to the provisions of this section —
(a) a person who has been sentenced, by a court in any part of the
British Islands, to custody for a term of 3 years or more, shall not
at any time have a firearm or ammunition in his possession; and33

(b) a person who has been sentenced, by a court in any part of the
British Islands, to custody for a term of 3 months or more but less
than 3 years, shall not at any time before the expiration of the
period of five years from the date of his release have a firearm or
ammunition in his possession.34

(1A) For the purposes of subsection (1), ‘the date of his release’, in the case of
a person sentenced to imprisonment with an order under
paragraph 36(1) of Schedule 1 to the Criminal Law Act 1981, is the date on
which he completes service of so much of the sentence as was by that
order required to be served in prison.35

Firearms Act 1947 Section 22


c AT 2 of 1947 Page 23

(2) Subject to the provisions of this section, a person who —
(a) is the holder of a licence issued under section 53 of the Children
and Young Persons Act, 1933, or section 57 of the Children and
Young Persons (Scotland) Act, 1937 (being Acts of the Imperial
Parliament); or36

(b) is subject to a recognizance to keep the peace or to be of good
behaviour, a condition of which is that he shall not possess, use or
carry a firearm or is subject to a probation order containing a
requirement that he shall not possess, use, or carry a firearm.37

shall not, at any time during which he holds the licence or is so subject,
have a firearm or ammunition in his possession.
(3) A person prohibited under the foregoing provisions of this section from
having in his possession a firearm or ammunition may apply for a
removal of the prohibition in accordance with so much of the provisions
of the First Schedule to this Act as relates to applications, to the High
Bailiff, and if the application is granted the said provisions of this section
shall not apply to that person.
(4) No person shall sell or transfer a firearm or ammunition to, or repair, test
or prove a firearm or ammunition for, any person whom he knows, or
has reasonable ground for believing, to be prohibited by this section from
having a firearm or ammunition in his possession.
(5) If any person contravenes any provision of this section, he shall for each
offence be liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not
exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding £1,000 or to both; and on
conviction on information to imprisonment for a term not exceeding
three years or to a fine or to both.38

22 Penalty for possessing firearms with intent to injure

[1937/22]
If any person has in his possession any firearm or ammunition with intent by
means thereof to endanger life or cause serious injury to property, or to enable
any other person by means thereof to endanger life or cause serious injury to
property, he shall, whether any injury to person or property has been caused or
not, be guilty of felony and, on conviction thereof on information, shall be liable
to penal servitude for a term not exceeding fourteen years.
23 Penalty for use and possession of firearms or imitation firearms in

certain cases

[1937/23]
(1) If any person makes or attempts to make any use whatsoever of a firearm
or imitation firearm with intent to resist or prevent the lawful
apprehension or detention of himself or any other person, he shall be
guilty of an offence under this subsection, and on conviction thereof on
Section 23 Firearms Act 1947


Page 24 AT 2 of 1947 c

information shall be liable to penal servitude for a term not exceeding
fourteen years.
Where any person commits an offence under this subsection in respect of
the lawful apprehension or detention of himself for any other offence
committed by him, he shall be liable to the penalty provided by this
subsection in addition to any penalty to which he may be sentenced for
that other offence.
(2) If any person, at the time of his committing, or at the time of his
apprehension for, any offence specified in the Third Schedule to this Act,
has in his possession any firearm, or imitation firearm, he shall, unless he
shows that he had it in his possession for a lawful object, be guilty of an
offence under this subsection, and on conviction thereof on information
shall be liable to penal servitude for a term not exceeding seven years in
addition to any penalty to which he may be sentenced for the first-
mentioned offence.
(3) If on the trial of any person for an offence under subsection (1) of this
section the jury are not satisfied that that person is guilty of that offence
but are satisfied that he is guilty of an offence under subsection (2) of this
section, the jury may find him guilty of the offence under the said
subsection (2), and thereupon he shall be liable to be punished
accordingly.
(4) [Repealed]39

(5) [Repealed]40

(6) In this section —
(a) the expression ‘firearm’, means any lethal barrelled weapon of
any description from which any shot, bullet or other missile can
be discharged, and includes any prohibited weapon, whether it is
such a lethal weapon as aforesaid or not; and
(b) the expression ‘imitation firearm’ means anything which has the
appearance of being a firearm within the meaning of this
section (other than such a prohibited weapon as is mentioned in
paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section seventeen of this Act),
whether it is capable of discharging any shot, bullet or other
missile or not.
23A Possession of firearm with intent to cause fear of violence

If any person (‘A’) has in A’s possession any firearm or imitation firearm
with intent —
(a) by means thereof to cause, or
(b) to enable another person by means thereof to cause,
Firearms Act 1947 Section 24


c AT 2 of 1947 Page 25

any person (‘B’) to believe that unlawful violence will be used against B or
another person, A is guilty of an offence and on conviction on information shall
be liable to custody for 10 years or to a fine or to both.41

24 Provisions as to shortening guns and converting imitation firearms into

firearms

[1937/24]
(1) No person shall shorten the barrel of a smooth-bore gun to a length less
than twenty-four inches.42

(2) No person other than a registered firearms dealer shall convert into a
firearm anything which, though having the appearance of a firearm, is so
constructed as to be incapable of discharging any missile through the
barrel thereof.
(3) If any person contravenes any of the foregoing provisions of this section
he shall for each offence be liable on summary conviction, to
imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not
exceeding £1,000 or to both; and on conviction on information to
imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or to a fine or to both.43

(4) If any person commits an offence under section one of this Act by
purchasing, acquiring or having in his possession a smooth-bore gun
which has been shortened, or a firearm which has been converted, as
aforesaid (whether by a registered firearms dealer or not), without
holding a firearm certificate authorising him to purchase, acquire or
possess it, he shall be liable, either —
(a) on conviction on information, to imprisonment for a term not
exceeding one year or to a fine not exceeding £500 or to both such
imprisonment and fine; or
(b) on summary conviction, to the penalty provided in the said
section one.
PART III – GENERAL

25 Provisions as to forfeiture of firearms and cancellation of certificates

[1937/25]
(1) Where any person —
(a) is convicted of an offence under this Act or is convicted of any
crime for which he is sentenced to imprisonment, borstal training
or detention in a detention centre; or44

(b) has been ordered to enter into a recognizance to keep the peace or
to be of good behaviour, a condition of which is that the offender
shall not possess, use or carry a firearm or is subject to probation
Section 26 Firearms Act 1947


Page 26 AT 2 of 1947 c

order containing a requirement that he shall not possess, use, or
carry a firearm;45

the court before whom he is convicted or by whom the order is made
may make such order as to the forfeiture or disposal of any firearm or
ammunition found in his possession as the court think fit, and may
cancel any firearm certificate held by the person convicted.
(2) Where the court cancel a firearm certificate under this section —
(a) The court shall cause notice to be sent to the Chief Officer of
Police; and
(b) the Chief Officer of Police shall by notice in writing require the
holder of the certificate to surrender it; and
(c) if the holder fails to surrender the certificate within twenty-one
days from the date of the last-mentioned notice, he shall be liable
on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £200.
26 Power to search for and dispose of firearms, imitation firearms and

ammunition

[1937/26]
(1) If a justice of the peace is satisfied by information on oath that there is
reasonable ground for suspecting that an offence under this Act has
been, is being, or is about to be committed, he may grant a search
warrant authorising any constable —
(a) to enter at any time any premises or place named in the warrant,
if necessary by force, and to search the premises or place and
every person found therein; and
(b) to seize and detain any firearm, imitation firearm or ammunition
which he may find on the premises or place, or on any such
person, in respect of which or in connection with which he has
reasonable grounds for suspecting that an offence under this Act
has been, is being, or is about to be committed; and46

(c) if the premises are those of a registered firearms dealer, to
examine any books relating to the business.
(2) [Repealed]47

(3) A court of summary jurisdiction may, on the application of the Chief
Officer of Police, order any firearm, imitation firearm or ammunition
seized and detained by a police constable under this Act to be destroyed
or otherwise disposed of.48

Firearms Act 1947 Section 27


c AT 2 of 1947 Page 27

27 Time for commencing summary proceedings under Act

[1937/27]
Notwithstanding any provision in any Act prescribing the period within which
summary proceedings may be instituted, summary proceedings for an offence
under this Act may be instituted at any time within the period of four years
after the commission of the offence:
Provided that no such proceedings shall be instituted after the expiration of the
period of six months after the commission of the offence, unless they are
instituted by, or by the direction of, the Attorney General.
28 Application of Act to police

[1937/28]
For the purpose of the application to this Act of any rule of law whereunder the
provisions of this Act do not bind the Crown, and for the purpose of section five
of this Act, a member of a police force shall be deemed to be a person in the
service of His Majesty.
29 Service of notices

[1937/29]
Any notice required or authorised by this Act to be given to any person may be
sent by registered post in a letter addressed to him at his last or usual place of
abode, or, in the case of a registered firearms dealer, at any place of business in
respect of which he is registered.
30 Power of Department to make rules

[1937/30]
(1) The Department may make rules —
(a) prescribing the form of firearm certificates, and the register
required to be kept under section twelve of this Act, and other
documents;
(b) prescribing any other thing which under this Act is to be
prescribed;
(c) regulating the manner in which Chief Officers of Police are to
carry out their duties under this Act;
(d) enabling all or any of the functions of a Chief Officer of Police to
be discharged by a deputy in the event of the illness or absence, or
a vacancy in the office, of the Chief Officer of Police;
(e) generally for carrying this Act into effect.49

(2) Rules made by the Department under this section shall not have effect
unless approved by resolution of Tynwald.50

Section 31 Firearms Act 1947


Page 28 AT 2 of 1947 c

31 [Repealed]
51

32 Interpretation

(1) In this Act the following expressions have the meanings hereby
respectively assigned to them: —
“acquiring
” means hiring, accepting as a gift and borrowing and the
expressions “acquire
” and “acquisition
” shall be construed accordingly;
“ammunition
”, except where otherwise expressly provided, means ammunition
for any firearm as hereinafter defined, and includes grenades, bombs and
other like missiles, whether capable of use with such a firearm or not,
and prohibited ammunition;
“Chief Officer of Police
” means the Chief Constable, Deputy Chief Constable,
or Superintendent of Police;
“the Department
” means the Department of Home Affairs;52

“firearm
”, except where otherwise expressly provided, means any lethal
barrelled weapon of any description from which any shot, bullet or other
missile can be discharged and includes any prohibited weapon, whether
it is such a lethal weapon as aforesaid or not, any component part of any
such lethal or prohibited weapon, and any accessory to any such weapon
designed or adapted to diminish the noise or flash caused by firing the
weapon;
“firearm certificate
” means a certificate granted in the Isle of Man under section
two of this Act or under section one of the Firearms Act, 1921;
“firearms dealer
” means a person who, by way of trade or business,
manufactures, sells, transfers, repairs, tests or proves firearms or
ammunition to which Part I of this Act applies;
“offence under this Act
” includes any act, omission or other thing which is
punishable under this Act;
“prescribed
” means by rules made by the Department under this Act;53

“prohibited ammunition
” means any ammunition referred to in paragraph (c)
of subsection (1) of section seventeen of this Act;
“prohibited weapon
” means any firearm or weapon referred to in
paragraph (a) or paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section seventeen of
this Act;
“registered
”, in relation to a firearms dealer, means registered in the Isle of Man
under section eight of this Act or section eight of the Firearms Act, 1921;
“slaughtering instrument
” means a firearm which is specially designed or
adapted for the instantaneous slaughter of animals or for the
instantaneous stunning of animals with a view to slaughtering them;
Firearms Act 1947 Section 33


c AT 2 of 1947 Page 29

“transferring
” includes letting on hire, giving, lending, and parting with
possession, and the expressions “transfer
”, “transferee
” and
“transferor
” shall be construed accordingly.
(2) For the purpose of this Act the length of the barrel of a firearm shall be
measured from the muzzle to the point at which the charge is exploded
on firing.
(3) For the purpose of this Act, any reference to an air gun, air rifle or air
pistol shall include a reference to a gun, rifle or pistol which is powered
by any gas or combination of gases and any other enactment which
defines an air weapon, air gun, air rifle or air pistol by reference to any
provision of this Act shall have effect accordingly.54

33 General savings

[1937/33]
(1) Nothing in this Act shall affect any order, or rule made, certificate
granted, notice, direction or approval given or thing done under the
Firearms Act, 1921, as amended by any subsequent enactment, and every
such order, rule, Act, certificate, notice, direction or approval shall, if in
force at the commencement of this Act, continue in force and so far as it
could have been made, granted, issued or given under this Act, have
effect as if made, granted, issued or given under the corresponding
enactment of this Act.
(2) Any register kept under subsection (6) of section two or under section
eight of the Firearms Act, 1921, shall be deemed to have been kept under
the corresponding provision of this Act.
(3) Any document referring to the Firearms Act, 1921, or any Act amending
that Act, shall be construed as referring to the corresponding enactment
of this Act.
(4) Nothing in this Act relating to firearms shall apply to an antique firearm
which is sold, transferred, purchased, acquired, or possessed as a
curiosity or ornament.
(5) The provisions of this Act relating to ammunition shall be in addition to
and not in derogation of any enactment relating to the keeping and sale
of explosives.
(6) [Repealed]55

34 Short title, repeal and commencement

(1) This Act may be cited as the Firearms Act, 1947.
(2) [Repealed]56

(3) This Act shall come into operation when the Royal Assent thereto has
been by the Governor announced to Tynwald and a certificate thereof
Section 34 Firearms Act 1947


Page 30 AT 2 of 1947 c

has been signed by the Governor and the Speaker of the House of Keys,
and shall take effect from the first day of April, 1948.
Firearms Act 1947 First Schedule



c AT 2 of 1947 Page 31

FIRST SCHEDULE

PROVISIONS AS TO APPEALS FROM THE CHIEF OFFICER OF

POLICE AND APPLICATIONS UNDER SECTION TWENTY-

ONE OF THIS ACT

Sections 2, 8, 10 And 21
1. Notice of an appeal or application, signed by the appellant or applicant or by his
agent on his behalf and stating the general grounds of the appeal or application, shall
be given by him to the clerk of the High Bailiff and also —
(a) in the case of an appeal, to the chief officer of police by whose
decision the appellant is aggrieved; and
(b) in the case of an application, to the chief officer of police.
2. A notice of appeal shall be given within twenty-one days after the date on
which the appellant has received notice of the decision of the chief officer of police by
which he is aggrieved.
3. On receiving notice of an appeal or application the clerk of the High Bailiff shall
enter the appeal or application and give notice to the appellant or applicant, and to the
chief officer of police to whom the notice of the appeal or application is required by
paragraph 1 of this Schedule to be given, of the date, time, and place fixed for the
hearing:
Provided that, in the case of an application, the date fixed for the hearing shall not be
less than twenty-one clear days after the date when the clerk of the High Bailiff
received the notice of the application.
4. An appellant or applicant may at any time, not less than two clear days before
the date fixed for the hearing, abandon his appeal or application by giving notice in
writing to the clerk of the High Bailiff and to the chief officer of police, and in the event
of any such abandonment the High Bailiff (hereafter in this Schedule referred to as ‘the
court’) may order the appellant or applicant to pay to the chief officer of police such
costs as appear to them to be just and reasonable in respect of expenses properly
incurred by him in connection with the appeal or application before notice of the
abandonment was given to him.
5. The chief officer of police may appear and be heard on the hearing of an appeal
or application.
6. The court may from time to time adjourn the hearing of an appeal or
application.
Second Schedule
Firearms Act 1947


Page 32 AT 2 of 1947 c

7. On the hearing of an appeal the court may either dismiss the appeal or give the
chief officer of police such directions as the court think fit as respects the certificate or
register which is the subject of the appeal.
8. On the determination of an appeal or application the court may make such
order as to payment of costs as the court think fit, and may fix a sum to be paid by way
of costs in lieu of directing a taxation thereof, and any costs ordered to be paid by the
court may be recovered summarily as a civil debt and shall not be recoverable in any
other manner:
Provided that the court shall not order the chief officer of police to pay the costs of an
applicant.
SECOND SCHEDULE

PARTICULARS TO BE ENTERED BY FIREARMS DEALERS IN

REGISTER OF TRANSACTIONS

Section 12
1. The quantities and description of firearms and ammunition manufactured and
the dates thereof.
2. The quantities and description of firearms and ammunition purchased or
acquired, with the names and addresses of the sellers or transferors and the dates of
the several transactions.
3. The quantities and descriptions of firearms and ammunition sold or transferred
with the names and addresses of the purchasers or transferees and (except in cases
where the purchaser or transferee is a registered dealer) the areas in which the firearm
certificates were issued, and the dates of the several transactions.
4. The quantities and description of firearms and ammunition in possession for
sale or transfer at the date of the last stocktaking or such other date in each year as may
be specified in the register.
5. In this Schedule references to firearms and ammunition shall be construed as
references to firearms and ammunition to which Part I of this Act applies.


Firearms Act 1947 Third Schedule



c AT 2 of 1947 Page 33

THIRD SCHEDULE
57

OFFENCES TO WHICH SECTION 23(2) APPLIES

Section 23
The Criminal Code 1872
1. Offences under sections 35 to 37.
2. Offences under sections 45, 47, 50 and 60.
3. [Repealed]58

4. Offences under sections 116 to 121.
5. Offences under section 136.
The Child Custody Act 1987
5A. Offences under section 51.59

The Vagrancy Act 1896
6. Offences under section 2.
The Sexual Offences Act 1992
7. Offences under sections 1 and 15.60

The Theft Act 1981
8. The offences of theft, burglary and blackmail.
9. Offences under section 12(1).
The Criminal Damage Act 1981
10. Offences under section 1.
Miscellaneous
11. Aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring the commission of any offence
mentioned in this Schedule, or attempting to commit any such an offence other than an
offence under section 121 of the Criminal Code 1872.
FOURTH SCHEDULE
61

Firearms Act 1947 Endnotes


c AT 2 of 1947 Page 35

ENDNOTES

Table of Legislation History

Legislation Year and No Commencement






Table of Renumbered Provisions

Original Current






Table of Endnote References

1
Subs (2) amended by Firearms Act 1968 Sch. 2
Subs (10) amended by Firearms Act 1968 Sch. 3
Para (a) amended by Fees and Duties Act 1989 Sch 2. 4
Para (b) amended by Fees and Duties Act 1989 Sch 2. 5
Subs (2) amended by GC55/88. 6
Subs (8) amended by GC55/88 7
Subs (9) amended by Air Guns and Shot Guns etc., Act 1968 s 5. 8
Subs (13) amended by Firearms Act 1968 Sch. 9
Subs (3) amended by Police Powers and Procedures Act 1998 Sch 5. 10
Subs (2) amended by Firearms Act 1968 Sch. 11
Para (a) amended by Statute Law Revision Act 1997 Sch 2. 12
Subs (2) amended by Fees and Duties Act 1989 Sch 2. 13
Subs (6) amended by Firearms Act 1968 Sch. 14
Subs (2) amended by Statute Law Revision Act 1997 Sch 1. 15
Subs (5) amended by Firearms Act 1968 Sch. 16
Subs (4) amended by Firearms Act 1968 Sch. 17
Subs (4) amended by Firearms Act 1968 Sch. 18
Subs (6) amended by GC55/88. 19
Para (a) amended by Shot Guns, Air Weapons and Cross-bows Act 1994 s 13. 20
Para (b) amended by GC55/88. 21
Subs (4) added by Shot Guns, Air Weapons and Cross-bows Act 1994 s 13. 22
Subs (1) substituted by Criminal Justice Act 1996 s 3. 23
Subs (1A) inserted by Criminal Justice Act 1996 s 3.
Endnotes Firearms Act 1947


Page 36 AT 2 of 1947 c

24
Subs (2) amended by Firearms Act 1968 s 17 and Sch. 25
Subs (3) amended by GC55/88 and by Criminal Justice Act 1996 s 3. 26
Subs (4) amended by Firearms Act 1968 Sch. 27
Subs (5) amended by GC55/88 and by Criminal Justice Act 1996 s 3. 28
Subs (6) amended by GC55/88 and by Criminal Justice Act 1996 s 3. 29
Para (a) amended by GC55/88 and by Criminal Justice Act 1996 s 3. 30
Subs (1) amended by GC55/88. 31
Subs (6) amended by GC55/88. 32
Subs (4) amended by Firearms Act 1968 Sch. 33
Para (a) amended by Statute Law Revision Act 1997 Sch 1. 34
Subs (1) substituted by Firearms Act 1968 s 8. Para (b) amended by Statute Law
Revision Act 1997 Sch 1. 35
Subs (1A) inserted by Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 1985 Sch 2. 36
Para (a) substituted by Firearms Act 1968 s 8 and amended by Statute Law Revision
Act 1997 Sch 2. 37
Para (b) amended by Criminal Justice Act 1963 Sch 4. 38
Subs (5) amended by Firearms Act 1968 Sch. 39
Subs (4) repealed by Summary Jurisdiction Act 1989 Sch 6. 40
Subs (5) repealed by Theft Act 1981 Sch 2. 41
S 23A inserted by Criminal Justice, Police and Courts Act 2007 s 3. 42
Subs (1) amended by Firearms Act 1968 s 8(1) and by Statute Law Revision Act 1997
Sch 2. 43
Subs (3) amended by Firearms Act 1968 Sch. 44
Para (a) amended by Criminal Justice Act 1963 Sch 4 and by Firearms Act 1968 s 8. 45
Para (b) amended by Criminal Justice Act 1963 Sch 4. 46
Para (b) amended by Criminal Justice, Police and Courts Act 2007 s 3. 47
Subs (2) repealed by Police Powers and Procedures Act 1998 Sch 5. 48
Subs (3) amended by Criminal Justice, Police and Courts Act 2007 s 3. 49
Subs (1) amended by GC55/88. 50
Subs (2) amended by GC55/88. 51
S 31 repealed by Statute Law Revision Act 1997 Sch 2. 52
Definition of ‘the Department’ inserted by GC55/88. 53
Definition of ‘prescribed’ amended by GC55/88. 54
Subs (3) added by Criminal Justice Act 2001 s 20. 55
Subs (6) repealed by Statute Law Revision Act 1997 Sch 2. 56
Subs (2) repealed by Statute Law Revision Act 1997 Sch 2. 57
Schedule 3 substituted by Criminal Law Act 1981 Sch 7. 58
Para 3 repealed by Statute Law Revision Act 1997 Sch 1. 59
Para 5A inserted by Statute Law Revision Act 1997 Sch 1. 60
Item 7 and heading substituted by Sexual Offences Act 1992 Sch 3. 61
Sch 4 repealed by Statute Law Revision Act 1997 Sch 2.