Overview
Civilian firearms in The Bahamas are governed by the Firearms Act, Chapter 213, described in its own long title as "An Act to repeal and replace the Firearms Act." According to the consolidated text published in the Statute Law of The Bahamas (revised edition LRO 1/2017), the Act was assented to on 1 May 1969 and commenced on 17 July 1969, and it has been amended repeatedly since — the amendment history recorded in the statute runs through Act No. 10 of 2000, 21 of 2006, 38 of 2011, 25 of 2013 and, most recently, the Firearms (Amendment) Act, 2014 (Act No. 10 of 2014). This article treats the Chapter 213 consolidation, as amended to 2014, as the operative law.
Under the Firearms Act, private ownership of a firearm is a licensed privilege rather than a right. No person may purchase, acquire, possess, use or carry a firearm or ammunition except under an authorisation granted through the Act, and the central licensing official is the Commissioner of Police (the "Commissioner"), acting through the Royal Bahamas Police Force. The Act's own interpretation section defines a "firearm" broadly as "any barrelled weapon of any description capable of inflicting injury from which any shot, bullet or other missile can be discharged," expressly including prohibited weapons, component parts, sound or flash suppressors, and convertible dummy pistols or revolvers, while excluding certain articles listed in the Third Schedule.
The statute divides regulated arms into tiers. Part II governs revolvers, which may be introduced and possessed only under a special licence. Part III governs the purchase and possession of certain firearms and ammunition under a firearm certificate granted under section 10. Part IV governs guns — defined as the firearms to which that Part applies, principally smooth-bore weapons such as shotguns — under a separate gun licence. Part VI sets out prohibited weapons (section 30) and a distinct offence for a prohibited high powered firearm (section 30A), categories that are not available to ordinary civilians.
According to guidance published by the Royal Bahamas Police Force through the government's MyGateway service and by the National Firearms Association (NFA) of The Bahamas, licences are issued only to Bahamian citizens resident in The Bahamas, aged 18 or older, with a clean criminal record, and only for stated purposes — hunting, security for a business, or employment. The regime is widely regarded as strict, and it operates against a backdrop of sustained concern about gun-related violence. Government officials announced in 2024 an intention to bring forward new firearms legislation addressing modern issues such as "ghost guns"; as of this writing those proposals are not shown to be enacted and are treated here as proposals. This article is a neutral reference, not legal advice; where a specific could not be confirmed against the primary text it is generalised and flagged in the accompanying notes.
Ownership & licensing
The Firearms Act (Chapter 213) establishes a multi-track licensing system administered by the Commissioner of Police. According to section 10 of the Act, an application for a firearm certificate must be made to the Commissioner in the prescribed form, and the certificate "may be granted by the Commissioner if he is satisfied that the applicant has a good reason for purchasing, acquiring or having in his possession the firearm or ammunition" and can hold it "without danger to the public safety or to the peace." The same section provides that a certificate must not be granted to a person the Commissioner believes to be prohibited from possessing firearms, or "to be of intemperate habits or unsound mind, or to be for any reason unfitted to be entrusted with such a firearm." Each certificate specifies the conditions attached, the nature and number of the firearm, and the quantity of ammunition that may be purchased and held.
The Act treats different categories of arm differently. Revolvers fall under Part II and may be introduced and possessed only under a special licence. Firearms and ammunition under Part III require the section 10 firearm certificate. "Guns" under Part IV — principally smooth-bore weapons such as shotguns — require a gun licence granted under section 16. According to section 10(4), a firearm certificate remains in force "until midnight of the thirty-first day of December of the year in which it was issued" and is renewable from year to year by the Commissioner, so authorisations run on an annual cycle.
According to the Royal Bahamas Police Force guidance published via MyGateway and by the NFA of The Bahamas, an applicant must be a Bahamian citizen residing in The Bahamas, at least 18 years old, and of clean criminal record, and must state a permitted purpose — hunting, business security, or employment. Prospective owners typically select a firearm at a licensed dealer, purchase an approved safe, and submit the application to the Royal Bahamas Police Force Firearms Licensing Section together with bills of sale for both the firearm and the safe. Published fee schedules list new-licence fees of about $150 for a shotgun, $300 for a rifle, and $750 for a handgun, with renewals payable annually; these administrative figures are drawn from official service listings and may change.
The Act reinforces the licensing regime with supporting offences. Section 29 restricts the purchase, possession and use of firearms by young persons under the age of eighteen. Guns must be marked (section 21). Making a false statement to procure a certificate or licence is an offence carrying, on summary conviction, imprisonment for six months or a fine of sixty dollars, or both. Because firearms are recorded on the certificate and marked, the system functions as a form of registration tied to the individual holder.
Carry & transport
The Firearms Act (Chapter 213) does not create a general civilian right to carry a firearm in public for self-defence, and it contains no separate "open carry" or "concealed carry" permit of the kind found in some other jurisdictions. Instead, the authority to possess, use or carry a firearm flows from the certificate or licence and is confined to the purpose for which it was granted. According to Royal Bahamas Police Force and NFA guidance, the purposes for which civilian licences are issued are hunting, security for a business, and employment — a list that does not extend to general personal protection. As a result, everyday carrying of a firearm by a private individual for self-defence is not a recognised licensed activity, and this article marks both open and concealed carry as unavailable to the ordinary civilian, subject to the narrow, purpose-bound exceptions the Act and licence conditions allow (for example, a person licensed in connection with lawful business-security or employment duties).
The Act attaches serious consequences to carrying or using firearms outside authorised bounds. Under section 34, a person who has a firearm or imitation firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence, or to resist or prevent lawful arrest, or to put another person in fear, commits an offence carrying, on conviction on information, imprisonment in the range of ten to fifteen years (and, on summary conviction, two to ten years). Under section 35, a person who, while carrying a firearm, enters or is found in a building as a trespasser without reasonable excuse is liable, on summary conviction, to imprisonment in the range of two to seven years. Section 37 makes the wanton discharge of a firearm "to the annoyance or danger of any person" an offence punishable, on summary conviction, by imprisonment in the range of four to seven years or a fine of three hundred dollars, or both.
Storage and control obligations reinforce these limits. The certificate issued under section 10 may specify conditions of possession, and, as reflected in Royal Bahamas Police Force and NFA guidance, applicants are expected to acquire an approved safe and to keep firearms unloaded and securely stored when not in use — the requirement to submit a bill of sale for a safe forms part of the application. The Act also addresses firearms found on premises or in conveyances: section 8A deals with the liability of the occupier of a house, building, premises, vehicle or vessel in relation to firearms found there. Because the Act channels lawful carrying through licence purpose and conditions rather than a standalone carry statute, individuals are directed to the specific terms of their authorisation and to the Firearms Licensing Section for the precise limits on where and how a licensed firearm may be carried or transported.
Travel & import
Bringing a firearm or ammunition into The Bahamas is tightly controlled and is not available to travellers as of right. According to the Firearms Act (Chapter 213), importation is regulated under sections 3 and 3A, and section 3A provides that "no person shall import, cause to be imported or take any step" to bring a firearm or ammunition into The Bahamas except in accordance with the Act. A person who contravenes that prohibition is liable, on conviction on information, to imprisonment in the range of ten to fifteen years, and on summary conviction to imprisonment in the range of two to ten years, with the firearm or ammunition forfeited to the Crown. Section 3C creates a further offence of transnational transfers without legal authorisation, carrying comparable terms.
Consistent with the statute, the Bahamas Customs Department lists firearms among restricted imports, permitted only where there is "special authorization by the Commissioner of Police." The United States Government's country commercial guide similarly records that firearms may be imported only with such authorisation. According to guidance issued by the U.S. Embassy in The Bahamas and Bahamian authorities, declaring a weapon with an airline or carrier does not by itself grant permission to bring it into the country; prior authorisation from the Commissioner of Police is required, and it is an offence to import or export firearms or ammunition to or from CARICOM member states without the appropriate import or export licence.
Special rules apply to vessels. According to the U.S. Embassy's customs guidance, a person with a firearm or ammunition aboard a boat entering Bahamian waters must declare it with Bahamian Customs at the first port of entry, and only declared shotguns and handguns are permitted aboard vessels in Bahamian waters. Visitors and tourists therefore cannot assume that a firearm lawfully owned abroad may be carried ashore or retained; unauthorised importation exposes the traveller to the Act's importation penalties and forfeiture.
For residents, importing a firearm is linked to the domestic licensing process: the arm must fall within a category a civilian may lawfully hold, and the appropriate authorisation must be obtained before it enters the country. Prohibited weapons and prohibited high powered firearms (discussed below) cannot be imported by civilians at all, and ammunition is regulated in the same way as firearms. Because the precise customs classifications, permitted quantities, documentary requirements and processing steps were not verified against a detailed official import schedule in this session, this article describes the import regime qualitatively: prior authorisation from the Commissioner of Police is required, prohibited categories are excluded, and any cross-border movement of firearms or ammunition — including transit aboard private vessels — should be treated as requiring advance permission. Detailed, current procedures should be confirmed with the Royal Bahamas Police Force and the Bahamas Customs Department before travelling.
Hunting & sport shooting
Hunting is one of the express purposes for which a civilian firearm licence may be granted in The Bahamas, according to Royal Bahamas Police Force and NFA guidance, alongside business security and employment. The firearm type most closely associated with lawful hunting is the smooth-bore shotgun, which falls within Part IV of the Firearms Act (Chapter 213) as a "gun" and is licensed under section 16. Shotguns are also the lowest-fee category in the published licence schedules, reflecting their status as the most commonly held sporting and hunting arm.
The scope for rifles is considerably narrower, because the Act's prohibited-weapon rules bear directly on rifle calibres. According to section 30 of the Act, it is unlawful, without the express written authority of the Licensing Authority, to possess several classes of weapon, including fully automatic firearms and, specifically, "any rifle designed to discharge ammunition of 22 calibre and above except 22 long rifle calibre and 22 short calibre." In parallel, section 30A creates the offence of possessing a prohibited high powered firearm, defined in the interpretation section as "any rifle designed or chambered to discharge any rifle cartridge of .22 caliber or greater and with a muzzle energy of 900 foot/pounds or higher." The practical effect is that centre-fire and high-powered rifles are treated as prohibited or high-powered weapons rather than ordinary licensable sporting arms, leaving low-powered .22 rimfire rifles (such as .22 long rifle and .22 short) as the principal rifle category outside the prohibition — and even those require a firearm certificate under Part III.
Sport and target shooting are likewise conducted within the licensed framework rather than as of right. A person wishing to keep a firearm for sporting use must hold the appropriate certificate or licence for that arm, observe the conditions attached, and store the firearm securely. As with all civilian firearm use in The Bahamas, the underlying authority is the licence granted by the Commissioner, and there is no lawful route to unlicensed possession for sport. Handguns used for sport fall within the stricter revolver/special-licence and firearm-certificate regimes and remain tightly controlled.
Seasonal hunting rules — such as open seasons, permitted species, bag limits, and any ammunition restrictions — are set administratively by the responsible wildlife and conservation authorities rather than fixed in the Firearms Act, and they can change from year to year. Because current season dates and bag limits were not verified against an official wildlife-authority source in this session, this article does not state specific figures for them. Prospective hunters and sport shooters should confirm current firearm eligibility, season dates, permitted species and any quantity limits with the Royal Bahamas Police Force Firearms Licensing Section and the relevant wildlife authority before participating.
Penalties
The Firearms Act (Chapter 213) is notable for the severity and structure of its penalties, which are expressed as sentencing ranges with substantial floors and, in many cases, mandatory character. According to section 45, notwithstanding any law providing for remission for good conduct, "the term of incarceration that a person convicted for an offence under the provisions of this Act undergoes shall not be less than the specific period of imprisonment imposed" — reinforcing that the minimum terms in the Act's ranges are meant to be served. The following figures are quoted from the consolidated Chapter 213 text (LRO 1/2017, as amended to 2014).
For possession without a firearm certificate (section 9), a person is liable on conviction on information to imprisonment in the range of ten to fifteen years, and on summary conviction to imprisonment in the range of twelve months to ten years; where the only default is a lapsed renewal within a grace period, the court may instead impose a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars. Purchasing or possessing a gun without a licence (section 15) carries the same ranges. Importing or possessing a revolver in contravention of Part II (section 5) is punishable on information by ten to fifteen years and on summary conviction by twelve months to ten years, with forfeiture. Unlawful importation of firearms or ammunition (section 3A) carries ten to fifteen years on information and two to ten years on summary conviction, plus forfeiture.
More serious conduct attracts higher ranges. Possession of a prohibited weapon (section 30) is punishable on conviction on information by imprisonment in the range of ten to twenty-five years, and on summary conviction by two to ten years. Possession of a prohibited high powered firearm (section 30A) carries, on conviction, "imprisonment of twenty-five years to life imprisonment." Possession with intent to supply (section 9A) carries ten to fifteen years on information and four to seven years on summary conviction. Possessing a firearm with intent to injure (section 33) and using or possessing a firearm to commit an indictable offence or resist arrest (section 34) each carry ten to fifteen years on information and two to ten years on summary conviction. Conspiracy, attempt, aiding and abetting an offence under the Act (section 37A) carries fifteen to twenty years on information.
A number of regulatory offences carry lower penalties: making a false statement to procure a certificate or licence is punishable, on summary conviction, by six months' imprisonment or a fine of sixty dollars; failing to hand over a firearm for examination when lawfully required carries three months or a fine of three hundred dollars. Forfeiture of the firearm or ammunition to the Crown accompanies many convictions, and the consent of the Attorney-General is required to prosecute certain offences (section 46). Widely circulated summaries describing illegal possession as carrying merely "up to 10 years and a $10,000 fine" understate the position: the primary statute sets ranges anchored by multi-year minimums, and for prohibited high powered firearms the sentence reaches life imprisonment. Anyone assessing exposure to a specific penalty should rely on the current consolidated Act rather than any summary figure.
Sources
- Firearms Act, Chapter 213 (Statute Law of The Bahamas, revised edition LRO 1/2017) (accessed 2026-07-17)
- The Firearms (Amendment) Act, 2014 (Act No. 10 of 2014) — Extraordinary Official Gazette of The Bahamas (accessed 2026-07-17)
- Bahamas Customs Department — Prohibited and Restricted Imports and Exports (accessed 2026-07-17)
- Royal Bahamas Police Force — Firearm Licence services (Government of The Bahamas, MyGateway) (accessed 2026-07-17)
- U.S. Embassy in The Bahamas — Customs Concerns (firearms and vessels) (accessed 2026-07-17)
- U.S. Government country commercial guide — Bahamas: Prohibited and Restricted Imports (accessed 2026-07-17)
- National Firearms Association (NFA) of The Bahamas — Firearm Licence information (accessed 2026-07-17)