Measures of the People's Republic of China for the Control of Firearms

Measures of the People's Republic of China for the Control of Firearms

January 5, 1981
　
Article 1 These Measures are formulated to maintain public order, to safeguard public security, and to prevent criminals from using firearms to commit sabotage.
　
Article 2 The term firearms (including the ammunition used with these firearms), as mentioned in these Measures, refers to the following firearms which belong to the non-military system: pistols, rifles, and submachine guns and machine guns for military use; various firearms for target shooting sports; rifles, shot-gun, and powder-gun for hunting; injection-gun for applying anesthesia on animals; and air-guns for discharging pellets.
The military firearms used for fitting out the People's Liberation Army, the militia and the People's Armed Police Force shall be controlled in accordance with the pertinent provisions of the army and militia system.

Carrying and Allocation of Firearms
　
Article 3 The following personnel may carry firearms:
1. personnel working in the people's courts, the people's procuratorates, and the public security organs who are required to carry firearms for discharging their duties;
2. party and government leading cadres working in the border areas, coastal defence areas, and other remote areas who have the necessity, as deemed by the people's governments of the provinces and autonomous regions, to carry firearms;
3. confidential couriers working in the Party and government departments at or above the provincial level, and confidential messengers working in the county or municipal Party and government departments in the border areas or in post and telecommunications departments who have the necessity to carry firearms;
4. personnel working in the Customs who are required to carry firearms to discharge their duties;
5. guards and transport escorts working in war industries.
　
Article 4 Firearms for official use may be allocated to the following units:
1. the security sections of factories and mines, enterprises, government departments, schools and universities, research institutions, that have the necessity to be fitted out with firearms;
2. important financial and banking units and important warehouses, radio stations, and research institutions which are located in remote area without armed guards that have the necessity to be fitted out with
firearms;
3. geological prospecting teams and survey and drawing teams that work in remote areas or at sea, that have the necessity to be fitted out with firearms;
4. coastal and ocean-going passenger-liners, freighters and oil tankers and other operation vessels operating on the sea;
5. civil airports and civil air-liners that have the necessity to be fitted out with firearms.
　
Article 5 Sports guns may be allocated to sports committees at or above the county level that promote target-shooting sports.
　
Article 6 Personnel and units engaged in hunting as their specialized line of production may carry or be allocated with hunting rifles. As regards the non-professional hunting personnel, only citizens aged eighteen or over may keep hunting rifles, and each can keep no more than two hunting rifles.
　
Article 7 Injection-guns may be allocated to such units as hunting production units, scientific research and teaching units, wild animal breeding and livestock farms, and veterinary hospitals that have the necessity to apply anesthesia on animals.
　
Article 8 Film studios, in order to meet the needs of film production, may purchase old and obsolete firearms as stage properties.
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