September 20, 2024
KATHMANDU – The government has imposed a ban on carrying even licensed weapons in government offices and public spaces.
The Ministry of Home Affairs issued an order putting a ban on carrying registered weapons in parliamentary buildings, courts, government offices, hospitals, educational institutions, public transport, marketplaces, shopping malls, cinemas, and other public and government locations.
Publishing the notice in the National Gazette, the ministry said that the carrying of weapons by an individual is strictly prohibited except for renewal of permits.
The government decision follows the arrest of medical entrepreneur Durga Prasai’s bodyguard in March 2024 at the Supreme Court premises, where he was found with an automatic weapon and ammunition. In response, the government launched a nationwide investigation into licensed firearms. Consequently, on September 16, the ministry published a notice in the gazette, introducing regulations on the use of licensed weapons and banning their use outside the home.
“Invoking the authority granted by Section 8 of the Arms and Ammunition Act 1962, and in accordance with Section 3 of the same Act, individuals licensed to own or carry firearms are prohibited from taking such weapons outside their homes unless they hold a travel permit under Sections 4 and 5,” the gazette said. “Even licensed weapons cannot be carried into judicial bodies, parliamentary buildings and premises, or government offices, except for the purpose of renewing permits.”
Similarly, firearms are banned in hospitals, airports, public transport, religious and educational institutions, cinemas, commercial buildings, marketplaces, shopping malls, gatherings or protests, archaeological and protected sites, children’s homes, and other locations prohibited by prevailing laws.
Section 8 of the Arms and Ammunition Act 1962 specifies that the “government may prohibit the possession of firearms or ammunition in designated areas through a notice published in the Nepal Gazette.” This section grants the government the authority to forbid any individual from keeping or carrying specified firearms or ammunition in areas it deems necessary.