Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1541360
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 16 NOVEMBER 2025 NEWS Over 20,000 have licence to keep firearms THERE are 21,133 people who are licensed to keep firearms, according to information ta- bled in parliament by Home Af- fairs Minister Byron Camilleri. A breakdown of licence hold- ers by firearm category shows that 12,845 people possess a hunting gun licence, while 14,746 people have a firearms licence for target shooting (Targets A, B, A Special). The minister said an individual may hold more than one type of li- cence. A further 8,694 hold a Target B licence and 8,216 hold a fire- arms collectors' licence (Col- lector A and B). Camilleri was replying to par- liamentary questions submitted by Opposition MP Graziella Attard Previ. The information was tabled last week. In a similar PQ earlier this year, Camilleri revealed that by the end of December 2024, 21,931 individuals held a fire- arms licence. It is unlawful in Malta to pos- sess or carry a firearm unless in possession of a licence issued by the police, following a spe- cific course and relevant verifi- cations. To apply for a licence, the individual has to be a mem- ber of a shooting or collectors' club. The Arms Act, which regu- lates the possession of firearms and weapons, also prohibits the importation and exportation into or from Malta respectively of any firearm or ammunition unless the person is licensed to do so. The law also obliges those ap- plying for a firearms licence to specify the premises where the firearms and ammunition are to be kept. The licence shall on- ly be granted on condition that the approved firearms and am- munition are kept separate in a locked safe at the identified lo- cation. The firearms have to be kept unloaded at all times. The law also sets conditions on how firearms and ammuni- tion should be transported on the way to the firing range and back. Reporting by Kurt Sansone There are 21,133 people licensed to keep firearms, according to the latest information tabled in parliament Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri