Section 2: Interpretation

2. Interpretation In this Act— “acquire” includes hire, accept as a gift or borrow; “air gun, air rifle or air pistol” means any device manufactured to discharge a bullet or any projectile of a calibre of less than 5.6 millimetres (.22 calibre) by means of a compressed gas or spring and not by means of burning propellant; “ammunition”— (a) means ammunition for any firearm, except ammunition for an air gun, air rifle, or air pistol; and (b) includes the ammunition referred to in section 24; “antique firearm” means any muzzle loading firearm manufactured before 1 January 1900 or any replica of such a firearm; “CFI” means the Central Firearm Index referred to in section 23; “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Police; “Competency Certificate” means a certificate issued by the Commissioner under section 6; “dangerous drug” has the same meaning as in the Dangerous Drugs Act; “dealer in firearms” means any person who manufactures, sells, transfers, repairs, tests or proves firearms or ammunition for the purpose of trade or business; “employee permit” means a permit authorising an employee of a person to be in possession of the person’s firearms; “firearm”— (a) means any barrelled weapon of any description which is lethal and from which any shot, bullet or other missile can be discharged; and (b) includes— (i) any component part of any such lethal weapon, and any accessory to any such lethal weapon designed or adapted to diminish the noise or flash caused by firing the weapon; (ii) any air gun, air rifle or air pistol, and every part of such air gun, air rifle or air pistol; (iii) a laser gun; but (c) does not include— (i) any toy gun or toy pistol from which any shot, bullet or missile is discharged by the force of a spring alone; or [Issue 7] F14 – 2 Revised Laws of Mauritius (ii) any antique firearm kept solely as a curiosity, ornament or trophy, which is not used or carried and for which no ammunition is purchased or acquired; “firearm licence” means a licence issued under section 8; “firearm licensee” means the holder of a firearm licence; “guidelines” means guidelines issued by the Commissioner— (a) setting out the requirements, the applicable law and the procedure for an application for a permit under section 20 or 21 or for an authorisation for a transit of firearms and ammunition in Mauritius under section 21A; [Came into operation on 21 December 2013, except in respect of the authorisation for a transit of firearms and ammunitions.] (b) available for consultation at the Mauritius Police Force; and [Not in operation.] (c) posted on the website of the Mauritius Police Force; [Not in operation.] “gunsmith” means a person who repairs, tests or proves firearms; “laser gun” means a hand-held battery operated gun which produces intense burst of light capable of burning holes in most materials; “Minister” means the Minister to whom responsibility for the subject of home affairs is assigned; “next of kin”, in relation to a person, means his spouse, child, father, mother, brother, sister, grandparent, grandchild, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, or any person under whose responsibility or control a person is placed; “private security service” means the business of providing, for remuneration or reward, a security service, the services of a security guard, and the secure transportation and delivery of property, as regulated under the Private Security Service Act; “prohibited firearm” means any firearm specified in the First Schedule; “security g child, father, mother, brother, sister, grandparent, grandchild, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, or any person under whose responsibility or control a person is placed; “private security service” means the business of providing, for remuneration or reward, a security service, the services of a security guard, and the secure transportation and delivery of property, as regulated under the Private Security Service Act; “prohibited firearm” means any firearm specified in the First Schedule; “security guard” has the same meaning as in the Private Security Service Act; “shotgun” means a smooth bore gun, either single or double barrelled, not less than 60 centimetres in length (24 inches); “transfer” includes let on hire, give, lend, and part with possession; “transit”, in relation to firearms and ammunition, means transit in Mauritius under section 21A. [S. 2 amended by s. 7A (a) of Act 2 of 2008 w.e.f. 1 July 2008; s. 20 (a) of Act 27 of 2013 partly w.e.f. 21 December 2013 and partly not in operation.]