Saudi Arabia bans gun owners from taking them abroad

Cairo: Saudi security authorities have said personal firearms licensed in the kingdom cannot be taken abroad and warned violators of penalties.

The Saudi General Directorate of Public Security said that transporting licensed weapons outside the kingdom is a violation that makes the offender liable to legal accountability.

It added that licences issued to carry and possess weapons and ammunition are valid within Saudi Arabia only in accordance with related regulations.

Last November, a Saudi ministerial decree tightened rules for obtaining a gun licence and linked it to doing a mandatory drug test.

Saudi Interior Minister Abdulaziz bin Saud issued a decree amending executive regulations associated with the arms and ammunition system.

The amendment stipulates that passing a toxicology test is a “requirement” for obtaining a licence to carry individual firearms and hunting weapons.

A toxicology test, also referred to as a tox screen, is conducted to determine traces of drugs in one’s blood and urine.

Other requirements stipulate that the licence applicant must be a Saudi national, at least 22 years old, and free of any criminal record or security restrictions.

Additionally, the applicant must not have a disability or disease that could hinder the use of firearms.

In recent months, Saudi police have arrested several people for illegally using firearms or firing celebratory shots into the air.

Possession of an individual firearm or ammunition without a licence in Saudi Arabia is punishable by 18 months in prison and a fine of up to SR6,000, or one of these two penalties.