What Article 182¹ regulates
Article 182¹ of the Administrative Offences Code of Georgia is devoted entirely to pneumatic — that is, air — weapons. It does not lay down a single rule; it describes six separate offences, each with its own fine. That is why the first question to ask after receiving a decision is not "what is the fine for an air gun" but "which part of the article was cited in the protocol".
The article is built along two axes. The first is whether the particular weapon is admitted to civil circulation: Parts 1 to 5 concern weapons that are admitted, while Part 6 concerns weapons that are not. The second axis is the act itself — storage, carrying, firing, failure to comply with a registration duty, or bringing the weapon into or out of the country. The article does not itself list the criteria for admission to civil circulation, the technical characteristics, or the registration period; it refers those questions out to the weapons legislation and to a decree of the Government of Georgia.
The six offences and their fines
The fines are fixed amounts rather than ranges, so the figure is decided entirely by which part applies.
- Part 1 — breach of the storage rules for a pneumatic weapon admitted to civil circulation: a fine of 200 GEL, with confiscation of the weapon;
- Part 2 — breach of the carrying rules for such a weapon: a fine of 500 GEL, with confiscation of the weapon;
- Part 3 — firing, in a populated place, a hunting or sporting pneumatic weapon admitted to civil circulation: a fine of 500 GEL, with confiscation of the weapon;
- Part 4 — carrying, by a natural person and without registration, a hunting or sporting pneumatic weapon that is admitted to civil circulation and has the relevant technical characteristics defined by Georgian legislation: a fine of 600 GEL, with confiscation of the weapon;
- Part 5 — failure by a natural or legal person holding a permit to open a closed and/or semi-closed shooting gallery, shooting range and/or shooting-hunting stand to register, within the period established by law, a hunting or sporting pneumatic weapon subject to registration: a fine of 600 GEL, with confiscation of the weapon;
- Part 6 — acquiring, storing, carrying, bringing into Georgia or taking out of Georgia a pneumatic weapon that is not admitted to civil circulation, or carrying a pneumatic weapon whose carrying is prohibited by a decree of the Government: a fine of 600 GEL, with confiscation of the weapon.
One structural feature deserves separate mention. Article 182¹ contains no separate part for repeat offences. It sets out no escalated step at all — the article consists of these six elements and nothing beyond them, each carrying its own fixed fine of 200, 500 or 600 GEL.
Confiscation runs through all six parts
In every one of the six parts the fine is accompanied by confiscation of the weapon, and nowhere does the article add the qualifier "or without". If the classification holds, confiscation is not carved out in this provision as a separate discretionary decision. That is precisely why the practical argument almost always moves onto the classification itself: whether the part actually applied was the right one.
Where the offender is a minor
The article carries a note that is often decisive in practice. If, at the time of committing an offence under this article, the person has not attained the age established by Article 13 of this Code, administrative liability is imposed on their legal representative. Article 182¹ does not state that age itself — it refers to Article 13, which has to be checked separately.
This clause most often reaches families where a teenager has used an air gun in a yard or near an entrance. In such cases, establishing correctly who the protocol is addressed to and who bears liability is the first issue for a defence.
What can be disputed and where a lawyer helps
The case begins with a protocol and ends with a decision of the body examining it, which is appealed in the manner the legislation provides. Article 182¹ itself sets no appeal deadline — that follows from the general provisions of the Code, so the time limit stated on your own decision should be checked immediately rather than assumed.
A defence usually works through three questions. First, which category the weapon falls into: whether it is admitted to civil circulation, and whether it has the technical characteristics that Part 4 presupposes. Second, which act was recorded — storage, carrying or firing — because that is the difference between 200 GEL and 600 GEL. Third, who should bear liability if a minor is involved. Nobody can promise an outcome, but these three questions set the legal frame of the case.
What to prepare
Before the consultation, gather everything that serves to test the classification.
- The protocol and the decision in full, with every page — especially the line naming the part of the article;
- The purchase document, technical passport or manufacturer's data for the weapon;
- Registration documents, if any exist;
- The seizure document and the list of items described in it;
- The permit for the shooting gallery, range or shooting-hunting stand, if the case concerns Part 5;
- Witness details and any recordings, if the fact of firing is itself in dispute.