---
title: "Illegal Weapons Possession Defense"
url: "https://legal.ge/en/service/crim-criminal-law-en/illegal-weapons-possession-defense-en"
field: "Criminal Law"
description: "Article 236 of the Criminal Code of Georgia: unlawful arms acquisition, storage or carrying – penalties from a fine up to 11 years. Defense. Legal.ge."
reviewed: "2026-07-09"
updated: "2026-10-14"
publisher: "legal.ge"
---

# Illegal Weapons Possession Defense

> Source: legal.ge, https://legal.ge/en/service/crim-criminal-law-en/illegal-weapons-possession-defense-en

## Article 236 of the Criminal Code of Georgia – What the Law Punishes

Article 236 of the Criminal Code of Georgia deals with the unlawful acquisition, storage, carrying, manufacture, transport, shipment or sale of firearms, ammunition, explosive substances and explosive devices. The norm governs the circulation of objects that pose a particular danger to public safety, and for that reason the penalties attached to it are severe. For the defense, the decisive question is which form of the act the prosecution relies on and which object is charged, because the part of the article under which the case proceeds determines the applicable sanction and, ultimately, your legal exposure.

The first part of the article concerns hunting or sporting firearms and ammunition designed for such weapons. The remaining parts address other categories of firearms, ammunition, explosive substances and explosive devices. This distinction matters enormously in practice: the very same conduct – storage, for example – is punished differently depending on the category of the object involved. If a case has been opened against you under this article, the first question to answer concerns the exact qualification of the charge.

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### What penalty does part 1 of Article 236 provide for?

Unlawful acquisition or storage of a hunting or sporting firearm, or of ammunition designed for such a weapon, is punished by a fine, house arrest for a term of six months to two years, or imprisonment for a term of up to two years.

### What happens if I hand over the weapon voluntarily?

Under the note to the article, a person who voluntarily hands over the objects covered by Article 236 is released from criminal liability if the act contains no signs of another crime. Consult a lawyer before taking this step.

### What is the difference between storage and carrying?

Acquisition or storage of a hunting or sporting firearm is punished under part 1, while unlawful acquisition or storage of other firearms, ammunition, explosive substances or explosive devices falls under part 3 – imprisonment from three to six years. Unlawful carrying of those objects falls under part 4, with imprisonment from four to seven years.

### Which circumstances aggravate liability?

Commission by a group and commission more than once. For the acts under parts 3, 4 or 5, commission by a person previously convicted under those parts also aggravates liability; such cases fall under part 6, with imprisonment from eight to eleven years.

### Why do I need a lawyer in such a case?

The penalty depends directly on the part under which the case proceeds – from a fine up to imprisonment. A lawyer verifies the qualification, the unlawfulness, the identification of the object and the possibility of voluntary surrender.