Rules for the Storage of Weapons
The rules for storing weapons and ammunition depend on who owns them. Weapons and ammunition of state institutions — establishments within the systems of the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, the system of the Ministry of Justice, the State Security Service, the Special State Protection Service and the Prosecutor's Office — are stored under the procedure established by the normative acts of those agencies. For weapons owned by the National Bank of Georgia, banking institutions and the structural subdivisions of civil aviation security, the storage procedure is established by an order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia.
Legal entities active in the sporting and hunting sphere establish their own internal storage rules, but only in conformity with the requirements set by the Minister of Internal Affairs: entities engaged in hunting determine the rules for the storage, accounting, issue and security of their hunting firearms, ammunition and signal weapons; the holder of a permit for a shooting range or a shooting and hunting stand determines the rules for the accounting, issue, movement and use of weapons on the territory, the conduct and recording of shooters and the firing positions; and for a member legal entity of a federation or sporting organisation, the storage rules are established by its head. Failure to establish such rules, or their violation, entails liability in accordance with Georgian legislation.
Carrying Restrictions and the Rules of Transport
It is impermissible to carry gas weapons, gas aerosol devices or electroshock devices openly or in a visible manner, or to demonstrate them in a public space. At the same time, the law expressly provides that the use of such a weapon in a public space for self-defence is not considered a demonstration — defensive use is therefore not itself a violation. The removal from Georgia, transport and shipment of acoustic weapons, aerosol and electroshock devices are subject to a separate procedure.
Flint, matchlock and cap percussion firearms are regulated strictly: an individual may not carry them. Carrying means a situation where the person holds the weapon in hand, has it attached to the body or keeps it in clothing. At the same time, the transport and shipment of such weapons is allowed for use in theatrical performances, film showings, television broadcasts, historical reconstructions, parades and sporting events, as well as for exhibiting. The detailed procedure of transport is established by an order of the Minister of Internal Affairs, and a violation of the requirement entails liability under the Code of Administrative Offences.
Export, Import, Re-export and Transit
The export, import, re-export and transit of civilian weapons, main elements of firearms, ammunition, military equipment, technical documentation, and works and services related to the production of weapons are carried out on the basis of an appropriate permit issued by the Ministry of Defence of Georgia. Together with the documentation provided for by the Law of Georgia on Licences and Permits, an applicant must submit the corresponding contract or a protocol of intent or a copy thereof, a certificate of origin of the goods issued by an authorised body, an import or re-export permit issued by the competent state body of the respective country, an end-user certificate of the country where the import takes place, a recommendation of the Standing Commission on Military-Technical Issues of the Ministry of Defence, and — for acoustic weapons, aerosol or electroshock devices — the consent of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Several exceptions soften this general rule: permits for the export, import, re-export and transit of weapons received as an award and of collection weapons, and of the ammunition needed for them, are issued without the commission's recommendation; an applicant for a permit, except for a transit permit, must hold the appropriate manufacturing or trade licence; and where the weapons belong to or are destined for state bodies, no permit fee is charged. The originals of the permits and contracts are presented by the permit holder to the customs body. Pneumatic weapons allowed in civilian circulation and flint, matchlock and cap percussion firearms do not require such a permit at all.
Import and Export by Citizens
The import into Georgia or export from Georgia by a Georgian citizen of permitted civilian weapons, main elements of firearms or ammunition — except in transit and re-export — is carried out on the basis of an appropriate permit issued by the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The quantity of a specified category of civilian weapons that may be imported at one time is determined by a resolution of the Government of Georgia, so the limit for each case must be verified against precisely that resolution.
A federation, its member legal entity or a sporting organisation that has opened a shooting range, shooting gallery or a shooting and hunting stand may import hunting or sporting firearms, their main elements and ammunition into Georgia, or temporarily export and re-import them — likewise under a permit of the Service Agency. Holders of sporting and hunting infrastructure are thus also given the possibility of temporary export, which is indispensable for participation in competitions abroad.
Foreign Citizens
A citizen of a foreign state may, under the established procedure, acquire civilian firearms, signal weapons and gas weapons in Georgia and export the acquired weapons from Georgia on the basis of a permit of the Service Agency. The export of a firearm received as an award is carried out under the procedure established by the Minister of Internal Affairs. A foreigner may also import into Georgia a hunting or sporting firearm together with the ammunition designated for it — but not more than 500 units of cartridges — and a signal weapon or its cartridges in the quantity determined by a Government resolution, provided there is a hunting contract or an invitation to a sporting event and a permit of the Service Agency; for exhibiting, a permit of the Ministry of Defence is required. The imported weapon must be taken out of Georgia within the period provided for by the respective contract or invitation.
Circulation Restrictions, the Registry and Ballistic Examination
The law prohibits the use of certain items as civilian or service-status weapons: firearms imitating the form of another object; brass knuckles and similar striking and crushing objects; devices whose action relies on electric energy, radioactive radiation or biological factors; pneumatic weapons whose technical characteristics do not correspond to those allowed; long automatic firearms; and firearms, gas or pneumatic weapons manufactured unlawfully, including converted ones. Also prohibited are ammunition equipped with nerve-paralytic, poisonous or other potent substances, and weapons whose characteristics do not meet the established requirements. For use in civilian and service-status weapons, trade does not include ammunition with armour-piercing, incendiary, explosive or tracer action, projectiles designed for weapons not allowed in civilian circulation, sound-suppressing devices, or products withdrawn from circulation or with non-conforming characteristics.
The accounting of weapons is ensured by the weapons registry — information on the type, model and main characteristics of the weapon, its owner and user and other registration data, which is registered with the Service Agency; the Agency itself maintains the registry. In disputed or inspection-required cases a ballistic examination of the weapon is conducted: it establishes the conformity of the characteristics of civilian and service-status weapons with the characteristics established by legislation, and determines the type, model and other data of the weapon. In cases provided for by legislation, an experimental firing from the weapon is also carried out for the purpose of placement in the bullet-case database.