s.2Interpretation
2
Section 2Part 1 — Introductory

Interpretation

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In this Act —
“ammunition” means a complete cartridge or round, or any component of a cartridge or round, and includes any —
cartridge case;
primer;
propellant; or
bullet, shot or projectile,
“antique firearm” means any firearm manufactured in or before 1898 (or its replica) and which —
is not designed or redesigned for using ammunition; and
is possessed as a curiosity or an ornament;
“appropriate authority” means, in relation to the grant, amendment or revocation of any licence, the appropriate authority specified in section 30;
“artillery” means any cannon, howitzer, mortar or flame-thrower except of a type commonly in use before the year 1850;
“automatic conversion device” means a conversion device that is designed to convert a firearm from a semi-automatic firearm to an automatic firearm and which enables the user to fire or discharge automatically more than one shot or projectile, without manual reloading, by a single function or pull of the trigger;
“automatic firearm” means any firearm so designed or adapted that if the trigger is fully depressed, or if pressure is applied, it continuously discharges ammunition until the trigger is released or pressure is removed from the trigger or the ammunition feed system is exhausted;
“automatic rifle” means any rifle so designed or adapted that if pressure is applied to the trigger, missiles continue to be discharged until pressure is removed from the trigger or the magazine containing the missiles is empty;
“ballistic signature” means any unique mark left on ammunition or ammunition component that is fired or cycled through a firearm;
“bullet-proof vest” means a vest that is capable of providing protection from the penetration of bullets;
“Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Police;
“component part”, in relation to a firearm, means any element or replacement element specifically designed for a firearm which includes —
a barrel;
a frame or receiver;
a magazine;
a firing pin;
a main spring;
a slide or cylinder;
a bolt or breech block,
“customs and border control officer” has the same meaning as in the Customs and Border Control Act (2024);
“firearm” means —
any —
lethal barrelled weapon which discharges, is designed to discharge, or may be readily converted or adapted to discharge a shot, bullet or other projectile by the action of an explosive or any other mechanism;
prohibited weapon, unless the context requires otherwise; or
weapon under subparagraph (i) or (ii) that is a privately made firearm created by the use of a 3D printer, a computer numerical control milling machine or similar computer system and the use of electronic software, downloadable files or similar computer data;
a part or component part of any weapon referred to in paragraph (a);
a firearm parts kit that is designed to, or may be easily completed, assembled, restored or otherwise converted, as a firearm;
an accessory to a firearm designed or adapted to diminish the noise or flash caused by firing the firearm; or
any air gun (including any air pistol), air rifle or any other air weapon as may be prescribed,
but does not include —
an antique firearm;
a flare gun used for sending signals or carried as a necessary part of safety equipment in the course of navigation at sea except where the flare gun is adapted to discharge ammunition; or
a spear gun;
“Firearm Export Permit” means any Permit under paragraph 2(b) of section 19 to export any firearms from the Islands;
“Firearm Import Permit” means any Permit under paragraph 2(a) of section 19 to import any firearms into the Islands;
“Firearm User’s (Restricted) Licence” means any Licence under paragraph 2(e) of section 19;
“Firearm User’s (Special) Permit” means any Permit under paragraph 2(f) of section 19;
“Firearm Disposal Permit” means any Permit under paragraph 2(d) of section 19;
“flare gun” includes a signal pistol;
“frame” or “receiver” includes —
a partially completed, disassembled or non-functional frame or receiver of a firearm; and
an eighty per cent frame or receiver parts kit, with or without a jig, that is designed, or may readily be assembled or restored or otherwise converted, to function as a frame or receiver;
“Gunsmith’s licence” means any licence under paragraph 2(c) of section 19;
“imitation firearm” means anything which has the appearance of being a firearm, whether or not it is capable of discharging any shot, bullet or other missile;
“jig” means —
a metal or polymer plate used to maintain the correct positional relationship between a tool and a firearm receiver or frame casting during the build out of a firearm receiver or frame; or
a fixture that helps to locate the necessary holes and slots that must be drilled and milled into an incomplete receiver or frame casting;
“licence and permit” mean respectively a licence or permit under this Act;
“officer of the Coast Guard” means a commissioned officer or a non-commissioned officer of the Cayman Islands Coast Guard established under section 3 of the Cayman Islands Coast Guard Act, 2021 [Act 2 of 2021];
“privately made firearm” means a firearm made by a person other than a licensed firearm manufacturer and without a serial number placed by a licensed firearm manufacturer;
“prohibited ammunition” means any —
projectile manufactured to be discharged from any artillery;
incendiary type ammunition;
armour-piercing or similar ammunition;
ammunition designed or adapted to contain, or otherwise capable of containing, a noxious liquid, gas or thing;
ammunition that is designed —
to explode on impact; or
to change its components on or before impact,
other type or calibre of ammunition as may be prescribed;
“prohibited device” means any —
electroshock weapon;
reloader;
jig;
tranquilizer gun;
device of any description or design that is adapted for the discharge of noxious liquid or gas; or
any other device as may be prescribed;
“prohibited weapon” means any —
artillery;
automatic firearm including a machine gun;
firearm converted or adapted to be a prohibited weapon;
burst-fire weapon;
automatic conversion device;
submachine gun;
part or component part of a prohibited weapon;
form of grenade or grenade launcher, bomb or explosive device;
missile or missile launcher;
automatic firearm or weapon of any description or design that is adapted for the discharge of noxious liquid or gas;
prohibited ammunition;
firearm disguised or made to appear as another object;
imitation of a prohibited weapon; or
other weapon as may be prescribed;
“reloader” means a reloading press, a reloading machine or any mechanical device for loading ammunition;
“restricted person” means any person who —
has served imprisonment for three months or upwards and has been released within five years; or
has, at any time within five years next before the event in relation to which the term is used, been convicted of an offence under this Act or of any offence involving fraud or violence;
“3D printed firearm” means a lethal barrelled weapon which discharges or is designed to discharge any shot, bullet or other projectile and that is mostly manufactured by the use of a 3D printer, a computer numerical control milling machine or similar computer system and the use of electronic software, downloadable files or similar computer data; and
“traveller” means any person who arrives in the Islands as an officer or member of the crew or passenger or stowaway upon any vessel or aircraft.
For the purposes of this Act —
any artillery and any firearm shall be deemed to be of an obsolete type if of a type commonly in use before the year 1850; and
a firearm shall be deemed to be loaded if there is ammunition in the chamber or barrel or in any magazine or other device which is in such a position that the ammunition can be fed into the chamber or barrel by the manual or automatic operation of some part of the gun or weapon.

Defined Terms

ammunitionantique firearmappropriate authorityartilleryautomatic conversion deviceautomatic firearmautomatic rifleballistic signaturebullet-proof vestCommissionercomponent partcustoms and border control officerfirearmFirearm Export PermitFirearm Import PermitFirearm User’s (Restricted) LicenceFirearm User’s (Special) PermitFirearm Disposal Permitflare gunframereceiverGunsmith’s licenceimitation firearmjiglicence and permitofficer of the Coast Guardprivately made firearmprohibited ammunitionprohibited deviceprohibited weaponreloaderrestricted person3D printed firearmtraveller

Cross References

Referenced By