HGP Nightly News – Buying, selling or even possessing a Taser in Guyana could expose a person to serious criminal charges and up to 15 years behind bars, according to Attorney General Anil Nandlall.
Nandlall issued the warning during his “Issues in the News” programme after receiving reports that Taser devices were being sold at commercial establishments in Guyana.
“If that is ongoing in Guyana, let me say that it is absolutely unlawful and constitutes a criminal offence under the Firearms Act,” he said.
The Attorney General pointed to Section 32 of the Firearms Act, which restricts the manufacture, sale, transfer, purchase, acquisition and possession of certain prohibited weapons without the required authority.
Nandlall said his interpretation is that Tasers fall within the prohibition covering weapons designed or adapted to discharge a “noxious liquid, gas, or other thing.”
He argued that an electrical current could fall within the words “other thing.”
Nandlall also cited British legislation and case law involving electrical stun devices in support of his interpretation.
He further pointed to amendments made to Guyana’s Police Act in 2021, which specifically included Tasers and stun guns among “less lethal weapons” available for police use.
According to Nandlall, the need to expressly authorise police use strengthens his position that ordinary citizens do not automatically have legal authority to possess such devices.
And the potential penalties are significant.
Nandlall said a summary conviction under the relevant provision could attract a fine ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 along with three to six years imprisonment.
A conviction on indictment could carry between 10 and 15 years in prison, based on the provision cited by the Attorney General.
“So if you sell, you buy, you acquire, you have in your possession this prohibited weapon, then it’s an offence under the Act,” Nandlall warned.
