Latvia. 2019 ‘Sections 6-11.’ Law on the Handling of Weapons; Sections 6-11. Riga: Latvia. 10 April

Relevant contents

Section 6. Classification of Weapons and Ammunition in Conformity with the Use Thereof

The State Police shall classify the weapons and ammunition of natural persons and legal persons according to their use as follows:

1) self-defence weapons and their ammunition:

2) hunting weapons and their ammunition;

3) sports weapons and their ammunition;

4) weapons of collection;

5) weapons intended for the field of culture and for historical re-enactments and their ammunition.

Section 7. Self-defence Weapons, Ammunition, and Special Means

(1) The following weapons, ammunition, and special means may be intended for self-defence:

1) semi-automatic, repeating, or single-shot short firearms (pistols and revolvers) of Category B with the calibre not exceeding nine millimetres and their industrially manufactured ammunition, except for the traumatic firearms of the abovementioned category and their ammunition;

2) long smooth-bore firearms of Categories B and C and their industrially manufactured ammunition the length of the cartridge case of which does not exceed 76.2 mm, except for the traumatic firearms of the abovementioned categories and their ammunition;

3) semi-automatic, repeating, or single-shot short gas weapons and signal weapons (pistols and revolvers) of Category E which have been industrially manufactured for the use of gas weapon ammunition, as well as the salute rounds intended for them;

4) gas sprays;

5) electric shock devices, except for electric shock pistols or devices with wires and electrodes.

(2) The following irritants (lachrymators) may be used in gas weapons, signal weapons, and gas sprays of Category E classified for self-defence:

1) omega-chloroacetophenone (phenacyl chloride) CN (CAS number 532-27-4);

2) O-chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile (CAS number 2698-41-1);

3) Oleoresin Capsicum, Capsaicin OC (pepper gas) (CAS number 8023-77-6);

4) Capsaicin II PAVA (synthetic pepper gas, Nonivamide) (CAS number 2444-46-4).

Section 8. Hunting Weapons, Ammunition, and Their Components

The following weapons, ammunition, and their components may be intended for hunting:

1) long smooth-bore firearms of Categories B and C and their ammunition;

2) long-rifled firearms of Categories B and C and their ammunition;

3) high-energy pneumatic weapons of Category D and their ammunition;

4) expanding bullets (bullet of a firearm which, when penetrating the target, disintegrates or expands) or bullets with a displaced centre of gravity of Category A;

5) rounds of hunting firearms which are assembled from industrially manufactured components or self-made canisters, pellets, and bullets, as well as gunpowder;

6) the exchangeable essential components of hunting firearms;

7) fire sound suppressors (silencers) for long firearms classified for hunting and long firearms classified for hunting and equipped therewith, except for fire sound suppressors (silencers) for long-rifled firearms with the calibre of up to 5.6 mm for which ammunition with rimfire primers are used, as well as if the shot is fired using ammunition with reduced quantity of gunpowder.

Section 9. Sports Weapons, Ammunition, and Their Components

The following weapons, ammunition, and their components may be intended for sports:

1) automatic firearms of Category A which have been converted into semi-automatic firearms, and their ammunition;

2) semi-automatic long firearms of Category A the ammunition of which has central primer and from which more than 11 rounds can be fired without reloading;

3) semi-automatic short firearms of Category A the ammunition of which has central primer and from which more than 21 rounds can be fired without reloading;

4) long smooth-bore firearms of Categories B and C and their ammunition;

5) long-rifled firearms of Categories B and C and their ammunition;

6) semi-automatic, repeating, or single-shot short firearms (pistols and revolvers) of Category B the calibre of which is not more than 11.43 millimetres and their ammunition, except for the traumatic firearms of the abovementioned category and their ammunition;

7) high-energy pneumatic weapons of Category D and low-energy pneumatic weapons of Category F and their ammunition;

8) the exchangeable essential components of sports firearms;

9) expanding bullets (bullet of a firearm which, when penetrating the target, disintegrates or expands) or bullets with a displaced centre of gravity of Category A;

10) rounds of sports firearms which are assembled from industrially manufactured components or self-made canisters, pellets, and bullets, as well as gunpowder;

11) magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds for the long firearms of Category A classified for sports or magazines that can hold more than 20 rounds for the short firearms of Category A classified for sports;

12) fire sound suppressors (silencers) for the long firearms classified for sports and long firearms classified for sports and equipped therewith, except for fire sound suppressors (silencers) for long-rifled firearms with the calibre of up to 5.6 mm for which ammunition with rimfire primers are used, as well as if the shot is fired using ammunition with reduced quantity of gunpowder.

Section 10. Weapons of Collection and Their Essential Components

Weapons of Categories A, B, C, and D classified for collection and the essential components of the weapons of Categories A, B, C, and D classified for collection shall be considered weapons intended for collection and their essential components.

Section 11. Weapons Intended for the Field of Culture and for Historical Re-enactments and Their Ammunition

Automatic salute weapons (acoustic weapons) of Category A, salute weapons (acoustic weapons) of Categories B and C classified for the field of culture and for historical re-enactments and the salute rounds intended for them shall be considered weapons and ammunition classified for the field of culture and for historical re-enactments.

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