WAANSA Ghana raises alarm over suspension of all gun licenses

The West African Action Network on Small Arms-Ghana (WAANSA Ghana) on Wednesday expressed concern over the Ministry of the Interior’s directive to suspend all active gun licenses in the country and instituted a fresh nationwide screening of holders.

In a statement signed by Mr. Ken Kinney, WAANSA Ghana president, and released in Accra, the network said it recognizes the constitutional and statutory mandate of the Minister of the Interior to regulate firearms.

WAANSA Ghana is the national arm of the West African Action Network on Small Arms, a civil society network working under the ambit of ECOWAS to prevent the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons in West Africa.

However, it described the broad scope of the directive as “problematic” and likely to produce unintended consequences.

WAANSA Ghana, which is the local network of over 150 civil society organizations working in the security echo space, media professionals, and the national blacksmiths association and backed by some traditional and religious leaders, noted that the blanket suspension does not differentiate between firearms used responsibly and those linked to abuse or diversion.

“The order renders all legally registered weapons illegal with immediate effect,” the statement said. “This place makes compliant firearm holders, including licensed individuals, sporting clubs, hunters, and accredited private security companies, in a difficult legal position overnight.”

According to the network, the move effectively criminalizes ownership that was previously authorized under existing law, without a transitional or case-by-case review mechanism.

The civil society group also questioned the rationale for a total suspension, stressing that the approach could undermine public and institutional safety.

“The rationale for the sweeping order is not clear, and it has serious security implications,” WAANSA Ghana stated. “At a time when licensed firearms are used to protect lives, critical infrastructure, and cash-in-transit operations, a blanket freeze risks creating protection gaps for communities and businesses.”

The directive could potentially push some owners into hiding or delay legitimate security deployments during the screening process, WAANSA Ghana cautioned.

WAANSA Ghana said the issues the Ministry seeks to address through the suspension are already captured in the National Small Arms Bill, which remains locked up at the ministry of the Interior.

“What is urgently required is the passage of the National Small Arms Bill, which is long overdue,” the network argued. “The bill provides a modern framework for licensing, vetting, safe storage, monitoring, tracing, and accountability in line with ECOWAS conventions.”

The network called for a more targeted approach that identifies and addresses specific risks without undermining the legal framework that governs responsible ownership.

WAANSA Ghana said the concerns raised by the Ministry of the Interior are not new and are already addressed in the long-overdue National Small Arms Bill, which is currently locked up at the Ministry of the Interior.

The group expressed frustration over what it described as “continuous delays” in enacting the legislation.

“Stakeholders are at a loss for the continuous delays,” WAANSA Ghana said. “All the concerns the Minister seeks to address through this suspension are provided for in the Bill. We therefore call for urgent action on it.”

WAANSA Ghana urged the Ministry of the Interior to convene an immediate consultative meeting with firearm associations, private security operators, legal experts, and civil society to review the suspension and develop a roadmap to deal with the fears expressed by the minister.

It further called on the Executive to prioritize the passage of the National Small Arms Bill to provide a durable legal basis for firearms regulation in Ghana.

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