Sri Lanka is a peculiar island. It’s a small patch of land surrounded by the sea where there are many paradoxes when it comes to governance. For example, the island has some of the toughest laws to obtain a licence for a firearm. Sri Lanka has no constitutional rights to ‘bear arms’, and as such, to legally obtain one, a citizen must jump through many hoops and navigate the island’s ‘legendary’ bureaucracy, known for its indifference and lethargy, to get a permit to own a firearm.

However, firearms are used by criminal elements to intimidate, injure and kill Sri Lankans on a daily basis. Despite law enforcement efforts to contain and arrest the situation, gun crimes continue as it has for many years. The daily occurrences of use of firearms in wrongful manner and the body count it leaves behind are a testament that the island’s current legislation on firearms and its enforcement has failed.

Since 2018/19 to date, four governments have been ‘trying’ to update the outdated legislation regarding firearms regulation. The same governments, including the incumbent, have all launched various programmes to contain gun crime and to ‘clean the streets’ of illegal firearms. In early 2019, officials at the Ministry of Defence (MOD) acknowledged a long-standing gap in firearms regulation when the absence of a centralised networked database of vital information relating to firearms licences came to light. At the time, the MOD said it did not know the exact number of firearms licence holders in the country. When it comes to gun registration, data collection, processing, archiving and compliance checking are weak points. At the time, the ministry admitted that it did not have a networked, registered firearms database for law enforcement officials and regulatory agencies to check compliance or match weapons recovered from crime scenes. The MOD did share some statistics in mid-2019, according to which, there are 21,247 licensed firearms in Sri Lanka under four categories. Of them, 15,783 licensed firearms have been issued for agricultural purposes or pest control and 411 for sporting purposes. Later, in September 2023, the then-Government told the media that it is preparing an amendment to the outdated firearms legislation, with a draft being processed by the Legal Draftsman’s and Attorney General’s Departments. Meanwhile, environmentalist and state officials entrusted with the protection of the island’s rich fauna and flora have raised alarm about an uptick in gunshot injuries to wildlife and resultant deaths. This includes injuries from trap-guns, which are widely used for crop protection. An increase in injuries and deaths of protected small mammals by use of pneumatic weapons (commonly known as ‘air-rifles’) has also been flagged. This, while the State continues to encourage arming farmers with ‘air-rifles’ as a stop-gap measure for pest control, another long-standing issue, like the Human Elephant Conflict which also turned deadly with guns being used over the last few decades.

According to the then-Police Spokesperson SSP Buddhika Manatunga who addressed the gun crime issue in May of this year; Since 1 January, 42 incidents of firearms violence have been reported as of 5 May. Speaking to the media, Manatunga said, 28 of the 42 incidents are linked to organised crime and have claimed 28 lives. He acknowledged that the number of incidents thus far in 2025, has seen a slight increase. However, he pointed out that in 2023, a total of 120 incidents of firearms-related violence were reported, averaging 10 per month. He told the media that in 2024, 102 incidents of firearms-related violence were reported, of which the Police believe 56 were linked to organised crime. Going by the statistics, he opined that although the public perception of violence may vary, the number does not indicate a significant increase in the type of crime.

Last week, the Government said it is planning to introduce a new mechanism to reissue firearm licences, aiming for ensured accurate records and enhanced security. Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Deputy Minister of Defence Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd.) said: “A new methodology for firearm licence reissuing has not been finalised yet and will be publicised once it has been devised.” Four governments have ‘sat’ on this issue, with little tangible action on the matter. The time for action is now, and new policies, regulations and enforcement measures should be developed with broad stakeholder consultation. There must be a consolidated effort to build awareness, ensure compliance testing. In parallel, the State must act swiftly to stem the flow of firearms and ammunition to crime figures. This may include the need to review existing procedures with state armouries and ammunition storage facilities, a meaningful – reward-led ‘gun-buy-back’ or amnesty programme, and tougher enforcement by the law enforcement authorities, and those entrusted with border control.