Effective Tuesday, June 23, permits for all firearms licensed nationwide have been revoked, the Ministry of the Interior announced in a press briefing, citing the move as a major of a sweeping overhaul of Ghana’s firearms regulatory system to ensure responsible handling of legally acquired firearms and ensure public safety.

Highlighting the gaps in the current licensing system, Minister Muntaka Mohammed indicated that the new system will ensure thorough background checks on all applicants. Also, all firearm owners will be required to reapply and undergo the same vetting process before any licence is issued to them.

“In the last few months, we have seen an increase in some individuals committing suicide with firearms that are registered. Because of that, from this afternoon, all permits that have been granted to any individual are hereby revoked.

“We are revoking them, and we are opening a window where everyone will have to come forward again to re-register their guns because we have changed the procedure. We have realised that there is a short gap in the registration procedure that we’ve been using. Now we are introducing mental health. Before we give you the sidearm, we have to be sure that you have the mental stability to hold the firearms,” he said

Under the new regime, all firearm holders will be required to reapply for their licences and undergo a more rigorous vetting process aimed at strengthening gun control and enhancing public safety.

New license requirements

The Minister revealed that, before an applicant is granted a licence, he will be required to go through a mandatory mental health assessment, drug screening, and structured firearms training.

The Minister expressed concern that some individuals have used licensed firearms for purposes other than those for which they were originally authorised, posing a threat to public safety.

Scheduled destruction of surrendered firearms

Addressing plans for the surrendered firearms, Mr Muntaka announced that on July 9, a destruction ceremony will be held at the Police depot in Accra to destroy them, highlighting the need to protect the vulnerable, especially children.

“Ghana’s future must not be compromised by illicit arms. Our children deserve classrooms, not fear. Our communities deserve safety, not violence. As part of post-armament measures, the government will organise its eighth arms destruction ceremony on Thursday, 9th July, at the Police Depot, Accra, at 10:00 a.m. At this event, over 2,000 seized and surrendered firearms will be destroyed,” he noted.

The announcement comes days after the Ministry suspended the operating licence of Kantanka Security Services Limited following a shooting incident at Kwabenya that left former Dome-Kwabenya MP Sarah Adwoa Safo injured.

According to the Ministry, the suspension was prompted by alleged regulatory breaches involving the use of unapproved uniforms as well as the possession and use of firearms and ammunition by some personnel of the security company while on duty.

The government says the latest measures form part of broader efforts to strengthen oversight of firearms possession and improve public safety across the country.

Meanwhile, in a related development, in December last year, the government launched a nationwide Gun Amnesty Programme (GAP), which directed citizens in possession of holding illicit or unregistered firearms the chance to surrender them without facing arrest or prosecution. Initially set for December 1, 2025 – January 15, 2026, it was later extended to January 30, 2026 due to strong public interest.

About 2 months after the end of the exercise, the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, revealed that over 4,000 firearms had been voluntarily surrendered by civilians under the GAP.

Speaking during an appearance on Sunday, March 15, the Minister indicated that, before the official launch of the programme, security agencies had already recovered about 11,000 firearms from civilians. But the launch became a window for more people to give up their firearms to escape the legal consequences during the amnesty window.

“That’s why we came in with the amnesty. And when we rolled out the amnesty period, the statistics showed that we were able to retrieve over 4,000 guns in the hands of civilians,” he stated.

When was the programme launched?

The initiative was first declared on November 18, 2025, and took effect on December 1, 2025, as part of efforts to address the persistent gun-related violence across the country.

The Commission announced in a statement, “After 30th January, 2026, security agencies will intensify enforcement operations, and any person found in possession of an unregistered or illicit firearm will be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law”.

Meanwhile, the Greater Accra Region is leading in the number of firearms retrieved under the Gun Amnesty Programme. Executive Secretary of NACSA, Dr Adam Bonaa, disclosed this information in an engagement with the National Chief Imam on Friday, December 26.

He noted, “The Greater Accra Region is one of the areas where most of the weapons we have collected are coming from. It is currently leading in terms of arms surrendered under the amnesty programme, with the support of the security commanders”.