How strict are gun laws in Sri Lanka?
Restrictive
Handguns are licensed only at the authorities' discretion, or only to club members or existing owners.
Sri Lanka is one of 87 countries classified “Restrictive” for civilian gun ownership — 43% of the 202 with data. (Also searched as firearm laws.)
Source
- Last checked
- 17 September 2026
- How it was classified
- Read directly from the source’s own table, without interpretation.
Nearby countries
- Maldives
- Highly restrictive / banned Civilians cannot obtain handguns.
- India
- Restrictive Handguns are licensed only at the authorities' discretion, or only to club members or existing owners.
- Bangladesh
- Restrictive Handguns are limited to one and require justification, fitting the may-issue or restricted discretion category.
- Myanmar
- Restrictive Handguns are licensed only at the authorities' discretion, or only to club members or existing owners.
- Thailand
- Licensed / moderate Handguns are obtainable for sport or hunting, but self-defense alone is not sufficient for a license.
- Nepal
- Restrictive Handguns are licensed only at the authorities' discretion, or only to club members or existing owners.
Other laws in Sri Lanka
- Death Penalty
- Not used in practice
- Military Conscription
- No conscription
Every law in Sri Lanka → · How strict are gun laws around the world? →
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.