Nandlall warns taser sales, possession could lead to prison

September 22 2026

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall, SC, has warned that persons who sell, purchase, acquire or possess Tasers could face criminal prosecution and imprisonment, arguing that the devices fall within the category of prohibited weapons under Guyana’s Firearms Act.

Nandlall addressed the issue during this week’s Issues in the News, following a question from a journalist about reports that Taser devices are being sold at commercial establishments in Guyana.

“If that is ongoing in Guyana, let me say that it is absolutely unlawful and constitutes a criminal offence under the Firearms Act,” the Attorney General said.

His position is based on Section 32 of the Firearms Act, which restricts, without the required authority, the manufacture, sale, transfer, purchase, acquisition or possession of specified prohibited weapons.

Nandlall said he considers Tasers to fall under the provision relating to weapons designed or adapted to discharge a “noxious liquid, gas, or other thing.” He argued that the words “other thing” can encompass the electrical current discharged by a Taser.

“I am of the considered view that Taser and Taser weapons and Taser guns fall into Category B and/or C of the prohibition stated in Section 32 of the Firearms Act,” he said.

To support his interpretation, Nandlall pointed to similar wording in British firearms legislation and cited the English case *Flack v Baldry*, which dealt with an electrical stun device. He said British case law ultimately established that an electrical stun device could fall within the prohibition covering a weapon that discharges a “noxious thing.”

The Attorney General also referred to Guyana’s Police (Amendment) Act of 2021, which introduced the category of “less lethal weapons” into the Police Act. The amendment specifically identifies “conducted electrical weapons, including a taser or stun gun” among weapons available for police use.

Nandlall argued that the specific legislative amendment authorising police use further supports his position that members of the general public do not automatically have legal authority to possess such devices.

“If the police had to get an amendment of the Police Act to use Taser guns and equipment listed here, it applies with greater force that the layman does not have the legal authority to possess such a weapon,” he said.

According to the provision cited by Nandlall, a person convicted summarily of an offence under the relevant section could face a fine ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 and imprisonment for three to six years. A conviction on indictment could attract a prison sentence of between 10 and 15 years.

“So if you sell, you buy, you acquire, you have in your possession this prohibited weapon, then it’s an offence under the Act,” Nandlall said.