How Much Do Firearms Cost In Malaysia?

Tags: gun ownership, guns, guns in malaysia, PDRM

Table of Contents

Malaysia has always been known as a country that is very safe, and a place where firearms are not that widely available. Unlike other countries, Malaysia doesn’t allow open selling of firearms, which means that getting your hands on a gun is much harder here.

But recently, a few high profile cases have caused people to question, is that still the case? So in this article, we’re going to attempt to have a look at the availability of firearms in Malaysia, and the one question almost everyone has thought about in their life; just how much does a gun cost?

Are firearms easily available in Malaysia?

Approximately one month ago, a man was arrested for allegedly shooting his estranged wife at the Kuala Lumpur International airport. A few weeks before that, a shootout happened at Putra Heights between the police and five armed robbers, resulting in the deaths of all five of them.

And just a few days before that, an Israeli man was detained at a hotel with six handguns and 200 rounds of ammunition.

These cases, among others, have caused criminologist Associate Professor (Honorary) Datuk Dr P. Sundramoorthy stated in an interview that these cases have raised questions if firearms were easily available in the country, despite the strict gun laws.

So in order to answer the question of whether a firearm is easily available in Malaysia, let’s have a look at how a person can get their hands on a gun in Malaysia.

How to get a gun in Malaysia (legal route)

Alright so let’s move on to the first part of this article, which is answering how to get a gun in Malaysia.

Malaysia has a very strict gun policy. You can only get a gun licence through one channel, and that is through the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM).

But while the application itself might be easy, it in no way means that actually getting the licence is easy.

If you plan to apply for a new gun licence from PDRM, here’s a step by step guide for you.

Step by step guide to applying for a gun licence

Eligibility

If we’re only looking at the eligibility requirements of owning a gun, it seems quite simple. After all, all you need to do is be 18 years or above, no mental illness, and no previous criminal record.

However, it does not mean that if you meet the eligibility requirements, your application will be accepted. Will it be approved? Not unless you have a valid reason.

Checklist

To make the application process easier for you, PDRM has already provided you with a checklist of the documents you need in your application.

However, one important thing that you should take note is that there are two checklists with different requirements;

Applying for a pistol/revolver license

Applying for a shotgun/rifle licence

So now let’s have a look at the items in the checklist one by one, and explain all of them.

i) Purpose

First things first, you have to tick what exactly is the purpose of you having a gun. In the checklist, you can see that if you want to apply for a pistol/revolver license, there are only three reasons accepted for you to own a gun:

Self protection/ property protection/ company protection
Self protection/ family protection/ property protection
Sports

Meanwhile, for shotgun/rifle applications, there are also three accepted reasons;

Farm protection (from animals and pests)
Self protection/ property protection/ company protection
Sports

So if your reason for getting a gun doesn’t fit any of these categories, you’re out of luck.

ii) Pol 128

Next, you will be asked to fill up a form called the Pol 128 form. In this form, you will be asked to answer a variety of questions broken down into four categories;

a): Personal particulars
b): Particular of Arms
c): Particulars of Ammunition
d): Declaration

Here, all you have to do is fill out each category. Do take note that the Pol 128 form also needs to be accompanied by a copy of these documents;

A notarized copy of your identity card,
Three copies of passport sized photographs (of yourself)
An letter detailing why the application is made
A statement of your job and the threats you face that makes firearms a neccesity.

iii) Last three months bank statement, notarized by the bank,
iv) Tax assessment for the past three years (Form J),
v) Last three months bank statements, notarized by the company’s bank,
vi) Company’s tax assessment for the past three years (Form J),
vii) Company profile,
viii) A business memorandum for every company where the applicant is an officer/director,
ix) Form 24 for any company where the applicant has any vested interest,
x) A copy of a list with the names of every staff member that is contributing to EPF,
xi) A list of company directors with a firearms licence (if applicable),
xii) A letter from any other directors of the company, confirming that the application is made individually or under the company, and
xiii) A list of all the company property such as factories, projects, and others along with their activities, location, and business value.

xiv) If the purpose selected is sports

That’s a whole lot of documents to prepare right? But if your purpose for obtaining a gun licence is sports, then you can ignore all of that.

For sporting purposes, all you need to include is Pol 128 and its attachments, a supporting letter, and a shooting achievement card from the National Shooting Association of Malaysia (NASM).

So what are the differences between shotgun/rifle application and pistol/revolver application?

Typically, a shotgun and rifle licence application is quite similar to the pistol/revolver licence application, except for a few documents which are;

A copy of the deed for all of the agricultural land owned by the applicant,
A copy of the deed for any related agricultural land that needs to be guarded by the applicant (such as land owned by wife/siblings/parents)
A permission letter from the owner of the land, if the land is not owned by the applicant.
A report from the Agricultural Officer.

And that’s it! That is all the documents that you need to submit with your application.

Now you might be thinking “that all sounds like a hassle, but not that hard?” Yes it’s not that hard, but our sources said that a firearms licence application can take months and months, sometimes even years to process.

And even then, for most people, the application is denied.

Other channels you can apply for a gun

If you think that applying for a firearms licence from the police is too complicated, there is actually another place you can submit your firearms licence application.

Where? The Home Ministry.

However, the application process at the Home Ministry comes at a very important caveat. And that is, you are only allowed to apply for a firearms licence after your application has already been rejected by PDRM.

Therefore, it also means that you need to do the PDRM firearms licence application no matter what.

How to get a gun in Malaysia (very illegal route)

According to news reports, the suspect in the KLIA shooting bought a Glock-19 from a Thai man just a few days before he used it in the incident.

Meanwhile, the guns from the Israeli case were allegedly bought from a Malaysian couple, which were also believed to be smuggled from Thailand.

And perhaps tragically, this is not surprising as firearms smuggling from neighbouring countries, especially Thailand has long been a problem for Malaysia.

The Vibes previously reported that despite Malaysia’s stringent gun laws, firearms continue to be smuggled over the border.

In the article, an unnamed source told The Vibes that the reason why the smuggled guns problem continues to plague Malaysia is due to the fact that for the smugglers, getting past security checkpoints is something that is quite simple.

So how do you get guns illegally? Well, out of respect for the law, we won’t be providing you with that information.

So, how much do firearms actually cost?

Well, we’re glad to tell you that applying for a gun licence won’t cost you a single cent. But that’s pretty much where the good news stops.

Unfortunately, information about firearm prices in Malaysia is very limited. Through our efforts of engaging with licensed weapons distributors, we found out that the price of firearms can vary wildly, depending on the make, model, and type of the firearm.

For example, a shotgun can set you back anywhere from RM8000-9000, while a handgun can cost around RM4000-RM5000.

Meanwhile, in the illegal channels, recent news reports have pointed to the fact that smuggled guns are usually more expensive than their legal counterparts. For example, the KLIA shooting suspect bought the handgun used in the shooting for RM5000 from the aforementioned Thai man, while the Israeli bought the guns from A Malaysian couple at RM10,000 per gun, reportedly.

Then there is also the cost of ammunition.

How do you buy ammo?

One thing we didn’t touch in our article is ammunition. Now that for any gun enthusiast or anyone even thinking of getting their own gun, they would be thinking if that’s how to get firearms, how about the ammo? And how much does it cost?

Let’s have a look at how to buy ammo first. To buy ammo, first you have to submit the Pol 128 form to PDRM. Remember the Pol 128 form you used in your application for a firearms licence?

Yes, Section C of that form is called ‘ammunition particulars’, and it contains all the details you need to fill out when you want to buy ammo. Some of the details you will have to fill out include:

Type of ammo
Calibre of ammo
Quantity of ammo
Where you’re going to buy the ammo.

If your application is approved, you will be given a permit that allows you to buy ammo as well. However, you are only allowed to buy the amount of ammo that is written on the permit.

Another thing to note regarding ammo is that if you did use your gun and you need to replenish your ammo stock, you will be asked to bring the empty shells of your ammunition. This is done to make sure that you are not stockpiling ammo.

Shooting ranges and galleries

Some of you might be reading this article and thinking, so that’s it? Is there no way else for me to live out my dream of owning and shooting a gun?

Well, unfortunately owning a gun might be very hard in Malaysia. But, shooting a gun is a different matter altogether.

If you’re interested in pursuing shooting as a hobby or you’re just a gun enthusiast, you can go to the numerous shooting galleries and ranges in Malaysia.

Some of the more popular ones include the Malaysia Shooting Club Shooting Range, City Square Shooting Gallery, and the Selangor Shooting Association Shooting Range.

There, all you have to do is register yourself, and you can try out all the guns you want.

Conclusion

So there you have it. That’s how you can own guns in Malaysia, how much it costs, and why does gun crime seem pretty popular when guns in Malaysia are quite stringent.

That said, if you still want to experience shooting, there are several gun clubs around the country that allow people to go over and shoot.