Section 6 of the Arms Act, 1959: Licence for Shortening Guns or Converting Firearms
Section 6 of the Arms Act, 1959 requires a valid licence before a person shortens the barrel of a firearm, converts an imitation firearm into a firearm, or converts a firearm from one category mentioned in the Arms Rules, 2016 into another category.
Section 6: Licence for the Shortening of Guns or Conversion of Imitation Firearms into Firearms
No person shall shorten the barrel of a firearm or convert an imitation firearm into a firearm or convert from any category of firearms mentioned in the Arms Rules, 2016 into any other category of firearms unless he holds in this behalf a licence issued in accordance with the provisions of this Act and the rules made thereunder.
Explanation. In this section, the expression "imitation firearm" means anything which has the appearance of being a firearm, whether it is capable of discharging any shot, bullet or other missile or not.
What Section 6 Means
Section 6 regulates specified alterations and conversions involving firearms. The provision does not merely address possession of a firearm. It specifically requires licensing before carrying out any of the following acts:
- shortening the barrel of a firearm;
- converting an imitation firearm into a firearm; or
- converting a firearm from one category identified under the Arms Rules, 2016 into another category.
The licence must be issued in accordance with the Arms Act, 1959 and the rules made under it. Accordingly, Section 6 should be read together with the applicable licensing provisions of the Act and the Arms Rules, 2016.
Definition of "Imitation Firearm" under Section 6
For Section 6, an "imitation firearm" is anything that has the appearance of a firearm. The definition applies whether or not the object is actually capable of discharging a shot, bullet or other missile.
The definition is appearance-based for the purpose of this section. Therefore, an object need not already function as a firearm to fall within the expression "imitation firearm" used in Section 6.
Arms (Amendment) Act, 2019 and Section 6
Section 6 was amended by Section 5 of the Arms (Amendment) Act, 2019 (Act 48 of 2019). The amendment inserted the additional restriction on converting a firearm from one category mentioned in the Arms Rules, 2016 into another category. The amendment came into force on 14 December 2019.
The official text of the amending legislation is available through India Code - Arms (Amendment) Act, 2019.
Penalty for Contravention of Section 6
Section 25(1)(b) of the Arms Act covers, among other things, shortening the barrel of a firearm, converting an imitation firearm into a firearm, or converting between firearm categories in contravention of Section 6. Under the current text of Section 25(1), the prescribed punishment is imprisonment for a term of not less than seven years which may extend to imprisonment for life, together with fine.
Important: Firearms licensing and criminal liability can depend on the precise facts, licence conditions, firearm category, applicable rules, notifications and amendments. The statutory text and current official notifications should be checked for a particular case.
See also the official India Code text of Section 25.
Official Legal Sources
Related Arms Act Provisions
Readers may also refer to Section 5 on manufacture, sale and related activities, Section 7 on prohibited arms and prohibited ammunition, Section 13 on grant of licences, and Section 17 on variation, suspension and revocation of licences.
Last reviewed: September 7, 2026.