NoSelf Defence Weapons

Is it legal to carry a stun gun in United Kingdom?

This rebuilt rule page keeps the answer, scope, and future source links in one obvious place, without pretending the row is fully researched before official sources are attached.

Short answer: NoRow state: verifiedSelf Defence Weapons

Quick answer

No
No
Last verified: 2026-04-03Sources verified

Legal position

Current starter summary

Carrying a stun gun in the United Kingdom is not lawful for the public because stun guns are treated as prohibited weapons under firearms law.

Conditions

What would need to be true

Only a person with specific authority can lawfully possess or carry a prohibited weapon.

Exceptions

Known carve-outs or edge cases

Official or specially authorised possession is outside this ordinary public row.

Penalties

Penalty snapshot

CPS guidance says prohibited weapon offences under section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968 can lead to serious criminal penalties including imprisonment.

Enforcement

How this may be enforced

Police can seize the device and treat public carriage as unlawful possession without authority.

More rules in United Kingdom

Use the reset build to keep country pages useful even before every row is fully sourced.

download pirated movies

UK government guidance treats accessing films and other content from illegal online sources as copyright infringement and says consumers using illegal sources may be committing a crime.

NoDigital Laws

gamble online

Online gambling in Great Britain is lawful only through businesses licensed by the Gambling Commission and within the British regulatory framework.

DependsDigital Laws

stream pirated content

UK government guidance treats access to films and other content from illegal streaming sources as part of piracy and says consumers using illegal sources may be committing a crime.

NoDigital Laws

use a vpn

UK official guidance treats VPNs as standard security tools and the Online Safety Act regulates illegal content and services rather than banning VPN use itself.

YesDigital Laws

Compare this activity in other countries

This makes the rule page useful for comparison without creating a second data source.

Australia

Australia does not have one uniform civilian stun-gun rule. Victoria Police classifies a Taser or stun gun as a prohibited weapon, and Victoria Police approval material says prohibited weapons generally require Chief Commissioner approval or an applicable exemption for purchase, possession, carriage or transport. Australian Border Force customs material treats handheld electric-shock devices, including Tasers, stun guns and stun batons, as arms.

DependsSelf Defence Weapons

Belgium

Belgian Justice lists portable devices that use electric shocks to neutralise persons as prohibited weapons. Prohibited weapons cannot lawfully be possessed, bought, transported or carried by civilians.

NoSelf Defence Weapons

Canada

Carrying a compact stun gun is not lawful in Canada for the public because the device is treated as a prohibited weapon.

NoSelf Defence Weapons

Colombia

Colombia authorizes electric less-lethal devices only within the framework of Decreto 1563 de 2022. Electric devices are only authorized if they meet the decree’s technical specifications, and the civilian possession and carry framework requires marking and a permit process for less-lethal items.

DependsSelf Defence Weapons

About this row

Canonical dataset status

Country hubUnited Kingdom
Activity hubcarry a stun gun
Row stateverified

Reset rule

Why the page is intentionally light

The new site should show a stable layout, a stable route, and clear source slots before the dataset is scaled up again. That keeps management simple and makes later official-source population safer.

Structure firstOfficial sources secondScale third