Terminology in the Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives, and Supporting Tools
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Weapons are devices, means, or combinations of devices and means manufactured or produced with the capacity to cause injury or harm to human life or health, or to destroy material structures. They include: military weapons, rudimentary weapons, sporting weapons, and hunting firearms.
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Military weapons include:
a) Handguns, shoulder firearms, light weapons, heavy weapons, ammunition for these weapons; bombs, mines, grenades, torpedoes, naval mines, and other weapons listed in the catalogue issued by the Minister of National Defense, equipped for the People’s Armed Forces and other forces under this Law;
b) Shotguns, air guns, compressed air guns, and ammunition for these guns listed in the catalogue issued by the Minister of Public Security;
c) Weapons specified in Point a, Clause 4 of this Article, equipped for the People’s Armed Forces and other forces under this Law to perform tasks of national security protection and ensuring social order and safety;
d) Hunting firearms, weapons specified in Point a, Clause 4 and Point a, Clause 5, and high-risk knives specified in Clause 6 of this Article used to unlawfully harm life or health;
đ) Basic gun components specified in Point a include: gun body, barrel, trigger assembly, breech mechanism, and firing pin;
e) Basic gun components specified in Point b include: gun body and trigger assembly;
g) Other weapons with similar features and effects capable of causing injury as specified in Point a or Point b not included in the catalogues issued by the Minister of National Defense or the Minister of Public Security. -
Hunting firearms are flintlock guns and their ammunition used for hunting purposes.
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Rudimentary weapons include:
a) Swords, spears, halberds, daggers, bayonets, machetes, clubs, maces, bows, crossbows, and throwing knives listed in the catalogue issued by the Minister of Public Security;
b) High-risk knives specified in Clause 6 of this Article, used to commit crimes, cause disorder, disrupt public order, or resist authorities, except in cases specified in Point d, Clause 2, Article 2. -
Sporting weapons include:
a) Air rifles, explosive rifles, air pistols, explosive pistols, paintball guns, clay target guns, and their ammunition listed in the catalogue issued by the Minister of Public Security, used for training and sports competitions;
b) Weapons specified in Point a, Clause 4, used for training and sports competitions;
c) Basic gun components specified in Point a include: gun body, barrel, trigger assembly, breech mechanism, and firing pin. -
High-risk knives are sharp or pointed knives listed in the catalogue issued by the Minister of Public Security.
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Explosives are products that, under the effect of an initial shock, undergo a rapid chemical reaction releasing heat, gas, light, and producing an explosion, including:
a) Explosive substances: chemicals or mixtures manufactured to create an explosive reaction under the effect of an initiating shock;
b) Explosive accessories: detonators, detonating cords, slow fuses, initiators, explosive-containing items generating initial shock to detonate explosives, or specialized devices containing explosives. -
Military explosives are explosives used for national defense and security purposes.
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Industrial explosives are explosives used for economic and civilian purposes, listed in the catalogue of industrial explosives permitted for production, trading, and use in Vietnam by the Minister of Industry and Trade.
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Explosive precursors are hazardous chemicals directly used to produce explosives, listed in the catalogue permitted for production, trading, and use in Vietnam by the Minister of Industry and Trade.
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Supporting tools are means or service animals used to perform official duties, protect against violations, prevent escape or resistance, protect officials or security personnel, or signal emergencies, including:
a) Stun guns, tear gas, poisonous substances, anesthetics, magnetic, laser, nets; rope-launching guns; plastic, explosive, rubber, or tear gas projectiles; signal flares, markers, and ammunition for these weapons; spray devices for tear gas, anesthetics, or irritants; smoke grenades, tear grenades, explosive devices; electric batons, rubber or metal batons; figure-eight locks, caltrops, spiked wires; body armor; electric gloves, knife-catching gloves; shields, bulletproof helmets; sound suppression devices; special interrogation chairs, listed in the catalogue issued by the Minister of Public Security;
b) Service animals trained for national security protection and public safety, listed in the catalogue issued by the Minister of Public Security;
c) Other tools with similar features and effects as those in Point a, not included in the catalogue issued by the Minister of Public Security. -
Scrap and discarded materials of weapons, explosives, and supporting tools are materials discarded during production or weapons, explosives, and tools that have lost their function and are collected.
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Business means the buying and selling of weapons, explosives, explosive precursors, and supporting tools.
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Management includes activities of research, manufacturing, production, testing, trading, equipping, exporting, importing, transporting, repairing, and storing weapons, explosives, explosive precursors, and supporting tools.
(Legal basis: Article 2, Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives, and Supporting Tools)
