Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control (Religious Use of Weapons — Class Licence) Order 2025

No. S 367

Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control Act 2021

Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control
(Religious Use of Weapons —
Class Licence) Order 2025

In exercise of the powers conferred by section 56 of the Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control Act 2021, the Minister for Home Affairs makes the following Order:

PART 1

PRELIMINARY

Citation and commencement

1.  This Order is the Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control (Religious Use of Weapons — Class Licence) Order 2025 and comes into operation on 1 July 2025.

Definitions

2.  In this Order —

“authorised by or under the Act”, for a regulated activity involving a weapon, means authorised to carry on the regulated activity without committing an offence under the Act, because of —

(a) a provision in the Act;

(b) a licence or a class licence; or

(c) an exemption by or under section 87, 88 or 89 of the Act;

“blunted”, in relation to any weapon, means any weapon the cutting edges and points of which are modified to be blunt and not capable of causing serious injury or death;

“conducting”, in relation to a funeral event, funerary memorial event or religious service, includes volunteering or assisting in the conduct of that funeral event, funerary memorial event or religious service;

“dagger” means a kirpan or kris;

“defined weapon” means a blunted dagger or blunted sword;

“dispose” means destroy or handle with a view to destroying;

“funeral event” means a funeral, funeral wake or funeral procession held before or during the burial or cremation of the deceased;

“funerary memorial event” means a ritual, an observance or a ceremony —

(a) the sole purpose of which is to commemorate or honour any deceased according to any religious belief, religious opinion or religious affiliation; and

(b) which is held within or outside of a place of worship and after the funeral event for the deceased,

but does not include such a ritual, observance or ceremony for a public holiday;

“place of worship” means any place —

(a) that is consecrated or dedicated generally or specifically, or is associated with or regularly used, for the conduct of religious services (such as a mosque, surau, temple, sanctuary or synagogue); and

(b) the use of which as a place of worship is not a breach of planning control under the Planning Act 1998,

but excludes any individual’s home or any part of the common property of any subdivided building used (in whole or part) for residential purposes;

“religious service” means a ceremony or rite, or an observance or a worship, sermon or service, based wholly on a religious belief, religious opinion or religious affiliation, held within a place of worship but excludes the following:

(a) a funeral event involving a religious service;

(b) a funerary memorial event involving a religious service;

(c) a gathering of individuals to provide or receive (or both) lessons or teaching based wholly on a religious belief, religious opinion or religious affiliation;

(d) a course of instruction or training to become a member of a religious order or in the duties of a minister of religion;

“sword” excludes the following:

(a) a machete;

(b) a parang;

(c) a bayonet.

Application

3.—(1)  This Order does not extend to an individual who is exempt by or under section 87 or 88 of the Act.

(2)  The application of paragraph 4, 6 or 8 to an individual is subject to section 66(1) and (2)(c) of the Act.

PART 2

RELIGIOUS PRACTITIONER

Class licence for religious practitioner

4.—(1)  Every individual who is required to wear or carry —

(a) a blunted kirpan so as to comply with the requirements of the practice in Singapore of his or her Sikh religion; or

(b) any other defined weapon so as to comply with the requirements of the practice in Singapore of his or her religious belief, religious opinion or religious affiliation,

is subject to a class licence authorising the individual to acquire and possess any blunted kirpan or other defined weapon (as the case may be), and to dispose of it, in connection with that practice of his or her religious belief, religious opinion or religious affiliation.

(2)  To avoid doubt, paragraph (1) extends to a passenger, crew member and the master of —

(a) a defined ship who leaves Singapore on a voyage on board the same defined ship in which he or she entered Singapore; or

(b) a ship leaving Singapore on or after 1 July 2025 on board a ship on a voyage, if the passenger, crew member or master entered Singapore on the same ship not earlier than the 30th day before 1 July 2025,

when the passenger, crew member or master (as the case may be) is in Singapore.

(3)  In sub‑paragraph (2), “crew member”, “defined ship”, “master”, “passenger” and “voyage” have the meanings given by the Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control (Maritime Industry — Exemption) Order 2025 (G.N. No. S 373/2025).

Conditions of religious practitioner’s class licence

5.  A class licensee by virtue of paragraph 4 may acquire and possess a defined weapon that he or she is authorised to acquire or possess under that paragraph, and may dispose of the defined weapon, subject to all the following conditions:

(a) the class licensee ensures that the defined weapon remains blunted at all times;

(b) the class licensee acquires, or takes part in the acquisition of, the defined weapon from another only for the purpose mentioned in sub‑paragraph (c);

(c) the class licensee wears or carries, and personally disposes of, the defined weapon in accordance with the requirements of the practice in Singapore of —

(i) his or her Sikh religion in the case of the kirpan; or

(ii) his or her other religious belief, religious opinion or religious affiliation in the case of any other defined weapon;

(d) the class licensee takes all reasonable steps necessary to ensure that the defined weapon, when not worn or carried by the class licensee —

(i) is not lost or stolen; and

(ii) is not accessible to anyone else who is not authorised by or under the Act to possess the defined weapon;

(e) the class licensee takes all reasonable steps necessary to protect other people from alarm when the class licensee wears, carries or is disposing of the defined weapon.

PART 3

FUNERARY RITES AND RELIGIOUS SERVICES

Class licence for conducting funeral event or religious service, etc.

6.  Every individual who is required to wear or carry or similarly possess a defined weapon —

(a) in the course of the individual conducting —

(i) a funeral event or funerary memorial event organised according to any religious belief, religious opinion or religious affiliation; or

(ii) a religious service; and

(b) so as to comply with the requirements of the practice in Singapore of the Sikh religion in the case of a defined weapon that is a kirpan, or of any other religious belief, religious opinion or religious affiliation in the case of any other defined weapon,

is subject to a class licence authorising the individual to acquire and possess the kirpan or other defined weapon in connection with the individual conducting that funeral event, funerary memorial event or religious service, and to dispose of it during or at the end of that funeral event, funerary memorial event or religious service (as the case may be) if required.

Conditions of class licence to conduct funeral event or religious service, etc.

7.—(1)  A class licensee by virtue of paragraph 6 may acquire and possess a defined weapon that he or she is authorised to acquire or possess under that paragraph, subject to all the following conditions:

(a) the class licensee ensures that the defined weapon remains blunted at all times;

(b) the class licensee does not possess, at any one time, a number of defined weapons that is more than the number necessary for the conduct of the funeral event, funerary memorial event or religious service;

(c) the class licensee uses, or allows to be used, the defined weapon only —

(i) during the period that the funeral event, funerary memorial event or religious service is conducted; and

(ii) in accordance with the requirements of the practice in Singapore —

(A) of the Sikh religion in the case of a defined weapon that is a kirpan; or

(B) of any other religious belief, religious opinion or religious affiliation in the case of any other defined weapon;

(d) the class licensee takes all reasonable steps necessary to ensure that the defined weapon —

(i) is not lost or stolen; and

(ii) is not accessible to anyone else who is not authorised by or under the Act to possess the defined weapon;

(e) the class licensee takes all reasonable steps necessary to protect other people from alarm relating to the class licensee’s possession of the defined weapon in connection with the conduct of the funeral event, funerary memorial event or religious service.

(2)  A class licensee by virtue of paragraph 6 may dispose of each defined weapon that he or she is authorised to possess under that paragraph, subject to all the following conditions:

(a) the class licensee disposes of the defined weapon during or without delay after the conduct of a funeral event, funerary memorial event or religious service;

(b) the class licensee takes all reasonable steps necessary to protect other people from alarm when the class licensee is disposing of the defined weapon.

Class licence for taking part in funeral event, etc.

8.  Every individual who is required to carry a defined weapon —

(a) in the course of taking part in a funeral event or funerary memorial event organised according to any religious belief, religious opinion or religious affiliation; and

(b) so as to comply with the requirements of the practice in Singapore —

(i) of the Sikh religion in the case of a defined weapon that is a kirpan; or

(ii) of any other religious belief, religious opinion or religious affiliation in the case of any other defined weapon,

is subject to a class licence authorising the individual to possess the kirpan or other defined weapon in connection with the individual taking part in that funeral event or funerary memorial event.

Conditions of class licence for taking part in funeral event, etc.

9.  A class licensee by virtue of paragraph 8 with respect to taking part in a funeral event or funerary memorial event may possess a defined weapon subject to all the following conditions:

(a) the class licensee carries the defined weapon only —

(i) during the period he or she is taking part in the funeral event or funerary memorial event, and at the location of the funeral event or funerary memorial event;

(ii) according to the requirements of the practice in Singapore —

(A) of the Sikh religion in the case of a defined weapon that is a kirpan; or

(B) of any other religious belief, religious opinion or religious affiliation in the case of any other defined weapon; and

(iii) while under the supervision and control of a class licensee by virtue of paragraph 6 who is conducting the funeral event or funerary memorial event;

(b) the class licensee does not leave the defined weapon unattended.

Personal religious belief not material for paragraph 8

10.  To avoid doubt, for the purposes of paragraph 8, it does not matter that —

(a) the individual’s religious belief, religious opinion or religious affiliation is not the same as that applied at the funeral event, funerary memorial event or religious service; or

(b) the individual does not have any religious belief, religious opinion or religious affiliation.

Made on 26 May 2025.

PANG KIN KEONG

Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Home Affairs,
Singapore.

[112/2/029; AG/LEGIS/SL/121C/2020/22]

(To be presented to Parliament under section 92 of the Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control Act 2021).