Morocco Tightens Gun Laws: Stricter Penalties for Illegal Weapon Possession

The Moroccan parliament is discussing bill no. 10.16 amending the Penal Code. It now provides for new punitive measures related to the possession of weapons. To this effect, Article 303 of the amended Code punishes the illegal possession of weapons with imprisonment from one month to one year, and a fine of 1,200 to 5,000 dirhams.

"Anyone arrested, in circumstances of threat to public order or affecting the safety of persons or property, having in his possession a cutting, blunt, or suffocating object and this illegally, is liable to penalties and fines."

The same law punishes the offender arrested under the influence of alcohol or psychotropic drugs with double the sentence. The sentences will also be doubled if the weapon in question "represents a certain degree of seriousness", provides Article 303.

For now, imprisonment and the fine are not necessarily cumulative. The judge can choose to opt for only one of the two sanctions.

If the current version of the reform is adopted, it provides for sentences ranging from 1 to 2 years in prison and a fine of 5,000 to 20,000 dirhams. Moreover, it will no longer allow the judicial authorities to pronounce the fine or the custodial sentence alternatively.