Tasers and stun guns are not legal in the UK for members of the public. The Firearms Act 1968 classifies them as prohibited weapons, in the same category as automatic rifles, and there is no licence, permit, or registration route that lets a private citizen own one. Possession can carry up to 10 years in prison, and if the device is disguised as something else, a five-year mandatory minimum sentence applies on conviction.
Why the Ban Applies to Every Type of Electroshock Device
Section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968 lists the weapons the UK treats as prohibited. Stun guns and Tasers fall within Section 5(1)(b), which covers weapons designed to discharge a noxious substance or “other thing” — a phrase the courts have read to include electrical discharge.1Legislation.gov.uk. Firearms Act 1968, Section 5 The law makes no distinction between a Taser that fires barbed probes on wires and a contact stun gun. Both are banned.
The only lawful route to possession is authority from the Secretary of State, which is not available to ordinary members of the public.2House of Commons Library. Taser Use in England and Wales Northern Ireland has parallel legislation under Article 45 of the Firearms (Northern Ireland) Order 2004, so the prohibition covers all four nations.3Police Service of Northern Ireland. Notes for Guidance on Police Use of Taser
The ban does not depend on brand. Any device designed to deliver an incapacitating electric shock is illegal, whatever the seller calls it: contact stun guns, shock batons, and electroshock devices disguised as torches, phones, or pens.4The Crown Prosecution Service. Firearms – Prosecution Guidance The law focuses on what the device was designed to do, not whether it still works. A stun gun with a dead battery or broken circuitry is still a prohibited weapon because its design purpose has not changed. Your intent is not a defence either. Keeping one locked in a drawer “just in case” carries the same legal consequence as carrying it in public, and not knowing the law is not a defence UK courts will accept.
Penalties for Possession
Possessing a stun gun or Taser without authority is an either-way offence, meaning it can be tried in a magistrates’ court or the Crown Court depending on severity. On indictment, the maximum sentence is 10 years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.5Legislation.gov.uk. Firearms Act 1968, Schedule 6 In the magistrates’ court, the maximum is six months’ custody or a fine up to the statutory maximum.
Disguised devices sit in a harsher category. If a stun gun is built into a torch, hidden inside a phone case, or made to look like any other object, a separate charge applies under Section 5(1A)(a). Conviction for possessing a disguised firearm triggers a mandatory minimum sentence of five years for adults under Section 311 of the Sentencing Act 2020.6Legislation.gov.uk. Sentencing Act 2020, Section 311 That floor applies even if you have no criminal record and never used or intended to use the device. For offenders under 18, the mandatory minimum is three years.
Manufacturing, distributing, or possessing these devices for sale sits in a different bracket again, with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.5Legislation.gov.uk. Firearms Act 1968, Schedule 6
Buying From Abroad or Bringing One Into the UK
Ordering a stun gun from an overseas website for delivery to a UK address is a separate criminal offence: illegal importation of a prohibited firearm. Stun guns are explicitly listed as controlled items by Border Force, which monitors passenger travel and international mail.7GOV.UK. Guns, Knives, Swords and Other Offensive Weapons – UK Border Control Intercepted packages are seized and the recipient can face criminal charges.8GOV.UK. Bringing Goods Into the UK for Personal Use – Banned and Restricted Goods
The fact that stun guns are legal in another country does not matter once UK jurisdiction applies. Overseas sellers often ship without warning the buyer, but completing the purchase is itself an attempt to acquire a prohibited weapon, and that is an offence even if the parcel never arrives.
The same applies to travelers. The U.S. State Department tells American citizens directly that they will be arrested for bringing a Taser, pepper spray, or mace into the United Kingdom.9U.S. Department of State. United Kingdom Travel Advisory Forgetting one in a checked bag is no protection. If you own such a device at home, leave it there.
What to Do If You Already Have One
If you find you own a stun gun or Taser, the safest step is to surrender it to a police station. The UK government has periodically run firearm amnesty programmes during which prohibited weapons can be handed in without automatic prosecution.10National Crime Agency. New Amnesty Announced for Italian-Made Blank Firing Guns to Be Surrendered Even outside a formal amnesty, voluntarily bringing a weapon in shows good faith and puts you in a far stronger position than being found with one during a search or traffic stop.
Do not throw the device away, post it to someone else, or try to dismantle it. Transferring a prohibited weapon to another person is itself a serious offence, and discarding one in public risks someone else picking it up. Call your local police station’s non-emergency line first for guidance on how to bring it in safely.
Legal Alternatives for Personal Safety
The list of legal self-defence products in the UK is short. A personal safety alarm — sometimes called a rape alarm — is the only product police consistently confirm as fully legal. Alarms are not classified as weapons and can be carried freely, though they should carry the UKCA marking to confirm they meet safety standards.11Ask the Police. Q589 – Are There Any Legal Self Defence Products That I Can Buy?
Sprays that mark an attacker with a brightly coloured, non-toxic dye sit in a legal grey area. Police have said a properly designed marking spray used as intended should not cause injury, but if it does, the user could face an assault charge. Police also cannot confirm the legality of any specific product until a court has ruled on it, so carrying one still risks arrest while officers verify the contents.
Pepper spray, CS gas, and mace are illegal on the same basis as stun guns: prohibited weapons under Section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968. Anything bought from abroad has a higher chance of being illegal, and UK law is clear that you cannot carry anything made or adapted to cause injury.11Ask the Police. Q589 – Are There Any Legal Self Defence Products That I Can Buy?
You do keep the right to use reasonable force to defend yourself. There is no precise legal definition; the test is whether you honestly believed the force was necessary at the time, based on the circumstances as you perceived them.12GOV.UK. Using Reasonable Force Against Intruders That right applies at home and in public, but it never extends to carrying a weapon you have prepared in advance.
The Police Exception
Police officers acting in their official capacity are the one group exempt from the prohibition and do not need separate authority from the Secretary of State to possess a conducted energy device.13College of Policing. Conducted Energy Devices (Taser) Every use is treated as a use of force that must be justified as necessary and proportionate, and in most incidents the device is not fired — drawing or aiming it is enough to resolve the situation.14GOV.UK. New Taser Approved for UK Police Forces to Protect Public The exemption is specific to police; it does not extend to security guards, door staff, or private citizens under any circumstances.