Ghanaians in possession of imported or locally made firearms are to re-register them with immediate effect, the ministry in charge of national security said.
It said in a statement that measures have also been put in place to ensure that all weapons in the hands of unauthorised persons were identified and retrieved from them.
The statement was issued following a report submitted by the Arms and Ammunition Inventory Committee, set up in August 1999, to carry out thorough inspection of all private armouries and magazines in the country.
The committee was also charged with taking inventory of stock held in armouries and giving advice on measures to ensure compliance with procedures and regulations governing importation and sale of arms for private use.
It was also assigned to look into the levels of arms/ammunition in the system and whether these quantities are reasonable in terms of real private requirements.
The committee was set up by the National Security Council as part of measures to curb the illegal acquisition and possession of weapons, some of which were used for criminal activities, including armed robbery.
The statement said the inspector general of police is to institute immediate measures to ensure compliance with existing legislation relating to the sale and acquisition of weapons.
The police should ensure that all arms dealers strictly keep record of the serial numbers of guns in the various armouries and also the full particulars of persons to whom specific guns are sold.
"All such records are to be made available to the office of the National Security Co-ordinator and the Ministry of the Interior every month," it added.
The statement said the police and the customs, excise and preventive service are to conduct periodic inspections of all armouries and magazines as stipulated by law to ensure this requirement has been met.
An independent team would also conduct surprise inspections to ensure full compliance with the regulations.
The statement added that the ban on the sale of shotguns and cartridges currently in stock is to be lifted from 1 September, with sales being conducted under strict supervision.
The freeze on the importation of shotguns and cartridges would, however, remain in force until further notice, it said.
The interior ministry is to take immediate action to ban arms dealers found to be actively involved in the illegal trade from conducting further arms business in the country.
"The ministry is also to propose, as a matter of urgency, appropriate legislation to control the local manufacture of firearms," the statement said
