Circular No. 01-LB stipulates the regulations on the use, storage, transportation, production, and repair of sports firearms for national defense.

JOINT CIRCULAR

Regulations on the use, maintenance, transportation, production,

repair of sports firearms for national defense.

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Implementing Decree No. 175-CP dated December 11, 1964 of the Council of Ministers on the management of military weapons and sports firearms for national defense.

Pursuant to Article 7 of Decree No. 175-CP, the Ministry of Public Security and the Sports Committee shall specifically regulate the use, maintenance, transportation, production, and repair of sports firearms for national defense as follows:

2. Individuals who have registered as the principal investigator of a Research Project or Pilot Production Project and those participating in its implementation shall not participate in the Evaluation and Selection Council for that Research Project or Pilot Production Project (hereinafter referred to as the Council). In necessary cases, members of the Council may be staff members of the organization registering as the principal investigator of the Research Project or Pilot Production Project, but not more than one person and they cannot serve as Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, or reviewing member.

1. Sports firearms for national defense are owned by the State and distributed by the Sports Committee to provincial and municipal sports boards and relevant sectors; these boards and sectors are responsible for distributing such firearms to sports shooting teams at various bases (communes, factories, schools, offices, construction sites, agricultural farms, forest farms, neighborhoods, cooperatives) for training and competition purposes, and may be used for combat and security protection when necessary.

Individuals are not entitled to possess sports firearms for national defense as personal property. Any person found with privately held firearms, including military personnel and armed police officers, regardless of their source, must declare and surrender them to public security agencies or provincial/municipal sports boards. Depending on the quality of the firearms, those surrendering may be compensated appropriately. Failure to surrender will result in administrative penalties and confiscation of the firearms upon discovery.

2. After being distributed to local entities, sports firearms for national defense must be registered with the local public security agency and obtain a permit. Registration requires a letter of introduction from the provincial/municipal sports board. When the permit expires, the firearm and old permit must be brought to the public security agency for renewal or replacement.

3. Entities receiving sports firearms for national defense distribution are prohibited from transferring, exchanging, or selling them to other entities or individuals without authorization. In cases where firearms are transferred to subordinate units, the provincial/municipal sports board must be informed, and a letter of introduction from the board is required to obtain a new permit from the public security agency.

4. Public security agencies and provincial/municipal sports boards need to closely cooperate, regularly guide, monitor, and inspect the implementation of regulations governing the management of sports firearms.

5. Entities receiving sports firearms for national defense must report every six months to the local public security agency and sports board. Provincial/municipal public security agencies and sports boards must report annually to the Ministry of Public Security and the Central Sports Committee regarding the status of sports firearms within their jurisdiction.

In case of accidents, loss, or theft of firearms, immediate reports must be made to the nearest police station, district, or county police, while also reporting to the local public security agency and sports board.

II. MAINTENANCE

6. Outside of training, work, and competitions, sports firearms for national defense must be stored in the warehouse of the entity and securely maintained to prevent loss or theft, with designated personnel responsible. At commune level, individual storage at home is permitted only if approved by the commune administration.

For athletes requiring regular practice with firearms, permission must be granted by the provincial/municipal sports board or relevant entity, and the athlete's local authority or workplace must be notified for joint monitoring and management. The athlete must also register with the public security agency.

7. After actual firing or exposure to rain, firearms must be immediately cleaned. Weekly and monthly inspections and thorough cleaning, especially of the barrel and lock mechanisms, are required. Firearms should not be stored in damp areas or exposed to direct sunlight.

8. Loss or damage of firearms without justifiable reasons will result in penalties and compensation for any resulting losses.

III. USE

9. Sports firearms for national defense can only be used for training and competition purposes, and for maintaining public order when necessary. They must not be used for recreational hunting of birds, animals, fish, etc., or to improve living conditions. Special permission from the Ministry of Public Security, the Sports Committee, and the Forestry General Department is required for using such firearms for scientific research purposes involving the hunting of rare species.

10. Individuals holding sports firearms for national defense must have basic knowledge of their use, including how to shoot, disassemble, maintain, and clean them, and understand the regulations governing their use and maintenance.

11. During training or work, firearms must always be carried personally and not lent or entrusted to others. Sales, exchanges, gifts, or donations of sports firearms for national defense to individuals are strictly prohibited.

12. It is strictly forbidden to aim firearms at people or use them for play or threats. Ammunition can only be loaded into the barrel at the start position of a real shooting range or during direct combat. After firing or ceasing combat, ammunition must be removed and the barrel inspected. Loading ammunition into the barrel is prohibited in crowded places like markets, rallies, on ships, or buses.

13. Firearms may only be fired in self-defense situations to protect oneself and others from enemy attacks.

14. To shoot live ammunition during training or competition, shooting must take place at a firing range; if there is no firing range available, a location with sufficient safety conditions must be chosen and reported to the local police before shooting. In case of accidents causing injury or death to people or animals, the person in charge of the live shooting and the shooter shall bear responsibility.

15. Ammunition other than that compatible with the firearm caliber may not be used.

16. Individuals carrying firearms for work or study purposes must carry a firearm usage permit issued by the police, along with an introduction letter from their agency or a certificate from the Sports and Physical Training Board of the province, city, or sector. When officers or soldiers responsible for managing weapons as defined by the Government Council need to inspect, they must be ready to present the relevant documents without refusal.

IV. TRANSPORTATION

17. Transporting sports and defense firearms and ammunition from one province to another requires a transportation permit issued by the provincial public security department, based on an introduction letter from the Central Sports and Physical Training Committee or the Sports and Physical Training Board of the province, city, or sector. The requesting agency must clearly state the quantity of each type of firearm and ammunition, destination address, transport time, name and position of the person responsible for the transport, driver's name, and vehicle number.

18. For transportation within a province, a transportation permit from the provincial public security department is not required, but an introduction letter from the agency managed by its head must be provided, which must include the details specified in Article 17.

19. During transportation of firearms and ammunition, regardless of distance, in addition to the driver, there must be someone accompanying to provide protection. If it is necessary to stop along the way, the local police must be informed and thorough protective measures must be organized; vehicles carrying weapons must not be parked at markets or crowded places.

V. PRODUCTION AND REPAIR

20. Apart from military workshops, production and repair facilities for armed forces weapons, only state-owned enterprises permitted by the Ministry of Public Security can produce and repair sports and defense firearms; cooperative and private entities are not allowed to produce or repair such firearms.

Enterprises permitted to produce sports firearms can only accept production according to plans and contracts from the Sports and Physical Training Committee. They are not allowed to produce firearms for other agencies or individuals otherwise.

21. For routine repairs of sports defense firearms, facilities can purchase replacement parts themselves, with parts distributed by the Central Sports and Physical Training Committee and the Sports and Physical Training Board of the province, city, or sector.

22. Facilities permitted to repair sports defense firearms can only accept repair work when accompanied by an introduction letter from the agency seeking the repair service, along with a firearm usage permit issued by the police and identification of the individual.

23. Facilities permitted to produce and repair sports defense firearms must comply fully with all procedures and guidance for control by the police. Any changes in personnel, location, expansion, or reduction in the scope of production and repair must first obtain permission from the police authority issuing the permit.

24. This Circular takes effect from the date of signature.