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Regulation of paintball in Malta

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Revision as of 09:03, 27 October 2026 by Admin (talk | contribs) (Update Maltese paintball regulation using the original 2005 Act, 2013 and 2017 amendments and consolidated regulations checked in October 2026; distinguish marker classification, approved playing areas and planning permission.)

Regulation of paintball in Malta concerns the treatment of paintball equipment and playing locations under Maltese legislation. Paintball was expressly defined in the Arms Act enacted in 2005. Subsequent amendments changed the classification of markers in 2013 and 2017, while a separate provision introduced in 2017 required their use to take place in areas approved by the Weapons Board. [1][2][3][4]

Arms Act, 2005

The Arms Act, Act XIV of 2005, received presidential assent on 2 August 2005 and came into force on 15 August 2006. [1][5]

Article 2 included paintball within the definition of sporting activity. It also defined paintball activity by reference to specially designed equipment using compressed air or gas to discharge frangible projectiles containing coloured dye. [1]

The legislation's recognition of paintball does not establish when the sport was first played in Malta.

Early equipment registration and licensing

A parliamentary answer reported by the Times of Malta on 7 February 2007 identified 20 paintball guns among weapons newly registered during 2006. This was a count of registrations during that year, rather than the total number of players or markers in Malta. [6]

On 8 February 2009, the newspaper reported difficulties associated with obtaining permission to participate in paintball. Its account described club membership, vetting, weapons-handling training and examination by the Weapons Board. An unnamed licensed operator in Kalkara criticised the effect of these requirements on recreational customers. [7]

These reports document the historical administration of paintball equipment before the later amendments.

Reclassification in 2013

Legal Notice 76 of 2013 amended the Arms Act schedules. It deleted item 2 of Part II of Schedule II and added an express entry for airsoft and paintball guns as item 5 of Schedule III. [2]

In its explanation of the amendments published on 26 February 2013, the Association of Maltese Arms Collectors & Shooters (AMACS) described this as a move from Schedule II to Schedule III. AMACS stated that a transfer licence was no longer required and that taking the equipment outdoors remained conditional on membership of an airsoft or paintball club. These statements describe the association's contemporary explanation of the reforms. [8]

Changes in 2017

Removal of the Schedule III entry

Legal Notice 151 of 2017, published on 30 May 2017, deleted item 5 of Schedule III. That item was the airsoft and paintball entry introduced in 2013. Reading the two amendments together establishes the removal of that express entry from the schedule. [2][3]

The amendment concerned equipment classification. A separate legal notice published on the same day addressed where markers could be used. [3][4]

Approval of playing areas

Legal Notice 150 of 2017 introduced regulation 94 into the Arms Licensing Regulations. It restricted the use of airsoft and paintball markers to designated areas approved by the Weapons Board. [4]

The Maltese text states that markers must jintużaw biss f’żoni speċifikati approvati mill-Bord dwar l-Armi. The English text identifies the same approval requirement. [4]

Regulation 94 remains present in the consolidated Arms Licensing Regulations inspected on 27 October 2026. That consolidation includes amendments through Legal Notice 77 of 2026. [9]

Planning permission

Paintball facilities have also been subject to planning applications. Application PA/01439/99 proposed changing a film-production site at Triq ir-Rinella, Kalkara, into a paintball field. The Planning Authority's public database records receipt on 22 March 1999 and the granting of outline development permission on 12 April 2000. [10]

This documents a land-use proposal. It does not establish that the development was implemented or that the location received the separate approval subsequently required under regulation 94. [4][10]

See also

References

  1. Arms Act, Act XIV of 2005. Parliament of Malta. Assented to on 2 August 2005; article 2 contains the original paintball definitions. Maltese and English texts.
  2. Legal Notice 76 of 2013: Arms Act (Amendment of Schedules) Regulations. Government of Malta, 26 February 2013.
  3. Legal Notice 151 of 2017: Arms Act (Amendment of Schedules I and III) Regulations. Government of Malta, 30 May 2017.
  4. Legal Notice 150 of 2017: Arms Licensing (Amendment) Regulations. Government Gazette No. 19,789, 30 May 2017. Introduces regulation 94; parliamentary copy includes Maltese and English texts.
  5. Arms Act, Chapter 480. Official legislation portal. Records commencement on 15 August 2006.
  6. 1,780 new weapon licences. Times of Malta, 7 February 2007.
  7. Getting a shotgun is easier than playing paintball. Caroline Muscat, Times of Malta, 8 February 2009.
  8. Changes to the Arms Act – 26 February 2013. Association of Maltese Arms Collectors & Shooters, 26 February 2013.
  9. Arms Licensing Regulations, S.L. 480.02. Government of Malta, consolidated text including amendments through Legal Notice 77 of 2026; regulation 94. Inspected 27 October 2026.
  10. Planning application PA/01439/99. Planning Authority, public application database. Outline permission granted on 12 April 2000; inspected 27 October 2026.
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